The Hopper Kids

Breaking the Rules

20 Feb ’12 By Christopher Hopper 12 Comments

The idea of “attending camp” has many memorable associations for me. Maybe it does for you too. Namely because you get to do things at camp you don’t get to at home.

Staying up late around a camp fire.

Running when you should be walking.

Wearing the same clothes for days on end and skipping the shower because you’re justified by all the swimming you do.

You get to break the rules.

Judah went with me through the breakfast buffet line at Watson yesterday, and what was the only thing he wanted?

A chocolate cupcake.

(Still not sure why they were set out in the first place. Guessing the kitchen staff believes in “attending camp” too).

So as a good dad I only had one choice to make: how many cupcakes should he have?

(Don’t worry moms – I only let him have one).

Sometimes it’s OK to break the rules. The spirit of boundaries is to help self-govern safety and promote life. But life can also be found in the joy of getting the privilege to do things “once in a while.” Certainly this isn’t license to commit sin, but it is permission to have fun with the people and things you love.

So in the midst of your normal routine today, look for a rule to break for your own sake. And when in doubt, have a cupcake for breakfast. ch:

Filed Under: culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: camp, cupcakes, examples, food, freedom, joy, judah, liberty, life, protection

Watson 2012

19 Feb ’12 By Christopher Hopper 28 Comments

Our final night at “Watson” – as it’s lovingly referred to by all those who attend – was both a joyous and spiritually provoking night.

Fewer audiences are as loud as those who come to Watson. The term “sheer worshipful pandemonium” comes to mind (see video). I love it.

And fewer audiences are as sincere.

Last night I changed gears about an hour before I was to speak. One of the mom’s was very humble but very bold and asked if I share Jennifer’s and my engagement story. It was during worship that the Lord made it clear that mom was spot on: God was eager for his kids to hear about singleness of heart and the perseverance it takes to truly seek God for his heartbeat.

After the meeting was over I spent another three hours praying for teens who’s lives needed a touch from the Lord. So many of the were set free; soul ties broken, deliverance, salvation, encouragement, it was glorious.

By the time I made it back to our room, my kiddos were down for the count (especially little Judah who spent two hours leaping into the deep end of the pool no fewer than 90 times).

This was a beautiful weekend all around. From spending some much needed time together as a family to watching the Holy Spirit move powerfully in the lives of those willing to be touched by his love, I chalk Watson 2012 up as a glorious success.

To all those who made it out, thank you for making some great memories with us. ch:

Filed Under: leadership, The Hopper Kids, travel Tagged With: conferences, Family, Watson Homestead

Don’t Delay Destiny

18 Feb ’12 By Christopher Hopper 6 Comments

Last night was our first meeting here at Watson Homestead in Painted Post, NY for the Southern Tier Youth Baptist Association’s annual Winter Retreat. Aside from two breaks, Jennifer and I have been coming to lead worship and speak for about nine years.

I was younger then, and had no kids. But this time around we decided we’d make it a family getaway. And I’m loving it.

Camping out in the same hotel room.

Eating meals in the cafeteria together.

Worshipping together.

And even ministering to people together.

Last night Eva and Luik had no problem jumping into the fray and praying for some teens during a time of altar-ministry. As their dad I was so encouraged.

Many times we see what we want to become “one day,” but often don’t take practical steps toward it. My kids’ prayers may not have been the most intellectually sound prayers, but they were sincere.

Our sincere attempts mean more to shaping our future than our wishful thinking.

Don’t just dream about what you want to become, ask God for the next step and be faithful to engage in that process with a bold and humble heart.

Sleeves up! ch:

Filed Under: leadership, The Hopper Kids, travel Tagged With: destiny, eva, future, luik, patience, prayer

Responding Authentically

15 Feb ’12 By Christopher Hopper 8 Comments

My sister and brother-in-law sent a Valentine’s Day picture greeting to my kids yesterday:

The kids responded in kind:

Knowing your audience is key when communicating.

Being authentic is key when responding.

ch:

Filed Under: business, culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: Joe Smith, Natalie Smith, pictures, Valentine's Day

Moving Creations from Deadly to Divine

24 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 13 Comments

Sometimes our greatest ideas can turn out to be lethal creations if left in their infant stages. Thus the importance of surrounded ourselves with people who can point out the dangers we often miss.

Three tips on the process of prepping for criticism:

1.) Map everything to its fullest as you see it in your head: Often we don’t get good input on a plan because we inadvertently leave out components we think are irrelevant. Sometimes the most fringe idea can make or break a project, and to the experienced eye, the most mundane things can sometimes be the most poignant, not the obvious.

2.) Give wiser, more experienced people 100% carte blanche: Nothing’s worse than having someone submit an idea that they’ve already made up their mind about. “So are you telling me or asking me?” is something we often say around our office. Make sure that people know they can have it it. Doing so will produce better ideas than you ever could have come up with on your own.

3.) Divorce yourself from your work in terms of self-adulation: No true artist, inventor, or producer can or should divorce themselves emotionally from what they’re making – doing so trumps the entire impetus of the creative process. But realizing your personal value is not bound in your ideas will go a long way in accepting critical feedback that’s essential to your project’s success. People that never finish are most often tying their self-worth to their ideas instead of who they are in Jesus. As a result thy are easily offended when hearing criticism, never realizing they’re killing their project by not receiving.

Don’t despise critique. Welcoming outside input is most often the greatest key to success (and keeps eyes from getting gouged out). ch:

Filed Under: business, culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: creative, critique, deadly, design, help, judah, lethal, marshmallows, methods, toothpicks

Commercial Value

16 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 19 Comments

In order to combat the onslaught of self-narcissistic gluttony that constantly assaults those living in these great United States, we talk to our kids often about children who live in the rest of the world without the comforts and blessings we have. When we tuck our kids in at night we pray for children without moms and dads – without houses or food or schools.

In the midst of watching some TV last night, a 3rd world assistance commercial came on. I noticed Eva seemed particularly concerned. But I didn’t say anything, wondering if she’d bring it up later. Some more humorous ads passed before our show came back on, including Terry Crews’ Old Spice commercial (in which his “mind gets blown”).

Finally at dinner Eva brought up the ad she’d seen.

“Daddy, did you see that commercial with those little kids?” she asked.

“Yes, Eva, I did,” I replied.

But before I could go anywhere else with the conversation, Luik added, “Daddy, did you see that commercial with guy’s head exploded?”

And there goes the mood. Jenny and I completely lost it.

Boys will be boys.

The worst part is I thought the commercial was hilarious too. He’s so my son.

As a closing comment, it’s worth noting that Luik is extremely grateful to live in the US. Just the other day he walked in the kitchen and asked, “Daddy, can I go to America someday?” (I think he’s been watching a little too much Fievel Goes West).

“Want to know a secret, Luik?” I knelt down close to him.

“Sure.”

“You live in America.”

His jaw dropped and he literally couldn’t talk. ch:

Filed Under: culture, hopper clan, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: 3rd world nations, america, eva, gratefulness, luik, Old Spice, Terry Crews

For Those Who’re Watching

2 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 18 Comments

Yesterday Judah and I worshipped together during third service at New Life. He’s often distracted by his older brother and sister, but since they were en route from Rochester with their mom, Judah’s singular focus was pretty neat to watch.

He would look up at me and do what I was doing.

It started with clapping.

Then some hopping.

Soon he was squinting his eyes, looking up at me to see what hand I was raising. I couldn’t figure out why he was squinting – honestly, it was super cute – until I realized I was squinting.

I couldn’t stand it any more and knelt down to hug him and tell him how good of a little worshipper he was being.

If you’ve felt convicted lately about not doing something you know you should be, please consider this: our deliberate efforts are often more about someone else’s gateway to success than our own.

While your actions may very well benefit you in some meaningful ways – financial, emotional, physical, or spiritual – they probably will benefit someone else far more profoundly.

So whether it’s the way you worship in church to that book you’ve always been getting around to writing to that exercise routine you’ve been delaying to that friend you’ve always said you’ll visit, do the people watching you a favor and start.

The best motivation is realizing some things we can’t do for ourselves. We can only do them for others. ch:

Filed Under: #heavenmeetsearth, culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids, worship Tagged With: actions, commitment, deliberate, dreams, judah, motivation, new year's resolutions, worship

He’s Prepared for You

1 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 5 Comments

Giving my readers a free go at Athera’s Dawn after almost five years of waiting was not only a great excuse to take a 38-day break from blogging daily, but it also let me focus more on my family during the holidays, as well as a few other big projects that needed my attention.

All that to say ‘thanks’ to you, my faithful readers, for coming back in this new year. I so appreciate your support and encouragement in continuing this blogging venture. I write intentionally for my audience every day. You’re the best.

My older two children spent a majority of their Christmas Vacation with their grandparents, leaving Judah (2.5 yrs) basically to fend for himself. And he’s enjoyed it immensely, having the house and all the toys to himself.

Yet as parents we realized one of the things the older two children provided was a bit of stability, a but of “normal.” And without that, some of the household habits needed to be amended.

One of those was the morning routine. Typically all the kids get up together and play, or make cereal if Dad’s not up yet. It’s kinda’ cute and it’s become a part of their culture. But in the absence of Eva and Luik being in the house, and given the opportunity for Dad and Mom to sleep in a little more with school out of session, we had to make plans for Judah.

Like setting a bottle out for him. Which he’d see, take, and go back to bed without knocking on our door at 5:30am.

In the Boy Scouts, we call that being prepared.

As adults, we call that planning ahead.

And as parents, we call that buying time.

But if that’s what we as earthly, imperfect parents do to plan for a little part of just one of our children’s days, imagine how much more the Lord has prepared for you and I in 2012.

He’s got your back. He’s has a plan for when you walk out of the door. Everything’s set, and he has your best interests in mind.

So for 2012, start it off right by throwing off anxiety and putting on comfort. Jesus knows what he’s doing on your behalf. ch:

Filed Under: #heavenmeetsearth, culture, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: 2012, happy new year, judah, preparation

The Hopper Kids Episode 5: Extreme Carpet Sledding

23 Dec ’11 By Christopher Hopper 1 Comment

Playing catch up on footage shot over the summer. With all this couch time (due to a recent surgery), I decided I shouldn’t keep fans of The Hopper Kids waiting any longer. Capturing their favorite summer activity at their grandparents farm was not only a lot of fun, but involved more than one bonk on the head from low hanging tree limbs. ch:

Filed Under: hopper clan, The Hopper Kids, video Tagged With: carpet, four wheeler, sledding, summer, uncle johnny

Pictures of History

23 Nov ’11 By Christopher Hopper 14 Comments

PICTURES BY JENNIFERHOPPERPHOTO.COM

I often wonder what history would have looked like if every era had DSLR cameras.

Can you imagine pictures and video of David and his Mighty Men? Forget 300, this was God’s version. Same would go for The Passion.

Or what about Vikings crossing the Atlantic? Time elapse videos of DaVinci’s murals complete with behind the scenes interviews? Live concert tours of Bach? Shakespeare? Or how did those pyramids really get built?

If their people had cameras, what era, moment, or personality would you like to see?

I guess this one why I’m so blessed by Jennifer’s work, with this two pics she took yesterday as examples. I’d like to think that if Jesus tarries in His return, and somehow our digital files and printed paper survive, I want future generations to remember the value and beauty of people. They’re what matter most. ch:

Filed Under: culture, pictures, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: dslr, history, legacy, Levi, people, photographs, time

Smiling Helps Everyone (Especially Single Guys)

19 Nov ’11 By Christopher Hopper 20 Comments

PHOTO BY: JENNIFERHOPPERPHOTO.COM

I figured out the key to Levi’s success with getting women to flock to him. For all my men out there, listen up.

First off, smiling is good for your health. And science proves it.

From lowering your blood pressure, increasing endorphin levels, lowering stress levels, boosting your immune system, and simply making you more attractive to the rest of the human race (come on, who doesn’t need a little of that?), smiling has a tremendous effect on your body and your mood.

Smiling is also good for the health of those who see you.

People who smile more often have a positive effect on their environment, and are better received by others (Abel, MH, Hester, R. (2002).

Dr. Nigel Carter, CEO of the British Dental Health Foundation, stated “We have long been drawing attention to the fact that smiling increases happiness both in yourself and those around you, so it is good to receive the backing of this scientific research. A healthy smile can improve your confidence, help you make friends and help you to succeed in your career.”

Yet why do so few of us smile?

While it may not be terribly surprising that women smile an average of 62 times per day, men only smile an average of 8 times per day. If spread over 16 hours of wake time, that’s 1 smile every 2 hours for us guys.

Bros, think we can step it up a little?

And yet 99.7% of adults (*which includes women) say an attractive smile is an important personal asset.

*FREE TIP OF THE DAY – To my single male readers out there: this research suggests that maybe the key to landing a bride is stepping up the amount you smile. She apparently not only likes to smile, but likes seeing others smile.

It’s this simple fact that has lead me to conclude precisely why Levi has so many women flock to him: he’s a professional smiler at the age of 7 weeks.

Lord, help me. ch:

SOURCES:

http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongbeauty/tp/smiling.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/18859-health-benefits-smiling/

http://health.ezinemark.com/smile-statistics-318ad3a9997.html

Filed Under: culture, pictures, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: attraction, attractive, babies, health, Levi, mood, smiling, statistics, stress

Cheese!

4 Nov ’11 By Christopher Hopper 15 Comments

My favorite past time at the moment is making Levi smile.

I got word from Jenny that he’d started while I was away in Switzerland – an interesting coincidence (more on that in a minute). His first few smiles were for his Grandma Jo-Jo, who was up helping Jenny in my absence. And it’s not surprising: Joanne is one of the kindest, most loving people I’ve ever known.

So upon my return home I was only too excited to get right in Levi’s face and start cooing and awing and blowing bubbles – acts which would be foolish to anyone else, but perfectly acceptable to a 6 week old. (Or perhaps he’s smiling because it’s foolish?).

The first time he smiled at me, the world stopped spinning.

And I wanted him to do it again.

And again.

Now I’m hooked on seeing him smile at me. The more frequently I get up close and make funny noises, the more easily he smiles; his interactions can almost be predicted (thus how I’m able to get a super adorable shot!).

But I realized, it’s not just Levi I like making smile.

While in Switzerland, I often speak on “Evangelizing through Smiling,” as the Swiss are incredibly “frowny” in public: but the moment you hold a smile on the street, they start smiling back.

And open up.

Isn’t it interesting that God put one of our greatest tools for affecting the condition of peoples’ spirits right on our face?

Try smiling today. You might be surprised at how much you receive, too. ch:

Filed Under: #heavenmeetsearth, culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: evangelism, joy, Levi, smiles, Swtizerland