Kids are tough

Man, kids are tough. Being a parent is harder then I ever imagined.
I hope I don't screw them up to bad.......
I thought I would have all the answers by now.
Where is the cheat sheet?

It is so strange, the kids are at 3 different phases. Switching to deal with each of them can be difficult.

Caitlyn is turning 18. She wants the privileges of being an adult. It is hard to let go and allow her to explore yet set limits. I remember being that age and thinking my parents were so out of it, while my friends parents were so cool. I look back and those friends made a lot of bad decisions they are living with to this day. I now appreciate my parents attempt to keep me safe and helping me grow. She is a smart kid and I am excited to see what she does in college. She has worked hard to this point and amazes me with her wit, knowledge, and wide variety of interests.

Chloe is so cute and knows it. She started school and wants to do everything Stephen does. She started playing soccer and loves it. Chloe never meets a stranger. She is going to be a fireball when she gets older. I am not sure what we are gonna do...

Stephen is gaining confidence weekly. School and all his activities make him tired. But, if we don't keep him busy, he gets himself in trouble. He realized he is smaller then the other kids and struggles with it. But, at soccer he mixes it up with the biggest kid on the field.

Cub Scouts

Stephen is really enjoying cub scouts. I love watching him feel apart of something positive and bigger them himself. He is getting his "Bobcat" badge in a ceremony end of this month. He has to know the Cub Scout motto, salute, handshake, and complete some other activities.

We purchased his outfit a week ago and he enjoyed helping me put the patches on. We used some special adhesive, but I think we are gonna have to use needle and thread soon....

Thursday we received the dreaded fund raising kit to sell popcorn. The money allows the group to go camping and buy supplies for this years activities. Stephen was so excited to go sell popcorn I was really surprised. Today he dressed up in his Scout uniform and we walked 3 blocks selling popcorn. As we walked home, I told him how much we raised. He jumped up and down excited. He wanted to go buy the $80 transformer remote control car...... After some explaining, he was OK with the money going to Scouts. He asked that next time we raise money could he make a lemon aid stand to sell and keep the money for himself.

Next summer, lemon aid stand her we come!

Update 10/4/2008 - Stephen and I went door to door and sold over $300. We also went and sold popcorn at the local grocery store. I was surprised how much fun he had. He was the smallest scout and sold the most. Little old ladies could not say no to him. He sold 15 packs of $1 popcorn in 15 minutes. He was on fire.... I was very proud because he took the job serious and worked harder then the other kids (age range from 8-13). Sometimes when people turned him down, he would say "Thank you anyway, have a nice day." They were surprised how nice he was and would change their minds and buy some popcorn or donate a couple of dollars.

He sold enough to win tickets to a NC State Basketball game where he will eat with the coach and players. He also won a rocket.

Self Portrait

Vote for Max

My brother emailed me a photo of a poster they made because Max is campaigning for school office. With such a high profile presidential election going on, it made me realize how important it is to teach our kids the importance of community and our role in making a difference.

The time is now. The place is here.
Vote for Max for a awesome school year!!!

Good luck Max. I made a campaign video for you. Let me know how it goes....

First time for everything

Remember when you were young and discovering how to tie your shoe, ride a bike, or the first time you got to go around the block by yourself..... Ahh, the simple times!

Here are a few firsts for our kids, click play on the videos and prepare to be amazed :)

Stephen's first bike ramp
We made it together a week after he learned how to ride a bike.

Chloe's first day at preschool




Stephen's first day in adult church
When the children enter first grade our church introduces them to the congregation. They are now of age to sit with their parents (to test our patience...) He was so proud and excited to be presented with a new bible. When they introduced him, he told them he liked to "work" with his hammer and enjoys salad...... I hope the faith thing comes easier for him then it did for me. Below is the outfit he picked to wear.

Thoughts from a former "Illegal Immigration"

I received this email from a good friend who now is pastor in Apex. It is heartfelt and an interesting perspective.

What follows is a first attempt to respond in a pastoral way to this topic. I'm not responding to any particular point of view. I simply want to add my own limited view to this conversation in a spirit of friendship and openness. I speak to this issue from my own experience as a Latino immigrant, as a Protestant Christian, as an evangelical pastor, as a head of household of a Latino family.

Immigrants come to this country for different reasons. I was brought here by my mom to protect me from the civil strife of my country of birth. One of my brothers was killed by the military at age 16. My oldest brother was arrested by the military at age 17. I was 15 when I left El Salvador to come here.

I remember having a difficult time adapting to a new home, new culture, and new life. Language was different, relationships were different, values were different, living for the first time in my life with my mom was different, etc. I was unhappy and angry at everything that was happening to me. I wanted to go home, my real home.

Two identities were new to me in this culture. First, I learned that I was a Hispanic person. The church I attended was Hispanic, my mom's friends were Hispanic, my friends at school were Hispanic, the places we ate were Hispanic, the TV channels we watched were Hispanic, the places we bought groceries were Hispanic, etc. Second, I was an illegal alien. I didn't feel much different than other Hispanics. But nevertheless I knew not to tell to strangers that I was an illegal.

In 2001 I immigrated to this country again. I was no longer a newcomer but my wife was. Through her I relived some of the emotional and social challenges that comes sometimes with being an immigrant. In an instant she lost all of her support networks (family, friends, church, neighborhood, university, etc) and felt disconnected and isolated. She became overly dependent on others for things that she use to be able to do alone (go to the market, ride the bus, attend church, make a phone call, meet people, etc.). But God was with us, we had each other and we had the love of Christian brothers and sisters to help us get through. And we still do.

As a Latino pastor, I hear from Latinos who are struggling because they are not able to find a job or receive services available only to legal people. Many Latinos live with the fear of being deported and separated from their families. There is fear of raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at job sites or homes. I hear from people who wrestle with feelings of humiliation, of not being appreciated, of not belonging. People who tell me that no matter how hard they work and how many sacrifices they make their quality of life is diminishing. Why don't they just go back home?

The point is this is home. I have more relatives here now than any other place in the world. Two of my kids were born here. I have friends here. I have a church family here. I received an education here. I serve Christ here. God's dreams for me are tied to my presence in this land. Through it all, with its ups and downs, I have experience the love, embrace and hospitable spirit of people in my new home, particularly from sisters and brothers in Christ.

What are we to do as Christians?

The most important word we can share with illegal immigrants is that they are children of God. This child of God identity is an unequivocal truth. Divine recognition of the dignity of the human person, so much so that God didn't withhold even his only Son, uplifts people who feel disenfranchised and provides a sense of purpose and belonging again.

I speak to this from my own experience. To know that I'm a child of God before I'm anything else is the strength and foundation of my existence. Yes, I was born into Salvadoran citizenship. Yes, I was a U.S. illegal. Yes, I became a Permanent Resident. Yes, I'm now a Naturalized U.S. citizen. These identities are part of my story and have shaped who I've become. But nothing has shaped me and is more important to me than to know that I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ and a citizen of God's new people. No matter how many borders I cross that identity stays with me.

It is through Jesus' Lordship and teachings of the Kingdom of God that we can discern how to best respond to the challenges and opportunities of our own context. We don't get to choose our parents, birthplace or time. But in the new birth of the spirit we can experience a new life in Christ, and as the mission of Apex UMC states "invite and equip ALL to follow Jesus in transforming the world.

The life on earth of our Lord Jesus can enlighten our dialogue. Jesus, himself a Jew, grew up not protected from the guarantees of class or citizenship. As a newborn of a common Jewish family, Jesus and his parents immigrated to Egypt to escape a government policy that would have ended with Jesus' life. As a Jewish adult, when judged for his teachings by the religious and political powers of his day, Jesus couldn't appeal to Caesar (like any Roman citizen) and was sentence to death overnight. Yet, Jesus' understanding of his Sonship, his conviction that God was with him even on the cross, allowed him to overcome any temptation to give in to hopelessness. He conquered his own fears and transformed his own religious tradition. He spoke radically to his contemporaries about a new kind of life (a new order), teaching his visions of the "Kingdom of Heaven," of a new citizenship committed to God's will. "Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself" (Philippians 3: 20-21).

Paul in Romans 12:12 said that one of the marks of the Christian is to "extend hospitality to strangers." What does this mean for our own context? In what ways are we to show Christian love to immigrants in our midst? Our response will determine how aligned we are or how distant we are with God's will and the teachings of our Lord.

Our nationality, ethnicity, race, culture, economic status, experience of God, and theological interpretation will inform our opinions on issues like this one. And that's OK. We enter this conversation not from a void but from a real self. As we engage in dialogue let us seek God's Kingdom first and in so doing seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and power to transcend our own limitations and prejudices to carry on the ministry of Jesus.

RNC Week

Since I watch the DNC all last week, I thought it was only fair to watch the RNC this week. Few random comments about what I saw:

• OK, he was a POW years ago, I get it. I respect that, but think it is overkill now. His POW story may show part of his character, but I felt like that was the main theme. That and how we won't be protected if Obama gets into office. POW does not mean you will make a good president.
  
• If I hear "Maverick" one more time, I'm going to puke. From what I know he voted with Republicans a large percent of the time and his maverick days have far gone. Now, he's claiming he can be the solution and a critic of politics in Washington, when he has played the game forever.
  
• Did you see how negative every one's speech was, directly at Obama and his ideals. I was amazed how condescending and hateful they were. You can attack political views without being hateful. Also, these ideals are millions of peoples ideals and they laughed at them. Not a way to win people over.
  
• McCain did OK on his speech. I found it interesting how "nice" he was compared to all the other speeches. Some interesting themes:
• I will fight for you, I will fight corruption, We will fight, fight with me
  
• Change - Guess this was working to good for Obama
• He did things because it was right, Obama because he wants a career as president
• Vote for Obama and taxes will increase. Hey, McCain how are you gonna pay for everything, including the wars we are in? Let's borrow money from China and make our grandkids worry about it.
  
• What I did not hear this week
• Real solutions and how to pay for them, Obama made some attempt, but not much either
• Sounds like they do not know who the middle class are
• Social justice
• How we deal with world situations and our current reputation
  
• Hey where was George and Dick. Funny how they acted like they did not know them
  

Here is a good summary of his speech.