Happy Π day!

at 03/12/10 9:02AM *

Π = 3.14159....
today = 3.14.1 (0)

Happy Π day to all!

In other news, it looks like all three of my beehives died/froze. That's a total bummer.
In other other news, we're - hopefully - weeks away from buying the house next door. Pray that this whole process goes smoothly!

Have an absolutely fantastic weekend!

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In other other other news, it looks like I need to go back to bed and not wake up until Sunday. That, or I've just returned from time traveling to Sunday and forgot about the trip. (^_^)

Cool about the house. Are you guys moving? Or just wanting more space/land? Also, sorry to hear about the hive.

by dawnmk23 at 03/12/10 9:19AM
Today is 3/12 not 3/14. Pi day would be Sunday would it not? :)

by kevin at 03/12/10 9:44AM
LOL... oops. :)

by mjintexas at 03/12/10 11:23AM
you are such a math nerd :-)

by whipsmile at 03/12/10 1:45PM
Bummer about your beehives. :( Happy for you guys about the house!

by curlie at 03/12/10 2:04PM
That's what four kids will do to a guy.

by misssonja at 03/12/10 9:20PM
Happy Pi day, Ben! (For real this time.)

by amyleigh at 03/14/10 9:34AM
I love that Rosie wants to come see us. My guess is that Poppy is on her radar!!!

by justg at 03/19/10 12:23PM

Yes we Catan!

at 02/26/10 9:06AM

I am moving away from purchasing t-shirts except for sleeping/exercise wear, but this one is just too good:

Wow! That's awesome! I know a couple people that would be pretty excited about this, including me! :)

by rissaj at 02/26/10 10:18AM
Hahaha!

by mjintexas at 02/26/10 11:12AM
We're going to have to get some of those too. We definitely love Catan. Wish we could play with yall sometime!

by matermagistra at 02/26/10 11:32AM
Ok so had to to google it to see what Catan was.
Now I know.
I'm so old

by mockinbird at 02/26/10 12:37PM
That's really cool.

by dr_worm at 02/26/10 3:54PM
Does this play off the campaign from Obama? Yes we can?

by funsahm at 02/26/10 6:23PM
Actually, Obama ripped off Bob the Builder. Bob was saying "Yes we can!" long before Obama was on the scene!

by madtomkidd at 02/26/10 8:36PM
I like the shirt, but i disagree with you about Jim. McGuire bulked up some to play a skinny little teenage boy with superpowers. Jim would have to bulk up a TON to play Capt. And his face his too long and nose too big. I like Ekhart but think he may be too old. it will be a hard role to fill.

by nacmacfeegle at 02/27/10 12:38PM
Yes, I do preach there. We get alot of brethren passing through. I am sure they miss your preaching still.

by preacherdavetx at 03/04/10 1:46PM
lol...I wonder if my brother has seen that.

by kon_tiki at 03/04/10 10:16PM
"there's a human skull on the ground... turn around... turn around..."

Indeed. :)

by mjintexas at 03/05/10 11:32AM
I want one. Birthday is May 29th. Wish list item.

by marklhatfield at 03/08/10 8:12PM
Oh yeah. I am XL

by marklhatfield at 03/08/10 8:12PM

I love it when a plan comes together

at 02/16/10 2:42PM

I haven't been this excited about a movie preview in a LONG time. I just watched the preview for the A-Team movie and REALLY want to see it!

I'll have something of substance to share maybe later today... but for now, feel free to enjoy the preview! (there are a couple of euphemisms in the trailer, so consider yourself warned before you press play)

The A-Team

I have to say I loved the A-team. When all the other girls at school were talking about Growing Pains, I sort of avoided the conversations because I couldn't watch Growing Pains when the A-team was on.

by serena at 02/16/10 2:48PM
HILARIOUS!. I ended up watching growing pains in syndication. I was (still am?) a TV junkie, but I'm working on it.

by madtomkidd at 02/16/10 3:43PM
The two adults in the Pickard household are huge A-team fans and we are ecstatic about this movie! :)

by tommyswife at 02/16/10 4:29PM
who are the A-team???

by amcmichael at 02/16/10 7:39PM
I watched the preview and it looks really good!! stewy saw a clip and said "oh the A team" I must be too young! ;)

by amcmichael at 02/16/10 7:43PM
I saw the preview at the theater when we went to see The Book of Eli. I was enthused. Rachel, not so much.

by bdoc at 02/16/10 8:46PM
ok yeah, that put a smile on my face.

by whipsmile at 02/17/10 2:26PM
No, Erin's from Athens, AL, but was at the same party in Fayetteville. It was at Heather Mathis Ladd's house, who you may know.

by nickomundo at 02/18/10 8:44PM
And yes, the A-Team trailer was great.

by nickomundo at 02/18/10 8:44PM
Oh my word...Theo is darling AND he wears the Orange and Blue very well! Thanks for sharing with me!

by justg at 02/20/10 1:48PM
Hard to believe that watching the A-Team is enough to date me!

by liketohike at 02/22/10 5:26PM
LOVE THE T-SHIRT!!! And the A-Team too. I also am looking forward to the movie.

by mister_c at 02/23/10 10:03AM
Yea, we're gonna need to get that shirt for Josh.

by mockinbird at 02/23/10 3:07PM
So everyone stays on the same "year" in the cycle?? I just assumed they all started with year one when they start new communities. I love it. I was just tickled pink when I went to the info meeting. I'm going back to another one that is in the evening to bring J with me.

BTW...loving y'all's (and everyone else) picture hanging on my fridge!!

by sharon at 02/25/10 8:24PM

I Am Second

at 01/29/10 1:06PM

Sorry, not new baby pictures... I'm collecting them, but they just aren't online yet.

I wanted to share a site with you. Rhonda posted about Jason Castro. The youtube video was removed, but I found the website and started looking at the videos there. Jason Witten (don't know who he is), Ashley, Brian Welch (former member of Korn), and others.

The sentiments expressed by these folks are amazing. I told Derek last night that, "yeah, I'm kinda intellectual, but God gave me daughters, so I cry during some commercials." (yet another reason to not watch TV with commercials!) Well, these thoughts are pretty moving.

Not only that, they're immensely encouraging and convicting, too.

It also disgusts me on one level. So many "brethren" wouldn't even consider participating in a project like this (I said 'many' not 'all'). Very few "brethren" speak in this way. There are a lot of reasons, I'm sure. Foremost is likely because traditionally the Church of Christ is totally devoid of any emotional expression - especially about sin and thankfulness for God's Grace and Mercy. Also, we're so often taught that we must have ultimate self-control. Because we focus on that so strongly, we forget or disavow any possibility of God's Spirit acting in our lives to provide guidance, care, and direction. So, we resist a truly intimate relationship with God. This translates to other areas of our lives, too - lack of honesty and openness, hesitation, no fellowship, etc...

I have to be second. Second to my wife. Second to the wonderful children I've been blessed with. Second to my brethren. Second to my manager. Second to my co-workers. The only way I can do that is if God is THE CENTER of my life.

Unlike the folks in the videos, I can't say I AM Second - but I want to be. I am trying to be. But I have a long way to go. Darrell Waltrip made a great point - "I can do all things THROUGH Him, not WITH Him." I have to put everything I do think and say in His hands.

Thoughts? If you watch some of the videos, share your favorites or quotes below, please.

Jason Witten is the Pro-Bowl tight end for the Dallas Cowboys (former University of Tennessee TE). I just watched his video and I can honestly say I am impressed. I agree with you 100% that traditionally the CoC tends to shy away from Emotionalism. Perhaps it is a knee-jerk reaction to the emotion shown in some of the denominations. I strongly believe it has hurt us as a whole and taken away a crucial and meaningful part of our relationship. Jason mentions that his relationship with Jesus is PERSONAL and that is what I think we forget sometimes. When I listen to prayers by CoC members compared to prayers of those in other groups one of the main differences I notice is that one seems "routine" while the other one sounds more genuine/heartfelt. Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone, I am generalizing. I think we all need to remember that God is our FATHER and we should in now way be ashamed to address him as such. We need to talk to Him, rely on Him, and talk about Him as if he is nearby and always right next to us and not relegate him to the "all powerful" heavenly being that he is. We cannot relate to that type of being. So God sent His Son to understand so that we can KNOW that he can sympathize with our desires and pains.

God be praised that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me!

by kevin at 01/29/10 1:24PM
The only adjustment I'd make to your statement is that we need to remember God is MY Father. When we say "our Father" it becomes too easy to step away. Your last statement is great. Jesus didn't die for everyone, Jesus died for ME.

by madtomkidd at 01/29/10 1:54PM
Wow, those are great, I watched about three of them and I agree that sometimes we dont feel we can be emotional about things. I have felt this way for a long time. I really found these to be inspirational. Thank you for posting this, I too want to be second!!!

by amcmichael at 01/29/10 2:18PM
The last one that i watched was Mike Huckabee's and I think what hit me with that one was when he was talking about following God. You think you can make the path, God, I'll follow you to the Whitehouse, but if that isnt the path that God has for you then you cant follow him there. You need to follow him where he leads you not where you want to go. I want more kids, I will follow God down that path if he leads me that way, if we are not meant to have more kids then, I need to trust that there is a different path for us. Thanks again for posting this!

by amcmichael at 01/29/10 2:22PM
yes, yes, and yes to all of it :)

by serena at 01/29/10 3:07PM
"When I am in control, I am really out of control." - Michelle from the Biggest Loser. That was a good line.

by pooky at 01/29/10 3:22PM
Amen to your thoughts on this, and thanks so much for sharing. I love that these people are brave enough to do this.

by mjintexas at 01/29/10 4:31PM
Unfortunately I can't watch the videos at work (it's not loading for some reason?) but I was able to read the bios, and was particularly interested to see Steven Baldwin's. I'm very curious what the rest of his Hollywood family thinks.

by mjintexas at 01/29/10 4:32PM
I can't thank you enough for pointing me in the direction of these videos. I watched every single one and was moved by all of them. What a testament! What joy! Say want about the "soundness" of these videos or their lives but I have to say after watching those that I need to be second. It moved me, it touched me. Thank you.

by mister_c at 01/29/10 5:33PM
i love you for sharing this website with me! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

by rachel at 01/29/10 9:01PM
I watched Lisa Luby Ryan's video. Moved me to tears, especially her last thoughts. Thank you for sharing.

by loislane at 01/30/10 1:07PM
The hearts and attitudes of 'you youngers' gives my heart joy and confidence that The Church Jesus died for is in good hands. Y'all keep listening to your Father with your hearts and do not let those who are burdened with an attitude of "decently and in order" weigh you down. (1Cor 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order). The concept of "decently and in order" has so dulled the senses of 'older' followers that they have little room for emotion.
1. do not be burdened by them and 2. do not forget to pray fervently that their hearts can be opened...
Thanks Ben.

by cruisingmom at 01/30/10 11:44PM
I was impressed by this website, too. Made me think...

by rockymtnslover at 01/31/10 3:18PM
Good stuff.

by curlie at 02/01/10 8:31PM
Jer. 29:4-7. Seek the peace of the city

by iamyourfather at 02/03/10 11:37PM
I can't watch these right now but I appreciate your openess Ben. We need men like you in the church to lead us by example and I am encouraged by your humility in this post. We love your family.

by funsahm at 02/04/10 12:18PM
You are a good man...thank you for sharing.

by justg at 02/04/10 5:33PM

Settling Down?

at 01/12/10 10:55AM

Well, things are calming - slightly. That, or we're just starting to figure out how this new 12-legged beast is supposed to function!
We still don't have it "down" yet, but we're making progress and it's good.

Well, I took pictures for an adoption announcement to go out soon and I wanted to give you a taste of what we came up with. We would love to send you all an official announcement, but I'll post the official, final card when it's finished and sent, so that those of you who won't get a hard will get to see.

The first pic is samples of the final announcement, the others are some that were taken about the same time, but didn't make the cut.

Great pictures! Adoption announcements- what a great idea!

by mjintexas at 01/12/10 11:11AM
What sweet babies!!! So happy for you guys!!

by mandyhayes1 at 01/12/10 11:16AM
How are all the sisters getting along? Three girls is an interesting dynamic!!
It doesn't always flow smoothly at our house :)

by serena at 01/12/10 12:42PM
Meant to be, wasn't it? Adorable pictures.

by justg at 01/12/10 3:24PM
Love it! :)

by curlie at 01/12/10 3:52PM
The one of Naomi and little guy is really good. (All of them are neat of course). I was thinking the other day, do you have a pic of just the four kids together? I don't remember seeing one where they were all in the same picture without an adult. Just wondering. Looking forward to seeing the announcement.

by smiley_beth at 01/13/10 9:11AM
I ended up deleting it. It was only up for a little under an hour. About Priceline and that hotel in Columbus that you guys have found. I figured out how to get the deal for my birthday weekend. Thanks to you and Stacey for the info way back when.

by curlie at 01/13/10 1:40PM
Very cute! I love the watercolor look at the beginning.

by crazy_mama at 01/13/10 5:39PM
So sweet!

by stampergirl at 01/13/10 10:24PM
Love it! Look at the light in Naomi's eyes in that last picture! It's there because of you!

by matermagistra at 01/14/10 4:15PM
Great pictures! Really happy for you guys :)

by dcroush at 01/15/10 8:40AM
Check out www.tjedonline.com They have some great content and if you register for their site you have access to downloads and other fun stuff. I've read TJEd many times, and also have the Home Companion which is good too. Just this month I got the book Leadership Education: the Phases of Learning and TJEd for Teens. Very good stuff! Check out the links I have on my blog....there are some great sister sites too.

by matermagistra at 01/19/10 12:34AM
hmm ... you may have a point there. it looked like Fisik, but on a 2nd look i might have been wrong. either way, he does a lot of biking in the comic.

by weekendsongservice at 01/28/10 3:13PM
haha. thanks :-)

by whipsmile at 01/29/10 9:54AM