Missing Joe

Posted on: 07/15/20 12:41 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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On Sunday our world was ripped apart.

My youngest daughter Ashley has been living with us while her husband Joe was deployed in Afghanistan. Sunday morning two uniformed soldiers arrived at our door to tell us Joe died the day prior. Their baby, Ashton Joseph Allbaugh is due September 10th.

We don’t even have any words to express what we’re feeling. We’re all a little numb. We just depend on God who is the God of all comfort and cling to the hope we have in Him, and knowing Joe is with Him right now.

I guess one thing we can all say… we miss Joe. We miss his smile and the way he made us laugh.

Everyone has been so supportive and honoring Joe in so many ways.

Ashley and Ashton will be living with us as long as they need. I praise God she has family gathered around her right now, our family, Joe’s family, and our church family. Thank you all for your prayers and support through this time.

PLEASE PRAY…

  • Please pray for Ashley, her health these last two months of pregnancy and for strength during this incredibly painful time.
  • Please pray for Joe’s entire family, especially his parents Larry and Laura, wonderful parents who have always treated Ashley like a daughter and I know will be amazing grandparents to Ashton as well.
  • And please pray for Lori, myself, and my parents who all live on the same property together with Ashley—and soon Ashton—four generations on one property. Pray that we can surround her with love during this unfathomable loss.

Thank you so much for your prayers. And thank you for understanding—I will be off the grid for a while.

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Getting Fatter by the Day

Posted on: 04/13/20 5:46 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Do you know what research I’d love to see? How much weight everyone is gaining during this pandemic.

Maybe it’s just me, but all this time being sequestered in my house… I’m eating! Not just my wife’s delicious banana cream pie she made us all for Easter (oh man, that was good!), but carbs upon carbs every day.

Perhaps these are just coping mechanisms. After all, our world is seeing a surge in depression, domestic violence…all results of people being cooped up. Lori and I aren’t fighting more, we’re just Continue reading “Getting Fatter by the Day”

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My 7 Atypical 2020 Resolutions

Posted on: 01/1/20 2:21 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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It’s 2020, and as I look forward to this year I’m hoping to see clearly (dare I say, I’d like to see 20/20?)

Here are 7 habits I’m going to work on this year…most of them ones you won’t typically see on other people’s lists of New Year’s resolutions:

1. Back into all parking spaces:
I’ve dabbled with this in the past, but have been hesitant because it always irritates people in other vehicles. I’ve had people flip me off, mouth recognizable insults, and the most common retaliation Continue reading “My 7 Atypical 2020 Resolutions”

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Top 10 List: What I Learned at the Raiders/Broncos Game in Oakland Last Night

Posted on: 09/9/19 11:05 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Last night we went to the Broncos game in Oakland…sitting in the nosebleeds!

I had heard numerous stories about Oakland fans, but this was my first opportunity to experience them firsthand.

Here’s my top list of what I observed:

10. Antonio Brown is not a popular fellow in Oakland

9. People on parole certainly do enjoy football

8. More Raiders players prayed at the beginning of the game than Broncos players.

7. A person can get high on second-hand smoke (and I hope I don’t need a drug test anytime soon)

Continue reading “Top 10 List: What I Learned at the Raiders/Broncos Game in Oakland Last Night”

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Going Deeper

Posted on: 01/31/19 3:22 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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I’ve always been a fan of using questions to open the doors of dialogue. But sometimes I forget how powerful they can be.

Last week I was in a corner booth at a local pizza place with four 8thgrade boys. The conversation was typical middle school boys—all over the place.

“Hey man, look at my new phone case!”

“I got one too, see?”

“I got it for Christmas.”

“Do you know what I got for Christmas? Your mom!”

Continue reading “Going Deeper”

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Lori in the hospital

Posted on: 01/15/19 1:26 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Many of you already read on my Facebook page that we had a crazy weekend–while I was in St. Louis speaking, Lori was rushed to the hospital to have her appendix removed.

The surgery went well, but her recovery has been a little slower than expected. Doc said even though her appendix hadn’t ruptured, it had turned nasty and adhered to her bowel and started spreading the nasty (I paraphrase). So her bowel was really angry at her and the docs were trying to fight it with antibiotics Continue reading “Lori in the hospital”

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My baby is getting married

Posted on: 05/7/18 6:28 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Last weekend was a huge answer to prayer… or I should say an answer to a HUGE prayer Lori and I have been praying since my daughter Ashley was a baby:

“Lord, we pray for the man you have for Ashley.”

Last Friday night, that prayer was answered, and my baby girl got engaged to an amazing young man!

Some of you remember seeing Ashley grown up. She often traveled with me at my parent workshops, and even helped with some of the parenting videos we did on YouTube. Well, Ash is Continue reading “My baby is getting married”

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Fires a little too close to home

Posted on: 12/11/17 3:34 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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The fires are raging once again here in California, and it’s hitting where both my daughter’s live. Luckily, they both came home (up here in NorCal).

Here’s a quick satellite shot of the fire raging from Ventura toward Santa Barbara.

My oldest daughter is on mandatory evacuation Continue reading “Fires a little too close to home”

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10 Flight Tips If You Actually Want to Get There

Posted on: 11/20/17 4:35 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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This year I flew over 100,000 miles, mostly domestic. That means a lot of security lines, boarding groups, layovers… and bad airport food. It also means learning a few tricks of the trade actually getting from A to B (while many others were stuck in A for days at a time).

I’ve been doing this for two decades now, and in those years I’ve learned a lot of travel lessons the hard way. I’ve also observed a lot of people missing flights and having their vacations completely ruined for one simple reason…

Ignorance.

That’s not an insult… I mean it in the true sense of the word. They just didn’t know better because no one had ever told them vital information… like if you are Continue reading “10 Flight Tips If You Actually Want to Get There”

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