New Blog on Tumblr

I have moved my blog to Tumblr. You can find it here: http://kylemeadors.tumblr.com/

Pine Cove Woods Family Camp - 2011

We got back from our trip to the Pine Cove Family Camp in Tyler, Texas. We were Week 6 at the Woods camp over the Fourth of July. It was a great trip, but I will say we are bit worn out from it after we got back. I think spiritually refreshed, and we had a ball, but it was very "energetic."

You can see some picture of us off the Pine Cove site. Go to their site (http://www.pinecove.com/), scroll to the bottom and select Photo Gallery at the very bottom. It will give you a pop-up window and you then select 2011, Woods, Week 6 to then the different days of the week to get picture from that week of camp. If you go to Tuesday and then click the right scroll button 5 times you will see me climbing the rock wall on the bottom right. One more click will give you some pictures of me and Jacob at the top of the zip line tower. For some cute ones of Ava going horse back riding, try Thursday and then 2nd and 3rd pages, and then some of Ava doing her super dive into the pool see Friday pages 2 and 3.

Soccer in Bellevue

Jacob and I finished our first year in the local soccer recreational league, HYSA. Previously, we have always done YMCA soccer, but we enjoyed this season, although it got off to a rough start.  Most notably, Jacob broke his arm which limited his playing and practicing. The raining Spring also limited us to just a few practices all year.

Still, the season end very well. I was proud of the boys and their improvement, and I was proud of Jacob's perseverance in staying with soccer. By the end of the year, he was playing very well, extremely aggressive and active.

Here is video from the last game. Some game footage and closing remarks by Coach Meadors. In the game footage, notice Jacob getting a slight injury but staying in the game to make a good defensive play.



 

My Most Popular Post

Since August of last year, I have made 5 posts on my blog. For those who struggle with math or calendaring, that almost 1 post ever 2 months. You can take that one of two ways. One, my life is exceptionally dull therefore I have nothing about which to write. Or two, my life is some incredibly busy and full that I don't have time to write.

If you have any contact with me, you know that it is the latter. I once hit a streak of posting every day for a month. I doubt I will ever capture that level of proficiency again, but I truly do wish to write more, if just to document what I did this week, which is often pretty cool, at least to me.

So I will make that an effort to do better. I know the only people who would check out this blog with any regularity would be family, but I still enjoying writing here when I get the opportunity.

Along those lines, per my Google Analytics tool, can you guess what is my most popular post on this blog in terms of unique visitors? It is this one on a baby dedication script.  Trying opening Google and typing in "baby dedication script". Guess what is the number one search result. That's right, young Billy Graham here, spiritual leader of the niche market of baby dedication scripts. I put the script up on the blog because Shannon was a bit frustrated that she could not find something online for baby dedication so we made it up together. It was my idea to tie in with actual Bible verses. In seriousness, we were both proud of the way it turned out.

So, my blog is making a difference. I am encouraged to keep it up and go for at least one post a month, doubling my current output.

Jacob's Dirt Pile

It may be puzzling to women, but any man can totally get this.  The undeveloped lot next to us contains a dirt pile and some pallets left over from building our house. The only thing puzzling to me is why it took Jacob so long to discover this oasis of childhood joy - you very own dirt pile.

 

My tough big boy

Likely an inevitable event given my son, Jacob broke his right arm two weeks ago. Here is Shannon interviewing him about it. He wound up having it on for less than 2 weeks. While the elbow is still broken, we are treating it with a wrapped bandage to protect it but allow mobility to prevent stiffness.

What has impressed me so much with Jacob through this situation is his absolute willingness to continue with his normal lifestyle regardless of having a broken arm. He never hesitated to go play out side or reduce his activity, even though we were able to convince him to not climb on things. Also at school, he would do his writing assignments with his left hand despite being right handed. See below a copy of his left hand writing worksheet. Really, not too bad for a kindergartener even with a good hand.

Jacob writing with left hand

Elvis Rumored Seen in Nashville Honkey Tonk!

And in related news, we have confirmed reports that Kyle Meadors is actually alive despite months of inactivity both in his blog and his social life. After several unconfirmed rumors of his activity in random parts of the Bellevue area of Nashville, we were able to obtain documented proof of his existence today at the First Baptist Church of Nashville's Fall Festival. Mr. Meadors was captured in several pictures by different families enjoying themselves at the tremendously well planned and well run Fall Festival, overseen by Mr. Meadors wife, Shannon Meadors, minister to children at the church. Mr. Meadors was observed next to an astronaut and a small, but incredibly cute, alien life form. It is believed these were his children, possibly in Halloween costumes, but we have not confirmed this. One obvious source of  confirmation that is missing is the publishing of these pictures on Mr. Meadors' blog. After all, you would think a father would have pictures of his kids dressed out in their Halloween gear up on his blog, yet they are not on his site as they are from previous Halloweens. However, it could be due to the rumors that Mr. Meadors is so incredibly busy due to his job as Director of EHR Testing with Drummond Group, an ONC-ATCB performing EHR certification testing, that he does not have the energy or time to properly update his blog. We will keep you posted on this fascinating story although you probably won't hear anything about it from this media source for another month or two.

When we come back from the break: fruit bats. Harmless pets or deadly, disease reservoirs.

Sleepy Jedi Princess Ranger

We have bin in the playroom for our dress up outfits, and Ava loves to raid it. What is hilarious is that she dresses herself in a variety of garb. This morning, still in her pajamas, she designed this.

Jacob's Big Month

Not only did my big boy turn 6 this month but he started kindergarten. So far, so good with the Big K. I think his favorite part is riding the bus. I am happy for him. Starting your formal schooling is a rite of passage and being educated is a blessing. Enjoy the pictures from Jacob's big month.

My Car is Old

My 2000 Toyota Corrola is old. How old. Some years back the steering wheel grip began falling off, the smooth rubber covering deteriating. For a birthday gift, Shannon bought me a new steering wheel cover (she did get me other birthday gifts besides that). I used the cover but eventually that top of the cover, the part where my hands are typically at, began to deteriate. So I took off the cover and rotated it 180 degrees so the smooth bottom half was now at the top.

Today, I noticed the former bottom, now top part of the steering wheel cover is deteriating. I have had my car long enough to work through 3 different layers of protective steering wheel cover. So what will I do?

Go buy another steering wheel cover. They cost like $10 bucks at Target. A new car is thousands of dollars. I forgot to mention the car is and always has been paid for.

My Regular 6-Week Post

Since I am averaging a post every 6 weeks or so, I am obligated to write something here. Nothing much has gone on. Just bought a house. Like to see it? If I could find my camera after the move, I would take some pictures and show you. Shannon may have it, but since she is currently on her way back from CentriKid camp, I can't ask her. But it is a really pretty home. Come by sometime. Just not in the next week or two as we still have boxes everywhere. But by mid-August, it will be more hospitable.

Jacob Preschool Graduation

Summer is here. Not officially of course, but the practical reality reveal all the key signs. Children are out of school being the most prominent. My son is still in his Goddard preschool in Franklin, but they had their "graduation" ceremony last week. It was suprisingly touching. They sang a little song that included lyrics that were essentially "goodbye preschool hello kindergarten" which made Shannon choke up a bit thinking of the suddenness of our little boy being an official kindergartener.

Here are a few photos taken at graduation along with some candids of the kids taken at home the day of. The thumbnails are random from the particular album but select one and it will take you the photo gallery to see all of them.

[zenphotopress album=148 sort=random number=10]

These Girls are Different

As I have mentioned, Ava is starting to potty train. Generally, I put her on the potty first thing in the morning. In our past attempts, the body fluid in question very easily makes it way into the toilet. Yesterday, for some reason, it began going in directions other than the toilet. I certainly have had plenty of practice helping Jacob "direct" his potty action, but I was at a lost here. First, It surprised me and along with having a book in my hand (Ava always asks me to read to her on the potty; like father, like daughter) I was slow to react. But more challenging, I did not know how to make it "change direction." I tried to push down, but there is really nothing to push. Ava just looked at me with this bizarre look on her face; probably the same look I had on my face. Then she started crying because I had to put the book down and perform clean-up. More troubling from my side is that I am not sure what to do differently if it happens again. Girls are just different.

I know this is borderline of "too much information", but I wanted to share. Have a good weekend.

Paradox About Hearing God: Hearing God by Dallas Willard (Recap)

My favorite author is Dallas Willard, and his books on the spiritual life and God's Kingdom have made a tremendous impact on my life. His first work in this theme is "Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God". Knowing "God's will" is a huge desire in Christian circles but one that is confusing to most believers. While it is not the same as prayer, seeking a deeper relationship with God is of the same vein, and why I am interested in writing about it.

I definitely recommend anyone to read it. Like all of Dr. Willard's books, it has a bit of a scholarly tone, but that does not mean a difficult read. Willard often sets the table so to speak in lining up points to prove or disprove a point. Thus, it requires a bit of concentration, but I find that far better than just tossing a glib (even if it is true) spiritual statement without the background to understand and apply it fully.

This is not so much a review but a recap. I will go through each chapter and discuss some key points from those sections, hopefully to encourage you to read it and assist in understanding it. Any page references are off of the paperback book I currently have checked out from my church's library. My personal hardback copy is backed away in some boxes awaiting the move to our home.

The preface is just a few pages long and gives a basic introduction into the book. The key point made here is Willard's emphasis that "hearing God is but one dimension of a richly interactive relationship, and obtaining guidance is but one facet of hearing God" (pg. 10). This is important to remember that even if you perfectly understood God's direct guidance to your life that it would not perfectly equate faithfulness to Christ's call or the highest calling of your spiritual life. People may often state that just want to know "God's will for their life" but even knowing that does not fully get you where you need to be.

Chapter 1 is "A Paradox About Hearing God", and the paradox is this: we have widespread testimony and belief within the Christian church that God does "speak" and "lead" us but the Christian church is filled, probably mostly filled, with committed believers who have pervasive and painful uncertainty as to exactly how to hear and recognize God's voice.

It is this paradox which Willard is focused on unpacking. Before leaving this chapter and starting the process of understanding and deciphering this paradox, he does give 3 general problem areas people encountering in trying to hear from God. They are summarized below but he of course goes into greater detail for each in the book, starting on pg. 26.

1.Wrong priority on the forms of God's communication and ignoring the variety of means God can communicate with us.
2.Wrong motives for wanting to hear from God (e.g. seeking God's voice solely for securing their own safety and comfort).
3.Misconceptions about God's nature and intent, especially with respect to expecting hyper-level of detail and control in the "guidance".

Flood of 2010

The flood of 2010 that ravaged Nashville affected our new home build. The home, in the community of Riverwall on the Harpeth, was a riverside lot on the aforementioned Harpeth River. It was nearly complete, and we were hoping to close by end of May. According to our neighbors, we got about 4 ft of water in the home. Here is a link to pictures of the day after with the builders going through and gutting the bottom floor. You can look at them individually or choose the slideshow option on the left. We meet with the builders on Monday to talk about next steps.

Mother's Date and Lucy Kate

Among my busy life and natural disasters, another excuse for not updating my blog is I have been having problems getting my picture album software to work. It is working now, and I hope it will stay that way.

My first niece, Lucy Kate Hagerman, came into the world last week on my birthday, May 6. Here are pictures of her and rest of extended Meadors' family on Mother's day.

[zenphotopress album=117 sort=latest number=17]

Just a few things going on...

I really do like the idea of writing in my blog, but this season of life is busy, busy busy. How about a quick round up in case I don't write again for another 6 weeks.

Jacob had a wellness check up this week. Measures 3'11" and 50 lbs. Very healthy and "normal" for his age. Playing soccer which he enjoys. He shows good instincts out there. He is in 4-6 age group with most kids on his team 5 and 6. Makes a HUGE difference from the last 2 seasons with 3s and 4s. It actually resembles soccer.

A funny, maybe not ha-ha, laugh out-loud funny but amusing, cute funny, is that Jacob's has discovered the old He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoons I use to watch as kid through Hulu. So he will ask me, "Daddy, can we watch He-man" and I am happy to oblige. I do have to admit that looking back at these cartoons 25 years later puts them in a different light. They are really not that good. The super-hero cartoons of today are just better in terms of plot and dialogue, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for He-Man.

Ava is now on allergry medicine after her 2nd ear infection. It was due to having so much mucus drainage that we thought allergy medicine would help, especially since Jacob and I take it regularly. She has been on it for 1/2 week. Hope it helps.

Good news on the potty front. Ava has peed in the potty 3 days this past week. Either after her nap or after waking up from the night, she was dry, and I then put her on the toilet and she did the rest. Definitely not ready for underwear, but good steps.

This week we are heading to Panama City for a vacation. Our family loves the beach, and I looking forward to getting away.

Both my work and Shannon's at the church is very busy. Busy is good, but busy is busy. Thus, limited time and energy to write on the blog. Maybe the vacation will help give me a boost.

Ava's Happy Birthday Song

Sweet little Ava Lauren turned 2 this Saturday. She is my little princess. I get so much joy just looking at her. She is so fun too. She loves to sing songs and is quite advanced in verbal skills for a 2 year old. Here she is singing happy birthday while eating her chocolate birthday cake.

Prayer of Jesus: "Dad"

We are nearly half way through with the Prayer of Jesus study. Dr. Hemphill outlines the Model Prayer into 4 parts: The Address, The Committment, The Petition, The Benediction. Last week we focused on the Address. He emphasized that the "Father" part of the prayer and made the statement it is similar to our modern expression of  "Dad" to our earthly father. In fact, Hemphill often referred to God as "Dad" through out the video.

Needless to say, a majority of the group participants struggled with this phrasing. For most in the group, I would categorize it as at best uncomfortable and at worst disrespectful and wrong. I definitely understood their point, and I don't think I would be comfortable using that term in prayer. "Father" is much more natural for me. Once a word or phrase establishes a contextual meaning in our minds, it is hard to change that meaning. In this sense, tradition matters.

I definitely don't think Dr. Hemphill was trying to be disrespectful or "cute" in using this term. He was just trying to convey the intimacy we are to have in our prayer life. The fact is that Jesus use of "Father" was a radical concept in His day. The Jews considered this phase disrespectful as well. We certainly must not be caught throwing stones here.

But as I said, I do understood the concern. The best advice here it to follow Jesus' response to John who questioned what they should do about the man who was driving out demons in the name of Jesus but was not part of Jesus' disciples. "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."

Enjoying It While It Lasts

Today, two great reminders of this special season of life. First, Ava, who has recently developed into an excellent kisser, wanted to kiss all of the parts of my head. My eyes, my ears, my nose, my chin. I gladly let her. Her wet lips on my cheek and the pop of her smooch are still fresh in my mind.

I then drop Jacob off at preschool. I stand by the window watching him put up his lunch box and jacket. He turns and looks at me. Gives me a big thumbs up and blows me a kiss.

It won't last. The days will change and so will my children. Those new days will be special in their own right. But this morning will be tough to beat.