Exactly one year ago today I became a father. I was totally blindsided to how much Reed would change my life, but our little family has changed forever. He struggled through his first few weeks of life, anbd gave us all quiet a scare, but he’s made up for lost time and become a true boy.

I can’t tell you how much my life and my sense of life has changed in that year, but I can show why. Here are some pictures. I think they will show you why it’s so easy for me to be a proud papa.

Here’s cowboy Reed’s picture that was on his birthday invitation. Yes, he is a great shot. (In case you can’t tell, this is a doctored picture. I didn’t give my one year old a set of six shooters and ask him to point them at the camera! You would be surprised how many people can’t tell.)

Here’s Reed with his favorite birthday present; a foam sword. He didn’t put it down all day, and he even tried to sleep with it, but mom slipped away with it when he finally dozed off.

Here’s Reed driving Grandpa Sam’s boat. He really gets a kick out of steering wheels. It’s even more fun because it makes mom nervous.

Here’s Reed in a small shopping cart at Hobby Lobby. Even though it looks like he’s playing, he’s actually mocking a kid in the next isle over who was throwing a royal fit. Ahh…to raise a mockingbird. He pretty much looks like a giant.

Well, last night marked the end of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. I really got into these games with all of the awesome stories from Michael Phelps to the Redeem Team, but most of all I just love sports. I guess we will just go on wanting for another two years until it’s time for the winter games in 2010. Until then, I’ll be waiting!

I just finished watching a series of messages from Craig Groeschel called “So You’re Dead…Now What?” and I just wanted to encourage you to check them out. I was really impressed by the boldness with which he approached the very difficult subject of death and the afterlife. They are so well put together that I watched all of them in one sitting.

Check them out here.

This week, a Missouri woman found Jesus in a bag of cheetos. “Cheesus” is what this woman claims to be the perfect likeness of Jesus hanging on the cross made out of a cheetos cheese puff. Read the whole story.

When I first heard this story this morning on the radio I thought, “Some people will do anything to get their 15 minutes of fame!” But the more I thought about what this woman was claiming the more it broke my heart. You see, I came to realize that there are some people in this world who are so desperate to find God in any corner of their life that they are even willing to pretend they see Him in a cheetos bag.

There are people out there that are so desperate to feel the love and acceptance of Christ, but they go looking in all of the wrong places for it. This just makes me want to do whatever it takes to make our churches in America the FIRST place people go when they are seeking to truly meet God. As funny as it sounds I don’t think that most of the public would go directly to the church if they were seeking to find an authentic God, and that’s why they go in so many other directions.

What can we do as members of the Body of Christ to change this?!?!

I’m writing this from my phone as I unwind in bed so I’ll keep it brief. Today my wife and son returned from a short vacation, and I was glad to get my life back to some kind of normal routine, but after the sessions I have attended at the North American Christian Convention the past few days, I’m not sure I want to return to normal.

I feel a call to dramatically change the way I do life; to change everything I thought I knew about living. I feel much more focused on the task God has for my life, and ready to kick it into high gear.

Look out world, there’s some big things coming. (vague, I know, but that’s how I feel)

Last Friday I took my wife out for our once-a-month-smokin’-hot-date-night. We went to Louisville’s 4th street live to eat some great food, play some pool, and take in a good country music concert. The night was great, but at the very onset of our night something happened that really threw me.

We parked the car and when I inserted my $20 bill into the parking ticket machine it proceeded to spit 17 gold coins back at me for my change. I didn’t know whether to scream with joy like I just hit the jackpot or cry; because for the remainder of the evening I had to carry a 2 lb. chunk of change around in my pocket!

My humble opinion is that the government should remove the dollar coin from circulation. They are bulky, stupid, and as I learned later that night, no one really wants to take them. How annoying.

Despite this mishap we still had a great time, and my wife only said that she missed her little boy, our 8 month old son, once on the ride home. We’re making progress.

Well, as of last week, we are officially moving, AGAIN! But, because we have a kid, this time is different. I’m not very astute in procedures, but my wife says this is not an acceptable way to move your child.

DISCLAIMER: In case you can’t tell this is a satirical post. Don’t be the freak who thinks I’m serious and tries to report me to child protective services because I put my kid in a box. Nuff’ said.

In case you haven’t noticed my blog is now operating under a new URL. The new home of my blog is joelyoungblog.com, but never fear because joelyoungmusic.com will still redirect you to here. However, if you have my site bookmarked or linked and you could make the appropriate changes I would appreciate it. Hope you’re not to freaked out by the new banner.

Well, this week something happened that hasn’t happened all winter in Louisville. IT SNOWED! And judging by people’s reaction you would think that no one had ever seen snow before. Schools were canceled, grocery stores were overrun with frantic citizens stocking up for the year, and no one dared to leave their house; all because of the supposed “White Death”. When I left for work on Tuesday morning there was not a single track on the virgin snow. Not a single sole, other than myself, had attempted to leave the community where I lived. It was weird, but I liked it. I was the only one brash enough to brave the storm, and I worked in the office alone that day. I guess growing up on the back roads of Adams County Ohio prepared me for just such an occasion. And trust me there are not many situations where you can say that.

So, the moral of this story is: DON’T BE A “WHITE DEATH” CONTRIBUTOR.

After being a youth minister for over 4 years I have become very partial to Chuck Norris Jokes. I’m not really sure who Mike Huckabee is, or what he stands for, but this could quite possibly be the funniest political endorsement of all time. See for yourself.