In honor of Father's Day, I thought I'd let you all get to know my father a little bit.  I'm so thankful to have such a great example in my dad.  Here are a few traits and qualities that come to mind when I think of my dad.

• Generous
• Humble
• Peacemaker
• Hard-working
• Giving
• Self-Controlled
• Fun
• Quiet Strength
• Long-Suffering
• Patient

After 39 years of marriage, he still makes sure we all know how much he loves my mom.

There was a loud noise (early) the other morning and I came upstairs and he was full-on playing Star Wars Light Saber battle with Benaiah.

When I was a kid,  I couldn't go to sleep unless he said, "Sweet Dreams."  Now I'm almost 35 and he still says it.  And, I sleep like a baby.

Every phone coversation ends the same way... "I love you."

 

I love you too Dad.  Happy Father's Day.

Went with the fam last week to the Rickwood Classic to watch the Barons play.  I love family outings.  Kimlin was there with us and if he's not careful, before long he's gonna be known as Uncle Kris.  Here are some pics from our time at America's oldest ballpark.  Click an image for enlarged viewing and if you're in blog layout, be sure to hit the jump for all the pics.

It's Tuesday... and I had a couple of suggestions for this week's topic and was going to go with one but ended up pulling a switcheroo at the last minute.  We'll have to get to music and fair-tax and why I picked Tuesday over the other days some other time.  BTW, it's because "Tuesday" and "Talk" both start with T.  That and stats are usually better as we're starting to get into the week.

Anyway, last night my mom turned 60 and we all got together at this great little Italian dish called Joe's.  (Review to follow in the near future.  Needless to say, I'm still full which isn't good and I'm sure I'll hear about it.)

Below are some pics from last night but I'll wait to hit up the comments with my own.  We want to hear from you.

Tell us about your family.  How would you describe them?  Formal or more laid back?  Super-affectionate or more stoic? Strict or lenient?  Brought up in a Christian context or not?  Whatever you want to include.  And, I know this is tough but... what's the biggest impact your family has had on who you are today?

Families are such a huge part of our shaping and I think this could make for some really interesting discussion.  Feel free to end with a question so people can reply directly.

It's Tuesday... Let's Talk.

So apparently, a couple of weeks ago there was some brou-ha-ha over Miss California not getting the crown because she opposes gay-marriage.  I don't know much about it other than what I picked up from the headlines.  That, and a pretty good earful from my wife.  To admit more would be admitting that I actually care about Miss USA or America or Universe or whatever pageant it was.

All I know was that she made an "appearance" at the Doves for some unknown reason (probably to make some sort of statement I guess) and that she's been making the rounds on the talk shows.  Well, good for her.  Do your thing.  I'm all about opportunity.

But all of this does lead me to this week's installment of "It's Tuesday... Let's Talk."

Over at the Desiring God Blog, they've been posting up some articles on children lately that are great for parents but also contain some really good thoughts for us all.  One that really stuck out to me was 5 Things That Are True About Every Child.  You'll have to hit the link to see all five, but I'll give you the last one because it's so true... of me and you... and every child.

5. They are self-focused and self-obsessed.
Sin causes us to shrink our lives down to the claustrophobic confines of our lives, our wants and our needs. It makes us incapable of loving anyone else.

See if this isn't true of me and you as well...

God Is Writing Our Story, Not Us
Because these 5 things are true of all of us, as God is writing the story of our lives, we're always inclined to try and take the pen from him so we can write it ourselves.

The Bible is one long story with God's notes. Ministry to children—or ministry to anyone else—means helping them forsake the urge to write their own story, and accept instead that God is the author. Then their story will be embedded in God's larger story of redemption, so that in every circumstance they recognize that their life is about and for God.

 

Me:  "Hey buddy... you know what tomorrow is?  It's a really special day?"

Benaiah:  "Really?  What is it?"

Me:  "It's your brother's birthday.  Josiah turns nine years old."

Benaiah:  "Really?  One day I will be nine."

Me:  "That's right buddy.  You know what I think we should do?  We should go to Target so you can pick something out for Josiah for his birthday.  Would that be cool?"

Benaiah:  "Yeah... but how will we get it to him?  He's in heaven with Jesus."

Me:  "Well he's your older brother and so he'll let you have it.  He loves you so much."

Benaiah:  "So we can share!?  Awesome.  I know exactly what to get.  We'll get him a Spiderman toy.  My brother loves Spiderman."

Me:  "He sure does buddy.  That's a great idea and a perfect present."

 

 

 

 

 

 

I miss you today... and I love you so much.

Click any photo for enlarged viewing... Merry Christmas all.

The other day a friend of mine hit me up on iChat.  I hadn't "talked" with him in a while and one of the first things he did was refer me to a new site that  he RSSs (is that a word).  Art of Manliness covers all kinds of useful info.  Hit up their RSS or email subscription and check out some of these...

How to Be a Gracious Host
How to be the Perfect Houseguest
Be a Man: Learn to Cook
Grilling the Perfect Steak
Three Steps to Building Your Individual Style

So, this is the longest I've ever gone without blogging since starting DanisLinus back in October of last year.  It's been a mixture of busyness and really just not much motivation to spend the time blogging.  I haven't even kept up with most of the sites I check on a daily basis where I get a lot of my content.  I'm not going to make any recommitments to blogging daily.  I've done that before and well... Let's just say, DanisLinus is still here and life is good.  And, I hope you'll still stick around even in the midst of inconsistency.