There are lots of reasons for that -- most notably the ones who run around our house in Disney movie-themed pajamas every night.

We also spent a good amount of time working on Stephanie’s photography business.

But the new year is always a fun time to reflect on what a year has taught me, and share that with you, for whatever it’s worth. So, you  might actually see a few posts from me over the next few days. They are likely to be hyper-introspective and even soppy, so… consider yourself warned.

Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite songs of 2011.

It wasn’t new in 2011, and it may or may not be familiar to you.

The song is Dancing In The Minefields by Andrew Peterson.

I’ve actually been enjoying this song, along with most of Andrew Peterson’s, for years now.

But this year, for whatever reason, it seemed especially profound and inspiring to me.

The lyrics are pretty straightforward and probably not too much of a stretch for most folks (hear the song and read the lyrics below): life is full of landmines.

Fundamentally, the landmines are all the effects of the Fall of man: pain, suffering, illness, disappointment, discouragement…

That imagery takes a different shape for each person from day to day. But at the end of the day, we’re ALL living in a minefield, and we never know when the next one is going to blow up in our face.

The song pretty much assumes that we don’t need to be convinced of this.

But what I love about it is the picture he paints of marriage being about DANCING in the minefields.

That picture implies so much to me.

It’s not about trying to avoid the landmines.

It’s not about mourning how hopeless the situation appears.

It’s about holding hands and dancing through the ridiculous situation -- taking every little excuse to celebrate and not getting stuck for too long when there’s an explosion.

I also love how the song pretty much just assumes that we all know that marriage is hard:

It was harder than we dreamed but I believe that’s what the promise is for.

What promise?

And how is this possible?

Where is the motivation to keep going when there are so dang many setbacks every day/week/month/year?

The last verse explains it:

‘Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear

‘Cause He promised not to leave us
And His promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you

There it is: we can hold hands and dance through the minefields because we have hope in the sovereign, good God who we’re trusting to hold it all together.

And in that way, marriage is celebration of the Gospel.

I’m not sure I can come up with the right words to explain how special that picture is to me.

But hopefully the song speaks for itself.

Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtTa81LyuQM

(if you are reading this on the blog home page, lyrics are after the jump)

I was nineteen, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much too young
But we did it anyway

We bought our rings for forty each
From a pawn shop down the road
We made our vows and took the leap
Now fifteen years ago

We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for

“I do” are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard
Is a good place to begin
‘Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price
For the life that we have found

And we’re dancing in the minefields
We’re sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for

So when I lose my way, find me
When I loose love’s chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me

‘Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear

‘Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you

Last year, I attempted to write some thoughts to capture how I feel about my son, but I realized it’s just about impossible.

So this year, you get 7 minutes of Josiah telling you all about his favorite songs, shows, toys, sports…. oh, and the biggie: does he plan to get married.

This video is PURE Josiah.

Enjoy!

The “nightmare” in reference here is Atom’sNightmare.

My cousin, Adam (AKA Atom), dove head-first into graphic art a couple of years ago and he’s getting really good.

Check out this video he did to capture his creative process:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1ThTuGP9MM

Then go buy a print at the website I build him :0)

You can also visit and ‘like’ his facebook site here.

He gave what was probably one of the top-five best sermons I’ve ever heard.

Carve out an hour and check this out:

Now that they’ve had a memorial for him in California, I figured I’d post it here for anyone interested.

We miss you uncle Jamie.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDzRa3uRfwA

Below is the text of the eulogy I gave during his funeral.

I would post the video, but I cried a lot trying to get these words out.

———————-

C.S. Lewis, somewhat famously once said,

“If in me I find a longing greater than this world can provide, then I know that I was made for more than this world can provide… more than this life.”

I am not a pastor or a preacher, but there is a reason that I’m standing here. For me, the man we mourn and celebrate today was never “Jamie St. George”. He was always “uncle Jamie”.  He was probably the second most influential man in my life, behind my father.

In fact, there probably isn’t anyone in this room whose life was more profoundly blessed by Jamie than mine.

For me, Jamie was a man who believed his Bible… and read it in front of me. He prayed with me. He prayed with strangers. He was there when I was baptised. He bought me my first bike, and taught me to ride it.

He took me to the mountains. He took me to the beach.

He took me to work with him, and paid me, and then took me shopping to spend my money!

I remember one particular occasion when he came to the house and we rode our bikes to a local park. The park had a strange architecture, such that the basketball hoops were all down in a huge concrete bowl. So people could play basketball in the middle, and skaters could skate around the edges.

Jamie helped me setup a ‘jump’ at one lip of this big bowl, and then he stood waiting to mark my distance as I flew down one side of this bowl and up the other, trying to jump as far as I could on my back. He marked my landing with a stick and then sent me back to try again.

I was 12, at best.

And there were 200 other days like that one.

He did his best to live his life in front of me, and utilize every teachable moment.

He was a giant… ten feet tall, at least.

And for a season of my life, he was probably my best friend.

If there were more ‘uncle Jamies’ in this world, it would probably be a much better place to live.

And yet, many people in this room never knew the ‘uncle Jamie’ who so profoundly influenced my life.

The man who moved to North Carolina five years ago was badly wounded, and much worse than I think any of us could have understood.

So my first goal today is to attempt to paint an honest picture my uncle Jamie.

Jamie was the 2nd-youngest of 12, and the youngest among five other brothers.

When he was about five years old, his dad packed up the family in a (slightly) modified school buss, and moved them all from Wisconsin to California. They lived in that bus for several weeks…

From conversations with Jamie and his siblings, it seems that, as the youngest brother, he was considered somewhat as the ‘runt’ of the family. And he didn’t like it.

Maybe that’s why he become very athletic.

And as he transitioned out of high school, he developed an interest in body building, and took it very seriously for several years, competing at state levels and beyond. Family legend has it that he could have gone ‘all the way’ if he had been more willing to use the steroids that all the champions used.

Even though he stepped back from competitively sculpting his body, he never put the weights down for very long. Even in his late forties, Jamie had a beach body that any 20-year-old would kill to see in the mirror.

It wasn’t long after he stepped back from body building that Jamie discovered the Gospel.

There are some people who ‘get saved’ or ‘find religion’, and it becomes an important footnote in the story of their life.

Not so with Jamie.

I honestly don’t know how he ended up in Harvest Christian Church that first time, but when he learned that God loved him, and had purchased his life through Christ’s death on the cross, he never looked back.

At age 25, the good news of Jesus seemed to redefine Jamie’s whole life.

It didn’t take him very long to scribble ‘Jesus’ over every aspect of his life.

Every-other word out of his mouth was ‘Jesus’. A skeptic would have called him a bonofide ‘Jesus Freak’, and Jamie would have been very, very grateful for the compliment.

He was even somewhat legalistic at first. My dad loves to tell the story of a road trip to San Francisco when Jamie refused to drive faster than the 55mph speed limit while everyone else was going 80.

Jamie was somewhat legendary for riding his bike everywhere. I can picture him on his mountain bike, wearing his headphones with some kind of 1980’s contemporary Christian music playing. And a fanny pack full of Gospel tracts that he would hand out to anyone who would pay attention.

I know because he usually took me with him, and taught me how important it is to make sure people know about Jesus.

But he didn’t just minister to strangers. He prayed for his extended family. Reached out to them.

Many of us here follow Jesus because of Jamie.

When our church would have an evangelistic function, Jamie would plaster posters and graphics all over his van and drive around town, looking for someone to invite.

He had that van because, for a season, he and his wife worked at a group home, pouring their lives into teenage boys who were close to ending up in prison.

He lived with them, at meals with them, cried with them, broke up fights, brought them to church.

Then there was the year when Jamie took so much time off work to help take care of his dad, who suffered from Parkinson’s. We can’t remember whether it was 9 months or a year. Jamie’s goal was to make sure his dad knew the good news about Jesus, and he patiently worked with him daily trying to communicate it. Feeding him. Walking with him. Being there when he woke up. Being there when he needed someone to love him.

Jamie seemed fearless to me.

I remember when he got to know a neighbor who was far from Christ. The guy coached a traveling basketball team. So what did Jamie do? That’s right: assistant coach.

Or the time he brought a homeless man in to live with him and his wife until he could get on his feet.

Whatever it took earn the right to make sure that people knew how much God loves them.

During all this time, Jamie was best with kids.
He seemed unusually aware of how significantly a person’s life is shaped during their childhood.

I think there’s a clue to his life there…

He took every chance to positively influence the children in his life…. his nieces and nephews, the kids in his neighborhood or apartment complex.

If Jamie was around, there were kids laughing and fighting for his attention.

There was one time when he had Katie and I at his appartment, and we were all swimming in the pool, and so many kids were fighting for his attention that Katie got to far from the edge and started flailing her arms.

But we don’t hold that against him because he dropped everything and swooped her out.

And after what must have been something like 8 or more years, he and Patti finally had kids of their own.

And just like we all expected, Jamie’s parenting was the stuff of legend. It’s hard to imagine that anyone ever loved their kids like Jamie loved his Austin and Jenna.

Many men sacrifice their families on the altar of professional success, but not Jamie. If anything, it was the other way around. He did everything he could to spend as much time with his kids as possible.

But when he had to work… you should have seen him. Maybe it was all the years fixing things at his dad’s rental equipment business, but you’ve never seen anybody who could fix or build something quite like Jamie.

He was a true artist.

The mcguiver of handymen.

Give him 2 ruberbands, a welding iron, and job to do, and get of the way.

Even as I walk around my own house, or my parents’ house, I can’t escape his fingerprints. They’re everywhere because he could fix anything… even if he didn’t know what it was.

Or go visit his home. The whole thing looks like an infomercial for a master craftsman.

Friends, this is who we honor today.

He was a faithful husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend.

And, my dad will want me to mention this: he could smell a good barbequeue from 20 miles away.

We don’t have to exaggerate or invent anything to fondly remember or celebrate this life.

His life ended under a dark shadow, and some day, in heaven, he will help us understand what these past couple of years were like.

Something broke…. in his soul or in his mind… but his faith never did.

And that’s what so poetic about today.

Jamie taught me about Jesus, and today, I want to remind all of us as we cope with the loss of this hero.

I know that many of us heard or believe a version of the Jesus story.

That version goes something like this: Jesus died so that if you pray a prayer of faith you won’t have to go to hell, and you can go to heaven instead.

And I suppose there’s truth in there…

But it’s painfully incomplete.

The Bible paints a much bigger picture.

The Bible tells us that God made us… He crafted us…. in His image. And for a purpose.

He made us so that we could be ultimately satisfied by Him. And that satisfaction leading to our joy, and our joy leading to His joy. And the reciprocation of that joy leading to more joy.

He made us so that He could be the ultimate father to us forever.

And being a tender Father, He gave us a choice about whether to take Him up on his offer.

And way back in the Garden of Eden, Adam, our father, turned his back on God.

He chose death.

And ever since then, the world has been falling apart.

We all know it.

Every person in this room is hurting.

There’s sickness, cancer, abuse, loss, bitterness, unforgiveness, broken marriages, war, greed, pride…

In a way, as Adam’s seed, we all get exactly what our hearts want: freedom from God.

Which is freedom from joy.

Which is death.

But…

From the very beginning… from the very moment we rejected God, He was already working a plan of redemption.

In Genesis 3 he told the serpent that Eve’s offspring would one day bruise his head.

We know that the climax of this story was when Jesus came to earth, God in flesh, and in the ultimate pursuit of his enemies, suffered the death we all deserve on the cross.

He was the perfect sacrifice to pay for our black hearts.

But he did so much more than save us from hell that day.

He restored us to God.
The Bible tells us that because Jesus suffered for our sins, it is now possible for the perfect, holy God to live IN US, through the person of the Holy Spirit.

Here’s how Paul puts it in Ephesians 2:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world… and you were by (very) nature children of wrath…
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love, even when we were dead in our sins, made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Jesus came, not to save us from hell, but to restore us completely to the soul-satisfying relationship that God created us for.

And Jamie knew that. He believed it in his bones… in his soul.

He also understood that the Bible tells us that Jesus will come to this earth twice:

The first time was 2,000 years ago, when his death on the cross removed the curse of death for all those who would put their faith in his name.

When he comes for the second time, he will restore everything.

He will destroy everything that causes pain.

And he will recreate the earth as it was meant to be.

And we will once again be fully satisfied, in our souls by the pure presence of God.

This creates a tension.

The contrast of this broken world and that perfect paradise can be overwhelming.

Paul wrote in Romans chapter 8:
The whole creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God… And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

I believe that Jamie understood this better than anyone.

His heart ached for the day when Jesus would make all things new.

His favorite word was ‘maranatha’, which is an Aramaic word that means, “Lord, come!”

I believe that was his constant prayer.

I don’t think he wanted to escape from this world, so much as he wanted to finally be at home. With his heavenly father.

For Jamie, the promise of perfect fellowship with God was so precious. And his spirit became so tired of waiting.

In John 16, Jesus was nearing the end of his last day with his disciples before going to the cross. He told them, “A little while, and you will see me no longer. And again, a little while, and you will see me.”

In a gentle way, he was telling them that we would be going away, but coming again.

And many of the disciples became discouraged and confused, and Jesus said to them:

You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

Jamie fought for joy with all his might for the last several years of his life. He fought until he couldn’t fight any more.

But today, he is with Jesus, and nothing will ever take his joy again.

Today, Jamie gets to experience the ultimate fulfillment of what Paul wrote in Romans 8:

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died -- more than that, who was raised -- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jame fought the hardest battles I’ve ever seen. He battled depression and nightmares, and crushing grief.

But in the end, all those things are swallowed by the hope of the cross. Every foe was defeated once and for all at calvary.

And now he stands victorious, in the embrace of Christ, and proclaims:
Death is swallowed up in victory!
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?

No.

Let us not grieve for Jamie.

He is the happiest he has ever been today.

Instead, let’s grieve the loss of such a precious man.

Let’s join him as we groan inwardly for Jesus to come and make all things new.

Let’s join him in the mission of proclaiming this hope to everyone.

I offer Hebrews 6:19-20:
(the hope of the Gospel) is a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf…

In the coming days, as we ride the wave of emotions that come with our loss, let us remain anchored to the hope of the Gospel.

Let us plant ourselves in the hope of a coming redeemer.

I would like to end with a poem, a prayer, and then a video to remember uncle Jamie.

This poem is very precious because it was written by a man named William Cowper.

Like Jamie, Cowper was a man of God who battled dark depression for most of his life, and yet, like Jamie, he left a huge footprint in our world. He wrote 66 hymns that are commonly found in modern hymnals. I believe he wrote from a place that Jamie could identify with:

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABDEpUOpsrQ

He just released a new single called It Is Finished.

Put on your headphones, sit back, and meditate on these lyrics:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LyKwgYhP6I

the earth shook and trembled

the sun bowed its head

the veil of the temple was open for man

as Jesus went down in the cold of the grave

defeated the darkness when He overcame

the keys of the kingdom were placed into hands

of children and priests and of fishers of men

through all generations His will be heard

creation resounds the victorious words:

IT IS FINISHED

IT IS DONE…

The Kimyal People Receive the New Testament from UFM Worldwide on Vimeo.

For our anniversary this year, Steph took me to see him perform live last week.  My jaws and my stomach were seriously hurting by the end of the night.

I was very impressed (and excited) that his WHOLE routine was brand new material that I had never heard before, but I was also excited that he came out and did an encore, taking requests from the audience.

He did about 20 minutes from his first ‘big’ CD, which is how I was introduced to him — so of course I’ve been watching his older stuff on youtube all week.

This is one of my favorites. The cartoon drawings are kind of silly, but this is the only video I could find with this skit in it.

Brian Regan on little league:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXLUncbZKbs

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyt3tIvVqxQ

Like any good ‘generation Y’ parents, we captured the moment.

Chewing on her bib.... we figured that since she tries to eat everything, then real food would be a breeze.

Already giving me a 'dad, put the camera away' look

First impression: What the!?!?

This is NOT milk!

Yep, spit it out.

Or, if you prefer these fancy new “motion” pictures:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlJxJYZSp8M

Worry not though, friends. She’s eating like a champ now!

I don’t know much about the church, but I love the way they start this: “Before we tell you who we ARE, let us tell you who we WERE.”

This is the story of every honest follower of Jesus.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wgaVk_o8G8

But just in case you don’t come around here very often, here are a few of my favorite posts from 2010.

In no particular order:

Kharis Laughing

Josiah Turned Two

The Orange Chair : Kharis Version

Kharis’ First Video

Josiah Video

Kharis’ Baby Shower

Josiah Toddling Around Southpoint Mall

A Couple Of Josiah’s First Steps

My Thoughts Going In To 2010

It’s a track that some really talented hip-hop artists put together to help raise some money for aid to Sudan.

After you give it a listen, cruise over to iTunes and search for “Actions Speak Louder“, and download it for a buck. 100% of the proceeds (after apple takes a big ol’ chunk) will go towards helping those who are suffering for lack of basic human resources in southern Sudan.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u8oBEkOCFk

Oh, and if hip-hop isn’t really your thing, all the lyrics are below ;0)

Swoope
If I’m honest I’m tired, hungry, I’m frustrated, all of the above/
A little sore from civil war when all I seen was blood/
I shed tears, heartbroken, all I need is love/
Im Drowning fast in my sorrow, all of me is flood/
I’ve seen hurt, seen death, seen slaughter. Now I need some clean water, all I see is mud/
It’s like nobody out there cares ’cause all I see is shrugs/
It’s like nobody out there hears ’cause all their ears is plugged/
(Psalm 34)
Man I’m feeling like a lion whose hungry and weak/
So it’s the mighty God of Zion who humbly I seek/
I stumble and weep/ with the tears running from cheeks/
Each moment I wonder if he will ever so subtly speak/
And I’m confident He will so I’m confidently still/
Deliver me from sickness Lord conquer what is ill/
I still stand, and when I’m rescued is His choice/
I stand still and know my refuge is His voice//

Tedashii
God, today another home somebody owned is now a puddle/why the rain came I wonder while they wander through the rubble/
Why me, why now, should they think why not/
Is everything against me to take everything I got/
Someone got out the bed this morning some got of the floor/some went off to work this morning some went off to war/
Some ate half a plate and trashed it just to get some more/but trust me that’s not an option in places like Darfur/
Vision blurry as the skies cries like my eyes/
In despair I cast my cares as I cry to the sky/
I never hope in man, though some are willing they’re unable/
But I’m the kind who’ll be fine with crumbs from the Master’s table/
I know this situation hasn’t caught you by surprise/
In fact it’s with faith I choose to walk instead of sight/
I know that you love ‘em, since the womb you knew them/
You never forget/so may the grace that drew ‘em, renew ‘em/

Lecrae
I don’t have the words to articulate
the way you let me drown in your never ending grace
how my crimes are covered and washed away in blood
There is nothing in me conditioning you to make you love
I cant attract, impress or try to win your heart
but you give it all and you been involve
and your never change even when I’m wrong
your love still goes on to make an atonement
love infinite and unconditional
nothing can separate us cause now I live in you
there is no amount that can calculate your divine love
its so much that Christ was given to die for us
Its stronger than death, deeper than the ocean
bigger than the night sky the earth could never hold it
and its not impulsive, its holy and pure
its not a weakness or soft its sharp as a sword.

Lyrics From RapZilla