kylegilbert

So many great memories made over the summer, and some of them were captured in pixels. I’ve placed a few of my favorites here.

I’ve put together the video below to announce the newest step in our life and ministry.  Tip: make sure to watch the entire video.

Since my kids are really into drawing, and because we still had a wall undecorated in our bonus room, I decided it would be fun to put up a big cork board wall.

We purchased the cork board at a hobby store, and cut it to fit the space.  The biggest challenge was figuring out the best way to affix the pieces to the wall.  Rather than using an adhesive, I opted for using a pneumatic brad gun.  Around six brads in each section seemed to hold it well, and if we ever need to take it down, we’ll be able to do that without having major damage to the wall.

Installation was quick, and it gives the kids a large area where they can display their work.

In case you wondered what I was doing in E. Asia last week:

Special thanks to Heather Burson for the video and the title.

For a few weeks, my daughter and I have talked about making a tree house for some of her toys.  This weekend we decided to go for it.

Total material cost was about $20.

This was a fun project, and I anticipate building additional elements over the next few months.

Every year I forget just how much I enjoy carving pumpkins.  The kids make it even more fun.

Isn’t he a handsome fellow?

There are some days when parenting is difficult.  There are times when it’s exhausting, grueling work.  But there are other days, like today, when being a parent it’s a total joy.

This evening, we worked on the kids’ bike riding skills, and we had a great time laughing together.

First up, is my son. Tonight, he learned how to pedal.

There’s only one bad thing about having an older sister:  inheriting her tricycle.  Fortunately, he’s a tough guy, and he still looks cool, even with a pink bike.

Next is my daughter. Even though they were only riding in the driveway, she begged me to let her wear her helmet.  She was so excited about it, that the first few times she fell, she purposefully let her head hit the concrete, just to get the full effect.  (She though this was so great, that she would giggle afterwards on the way back up.)

Oh, and she was also wearing rain boots.

While her little brother rode her old bike, she rode his red bike that’s still to big for him. (Don’t ask me how this happened.)  The cool thing about the red bike is that it doesn’t have any pedals or training wheels, and it’s designed to teach steering and balance, and tonight she started to get it all figured out.

Here’s a video of everything in action (complete with a little bit of bad attitude from my son and positive self-talk from my daughter).

Days like today remind me just how much I love being a dad.

Graphic derived from photo by Lauren Manning

This morning I decided to start off my day with a quick run around the pond. It was a cool and misty morning – perfect weather for a good run.

The wind was blowing past my face. I felt the rush of adrenaline as my feet pushed against the pavement.

I felt myself taking it all in – enjoying the moment.

For about 30 seconds.

Then, I remembered that I hate running. In a major way.

Honestly, I prefer just about any other form of exercise over running. Every time I try to do it, I find that my motivation is very short lived. Pathetic, even.

Because of this, I smile every time I read the Apostle Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (NIV)

Of all the things Paul could have chosen to illustrate the life of the believer here, he chose the imagery of a runner going into strict training to run a race (not eating ice cream, which I would have much preferred).

Here’s the connection: Like running, our spiritual life involves the steady discipline of participating in a relationship with God.*

So what does that mean for us? Each one of us has to come to grips with the priorities in our lives. Are we accidentally or intentionally placing our physical or mental conditioning above our spiritual formation?

As much as I hate to admit it, given some time and accountability, I could establish running as a regular part of my week. If I really put effort into it and disciplined myself, I could eventually grow my endurance and enjoyment of running.** The same is true in the spiritual realm. No matter how difficult reading the Bible, prayer, solitude, fasting, tithing, outreach, or any other spiritual discipline may be to you today, it doesn’t have to stay that way.***

——

*This relationship is initiated, grown, and sealed through Jesus – His life, death, and resurrection. More here.

**I assure you, I will never let this happen. I hate running.

***If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of spiritual disciplines, I highly recommend this article

****What the heck? Why all the footnotes? This is a blog post, not a research paper. Good grief!

As I’ve mentioned recently, I struggle with insecurity and trying to measure my worth by my abilities, characteristics, and performance.

When I was in elementary school, I was a dork, and some kids made fun of my hair.  Ever since then, I’ve struggled with insecurity about how my hair looks.  “Will people think my hair is cool, or will they think I’m a dork?”

Well, just over a week ago, my friend and fellow staffer, Michael Wallace, preached the weekend message at Faith Promise Church, and at the beginning, he included a comment about my hair.  Saying it was as compliment might be a stretch, but it still made my day.  In fact, I cropped out the video so I can watch it whenever I want to.

It’s embarrassing to write this post, but I’m doing it for a couple of reasons:

1) To thank Michael Wallace.

2) To make the point that our insecurities create a black hole within us that can never really be satisfied with compliments.  Heck, someone even mentioned my hair from a stage in front of hundreds of people, but that didn’t cure my insecurity.  Instead, we have to learn to think more about others and less about ourselves.  We can let our insecurities fill us with fear and keep us from connecting with others, or we can choose to ignore our discomfort and think about how we can make a difference in the lives of the people around us.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve wasted enough time worrying about myself.