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Ouch ouch ouch……

Twenty-five years ago in seminary, I began a sermon about Jonah with the words, “I am not a prophet, and I have never been swallowed by a fish.” And these are words that my partner in ministry, Father Kelly Irish laughed at then, and still brings up today.

BUT…..yesterday I predicted disaster, and today it came true!!! Amanda tried to hop a plane standby early from Des Moines, but with weather and Chicago, Ben and I picked her up and arrived home at FOUR in the MORNING! (no worries though, I was able to sleep in because I HAD AN EARLY DOCTOR APPOINTMENT!!!)
But this is to say I am really out of sorts…..so sorry for the short post. It is just the product of a tired mind. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Goodnight (or good morning) and God Bless.
Tommy+
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The road to hell……

I took Amanda to work, and then returned there to take her to the airport today. She is heading to Iowa, which makes me nervous because it is supposed to be a there and back trip…..they never are.

I worry, because I leave on Wednesday for a Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ohio trip….before returning for some ordinations next week. I have to speak at a conference in Pennsylvania, and I am heading to Ohio early to make sure I get the talk done and have enough time as to not be stresses. THAT is the plan.
But of course I took Amanda to the airport. Ben is supervising my talk writing, and it is the primary reason why I need to leave early. Lord knows if she will return on time…..but I can hope.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Dodging the Rainbow Warrior……..

This is another one of those pictures that was taken the day before, although Ben did make another trip to the pool today. Yesterday it was with his mom, and I took the picture when I stopped by. Today he went to the pool with his sister. He is big into the pool.

Of course I am not allowed at the pool. I went there earlier in the season and when I was getting out of the water about 20 of those Greenpeace loonies hit me with a tranquilizer dart, weighed me, tagged me, and rolled me back into the water. It would have been okay had ANY of them had pool passes, but apparently they just snuck in, so no more pool for me.
Of course I would not be dealing with such things if I would take this Biggest Loser thing more seriously. Yep, with just a little over three weeks to go I am considering hitting this with at least a bit of intention. I made the decision to go off my meds that are causing the weight gain, but I am only half way through coming off them. And the problem is my competitive nature really conflicts me as to what to do. Do I push and struggle, or do I just wait to see how life goes off the meds.
In the meantime I will just stay away from water (not showers, but pools). I am confident that it will all be fine, but the bigger issue is not the weight as much as it is going off the meds. (It is not for sissies!) But hopefully by the fall I will be able to join Ben in the water without fear of being rescued. Oh it will happen………I am just impatient in meeting that goal.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Hanging with bikers….

Okay, it is not what you probably thought from the title, but in all honesty it is quite true. Ben got a big-boy bike (with training wheels) tonight and it was a pretty big thing.

Part of the reason it was so big was that Ben was no just “kind of” but truly the poster child of a kid who could not master (or even apprentice) riding a tricycle. He was a total goober on the three wheeler, and it was not just embarrassing, but problematic in visits to the doctor where he was identified (because of his kiddie-cycle incompetence) underdeveloped.
Now of course as a Tirman, I am used to, and expect such a diagnosis of my offspring. But Amanda is a scientist, and actually pretty bright (other than the marrying me thing) and her expectations are far higher than mine. Being a Tirman means people underestimate you and you just prove them wrong. Being a Mongold apparently means you are perfect right from the start. And that is why the whole tricycle thing was killing her.
But Ben is apparently a cycling savant. We should have just put him on the regular bike at birth, because he acted like it was something he was born to do. No, I am not saying he is ready for the Tour de Franz, one, because biking in my family is not a sport; and two, because his brother and sister have already claimed him as a lacrosse player. (I am thankful for that but would have preferred ice hockey because it is God’s favorite sport.)
But regardless, it was fun seeing him on the bike….AND doing well on it too. Soon the training wheels will be off and he will be all over the neighborhood. I know how this works……..God gives us children to make us proud and to send us to an early grave.
My kids are succeeding!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Knick Knack Paddy Whack…….

It appears as if I am a day behind, but that is really not so. I just have had more to write about on each of the past couple of days and I didn’t want it to be all disconnected.

But yesterday Scotty and I headed up to Goshen, Indiana in the truck (that just the day before was in Nashville, Indiana) to help my family with some of the moving of my grandma. My grandma is 95 and had finally decided (reluctantly) to enter into assisted living. And although she lived in a pretty small one room apartment, the move to assisted living was a significant downsize. And being the only one with a truck, I offered my services (driving) and Scott’s services (lifting and everything else) to clear out the big things of what was left.
First of all, it was great to see my grandma. I know she was not too keen on moving into this new place, but all of us feel a great deal of relief that she has. People will now cook, clean and monitor her medicine for her. And it will be nice to not worry about that anymore.
But honestly it was weird taking stuff out to the truck, most of which I had grown up with my entire life. Some of it had already made its way to my mom’s brother’s home in Fort Wayne. Other things Soctt and I dropped off at my mom’s sister’s in Muncie. And of course the rest that was in the truck came home here to stay.
Really, none of it has any big cash value, and even if it did, no one in our family would really care. It ALL however has sentimental meaning, and that is why when I will walk by the few things I brought here (over the course of the rest of my life) they will remind me of my grandparents and all they have meant to me. And of course sitting down with my grandma does that too! But I am not able to get up there to Goshen as much as I want to, nor as much as I should.
There were quite a few things that made the trip here. And the one in the picture is of a step stool that many grandkids stood on to do various things. Ben was pretty pumped about using it, here to brush his teeth. The other things are more knick-knack-ish. But a big one is an end table that used to sit next to my grandpa’s chair (yes it as his chair) for as long as I can remember. All of it is pretty cool to me.
And in all truth, I am honored to be the steward now of these important treasures……even that little stool!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Visiting family…….

One of the bonuses of being at Danny’s yesterday was being able to see Bernard. Bernard is Danny’s Golden Retriever, and a pup from one of our last litters.

Bernard used to be one of Scotty’s show dogs, and like Viper his dad, spent a lot of time sleeping in Scotty’s bed. Bernard was (and is) a lot more active than Viper, but you can expect that from a younger dog. His handsome appearance however can be seen even from a distance…..and all of that is genetics.
But when Danny let him out to see us it was clear he did not recognize us at all. He was all about Dan instead. It is actually just what you hope for when you are a breeder, that the dog will leave that bond with you and become bonded to its new family. That happened……but even Scotty said it hurt just a bit. Bernard was not a pup who left us at 8 weeks. He lived with us, slept with us, played with us, and was our family for quite some time.
Scott and I talked about it on the way home. Bernard is pretty darn happy, and he loves Dan and there was no doubt he was home. It made us both feel pretty good.
I think Scotty wants me to take Steph down there next week. Not to see Bernard, but to see if Danny will keep her too. I think he is interested in taking her room!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Bang Bang…..

Today we went down for a clergy meeting in Nashville, and I had the great pleasure of taking Scotty along with me. Scotty does not get to go to many of my meetings, but since we were moving a refrigerator as well, I thought why not take a strapping 18 year old guy to left everything? It turned out to be a good decision.

But a bonus of heading to Nashville was the opportunity to stop at Father Dan’s house, where we had the opportunity to shoot on the range a bit. Danny is a retired State Trooper, and he was able to get us together for a little team building by shooting a few guns a targets.
Scotty had never shot before and was elated to have the opportunity. He was pretty good at it too, which is a pretty important trait for a kid who will not just be heading to college, but the military. It was neat to see, and more than that, it was also great to see Danny, a cop and a Marine, talking to Scotty about what he was doing. Scotty will be signing with the Marines as soon as they schedule his testing and physical, and where they are now friends, clearly soon they will be brothers.
But it was a great day, and a proud day as well. Scotty and I will be with each other all day tomorrow too…….but I cannot imagine it being any more special than the gift I received of seeing his enthusiasm and talent as I watched him shoot today!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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For a friend…..

For those of you who know me, it would obviously take a lot for me to be in ANY KIND of St. Louis Cardinal attire, but my daughter’s good friend and team mate Lindsey Brown came to stay with us this weekend and she was bearing gifts. And this gift was a St. Louis Cardinals t-shirt.

Of course I know her quite well. The gift was the epitome of PASSIVE AGGRESSIVENESS, and although I appreciated the gift, I knew what it meant. I also wondered if she knew or expected the Cub’s baby blanket I gave her (in the very same bag) was given in the same vein. My guess is that she did. She and I have been at each other about this rivalry the whole time we have known each other.
The great part however is that it is all in good fun. The Cardinals will most likely make the playoffs this year while the Cubs will not….but I do not fret.
I am already looking forward to the Albert Pojols CUBS JERSEY I will buy her when her big star leaves her for me for more money. Oh I will not rub it in….but please do expect the picture of her wearing that jersey posted here on my blog!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Hanging with the Captain……

Sure, I know this is suspicious, particularly since I was hanging with Ben this afternoon. But why does everyone’s mind drift to Captain Morgan when they hear this??? Just good branding?

But if the truth be known, I was able to pick up Ben from Cindy’s early today. Amanda is in Georgia for two days and I thought i would just have a little father/son time with my youngest.
I am really not a big moviegoer, and although I like movies, generally I see them at home. The rest of my family loves them, and that’s why I decided to ask Ben if he wanted me to take him to see a movie. He is fascinated with Transformers, and the new one is now out (although I have not seen the first two…..I really do not go to the movies) but he chose “Captain America” instead.
And the whole thing was really a blast. He thought Captain America was great, and I was probably the only guy in the entire theater to watch it with his four year old on his lap. Ben doesn’t get into plots, but at four is big into good verses evil. He just loves to see the good guys win, and it reminded me of childhood heroes of my own when I was his age.
The big thing was to do something special together, and we accomplished that goal. Scotty was working, Steph was sick today, and Cassie had to work as well. We thought about taking Viper, but every time I tell people he is a guide dog he ends up blowing it by jumping on them. That stupid dog missed a good movie today too.
But we are now home and the magic is gone because Ben is in his room protesting after notifying me that he no longer loves me. (Bad dad that I am, I made him put on his pajamas) But as fate would have it he has come in an apologized because he has to go to the bathroom and he needs my help. So he just told me it was okay and he is sorry now.
So everything seems back to normal, or at least normal for here for the time being. Amanda get home late tomorrow, and thank God for that! He can be mad at her instead!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Notes on a Sunday…….

It has been an odd day, one upon which I only celebrated at one service, but I was not responsible for doing the sermon. It seemed very weird to me, but I seemed to survive it nonetheless.

If the truth be known, although I used to hate working on my sermons, I kind of enjoy it now. Perhaps it is the loss of brain cells, I do not know. What I can say is that I have never bought colleagues who spout about what a privilege it is. It is really hard work, and the idea that we talk about our faith is not something just reserved for us “pros.” It is the responsibility of the entire Church.
Of course there lies the problem. People count on their pastors to do the talking and what we get in all of that is pretty inefficient and ineffective results. Sure some pastors seem to have the kind of charisma that seems to get people to follow them more than the Pied Piper with rats, or St. Patrick with snakes (or Kim Kardashian with people that need more to do). But in the end it often seems to be that the people are following a person, and that person is the pastor, rather than who the pastor should be following. (That’s also part of the problem in that many pastors tend to be more full of themselves than Jesus).
But all this is to say, I missed it. Next Sunday is coming though, and I will do one sermon three different times. Still it will seem like a bit of slacking, but it will be good to get back in the saddle once again!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+