Our Joy

What blessing we have in our kids.

Sentences

I find it interesting that the way we learn to speak is through watching and learning, trying and failing, and then finally over time, we know exactly how to communicate what is in our mind. Yet when is comes to learning other languages our educational environments invert the process of learning language. If I want to learn Russian do I need to know where the subject and verb are placed in the sentence? Or does it make more sense for me to learn the vocabulary so that I can give directions to my hotel to a cab driver in Moskow? Interesting thought.

While sitting in class all through my grade school years I never thought that I would need to pay attention to the "minutia" of grammar. Never once did it cross my mind that one day to a certain extent my ability to communicate on paper would be vital to success. In my line of work the skill of rhetoric is becoming more important every day as technology advances. My past professors are, I'm sure, laughing and smiling with "I told you so" fresh on their lips. Why did I not pay more attention to grammar, propositions, rhetoric, cumulative syntax, and adjectival steps? Hmmmm.

This thought was prompted a few weeks ago when I was praised and then humiliated in the span of two sentences. I had been working on a project for several months and had finally put the finishing touches on it and the response to all of this effort was not on the content of the project, but on the grammar! "Josh you are a extraordinary writer, and you are very good at motivating people to action through your writing. But you often make mistakes most commonly found with novice writers, you're too wordy and make rookie grammatical errors." That was all. It was like being hit by a Mac truck, two sentences was all it took for me to realize that paying attention in English class would have been a good idea.

After I picked myself up from the verbal slaughtering that had just occurred, I determined myself to become better. Was this my competitive nature? Maybe it was. Nevertheless, (to borrow a line from West Wing although tweaking a bit) "I must be better, I can be better, I will be better, and I will start this moment today." So, I am taking a course offered by University of Iowa's Professor Brooks Landon on Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft. I am hopeful that I learn quickly where my weaknesses are so that I may raise the quality of everything that I produce.

I made a decision in college, after listening to a History professor muse on jobs available for Liberal Arts students, to focus on my head knowledge. He stated that a person can either be paid for using their hands, or for using their heads. Since I was then mowing lawns for a living, I made the decision rather easily to commit myself to earning a living off of one square ft. of real estate, the good ole noggin.

I will let you know how it turns out...or better yet maybe you are a better judge?

Summer '09

Sorry it's been so long since posting! Life has gone by in a blink.

Well the best way to let you know about our sumer is by pics...enjoy!

Our boy thinks he's all grown up.

My how she's grown.

He's in hog heaven.

Holy Cow she's bossy.

Having the time of her life.

Daddy and the kids.

Let me eat...for I am boy!

Growing all too fast.

Let's get rid of the scraggle look.

Not a bad way to spend the dog days of summer.

I love water.

Family at Carabbas in Colorado Springs

what's been going on lately?

The kids were having a ball at a local park in Colorado while visiting their cousins Breleigh and Ace.

This is the view standing outside of Jerrod's restaurant (Jerrod is Josh's brother-in-law) in Colorado Springs, Colorado!!! Unbelievable!

Our little girl is growing up really fast!!!

Time goes by in a blink.

Daddy and Kate before Kate's end of year school performance.

THE REMODEL BEFORE AND AFTER!!!

What a journey! We are excited this is over and are very pleased with the outcome...Enjoy!

My Joy

When I see these faces...I can't help but smile and thank God for how blessed I am!!!!!

The Remodel

Here are some pics of the remodel in process....we'll post the final pics at the end of the month when we're finished.

Our Life Group

From Top Left: Derek Montgomery, me, Kody Martin, Grant Hall,

Bottom Left: Rodger Roberts, Jared Treesh

From Left: Jenny Montgomery, Abby Rose, Ashley Hall, April Martin, Abby Treesh (in pink), Angela Roberts

Team Party and Unexpected Conversation

Tonight was my team party for the 2nd grade girls basketball team I helped my good friend coach. We met at Peter Piper Pizza to let the girls run wild with video games, so that inevitably left the parents to talk. My strategy was pretty simple. Do what I do best...simply talk about anything. However, when the party started, the dynamic was weird. None of the parents seemed to engage each other but rather stayed by themselves. Well I wasn't about to let these parents think that I don't care or am not interested in them so I began to engage each couple 1 by 1...but I didn't make it past the first couple. I know that may not shock you if you know me but I really wanted to talk with each parent...but God had other plans.

The couple I spoke with were a very nice couple and their daughter was as sweet as pie. After we got through the pleasantries they began to ask about me and my family, and my occupation. Once they finished I did the same. Then when I finished, the husband left and it was just me and the wife, I could tell she an agenda with me.

She kept asking questions about my job and my Pastor...so I finally asked about their current church situation. She launched into a schpill about her husband being turned off by off-putting pastors. Well, I then returned the favor and turned up my lobbyist demeanor that I use at work. It was quite something how God moved...

Basically, she wanted to know about my church but she kept asking about the pastor so I knew that she was probably oblivious to how to get to know a church....it's through SMALL GROUPS!!!   

Here was my basic argument:

"When people visit the church they often make the mistake of "judging" the church based on the pastor. While that's an important aspect of the decision if it's made based solely on the pastor then you'll be doing yourself a disservice. If you want to get to know a church...visit their small groups. It's in the context of biblical community that you'll find out the warts of the church, the priorities of the church, the cause of the church." 

She thought that was a interesting take and she said she'll keep that in mind. I could tell she wasn't convinced so I cranked it up a bit. (She and her husband are both in sales...so I had to really up my game) 

I went on to let her know that the heart of my job is to "create and maintain environments where authentic community and spiritual growth can come together to transform lives. My goal for each adult at FBC is for them to look back on their small group experience and realize they are closer to God than they were when they started. You see we were never created to live lives standing alone but rather we were created to perpetually be doing life in an environment where no one stands alone. Yes, you may have a bad experience like your husband did but that no reason to give up. You've probably gotten a bad hair cut but you still get your haircut, you've probably been to bad restaurants but you still eat, likewise you may have a bad experience but you still need a small group." 

Her husband came back and she changed the subject but when he left again she went right back to my point, but this time her tone had changed. She was seeing things differently now...there was more certainty in her voice and she even began back-tracking and said that her husband would probably go to church if she wanted him to but he may not engage with the church.

The heart behind my action was simple. Not long ago I did a life evaluation and asked myself 1 question: 

What am I doing with my life that will last forever?

 

If I'm building into people through small group environments then I'm getting it right! I'm making an investment that will last for eternity. However, if my sole focus is attendance numbers, success, and the bottom line...it's a wasted life, it's all going up in smoke. But when I'm building into people and they in turn can then go and make disciples and encourage others to follow Christ, that an investment that going on through the fire! One of the best ways to build into people is through small groups and I will forever be passionate about how God can work in ANYONE'S life using small groups.

This was a nice, caring, and eager lady and I hope that our conversation can be used as a catalyst to her family becoming interested in God, the church, and finally, life-giving relationships found in small groups! May God be praised!

we are we with the update?

Here are some requested pics of where the Roses are at with our home update. Enjoy!