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+

It really shouldn’t have happened, but the Saints were just too good. So despite all the hype, the Indianapolis Colts will return home the bridesmaid this time rather than the bride…..31-17.

It’s a shame too. Ben, still fighting of his ear infection, stayed up most of the game eating some chocolate “Dibs” while sitting in the chair. His interest was really more the ice cream than the game, which ultimately made me proud since I have plans for him to be a Bears fan like me, rather than a Colts fan like the rest. I do confess that his disinterest probably had more to do with his being a toddler rather than any team loyalty, but for now I will live with my hopeful delusions. I already having him call most bears (other than the cartoon ones) “Chicago Bears” and am slowly indoctrinating him as the Lord would want (since I am certain He is a Bears fan too).

But I do feel very badly for all the people here in Indiana. Going to the Superbowl really does something to a community and that part was great. People really came together, they wore blue everywhere, and their mood was awesome.

I hope and pray they can hold onto it. They had an awesome season and nothing to be ashamed of. They played all the way to the end. And my Bears? Okay, this year our season was just about 3 weeks long……but there is next year!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

We do call the boys “the twins,” though they are 14 years apart, and it would not be too hard to tell that they are brothers….even if you were blind. They act alike, they like many of the same things, and they are always into something together…..and yep, they even look a like too. The other night at Scott’s lacrosse game Ben even brought his stick. And where Scott hit a bunch of people out on the field with his, Ben made sure he clocked all the spectators he could in the walkways. Two peas in a pod I tell you.

When Scott is not here, Ben often talks to him on an imaginary phone. It is clearly not as disturbing as the converse would be, but I would not be surprised if Scott did it. They do like to talk on the phone with each other, and one of Ben’s favorite games is shouting, “Scotty, where are you?” This often occurs while Ben is sitting is his lap.

It seems genetically improbable to have two such amazing and mischievous comedians in one house, but I don’t think about it as much as I enjoy it. Like my dad, I call them by each other’s name…..something I could never understand, but another thing I have just decided to accept. This life is just too short to waste time contemplating on such things. I suppose we all become our parents at one time or another.

But for now I will chase the tornado that is here, Ben, who despite being sick is still able to make an impressive mess. Scott makes them too but is less likely to, seeing as he has a car that can be taken away. If only two year-olds could be persuaded by that kind of pressure!

Up, as I thought, by 1.4 pounds! I have done well however today. I am looking forward to heading down again tomorrow!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I took the time to cheat a little today, as I was out shoveling snow all evening with my assistant Viper (in the second picture). Not that it is that much snow, (I would guess 6 or so inches) but in reality I am not 15 any more. This would have been a normal “work day” for me as a kid. We made a lot of money shoveling snow before the days of snow-blowers. And we would go from house to house doing many. But it is now a necessity…..and I try to do it by myself (with the dog) because I enjoy it. It is somewhat nostalgic for me.

So needless to say, I was appalled when I got home from Amanda and I taking Ben to the doctor (he has a fever and an ear infection) to find that she had shoveled the first time. She met me at the doctor, and she then took Ben home while I went to get his prescription. Certainly I should not complain. I have done it twice since then, and I may do it one more time before bed. But I really consider it my job, and don’t want people to think it isn’t! (Plus…..she is from Kansas, not the north. I should handle the snow and she can do the tornadoes)

I am anticipating a slight upswing in my weight tomorrow and will not worry about it at all. I weigh myself in the mornings right after I get up. As long as the scale does not break I will not fret. I do however, hope to break under 225 by Monday morning. But at my age, and with all the shoveling, maybe I should shoot for something a little more bold….like 185!

A guy can dream, can’t he? And I will….right after going out to shovel one more time.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I suppose I should be more worried, but I am not at the grocery stocking up. A winter storm “warning” has been issued for our area with the prediction of 4-8 inches of snow. Of course growing up in the “lake effect” snow of the northern part of the state, even 8 inches just seems like winter to me. We used to joke that our Superintendent of Schools used to wake up, measure the snow, and say “only a foot, the kids can make it to school.” And we did. Now living down here in “the deep south” of central Indiana, we panic at very little…..plus people freak out on the roads. It is almost always an adventure.

I am just amazed at how often I see my grass from November to March here. I miss the sledding, the building of snowmen, and of course the classic snowball fights. Of course as a young man we would also pelt cars with snowballs and do donuts in our own cars, but I have to confess I have reformed……I only consider those things now and realize that they could result in some sort of news story, such as “Priest Pelts Peugeot,” or “Clergy Doughnuts Attract Police.” Neither of course would please the bishop, or worse yet, my wife.

So tomorrow I will just shovel the drive as I have my entire life and resist the urge to gravitate towards mischief. It will be good for my exercise portion of the day, but mental exercise in restraint. Keep me in your prayers and keep your phone lines clear…….I love snow, and I just might need bail money!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Hey, Amanda and I got Luigi (Scotty) a shirt……a real chef’s shirt, and he loves it. It was really kind of a joke after the big dinner he made for the girls the other night. But you have to admire a teenage boy who wants to learn to cook. We all love to eat, and there is not too much worse than having to horse down a bad meal. Amanda has agreed to teach him Kansas cooking (which I interpret as following a recipe to a tee – except for the part of servings) and with that, so far, he has done a fine job.

I however was heavily influenced by where I grew up. There was a lot of ethnic food in the South Bend/Mishawaka area and most of the people I saw cook didn’t seem to be reading anything. Cooking was done by remembering and “by taste.” It is a methodology that appalls my scientist wife, so it is indeed one that I am anxious to teach him.

Sadly, being on this diet, I will not be able to do much more than just sample anything that we cook. It is worth it though. I hit the scales this morning at 228.4! I am committed to hanging in there, and intend to up until starvation has me really committed.

In truth, the quick weight you lose at the beginning of a diet helps to make the changes your body goes through tolerable. I am fighting off headaches, a bit of jaw pain, and the desire to scarf down Ben’s leftover macaroni (that I MADE….by taste). But I am doing fine and moving ahead.

Anyway, I am off to tell a few Ratatouille jokes to Scott in his new shirt….not too many though. I am afraid he might start eating in front of me!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yesterday I not only really watched what I ate, but I went to the gym….something I intend to do every day, hopefully not just until April 4th, but forever. As I have mentioned, the first part of my diet and workout plan looks spectacular. It’s not the top end of a diet that is hard, but the bottom end. The closer to your goal, the more time seems to drag. But I do consider these days to be progress and I am thankful for a happy start.

On the downside, that rat in Pennsylvania saw his shadow, meaning 6 more weeks of winter. Not that I believe you can trust a rat (or any rodent) for anything….I have met quite a few, many in the Church, and they do not ever instill a bit of trust towards them in me at all. But I am a northerner at heart, so even if he gets it right I can handle the weather. All that I take delight in is how the global warming crowd must be angry with him. Not only does Punxsutawney Phil use bad science, much of it causes a questionable frenzy…….I guess they may be mad at him for using the same methodology. Of course Phil has been at it longer.

As for me, I am just glad that it appears we will not need to install French doors on our house so that I can get in. I am sure everyone is happy about that. Sadly, all the fast food places within 5 miles of my house will probably be cutting staff by 50%. I was just eating for the economy.

But please keep me in your prayers. I am certain I will have days ahead that are not so jovial, and I will need your support. Thankfully, I know I can count on it.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Okay, I have had enough. I have gone back and forth and back and forth on the whole diet and get into shape thing that it has been killing me….literally. Today, I pledge myself to go down down down, with the goal of losing 50 pounds by Easter, April 4, 2010. That’s a little less than a pound a day, which of course seems like a lot, but the first parts always come off so fast, and I do not intend to push it in an unhealthy way.

There are big problems for me that make this even more of a challenge. One, as a “former” athlete, (see my college picture above) I really do not look all that heavy. They say that muscle weighs twice as much as fat, and I know my brain must weigh a ton (yes, that is a joke) BUT in truth it does not matter if your heart has to carry it all around all the time. A 40 pound bag of salt is heavy to carry from the car to the basement, and if you think about never putting it down, well you can imagine the stress it puts on your system. Two, I am a busy guy and always around food that I should not be eating, and though I do pretty well, it is still everywhere. Three, since my stroke in 2008, I take daily meds that make weight gain more probable than loss, and I will not get off them. And finally four, though all my levels are great for a man my age (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc), having a stroke at any time puts you in a different risk category….my numbers need to be lower.

The big thing is to just get back into great shape, as I was pre-stroke in April of 2008. (Yeah, I cannot figure that one out too). But to get there I ask for your prayers. The horrifying thing is to share my weight each day on the top (at the end of the title of the blog) I start at 240 (okay 239.8) but you get the idea. From this point on I hope to go down.

Thanks for your prayers and support in advance. I have talked about this issue before in this blog. I pray for me that this is the last time.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+