Today is Ash Wednesday, the very beginning of Lent, and a day we contemplate our mortality in light of our faith. It is a powerful day, and one of my favorites of the entire Church year. Christians all over the world will receive the imposition of ashes while hearing the words, “you are dust, and to dust shall you return.”

My prayer for you this day is that you not only attend an Ash Wednesday service somewhere close to you, but that you take the time this day to rededicate your life to the Lord. Lent is a great time to begin a journey of re-dedication too. You can adopt a Lenten Discipline or two to help fine-tune and deepen your journey along the way. I encourage you to do so too.

One service for us today has already taken place, but there are three more to go and I hope you can attend one with us or another near you. It is never too late to begin this life anew, and there is no better time than now to do it.

Every journey begins with the first step……commit yourself to taking yours today.

God Bless you!

Fr. Tom+

Yes, this is a picture from a couple days ago because neither of these two lovebirds could hold still long enough for me to get a picture without blurring. The video however (of what Ben calls “the tunnel”) is from tonight. For tonight we hit the airport for the anticipated reunion of Ben and Amanda and they did not disappoint. You could probably hear the “mommy mommy mommy” from three counties over and for Scot and I it was well worth it. We had already jacked him all up with pancakes and syrup at Christ the King in Kokomo for their Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, but I do not think it all came, nor most came, from the sugar. It was pure love for his mom…..louder in fact than the airplanes!

But the excitement has died down and we are now home. I am in bed typing which is a rarity. And yes, Ben is in here as he has been while she has been gone, but this time he is suspiciously absent from this side of the bed.

I won’t complain. They are the lights of each others’ lives and they are happy to be together. And more than that…..tonight I will sleep without his little feet draped across my head!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

Tonight Scotty, Ben, and I made arrangements to meet my dad at a restaurant for dinner. Since Ben has talked non-stop about his grandpa since our last visit (which made my dad’s day), we thought it would be a good way to appease them both by getting them together. It has been snowing all day and although we made arrangements, the location of them due to the snow was changed quite a few times. We finally decided to meet at the Paradise Cafe on the north side of Indianapolis and had a great dinner with the Tirman men…..all that was missing was my brother, Uncle Mike.

Oddly enough, Mike strolled in with his girlfriend about 45 minutes after we did, and it was great for all of us, particularly for our dad. Though he did not arrange it, my dad was clearly (genetically) ultimately responsible for the entire mess, I mean gathering. One thing I can say in all honesty is that I have a tremendous family, and it is always great to get together. Tonight was a double blessing (at least for me, I cannot speak for the rest of them).

But our bachelorhood is coming to a quick end. Amanda returns tomorrow at 8:00pm and in all honesty, it really has already ended in that Amanda Jr (Steph) is already home monitoring our misdeeds. We will now just make sure everything is picked up and ready for inspection tomorrow at 9-ish.

Keep us in your prayers…..we Noblesville Tirman men are still in our minds “technically unsupervised!”

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Today was a tense day. First of all my weight went up to 228, which I expected with the big Valentine dinner and all, and second because of what happened this morning. Amanda was going to stay up north and teach Sunday School in Westfield and Kokomo, but I was scheduled for a 9:00 am service at St. Matthew’s in Nashville. Scott, Ben, and I, as we often do, set out quite early to make the just under two hour trek there.

But we were just far enough into our trip where we could not turn back to get anything we forgot and make it on time when Ben said the chilling words, “blue blankey.” He was looking for his blanket, and it is something (as he will tell you) he HAS TO HAVE! And a quick search of the car showed me quite clearly what an irresponsible doof Scott was for forgetting it. (Note to readers….if you would read Scott’s blog he would be saying the same thing about me, but since he doesn’t have one and I can take away his car, I can blame it on him!) So needless to say, we were on pins and needles all the way down, and indeed all the way back, since he wanted it then too.

The good news is that I am certain that neither Scott nor I will EVER forget it again. Toddlers can be pretty persistent, even 4 hours worth of persistent, but at least there was no total meltdown and thus the “Defcon 2.”

We did get back and made our rendezvous with Amanda in order to drop her off at the airport tonight and we now have the house to ourselves. We considered putting up 72 hours of sports posters and cartoon pictures, but Stephanie is returning home tomorrow night and would certainly tell. So for now we will just enjoy our one night as complete bachelors and leave the mischief for another day. At least today was an adventure, and for boys that’s what we live for! It has been a blessed day! We ended the trip home with a little horseback riding…please make sure you do not tell Amanda!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless. Envy us! We are eating goldfish crackers and chugging chocolate milk!

Tommy+

Yep, we celebrated Valentines’ Day 24 hours early since Amanda is leaving for Philadelphia tomorrow night and I work tomorrow. Stephanie missed it. She is somewhere in Pennsylvania skiing or snowboarding or whatever young people do these days. We will see her Monday.

So Scott and I concocted a plan to get Amanda to dinner with all of us. She is still not feeling well, and not in the best of moods, so I talked her into going with me to look at a property for one of our churches to rent. I made it sound pretty important and talked about really valuing her opinion too! (Of course I take it with a grain of salt….she is still a Colts fan and thinks that household dust is the number one threat to health worldwide) But she bit the hook and we left. Two minutes later, Scotty and Ben, now dressed in identical white shirts and jeans, left to beat us to the restaurant with the cards and gifts. Scotty sat them facing the door in the back of the restaurant too so when we came in (under the guise of being paged there because one of our parishioners fell on the ice there) Ben started screaming “Mommy Mommy.” It was too funny. We had not only tricked her completely, but then she had to endure the three of us in the restaurant till the very end.

Ironically, I was the best behaved. Ben put on a show with his crackers, napkins, and ice cream. His brother did nothing but egg him on too. And I just laughed. She will probably be glad to get out of town until the stories stop circulating through the area.

So tomorrow will be just a partial day together with the family we have left, then just us boys. It is going to be a whale of a time! Fortunately for us we know when she will be returning…..and we will have a full 72 hours to figure out how we can pin anything that goes wrong on Steph!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

It has been a bizarre day. The kids called from their cars at school just as school was suppose to start saying that there was a BOMB THREAT there and they were sent immediately back to their cars. Sure enough it was true. Police and news crews were soon everywhere and it took about an hour before school was canceled and they were all sent home. As the police arrived they had all been evacuated even from the lot to another school. Thank God for the electronic age. I was always in contact with them both and was able to always know they were fine. In turn, I was able to communicate that to Amanda too. As scary as something like this is, being able to know the kids were fine made it tolerable.

There is good news and bad news in it all. The good news is that there was no bomb and that no one got hurt at all. The bad news is the reality that there are idiots out there……..even in Indiana, which bothers me a great deal. My kids and the people I knew had been evacuated from the building. I was able to deal with that. But what about the family and friends of those brave souls who were going IN……or the brave souls themselves. I am sure it was a difficult day for them all.

In the end I thank God that it was just a hoax, and I pray for the person who did it for he or she is truly a troubled human being. I am just thankful it is resolved and that the kids can get back to having to study and learn just like we did in the old days.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

Yep, these are his hands (after they had been washed) and his pants….you should have seen the couch! Ben got himself a permanent blue marker and colored all he could reach. We really do not know how long he was able to color other than to say it was just “too long.” It was his first big art project in the little more than two and one half years he has been alive. I am pretty sure it will not be his last either.

What made it all worse is that Amanda is home sick, and is never a good patient, but potentially even worse when someone colors her couch. I did my best to not laugh, because she was quite upset and he was quite proud, but Ben and I both kept it together and lived to see another day. The hands wash, the pants were just jeans, and the couch actually cleaned up. The Good Lord was watching over us. My wife is a microbiologist who watches a lot of CSI and NCIS…..who wants to honk off someone who could easily cover the evidence?

The good part is that the event is hours into the past and the cuteness factor has helped us immensely…..Ben has helped too. (Yes, that is a joke…..I am not that delusional….cuteness ends when you get married! It is abundant in the toddler. ) After a visit to the doc and the medicines all flowing in her, soon the day’s events will be but a forgotten memory…..and we will be safe, at least until she wakes in the morning!

So for now I will rejoice in the Great Art Recovery of 2010 as I prepare for our next crisis……from whom it shall come I am all but certain!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

After over 20 years in the “clergy-business,” I am still surprised at how many people see faith as something they do, rather than something that defines who they are. They “attend” or “miss” church as if it were just an event…..something to schedule in a calendar among all the rest of life, rather than experiencing it as a vital part of life instead. It doesn’t just frustrate me, it saddens me, for I know a faith-first existence puts everything else in this life into place. And looking around, I believe it is just what people need.

In truth, the Lord doesn’t want us to just pencil Him in, or a piece of us…..He wants ALL of us….He wants YOU! Understanding this is really a first-order issue in life and leads to the building of a solid foundation…..and it is a gift I would love to give to you!

I am like most people, busy beyond belief, and perhaps more so than most. I have three kids that I am an active parent to. I have a demanding wife, I mean a demanding life-style, and a LOVELY wife. I coach high school lacrosse. I currently serve a parish with 6 worship sites and
beyond that have job responsibilities to an area encompassing both Indiana and Illinois. What does all of it mean without faith???? Nothing! It is just a rat race to run. But what does it mean with faith? Everything, for faith gives all of it, all of life, meaning.

My life is lived now with purpose and meaning, and for it I am thankful. It wasn’t always that way….but it is now. God call us all to something deeper, and I am glad I have answered that call……but my question is, how about you?

If your life is not all you want it to be, or missing something, or maybe even you have the desire for something more, God offers it to you even now. Talk to a pastor or Christian friend, get into church (not as an appointment, but as a commitment) and make the choice to live life differently. It will change you I promise and give your life the purpose and meaning you were created to experience!

Off to bed for me! Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

If it were not for the 50th birthday party I attended and the Colts game, my weight this morning would have been lower! Yes, there was cake, and yes, I rationalized! (Incidentally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEWEL!) But in the end, Jewel (Deacon PT’s wife who is our Treasurer) was not thrilled about being 50, and I am definitely not thrilled about being 230!

What makes it worse for me is what it has done for me all day. It has really got me down and when I get down….I EAT! Who knows what i will be in the morning, but I clearly overshot my goal of 225 this morning! I pray that I get back on track!!

But, in retrospect, Sunday and today were fun days. I think when problems arise we can get so caught up in them that we lose sight of the goal! Battles will be won and lost….what I am interested in is the war. I will finish it on top……keep me in your prayers.

Cake, particularly birthday cake, will always be a weakness! If the world were just asparagus, I would be fine. But tomorrow is another day…..I am expecting a pretty awful weigh-in, but I will hold my head high and move ahead. It is no one’s fault but my own….I appreciate your prayers too.

I am still hanging in there with plenty of time to go!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+