An Ode to Olive

At just under five feet (4’ 10” but please don’t tell her) she stands taller than nearly anyone I know.

She is the matriarch of our big, fun-loving Catholic family.

My grandmother turned 88 this month and she deserves to be celebrated.

Olive Alzera Morte was born in the little town of Paia on Maui on October 8, 1926. She was the ninth of nine children; she was raised in paradise before it was truly recognized.

Sadly, her father the hard working sugar plantation manager died when she was only eight years old.
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Dad & Me (replay)

In honor of Father’s Day I thought it’d be fun to re-post one of my favorite podcasts of all-time.

My dad, Norm Jones, sat down with me a couple years ago and we talked about dad stuff:

  • Playing with your kids
  • Band Concerts
  • What’s better: Being Dad or Papa?

 

I’m grateful my dad broke the cycle of divorce, instability & abuse for me and my siblings.

His decision to build a healthy marriage has had and will continue to have a positive impact on our family for years to come.

http://andyjoneslive.com/audio/andyjoneslive6-14-12.mp3

 

Love you dad and Happy Father’s Day.

I Don’t Know What We’re Yelling About!!!

One of my favorite characters from the Anchorman movies is Brick Tamland.

He’s friendly, agreeable and smiles all the time.

He also rarely knows what’s going on around him.

In one particular scene an argument has erupted in the newsroom and because Brick doesn’t want to be left out he chimes in with one of my favorite lines from the first movie, “I don’t know what we’re yelling about!”

After more yelling Brick bursts in again with, “Loud noises!”

It’s these two lines that perfectly illustrate some weekday mornings at my house as Stacey and I prepare for work and to get the kids to school.
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Complete Nonsense

How many pounds tall are you?

How many inches do you weigh?

What’s your net worth in ounces?

Does this sound like complete nonsense to you?

It should.

After all, the wrong measurements are being used to answer some fairly standard questions.

The truth is, it’s equally foolish and nonsensical to try to measure and define a person’s value using questions like these:

How much money do they make a year?

What kind of car do they drive?

How high up the corporate ladder have they climbed?

Our identity is not found in our place of employment.

Our value is not found in our net-worth.

Do you want to know how valuable you really are?

1 Corinthians chapter seven says,

“God paid a high price for you.”

He gave His life for you.

He loved each of us enough to lay down His life so we could live.

What about your identity?

1 John 3.1 says,

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!”

We are loved by God.

We are members of His family.

We are valued.

We are loved.

We find our true identity in Him.

I hope this serves as an encouraging reminder of who you really are in Christ.