- Posted by AG on June 11, 2009
I was reading in the Book of John the other day, and was looking at the interaction between Jesus and his mother at the wedding at Cana. The text says that during the celebrating the people ran out of wine. Jesus’ mother was there, and so she came to Him or help. Here’s the text in John 2:1-5:
2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
I was fascinated by their interaction. Mary approaches Jesus for help and Jesus quickly returns her question with a harsh response: “Woman, what does this have to do with me?” Honestly, can you blame the guy. He’s a guest at a wedding, and he’s being asked to fix the problem with the lack of wine at the feast. Why is it Jesus’ problem that the ran out wine?
But I was most surprised by how his mother responded next. She didn’t argue with Him, but she didn’t let Him off the hook either. She turned to the servants and instructed them to listen to Jesus. She still was looking for Jesus for the answer.
I think often times the way I operate is completely opposite of the way this story calls us too. I am usually the one asking “What does this have to do with Jesus?”, rather than just giving it all to him, and trusting that no matter what He has the answer for me. Mary’s response I think tells us the answer to Jesus’ question: everything has something to do with Him for His glory.
- Posted by AG on May 28, 2009
Here’s what you’ve all been waiting for: Pictures!
- Posted by AG on May 25, 2009
I wanted to share a bit about the name Logan James. Chelsey and I had names picked out from early on for both a boy and girl. We sort of knew what we wanted. However, the further we got into the 2nd trimester I started waffling on the boy’s name. I wasn’t sure I wanted a Jr, so we started talking more about other options. We had an idea of what we wanted the name to stand for, so we went from there.
Logan:
Logan is named after the Boy Scout Camp where I worked during high school and college, Chief Logan Reservation. Chief Logan was Chief of the Mingo Indian, a honorable and respectable man known for seeking peace over war. To read more about him, click here. The camp represents the same qualities to me. It is focused on helping boys grow both in their scouting and life skills. Lifetime Friendship is it’s mantra that we live by as both current and former staff.
Camp however is also special in that it’s the place where I was lead to Lord in 1999.
James:
James is actually a family name, given to the first born son of all Garrett’s for now five generations. I am proud of my dad and grandfather and the men they are and were, so I definitely wanted to pass along the name and keep the tradition running.
So it was decided one day as I put on a camp t-shirt – Logan James. Stands for Strength, Peace, Friendship, Honor, Tradition, and walking with the Lord.
- Posted by AG on May 25, 2009
It’s crazy to think that Logan is over six weeks old and I’ve yet to share the story here about his birth, as well as anything about him since birth. Honestly, time has been a factor (imagine that with a new born), but I think my hesitancy has been even more driven by not sure how to share the story of the emotional change that happens from within when becoming a father. It’s hit me though over the past week that the emotional and spiritual changes that take place as you enter fatherhood are not something that can just be shared at once, but something people will see, hear, and read about over time, so I am just going to focus on the story and hopefully get that out here.
The Birth:
Thursday was like any other Thursday. CG an I went to work like normal, came home and then went out to do a final run to Babies R’Us. It was a 3-day weekend coming up, and we were planning on spending it doing the final preparations for his arrival. We were ready, but there was a handful things that we were hoping to get done. Nothing about Thursday showed any signs of an early arrival, in fact nothing in the pregnancy hinted that he might come early. At the start of week 37, which was the Sunday before, CG even hinted at be willing to go all the way to 41 weeks, just to have something to celebrate in May since April was full of things to celebrate already. I myself was ready for him to come at any point, and apparently Logan was too.
For those who aren’t aware of this simple truth, here’s some knowledge for you: pregnant women pee a lot! And so Thursday night CG got up an went pee in the middle of the night like normal. Most of the time, I had no clue she had even gotten up. But at 4am as she started to go, she quickly realized she couldn’t stop. She woke me up a few minutes later, explained the situation, and asked my opinion. It didn’t instantly sound like her water had broke, but it wasn’t normal either. After consulting our book from class, we made the decision to pack our hospital bag (which was one the few things unfinished), and go on down there. Worst case, we come home and sleep as it was a day off anyway.
We made it to the hospital by 5:15/5:20, got checked in, and went to triage where they did an initial exam to see if we were indeed in labor. At 5:45 it was confirmed that CG’s water had broke, and that we weren’t leaving. We prayed, calling the soon-to-be grandparents, while waiting for a room. The full-moon from the night before made the labor & delivery wing a hoping place. It took us three hours to get a room.
Once we were moved they started us on a drug to induce contractions because up to that point there were none. As the contractions began to get heavier, they could see our baby’s heart rate decline for a minute, before stabilizing again. This happened numerous times, and the nurses and doctors both started to talk about a C-Section. We secured a second opinion for her OB, and at 1:15 we went in for surgery.
The surgery went well except for a small cut to the right side of his head where he was nicked from where he started into the canal while in natural labor. He received his first stitch in the first minute of life outside the womb.
The Baby:
At 1:48 on 4/10 he was born! Logan James – 5lbs, 6oz – 19 1/4 inches long. Healthy and Strong, with blue eyes like me. He had some great lungs, full head of hair, and was very alert. We took our first family portrait right there in the OR. I’ll never forget the first time I held him. He was (and still is) tiny, yet probably the biggest thing to ever be handed to me. His first cry was an amazing moment where I suddenly felt the role of father was given to me.
CG had to go into recovery for a few hours, and I went with Logan to the nursery to watch him go through a full exam. It was during that time that I began to feel the change taking place. I wanted to be in two places at once – with Logan as he was get acclimated to the world, and with CG as she was dealing with recovering from the surgery. I went back and forth between the two multiple times. (It’s an amazing tug on you heart, being an husband and father – something I still feel today, and will probably feel forever.)
We spent the next three nights at the hospital. My wife recovered quickly, and Logan was healthy and eating well. He lost a little weight, which is normal, but by Monday morning we were just awaiting the discharge papers. We came home as a family for that first time, and it was amazing – and that hasn’t changed.
We’ve been overwhelmed – at parenthood, at the lack of sleep, at the number of feedings, but most importantly – the greatness of the Lord, and the gift he’s given to us. Logan is our son to raise in the likeness of Him…that’s our desire.
- Posted by AG on May 4, 2009
I know folks, I am well overdue for some blogging here – especially with the things happening in my life over the past few weeks. I am going to attempt to get some stuff about Logan, Fatherhood, and the emotional and spiritual journey this has been this week. I really want to do that.
Today however, I have a post even further overdue. At the end of March, CG and I had the opportunity to tour the finished remodel of our old apartment. That’s right, April 1 was the first day people have lived in that place since July 14th, 2008! Fire is bad, really bad!
They did a great job with the redesign, changing the layout including adding a second full-bath to the first floor, all hardwood floors (when we were there it was 100% carpet), and ceiling fans. I thought Doug did a great job as did Chelsey, but ultimately we were able to appreciate the restoration and not be upset at what might have been “taken” from us. We are thrilled to be where we are, and believe we’re right where God wants us.
Below is a video of the remodeled place for all those who might want to see the changes. Enjoy it!
On last note, we just found out this weekend that tenant who lived on the 2nd Floor for 38 years (and is the one who discovered and alerted us to the fire) past away last Wednesday. Rest In Peace Carolyn, aka RAYCTHYME.
- Posted by AG on April 9, 2009
With just over two weeks till the official due date, there are still moments of not quite understanding what parenthood is truly going to be like. We've done all the classes, talked about a lot with other parents, but I still don't think you quite understand what it means to be parent until you are one.
Mentally, we turned a big corner last weekend in our physical readiness for his arrival by finishing the nursery. It's amazing. Since then it feels like a waiting game. I'm ready for it to happen anytime, while Chelsey is okay with waiting till May.
Anyway, I came across the following article on one of the BabyCenter we receive weekly on fears that fathers have about having a baby that I thought was a great way to explain my mental/emotional preparedness for having a kid. There were seven listed. I'm shooting 4 of 7. Here's the list:
- Posted by AG on March 28, 2009
We’ve sung this song by John Marc McMillan at church the past two weeks called “How He Loves Us.” It’s some very powerful, truth-filled lyrics about the indescribable love that God has for us. Not to mention, it’s the first song I’ve ever heard “Sloppy Wet Kiss” fit in as a lyric.
I’ve been moved this week to just seek my Savior in a new, very deliberate way. My posts from a few weeks ago are very much still in the fore-front of my mind as I continue on this journey into the new and unknown. We are what has begun to feel like just days away from meeting the heavenly gift in our son – and I can’t imagine the feeling that I will be experiencing during that moment when I get to first hold him. Even now, the gift of just getting to feel a tiny kick has begun to really blow my mind on the love of God, as being seen through this child, that the day he is born is just going to be unbelievable.
As we were driving home tonight, along Clyo Rd, we had two deer jump out in front of us. One galloped in the median along side of us. I screamed out the moment I saw them, they were right there. I’ve heard of just one deer vs vehicle accident that the deer didn’t go down with out massively damaging the car. But even in that fear, I was still singing from church “OH…how he love us.” And as we gotten home I’ve really gotten to just sit in front of the lyrics again, I feel like our afflictions (distress) were eclipsed by His Glory tonight especially, and what a wonderful feeling that is.
I pray that wherever you are, no matter the stage of life, no matter the road your on – that your afflictions (pains, sufferings, and distressed) are being hidden by His glory.
Here’s the song:
- Posted by AG on March 19, 2009
Last weekend my dad, brother, and I went on father-son backpacking trip for the first time ever. We had done a lot together with scouts, but never just the three of us. My brother asked us to plan a trip as our Christmas present to him, so we said sure. It was exciting to plan and do. I hadn’t been backpacking since Glacier in 2004. Kind of sad I know, but nonetheless life has been busy and taken me some other directions. I was excited to spend the weekend with these men, to talk about life and just hang. We don’t always do that enough.
We made a game-time switch in plans and header east instead of south, away from the rain, and ended up at Raccoon Creek State Park in PA, just north of Pittsburg. It seemed like a quiet park, but had a nice loop around the outer edge of it that would give us a 20-mile loop to hike around over the three days there. The hills were much smaller, but for a group of guys who hadn’t been backpacking for a few years, it was more than enough.
We rolled into the park around 1:30, and were on the trail by 2 Friday. We hiked 7 miles to camp that night. It was a good hike. My brother is in as best shape as any of us, and had no problem leading the pack. The climbs challenged me and dad, but we made to camp before dark, and ate a hearty helping of instant mash potatoes, stuffing, and canned chicken. We had a small fire, but ended up getting ready for bed at 8:00 as the sun had finally passed down over the top of the ridge.
None of us had been sleeping well. We had been laying on hard floor of an Adirondack (a three-sided shelter) for nearly four hours, and each of had probably been awake more than we had slept. At one point I asked dad the time, hoping that the night was almost over.
“It’s 12:20”
“Nooooo!” It was like the worst answer I thought I could have gotten. I was in shock. The night was still young, which means we still had six more hours before we could even get up and begin hiking.
I think I finally fell asleep, but they didn’t much. My brother stayed up by the fire all night to keep warm, and by morning we decided that the best thing for us would be to hike out early. 4.5 miles later, we were at the car by 10:30. All in all we did roughly half the trail, but had some great laughs along the way. Can’t wait to go again.
On the way home, we stopped by the Warther Carving Museum in Dover, Ohio which was simply amazing.
- Posted by AG on March 3, 2009
I was sent this video about two weeks ago, and keep thinking about. Not just from what I have heard about Africa, but in a lot things. I live in a world where I constantly find joy in meeting my wants & desire, when so many around me are struggling to meet their needs. I think there’s a lot of things in the video below that I need to focus on.
- Posted by AG on February 26, 2009
…Truth will win out.
One of the most blunt truths I feel I am being forced to look at right now is the area of leadership. How am I leading others such as our house church, friends, family, my wife, and last but not least MYSELF. I have been aware of the opportunity to improve and give more of myself in a lot of these areas for some time now, but I think in the past few weeks I have been awakened to thought that one of my biggest points of failure right now is how I have been failing to lead myself. That’s not always easy to swallow.
What does it mean to lead? I think it has a lot a facets. I think leading means time-management, relationally building into others, showing the way, seeking truth, and having one’s priorities straight. And if I really look back at the last year that doesn’t seem like it describes who I have been. My get-it-done nature has not taken the time to focus on those critical priorities in life and help others do the same.
I’m honestly not surprised by this revelation as I know why it’s so heavy on my heart. It’s fatherhood. One of the things I am most excited about is the opportunity and trust that has already been given to me to raise and lead a family. But it’s also one of my fears right now. Am I going to be the man they need me to be so that they (Chelsey and baby) may flourish and be the woman and man I desire them to become? My scouting leadership training has taught me that those under the leader take on lifestyles that resemble the lifestyle of the leader. I’m not sure that I can completely say I am satisfied with that thought right now.
I have always had this desire within myself when pondering the thought of fatherhood that my desire would be that my kids would look more like Jesus than I do. But as reality sets in, it’s hitting home that for that desire to become true I’ve got to striving to look like Him myself, with all that I have before I can expect that they might look like too (not to say they can’t learn to follow Jesus elsewhere, but if it can start at home all the better).
As I’ve been thinking about all this, I keep coming back to this passage: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11. I believe in this passage, but I really feel I have not been able to live it out - that the plans and future that the Lord has for me are waiting for me to lead myself in a manner worthy of receiving them. That is my failure and yet my goal. That I live so that He may bestow upon me the plans He has for me to begin with.