Month: April 2013

The Yankees turned the first 4-6-5-6-5-3-4 triple play in Major League history tonight, and Natalia and I were there LIVE with our friends Tommy, Naomi, Clare, and Angela. So awesome!

Saturday evening we were blessed by a dear friend with a bunch of tickets to the New York Islanders hockey game. We were able to have several of our best friends from Smithtown, as well as two of our friends from London, join us for a very fun evening. The Islanders won. Unfortunately my high school classmate Marty Reasoner did not suit up for the game (heard he might have been out sick). It would have been neat to see him play. Next time.

Yesterday I took some out-of-town friends to New York City for the day. Knowing I was going to have some chill time while waiting them to visit different sites and stores, I brought along some reading material: A Youth Ministry Volunteer Speaks His Mind by Rick Williams. It was an excellent little book which provides insights into the mindset, and perspectives on the realities of volunteers. Through the years, as a vocational, lead youth worker, I have had to wrestle through many of the issues raised in the book. I have a tremendous respect and deep love for volunteers, and I am continually learning how to honor and lead them with God’s help. If you want to effectively work with and lead volunteers, this book is a must-read. If you are struggling with the ins and outs of working with volunteers – especially if you are new in youth ministry – do yourself a favor; save yourself a lot of stress and time, and read this book. It’s short. It’s simple. It’s practical.

Happy 60th Anniversary to my awesome grandparents, Bob and Maxine Mahaffy. Thanks for such a tremendous example and all of the wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration you have provided for our family, Adriana and me, and everyone else. We so love, appreciate, respect, and honor you. Congratulations!

In the Spring cleaning mood, I decided it was time to get into our student ministry closet today. It was my first time venturing into this cave to assess our inventory and get everything organized since joining the church staff 6 months ago. In the very back of the closet I spotted a cooler labeled “Iced Tea.” I pulled it out. Then, just out of curiosity, I thought that perhaps I should check and make sure no iced tea was actually inside. The top was a bit difficult to remove. It seemed like some sticky substance was present. After a few attempts I got the lid off, and surprise, surprise … inside was some sort of slime that apparently used to be Iced Tea! Not sure how long it had been in that closet. Needless to say I didn’t drink it, and this cooler is getting a good cleaning. Gotta love youth ministry. lol!

One of the greatest things that gives children a sense of security in the home – in fact, I would suggest, the greatest thing – is seeing their parents in love with each other. On Saturday night Adriana and I went to our friends’ house for dinner. When we returned home, we opened our bedroom door to find that our daughters had been busy while we were out. Cupcakes, chocolates, hot chocolate, romantic art, a romantic comedy, a video greeting – all complete with operating instructions. They then assured us that they could put themselves to bed, and herded us into our room for a romantic evening together. So sweet!

Oops … we were married in 1996! 🙂