Mali's CD "Awakening" is online!

You can purchase Mali's new CD online now at this link. It's a great CD. Buy it and get one for a friend!

My friend Rich Kao who is planting a church in Vancouver has launched a blog. You can keep up with the church plant and his personal life at Rich's Blog. Rich also has a personal website www.richkao.com

Tooth #2 for Aliesha

Aliesha lost her second tooth tonight. The first one was a bit of an ordeal as she was not happy about having someone pull out her tooth. She was shocked that it wasn't painful. This time it was much easier. Nana just pulled out the tooth at bedtime. The toothh fairy will be coming by tonight. Joseph makes it very clear to Gabriela that Dad is the tooth fairy.

This afternoon we had a good-bye party for Bill & Georgia Fuller. They are moving to Fayetteville to base out of Manna Church. I will really miss them. Fortunately, they'll be around fairly often.

Dinner and a Movie

Sounds like a date with my wife, but actually I took out Kendrick Jr. and Joseph yesterday for a matinee and dinner. We went and saw Shark Tale by DreamWorks. Yesterday was opening day. It's a great cartoon show similar to Finding Nemo.

We walked around SouthPoint for ahwile and had to try recently opened The Q Shack. It's a barbeque place - great food and fun atmosphere. I was trying to culture my boys a bit and have them experience some Southern cooking. We had pulled chicken and beef brisquet. They both tried hush puppies and fried ocra for the first time. I have to confess that the boys were not too impressed. After choking down his fried ocra Kendrick Jr. said, "Wow, no wonder the South lost the war."

A Day to Celebrate!

Tonight we popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Nathan had gotten a bottle of champagne for his birthday which he was keeping in the refrigerator. Tonight was the night to pop it open (no, NOT because of the presidential debate!)

So here are three reasons why we celebrated tonight...

1. Mali's CD is here in full color, and it sounds awesome! The art work is cool. They've really put together a fabulous CD. Cheers to Nathan and the guys!

2. My main man Chad Aleshire became a father today. His beautiful (and courageous) wife Stephanie gave birth to Ethan Michael a few minutes before 6 p.m. CST. Stats: 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 19 1/2 inches. Mom and baby are doing great. Cheers to Chad, Stephanie, and Ethan!

3. Michael Dell and Hannah Sholar got officially engaged today. Nathan, Kendrick Jr., Joseph, and I ran into them at SouthPoint. It was fun whooping it up with them and teasing them a bit about being totally lost and in love. The big day: Dec. 11. Cheers to Michael and Hannah!

Police Ride

Tonight I got to ride along with Durham Police Officer Jesse Sandoval for eight hours. He's a member at Grace Church. We had a blast. It was fascinating to see the life of a police officer. I was very impressed. It was a "slow night" for them. We did have one exciting event. A "subject" shoplifted over the counter medications and fled the pursueing employee.

Another officer picked up the subject down the street, because a security guard had seen him run into another store. Jesse and I watched the store video of shoplifting. The subject had done the exact same thing the day before in the exact same clothes. The person in custody had a different shirt on (a white t-shirt). Jesse noticed the shoes on the video - exact same as the man in custody. It turns out the subject was a heroine addict and was supposed to be helping in a sting operation. So the subject go charged with shoplifting from today, yesterday, and the one from two weeks ago that they were holding.

Some of the other situations were just sad. A fourteen year old at a group home with a messed up family life. She hated the group home so much that she preferred to go to the UNC psych ward then stay at the home and go back to school tomorrow. We escorted her to the hospital. Another sad situation was a domestic violence call. This couple had been married just two weeks ago.

We have a hurting world that needs real answers with real power and real life-changing love!

Off to bed...

#2

On Saturday night, I shot my second deer of the season with my bow. Walking out to my stand, I saw 2 deer out in the field. I tried sneaking up on them. Haha... with a bow and arrow. They took off into the woods. The first one bounded over this high fence. The second one squirmed underneath it. I have no idea how that deer got under that fence. There was no room.

After about 10 minutes I had a small deer walk right in front of my stand. I could have jumped down on top of it. I let that one go. I saw three deer later, but no opportunity for a shot. About 15 minutes after sunset (15 minutes left of hunting), I saw what I thought was a horse. It turned out to be a large doe. I've gotten used to hunting in NC when I see a large doe and think it's a horse. :-) It was definitely the largest doe I've seen in NC.

It took about 5 minutes for the doe to wander down in front of my stand. My shot was bang on. It took awhile to find her though, because my flashlight had been bumped and turned on in my backpack. I'm out in complete darkness searching for this doe with a dimly lit flashlight.

I got home around 9 p.m. and the butchering and packaging started. Nana and I didn't get into bed until after midnight. It made for an early morning when my alarm went off at 6 a.m., and I had to start preparing to preach at church. Jerry Daley gave me some sage advice, "Don't hunt the evening before you preach." Years of wisdom and experience speaking.

Gabriela's Birthday!

Yes, another birthday. Gabriela is 4 today! If you've been following the blog this month, you can probably guess it: Gabriela and I are going out for breakfast now. We're going to break tradition and not go to Breadmen's - probably Carolina Coffee Shop. More coming on Gabriela's birthday.

Gorgeous weather in North Carolina these days. We've been soaking it in at the Vinar household. I love it when it turns cold. Summer is snapped. Drink it in. I haven't been out hunting again, but this weather makes it very inviting. :-)

Nathan's Birthday

Yesterday was Nathan's birthday. We had a bash at our house last night. Nana and I didn't get to bed until 1 a.m. Okay, I'm getting old. I felt it today.

We had a quiz de Nathan's birthday. Justin DeJong shocked the crowd by only getting one wrong.

Opening Day - 1 for 1!

Archery season opened today for deer. I wasn't in a stand this morning though as I woke up in a tent at Falls Lake. The camping trip was Joseph's birthday party. It was a great night for camping and fishing. Joseph reeled in several sun fish. Kendrick Jr. caught a small mouth bass. Andy Klischer caught two catfish on the bottom. Nathan got an award for effort. I put on worms and took pictures.

Tonight I went out bow hunting. The main purpose was to visit my stand and clear some shooting lanes. I hadn't shot my bow until this afternoon. I took about 10 shots and was pleased that I was definitely in the zone. I got into my stand 50 minutes before sunset. I was pouring sweat from cutting some shooting lanes - wearing no camo. 30 minutes later I had a nice doe sneak up on me - I saw her for the first time at about 5 yards. I had to wait for several minutes until I got a shot.

Here's the bow tip for the day. You need to aim high inside of about 8 yards. I used to practice really close shots. My bow was sighted in so that it'd go low at close range, perfect at 8 yards, then a little high, and then perfect at 20 yards, then fade off low.

So that's my excuse why I missed shooting straight down at a deer inside 5 yards. The doe was startled by the shot but ran off only to about 25+ yards. I aimed high on her back and nailed a perfect shot.

Steaks are marinating for tomorrow. Ground venison, roasts, and some steaks are air sealed and in the freezer. Fun way to start the season. :-)

Joseph's Birthday

Joseph turned 8 today! We went to Breadmen's and Caribou before the worship meeting at church at 9 a.m. He had a good day with Nana at the house. He's having a guitar lesson now with Nathan. Tonight Jerry and Nan are coming over for a party.

Tomorrow we go camping! Ahhh... Please pray for me. Josh Klischer is coming along. Hopefully his dad Andy and maybe Nathan will come too. :-)

Pictures coming.

A Week of Mourning

"Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!"
-2Sam. 1:19

If you see me in black this week, it's because I'm in mourning. After 264 weeks straight, Tiger Woods has been dethroned as the number 1 ranked golfer in the world. Yes, over five years at the top. How the mighty have fallen!

Great Photography Sites

I've been enjoying my new Nikon D70 for the past few months. I've had an interest in photography for a long time. I had a darkroom in my basement as a teenager. I took a photography class in college. My interest was resurrected when I switched to digital two years ago. This summer we took a lot of pictures on our vacation out West. I came back wanting to upgrade my ability to capture the look I desire.

Photography taps into my creative artistic side. I love it. It's about having eyes to see. You capture a moment in time to convey a message. I look forward to learning more. I'm definitely enjoying the process. That's the great thing about art - there's no right answer. It's for my pleasure.

I've learned a lot from KenRockwell.com. He's straightforward and answers a lot of questions in his "How-To" section. I've also been reading some books on photography.

Two weeks ago I went to a steel mill in Virginia with Steve Schultz and his brother Mike. Mike is an amazing photographer. The past few years he's gotten into "industrial landscape". He's got a great eye, and a he's a great guy (no, I'm not getting into writing poetry). Steve has a PowerPoint presentation using his photos that demonstrate "Sight and the Kingdom of God." Very cool.

You can check out their work at:
Mike Schultz's website: www.schultzphotos.com
Steve Schultz's website: www.pbase.com/steveschultz

Patrick Davison is a professor of photojournalism at UNC and a member of Grace Church. We had lunch the other day. He pointed me to some great photo sites from some of his recent work. He had either led students who shot the photos, or he was on the team that shot the pictures. Enjoy!
www.chiloestories.org
www.tenyearson.org
www.endoftheroad.org
www.alivingstage.org

Another Generation

Kendrick Jr. launched his own blog this past week. He's having fun posting his thoughts each morning. Sometimes I look at my kids and go "Arrgh.. I've created a monster - a little me." They're great. Nana and I are endeavoring to enjoy them each day. I know it's always said "they grow up quickly", but we're seeing it more and more.

Please drop in and visit Kendrick Jr.'s blog at http://kendrickjr.blogspot.com. He'd love it if you left a comment.

Aliesha's Birthday!

Aliesha is 6 years old today. We went to breakfast at Breadman's this morning (Aliesha-n-Dadddy time). She had socks in her hair from last night to make curls. She's having a tea party with friends this afternoon. I'll post some pictures later today, but feel free to give her a call and wish her Happy Birthday!

The pictures are up. Aliesha had a good day. Tomorrow is biking with Grandpa and Grandma in the morning, nap, and family party late afternoon.

Aliesha's 6th Birthday Pictures

Playing in the Rain

Part of the beauty of homeschooling your kids is taking of advantage of opportunities. This morning there was a warm steady rain. All four kids went out and played in the rain. The boys are hauling water into the woods. I think school will start a little late today.

My parents are coming into town tomorrow.

Great Day Golfing

Curtis Campbell, Kendrick Jr., Joseph and I went golfing today. We had a great evening. The weather was perfect. I was hitting the ball as well as I have in a long time. I had a 3 wood, 6 iron to 9 feet on a par 5. I lipped my eagle putt. I will confess that golf is more enjoyable when you're playing well.

I posted a little gallery of 7 pictures. Check it out at: Golf Day

A New World - Panorama

Steve Schultz and Phil Cana are at Grace Church this weekend doing a prophetic presbytery. They pray over people in the church and share what they see from God. It's absolutely amazing to see lives changes as God speaks to these men details about people's lives. God's perspective is so encouraging and life-giving.

Steve and Phil are two of Clem Ferris' very good friends. Steve happens to be an avid photographer. We've been talking photography to the boredom of everyone around us. On Monday, I'll go with Steve and his brother Mike up to Roanoke, VA to shoot photos at a steel mill.

Steve and Mike do a lot of panoramic photography - mostly landscapes. I practiced today and made my first panorama (of my backyard). Not that exciting, but good practice. It's amazingly simple. I used to Photoshop Elements to sew the photos together.

Gmail's a coming!

Google is coming out with a new free e-mail service called "Gmail". They are shaking up the market. Watch out Hotmail and Yahoo. Gmail offers offers one gig of storage (1,000 megabytes). Compared to 20 megabytes at Yahoo. You'll never have to delete another e-mail message. You can archive them and use a google search to pull up e-mails. You can keep a running string of e-mails on any topic. Yahoo and Hotmail are having to respond. I got signed up for a test account through blogger. I like the feel of the interface. Gmail will do well.

I love free markets. Go spend a few weeks in Cuba or most any other nation and you'll appreciate America. We've got our problems, but God has blessed this nation. People have the freedom to introduce new products and concepts to compete with the establishment.

Canon introduced the digital Rebel and a year later the ripple effect is still being felt as the whole market had to respond to a digital slr with lens for $1,000.

Netflix introduced a new concept of unlimited movie rentals by mail. Others have tried to copy it (WalMart included). Blockbuster is finally responding offering a similar concept of unlimited rentals, two out at a time for $24.95 a month.

What creative ideas are inside of you? You may not change a segment of industry, but it may revolutionize your week or how you do vacations.

Aliesha and Daddy Time

Yesterday, it was Aliesha's turn to go out with Dad. We went to "our restaurant" - Top of the Hill. They gave Aliesha this coloring book which included a find and circle the word puzzle. So when Aliesha finished she made me one. I had to find and circle the words "Aliesha", "Dad", "Mom", and "Love". It was sooooo cute. So I made her one which she did at Caribou as she had her strawberry Ben-n-Jerry's ice cream and I sipped on my latte. Ahhh, my idea of parenting. :-)

We have some special meeting this week with Phil Cana and Steve Schultz. They are gifted prophetically and will be praying over several couples and individuals in the church. Of course, you have to keep the prophets happy so we will be dining at our house on Wednesday night and playing golf on Thursday.

Lunch with Gabriela

I took Gabriela out for lunch today (along with my camera). I shot some pictures of my sweet girl.

Pixs from lunch w/Gabriela

Kendrick Jr. and Joseph saved their pennies to buy a Lord of the Rings game for their computer. They FINALLY got to play it this afternoon. The kids get 30 minutes a day of computer or TV time. Guess what they'll be doing for the next few days (or maybe weeks). :-)