Christmas Traditions

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We actually celebrated Christmas at our home this year instead of heading directly to Ripon to visit with Rosalie's family. (We'll be doing that tomorrow, instead.)

Other than Christmas Eve service at church, our family Christmas traditions revolve primarily around food. We had our traditional Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, which is typical for us as we're usually traveling on Christmas day. This year our Christmas day meal was chili during the Packer game, during which we were treated to a Packers victory, which was a nice Christmas present for us. This morning we had monkey bread for breakfast, which is something my mom used to make on Christmas when I was growing up. This is our 27th year of this tradition and it shows no signs of being broken anytime soon. 

Fortunately, I was able to get a run in this morning, which is something I try to enjoy most Sundays. The weather cooperated today as it was only -7 with no wind instead of the -34 degree windchills of the past few days. I cranked the Christmas music (I have one with the most upbeat songs in a running playlist) and took off. This is probably the last day I'll do that for the next 11 months because, as much as I love Christmas music, by the day after Christmas I'm pretty much done with it - other than possibly sneaking one into the worship set this next Sunday. I usually do Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, which seems Christmasy to me because it was used so heavily in the best Christmas movie ever. If you don't know which one I'm talking about, how are we even friends? 

Christmas won't be on a Sunday again until 2033. I don't know why you would need to know that, but it might give you something interesting to talk about at the dinner table. 

Running With Tucker

We have an extraordinarily active Cocker Spaniel puppy named Tucker. He loves to run and play, and sometimes I take him running with me to try to help tire him out so that he'll sleep better at night. (Or, you know, at all!)

The thing is, he's faster than me. Which is good, I suppose, because he pushes me to run faster. But the other problem is that even after a 5K run, he's not very tired.

As I was running with him the other day, a terrifying thought suddenly struck me: "Oh, no. Am I just building his endurance?!" 

Tuckered Out

I took out puppy, Tucker, outside tonight to run around in the snow to hopefully burn off some excess energy. It turns out that doesn't work much better with a puppy than it does for a toddler or a young kid. But, hey, it was worth a shot.

I was out there watching Tucker zooming back and forth, running around for no apparent reason and acting crazy. And then it struck me: I wonder if that's what we look like to God sometimes - Just a bunch of people running around randomly, wearing ourselves out acting crazy for no good reason.

We put up with Tucker's shenanigans because at least he's cute.

Maybe God thinks we're cute, too.

Fun Picture Friday: Our crazy dog

It's fun picture Friday! This is our dog, Tucker, who likes to hover like a vulture near Rosalie when she is eating anything. He thinks he can go anywhere the cats go, including on the shelf that runs around the perimeter of our basement. 

As long as I'm sharing pictures of Tucker, he's a bonus for fun picture Friday. This is how Tucker often likes to sleep: 

Fun Picture Friday Family

I haven't done a Fun Picture Friday in a while, so I looked back over some pictures in my camera roll and came across this one from mid-August. My dad was up visiting for a few weeks from Tennessee and my sister, Cindee, came up from Florida and spend the day with us and we got this great shot together (thanks Jen Hansmann for taking it!). 

Nothing profound here, just remembering a great day together with my family of origin! Hope you have a great day with your family today.

Celebrating our 28th Anniversary

Celebrating 28 years of marriage today with my best friend and the love of my life, Rosalie. 

I marvel at how wonderfully blessed I am that God led me to a person who is so perfect for me. We share a similar view of the world and, most importantly, the same sense of humor. (I think that's one of the keys to a great marriage.) Plus, she is a woman of God whom I admire and respect. 

The last 28 years have been filled with laughter. It's easier to face the challenges in life with a partner like this at your side. I can't imagine doing live with anyone else!

Fun with Glass

It's cool picture Friday and this week I wanted to share a picture of a stained-glass creation I made (with the help of Rosalie and a friend from our church). Jerry (pictured below) has been making some wonderful stained-glass creations for a long time and he spent the afternoon with us this week teaching us how to make them.

Here's Rosalie's angel creation: 

While I loved making a Star Trek insignia, it stained-glass takes a lot of detailed, precision work, which is not something I have a lot of patience for. I'd probably do it again, but I doubt it would be a good hobby for me to do all the time. Rosalie, however, had a blast, but she's plenty busy with her current creations!

The Potential of a Stick

I spent the day with Rosalie and some of my friends from our youth group up in Superior hunting for driftwood for Rosalie's crafting business, Spahr Mercantile. We scoured the beach looking for interesting pieces of driftwood that she can use to make some of her rope creations. 

If you don't know what you're looking for, they tend to just look like a regular stick. But once you get the hang of it you begin to see the possibilities for what they can become.

I think that's the way it is for God when he looks at us. He looks at us the way we look at our kids. He doesn't just see an ordinary person; he sees the possibilities and the potential.

That's the way we are supposed to view each other, as well. 

Tucker Has a New Car Seat

I'm thinking about starting something like "Fun Picture Fridays" or something. Mainly because of this great picture of our dog, Tucker, riding in his new car seat that Rosalie got for him. He always wants to be up high and see out when traveling, and Rosalie was heading on a long drive alone with Tucker, so this seat buckles in and has a short leash to hook to his dog harness to help keep him in place.

Yeah, that's what dog owners are reduced to - buying a car seat for their puppy. At least he likes it and was fairly good on their trip.

Pontooning Thoughts

My dad is visiting for a few weeks and today we got to spend the afternoon with our good friends Bob and Pat Werner, who took us on a pontoon ride around Cross Lake.

Let me just say how lucky we are to have such great friends as Bob and Pat. They are the first people I met when I began to preach at First Presbyterian (long before I became pastor) and they have been some of my biggest supporters. They are so encouraging and so generous and willing to share.

I was also once again amazed at how different the shoreline looks from the water versus the road around the lake. You would almost assume it was a different lake entirely if you didn't know better. The houses that look kind of humble from the side facing away from the lake are often some of the most impressive when viewed from the lake itself.

Which made me think of people. We see one side of people. Sometimes it's not their best side, but if we're able to view them from a different perspective, you may have an entirely different appreciation for them.

The Cool House

Growing up, our house was the cool house - the one that my friends liked to come to and hang out in. We didn't even have a pool until I was in high school (which is a big draw in Florida), nor did we have a lot of games and stuff (although we were the first ones around to have Pong - the video game, not ping pong), but we were always hosting my sister's and my friends at our house. They would invariably be asked to stay for dinner. Our home became somewhat of a teen hangout.

I think maybe my mom (and my dad) had the gift of hospitality. She was always great at making people feel welcome in our home. But she confessed to me one day when I was older that one of the reasons she always enjoyed having Cindee's and my friends over was because that way she knew what we were doing and who we were hanging out with! Plus, she got to spend more time with Cindee and me. So, there was a bit of an ulterior agenda in play.

But whatever the motives, it was great to be the host home so much of the time. (Except for when my sister's friends and my friends were over at the same time... but that's siblings for you.)

I'll often share this story with parents of my youth group students. I don't think you have the have the spiritual gift of hospitality in order to make your home feel open and welcome. Don't worry about the mess or whatever. Just enjoy the time you have with your kids. 

As the saying goes, "When you have kids, the days are long, but the years are fast."

Celebrating A Wonderful Dad

 

I wanted to take this momentous occasion and wish a happy 80th birthday to my amazing dad, Robert W. Spahr! He is an incredible combination high school teacher, storyteller, humorist, builder, mechanic, Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, joke-teller, son, uncle, husband, friend and father (and a lot of other adjectives I'm probably forgetting). Most importantly, he is a man of God who loves Jesus and is a wonderful role-model for me (and many others). I am very proud of him and incredibly fortunate to have him for a dad!

So happy birthday, dad! Enjoy your special day!!

The picture above was taken back in March over spring break at my sister's house with her dog, Hank. (My dad is the one on the right.)

One Secret for A Great Marriage

It was 28 years ago today that I proposed to my wonderful wife, Rosalie. I've never once regretted it. 

If someone was to ask me the secret to a happy marriage, one of my answers would be to marry someone with a great sense of humor. I'm glad I can still make her laugh and that we still laugh together.

A Mother's Day Dilemma

Mother's Day is a difficult holiday for me, but probably not for the reasons you think. The problem is this: I had a wonderful mom. (Yeah, I know, poor me, right. But stick with me.) I had a wonderful mom and I'm sure she wasn't perfect... but I can't really identify anything I would have changed about her. She was everything you could ever want in a mom - loving, caring, patient, and on an on. I could use a thesaurus and still not have enough positive adjectives to describe her.

That's part one of my issue.

Part two is that I am married to another wonderful mom. Again, probably not perfect, but I'd be hard pressed to find anything about her that I would change. In fact, she is a lot like my mom in her loving mom-like characteristics toward our kids (and me when I act like a kid). I kind of hit the jackpot twice when it comes to moms in my life.  

And that's the problem - how to express gratitude appropriate to that level of awesomeness. 

My mom is not with us anymore, but my wife is and it's always hard to think of what to say or give. Flowers and a card are kind of cliche, although nice. A gift really isn't sufficient (although I am getting her one!) And words also fall short. How do you sum up that level of gratitude? 

I guess a blog post will have to do this year (plus the gift, plus some of her favorite donuts from Kwik Trip!) So Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful wife, Rosalie. Maybe next year I'll be able to come up with something that will be more effective in beginning to encompass my love and gratitude.

Heading Out on a Road Trip

I love me a road trip! I'm looking forward to getting away with Rosalie for a couple weeks. We're traveling to Florida to see my sister in Fort Meyers, and my amazing an marvelous Aunt Mary Jo and a wonderful old friend, Sue Swartz, in Bradenton. (Plus, I'll get to eat at Demetrio's - the best pizza place in the world!) On the way we will spend some time with my dad in Franklin, Tennessee, and one of my best friends from college, David Karnes, and his lovely wife, Denise, in Chattanooga. 

Rosalie and I like to listen to audio books as we travel, as well as catching up on our Mike Rowe podcasts that we enjoy listening to together. It makes the time pass faster and for me it's a lot like watching a movie in my mind. There's a new Jack Reacher novel that we have in our listening queue (Better Off Dead), as well as some Travis McGee books (we're up to The Quick Red Fox), a mystery, and some science fiction novels and short stories. It's really a very eclectic collection. Our library has a bunch of audio books that you can check out for free, which is super helpful.

It's funny how you get so excited to head out on vacation, but afterward you look forward to getting back home. I guess that's better than the alternative - not wanting to come home!

Special Guest Speaker

What a privilege to be able to sit and listen to my son, Jordan, teach yesterday. He was the guest speaker at our church for Sunday morning worship and he did a terrific job. I am so proud of him!

Jordan will be starting his fourth year at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, this fall where he majors in Sports Management with minors in coaching and Bible. If you want to listen to his message, it will be posted tomorrow on our church's web site - firstprespinecity.org.

Spahr Family Christmas Letter 2012

Merry Christmas from the Spahrs

It's been a tumultuous, exciting, stressful, patience-building, faith-testing year for the Spahr family. Through it all, God guided and provided in amazing and unexpected ways.

We began the year still dealing with Jordan's ongoing headaches from a football injury in 2010. He was only able to attend school for an hour or two each day. He was able to stay current and pull great grades through homebound instruction and tutoring from several teachers at the school. Finally in May, after consulting two neurologists and having a number of MRIs and CTs, a physical therapist diagnosed the problem as not being a result of the concussion he received but rather related to irritated nerve endings in his neck and base of his skull from the whiplash-like effect of the collision. Several exercises were prescribed to strengthen the muscles protecting those nerves and allowing them to heal. When done consistently, this has provided almost total relief from the chronic migraine-level headaches he had. He was able to resume full-day attendance at school in the Fall! He also resumed playing football - one of his great passions in life - and was awarded his first varsity letter and the "Work Horse Award" for hard work throughout the year. He will head into his senior year next fall as one of the captains of the varsity Dragon football team. He hopes to play football in college and pursue a career as a football coach. 

Jonah, also, pursued his passion which is running. He enjoyed a good season running track in the spring and made great strides in the fall as a cross country runner, achieving several personal bests and receiving the "Most Improved Runner" award. He is continuing to train this winter in preparation for track next spring to finish his sophomore year. He is also a voracious reader and has a keen intellect which is serving him well in high school. After he graduates in 2015, Jonah would like to major in Criminology at Northwestern College in the Twin Cities and enjoy a career in law enforcement. 

Rosalie has been continuing to build Purple Pants Creations, her home-based sewing/embroidery business. She branched out from her focus on "American Girl"-style dolls clothes to make some "Bitty Baby" style clothes and pillow monsters. Many of her creations are available through her Facebook page. She is also continuing to display at local craft shows with the most effective one being the Hinckley craft show held at the beginning of November each year (opening deer hunting weekend). She's had many special orders for blankets and quilts, as well.

Much of Rosalie's time, as well as Rob's, was spent in a house hunt that encompassed over half of the year. In April the landlords at the house we had been renting for the last three years suddenly decided they wanted to sell the house. We began a search for a new house as well as pursuing financing for a purchase, which made more sense than continuing to rent as the current interest rates meant that a purchase would result in much less payment than rent. After looking at options and even making an offer, nothing worked out. We finally were able - with some creative financing, help from family, and persistence by our realtor - to make an offer on the house we had been renting. It took more than five months to close and many times we thought the deal was dead, but the Monday after Thanksgiving we were able to sign the paperwork to be able to own our home. The best part was that we didn't have to move all our stuff! Rosalie is excited to tackle some renovations which you can drop by and see (or help with!) 

During this time I (Rob) was enjoying my first full year as an Assistant Manager at Walmart. I spent days off substitute teaching at the high school and providing occasional pulpit supply at First Presbyterian Church in Pine City. During this time both Rosalie and I began to sense that God may have something else in mind for the family beyond my new career in retail. 

First Pres had been asking for some time if I was interested in taking over when their pastor retired, but I had repeatedly declined. After some difficult youth ministry tenures, I was enjoying being a volunteer leader at another local church, subbing, and working at Walmart. But God independently drew both Rosalie and me to the conclusion that the position at First Pres was something worth exploring. I never aspired to be a senior pastor, but the wonderful, special people in this church broke down my resistance to that role. The church is small and traditional but wants to redevelop a vibrant ministry for all ages. They are excited about changing and growing again. After a lot of back and forth with the denomination, it looks like I will be taking over as senior pastor on January 13th. 

My last day at Walmart will be January 18th and I'll miss all of the great people I got to know and work with there over the last four years. Our family is excited as we plunge back into the world of vocational ministry. The last four years have been a great opportunity to grow and develop my leadership skills in the corporate workplace and I look forward to leveraging my learnings and gifts in the local church again.

So we close out a crazy year of transition poised to take on the challenges of a new year and a new ministry, confident that God will continue to lead and guide us. We look forward to keeping in touch with you all throughout the year via Facebook, blog posts, email, etc. Or give us a call or stop by!

Have a great Christmas! From the family that is proof that God has a sense of humor...

Rejoicing in Him!

Rob, Rosalie, Jordan and Jonah

December 2012

Back to School

Hard to believe that summer is over already and the kids are back in school. Now we have both Jordan and Jonah in junior high and both in sports (Jonah in cross country and Jordan in football). Such great boys - we're so proud of them!

Award-Winning Son!

Congratulations to Jonah for his Presidential Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence! Way to go!!
Congrats also to all of the other recipients in the sixth grade class. Only 12 students received this honor this year from our school.

Jonah also received several other awards this morning as the students celebrated the last day of school - and the last day of elementary school for them! The year has gone so fast! Seems like just last year I was blogging about Jordan winning this award. Oh, yeah, I was.

I can't believe I'm now the father of two junior high boys! They're so awesome!!

Moving Day on Thursday

Well, moving day is finally approaching. This Thursday we'll be moving out of what has been probably our favorite and best house we've ever lived in and moving about four miles away, just outside of town on Cross Lake Road. The place we'll be renting is the former Crafter's Cottage scrapbooking retreat house. It's a wonderful house and a real blessing for us to be able to find something so nice this close to town.

Of course, it wouldn't be moving day for the Spahrs without some type of inclement weather. This time we're expecting rain but hoping it won't last all day long.

If you're in the area and want to drop by and give us a hand for some of the day, please do so. We'll have some food for you, too! We're starting shortly after 8 a.m. and going until we're done (which hopefully won't be too late in the afternoon, depending on the weather).