What Was I Thinking?

The old saying goes, "O Ye of little faith..." Well, I was "Ye" on Friday. In preparations for our annual Pancake Dinner and Silent Auction, we ask the Sunday School classes and Ministry groups of the church to create and donate "theme baskets" that we can use as the items for bid in the auction itself. I was struggling because we had what appeared to be less participation than in years past. However, we also had a few baskets that exceed what I call the "creativity quotient" of the past, as well.

So, what I had was an option to see the positive side of things and be excited for the new creativity and the buzz of excitement that was coming from several of the groups and individuals that participated, or I could simply look at numbers on a page and get worried that our efforts to raise funds would fall short of previous years.

I must admit sheepishly that even though I tried to keep it positive, I ended up on the numbers side of things more than I wish I had. Before we got started, I was already convinced that we were not going to do as well as we have in the past.

This is the point in the writing in which sound effects and bright lights would be good. Here's where I freely put these words out there of my own accord: I WAS WRONG! In spite of what looked like fewer baskets on the tables, people showed up, made generous donations, and exceeded not only my expectations, but numbers from the past years. In fact, the numbers are not even important. I heard so many positives about the atmosphere and the fellowship and the fun among all those that participated, that regardless of how we did financially, the night was a success.

So, for anyone that might have detected or suffered from my attitude, I apologize. I usually tell others to remain positive and avoid thinking negatively, and here I was doing the same. My only hope is that in this public apology I can offer another lesson: Be humble and admit when you're wrong.

This mistake has given me a "refresher" course on faith and how God is bigger than the odds. When we simply rely on the worldly things and the circumstances of life apart from God, then yes, we will be inclined to be disappointed and see only the negatives. BUT, if you draw on the hope and faith that comes from God, and put all your expectations on Him, then you will have a hard time being disappointed, because God will work to bless your heart and touch your life in any and all situations.

Moving Stinks...I think

We finally bought a house. We've lived in the area for about two-and-a-half years, and with the market being down just a bit, we were able to get a house that we like alot, and got a great deal! Unfortunately, when you buy a house, it usually means you have to then move to the house to live inside of it. Which also means packing, and loading, and unloading, and unpacking--blehck!

We have all of our junk in the new house, and I dare say we are probably around 65% unloaded, but as soon as I say that, I'll discover a whole new mess of boxes that need to be relocated within the house and opened and all of that. Oh well...it's a good thing.

Here's my issue. I'm not sure if there is something inside of the house or what, but just days after moving in, my allergies kicked into overdrive, and as a result, I've had a really runny, stuffy nose, along with itchy eyes and that itch in the top of my mouth/back of my throat that you just can't get to go away! If moving stinks--I sure can't smell it!

It may have been mowing the grass for the first time, which coinsides with the allergy attack. It could be that there are about 900 flowers and plants around our new yard. Looks nice, but wreaks havoc on me! Or, horror of all horrors, the previous owner had a cat that we didn't know about, and the cat remnant in the ventilation ducts could be messing with me. Who knows? I could probably just go to an allergist and start getting shots, but that's about as appealling to me as having dental work done with a jack-hammer.

But, in spite of my less-than-desirable sinus issues, I'm enjoying the aspects of a new place. I like that it was my yard to mow. I enjoy that I worked for three hours in overgrown bushes with thorns to try and make the backyard more enjoyable for my boys. I think we inherited a beautiful yard with wonderful colors and plant life. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Once we get a good rain, and the pollen in the air dies down a bit, I should start to feel better. After we've changed out the air filters a few times inside the house, any existing cat dander (if any) will start to lose it's potency. But, even after they are gone, I'll still have a home to call my own. God has provided a wonderful place for my family and I to live. We like it, we're happy, and we can see the hand of "Providence" in our lives, taking care of us.

Too many times, we let the little things right in front of our faces block out the wonder that is beyond ourselves. I have decided that sniffles and all, I'm looking past my nose, and enjoying the blessings of what God is doing in my life right now!

Color me...

I was a little blue the other day. Literally. My boys and I were coloring eggs for Easter, and as I was helping them, I barely touched the blue dye with one finger for about half of a second, and it stained my finger for two days. TWO DAYS! Less than one second of contact with the dye left it's mark for 48 hours. I was amazed that something so seemingly insignificant could leave such a powerful reminder of what I had been doing.

Here's the part where I started thinking...because that's my thing. I like to analyze and overthink everything. Maybe somewhere I could be accused of being an educator, but I look for the "teachable moments" in the mundane things of life. I didn't necessarily gain anything extraordinary right away. In fact, it was later on that I made the connection.

Several days after the "Blue Dye Incident," as I've come to call it--I can be a bit dramatic at times--I read an editorial about songs that get in your head and stay there for days and days. Suddenly, all the synapses fired, and the connection was made.

You see, with some songs, it only takes hearing a split-second or a fraction of the song to bring the whole song to mind, if you know the song. In some situations, you only get to hear a snippet of the music, and suddenly that's all you hear in your mind's ear for the next two days! The same type of thing can happen with movie quotes. To this day, if anyone uses the word "Inconceivable," I am immediately transported to the land of Giants, Men in black masks, and Miracle Max, and can very clearly hear Inigo Montoya saying to Vezzini: "You keep using that word...I do not think it means what you think it means..." (Rent "The Princess Bride" if you don't get it.)

My point is this. Little things can stick with you, and can have an effect on you. Even if it is almost imperceptible, there is a change that takes place, and it doesn't take long. A catchy musical hook or clever movie line need only to be heard one time to change your memories and stay with you forever. Blue dye can leave it's mark for two days with the tiniest amount of contact. The things we allow to pass before our eyes and through our ears will have an effect on us whether we want to admit it or not. Therefore, it makes sense that we need to examine what we purposefully allow to cross the barriers of our senses, and make sure we are not putting things there that will pull us in a negative, downward direction.

Some argue that these things won't have any effect on them, and that's it's just my opinion. To me, that's like saying, "I don't believe that bus will have any effect on me" as you step in front of the oncoming Greyhound. At some point there will be a collision of your beliefs and reality. I just hope it's not as messy as the bus thing.

We cannot control every single thing that comes into our perception. But, when we do have the choice, we should be aware that it will affect us, and so we should wisely determine what we allow to entertain us. Your mind is yours, and the decisions you make are ultimately yours. Each of us has the responsibility to recognize what things affect us more than others and make our selections based on who we were created to be, and whether or not what we allowing into our minds and hearts will encourage that, or make it more difficult to be the person that pleases God.

Enough Love

The other day, we were in a sandwich place after having been out all afternoon. They boys hadn't had their nap, and they were a bit grumpy. But, still trying to fight this, one of them turns to play with the other. (Why do we let them sit next to each other in a booth, again?) However, the younger brother decides that he's not in the mood, and puts his hand on his brother's face, and pushes him away.

Of course, this was the end of the world to the older twin, and he put up a shout. We turned to the grumpy bear and say, "He was just trying to give you some love!" We try to encouraged loving behavior in our family, and we feel that this helps. Even if it doesn't. However, the grouchy kid looks at us with a scowl on his face and says, "I have enough love!"

We fell out laughing. Never did I imagine that such a phrase would come out of his mouth. I can certainly understand being a bit tired of your siblings, and I can understand not wanting to goof around, but I would not have imagined that response. Now, I realize that in his mind, he didn't literally mean he had enough love for the day. He just meant that he was done playing right then and there. But the words still brought laughter.

Can you imagine if someone you cared about said "I love you," and your reply was, "uh...thanks, but I have enough love!" It just doesn't happen that way. We all like having love in our lives. We don't always enjoy showing it, and at certain times, we don't always feel like receiving love in various forms, but I do not for one minute think that there are people out there that simply do not want love of any kind. I believe we are all made with the innate ability to demonstrate some kind of love, and the even subconscious desire to have some love and affection directed towards ourselves. I haven't done research or anything, but it's just my thought.

1 John 4:8 simply says, "...God is Love." There are a bunch of people out there who will tell you that what this means is that if you can love someone else, then you are a god yourself. I disagree whole-heartedly. What I believe this means is that unless we know the giver, creator, and very essence of love itself, which is God, then we are not capable of loving in our full capacity. There are parents out there who don't have any relationship with God that love their children fiercely. I'm not implying that you can't love at all. I am saying that why would you settle for a two-gallon supply of love when you could freely tap into The never-ending tanker?

Do you love others the best that you can? If you haven't ever entered a relationship with God, then my challenge is to give Him a try. He has demonstrated His love, and promises us that with the Holy Spirit, that comes to us in a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, we can demonstrate love to a whole new level, and we will experience HIS love to heights we never before imagined. That way, instead of wondering if we have enough love, we can know that His is Love enough.

Scenes From the Rear-view Mirror

This morning during my quiet time, I rememer specifically praying that today I would find humor in the things that usually bring frustration. Not necessarily "Bah ha ha!" laugh-out-loud funny humor, but a light-hearted approach and the ability to smile or laugh it off.

Here's a great little story of how God answers those prayers. As the boys and I were waiting to pull out of our neighborhood, a lady in front of us waited forever to make her left turn, forgetting that there was a lane specifically created to turn into and wait for a spot in the oncoming traffic. If she had gone into that lane, she could have merged more quickly at least five or six times that I saw.

After a good four minutes of waiting, the guy waiting behind me finally lost his cool, and shot around both of us to turn the same way, and made a very inconsiderate and Kamikaze left turn in front of both myself, and the car in front of me. So, needless to say, I was a bit frustrated. She finally went, and I finally got to turn left into that extra "merge" lane. When I did, a kind driver coming my way flashed their lights to let me go in front, so I acknowledged their friendly gesture with a wave towards the back window.

My boys were in the back seat, and they asked why I was waving. I told them it was good manners to say "Thank You" to people when they do something nice, and the car behind us let us in, which was a nice thing to do, so we waved to say thanks. A little while later, I found myself getting cut-off several times while we were in the merge lane on the Interstate (imagine that). Suddenly, I notice these little hands waving in the rear-view mirror. I asked the boys what they were doing, and they said, "We're using good manners and saying thank you!" I had to laugh, and suddenly the frustration was gone!

The rest of the ride was pretty easy, because every time someone cut in front of us, or behind us, my little gentlemen-in-training said "Thank You" by waving at each and every one of them. (Even though some of them were not actually doing nice things.)

It's neat how God can take something and use it to bring a smile to our face, if we are willing to let Him do so. I can't promise that tomorrow morning I won't get frustrated at the countless number of selfish drivers. But today, God showed Himself faithful, and reminded me that He is in control, even during ridiculous traffic.

Getting Rich

Yesterday, for whatever reason, I decided to pull up some old Rich Mullins on my mp3 player. Immediately, my boys shouted, "Daddy, we've never listened to this song before!" It occurred to me that maybe in the last four years, we had listened to Rich Mullins some, but not enough for the boys to recognize it. Truthfully, many of the students I work with now probably don't even know who he is. I think that's a shame, and maybe I can still do something about that.

Most current teens don't know about him because in September of 1997, Rich Mullins was on his way to performing a benefit concert in Kansas, and was involved in an automobile accident, and died. Seems like a downer of a story. However, if you know about him, you know that he is finally home.

Rich Mullins was easily one of the best songwriters in Christian Music. One could argue that he was a great songwriter in ANY genre, but the mainstream world has a hard time accepting music whose lyrics bring honor to God, proclaim the Truth of Jesus Christ, and challenge people to step beyond themselves and become more of who God hopes we will be. That's what Rich Mullins' songs do. Notice it's in the present tense. Even though he is gone, his challenging lyrics will continue to reach into the heart of those that dare to let them in, and will shine a light on areas that need improvement or will encourage those that need it.

Rich Mullins covered alot of ground in his lyrics. Probably his two most known songs are the Praise & Worship song legends, "Awesome God," and "Sing Your Praise to the Lord." Others have risen to the top of my personal fave's such as "Screen Door," which is a challenge from the book of James to put some action to your faith, a strange looking title of a song called, "allrightokuhhuhamen," which is simply a song about the power of God's word, and then "If I Stand," which is a humble song about a man who wants nothing more than to trust in God and follow where He leads.

Rich Mullins did alot of work building relationships and teaching music on Native American Reservations in the Midwest, and had a heart for people who were some that Jesus might call "the least of these." He chose not to live in the lap of luxury, trusting elders from his home church to oversee what he made from his career in Christian Music, and allowed them only to pay him an amount to just above poverty level, so that he would never be driven by greed. The rest of his money was put towards some of his work on the Reservations or other charitable causes.

It is safe to say that Rich Mullins had an impact on me. If you have never had a chance to get to listen to any of his music, I recommend it highly. I'm thankful that not all the stuff on the internet is garbage, because it can be a resource to learn some really good stuff. Check out this video of Rich in Concert. It's a small portion of a full concert, but you can get a good glimpse at this man who spoke his mind, seemed pretty likeable, and was a great musician and songwriter. I'm sure he's playing greater music where he is than any he left here, but I'm glad he left some good stuff for us!



(Check out more on Rich Mullins HERE.)

Like me some LEGO Star Wars

This weekend, I did something kind of stupid. I stayed up until 1:30 AM playing LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. To some of you, that's not such a big deal. To the Father of two pre-schoolers who needed to be at his best for church the next day, it was quite the bad choice.

But, I can't help myself! Once I get started wielding the light-saber, and smashing up the little blocks, I just don't want to stop. I'm not particularly great at it, but as far as video games go, I'm better at this one than most that I play. (Except for Guitar Hero--I ROCK! Or at least the game said I do...)

My favorite way to play is in the "Free Play" mode. That way, I've already made my way through once, and have a chance to go back and use different characters to do different things that I didn't do before. I especially like using my own created character, which is actually really nothing special. I just created Darth Maul from the "newer" versions of the Star Wars Saga. But, lest you get too excited, you can't use a double-sided light-saber like in Episode I. But, it's red, so it's allgood.

I used to stay up late all the time in college, and even now, I can handle the late nights. What was really dumb about the whole thing was more that I was not even considering what Saturday night means in the preparation for worship the following day. Our Pastor says it all the time, that Sunday Morning worship is not just about being in the room, but just as much about preparing our hearts in advance for what God will do there during the worship. So, by staying up until 1:30, focusing on a video game, I very obviously made my choice about what was taking priority in my life this weekend.

Then, to top it all off, one of my boys came to see me at 5:15 on Sunday morning. There was a minor night-time potty incident, and I had to change sheets, and made it back to bed by 5:33, only to have to get up at 6:15 to get ready for church. I'm not saying God made my son pee to teach me a lesson, but I certainly learned one.

I learned another one on Sunday, as well. In spite of how I wasted the previous night, and regardless of how sleepy I thought I was, God showed up on Sunday, and I was incredibly blessed by the worship service. I pray that my worship was pleasing, but God's Mercy and Grace demonstrated to this LEGO-loving video-game-a-holic, was much greater than "the Force" ever could be.

I Scream for Ice-cream

I really like ice-cream. It’s quite easily the closest thing to a food addiction that I have. My very favorite is Mint Chocolate-chip, and it would be a toss-up between Mayfield or BlueBell as to which is my favorite brand of it. (Both are now available in your friendly, neighborhood Harris Teeter stores.) However, due to the cost of these particular brands here in Virginia, I have had to find some alternatives. I also began to realize that I need to branch out and try new flavors.

I really enjoy chocolate-chip cookie-dough, Rocky Road, Party Cake with Icing ribbons, and one from Kroger’s brand called, “Black Raspberry Chocolate Chunk.” Without a doubt, most people have their favorite Ben and Jerry’s flavor picked out, but these are also quite pricey and must be saved for those very special occasions. Like Thursdays.

For awhile there, you could not enter our house without expecting to find at least 2 half-gallons of ice-cream in the freezer. We would indulge in a small bowl just about every night. However, around this past Christmas, I decided that I had been eating way too much of it. Yes, I said it. I was just as shocked to hear the words coming out of my…off of my fingers…well, I was as surprised that I thought it, as some of you may be that I typed it. Make sense?

There really is too much of a good thing when it comes to ice-cream. While I may not have been putting on weight, per se, I know that there were probably things going on inside of my body that I could NOT see that were just as dangerous to me. Cholesterol, sugar intake, and whatever else I’m forgetting from my basic college Biology or health classes. Just because I could not see the dangers, didn’t mean they were not there. I decided it was time to cut back. I only eat ice-cream on the weekends now, and while there are days that I miss it, I know it’s better for me.

In the great, grand scheme of things, ice-cream is not usually considered a terrible danger to many people. Sure, there are diabetics and people with allergies that would disagree, but my point remains the same. Even things that are considered harmless by many folks, can carry some degree or element that can do more damage than good when abused or used incorrectly. Jogging is considered a healthy way to exercise, but if you have bad knees or a bad back, then not so much. Reading books is a good way to expand your mind, but if you read worldly books that influence your beliefs and actions in a negative way, then maybe you should go back to shrinking your mind.

My point is this. Almost anything that we consider to be good and helpful can be misused and turned into something harmful. We have an enemy that takes anything he can use, and tries to harm us. Whether by destroying our reputation, or character, or our health (such as the ice-cream), he tries to get the best of us.

Fortunately, our God is bigger and better than our enemy. What the devil intends for harm, God can use for His purpose—which is always good. I’m not sure how that all fits in as far as ice-cream goes, but when you find yourself in a rough time, when the world seems out to get you, and you really are doing your best to make your decisions according to God’s leading and instruction, then know that HE is at work in your life. HE is watching you, and HE will lead you through with new insight, new faith, and a renewed sense of who you are in Christ. That’s better than any mint chocolate-chip!

Driving Woes

You know, I enjoy my children. Alot! So, when someone on the road uses very poor judgment, or is just plain obnoxious, I have a hard time not getting angry, since they are actually putting my children in danger by doing so. Especially when they're pulling up in my back seat or cutting me off and barely missing the front fender. "These are my kids you're endangering, dude!" I shout these kinds of things at them--sure that it will help them change their ways.

Yesterday, as I was heading out after two sick days in a row, I noticed a large red Dodge Ram coming up quickly on my rear bumper. I already had intentions of changing into the right hand lane, and was reaching for my blinker when the guy started to swerve into the right lane. He quickly realized what I was doing, stayed in the lane behind me, and apparently gassed it, as suddenly he was just about on top of me. I must not have changed lanes fast enough, because as he passed, he pretended to swerve close to me as if to offer a warning.

Now, I'm not a violent guy most of the time, but I WANTED to pull the guy from his truck and force him to learn some manners. What I did was to have an inner war and hold my tongue and actions to a very minimal , “What a stinker!” (Remember, my boys were in the car, and I did NOT want to teach them that behavior. Let them learn it from their friends at school, where we all learned it!)

The truth is, what I saw as rude, obnoxious, and juvenile, is exactly what people observing my life would feel about my behavior at times. I don’t believe any of us is exempt from doing things that fall short of the socially acceptable norms. Sure, some like to argue that we should each do “what’s right for me,” and have no consideration for how their actions affect others. But, the moment my “what’s right for me” is inconvenient to those people, suddenly, there is a set standard they want to pull up.

The truth is, if we would all just kind of follow the Golden Rule of “Treat others the way you want to be treated,” I believe things could be a lot better. Oddly enough, Jesus said something like that, too. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” was how He said it.

So instead of worrying about what all of the Red Dodge Ram guys do to me, what I should consider is how can I be pro-active in how I treat them? What can I do to demonstrate the type of behavior I wish to receive? To some, it seems naïve, and everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion. But, I am going to choose to try and follow Jesus words. So the next time I see Red Dodge Ram guy, I’ll move out of his way earlier, and hope that he stays safe on the road!

Not Feeling so Good

Well, it's the time of year where lots of peole get to feeling pretty rough. I myself, have done everything I can do to avoid it, but it has caught up with me. I have these waves that pass over me that feel very flu-like. I get kind of loopy feeling, and go through fits of coughing where I feel like my toes are being pulled inside out and passing through my mouth.

But, I will get better. It may take a few days, and I will do my best to take the right medication to treat the symptoms. Then, after some time passes, I'll be back to my normal self.

As I like to do, let me take this to another level. How many people out there are sick in a spiritual sense, and don't realize it? Sure, they feel like they're doing well, but the truth is, the illnesses just lie dormant for awhile until the right time when they will wake up and terrorize the host. These may be things like lies, lusts, cheats, thefts, and a host of other "viruses" that attack the spiritual condition of people. When the conditions are right, they rear their ugly heads, and manifest themselves in equally horrible ways.

What if you forget to study for a test--that "cheater" germ begins to drop subtle symptoms. What about when you get caught doing something you shouldn't be doing? "Liesus fromya mouthus" is the clinical name of the disease that can strike at this point. Be careful when you surf the internet, because "Lustius Maximus" is an aggressive parasite that latches on to the host and can cause a lifetime of hurt.

You get the idea. (Hopefully.) Do what you can to avoid these illnesses, and if you discover that you are suffering from one or more, then go straight to the source of healing, and pray for relief. God will hear your cries, and if your heart is committed to the treatment, no matter how difficult it may be at times, and you're willing to follow-up with preventative care in the aftermath, then you will see results and succeed in breaking free from the spiritual sicknesses in your life.