TJ and Tyler both got new desks recently. TJ when I remodeled his room. Tyler when he moved in with TJ. Becky got one that used to be Shannon’s as a kid, then was Tylers, and finally after some of our dedicated family refinished and painted white to match her room, became hers.

That left only Jake and Billy short desks. My plan was to build a custom wall unit, but on a whim, I decided to see if I could save myself some time and money and modify something I could get at IKEA instead. I was going to make it out of birch plywood, so making it out of birch particle board is a small shift anyway I guess.

So, Monday I bought the pieces and tonight I finished the final touches. Here it is. Both Billy and Jake are very excited.

wanna make your own? here’s the parts list:

• the center shelf unit.
• the blue shelf box.
• the shelf drawer inserts.
• the upper cupboard frame (modified to mount to the studs)
• the upper cupboard doors
• the table tops (mounted on a cleat I put on the wall)
• the table legs
• the chairs
• the metal magnet boards

Before we left for Africa, the team I was coaching for Tyler won the championship for our AYSO division 168. This meant that instead of their season ending, it kept going and they were going to the Section 11 tournament. So, while I was in Africa, they were coached by the division boys play rep, Dan Blunt. He’s a great coach and I was so thankful for his help.

When we came home on time, it was supposed to be perfect. Just 7 days away, and while I couldn’t miss any more Sundays, it did mean that I could go to the Saturday games because I was commitment free. However, that perfect timing was met by rain and subsequently canceled. Ugh. It then got rained out a second weekend and finally was rescheduled for this last weekend.

Well, that was a total bummer for me because I had previous commitments to be out of town on Saturday teaching a YS One Day seminar in Utah. So, while I loved teaching, I hated missing Tyler’s game and a team that I’d worked so hard to support, coach, and encourage.

So, on Saturday Shannon was texting me moment-by-moment updates on games. They lost their first one but won their second. That resulted in an 8am game on Sunday that I also missed while teaching at church, and I again got the play by play texted to me and they tied. The consequence of that meant that they were in the finals at 12:30, fighting for 3rd or 4th place.

As soon as church was over and I was done teaching in HS on Sunday, I bolted to Tyler’s final game in San Marcos. I arrived about 10 minutes into their final game. I was so glad I made it for the little I did and for the awards ceremony. Yahooo. Even though they lost their final game, they still walked away winners with medals and all. Of the 400ish teams in AYSO in southern california in Tyler’s age bracket, they took 4th at the end of their season. Pretty respectable.

In my absence, TJ was our photographer. Here’s some of his handy work. Not bad son. Not bad.

I’ve been in a series on sexuality and dating in our high school ministry the last 3 weekends.

We’re trying to help students own a Biblical value of being thinking followers of Jesus who don’t have a list of sexuality rules to try and follow, but rather a passion to honor God with all their body- physically, spiritually, mentally, relationally, sexually, etc… which changes everything.

I’ve been telling them every week that they ought to care what they do with their body because it affects their soul. Every week I say, “There is no such thing as a sex life. There’s just your life. You can’t compartmentalize your soul.” To that end, last weekend, we taught on this text:

Romans 6:12-14 (NLT) Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires. Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God’s grace.

I love that honoring God leads to not more rules, but more freedom and grace. Oh how I need more of that in my life. I think the closer I get to Jesus, the more freed I become. Freed from the bond of sin and freed to be who God has created me to be.

Anyway, in my study for the last message in the series which is this weekend, I followed a few links that led me to these two videos. I think they could get students talking. Both have interesting commentary on the essence of our culture’s opinions about sexuality and about the marriage dreams that begin even as a child. I think both will cause a reaction in you too.

Embedded video from <a href=”http://www.cnn.com/video”>CNN Video</a>

They removed the embedding capabilities on the second video, so to view the topless coffee shop video, you have to go to this link.

I’m in a suburb of Salt Lake City and I’m trying to find the hotel I’m staying in and when I do, it’s next to this Massive Ford dealership. And out in front of the dealership is this MASSIVE truck:

I think I’m getting old or changing or I dunno. Here’s what i used to think:

• dang, cool truck.
• I want to get in that thing.
• How in the world do you see out of it? Who cares?!
• I bet that was fun to do.
• Let’s go mud bogging.

Here’s what I was thinking when I took the picture today:

• why?
• what a waste of money
• this is why they say America uses more resources than any other country on the planet.
• this is why kids are in poverty around the world, cuz Americans are putting $50,000 into lifting and painting fantasy dragon porn on the side of their trucks in the hopes that it will make other people buy more trucks.
• what exactly is the purpose of a side step that is 7 feet off the ground?
• I spent way too much time in Africa last year to appreciate this truck
• This truck is 10x larger than anything I’ve ever seen in Uganda.
• Crap… I own this same truck, just A LOT lower to the ground and a different paint job.
• I must be an idiot too.

Well, TODAY, was the first day of school in America for Becky and Billy. That makes 5 kids, one substitute teacher, and one field trip dad in the public schools for our family.

We met with the principal on Monday morning to finalize a teaching plan for our newest recruits. Then by Monday afternoon we were back and they got to meet their teacher (Mrs. Olsen), sit in their desks, and see the place they’ll call “school” for the next few months. Billy in particular has been doing the count down ever since. We told him “3 sleeps and then you get to go to school”. Every night since he has told us what number sleep it was.

This morning he woke up saying, “Sleep 3 is all finished. Now we get dressed, eat breakfast, and go to school.” So fun.

Shannon stayed through lunch and here’s her account of the day. I got it in an e-mail she sent, so this is her first ever blog post of the 707 on here (without permission by the way)- shhhhh, don’t tell her I stole it from my in box 🙂

• Mrs. Olsen is very kind and they were so happy to go today! I stayed with them and talked them through all of the processes until lunch time. I left them for the afternoon. When they came out of their classroom after school, they both seemed rather pleased-and a bit shell shocked- but all was well. Becky brought me into the room after school to show me the art project that she had done in the afternoon. The students had made a duck and on hers was written the word “duck”. Very cute. The teacher has asked that I come back tomorrow morning until recess. That is when her small reading groups are going on and Becky and Billy need a little one-on-one direction until they are more able to work semi-independently. They used the computers in their classroom, loved having their own pencil box, and had a great time at recess. The other children were very attentive, a little too attentive!! Becky couldn’t walk 2 steps without a girl or 3(!) holding her hands. I’m hoping that it all dissipates by Monday when they come back after the weekend and they aren’t “new” any more. Jake found Billy and was his leader out on the playground. So nice for Jake to feel like he had a job of looking after them on the playground. Jake was pretty puffed up answering all the other kids’ questions. His class has waited for these kids to come to school-they were all very excited! I so badly just want Billy and Becky to be “normal” and one of the “regular” Rancho kids. I hope soon… All in all, a successful day!! Another huge step towards our “new normal”. The bonus-they were REALLY tired and took REALLY long rests today! LOVE THAT!! 🙂
  

And here’s some pictures from day #1.