Bible
Family Man, Family Leader
by Philip Lancaster
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Dec. 23, 2009~ ~ |
 I don't get grown up men, especially husbands and fathers, who need to receive stuff for Christmas, birthday, Father's Day.
Then again, maybe the profile of the grown up male who demands to recieve, rather than give, is a caricature invented by advertisers and marketers (then some who take the bait become the caricature).
Or maybe the one and only true God, manifiested in His Son Jesus is truly working in me to feel "more blessed to give than to receive."
Or, to be blogfully truthful, is that I'm excited about playing with what's going under the tree soon: Wii Resort, Wii Fit Plus, a new HO scale train, and so on. Sorry, Darling Daughter, I'm still working up to being excited about American Girl dolls.
Don't Misunderstand, I do like getting stuff. I'd love to open Wii Grand Slam Tennis or Wii Golf (even if Tiger Woods is on the cover, the slime ball), but with parenthood comes self denial.
Really, if I could have anything I wanted, it would be one more Christmas Eve at my Grandparents' house on Connecticut Street, circa 1970s. Then again, what I would gain from that is the understanding that what is even better is Christmas Season with my own Darling Bride and Children, circa 2000s - 2010s. |
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Dec. 8, 2009~ Antiquing Find, In Time for Christmas, Y2K Compliant! ~ |
This is the find from our first "official" antiquing trip.
True, it is not really an antique. It is either "period" or "vintage", depending on the perspective.
It is homeschooling treasure.
Knowing about manual typing helps us appreciate word processing on the computer.
The kids really wanted this. They promised to write reports on it, but we assured them they did not have to do it.
It is a neat toy, old school! But somehow we stumbled upon having kids that don't need computerized stuff for Christmas! By the way, this is Y2K compliant.
We like old stuff: We have a phonograph (that I'm trying to find a replacement needle for).
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Nov. 25, 2009~ Our Family Dream Coming into Clearer Focus... ~ |
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My dream is so clear, I can almost reach out and touch it -
We will find an older house far enough from the city to be considered rural (we can do this and still shorten my commute time to work).
The hard wood floor was standard back then, not an upgrade like today.
Raised bed gardens are in process with cherry tomatoes, other vegetables, and other goodies on their way to our dinner table.
What we don't grow ourselves, we support our farming friends and neighbors when we can.
Nobody in Indiana grows oranges, though, so prudent shopping at the grocery.
But enough of food. The land provides the fun and excitement, not the TV.
Hiking and camping at a favorite state park. Learning the plant life.
But we're not killing our TV because of Antiques Roadshow, History Detectives, movies made before High Definition, and Netflix.
Smoky Mountain genre plays from the CD player. The only musical instrument I play is the CD player, so I appreciate the talents of others.
A porch swing for Darling Bride's Mother's Day gift.
I will learn my neighbor's names. Today I do not know the names of my neighbors to my immediate left and right.
We fulfill some ideas quoted in a book MADE FROM SCRATCH by Jenna Woginrich:
"You can make better decisions every day; you can learn the skills that make for a more independent way of living."
And these quotes from THE SIMPLE HOME by Sarah Nettleton:
"The simple home is not an end in itself, but the means by which we can enjoy our own simple pleasures whether they be the starry skies..."
"...unadorned, resolved of complexity, essential in its response to needs, balanced, the result of clear choices..."
"A simple home puts us in touch with the simple pleasures of life: the warmth of winter sunlight, the scent of flowers through an open window, a family meal at a communal table. By learning to appreciate the 'luxury of enough,' we can delight in the simple abundance of our homes' most basic pleasures."
Our family is getting a head start on our 2010 (and beyond) Resolutions. This weekend, or sometime soon, we will go looking for property. |
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Nov. 24, 2009~ Dune Therapy (Creation Declares the Glory of God!) ~ |
Call it Dune Therapy, but the Indiana Dunes State Park and National Lakeshore are where we go to relax and simplify. Even when it is not suntan weather, it is a great place to go to see the perfect balance of nature and commerce!
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Nov. 19, 2009~ Not a Bad Dad because we don't do soccer. ~ |
Why I'm not a Bad Dad because my kids don't play soccer, basketball, etc...
This weekend we're road-tripping it for 2 1/2 hours to Lake Michigan (who doesn't dream of the beach in November?)
The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a superlative place any time of the year. As a family we will exercise our bodies by hiking the beach, forest, and trails. It is a setting to behold any day of the year. We will exercise our minds by observing the change of seasons and how God created nature to winterize itself.
We will also exercise family time as the five of us, and add a grandmother into the mix and we have extended family time.
We will also enjoy the commericialism of Bass Pro Shops and maybe even an antique mall and restaurant. These trips are huge for our family. We'd go camping if the weather were about 20 to 30 degrees warmer, and the campground was open. But day trips are adventures that motivate us to get up early on Saturday!
Problem is, soccer families are stuck at home. For example, my co-worker across the hall told me earlier this year that her family can't go on the camping and exploring trips we do because of soccer, band, and whatever else. My advice to quit those things didn't seem administratively feasable.
So, once again we choose as a family to march to our own drum instead of what middle class suburbia would have us do. And we're much better off for it.
And by the way, we do get our competitive sports in via martial arts. Big tournament tonight! One of the kids might advance to the next round. |
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Nov. 17, 2009~ The homesteading journey begins now. ~ |
Darling Bride and I are now pursuing a dream. We are simplifying our lives.
Truly, we have already been simplifying, although involuntarily: business woes have taken away luxuries such as vacations, designer clothes, our comfy home in the suburbs, but it has been a blessing in disguise.
We have discovered what the book THE SIMPLE HOME by Sarah Nettleton calls "the luxury of enough: a simple home puts us in touch with the simple pleasures of life: the warmth of winter sunlight, the scent of flowers through an open window, a family meal at a communal table..."
Problem is, how do I get from Certified Public Accountant to GREEN ACRES?
I'm also reading MADE FROM SCRATCH by Jenna Woginrich because she tells about how she became more self sufficient, a little bit at a time. So real people don't have to go from McDonalds to Old Mac Donald (had a farm, E I E I O) all at once.
So now, the journey begins. And the blog resumes. |
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Apr. 20, 2009~ Quality and Quantity Time ~ |
It was April 18th, and we could hardly wait to get to Lake Michigan.
No, we weren't beach bums in the Spring, we were a family on an adventure together.
We needed some family time together, and we like to go places and do things as a family.
Did you know that the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore ranks 7th in plant diversity among all National Parks?
So here's the point: Thanks to God for allowing me to hang out with my wife and kids for a day exploring the dunes. And my own mom was with us too. |
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Apr. 12, 2009~ Easter 2009, some thoughts ~ |
 Have you ever watched a favorite movie, or TV show, or read a favorite book, time and time again, and gotten completely immersed in the suspense and drama? Even though we know how the story will turn out, we still get caught up in the plot complication: will the good guy win over the bad guy? How will the hero escape this situation?
To me, Easter is like that. We know how the story ends - Jesus is risen! Yet, as we navigate through Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday, and wait for Sunday, we feel the passion, the agony, and the sadness that is the crucifixion. Part of it out of the story itself, part of it coming to grips with our own sinfulness, both personally and corporately, that moved Jesus to choose the cross for us. We wonder - will the good guy win over the bad guy? How will the hero escape this situation?
The good guy wins! The hero arose from the situation! Death is conquered, sin is forgiven! We celebrate - He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Maybe God created a sense of drama, suspense, and anticipation within us so that we would always re-live the sorrow of Good Friday and the joy of Easter.
I know I did this year. And will again.
And I wait until Jesus comes again, even though I've read ahead and know how the story will turn out. |
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Mar. 27, 2009~ God's Protection Over Me ~ |
  This week I've chosen to see God's hand of protection over me instead of being unhappy that He hasn't blessed me more.
Compare the photo of me uploaded with this post to the photo with my profile. Same person, same time of the year, different cameras with different lenses. One photo is a blessing, one is a curse. Just goes to show that how we see life depends upon the lens and perspective we have.
One way among many that God is protecting me that was always there, but I've been reminded of:
Word came this week that another marriage in my extended family is failing in a big way. The lens and perspective I have at the moment allows me to see God's protection over me, my own marriage, and my own family life.
God's grace, God's word and my application of it to my life, allowing His influence, and Scripture influenced decision making have made the difference. My own marriage and family are vibrant and growing because of the saving and keeping work of Jesus Christ. I have a relationships with my kids. I'm connected in my local church, including a small group that provided interdependence. Even as I struggle with synergizing the need to earn a living and the need to be home with my family, we are working together to keep it in line. And we're waiting for the end of tax season, then a big family celebration.
The "world" would predict that failure is my destiny. Jesus Christ says that being like Him is my destiny. When Jesus comes and transforms, He doesn't usually do it with flash and dance, shock and awe. Instead, it is a quiet, behind the scenes work built around who He is, what He as done, and what He is doing, and using truth to influence decision making.
Usually, I struggle because I don't feel as blessed as I ought to be. True, He throws financial trials my way to make sure He has my attention. That manifiests itself in my having to be intentional about counting my blessings. This week counting my blessings got a whole lot easier when I noticed that I've been protected from problems that others I care about have.
Now the call is to find out how to come alongside my struggling comrades...
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Mar. 20, 2009~ Reinventing myself, again. ~ |
 At age 43, I am still re-inventing myself. The photo is of someone re-inventing the wheel on a napkin. Get it? :-) I'm finding myself having to be more of a risk taker than I'm used to.
One recent example is in my moonlighting job, a Tax Professional at H & R Block. One would think of a tax preparer who reads questions from a computer, waits for a customer's response, then keystrokes the data. Not so. Today's successful Tax Professional is a dynamic, thoughtful combination of tax knowledge and interpersonal communicator. Additionally, we have the responsibility to build value for everybody by winning and retaining clients, finding added value services, and marketing ourselves and our brand. I'm not one to ask others to do something (ask my Darling Bride who asked who to get married). But after the agony of plucking up courage of asking clients to take advantage of opportunities we present, some say yes. It is exciting to be influential in a good way. So I have to take the risk of asking others to do things, even when those things would benefit them.
Continuing, thinking through my leadership role at my local church. What if I start pursuing an M.B.A. and have to make priority choices? I think I might need and M.B.A. to be qualified for my next job, and a job allows me to proivde for my family, etc...Taking risks of what to say "yes" to and what to say "no" to.
At home. I've been struggling with finding quantitiy time for family, as tax season is in full swing. I will be re-inventing myself again starting April 16th. Finally, I will be with my family again. I miss them. That's another consideration. The family photo I keep on my desk is not just decoration, it is my motivation to keep going, and to keep re-inventing myself. The risk of balancing the need of having to go earn grocery money and the need of being home with my family.
Isn't "re-inventing oneself" another name for being conformed to the image of Christ if you are a follower of Him? Whatever it is, call it a work in progress.
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Just call me Jeff
(Jeffrey if I'm in trouble)
Hopefully writing about my (mis)adventures will encourage you along your journey! I'm a 43 year old, Husband, Homeschooling Father of 3, Businessman, Christian, etc., trying to apply 1 Thessaolians 5:11, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..." (and maybe a few laughs along the way...)
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