Christmas Gifts, Part 1

For those of you that may be interested in Peter's toy interests as we approach Christmas, here is our assessment of a few of Peter's favorite things.

Peter's Top 10 Favorite Toys (of all-time)

10. Rings. You know, rings. The kind you stack on a stick.

9. The Barn. Its a little barn with animals and other stuffs.

8. George & Frank. A stuffed monkey and a stuffed turtle. We like to pretend they're Kong and Godzilla.

7. The Stick. The child's multi-tool, brought back from Mississippi. Popular uses: Sword, baseball bat, gun, magic wand, etc.

6. Tractor. A John Deere tractor he scoots around on.

5. Blocks. All kinds. He's okay with building, but prefers destroying Papa's feats of engineering genius.

4. Cars, Trucks, Busses, Planes. Loves the stuff.

3. Giant Tonka Truck. Awesome toy. He carts things around, bangs into walls and furniture, etc.

2. Balls. All kinds—and we do have all kinds.

1. Puppy. A stuffed animal he sleeps with and takes pretty much everywhere.

I don't think he's going to be much interested in new stuffed animals. The puppy is pretty much king, and he serves a very specific function. George and Frank have been on their way out for awhile. So have the rings.

As far as the stick goes, take this bit of insight from G.K. Chesterton:

Cast your eye round the room in which you sit, and select some three or four things that have been with man almost since his beginning; which at least we hear of early in the centuries and often among the tribes. Let me suppose that you see a knife on the table, a stick in the corner, or a fire on the hearth. About each of these you will notice one speciality; that not one of them is special. Each of these ancestral things is a universal thing; made to supply many different needs; and while tottering pedants nose about to find the cause and origin of some old custom, the truth is that it had fifty causes or a hundred origins. The knife is meant to cut wood, to cut cheese, to cut pencils, to cut throats; for a myriad ingenious or innocent human objects. The stick is meant partly to hold a man up, partly to knock a man down; partly to point with like a finger-post, partly to balance with like a balancing pole, partly to trifle with like a cigarette, partly to kill with like a club of a giant; it is a crutch and a cudgel; an elongated finger and an extra leg. The case is the same, of course, with the fire; about which the strangest modern views have arisen. A queer fancy seems to be current that a fire exists to warm people. It exists to warm people, to light their darkness, to raise their spirits, to toast their muffins, to air their rooms, to cook their chestnuts, to tell stories to their children, to make checkered shadows on their walls, to boil their hurried kettles, and to be the red heart of a man's house and that hearth for which, as the great heathens said, a man should die.

Now it is the great mark of our modernity that people are always proposing substitutes for these old things; and these substitutes always answer one purpose where the old thing answered ten.

Of course, that's not to belittle specialized tools. I wouldn't want my doctor to use the same knife to perform heart surgery as he does to butter his bread (unless he has the strange habit of using scalpels at the dinner table). But it is in praise of the "general." And we find it helpful to transfer the thinking over to toys. Sticks are good toys because they can be whatever they need to be to make the game work—and they can be transformed in an instant. So one good question to ask about a toy is, "How many different awesome things can a little boy transform this into?"

As far as little girls go... well... I have no idea. Just don't make her into too much of a pretty princess, okay?

ClearNote Fellowship

Since most of our readership is friends and family—who else would want to look at an endless stream of pictures of our kids?—I thought some of you might be interested in finding out a bit more about what Amanda and I have been doing for the past 2-3 years.

Most of you (I hope) know that I've been attending the ClearNote Pastors College. Most of you (probably) have no idea what that is. And even if you think you know, you might be a bit hesitant to check it out.

ClearNote Pastors College is a relatively new training institute for pastors. It's a ministry of ClearNote Fellowship, an umbrella organization (you might think of it like a denomination) that seeks to unite like-minded churches in an effort to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through church-planting, missions, and resources (books, conferences, music, etc.).

The great thing about CNPC is that it operates in the context of a local church—Church of the Good Shepherd in Bloomington, IN. That means the training can never be purely academic, because the academic training takes place in the context of the trenches of pastoral ministry.

Because of my work at ClearNote Pastors College, I've had the opportunity to help found ClearNote Campus Fellowship (CNCF) at Indiana University. The goal of CNCF is similar to the goal of the pastors college—to reconnect a vital ministry to the lifeline of the local church.

When I was a student at IU, I was actively involved in Campus Crusade for Christ.  However, as I began to grow in my faith, I began to see more and more my own need to be connected to a local church—where I could break out of my 20something bubble and be involved with families, children, and old folks. The more I grew in understanding of the importance of the local church, the more grieved I became over how many of my friends seemed to think being involved in campus ministries were an adequate substitute for the church. A supplement, sure, but never a substitute.

CNCF, then, is an attempt to bring the two together. It is a campus ministry that is based out of a local church (again, Church of the Good Shepherd). We bring the same benefits of any other campus ministry—we're active on campus, we have bible studies, large-group meetings, retreats, etc.—but we maintain a vital connection with our church. We encourage all of our students to attend worship services and Sunday School, to get involved in serving the church, attending small groups, and to become members.

Over the past 2 and a half years, CNCF has grown from 8-10 students to around 60. Nearly all of our students are actively involved in campus ministry and in the life of our church. They are members, they attend small groups, they serve in the nursery, sing in the choir, teach Sunday School, play with the worship band, and much more. God has richly blessed the work.

I took over as Campus Director of CNCF in the Fall of 2008 after Joseph Bayly, a dear friend of ours, graduated from CNPC and began making plans to plant a church in Indianapolis.

Like all non-profit organizations, ClearNote Fellowship and ClearNote Pastors College are largely funded by the donations of private individuals. And like all campus ministers, my work is largely funded by donations from private individuals and a part time job.

As we approach the holidays, would you consider helping to support these vital ministries financially? If so, you can find out more by visiting the "Support Us" section of the ClearNote Fellowship website, or email me at "jacob[dot]mentzel[at]gmail[dot]com."

Thanks, Doc

Together with his wife Claire, Dr. Philip Crooke has helped us navigate two successful pregnancies. We love him.

Methinks the lady...

Apparently, our basketball goal doubles as a clothes line... for homemade cloth diapers. No, we're not hicks.

Ahem... No, we are not hicks.

I said we're not hicks.

No, we're not hippies, either.

The responsible party:

ClearNote Conference

Many of you have probably noticed the links on the right-hand sidebar to websites that have the word(s) "ClearNote" in them. ClearNote Pastors College (CNPC) is where I'm going to school. ClearNote Campus Fellowship (CNCF) is the campus ministry that I started (and now lead) with a couple fellow pastors college students to minister to students at Indiana University. ClearNote Fellowship is the umbrella organization that oversees all of it.

In addition to overseeing the pastors college, ClearNote Fellowship plants churches, provides pastors and missionaries with accountability, and produces resources for God's people—including books and music (like the free Good Shepherd Band cd we linked to a couple of months ago).

This weekend ClearNote Fellowship is hosting its first annual conference, "Standing in the Gap." Andy and I are heading up to Bloomington early tomorrow morning for the Friday and Saturday sessions. You should come if you can make it. The conference is cheap—only $10.

Brutus, the Bold yet Blundering Buck

Meet Brutus. Everyone say, "Hi, Brutus!" Very good.

If Peter were older, Brutus would have funny stories told about him all the time. There would be all kinds of stories of his days out in the wild. Perhaps he was a deer of great courage and valor. Perhaps he made a habit of fighting off wild beasts and crazed bucks of a very dangerous sort to protect many does and fawns. Then again, perhaps he was a great bumbling doofus. You never know.

There would definitely be stories about what he does at night when we're asleep and stories of what he does when we're not looking. That goes without saying.

And of course, there would be the best story of all: How Brutus came to be stuck in our wall. I bet I'd hold off on that story for a long, long time. Meaning, I'd never tell it and always leave it hanging over the kids' heads.

Now go ahead and ask the question: "Why Brutus?" And, of course, prepare to be dazzled:

1. Because it had to start with "B," duh.
2. Because "Buckshot," "Bucko," and "Buckethead" were all too obvious and one-dimensional.
3. Because "Bluto" just didn't seem to work, unless we're going to work Popeye into every story.
4. A Brutus could have some awesome stories told about him.
5. Because it happened to be the first thing that popped out of my mouth, so it's what we're stuck with.

Unfortunately, Peter doesn't get it yet, so there are no Brutus stories to be told. Aren't you sad? Okay, okay, you win. There's one story to be told:

Brutus is the stupid name we gave the antlered fraction of stuffed carcass hanging on our cabin wall. Surprise!

Finis.

Update + Random Pictures

This past week was Vacation Bible School, and we were blessed to have a couple of college students from IU down to help. They were awesome!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of VBS to show you. So, in light of that utter disappointment, I'll put up some random shots I took with my phone:

This is from one of the craziest storm systems I've ever encountered, and it's not even the half of it.

We took a trip with the Halsey's to Memphis not long after we got here. On the way home we got stuck in a random storm on I-55. The clouds above us were first rolling, then spinning. At one point we were able to look directly into the center of what looked like a whirlpool. No joke. The van shook, and traffic stood still. We were able to make it another few miles before we were stuck in traffic for a good 30 minutes waiting for emergency workers to clear the interstate of fallen trees.

Fortunately, we made it home safely, and were back in time to watch the above cloud formation pass over our cabin. I wish I had a better picture of it. It's just a long, long line of clouds that stretch very high vertically. But the cloud line couldn't have been longer than 50 yards. It was moving swiftly, and I literally could run to one side or the other of it. And the sky was clear on either side.

This is a very dirty Peter who had been roaming around Uncle Andy's shop while he recharged our a/c units.

Peter's Christmas: Another Option

Around Thanksgiving, I posted some gift ideas for Peter. If you've visited the Amazon gift-list, you may have noticed that since then, Amanda has added some music in addition to the books. Don't miss that. But although Christmas is only a few days away, I'm writing tonight to provide you with a gift option that's a little bit bigger than toys, books, and cds.

Given Peter's general lack of wants, and given Amanda's and my current lack of means, another Christmas present you might consider is a monetary investment in Peter's future. It may well be that there may not be a better time to get into the market—Warren Buffet certainly thinks so. Since several of you have already contacted us about this, let me explain our position.

First, let me say that I'm very hesitant to present this option. Here's why: If Peter proves to be a fool, handing him a sum of money at 18 or 21 will prove to be a curse to him rather than a blessing. Even if Peter is an extraordinarily wise young man, handing him a sum of money at 18 or 21 may still prove to be a curse to him.

It is extremely important for a young man to learn to work and to provide for his own needs. It is good for him to learn that harvests only come after a long, hard summer with the hand set to the plow. This is the way God made the world, and it is meant to teach us about heavenly realities. It is good for a young man to have brushes with poverty, and to learn to rely on God, who provides richly for all of his needs. It is good for him to learn that man doesn't live by bread or mammon alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It is much better and more satisfying for any man to eat bread that he earned by the sweat of his own brow than it is for him to feast off of another man's dime.

On the other side of this is the blessed humiliation that comes with depending on the provision of others. It is certainly the case that those who would give their lives in service to God's people most frequently rely on the abundance of others to provide for their families. God made it that way for a reason. And it is a good and humbling discipline for any man worth his salt. In fact, if looking to the abundance of others in order to feed his family does not assault a minister's pride, and if he's not willing to work with his own hands to enable him to continue in ministry, he's probably a lazy free-loader who should never be entrusted with the care of any man's soul.

If God continues to lead Amanda and I on our current path, this is the environment that Peter will probably grow up in. If a young man growing up in this environment learns early that there is nothing a man has that God hasn't given to him, learns early the steady discipline of hard work, and learns the secret of being content in all circumstances, the financial provision of others may prove to be a tremendous blessing to him—one that enriches his life and enables him to do things for God's Kingdom and for his family that he would be otherwise unable to do. It might be a blessing that causes him to bow his knees to his Heavenly Father for such rich provision. There is no guarantee that Peter will be this kind of young man, though Amanda and I both pray and trust that God would use our feeble efforts to make him so.

But if you intend to invest financially in Peter's future, I want you to do it wisely and soberly, knowing that the physical investments you make will have spiritual consequences in Peter's life, whether for good or for bad. Of course, understand that money is just a tool. It is not evil. I'm not arguing that at all. If Peter turns out to be a fool, it won't be the money that corrupts him. God gives us amazing gifts every day that we turn to our own corrupt purposes. And some gifts are more dangerous (or risky) than others. That doesn't make the gift or the giver evil. If you choose to put money away for Peter's future, and Peter blows it on prostitutes and drugs, Peter will be the one who answers for it.

But I want each of us to deal with the reality that we're all materialists who don't really believe that it is better to be poor and godly than rich and wicked. We don't really believe that actions should have consequences, and that fools should learn wisdom by their failures. So we fork over billions of dollars to corrupt lending institutions and incompetent auto corporations in order to keep them afloat and spare ourselves some short-term difficulties. The reality is that what the United States government is doing right now is only a morality play of how we deal with our own wayward children. For us, it starts by not disciplining them as small children and it ends... does it end? In this way, we stamp our seal of approval on their folly and ensure that they never learn the lesson of the farmer: God is not mocked—whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. We teach them that there will never be a day of reckoning where every man will give an account to God for what he has done in this life. We teach that actions have no consequences. And we prove that we don't really love our children. This is what it now means to be Americans.

So, now that I've said that... If you're interested in investing financially in Peter's future, we have a plan. We've opened a UTMA account in Peter's name with Raymond James. At first glance, the UTMA may seem like a poor option when compared to a Coverdale, 529, or other options, so let me briefly explain the logic. The problem with education accounts is that although they provide great tax benefits, their usage is extremely limited. This is a huge disadvantage when you consider the trajectory of our nation toward socialized post-secondary education (what do you think subsidized loans are?). Think of it this way: If you have $20,000 of disposable assets and your options are to take a chunk out of your government subsidized student loans at .025% interest or to take a chunk out of your mortgage at 7% interest, which way would you prefer to direct your assets? I'd rather take a chunk out of the mortgage or pay cash for a car. If the money were invested in a 529, for instance, there wouldn't even be an option. It would go towards education. But since we have absolutely no clue what the education/home/auto markets will actually look like 18-20 years from now, it is better to keep Peter's assets as flexible as possible. The UTMA provides this freedom and flexibility, but it also presents its own problem: it does so without the tax shelter of standard education accounts. So our plan is to temporarily take advantage of the freedom and flexibility of the UTMA while taxes aren't an issue (it will take awhile before any income made off of this account is taxable), and to then transfer the funds over to a Roth IRA when Peter is old enough. This will provide Peter with the best combination of tax benefits and flexibility. Yes, we can actually do that.

For the especially curious, the funds that any individual invests in this account will be directed to a medium growth mutual fund with American Funds. American Funds is an old fund family with conservative principles, a disciplined approach to investment, an outstanding management structure, incredibly low average expenses, and funds that consistently best the competition by 1-2%. Although they have high front-end loads, after counsel and research, I personally think they're the best and most stable option in the current financial climate.

If you're interested in giving Peter a monetary gift, and you're comfortable with our investment strategy, you can email me at jacob[dot]mentzel[at]gmail.com, and I'll provide you with the details you need.

I'm writing this blog post from the home of Doug Ummel, our financial advisor. We've been house-sitting for his family all week, and it's been a wonderful get-a-way for Amanda and me. If you're interested in sound, biblical financial counsel, I couldn't commend a more wise and godly man to you.

What Peter needs for Christmas...

It's Christmas time, and this year will be Peter's first. Naturally, many of you are wondering what the boy needs. I'm writing to help you out.

First, let me tell you that Peter doesn't need much. Yes, yes, you can buy him clothes and toys if you want. I know it's hard for some of you to resist picking up something cute you see on sale. But we think the biggest need for Peter right now is... (drum roll)... BOOKS! He hardly has any! (Seriously). More on that later.

But first, for those of you with a penchant for clothes-shopping, Peter is just now stepping into the 9-12 month range. And if you're insisting on buying toys, we've got a couple guidelines to help you in the decision making process. (These aren't hard and fast rules, just guidelines!):

1. Simplicity is a virtue. We're not much into bells and smells and flashy lights. Leave some room for the imagination to work!

2. Substance rocks. We're also not much into funny plastic stuff. Some plastic stuff is great. But wood and metal work best. You know, stuff that's solid. Stuff that can be thrown around and beaten up: blocks, trucks, and balls.

3. Little boy hands are for building, fixing, and protecting. We're convinced that playing is for learning, not just entertaining (surprise!). And kids-play is at its best when it's imitating life. That's why little girls play dress-up and house. It's why little boys pretend to be heros and firefighters and dragon-slayers and army guys and carpenters and mechanics. Believe it or not, that kind of stuff is already starting with little guys like Peter. So a good question to ask is, "Is this toy for building, fixing, or protecting?"

But if you REALLY want to get Peter stuff he needs, then read on.

Little boy hands are for playing and building and fixing and protecting. But little boy minds need to be trained to love wisdom and to think well.

Little boy eyes need to be taught to appreciate beauty.

Little boy hearts need to be taught to love God and honor his parents.

What's better for that than some great books?

So since Peter doesn't have many books, we've put together a little wish-list for him over at Amazon:

In fact, we've had an Amazon wish-list on the side bar of this blog since before Peter was born! The great thing about using the wish-list is that you never have to wonder if we have the book yet or not. Once you purchase a book off the list, it lets everyone know (just like a standard gift-registry).

So, are you excited about buying some great Christmas presents for Peter? Good! Click on the button and buy away! 

[Just a note: the books we've selected really aren't in any kind of order. They're just on there. You'll notice that some are probably much more appropriate for Peter's current age than others. We don't care. We'll add some even more mature books as he ages. Either way, we expect to get some good use out of anything currently on the list. As you can see, we're after the classics. Also, we're open to suggestions, so if you see something missing from the list that's a must-have, post a comment. It may be that we already have it, but it may also be that we overlooked it! Of course, we may have deliberately overlooked it, in which case your mentioning it would make for a slightly awkward situation. I can handle it if you can.]

And now for something completely different...

A good friend sent me this link, and it was so hysterical I had to pass it on. Here's the plug:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.