Well, fortunately, there are others out there who trip up at times, too.  I guess in some strange way that makes me feel better.

I’m a big fan of Carlos Whittaker’s blog, Ragamuffin Soul.  He’s a worshiper (check out his spankin’ new EP here), creativity coach (click here), and an awesome Dad.  Check this following LOL-moment out; this is what Carlos had to say about it.

So my 3 year old. He apparently loves the song, “Single Ladies”, by Beyonce. Little did I know how much he loves that song. I was simply making a point that he, in fact, is not a single lady. I thought he would laugh and keep singing.  Man, was I wrong. Notice Sohaila, my oldest daughter, in the center seat.

Carlos, I can so TOTALLY relate.  Thanks for sharing!  That’s not even a bad-dad moment, bro.  It was a no-win situation, all the way — that was awfully fun to watch.

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Music is from one of our favorite crunk bands: the always fun Family Force 5.  Check ‘em out here.

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So…how was your Memorial Day weekend?  Here’s some video memories from ours (from our family site: ShoupOnline.com).

This was Kella’s first time riding a bicycle and with this being the first time, there were a lot of Daddy-bending-over and balancing the bike moments — bending way over, as this is a small, small bike and I am a somewhat tall man.  OUCH!

The end result?  Daddy decided pretty quickly that a trip to the bike store down the road was in order.  We needed to get training wheels on this bike and let Kella go free with this thing!  She was very excited.

We got in the van, packed up the bike, and went down to the Two Wheeler Dealer.  When the guy at the counter asked what kind of bike it was, before I had the chance to respond, Kella said quite matter-of-factly, “It’s a princess bike.”  The bike technician wrote down “princess bike” and told us he’d give us a call when it was done.

It was the next evening that I got the call from the store telling me that my “er…. princess bike” was done and that we could come and pick it up.  The store was closed that evening, so Kella would have to wait another day.

The anticipation was growing more and more for Kella.  She kept asking me about when we’d get to go on the first ride (about every ten minutes). I knew if I didn’t grab the video camera to catch this moment I’d be kicking myself later.  Bear with me as I tear up and watch my littlest one grow up before my eyes…

video enclosure “The Princess Bike”

As Kella’s father, it brings me so much joy to see her growing up and transforming into the young lady that she will one day become.  I can see all of the life, giftings, and great potential in her and it brings me to tears — I love her so much and am so proud of her.

I used this story as an illustration at our student rally service this past Wednesday night.  We were on the last night of a message series we titled “The Calling” on the life-story of Abraham.  The series was ending with a discussion of how we have been created by a God who has blessed us with different gifts and abilities to be used to make an imprint in our world.

My thoughts went to Kella, who didn’t even know what the experience of riding a bicycle would be like, but she was so excited to try!  She wanted so much to “exercise the gift” that she knew was in her four-year-old legs.  And, let me tell you, when she started to get the hang of it, it wasn’t long before she was flying!

It’s a prayer for my life that I would be as excited about the purposes and plans that God has placed in my life.  That I would be bold and brave enough to just “go do it” when Father God places opportunities in my life.  And, maybe, just maybe in the process He even tears up when He begins to see me fly…

I might crash a few times — Kella did on her first run, too.  But that’s okay because Daddy-God is there to hug me, wipe off my tears, and cheer me on over and over again.

So, what’s that gift or calling that’s been churning inside of you?  It’s time to take it for a test-drive.

How were your snow days?

We’re looking forward to an amazing evening with you at Valapalooza (over 140 registered) and a God-filled weekend at Destiny’s three Sunday services.  Although it will be a strange mix of emotions for us this weekend, God is still our provider, healer, and giver of life.  Our hope and our trust is in Him. The last few months have been pretty hard to walk through at times, but we are so thankful for the loving and caring relationships we have in our friends and family at Destiny.  Thank you so much for your love and support.

I called the pharmacist to see if there were any other options. He said “no” but to try mixing it with a few food items in addition to what we’ve already tried. Then, I remembered this following video post from Carlos Whittaker’s blog. Do you think it really works?  I’m willing to give it a try.

UPDATE: It totally worked!  Only four more days of this stuff to go…

Family-fun trip to Valley Fair and Mall of America with Grandma Pearl and Auntie Christy.  Here’s the pics and below are some of the theme park highlights.  Mind you, we didn’t film a lot of us adults (and our 2 teenagers) because we were always riding on the rides together.  Oh well, next time we’ll have to hire a videographer!

Yesterday we drove ALL DAY LONG to get to Shakopee, MN to enjoy a couple of days of fun at Valley Fair, the Mall of America, and wherever else time allows.  We made it safely with not too much complaint from the girls (although there were a few “whiney spells” — grin).