I found the cure for allergies

For the first time in my 30 years (or at least those where I am old enough to remember), I am not suffering from allergies in the midst of the spring bloom season. Normally, at this point in the spring, I would be miserable, completely under the weather, and not able to enjoy this beautiful season. My eyes, nose, throat, and ears are normally a hot mess right now.

The answer? Over-the-counter generic Claritin from Walmart.

The best part? It's only $4 under their generic medication program.

The other reason I think I haven't suffered at all this year is because I knew a week ago that some really warm and sunny weather was on its way. Warm weather at this time of year usually equates to pure misery for me because of my allergies. So, to prepare for the warm weather, I began to take the allergy medicine about a week ago. By the time the warm weather finally arrived, my system was completely protected from allergens! See, it pays to keep abreast of the weather forecast at all times. You people laugh. But while you're laughing, I'm not sneezing. Boom. Roasted.

Or, it could just be a complete fluke that --all of a sudden-- I am miraculously healed of all springtime allergies. It could happen, I suppose.

All I know is that after 30 years of springtime misery, it has been most delightful to open up the windows, go outside, and enjoy this awesome weather...without feeling like I would rather bury my head in a pile of burning lava.

80?

Just look at this gorgeous forecast...wowza!!!

70?

Could it be???

70 degrees??

According to AccuWeather, it may hit 70 here next weekend. I can't even imagine temperatures that warm.

Even though rain is forecast, 70 degrees will feel so amazing. It's been so long since it's been warm.

::sigh:: Welcome, Spring!

Tea Time!

I hope that those of you who live in places where tea parties occurred yesterday had the chance to get out to your local event. I know that I am sort of a hypocrite though, since I didn't go to the one held here in Erie. :-\

What happened at these tea parties is so encouraging to me. It makes me excited about the movement that is arising within our country right now. This movement is being led by people who get up in the morning, go to work and work hard so they can provide for their family, and give half of their hard earned money to our irresponsible and careless government. It is being led by people like you and I who chose to WORK HARD FOR WHAT WE HAVE and WHAT WE WANT. My prayer is that this movement becomes so large and so loud that President Obama will be crushed in 2012, or better yet, will have to resign before his first term is up. THe tide is turning. His honeymoon is definitely over. Reality is kicking in hard and fast for our esteemed leader.

Of course, the liberal media in this country was up to their usual tricks last night. In fact, last place CNN decided to brush yesterday's nationwide protest off as a joke, and thus eroded the last remaining vestiges of their journalistic ability. Take a look at this, on AC360 last night, Anderson Cooper kept making inappropriate jokes about "teabagging" like a 6th grade uber-hormonal school kid:



Here's CNN Reporter Susan Roesgen being a complete donkey to one of the protestors yesterday. She kept cutting him off and finally just completely lost it and signed off the air in disgust:


Here is more analysis of the CNN debacle from yesterday.

On Being 30

A couple of months ago, I turned 30 years old. In the days leading up to that day, and in the days since, I have found myself thinking a lot about my twenties and what I would like to see happen in my thirties.

I am not sad that my twenties are over. I started out the decade living in Florida, and ended it back in my hometown of Erie. It was a decade for me that - for the most part - I am not proud of. I made a shamefully huge amount of stupid decisions. I made some terrible mistakes. A lifelong dream was shattered. I scraped rock bottom for many of those 10 years. I have shed way too many tears over the last decade. I spent way too much time being sad, angry, and depressed. I spent way too much time fighting with God and not nearly enough time seeking Him. I wasted so much time wallowing in pity because things weren't going according to MY plan. I didn't spend enough time loving and appreciating the people in my life who give so much to me -- and for what? So I could give them nothing in return?

I remember during my darkest times over the last few years when people would tell me that I would one day look back on this time and be grateful for it all; for it will help shape me and mold me into the man that God wants me to be. After I got done laughing, I would silently scream at God, pleading with Him to give me strength to make it through until those days arrived -- if they ever did. There were times that I wanted to give up completely. There were certainly times when I gave in completely. There were times that I crumbled under the weight of my own fallibility that I was all but certain there was no way out. I'm not kidding when I say that I was depraved to the core.

Yet, in the midst of the darkest depravity, there can be no denying that God was laying the pathway for something bigger; something amazing. I always felt it, I always hoped for it...even when I thought that all hope was gone. And even while I was struggling through my darkest days, I had found a place of refuge in Grace Church. At Grace, I found a circle of friends whom I cannot imagine life without. It was also at Grace that I found Danielle, who is the best friend I have ever known. And when the time came for my faith to be tested in ways I never thought possible, I can sit here today and tell you with confidence that the chains of bondage I had been enslaved to for so long were SHATTERED because - and only because - God led me to Grace and, ultimately, Danielle.

As I enter my fourth decade, I leave my third behind with a sense of gratitude that it is over. But I also look back upon it and thank God for what He did for me during those years. It was rough, and at times I couldn't (nor did I want to) see, but I have emerged on the other side fully intact. I look ahead with excitement. My thirties are going to be healthier and happier than my twenties were...that much is for certain. I look forward with anticipation at what will happen in this decade. It's already off to a pretty good start; I started a great new job last month. And with this new job, it will open up the doors for me to fulfill the new dreams that God has given me. Becoming debt-free (we're oh so close....YEAH!!!). Starting a family, Lord-willing (it's weird to think that my dad didn't even have me in his thirties...he was 40 when I was born). Devoting my life 100% to Christ, both personally and professionally (another byproduct of Grace). Going back to school to make that happen. Writing a book so I can tell my story. Yes, this is going to be an awesome decade. And although I am notorious for wanting to take ten steps at a time instead of one, I can't help but to be excited that these years will, without a doubt, be the best so far.

The name of this blog is The Broken Soul: Contemplations Along the Journey to Restoration. While I know that we, as believers, won't be fully restored until we're gone from here, here is where we begin the journey. Almost 14 years ago, I began that journey. Since then, I have had incredible highs and incredibly low lows. But one thing is certain: through it all, God has remained faithful to this incredibly broken soul. His promises have never failed me. His love has always endured.

And I am grateful.

whoisgrace.com

My wife probably would not approve of me bragging about her in a public space like this, but I'm afraid that there is just no other option. She and Chris Falzone have just completed a major overhaul to Grace Church's website whoisgrace.com. I am absolutely in love with the redesign. It is sleek, sharp, and sexy (can a church website be sexy?). Great job, guys. It looks fantastic.

One of the things I am most excited about is that whoisgrace.com finally has the functionality to play videos directly on the site. Last summer, I asked a question on this blog as to whether people would prefer Vimeo or YouTube as a host site for the videos that we create at Grace. Although opinions were divided more or less right down the middle, I decided to abandon YouTube and switch completely over to Vimeo. I believe the quality is better on uploaded videos at Vimeo, and the interface is definitely nicer as well (it's grown on me). You can see the videos yourself by going to whoisgrace.com, clicking on "connect" on the left side of the page, and then clicking on "Vimeo".

Another thing I like about Vimeo is that a Plus membership allows you to create a personalized channel for your videos. In fact, the Grace Church channel is the page that is linked directly off of the front page on the whoisgrace.com.

Finally, directly underneath the connect button on the front page is a button for "The 411". The 411 is what we have begun calling our weekly video announcements at Grace. We have been showing video announcements in our weekend services at Grace since 2005. Now, if you miss them, you will be able to view the video on whoisgrace.com. Although there have been cosmetic changes to the announcement video format over the last four years, there has never been a major overhaul on the way we do them. Starting earlier this month with the countdown [it's all part of the package], we are in the beginning stages of a brand new way of doing video announcements at Grace. I think that the people of Grace will be very pleased with The 411. I am working with the communications team as we speak and am so excited to unveil the new format sometime over the next few weeks.

Grace may be over 110 years old now, but I believe we're as cutting-edge as ever. As time goes by, the message always always stays the same, but the methods of delivering that message can and should change. At Grace, we are 100% convinced that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. But shame on us if we think that the methods used for communicating this Hope in the church of yesterday will work in the church of today. Yes, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But that doesn't mean that we should sit idly by as we watch technology, time, and relevance pass the church by.

So check out whoisgrace.com, check out our new Vimeo channel, and get excited by what God is doing at Grace Church in Erie, Pennsylvania!! Oh, and if you happen to be reading this and don't currently have a church home, I encourage you to check Grace out "in person". :-)

Goings-on

Gosh, where is this month GOING?! It's already the 23rd. That means that my love turns 30 this week!! How exciting! Here's what else has been going on.

• Speaking of Danielle's birthday, if you haven't been reading her blog lately, you've been missing out. She has been writing an excellent series called "30til30". Check it out. She's amazing. I have learned a lot about my wife through this blog series.
  
• Work is going well. Starting a new job has been a huge adjustment, and at times it has been very difficult, but I can't really complain.
  
• Church at Grace has been incredible as of late. I can't remember the last time I have been so moved in church week after week after week. There hasn't been a time in the last four weeks that I haven't shed tears. Our current series, "Lift Your Eyes", has been amazing. Al and Derek have done an amazing job so far and I look forward to what Mike brings to us next weekend. All I know is that God has been moving in a mighty way at Grace lately...and I'm not sure what's different or what's changed...but I truly believe that He is changing peoples' hearts there. Today, for instance, there was a moment in worship during the response time where I thought the roof was going to be blown off. The joy and the presence of God in that room this morning was palpable. I needed to meet God there this morning, and He didn't fail. God is moving, hearts are changing, a movement is happening. I can feel it. I think anybody who calls Grace home feels it.
  
• Danielle and I sat down today to watch Kings, which we had saved on our DVR from last weekend. I have to say: I am glad we saved it. It was awesome. I highly recommend it, especially if you are a Christian (I still think it's an awesome show, though, even if you're not). The show is a modern-day twist on the story of King David, and from all I've seen and read, the series is pretty much spot on in it's parallel to David's story in the Old Testament. I highly recommend going onto NBC's website and getting caught up. I can't wait to watch this week's episode!
  
  
• It's late. Morning comes too quickly these days. Gotta go sleep;.
• Peace.