On January 1, 2008 our family will be making good on our resolutions to exercise more in 2008! Join us at the Leesburg Rotary Resoluion Race which is either a 4k or a 10k depending on your stamina. 
More than ever before, I've succumbed to my Blog addiction. Hello, my name is Todd, and I'm a Blogaholic. (You are now to respond: "Hi Todd.")This guy is so cool, he can make an old Gene Autry song with bad animation hip.
Most of the people on our lists do not have significant material needs. The majority of the world, however, does. Why not consider a World Vision gift this year!
It was so cool to hear about the miracles that God has worked in the marriage of my friends the Mirch's. Today, at Destiny, they shared with us the story of how God intervened in their failing marriage and rebuilt, restructured, and renewed their life together. They said that God literally brought their dead marriage to life. 
Every Wednesday I eat breakfast with a couple of guys. A freshman in college and a senior in high school are willing to get up early to grab a meal with an old man (me). I enjoy getting together with these guys each week, but even if they didn't show up my day would be made because the wait staff at the Leesburg Restaurant know me and always welcome me as if I was entering their home.
Today at Destiny we continued our look into 5 miracles that Jesus performed. Today's miracle was "the first of his miraculous signs...He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him". Greg explained the intricacies of an ancient wedding and the importance of this symbolic (albeit real) act. If you missed this message, you should check it out at the Destiny Podcast site.
This morning we awoke to a peaceful covering of snow. It was beautiful and quiet outside. The blanket of snow reminded me that beauty is only so deep. In this case it was about 2 and a half inches.Today we head down to Lake Anna to do some strategic planning for '08...
Here is what I'm looking forward to:
-time with the Destiny staff team, these folks are fun.
-inviting God to join us there.
-dreaming big about what God has in store for Destiny's future.
-developing systems to get us there.
-focus.
and
-s'mores around a big 'ol honkin' bon fire.
Here is what we will NOT be doing:
Destiny launched a new series today and it is going to be great! We are taking some time to look at Jesus' miraculous working in the lives of others and then applying those principles to our own lives. Jesus calmed storms, changed water to wine, raised the dead and helped the lame to walk. The basic principles for our lives today are that He can:
If you enjoy winter sports and have a fourth grader in your home, then you should head over to Ski Pennsylvania where you can sign your fourth grader up for their free 2007-08 Snow Pass. This snow pass allows your son or daughter to ski FREE at any of 20 Pennsylvania resorts including local favorites Whitetail and Liberty. 
Are you looking to become a better writer? Do you want to impress your friends with your vocabulary? Is your heart burdened by world hunger? Do you want to make a difference?
Today we celebrated Destiny's 8th Birthday...
Tomorrow all three of the kids and I head over to the dentist. I'm not sure how Mo has delegated this to me, but for some reason, when she goes to the dentist, she goes alone. That is an issue for another blog on another day.
This morning, my wife asked me for a Bible, and I didn't have a good answer for her. You'd think, me, being a pastor-type guy would have known just exactly where my Bible was, but I didn't. 
Yesterday, I headed into my 7 year old's room to wake her for school. It was 6:15am and she was not ready to wake up. Gently I placed my face near hers and encouraged her to "rise and shine". She then reached out with her hand and started patting my face and head. "What are you doing?" I inquired. "I'm looking for the snooze button" was her quick reply.
but we also did this spiritually as we tackled the verse "You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you." Proverbs 28:13.
There are plenty of you who today will be turning off the porch light and hiding in your basement hoping to avoid all that is Halloween. I appreciate the desire to stay away from something with some "evil" roots, but I've got to tell you, you are missing a great opportunity.
This past Saturday morning at 7am it was pouring down rain outside, but I got up anyway and headed over to the Get Smart 5k that Destiny had co-sponsored. I didn't feel like running, actually, I didn't even feel like getting out of bed, but I headed over anyway and am I ever glad that I did. 
The rain slowed down for the start of the race and we had about a dozen Destiny folks run in this thing and it was a blast! It was great to cheer each other on and to gently rib Greg who arrived just as the race was beginning. Kyle Scheren represented Destiny well and took first place in his age group, Steve Mirch was not too far behind him and then came me following closely behind Josh Showalter. We all had a great time and got soaked and perspired for a good cause. I can't wait for next year... 
I'm happy to tell you that this will be my last Red Sox entry until next season. SWEEP!
-Great books should be embraced. The main character in this film spends a lot of time developing his philosophy of life through literature. I appreciated his reading of Tolstoy's Wise Thoughts for Everyday and his focus on the following quote: "I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people..." -Leo Tolstoy. 
-Ultimately happiness is only real when we experience it together.
It's fun to watch Schill work. If you are looking for stats, check out the Red Sox official site. If you are looking for some insight from a player check out Kevin Youkilis' blog...
(Don't worry, once the Series is over, I'll go back to some less sport-oriented posts....assuming the Redskins don't surprise everyone during the NFL season...thanks for indulging me)
Most of us were on time for our own wedding ceremony.
Our hope at Destiny is not to provide a church to go to in our community but to be so woven into the fabric of our community, it just makes sense to go there. Our logo ought to be recognizable by people all over Leesburg because of how we live out our faith, as well as because of what happens on Sundays. If you would like to be a part of this event with us this Saturday, head over to www.active.com and sign up as a runner for the Smart's Mill Middle School Get Smart 5k!
If you were in the Smart's Mill auditorium this morning and got to hear Greg talk about "Facing Your Fear" of failure, then you heard about the little known Bible character of Benaiah who is found in II Samuel 23. If Greg piqued your interest and you are looking for more check out "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson. The book is basically about seizing divine opportunities and doing big things for God. The hope is that we’d see that in our greatest fear, worry, or difficulty might be God’s great dream for our lives. You can get your copy on Amazon or at christianbook.com.
I must really be getting old. It is only about 9:30 at night and my beloved Red Sox are leading the Indians 4-1 in the bottom of the third. Already I'm wondering if I'll be able to stay up for the rest of the game. I couldn't last on Thursday night but will give it a try as I wait for my wife and daughter to return from a middle school boy-girl party. They'll probably find me with the tv on and drooling on the couch pillows.
I'm not much of a dieter...in fact, I don't really like thinking about whether or not food is particularly healthy or not, just whether or not it tastes good. An ice cream sundae is delicious but it does not provide you with a whole lot of valuable nutrients. Sure, I can argue that it has value because it involves milk products, and may provide protein if you add nuts, and you can even use fruit to legitimize it. The bottom line is that it still is an awful lot of sugary calories.
Once you have been to Destiny on a Sunday morning and are drawn in by the authentic relationships, relevant teaching and exciting environments, do you know what to do next? Let me know what you think about this 4 point plan:
It is important for us to get to know just how God has fashioned each of us individually. If you are looking to find your fit in a ministry, then you can look to your personality or your experiences or your skills, but one of the best ways to ensure a good fit is to evaluate your spiritual gifts. If you want help in determining your spiritual gift, just let me know and I'll help you through the process. Until then take a look at this insightful look into a little known spiritual gift...
The growing possibility of our destroying ourselves and the world with our own neglect and excess is tragic and very real. -Billy Graham
Today thousands of bloggers throughout blog land will be commenting about how to preserve our environment. There will be calls to recycle, to live more "green" and to rid our highways of SUV's. Because of that, many of you who are evangelicals will automatically dismiss the paragraphs that challenge us to live a more environmentally conscious life. I'd like to challenge your thinking on that and recommend a book that is way out there (beyond my current comfort zone) and challenges us to rethink God's view on our environment. Pick up a copy of "Serve God, Save the Planet" and then empty out your recycle bin of your kid's toys and begin to use it as it was intended.
This weekend was my 10 year old son's birthday weekend. On Friday we loaded up a couple of his buddies and headed out to Wisp Mountain and then stayed at a cabin in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. Here is what I learned:
