bloggin lately?

Since Titus has come along things have changed quite a bit. From time to time people will ask me about what it is like being a dad. That question is about the same as when someone asks you when and how you know you are in love. You have a million things to say, but really can not answer the original question.
That is what it is like for me.
The pics above leave me amazed to how amazing Titus is...but he has a dark side too when he cries and yells and screams requiring amazing amounts of walking in circles and bouncing him while continuing to replace the pacifier that he keeps spitting out over and over (after a while you just stop worrying about the pacifier being "clean" as the 5-second rule applies). Still despite the yelling and agreeing that parenting is not for the faint of hear, parenthood is great.
So what has been happening since Titus has come along? (He takes a lot of time therefore blogging gets pushed to the side).
-The weather is getting nicer in Chicago hence we are opening our windows...only to shut them because of random people smoking outside our apartment.
-My brother just turned 16. Remember when you could not wait to be 16, then 18, then 21? Now what age do you really get to look forwards to?
-On my first bike ride to work I stopped at a local "mom-n-pops greasy spoon" diner just a mile from Chicago's downtown where the waitress called everyone "honey." The food was awesome. Speaking of awesome food a friend took me to a restaurant that converted a mechanic's garage into a Mexican restaurant that served the best tacos I have ever had (and now will not ever be able to eat at Taco Bell again) while playing oldies on a record player.
-On my second bike ride to work I almost was hit by a woman turning right on a red while I had a green light...life is fragile.
-My NCAA bracket is busted, but I am okay with that because I love to see the underdogs win. I think I root for underdogs because there is something that I identify with as Jesus preached and served the lowercase people, not the powerful.
-I went to a bachelor party of a friend where we raced go-carts that went up to 35 miles per hour. It was pretty awesome as I felt like a kid again, yet I was going over 25 mph.
-Speaking of this friend, his wedding was last weekend and I was amazed at how the small Church I attend was able to come together to accommodate a large crowd to allow the wedding to go smoothly. Reminds me of an answer CS Lewis gave to the question: “Is attendance at a place of worship or membership with a Christian community necessary to a Christian way of life?”
Lewis answered:
“My own experience is that when I first became a Christian, about fourteen years ago, I thought that I could do it on my own, by retiring to my rooms and reading theology, and I wouldn’t go to the churches and Gospel Halls; and then later I found that it was the only way of flying your flag; and, of course, I found that this meant being a target. It is extraordinary how inconvenient to your family it becomes for you to get up early to go to Church. It doesn’t matter so much if you get up early for anything else, but if you get up early to go to Church it’s very selfish of you and you upset the house. If there is anything in the teaching of the New Testament which is in the nature of a command, it is that you are obliged to take the Sacrament, and you can’t do it without going to Church. I disliked very much their hymns, which I considered to be fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music. But as I went on I saw the great merit of it. I came up against different people of quite different outlooks and different education, and then gradually my conceit just began peeling off. I realized that the hymns (which were just sixth-rate music) were, nevertheless, being sung with devotion and benefit by an old saint in elastic-side boots in the opposite pew, and then you realize that you aren’t fit to clean those boots. It gets you out of your solitary conceit."

Have a happy Easter!

sides

I am simply amazed at the whole health care issue, as a doc I tried to keep up with what the new health care reform actually means, but I became confused at about day 5 as more and more things were tweaked, added, erased, and morphed. But now it has been passed...and the reactions (on both sides) are amazing.
On one side people are freaking out that Obama is the antiChrist and that this is the end of America as we know it.
On the other side people are rejoicing as if Obama was Jesus and this is just the beginning of a new America as we know it.
And each side demands that you not only disagree but disdain the other as (at best) crazy or (at worst) evil.
Who is right (or should I say correct) and who is wrong?
How about both are right and both are wrong?
How about the fact that each one of us have parts of ourselves that are right and wrong?
Why is it that we have all forgotten the lessons in Kindergarten to get along and take your turn on the merry-go-round?
I'm not saying that we all have to agree, but can't this country at least be respectful?

hmmm...

Every once in a while you hear or read something that makes you really ponder as the sentence(s) play over and over in your head. This was one of those times as someone told me that "a man's character is best judged not on his actions, but reactions."
Hmmm....All of the sudden my thoughts go to when I get cut off in traffic, I barely miss the train to work, I can't find my keys, wallet, phone (or whatever) etc. Then my thoughts (as the often do these days) go to Titus. He is going to be watching me as he grows into a man, both my actions and reactions.While I am thankful for grace everyday, this quote has really got me thinking as today Bekah and I forgot the time change as we sped of to Church realizing that Titus's first day at Church was not going to be the perfect day we thought.
(Here is Titus and dad after Church):

4 ways to live your life

As I look at my son I wonder what kind of man he is going to grow up to be. While he can't even keep his neck from moving all over the place in a crazy seizure-like motion, I my mind still thinks about where he is going to be in 20 years as people tell me "they grow up so fast." (At 4am when I am dodging his urine while trying to change his diaper I am all right with him growing up fast at this point.)

The other day I heard a sermon by Mark Driscoll illustrating the way Jesus lead His life-intentionally. Driscoll went on to point out the 4 ways to live your life based on the book "Leading on Empty" by Wayne Cordiero. Cordiero writes that there are 4 ways that you can live your life:
1) Reaction
2) Conformity
3) Independently
4) Intentionally

1. Reaction – You see a need and you just go for it. All of the opportunities that keep coming at you, you keep going for them and in the end you are spread thin, burn out, and thus are unproductive.

2. Conformity – You are a people pleaser trying to cater to everyone’s needs. Living your life this way you will burn out and probably become bitter for all of the sacrifices you have made for others with minimal results. Why marginal results? Because you are not sacrificing, you are compromising.

3. Independence – You are your own boss making your own decisions and not listening to anyone, including those who want to provide important advice or your followers. As you go solo you are going to be leading only yourself as you become embittered that the problem is everyone else which causes your followers to leave your mission.

4. Intentionality – This is how Jesus lived His life. He did not react to every opportunity before Him as He would take care of His own needs by leaving the various cities to get away into the mountains. He did not listen to all of the people telling Him what to do or not to do as He stood for the truth leading to the religious leaders hating Him. He did not forsake His people even though they made several mistakes as He brought them along slowly without losing focus of His goal of turning people to God. This goal was woven throughout His whole life in everything He did as Jesus was focused and intentional and He still has people following Him 2000 years later.

How are you living your life?

A pic of Titus and I bonding, that guy can nap just like his old man. I'm so proud.

other than Titus...

I have a feeling that most of my posts from here on out will somehow include Titus as I am amazed at the little guy and how amazing he is, which reflects how great God is. So other than Titus:
-I have started running again getting ready for a 1/2 marathon. A little sore, but it feels good to get out and breath fresh air as well as catch up with a bunch of podcasts that have been piling up over the winter.
-Besides the 1/2 marathon I signed up for the Chicago sprint triathlon. I feel fine with the running and biking part, but the swimming part is going to be quite an adjustment. Still because I do not know where I will be next August I figured this would be the best time to go for it.
-Speaking of next August...as I come to the end of my 3rd year of residency I am faced with the fact that I need to finally get a job as I am starting to look at my options for work. The good news is that there are plenty of openings, but that in someways is the bad news because there are so many openings it seems intimidating.
-For my birthday I received running stuff and an ESV Study Bible that I am excited to crack open and dig in.
-I have started reading James Herriot books again. He has to be one of the best authors.
-My employer gives me 4 weeks of for paternity leave. I am taking 2 now and will take the other 2 later. An "old-school" doctor told me that his wife had their baby early enough in the morning that he did not even get the morning off.
-While I do not want to be one of those guys who is always complaining about how horrible the weather is I am excited to see the snow melt as spring starts to break through.

So that is it...with another pic of Titus who was raising up his hands while swinging.

29

When I find out that people are having a birthday and they are at least 4 decades old I always joke with them by questioning if their upcoming birthday is is their 29th birthday. And it is not just me, I have heard other people use the magic age of 29 as well.
As if 29 means you are old enough, but not too old.
Here I sit, the day before my 29th birthday. I am soon to be 29 and will then be the recipient of the birthday jokes that I always told people.
While I am not looking forwards to 29 as I did when I was a 15 year old looking towards that magic 16th birthday and thinking that their parent's minivan was cool I feel like at this point 29 is really no different than 30 and then on.
It seems that every age has their pluses and minuses up until you are so old that you can't remember the difference. So to the soon to be 30's, bring it on. The 20's were good, why can't the soon to be 30's be even better?

Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
Yesterday is a promise that you've broken
Don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes
This is your life and today is all you've got now
Yeah, and today is all you'll ever have
Don't close your eyes
Yesterday is a kid in the corner
Yesterday is dead and over
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose
~Switchfoot

Oh yea, enjoy some pics of Titus.