New York City

My wife and I are going to NYC for our anniversary this coming weekend. I'm just amazed at how much it is costing. The hotel is costing us just over $700 for two nights. That is so stinking expensive. All told, this trip will probably cost us close to $1500. We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon for 5 nights and it only cost us $2200. NYC is just an expensive place to visit, I guess. It's going to be awesome. This will be the first time since we've had the kids where we have time away just to enjoy each other and I won't be doing work. I'm excited. JM

Matthew 18:1-6

Humility is so tough. I actually think I'm pretty good at it. Or at least pretty good at making other people think I am. I mean, I'm a really teachable person, but I almost always think that my idea is right and that I can do things better than other people. What I mean to say is that I feel like I can carry out the vision that is in my head better than I can describe it to someone and delegate it to them. JM

Pictures

I wish I had a good camera. I think it's tough to find good images on the internet that really fit what I need. Right now I'm trying to find stuff for this video I have to make to an Alanis Morissette song - That I Would Be Good. I just spent 90 minutes and think I found 3 images that I can use. And I need like 12. It just takes forever. JM

Running

So I actually ran today. It's been like at least a month since I ran last. I did 3 miles in 28:55. Mile times were 9:49, 9:41, 9:25. I stopped halfway through because Ryan Momberger wanted to talk to me. So after about 10 minutes I started running again. My legs were tight after that, but it didn't mess me up too bad. It just felt good to run again. JM

Matthew 17:22-27

First off, it's so cool that Jesus tells Peter to go fishing, catch a fish, dig into it's mouth, pull out a coin, and use that to pay for the temple tax.
I wonder why Jesus paid. I mean, I wonder why he said that he didn't want to upset the tax collectors. He didn't seem to mind upsetting other people who were following religious rules. I think it's because he didn't see the need to embarrass Peter. Peter had already been put on the spot and told the tax collectors that Jesus would pay the tax. I don't really think it would benefit Jesus to tell Peter that he doesn't pay it and to send Peter back out to say No, he doesn't pay it, so what's it to ya?
JM

Mother's Day Message

This message that I'm working on for Mother's Day is tough. I just feel so constrained. I don't know how to get to an impassioned point when I feel like I have to say that I love mothers and we all should be grateful for them.
I'm kind of just saying screw that and talking about how mother's should be.
I'm also finding lots of asides that don't really fit into my message, but they are funny thoughts, so I'm extremely tempted to share them during my message.
I always picture this invisible door when I speak. Through the door are random tangential stories that come to mind when I'm speaking. I'm always tempted to open the door and share the story, but I know a lot of times it will kill people's focus. I think doing it sometimes keeps things fresh and authentic. Plus it really helps me share what I'm thinking of. It might not always be the best thing, so I really try to limit it, but it's fun to go through that door. JM

Addicted

Sometimes I think I'm addicted to my computer. I'm not like a geeky tech-head or anything like that, but I really like being able to access information. On Wednesday nights my boss borrows my computer and since he ends his program after I'm gone, I don't get it back until Thursday morning. So Wednesday nights I always think of things that I want to look up and research, or learn about, or satisfy my curiosity, but I am unable to because the magic of the internet does not run into my house without my laptop. I'm okay without it, but I really enjoy having it. JM

Matthew 17:14-20

I love seeing the power of faith demonstrated. It's incredible to me the things that Jesus says that we can accomplish through faith. Moving mountains. I wonder how different my life would be if I really prayed desperately for things and had faith that God would provide? Perhaps that would be a great experiment. JM

Matthew 15:21-28

I love that Jesus really didn't want to go to Jerusalem to suffer. I mean, nobody would, but I love that even Jesus didn't want to. A lot of times we like to paint Jesus as this guy that never thought twice about things and always knew what he was doing. But I think some of the time he worried about how he might respond in certain situations. Jesus struggled with temptation not just in the wilderness before he started his ministry, but everyday of his life.
He was strong enough to overcome temptation. I would have been like whatever, I'm out of here. But Jesus had the strength to stick it out. I think a lot of overcoming temptation is just strength and resolve. JM

My Daughter Has Some Thoughts To Share

hntyt7y665y777777vouuuiju45cx b mvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvg5555555555546cc d
JM