Hi From The Beach

Hello from Northbrook. Since I hadn't shown any pics from where Melissa and I moved, I thought I would post a few, and also ask for prayers as we begin the year here.

We like the area a lot, as it is surrounded by nice neighborhoods and only 10 minutes from the beach! The north side of Chicago is an incredibly rich area, much richer than Melissa and I. We have enjoyed everything so far...but we could just use a few more friends our age. It is nice on the north side for a number of reasons, as I said you have the beach and there are a lot of nice small cities. And there is plenty of room for people to come and visit at our house, so don't hesitate.

So anyway, please pray for our time here as we embark on a new journey with a new church, a new city, and hopefully new friends. Last year was a tough year with our health and the crumbling of a church, but we were still so blessed through our experiences...may we continue to experience His blessings this year.

ESTROGEN OVERLOAD

Males... where were you this weekend. I started off the weekend hanging out at a middle school youth group activity, serving as a chaperone. My young male kids were outnumbered 17 to 3, and after the 3 boys left, I played the game "big booty" for the rest of the night - a fun game, and while I was not the best, I think I hung in there. The girls may have thought otherwise...

Saturday rolls around and we get a call from Melissa's old soccer team from college. The girls are playing in a tournament in the area and they do not have a place to stay for the night...25 girls soon entered our house and set up shop for the largest of slumber parties I have ever seen.

Sunday comes and Melissa and I and our 25 roomates head off to what else, the US Women's soccer game against China.

In the end, it was a great weekend, both with the middle schoolers and the 25 new residents at our house Saturday night. I was blessed by all of them, and while I might need to recharge with some males, both of the groups were great.

LOST

Yes, it is true...Melissa and I have finally watched the hit TV show Lost, and have just finished watching season one on DVD. Initially, I thought this was just another catastrophic plane crash with monsters in the woods type movie. But wow, the skill at which they introduce you to the characters and the depth of the psychology is really cool.

I would definitely recommend it, as it is not only entertaining but makes you think about what psychological baggage you have yourself. If we only all had a lost island that we could work through our stuff. And if you don't end up liking the show, you have to at least like Hurley, cause he is the man.

We will be starting the second season at some point. If you have the choice, watching it on DVD is the way to go.

For the random people I don't know who like to post comments like the one I received about this post, first, please keep non-edifying comments to yourself. Second, despite the fact that most of TV and movies are superficial and are only to entertain, with some it is possible to seek great truths about life from them.

Our First Anniversary

Melissa and I celebrated our 1st anniversary by heading up the coast of Wisconsin. We camped for two nights and were on the road finding beautiful places to stop and see. The clouds were beautiful. Later on, we went to a Winery and were given sips of eight different wines, the aged Cherry, not bad my friends. Finally, we headed further up the coast to some cliffs, and then went for a run alongside a paved trail overlooking Lake Michigan. On Sunday, we watched the wedding video, then went out to Wildfire for some steak and ribs...busy weekend.

Von Stiel Winery - Algoma, Wisconsin

The Cliffs at Cave Point

quite a road trip...thank you Lord for your creation.

You Cannot Lose His Love

You may lose your appetite
Your guiding sense of wrong and right
You may lose your will to fight
But you cannot lose my love

You will lose your confidence
In times of trial, your common sense
You may lose your innocence
But you cannot lose my love

Many things can be misplaced
Your very memories be erased
No matter what the time or space
You cannot lose my love

I have been looking forward to writing more about this post, as the heart of Sara Groves song, You Cannot Lose My Love, has been at the heart of my journey of defining who I am. In my mind, I know the verses in Scripture that say how much God loves me, but trying to know it in my heart, now that has always been a struggle. Carl Rogers said that knowledge and experience are completely different things, almost unrelated. If only I could know how much he cares - I know that I would make better choices and trust more in His goodness.

I am also still on my journey toward working my client's through their own development with identity. For so many of my client's, the roads of theif lives is met with so many questions, frustrations, and trials, and traumas. Their experiences are telling them that they are not loved, not cared for, but often that they are hated. Of course, while I have also experienced some of these experiences, mine do not compare.

So the obvious answer for their treatment would be to put to introduce them to a Godly father who loves them completely...who takes their beat up and wounded hearts and holds them in His loving hands. Oh, if I could only point them in that direction!

But what for those who do not believe in a God. Life's hurts and traumas often give us a scewed view of not only ourselves, but of God. And then you add in a family that has never ackowledged God. Therefore, a number of obstacles seem to surface for the non-Christian.

Therefore, in counseling children and adolescents, I am constantly trying to figure out a way to let them know that they are incredibly special beyond what they could fathom, but do so with a language that they can understand. I am still on this path of being able to effectively help form youth's identity.

On the road through Christian Psychology integration... hopefully more thoughts on this later.