Snow Day

Berk in the snow

Berk sledding...sort of

Me sledding...sort of

Stapleton Vacation - 6 (the Zoo)

Berk and the Zebra’s

Berk and the Elephants

Berk and her Favorite

I am the African Waterbuck Whisperer

Stapleton Vacation - 5

The view from our back porch

Stapleton Vacation - 4

Berk singing her favorite song

Stapleton Vacation - 3

Berk & I playing air hockey

Stapleton Vacation - 2

Feeding wild peacocks

Stapleton Vacation - 1

dinner at the Hard Rock

Missing my pups

On February 21, Sonia and I drove our two 6 year old Weimaraners, Kingdom and Dominion, to a placement program to find them their new home.

This was a decision that we'd been back and forth on for almost 2 years, and we finally decided that it was the best move for our family and the boys.

They were fantastic dogs, and truly my best friends. We simply realized with the pace of our lives and the prospects of a future Stapleton, that they deserved a home that would better suit their needs.

It was without a doubt, one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I trust God for their best and I believe that they're bringing others an abundance of joy, just as they've brought us.

8 years ago today...

8 years ago today I married my dream-girl.

I know it's cliche, but I am more enthralled and entranced by her today than the day we met.

She is a princess, a role model, a fantastic mother and my absolute best friend.

Not one day goes by that I don't thank God for His extravagant gift to me.

Sonia is my constant reminder to never settle, and certainly, never sell God short.

"He is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think"
Ephesians 3:20

Here's to many, many more amazing years!

everyone's a critic

So of course I'm watching American Idol, along with you and everyone else in the world, and the most entertaining aspect of the show to me is the criticism from Simon. The reason it's entertaining is the fact that I'm not the one being criticized.

Something that I'm currently working on in myself is my own critical nature. It's so easy to drift into making fun of other people for mistakes they make or their shortcomings. Most of us are critical by nature, so we probably don't even consider the fact that it's not a great habit to have.

Instead of dealing out criticism for everyone I come in contact with, I purpose to seek out great qualities that they possess. This isn't easy, but it's caused me to have a greater appreciation for the people in my life and I've become a lot less cynical and negative.

Give it a shot, and I promise you'll experience the same positive results that I have.

"Empathy is the final stage of true maturity."

Barack Obama...now with kung-fu grip

take it from Mr. T

LeaderTip - 3

Leadership roles can often be a huge source of insecurity.

"Do they respect me?"
"What are they saying when I'm not around?"
"Am I living up to their expectations?"

It's a difficult place to be in, but trying to 'keep up appearances' doesn't help anyone.

At some point we're taught, we just simply assume, that leaders should never give any sign that they are "unaware" of anything. So we futilely try and act like we know everything, never admitting that we may have some areas outside of our expertise.

A more effective and less frustrating way of leading is to do less telling, and do more asking. Ask questions of the people around you. Yes, it may be admitting that you don't know something, but no one likes a know-it-all anyway.

If you aren't sure of something, ask. If you are pretty sure of something, ask. If you are absolutely, positively sure of something...still ask. Asking = including and including is good.

LeaderTip - 2

It's easy as a leader to become so interested in someone's growth and development, that we can lose sight of them as a person.

It's imperative that we care more about the person than their performance or advancement. Don't get me wrong, we should care about a person's success, but not at the cost of first caring about their well being.

The true test with this is do we write off a person if they "just don't get it" or do we refuse to give up on them? I'm glad that God has refused to give up on me!

LeaderTip - 1

A big frustration for me as a leader has been derived from my insistence to try and lead people from the place where I currently am.

We usually fall into the trap of comparing people to ourselves, and wondering why they aren't more like us. That's not a fair comparison, and it only leads to mutual frustration.

The key to successful leadership is discerning where the people who you are leading currently are, and then discovering a way to lead them where they are meant to be.

snug

I was shopping one time, and I found a t-shirt that I absolutely fell in love with. So I went searching for my size in this wonderful t-shirt, when I discovered that they did not have it. Disappointment filled the store that day, and I walked away shirtless...sort of.

I saw something that I really liked and really wanted, but it didn't fit me.

We see qualities and talents in other people on a daily bases that we would love to have, but the truth is those may fit them, but they don't necessarily fit us.

Don't worry about what someone else excels at, what are you good at? What can you do that you enjoy doing? Once you've figured that out, the real thrill comes when you can learn to blend those things together with others...Wonder Twin Powers Activate!

*by the way, if anyone's good at purchasing t-shirts, you can buy your beloved [pastopher] the one above from HERE...size M

= ]

oh tannenbaum

Top 5 Animated Christmas Specials

I LOVE Christmas specials! Especially the animated classics from my youth.

Here are my top 5 favorites that I have to watch every Christmas season ::

5. Mickey's Christmas Carol


4. Fat Albert's Christmas Special


3. A Chipmunk Christmas


2. He-Man / She-Ra - A Christmas Special


1. Christmas Comes to PacLand

rush

The holiday season can be hectic for a lot of us. We're rushed, hurried and often stressed trying to get everything 'done.'

This is not only a holiday mode, we tend to live in the rush gear year round. We grow accustomed to living in a blur, and having everything happen immediately, our way right away. This frame of mind is not a huge deal when it comes to making quick decisions about trivial things, but I'm very concerned about how impatient we are in making very important life decisions.

A rushed decision usually leads to regret. I can't think of a good reason to hurry anything, especially when the choice has big potential consequences.

When people are hurried to make a decision it's caused by fear, insecurity or simple impatience. Since when have you heard the words impetuous, rushed or impatient and considered those positive qualities?

Here are 3 BIG reasons why it's best to slow way down and take your time in making important decisions ::

• Love is patient - the divorce rate in America is 53% and teen pregnancy is on the rise again in large part because we have forgotten that this is an essential quality of true love.

• God is patient - a great indicator that something isn't of God is if you have to act on it immediately. He doesn't work that we, nor should we.

• Patience is a virtue - if we're going to live virtuous lives that bring honor to God, we're going to have to bring patience to the table.

We don't get do-overs in life, so take your time and make the right decisions.

my birthday weekend

Let me start off by saying a BIG thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday, to all the leaders and volunteers from [r]nation and KidsRock for my extremely generous gift and to my family for making my birthday weekend so memorable.

Friday I spent a chunk of the day preparing for Sunday morning's message, but I did have the opportunity to hang out with my family while utilizing my Best Buy gift card...(Blu-Ray!!!)

Saturday morning, the actual day of my birthday, I woke up and was greeted by my gorgeous wife and daughter serving me fresh-baked coffee cake with a birthday candle...and some gifts, one of my 5 love languages (yes, I have all 5)

Later that day my gracious parents kept Berkeley while Sonia were able to go out, laugh, play and have a blast together. We met Chris Marler at Cinebarre where we saw Quantum of Solace, which was pretty good. (thank you Chris for dinner!)

Sunday morning I filled in for Pastor Kirk at the pulpit, and spoke about Giving Thanks. That evening Sonia, Berkeley and I went to my parents house for an AMAZING steak dinner.

I had a wonderful and memorable 31st birthday, and I am indeed very, very thankful!

[pc]