Havana Joe's

Okay, here’s my little plug for all you restaurant lovers out there. Last night, Leanne and I enjoyed a night out (which was wonderful). We went to a fabulous place called Havana Joe’s on High Street in Pottstown. Apparently reservations are a must if you’re thinking of going on a Friday or Saturday night. The host and waitstaff were extremely friendly. The Cuban influenced food was scrumptious. And the atmosphere was wonderful.

I enjoyed the Creamy Crab soup which was full of crab meat. We split an order of Cuban Cigars – a mixture including beans and cheese wrapped in tortillas and fried – which offered a little kick start to the dinner. We both had salads with a cilantra lime dressing which was delicious. For our main entrees, I had the Big Juan – a mojo marinated rib eye steak with chimichurri sauce, sauteed mushroom escabeche, and roasted red peppers, served with fresh cut sweet potato fries. Leanne had the Bronzed Salmon – Roasted Chilean Salmon lacquered with Mango Q, served atop shrimp stew, with Apple-mango salsa and maduros. And for dessert we split cuban flan with fresh mango. It really was delicious.

We would highly recommend this place to our friends along the 422 corridor.

Until the next post, don’t forget to eat at (havana) joe’s…

Pay It Forward

Fall Fest Weekend

We started off the weekend with a fall fest at the kids school. The parents and teachers who put this together did an excellent job giving the kids an opportunity to have fun and the adults a chance to socialize with each other. Leanne and I sure enjoyed talking with parents of our kids’ friends. And I was amazed that many of the conversations went beyond surface level stuff. This kind of an event is a reminder of how important it is to make sure we are in the world (not of the world), so we can rub shoulders with others – especially those who are far from God.

The weekend will finish up with a fall fest at our church. I will miss it as I will be traveling; however, I’m sure it will be a great time to celebrate the onset of fall while having an awesome time with friends from the church and their friends.

Until the next post, watch out for those falling leaves.

Parenting Group – The Purpose of Discipline

Last night, we had a lively discussion at our parenting group about why we discipline our kids. Here are some of the highlights:

-We discipline our children because we love them.
-God has placed us in a position of authority to help protect and guide our children while giving them clear and safe boundaries.
-Through appropriate discipline we have the opportunity to teach our children about forgiveness, restoration, and grace.

Hebrews 12:5-11 and Proverbs 6:20-23 provided a little bit of Biblical reference to our discussion.

Here’s what Hebrews has to say:
5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as children? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child.” 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate children at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 Our parents disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

My Wife’s Blog

You read correctly, Leanne has started her own blog. Go here to check it out.

My Wife's Blog

You read correctly, Leanne has started her own blog. Go here to check it out.

Facing the Giants

Here is a clip from the movie that I saw last night. I want to be the kind of leader that gives my all in my home, in my church, in my work, in my everything. This clip from the movie demonstrates what I’m talking about. As mentioned in my previous post, Facing the Giants is a movie worth watching.

Until the next post, face the giants in your life giving it your all…

Week In Review

This has been a busy week which probably helps to explain why I haven’t posted for almost a week. Monday, I spent preparing for our Tuesday night parenting group. Tuesday, I went downtown for the day to work on some finishing touches to one of my projects. Tuesday night, we had a great discussion about the differences in our children. I was especially reminded how “fearfully and wonderfully made” we have been constructed by God (see Psalm 139). Wednesday I was a little bit later at the office which made for a compressed evening. Leanne and I have been watching Kid Nation on Wednesday nights. This week the town of ~40 kids seemed to be focusing on their “religions.” This show seems to push the limits of the whole reality TV thing. I can’t imagine sending my 9 and 7 year old kids away for a month and a half (especially without any adult supervision). Thursday, I was back in the city for an exciting day of meetings. In the evening, I had a diner meeting with the other coaches from our Home Team (small group) ministry. One of the highlights of this evening was a great driveway conversation with my friend Sean Healy. I was able to squeeze the movie Eragon and Facing the Giants into the week. Eragon (the movie) was not as good as the book in my opinion, but I still enjoyed the theatrical take on the story. Facing the Giants was a great movie – not for it’s acting, but for it’s messages and inspiration. The movie provided a healthy reminder of the importance of praising God when things go well and when things don’t go so well. I would recommend this one. Friday after a busy day at the office, Leanne and I watched the neighbors four boys. We enjoyed getting to know them better – they are great kids. And we finally collapsed in bed around 11PM. Exhausted.

This morning, I’ve been taking care of a few things around the house. I’m getting ready to take the kids to the YMCA, and I just learned some big news for our extended family – there’s going to be an addition. More to follow, once I make sure everything is clear to share.

One more thing, just to help me keep track, I’ve been reading through the Bible this year. It’s October, and I’m still on pace. I’m currently reading in Esther, Revelation, and Psalms (today I read Psalm 106). This has been a great discipline, and it has helped to keep my priorities in check despite a crazy schedule.

Until the next post…

I Don’t Want To Forget This

Just so I don’t forget how great it was…

Until the next post…

I Don't Want To Forget This

Just so I don’t forget how great it was…

Until the next post…