Clash of Christianity

January 6, 2016

About a month ago I wrote a post of spiritual formations and the importance of using these to grow closer in your walk with Christ.  Recently I have started playing a mobile game that has brought new perspective you the old phrase a mile wide and an inch deep.  Clash of Clans is an upkeep game where you build your army, join a clan and continue to improve.  Much like our spiritual journeys there are many ways to go about this.  A dear friend and active player told me to upgrade all the options before proceeding to the next level.  On the early levels it seemed very easy to accomplish and I moved through very quickly, easily gaining advantage over bases of similar size.  As I move up the food chain and towards world domination my progress has slowed and there have been times that I have been tempted to just jump ahead to the next level.  It’s during this time that his voice is in my head reminding me to be patient and complete the process to be a better player and clan mate.  As I attack and defend I know that words he has spoken to me are truth, the bases that don’t follow this rule are easily run over with huge losses and sometime not just to them but also their clan.  Again, this is much like our Christian walk!  We all have a goal to be more like Christ, but knowledge and appearance does not paint the whole picture of who Christ is.  I fear that as Christians we have become a mile wide and an inch deep, refusing to be patient and do the hard work that is required not only for ourselves but also for our clan (the kingdom of God.)  When you progress in your walk to quickly or out of sync with spiritual health, the attacks hurt us more and sometimes even those closest to us.  As you begin the process remember that you will shoot up fast in your faith but the deeper you grow in your relationship it will take longer and longer to level up.  Please be patient!  Hebrews 12 brings a lot of wisdom about running the race of life with endurance.  This journey that we are on is not one of speed but that of a constant striding forward motion.  When we fall down we get back up only to learn from our failures and move forward.  We can learn a lot from the world around us, even from free apps that most would view as a waste of time.  How will you move forward in your walk with Christ this year?

Dear Younger Me

December 29, 2015

What kind of Pastor would I be if my life had been easier?

As most of you know music is not always the thing that stirs my heart, but every now and then a song really speaks to me. As I think about this past year the song Dear Younger Me by Mercy Me is one of those. What would I tell my younger self if I had the opportunity? Would I try and change anything that has happened? Who would I be as a Pastor if this last year had gone according to plan? Don’t hear what I am not saying, this is not a doom and gloom post I’m just processing the past year. As a Pastor life does not always go the way that your want, wait! As a Christian life does not always go the way that you want, wait! As a person life does not always go the way that you want! It doesn’t matter your status in life, we are all on this crazy journey. Our past helps to shape the person that we are today but never defines the person that we are to become. Notice my wording in this statement “our past shapes,” meaning that it plays a part but does not paint the whole picture. “Never defines the person that we are to become,” for the Christian, God should be the one that defines our future! There are things this past year that I wished would have happened and wished had not have happened, both of these things help shape the person I am today. The way I handled these things and the where I put my trust paints the rest of the picture of me. Putting my trust in the correct place has allowed me to draw closer to God and deepen my roots in my faith. Continuing to focus on the future is not always easy but focusing on the past is even harder! Mercy Me brings it all home to remind his younger self that he is holy, righteous and one of the redeemed. Being a Christian makes me a better person, not because of the title but because of forgiveness and God continuing to make me holy, righteous and one of the redeemed. Does this mean that I am perfect? No! Does this mean that next year will go, as I want? No! It means that my views on the past, present and future have changed. It means that what I would tell my younger self are not things that would change my life or the direction that I have gone, but simply to draw closer to God the one that know the past, present and future. Dear younger me: keep moving forward, keep holding tight onto God’s hand, give forgiveness, be more free with your trust and always know that you are being made into the likeness of God Himself, holy, righteous and one of the redeemed! These things will not make life easier but will make you more like the Christ and isn’t that our goal in the first place?

Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

December 27, 2015

Faith and Trust are two unseen values that most of hold dear. While they seem like perfect synonyms faith is built out of trust and not the other way around. I talked on faith in a previous post that you can read here, but lets focus on trust today. Trust is not built in a day but seems to diminish in an instant. Trust is built through an individual’s character witnessed over time, or a reliable instrument that has shown value in our lives. Trust is an interesting thing in this regard, since it to gain is focused on the person or thing that you are putting trust in but lost through perspective and observations made by others. In fact it seems as though most of the values that we hold so dear in our life tend to slip away when we are not will or feel obligated to due the hard work need to verify these things for ourselves. So often we put our trust in the new and exciting that then changes our perspective on what we once knew. The larger question could be what happens to our faith when we lose trust, since trust led us to faith? Could it be that our faith is in jeopardy because of our lackadaisical view on our everyday walk with Christ? The journey that we have before us is not an easy one; it is filled with trials and pain but also anointed with excitement and joy. While faith and trust should never be the focal point of this journey they are the tools that help us along the way. Our perspectives of tools help shape the person we will become on this journey. So again we come down to it, are you willing to put in the hard work? How can we best prepare for this journey of the everyday and how can we protect our trust?

What are you putting your trust in?

Remember the only perfect thing in this world is God and even as smart as we are today we will never fully understand His ways. So if your trust is based on your vantage point you may find yourself disappointed. People are people and they will let you down however just as you have let people down, give grace to others as you would like to have it. Your trust must be put in God first!

What happens when your misplaced trust is lost?

When we come into any type of relationship we bring our expectations of what that relationship is going to look like. Most of the time our expectations are not clearly communicated and so others are left operating off of the expectations that they have brought into the relationship. This is why we need to change our perspective! With imperfect people come imperfect relationship goals, a perfect God brings new perspectives to how any type of relationship should function. If both sides are operating from this ideal, than trust is no longer in the individual but in God Himself. So when trust is broken the question needs to be asked, whom were you putting your trust in?

Are you working towards the same thing?

Relationships are about working towards a common goal. That goal could be as simple as a project or as focused as building a life together. These goals become increasing harder to accomplish if our trust is bases solely on the other person. If both parties are believers and focused on putting trust in God then the attitudes at which we approach these goals should have a commonality. If this is not happening than time should be taken for a refocus.

Boundaries point toward direction, separation drives toward division!

As issues arrive and they always will, communication is crucial in the process! Boundaries and expectations help to clarify the vantage point of the relationship, but when communication stops and results in separation a common view is very difficult to arrive at. As you seek guidance from God and others in this area remember that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and if scripture doesn’t point to the direction you are being lead to it might not be the direction to go.

What are my next steps when I feel like trust is broken?

First is the other person a believer? If they are not, then your vantage points will never line up! Next examine your role in the situation, who was your trust in? If it was misplaced own it and fix it. A conversation needs to be started in a safe environment with a third party, if needed. Ask the question, was the other person out to do you harm? If no harm was intended set a course to move forward, chances are there was a breakdown of communication that can be easily resolved. If harm was intended boundaries should be set by a third party to ensure safety for all. Remember that trust can be easily lost in one person’s eyes but through forgiveness and a common focus in God it can be easily restored.

Search your heart!

The issue of trust can be a great escape to separate us from tough situations that we do not wish to face. Remember that these times can draw us closer to God and make us better followers of Him. Give to God what is His and own up to your own faults and decisions. Trust is others is never easy because it means that we have to give a piece of ourselves in the process. Remember that it was through trust in someone that allowed you to hear Christ’s message of forgiveness for the first time, how might you help others through this same way

Don’t Forget Spiritual Leg Day!

December 11, 2015

So what are spiritual formations and why are they important in our lives?   Spiritual formations are practices that help us in the maturing process to become more Christ like. These are on going training for your spiritual body that will test your physical mind and body to its limits. Most Christians focus their whole lives on two of these practices, prayer and study. While there is no exhaustive list found in scripture there are many other practices that have been found helpful in spiritual growth. Only focusing on a few would be like only having leg day everyday. While you would have some nice looking legs, your core and arms would be an area of weakness. The most important part of spiritual formations is being aware of where you are weak so that you can spend some time in these areas also. As you being to get connected in community the practices of worship and service begin to take a bigger role in your walk and in some cases replace study and prayer. While there is nothing like worshiping your God or serving others they are meant to work in conjunction with the others not apart from them.  Some of the other areas that you can begin to work on are: meditation, simplicity, solitude, confession, submission, guidance and celebration.

Remember that as Christians our goals should not be to simply achieve the heart of God or the knowledge of God but to become more Christ like in all that we do and say. In writing this I am actually on a spiritual formations journey. I have worked my way through the above list many times in my life; revelations on who I am in Christ always surprise me along the way. This current journey has already giving me great insight into how many leg days I have missed. With a little bit of joking, I have seen better legs on a table. I have always considered myself a man of patience and if you know me you would most likely come to the same conclusion however currently this seems to have become a weakness. As you become more and more like Christ you must remember that even your strongest natural talents can become your weakest spiritual gifts if left without the proper attention. Patience is something that I need to level up in my life! If you are struggling to find where you are weak, take a step closer to the spiritual mirror and compare areas of your walk to areas you believe to be strong. If it is still hard to see, work your way through some of the practices until you it becomes painfully obvious, and it will.

If you are still reading it could mean that you want to see how crazy I am, or that you are looking for some more insight and help as you hit the spiritual gym. Lets take a look at some of these workouts and how you can apply them directly to your life today. Lets get training!

Prayer

Most of us learned to pray by reciting a prayer that someone else had written. Even Jesus gave an example of how to pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen. Matthew reminds us that prayer is a private time with God that we should be expectant that He will hear and respond. This is why we say that prayer is an active conversation with God. While most of us think we have a lock on the whole prayer thing we continue to be baffled and not expectant of a God who wishes to commune back.

Study

While most of us would refer to this as our devotional life, most of us would be limiting the true value of study in our lives. How well do you actually know the Bible? I am blown away every time I have a conversation with an older pastor that practically has the Bible memorized, not because he/she just knows the words but because they KNOW the Bible. These individuals have spent their lives in study and not just for profession gain but because it has made them more like Jesus. In knowing more about God it gives us the opportunity to love Him more and more deeply than we could with our limited knowledge of who He is.

Worship

Worship should not be limited to the “House of God” as the temple was destroyed and the new temple rose in our Savior, He entrusted His Holy Spirit to live in believers making us a house of God. We are the Church, we represent God in all that we do and say and our life is our worship of Him. What might it look like in your life to worship God in all that you do and say? How might that change the way that you approach your day, even your Monday? Just like all the other practices it takes time to develop and can even become a weakness if left unattended to.

Service

As you find with most of the practices your train of thought begins to be reshaped and what you once thought you had down becomes a new challenge. Service is such a beast, retraining our brain to think more of others needs before our own or even the needs of others before the ones that we hold most dear. The world perspective that you believed in for so long begins to fade and the view of Christ comes into focus. For some this comes very easy, for other like me its like trying to do core exercises after and appendectomy.

Fasting

The most common form of fasting is to abstain from food for a period of time. While fasting in and of itself is the voluntary denial of anything normal part of your life to gain opportunity to replace it with another practice that will help you draw closer to God. I have always found that the things I thought would be the easiest to fast are often the hardest and that I am always challenged in my walk with God. This one will test all aspects of who you are and should be careful consideration to health and others. Remember the purpose of fasting is to draw you closer to God spiritually not get you to God physically.

Confession

While this one is the easiest to do, it is often the most painful. To become self aware of how far we are from God and the depths of our own sin is a painful yet freeing experience. As long as we walk this earth we will never be completely free of sin, after all we are human as they say. That is why confession is so important in our lives. Confession helps us realize the need for change and opportunity to allow God to help us through them. To take this to the next level; confess your sins to a trusted person in your life. Yes continue to work these things out with fear and trembling in your life but God already knows it is easy to tell Him the things that He already sees. Find another believer of the same gender that you can trust and confess away. This process is commonly known as accountability partners and will help you both grow closer with God.

Remember there are many ways to help you grow in your spiritual walk with Christ, but any way that you choose should be about helping you expose where you are weak so that you can become more like Him. If you are ever in doubt if what you are doing is in fact a form of spiritual formations please seek the guidance and wisdom of those more Christ like in your life, they are like that because of hard work and learning to deal with the hard things in their lives.

Direction From Above

December 8, 2015

I get asked all the time, “What is the biggest struggle that students face today?”  When I started into youth ministry over a decade ago, this answer was not so uniform in my mind.  Several things popped up: drugs, peer pressure, and the eternal struggle “if God is real.”  While all of these things still exist today, I do not see this as the number one problem our students face.  The culture has begun to shift and the openness of the ideal of God is ripe in the student’s mind.  The questions I hear the most are, “How do I know that it is God talking to me,” “What is God’s will in my life” and “Why does this person hear from God when I don’t?”  Our students are hungry for direction from God as I think most of the younger generation falls into this category.  They long for guidance and direction as they venture into their unknown futures.  They seek clarity from and to the One who is supposed to know everything.  While this sounds like a great problem to have, students seeking the will of God, it does bring new complications and perspectives to the journey.  The phrase, “God told me to,” has become abused and overused today!  This often gives conflicting experiences and hurts the very name of God when not applied in the right way.  I have found myself saying more and more to “Give God what is His and own up to your own garbage.”  While it might be God that tells you to date someone, it could also be the hormonal driven mind of a teenager.  So, how do we help to distinguish if something is indeed hearing and seeing the voice and will of God or not?  This is where the hard work comes in.  This is the opportunity to disciple someone face to face and ask the hard questions and quite frankly, these are some of my favorite parts about being a pastor.  I remember being a teenager trying to figure out this feeling of God leading me to being a pastor.  I had no idea what a pastor did or what that meant for my life.  I felt like I had no one to talk to about it, so I didn’t.  It took many years and lots of guidance before I was able to fully understand what God was trying to say to me.  So, how was I able to understand God’s will for my life and how can we help others to do the same?

1. A personal relationship with God.  While there have been times where God speaks truth and gives guidance to non believers, the majority of the time information comes through believers of God.  It is much easier to recognize and understand God’s will and direction, if first, we understand who He is.
2. A desire to hear from God. Now I know that this sounds like a no-brainer, but often times we have preconceived opinions about what we want to hear before we hear it.  We have to make up our minds that we really want to hear what God wants to tell us, even if that means, we are not going to like it.
3. Check with scripture. If God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow then who He is has not changed.  If He has not lead someone in this direction before, chances are He is not doing it now.  Also, just to clarify that the hard work does not stop here.  Do not go pick up the closest jaw bone and slaughter an army.
4. Seek Godly council. Most often we want to run to those closest to us or those who will give us the answer we want to hear.  Seek the council of someone who has in fact learned to discern the voice of God in their life; someone who has been down the path that you are going and if at all possible, find more than one.  Samuel did not understand who was speaking to Him until he asked for guidance.
5. The larger plan. Believe it or not, you are not the center of the universe.  God has a much bigger plan than any of us can fully understand, but you play a part in that plan.  What God is trying to tell us also plays a bigger part into His plan!  Ask the questions: How does this play into my relationship with God?  How does this work into His plan for the local church?  How will this affect the kingdom focus of what God is trying to accomplish in this world?
6. Watch out for spiritual ADD. We all have “ah ha” moments when we think that we have it all figured out, where everything in the world just seems to make sense to us and life just clicks.  This is not a time to stop asking or seeking God’s voice.  The easiest way to get back on track is to ask for God’s perspective on the current situations in your life and start back at step one.
7. Remember that this is a relationship. You will not figure this out in one day, and as you grow close to Him, it will be easier to hear and understand.  Take one day at a time!  Always striving to get to know God more through scripture, life experience and prayer.  There will be times that you misinterpret or misunderstand, so be cautious how you use “God told me to!”

While the process seems overwhelming to a point, it is also one of the most rewarding parts of being a Christ follower.  A seemingly unknown, unseen God is in fact present in our lives, has a purpose and direction, waiting for us to ask and receive.  I pray for you today that you will come to a place of willingness to hear from God and a humbleness to do the hard work to clarify the will and direction that God has for you.

Perspective on Faith

December 1, 2015

Faith is the center point of most if not all religions. Though faith is important it is not the focal point of Christianity! Before I am hung a cross next to Jesus, please hear me out. Faith is not the focal point for Christianity because it is the starting place, our relationship with Jesus should remain the focal point and our faith revolves around this. Faith is the reason that most people struggle with the concept of religion, in Hebrews 11 we learn that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This type of Faith is not talking about an unknown God in fact in Matthew 14 Jesus shows us what true faith is all about keeping our eyes on God Himself. You see we often want to put our faith in the situation itself but that is not what we are called to do as followers of Christ. When Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid, when he asks Peter who began to sink into the waters why his faith was weak, we was not talking about the circumstances or surroundings, Jesus was commenting that they had lost sight on where faith is rooted. It may seem that the passage in Hebrews and Matthew are saying different things but in fact they are pointing to the same thing, our longing to be in relationship with God. This does however bring up a good point if our faith is in the unseen but yet to have faith to overcome the circumstances and surroundings we have to keep our eyes on God how is this possible? This is the question the 2 Corinthians 5:7 proposes that we walk by faith and not by sight, the eternal paradox if you will. Again all of these passages are pointing to the same thing! In Hebrews 11 the early Church was commended for their faith in God by overcoming great hurdles by keeping their eyes fixed on God. Matthew 14 Peter was able to achieve the ultimate bucket list of walking on water by keeping his eyes on God. 2 Corinthians reminds us of the longing that we have to be with God, fixated on Him. This is all about our perspective, when we place our faith in something as the focal point we have then shifted the thing we have faith in out of focus. You cannot force faith! The first step of faith was to realize that God was there in the first place, but if we keep chasing after faith instead of God then we find ourselves in an endless loop of wondering if God exists. Over half of my life 2 Cor 5:7 “Walk by Faith, Not by Sight,” has been my life verse and I have always had the goal to have enough faith to walk on water. These two these are great with the right perspective and neither can be accomplished if faith is my ultimate goal. Despite the circumstances I have to keep my eyes on my relationship with God, this is the only way these things can happen. Remember today that our goal should not be to be in heaven, our goal should not be to preform great miracles or even overcome extraordinary circumstances, it is simply to grow in our relationship with Christ. All of these extras come as results of this relationship. What is your perspective as this year comes to a close? My prayer for the church is that our faith would point us to our focal point and not become a replacement for our relationship with God.

My Ninja Way

November 24, 2015

Every since I was young people have meant a lot to me.  My family used to tell the story about how I would walk up to strangers that were smoking and out of concern for their health tell them that they were going to die.  Now this sounds like a harsh reality and would not go over very well in todays culture but non the less my heart was in the right place.  Later in life I began to set expectations for how I would deal with friends and other people in my life, this became my ninja way.  No I am not a ninja but I do watch some on TV!  My ninja way is that I will do my best to never give up on someone and always hold out hope that they will return to the path of good someday.  The idea of good and bad is a very obscure thought in todays culture and yes I do have a theological slant on my interpretation of what good and bad are.  So how does all of this play out in my everyday life?  Statistics say that the average friendship only lasts around five years while there are the occasional people that will last a lifetime most of our friendships reset every half decade or so.  At my current rate of increase of age and stature I have seen this transition more than I would have liked and more often due to life change and transitions.  However I will never give up on a friend!  Friendship is something far to valuable in this world, as far as I am concerned if we were friends once the door is always open to friendship again, I can not help it I like people.  There are times in our lives when we are on separate journeys and times when our paths will intersect but rest assured friends if you want to pick up were we left off I’m still here practicing my ninja way becoming stronger in my skill to change this crazy world one friendship at a time.  Hurt and pain will come but so will joy, peace and love.  This Thanksgiving season I am grateful for all those that I have been able to call friend over the years and for those that continue to think of me in the same light.  So what is your ninja way?

Father, Pastor, Friend

August 17, 2015

A wise pastor once told me, “if you can do anything else and be happy, do it.”  This statement was made to me when I was first feeling called into ministry.  He went on to explain that ministry isn’t for everyone and and it will cost you everything.  I thought long and hard about this and wrestled with God for many years, this was not something that I could be happy without.  So I gave Him everything for the promise of nothing.  Now I know what you are thinking that doesn’t sound like a very fair god, or some of you deep thinkers and theologically minded individuals might want to challenge this with scripture, but let me explain.  You see when I say that it cost me everything I am talking more of aligning my thoughts and goals with His, allowing my dreams and hopes for the future to become God’s hope and dreams for me.  If you have talked with me in the past week you know what I am talking about.  You have seen me at my worst and God at His best.  I have had nothing left to give except what God has given me to pass on.  The love that I shared was His, the grace that I shared was His, along with the patients, wisdoms and words.  If you know me I care deeply about people, I am a fixer, a mentor and a nurturer and I hate it when I am separated from the ones that I am closest to.  It all started with my daughter Alexis, she is growing up so fast and start first grade last week.  She loves school, friends and life.  She has one of the best teachers that we could ask for but first grade hit me like a ton of bricks.  Alexis is the only biological child that we have but I have been blessed with many spiritual children over the years, it was a very big week for them as well.  I had the blessing of helping move two of the girls into Cedarville University this past Friday, Oh yeah that was hard and something I thought I had years before I would have to experience those feelings.  I was also invited to officiate the wedding of my first spiritual daughter this weekend which brought the whole family together.  The time of prayer that I had with her before the service is something that I will remember the rest of my life.  I was a great weekend for sure and another chapter turned in life.  My last blessing was to drive “My Ecuadorian” to the airport today.  Felipe has been staying with us for the past month following a reverse missions trip that he came to dayton for.  It has been a honor to return the favor and open up my home to him as his family has done for me every time I have travel to Ecuador.  With ministry there is a lot that I have had to give up but like everything else with God, He give you back in multiplication.  To be a friend is good, to be a pastor is better, but my greatest calling has been that of fatherhood, both with Alexis and all the spiritual children that call me dad.  Now lets get on to next week and see what God has in store, but only after I take a short introvert break and watch some cartoons.

2 Cor 5:7 “For we live by faith, not by sight”

C ra zy ! !

January 24, 2014

Two years ago when I first came on staff at Fairhaven I had the distinct pleasure to work on a new ministry with the students.  The ministry was called Fight Club and it was meant to have a impact on high school guys through discipleship and bonding activities.  A few of these activities have made the cut and transitioned with me as I became the High School Pastor, one of which is the Polar Bear Plunge.  The first two years were slow, two plungers each.  I still remember that first plunge, I got to tell you I think I was more nervous than shooting the rapids over sweets falls.  I mean me and cold showers don’t get along.  The day came and we travel to Lake St Mary, Ohio for what was going to be the adventure of a life time only we had no idea what the adventure would look like.  After registration and a brief but hearty Subway sandwich we made our way to the beach where we would enter the water.  As we warriors approached the beach to which we would be battle with nature upon, we realized that we had left this world and joined that of some alternate reality.  Strangers gathered for this event.  Spongebob to my right, Glenda the good witch to my left and a whole heard of leprechauns that had a bit to much liquid courage.  Here I was so worried about dying in the water that I must have already passed into King Ki’s domain by accident.  All joking aside we had not only joined into a new adventure in life but also a new genre of human beings, The Polar Bear Clubbers.   Camera flashed all around as team by team assembled to take to the lake, and my nerves began to subside only to turn into the starting line adrenaline that I remember from my high school track days.  We took to the start line and the man in charge yelled for us to go!  The first step into the water sent my toes into full on fetal position but I was determined to keep moving forward, chasing the lady that had already passed us manly men.  It seemed like we just kept running and the water never got any deeper, the numbness had began to creep higher.  Step after step, stride after stride and then we stopped about waist deep watching grown adults splash and play like four years olds in a puddle.  I remember looking into my team members face at that point, back to the beach and then back to him.  “You want to go back now,” I said.  I can’t remember if it was verbal or not but back to the beach we went, champions for the day, only to realize I had made a curtail error in my planning.  I hit the beach and the ice cold water fell like cubes from my body, all except my feet.  I had worn tennis shoes.  I should have just filled buckets of ice cold water and put them on my feet, tennis shoes do not drain well.  I sat down on the beach and tore the shoes from my feet headed of to the non heated beach house to dry off.  After coming out of my hypothermic trance, I took some time to talk to my new clan.  I met a 76 year old man that had complete 17 plunges that year and raised several thousand dollars for special olympics, and yes he lived through them all.  I will once again travel back into the water this year, in fact I will do this tomorrow, not with one student but with five and a parent.  Yes pictures will be taken and no I will not be wearing tennis shoes.  If you wish to no more about this genre of humanness you can find more info at http://www.polarbearplunge.org/ and if you wish to donate to the cause http://sooh.kintera.org/caesarscreek2014/thekeithyeager.  You are always welcome to join, if not this year than some year.  The plunge is something that will have a good memory of, yes there was some pain but most good things aren’t easy.