We’re back from the honeymoon!!!

Well I have been away from the blogging world for a week now and I can’t say that I am too upset about it all. I got married on Saturday and have been on a cruise from Sunday to yesterday. It was incredible. At some point I hope to get some pictures up of the landscape and just of the trip in general. 

 

A few highlights include:

• some intimate time with my wifey of course!!
• This wonderful place and yes we rode the slides… both of us!!!
• incredible scenery
• a nice new purse for my wife which she thoroughly enjoys and is hand washing right now.
• good food
• worst sunburn of my entire life on day 3 of the cruise (kinda put a hindrance on some things…)

But it really was an incredible time. More than anything I have seen this time as Kristen and I becoming more and more in tune to each other and with God. It is amazing how God creates us and how God uses marriage to bring glory to Himself. I understand that my primary ministry is to my wife and I pray that I can follow through with that.

Let me know about your honeymoon trips. I would love to hear about them.

Sabroso’s talk

After an amazing night at Varsity with incredible music: thanks josh and band, and message, we all went to Sabroso’s afterwards. I think its weird how I bond so well with the music guys for the students. It doesn’t matter who they are I always seem to have an instant connection with them.

Anyway, back to Sabroso’s. I didn’t eat anything but the food there is always good but I have my own place now so I get to make and eat my own food. But afterwards I got to talk with some awesome men about my marriage and about their past. Tim Mackey, who by the way is putting on the reception dinner for our wedding on Friday, loves people man. But he was telling me about just a few things in his past. 

 

Let me just say that I am thankful to have two parents who have loved me unconditionally throughout my life. They knew how to push me towards my goals and they knew how to back up a little and let me do some things wrong. They are incredible. I was telling Tim that even though my dad wasn’t a Christian at first he was a better dad than probably 75% of the “Christian” dads out there.

 

Here’s some advice I can give you parents from a 21 year old kid with great ‘rents:

1. Show up: You will hear me say this over and over and over, but its always true. Your kids need to feel your support so show up when they do something. If you work alot, then make time. I remember a few times my dad came to my ballgame after working over 55 hours in a week. Never complaining just there.
2. Not all of your kids are the same, so don’t treat them like they are. Understand first that you need to have rules in your household that if disobeyed should result in discipline. I am not saying that you should punish one kid and not the other. What I am saying is this: Do some reading on the birth order and get to know your kid personally. Don’t play catch with your kid if he wants to cook or don’t paint with your kid, if she wants to play softball. My sister and I would get upset because our parents treated us differently on some things… looking back they were right.
3. Unconditionally love your kids. Your kids are gonna screw up and make mistakes. Love them anyway. Discipline with love. I can’t tell you how many times I would tell my parents mistakes I have made because I knew they would respond with love. I would also get the discipline and a lecture but always the love.

I’m definitely not an expert on parenting. But I hope to be a great dad and I have not only my two wonderful parents to look up to but also my in-laws as well. Show up, know your kids and understand their differences, and love them unconditionally and more than likely you will grow up having a great relationship with your kids. I have a great one with my parents.

out

The heart

Sometimes I look at my blog and think to myself… “Self why are you writing, it just doesn’t seem like I’m helping anyone” And most of the time I just wish I had some wisdom to actually give people so that they won’t feel like this blog leaves them empty. Which unfortunately it does sometimes. I wish that I have inside of me somewhere this wise old man that gives advice that most 85 year old people who have lived a fantastic life would give. But I don’t.

 

I was reading the Word today and realized that God is interested in me as an individual. He spoke to me through 1 Samuel 16. God was about to pick David as king. Samuel saw someone that he thought for sure God was going to pick as the next king. 

God told him:

 1 Sam. 16:7

 

but it is also interesting to note this verse:

1 Samuel 9:1-2

 

It almost seems like a contradiction doesn’t it. But remember that the people wanted a king more so than they wanted God to rule their lives. Samuel knew that when he chose Saul, the main characteristics that he recognized were of his appearance. He should have known better than to judge based on that. Not to say that attractive people can’t do the work of God but instead that God’s priority is the heart.

 

God gave them their king: Saul and after their plan failed miserably, He provided His king David.

 

Do we refuse to allow God to rule in an area of our life and cry out that He doesn’t know what He is doing and we should do it a certain way instead? Do we judge ourselves by our heart or by our outward appearance? God help us to give our hearts to you. Mold them and change them more and more in your image, the image of Christ. We pray that our plans would be secondary to Your plans. 

 

I pray that this helps someone out there who needs it.
 

 

Special Needs Party

So there is this wedding coming up that is pretty important to me on Saturday. I am in it and by the end of the day I will have a new wife. 

 

So I get a phone call last night from my ‘rents telling me that my uncle is planning on coming from AL to see my marriage ceremony. He wanted to provide the old fashioned precursor statement, “Well, we have Nicholas and I don’t want people to get upset.”

 

My cousin Nicholas has special needs, along with my future brother-in-law, and the pastor’s son. So needless to say there will be a party up in here. It will be incredible. I am so psyched to see the interaction. Its like when you put you and your friends baby together and watch everything happen. 

 

It will be awesome. If you have a problem with this, then I would rather you just not come to the wedding… I’ll send you the video and a thank you card.  This is probably one of my more rude and honest posts but this is how I really feel. I cannot fathom why people would get upset at special needs children for being a little loud. Anyway, just wanted to let you know about the party on Saturday, you’re all invited.

WordPress just got cooler

In case you don’t read the announcements that WordPress has, they have announced that they will be adding a feature termed lateral navigation. It’s sort of like the related videos section that Youtube has. 

 

It’s a cool feature that will probably increase traffic for a lot of people and will probably connect people more and more. It will be awesome to see how this thing works, but i thought that I should relay the message to you.

I don’t know whether I should worry or be happy…

About 12 people came and visited my blog today by searching for Kristen Barfield in a search engine. Anyway in 5 days they won’t be able to find her because her name will be Kristen Thompson…

 

This is also funny because no one has ever searched for my name to get to my blog… kinda humbling haha

Reflection

Now that I’m living in an apartment there are so many people around to observe. That makes me extremely excited because its fun and insightful when you observe. I’ll give you an example of something I observed this weekend at the pool at my apartment. 

 

There were three little girls from the community. They played together all day long. It was funny to watch the exploration and adventure of the girls as they experienced the pool together as a group. I sometimes wish I could go back to my exploring days or at least have a little bit of that innocent and curious spirit like I once had. With kids, you often see the grace and love of God paired with the doctrine of original sin all in one, haha. You see the community that God’s people should have when the girls hold hands as they jump in the pool and help one another out of the pool and synchronized swimming meets, it was just fun.

 

But then you also see the fringes of the flesh rising from the innocence of a child. Their food that they once shared are no longer community property but instead selfishly stored for the individual. Or when the girls are leaving the lack of community to wait for one another on the way out. Or the mean things said. Or the unbelievably shocking conversation of weight that three 8 or 9 year old girls had. It was shocking.

 

If you don’t think that we should be using our resources to reach kids now before their teens or even their adult years… take some time to observe, you’ll see.

Orange Observations 2

What a great conference!

 

There were so many amazing speakers: From Chan to Stanley to Giglio. It was absolutely amazing. The worship was phenomenal! I will give you some highlights of things that I learned:

 

• “God gave you a unique role as a father and husband, many people can pastor a church… maybe even better than you. But there is only one father to your children and one husband to your wife.”
• Cultural Relevance may become the golden calf of the church.
• Influence is not the same as leadership

I learned so much and will probably go into depth in the future about certain people and what they said. I was incredibly blessed by the conference and certainly have a lot to chew on. 

Orange Observations

I won’t tell you everything that went on but I will tell you a little bit.

 

Steve Fee= incredible. Find a CD of his wrap it in your arms, put on ipod and listen with a friend or by yourself for an incredible ( i wish i could come up with a word to convince you of how awesome he is) worship experience. I was amazed!! Incredible Steve!!

 

Reggie Joiner delivered a very strong message: Are we thinking like a lovable father?

 

Very good message and on point for where I am right now in my life.

 

I also want to point this out in case you don’t know that much about me.  This is a blog completely from me and my opinions. It is not however a place to bash people in any way, shape or form. I am not, I repeat, not going to take part in that. I will point you in a direction of some incredible resources and give you my opinion on many things, but they are opinions.

 

Know this about me: I love Jesus and I will do whatever I can to get you to a point where you love Him too.

 

Can’t wait for tomorrow.

 

out

God’s Direction

! Samuel 14:

 

Johnny (Jonathan) is hanging out with his armor bearer and they feel divinely lead to go kill some philly’s. They go and cause an uproar. Saul hears the crazy stuff going on and takes roll. (that’s weird) anyway, he then asks for the priest to seek God’s direction. After waiting for like 30 seconds the sound got louder and he just decided to go join in an already victorious fight.

 

I think to myself: Where would I be had I not waited on God? If I would have lied to get a job somewhere else? I’m not sure but I know I am so incredibly happy to be where I am, involved with the people I am involved with in ministry, and doing what I am doing.

 

God completely rearranged my plans and gave me my wildest dreams before I turned 22! I am humbled and grateful for where God has brought me. I am happy that God is using me and that is on no account of myself only his divine appointment. 

 

man I’m so thankful and honored to be here right now… you really have no idea.