Always teaching

This is a snapshot of Austin learning to skimboard. If you are unfamiliar it's a very thin board that you throw on the sand just as a wave is receding or building and jump on and ride it.

Some people call it a "toe jammer", because...well, you jam your toes.

He had been working on this and I walked out and told him WHEN to throw it...success.

He had the equipment and the ability, he just needed a little more information to be successful. How many of us are in the same place? We can do something and experience success, but we need just a little help. Join me today and help someone really excel by giving them some help.

Changing and growing

It's normal for us to grow. We expect our children to grow up, we ourselves continue to grow in experience and relationships. There is constant movement.

One of my favorite things about working at UCYC is the life-change that continues as part of our story along with many churches. This camp is 86 acres in Prescott, AZ dedicated to serving churches and other ministries, but without children and students, it's just a piece of land. However, when churches attend with their kids, and we plan our part of the program to teach student about Jesus...Life-Change occurs.

So far this summer, God has changed the following lives, 350 kids have accepted Christ and another 605 have made recommitments to continue to follow God. These are just the ones we know of but there is more.

What has changed in you lately? Are you growing in ways that make you better? Are you moving backwards? Hope you are making good progress in life.

The men and their motorcycles

During my recent trip to Colorado, I had lots of time to think. It occurred to me that the bikes we like match much of our personality as men.

Dan: rides a 1300 sport touring bike. It's fast (very fast) and sporty, like Dan. He moves at a great pace in everything.

Terry: rides a 1800 Goldwing. It's dependable, has some quickness and overall speed. Take care of this bike and it will keep rolling for years...just like Terry. Sometimes I forget he is 68+ years old.

Matt: rides a 1700 Yamaha Warrior. It is SO LOUD and fast. It was described as a "drag bike" at the motorcycle dealership. Like Matt, it's loud and it's a blast. It's purpose in life is evident...go very fast and have fun! Sounds like Matt how works very hard and plays even harder.

Me: I rode a 1100 Honda Shadow. It's a true cruiser. I could roll easily at 80 down the interstate or relax the winding roads in CO. Like me, it just cruises through life.

Where we come from

Over the past 5 days I rode a 1998 Honda Shadow 1100 across Arizona, Utah and Colorado. There were four of us on the trip and we covered more than 1,350 miles. Spending that much time with anyone will grow your friendship. Over the next entries I will related some of my thoughts and lessons learned as we rode for hours across amazing country in all kinds of weather.

My first lesson came late in the trip. Saturday evening we were at dinner at Carver's Brewery in Durango talking about our lives. Matt Kinsley leans over and says, "Davey boy, our lives starting out are so opposite." His point was to talk about how wild and crazy some of his early years were and how plain my life was.

You know, each of us start out in different places. The beginning is not important. How you end up is what matters. Are you going to stay in the places where you begin? I am not talking about physically where you live. I am talking about the choices you make in how you live, speak, treat others, have family, make commitments, become a better person, participate in our society, train your children well and so many other things.

We laughed on the trip because we all had near death experiences and yet here we are. Perhaps we should acknowledge that God has saved us for something better. As for me, I choose to try and learn from my past and others. I will try to honor my wife, kids, parents and the God I follow. My goal is to finish this one and only life well. Good luck with your life.

Believing the "lie"

Sometimes we get anxious. Sometimes we get hurt, nervous or frustrated. These are all normal parts of the human experience. In fact, they carry the label of being a bad thing, but most often they result in good things IF we learn to work through them correctly.

My friend said a long time ago that when he feels some of these emotions coming on that he asks himself, "what is the lie that I am believing?" This simple but powerful mental exercise helps ground him and remind him that things may not be as he perceives them.

Example: Anxiety comes as he prepares for a trip. Will he ride in the front seat? Will he get along those on the trip? What if...??? So, he methodically answers the questions with the above question in mind. Front seat? hummm? What is better or worse about the front seat? Is there a lie hidden in my thinking? When you spot the lie it eases the anxiety.

We are held prisoners to our thinking. What is we thought differently? Hope this helps you begin to look through what is going on.

Punishment or not?

Memphis schools are considering a return to "spanking" as a form of punishment after 5 years away from the practice. Of course this is a hot topic and people can get very animated about this discussion.

My biggest question in this debate (regardless of which side you take) is; "where is the guidance"?

My children have been disciplined in many ways over the years by my wife and I and the basis is "guidance". We want our kids to operate inside certain boundaries and we guide that process by rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior.

In some ways, this mirrors the frustration at the border. If I cross into Mexico illegally, I will be put in jail for 2 years. Sneak into America and it's a misdemeanor with little teeth.

Bottom line: you can guide people, especially children with punishment. You can guide adults the same way with laws and punishment for violators. However, when those doing wrong have nothing to fear, our society is headed down a bad road. When people from other countries can sneak in with little if any consquence then again we are moving in a bad direction.

I believe and practice that discipline is good...very good. It is a reality in life and should be practiced by parents, schools, cities and countries.

I am a teacher

It's not new. I have known for a long time that I enjoy "teaching" or passing on information. My wife has endured over the years as I explain what makes something work or a new understanding that I have found.

With my kids, I love to answer their questions and figure out how to use kid language to help them understand something. So, I AM A TEACHER. So, as I continue to grow up, I am a salesman, teacher, pastor and big kid.

Hey, perhaps by the end of my life I will figure out a few more things about myself. I hope you are having fun learning about yourself as well.