**Mustard Seed Distributed**

After three years, I finally got the chance to run the memorial "Tunnels to Towers" 5k this year. Some of you may have heard me talk about the fact that I thought it would be a really cool race to participate in as you start in Brooklyn - run through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, and end up at the World Trade Center sight in Lower Manhattan. And it was even cooler than I expected. It certainly is something to see over 30,000 people bobbing up and down race style as far as you can see in the tunnel and beyond. But it was way more than a race or just a 5k experience for me. The race is in memory of a firefighter from NYC whose name was Stephen Siller, and this year marked the 10 year anniversary. I was happy to support a great cause - their desire is to "Do Good" and "Counter Evil". Their foundation does many things and supports fireman, servicemen fighting terrorists, etc., and basically brings good to this world. So I was thrilled to support them, a...

This is my life. To live. To be present in this moment. Today is my day to live. I can breathe. I can walk upright. My mind is working. (Alright, most of the time.) Although superstar sweats out our lack of budgeting, we are able to pay the rent. Put food on the table. I am gainfully employed in a job that I love to do. I have an incredibly beautiful wife, and if I do say so myself, some pretty cute kids. I enjoy living in my community, and have some great friendships in my neighborhood, in my city, even across this great country. I was reminded of the beauty of life this week when TBrown sent me a photo of their beautiful newborn baby. Just looking at that photo reminded me of the struggles of life, and the great joy that God leads us to in life. In having life to the full. John 10:10 reminds us of this: John 10:10 - 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.' This life always seems to lea...

Not often that I feel compelled to just love my wife. (I'm just being honest, gosh.) That is mostly due to the fact that she is a very independent person that isn't needy. But I don't think I thank her enough. I don't think I praise God enough for giving me the perfect wife to meet all my needs and desires in this lifetime. Did I mention that she is Hot with a capital R? Thanks to pastors (yup - it had been plural for a while now) I was encouraged to make sure that with the flexibility of my new schedule to engage with the superstar each week. To calendarize the priority of spending time with her - and just engaging with each other in our lives. We have been doing it for a month or so. Nothing big - just go get a coffee and chat. OK, truth is I do most of the listening. That's just how it is. (Did I mention Terrace Bagels are generally part of the equation?) But today I am reminded of just how much God loves me by spending time thinking about how fortun...

Yesterday indeed was one of the best days I have had in Brooklyn in my whole life. If you follow MSD, you know that doesn't seem all that strong of a statement since we are going into year 3 here, but nonetheless, it was a fantastic day. Thanks to Chuck and Gerardo for coordinating the back end work it takes to get approval from the city, police, etc. to shut down our street and have a 'block party'. They really are a couple of great guys that really have a care for this neighborhood, and it is just a glimpse to me of how us New Yorkers take ownership of our neighborhoods and our streets - and look out for each other. That happened to a certain extent in MI, but it is a much deeper, more profound care here in my eyes. So as we sat on our street, superstar and I were able to make new connections with neighbors we have not yet met, able to deepen connections we already had, and very much enjoy the day with our block. You can see in the photos some of the great things we...

Again as I ran this week, Jesus confirmed to me that He is indeed my workout partner. If I am in an emotional/mental state where I really check out of this world, I can really engage with God on my runs, and it is really cool to worship Him and listen to Him as I sweat and pant and push myself. Unfortunately, the park has a ton of trees down from Hurricane Irene - so typical paths are not quite typical right now. You may think 'oh, i'll run down this trail.' Dead end - tree felled across the path. Turn around, down the next. Nope - felled again. So sometimes when I run, I think - ok, God, which way should I go? A lot like I try to do in my life. Which way? Where do I go? What path do I take? Many times it is really clear to me - many times not so much. So I keep hitting felled trees. And I make the correlation between my run and my life. (If you've followed me for a while, you are saying to yourself - "Um. Capital Duh T$. Capital Duh.") So tru...