Just My Thoughts

Community

2009-08-02T20:55:00.004-06:00

What is Christian Community? This is my question lately. I am not sure who reads this blog these days, but if you read this would you kindly respond with what you believe Christian Community is or what you believe it should be? After there are some responses, I will write more to dig deeper into this idea. The reason I am thinking about this is that I am not sure how I could be involved in so many "churches" and know so few people. And it's not that I don't know anyone, I have 100's of acquaintance friends, but I know so few people deeper than mere trivial, surface conversations. I want to know how to take community to the level that the Bible speaks about and I would love to hear other people's experiences and finding "True Community". So there you have it, what is should "Community" look like to a Christ-follower?

An Interesting Thought...

2009-07-09T22:18:00.005-06:00

Have you ever heard the phrase, "don't know what you've got til it's gone"? Yeah I know for those of you over 30 might be saying that is was a 80's hairband song by Cinderella. That's not what I am thinking of, though I will admit that that stupid song is stuck in my head now. No what I mean is why is it that we miss the here and now so often. What has me thinking of this is this whole Michael Jackson situation.

Now no disrespect to him or his music but the truth is that 3 weeks ago, I didn't really think he had that many fans (I could just be oblivious) . I hadn't heard a Michael Jackson song for years and hadn't given the guy much thought at all. Then of course the events of June 25th occur and his name becomes one of the most searched names on google, half of my friends have something about him in their tweets and Facebook statuses, and it seems that everyone was his biggest fan. Now the truth is that it doesn't matter to me who is or isn't a fan of Michael, but what it made me think is why is it that when we have something, we often miss it. We don't appreciate the here and now, we don't appreciate the day that we are given. Honestly, I don't think that many people were really HUGE fans of him, but it became the en vogue thing to do once the unfortunate death occurred. But the lesson that we learn is that we need to really appreciate what we have and who God has made us to be and the opportunities He has given us right now and not wait until it is gone. Because if we wait til it's gone, then we might have to pretend that we cared when it was here... I don't want to be the guy who wakes up one day and says, "man, I really had an opportunity to ________ (fill in the blank), and I missed it." It's the whole idea of Carpe Diem, or "Seizing the Day"

So here's the question... "What do you have in front of you that you are missing? What do you need to appreciate? What is it that if you don't watch out, you might wake up and have to pretend that you cared about it because it is gone and you missed it?"

Just my thoughts!

A Return to the Fun!

2009-07-07T17:44:00.003-06:00

Well, hmm, I haven't been blogging for sometime, and though I could spend the next 10 entries explaining why, I feel it's time to have some fun on the blog and reconnect with the joys of blogging. Last night Kaleb and I were watching youtube kids videos and I found the one. I thought it would be a fun way to start of my blog for the 2nd half of 2009. I hope to stay around for a little more frequent blogs! Enjoy!

That's all!

3 foot tall lessons... Growth...

2009-01-29T14:07:00.007-07:00

In just under 2 1/2 years, look at the growth of an infant to a toddler. When K was just a little guy, his hand hardly fit around my thumb. Now at almost 2 1/2, his not so little hand can cover my whole thumb. Growth is a funny thing, but it always seems that there is evidence of growth as these pictures show. It makes me wonder, how my life looks. Is there evidence of Spiritual Growth? Would the person that I am today, compared to who I was 2 1/2 years ago, "wow" people at that great changes. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't. What a great goal to have in our life as we run the journey of faith. In 2 1/2 years it would be so cool to have others say things like, "God has changed you so much!" or "Wow have your grown in your faith!"

That's all Just my thoughts!
Be His!

So Proud of the Underdogs!!!

2009-01-18T16:47:00.001-07:00

NFC CHAMPIONS!!!

2008 we fare thee well!

2009-01-01T09:05:00.002-07:00

It is kind of weird that New Year's day becomes such a day of new beginnings. After all, it is just another day. But each year it is a day of new goals and resolutions, traditions and college football. I have to say that this January 1st is one that I have been looking forward to! As year's go, 2008 was a tough year. I am not sure why, but it was just tough. Some years are better than others I guess, and thought I certainly had some great moments this year, check out the previous entry, there were just some difficult events in 2008. So today, in the midst of all the thoughts of "newness" I am excited to start a new year and leave the past in the past! I thought of this verse this morning as a good verse to welcome in 2009 and bid farewell to 2008.

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

Philippians 3.13-14

I hope your 2008 was good, but I really hope that your 2009 is great!

Happy New Year!
Be His!

My Hi-Lite...

2008-12-23T15:45:00.005-07:00

About a month ago, I posted an entry asking what was your highlight for 2008. For those that responded, thanks for letting me hear a little about your life. Today I want to post my highlight for the year.

As I thought back on 2008, it has been an up and down year. It's been a year where I struggled with the meaning of faith and struggled with the relevancy of the church and how we "do it (that will be in a later post I am sure). And thank God, as I still struggle with these things, I know that God understands that all of us have seasons like this. So as I looked through my year and tried to limit it down to one highlight, one specific thing came to mind that was just an "up" all year long. Allow me to share.

When Kaleb was little, we kind of had a practice of Julie putting him to bed and me getting him up. That fit our lifestyles, me being the morning person and Julie being the "night owl." But over the course of the last few months of 2007 and into 2008, Julie began spending time in the evenings working and I began to share in putting the little boy down at night.

About 1/2 into the year, Kaleb got into a mode where he knew if he asked one of us to "rock" him before bed, that he would get to stay up a little bit longer. So that rocking chair became the place where I spent a lot of nights rocking my little boy, listening to music or reading books to him (the Hiccupotamus is my favorite). I started to tell him each night, that this was my favorite part of my day, which it was. I loved him hanging on me and hugging me and begging for "one more song," before he went down. As the year progressed, Kaleb was less interested in actually getting rocked and more interested in just keeping us up a little later. And just a couple of months ago during this time, I began to teach him how to pray. I had been praying "for him" each night since he was born, but this changed a little. I began to ask him if he wanted to pray, and when he said yes, I would lead him in something like this with him repeating my... "Dear Jesus, help me sleep, help me grow up into a man of integrity (I love the way he says that word), Amen (which he sounds a lot like a southern baptist preacher when he says Amen.) Then I would leave the room saying I YOU! (which is his way of saying I Love You, and he would respond "I YOU TOO!"( or vice versa.)

Last night when he went down I asked him if he wanted to pray on his own. I have decided not to every "make him pray" and he said yes then prayed something like this... Dear Jesus, ah um ah sleep, ah ah um um thanks puzzles, i uh uh um mommy, i uh integry, AMEN!" It was a precious moment of the faith of a little boy that I could learn so much from and was one of the best moments of the year!

This has been my highlight! The whole thing. Every night, whether behaved or not, every night, in the rocking chair or curling up in his "Big Boy Bed" has made for a highlight real that I couldn't even have dreamed of.

Kaleb, "I You!" and thanks for 2008 and letting me watch you takes little steps of faith! I pray that you grown up into a man of integrity and that you love God and others with you whole life!" AMEN!

That's all!
Be His!

Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-20T10:27:00.002-07:00

This is an idea that could change the world. It is something that has been stirring in my heart for about a decade and now a group has put it into words. I LOVE THIS IDEA! Would you consider changing how you "do" Christmas?

10 years...

2008-12-12T14:51:00.002-07:00

It has been 10 years ago that Julie and I traveled to Phoenix on vacation and fell in love with this place. Today marks the 10th anniversary of our arrival for our 1998 vacation to the Valley of the Sun. That was the week that our lives changed and we started dreaming about moving across the country. I can't believe that its been a decade. That week we stayed with friends at 51st Ave and Union Hills and little did we would spend much of the next decade just miles from that very place. Time goes so fast!

Hi-Liter...

2008-12-03T10:45:00.003-07:00

So I have this pink "Hi-Liter" sitting next to my computer, and as I looked at it today, I spent a few seconds thinking about this concept of the "Highlight." My Mac dictionary says, that a Highlight is "an outstanding part of an event or a period of time." I guess when we read, we highlight the outstanding part of what we are reading so that we can find it again later.

This is what I am thinking... I don't know who all reads this blog. I know that on the maps on the side bar there are lots of hits from all over the world. And where you all are able to know me a little bit, I may or may not know you at all. So I want to pose this question to you all so that I can get to know you better.

What has been the "Highlight" of 2008 for you?

Pretty simple, but a way for me to get to know you. At the end of the week, I will post my highlight for the year as well! Hope that you are having a wonderful day!

Be His!

3 Foot Tall Lessons: This Way That Way

2008-11-25T11:37:00.007-07:00

Lately, Kaleb has been getting a new sense of purpose and power in his life. He has become very convinced that his way is the best way. One of my favorite ways that this plays out is when we are driving in the car. He has developed a game that I like to call "This Way That Way." You might guess how the game works but allow me to explain just for clarity. We will be driving home and when he decides to play, I often get off the exit one community North of our house because its a retirement community and there are generally a lot of empty streets at night. From that point he just directs the car by making statements "This Way (sounds more like dis way)" or "That Way (dat way)," and then we drive through the winding streets until we are very lost or at least deep into the community. Check out the map above to see the way the roads in Sun City wind their way around. That is really unusual for our community which is made up of mostly north and south or east and west streets. And as we drive and I allow him to exercise his free will, he gets more confident and convicted that his way is the best way. So if I go the wrong way, he definitely lets me know about it. Of course all the while I know where we are and I am not about to get lost, he gets to exercise his ability to choose and I love it!

Now for the parallel. This reminds me so much of the "free will" that God gives us. We often times ask God what He wants for our life and then we direct him with specific commands as to where we want to go. And the more confident that we get, the more demanding we often become. We ask God for His will in our life, but then we He exercises it, we get frustrated and start yelling "DIS WAY!!!"

This is what I know. Kaleb is too young to know how to get home, especially when we are deep into the winding streets of Sun City. I also know that I always know how to get us to our destination. Every once in a while, Kaleb says "Dat Way" and that way is a field without a road. So as a protective dad, I don't give in and go off-roading in my little Toyota Corolla! I wonder how many times God keeps me from going that way in my life when he knows the road is too rough and it won't get me to where He wants me to go?

In the end, I usually have to take over the control of the game and exercise my "daddy powers" and go home even if Kaleb isn't happy with me. I believe that is how God at times exercises His Power over our free will. Sometimes though we beg to go "dis way," God simply usurps us and takes us where He knows to be best.

Isaiah 55.8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. "

Just my Thoughts!

Be His!

More good...

2008-11-19T17:24:00.003-07:00

I have blogged about Saint's Coffee before, but for those of you who are coffee drinkers, enthusiasts or addicts, and aren't familiar with Saint's, click on the link below to buy some great coffee and help feed orphans in Africa! What a great way to promote change in the world while still enjoying fine coffee!

A Chance to Change the World!!!

2008-11-17T17:02:00.002-07:00

I love this organization!!! Check it out, find a way to get involved!!!

Go Pioneers!!!

2008-11-13T10:50:00.006-07:00

Well, first of all, Pioneers are not the most intimadating mascot in the world, but my Alma Mater, Malone College (now Malone University) is having a great football season Being a small little school in Ohio, not many people know about them, even though they play their home games at the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Fawcett Stadium and they are currently ranked 13th in the natioon NAIA with a 6-2 record. With that in mind, I thought I would post their Football Promotional Video and show my support. At Ohio State, they have the Sweater Vest, apparently at Malone they have the bow-tie. Enjoy and Go Pioneers Beat ODU!!!

And the Lord I will obey...

2008-11-11T15:03:00.003-07:00

Do you have a person in the Bible that you often find yourself relating to? Back in 2000, I for the first time in my life felt God ask me to take a grand step of faith and resign the ministry position which I was in. In a moment of youth (26 years old), I didn't hesitate. I trusted and followed. I remember in that time, relating to Abraham. He was the guy in Genesis that time and again was asked to follow God and each time was obedient. It was shortly after that, in 2001, that I again sensed God moving us, but this time it was literally. We loaded up a truck and moved over 2000 miles to Arizona. Again I felt that I was in the Abraham position. It was a place of utter trust before God. Now, I would think that would solidify my trust in God. I would think that as I sit here 7 years later, I would feel a sense of trust that would be unshakable.... but I find myself struggling to trust God the way I did back then. I find myself more relating to Abraham when God told him that he would have a child and Abraham questioned God... I find my heart questioning God more than I like. I want to have that blind trust that I once had. I want God to be able to say about me what he said about Abraham in Hebrews 11.8

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."

That is what I want to relate to. I want to trust God with a reckless trust, but here is the verse that I find is more like me in Genesis 17.17

"Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?"

Funny thing is that its the same guy. He had seen God work in ways that he couldn't explain. And I can say the same thing. I've seen God follow through on his promises, but now when I am faced with faith issues, I fall facedown and laugh, thinking "But God you aren't that BIG!" Kind of silly because I know God IS that big. I know that the same God that fulfilled his promises to Abraham is My God, too. I also know that 7 years ago, He proved himself faithful to me, yet I struggle with letting Him be in control of my life. And that is silly, because really none of us controls our life the way we think we do.

I was listening to a song today about Abraham by Andrew Peterson, and the line says this,

"Holy is the Lord
Holy is the Lord
And the Lord I will obey
Lord, help me I don’t know the way"

That is how I feel. Sometimes what God asks is SO hard for me. And I want to believe it, and I want to live in obedience to it, but I don't always know the "way" to get there. I am glad that Abraham kept going, even when it didn't make human sense. I am glad that later in life, he was unwaivering in his trust in God, and I am glad that in the end God commended Abraham's faith. I aspire to have "Faith like that." But I am the first to admit, I have such a long way to go...

"Lord, help me I don't know the way..."

Just my thoughts for this day!
Thanks for reading!

A Lesson From Starbuck's

2008-11-04T18:51:00.005-07:00

I think tonight, as the results from the election are streaming in, we can learn a lesson from Starbucks. Today it was amazing to see how many people were talking about the free 12 oz cup of Joe that Starbucks gave to anyone who voted. It was on the news, people on the right, left, in the middle all came together today to enjoy their coffee following whatever vote they happened to cast.

The Lesson is that we are all a part of the same country. And just as it didn't matter what party you chose, you got a cup of coffee, the same should be true tomorrow about our country. We are not 2 countries (blue and red), we are one country (Red, White and Blue). We NEED to come together tomorrow to work on building the future in bright ways regardless the outcome tonight. So tomorrow when you are tempted to either complain or taunt the other, remember we are all on the SAME team, just like we were at St. Arbuck's today...

That's all!
Enjoy the results!

A great post...

2008-11-03T13:53:00.003-07:00

My friend Craig, who doesn't blog enough (just in case he is reading this) posted a blog entry today called "Tomorrow is Election Day" I think its worth reading and should draw a fitting end to my political posts for the week...

http://ramblingllama.blogspot.com/2008/11/tomorrow-is-election-day.html

Thanks Llama!

A simple idea...

2008-11-03T08:05:00.005-07:00

There is much division in our country right now and I fear that it spreads into the church. Carlos Whittaker a worship leader from Atlanta posted a great idea on his blog that I think it is worth reading. Truth is I know people disagree but we must remember that we serve the same God no matter if your candidate wins tomorrow or not. And we must remember that the world is watching how we treat each other (John 17.20-26). So whether you can do this Monday night, on your lunch break or before you walk into the poling booth tomorrow, I think its worth considering. Click on the banner to go to his blog.
Thanks Los!

An appropriate prayer for the coming week!

2008-10-30T12:53:00.003-06:00

This was posted on a friends facebook, which was from a friend of a friend and ultimatly by a guy named J.R. Briggs who I don't know but am glad that he posted this. His blog is linked in the title. Thanks Gabe for putting it on your facebook!

Forgive Us, O Lord: A Prayer for American Politics

Forgive us O Lord, for being divisive rather than working to build unity.

Forgive us O Lord, for striving to be right more than striving to be kind.

Forgive us O Lord, when we desire to be understood more than to understand.

Forgive us O Lord, for placing our hope in a person, a system, a government - rather than in you alone.

Forgive us O Lord, for complaining about politics rather than thanking you for our freedom.

Forgive us O Lord, when we use our mouths - and our email forwards - to tear down "the other."

Forgive us O Lord, for spending more time and energy thinking about the Empire than the kingdom.

Forgive us O Lord for speaking poorly and wishing ill will on another candidate.

Forgive us O Lord, when we are known more for following a party than for following the Risen Christ.

Forgive us O Lord, for claiming that God is only on "our side."

Forgive us O Lord, for claiming and proclaiming that one political party completely and accurately represents the politics of Jesus.

Forgive us O Lord, when we forget that the heart of the king is in your hands.

Forgive us O Lord, for being more excited to speak to others about our candidate than about our Savior.

Forgive us O Lord, when we think this prayer is for someone else we know and not for ourselves.

Give us grace to treat others with dignity and respect, even in the midst of our differences.
Give us wisdom - not just with what we say and do, but how we say them and do them - so that we may not represent our political party, but that we may represent the one who has given us True Life.

Amen.

A Question...

2008-10-29T17:55:00.004-06:00

This question has been running around in my head lately...

What does a disciple of Jesus look like in 2008?

Or maybe a better question, "What should a disciple of Jesus look like in 2008?"

What do you think? It would help me with some of the ministry things I have been thinking about...

Thanks for any input!

1/2 Truths are still lies...

2008-10-27T17:29:00.005-06:00

Do you remember as a kid when you would spin the truth so that you didn't get into trouble? By the time that you were in High School, if you were like me, you were a master at telling 1/2 truths so that in the end you didn't get into trouble. I remember when I was in elementary school, I tripped a kid and it busted out his teeth and my half truth was that we were wrestling and his foot "tripped over mine" which did happen but only because I forced him over it. In the end I didn't get into trouble but I felt guilty about it for 10 years. He moved away and I hadn't seen him for quite a while when I ran into him at a concert when I was about 18. I had to go back and apologize. I was so glad and relieved when he forgave me. It was bad having that 1/2 truth or "spin" hanging over me for all that time. Actually to be honest, it was bad having that "lie" hanging over me for all that time.

So here is my point, I was on Yahoo today and they had a test to see if the average person could tell when our presidential candidates were telling the truth, lying, or spinning the story. They had at least one example from both candidates in each of the categories. And this is what hit me. We have become "ok" with knowing that our politicians tell half truths and lies. It seems as long as they are in our chosen "party" it is ok to dismiss it as necasary... WHY? are we alright with this? Do you remember how much trouble you got into when you got caught? And it seems that at some level, accountability goes out the window and its alright to willingly try to change people's minds by telling lies.

The same is true with email forwards that don't tell the whole truth and leave out key details to sway one's vote.

I am just tired of it and ready for some good old fasioned honestly to prevail both in our candadates and in the things that people (especially those who are Christ-followers) sent to others via email and other on-line sources.

Let's just be honest and "FIX IT!" (insert voice of Kenan Thompson from SNL skit about the economic situation)

That's just my rant for the day!
Thanks for reading (I mean that honestly!)

A Funny Quote for the Football Season...

2008-10-26T17:46:00.004-06:00

I love football, but have never gotten into "fantasy football." I have some friends who take it way too serious and others who have a fun time so its fine with me, just not my thing. Last night one of the students that I have worked with both as a teacher and as a youth pastor, shared this quote with me and I have to share it...

"Fantasy football is Dungeons and Dragons for the kids that beat up the kids who played Dungeons and Dragons!"

Are you into fantasy football? Does it rule your life? Did you beat up D & D kids in high school? Be honest now!

That's all!
Just fun for a week where both of my teams got beat by a touchdown or less!!!

Apparently the blog fooled some people (a blog of clarification)

2008-10-19T17:01:00.005-06:00

This entry is a point of clarification. After talking to a few people, it seems the way that I read the bumper sticker (entry below) and how some have read it, leaves some confusion. For clarification sake, I read it to say "this car isn't much, because my treasure is in heaven." If that is the case then it doesn't make sense why you would put it on a new vehicle which looks a lot like an earthly treasure and thus it comes across a bit cold and in your face. If you read it like Julie read it "this car may be nice but don't be fooled my real treasure is in heaven" then my blog makes no sense. So for clarification, the way I read it that rubbed me wrong was the first. Hope this helps you understand what was going on in my head! The reason I read it that way was because it seems to play off of Matthew 6 .19-21 which tells us to store up our treasures in heaven and not on earth. Hope this brings clarity to any confusion!

Either way, I think it proves the point that christian bumper stickers cause more confusion that they do bring others to Jesus and we are better off to live missionally and get to know our neighbors and not think that a bumper sticker (or a cold track left on a table for that matter) are very effective witnesses...

So if I read the sticker incorrectly then, I apologize but I still think that the intention of the sticker is to put on a 1979 Ford Fairmont station wagon with wood sides and 2 missing hubcaps!
Thanks for reading!
Be His today!

Don't let this blog fool you...

2008-10-16T16:06:00.009-06:00

I am not a big fan of christian nor political bumper stickers. Both are way too "in your face" and most leave you with no context as to what exactly the driver is trying to say. The christian ones bother me 3 times more than the political ones. I remember when I was in college, I was out of town and my grandfather decided to wash my car for me which was a really nice gesture, but in the process he put a christian bumper sticker right on my paint. I wasn't very happy and needless to say I got it off the car as soon as I got home. I just didn't want to be "one of those christians!"

So, twice in the last year I have seen a christian bumper sticker that says "don't let my car fool you, my treasure is stored up in heaven." I guess at the core of this sticker is something that I completely agree with; possessions are not what the Christian life is about. We are called to do good works, serve and help others and in the process store up treasures that God will give to us later! That is the message of simplicity that the modern church has often forgotten about.

Here's the problem with the bumper stickers that I saw (note the picture above as well). In these two instances, the cars that they were didn't support the verses. In fact they looked a lot more like "earthly treasures." Last year I saw one on a really nice SUV. If I remember correctly it was a Lexus. This morning on the way to the office, I was behind one of the brand new Honda Accords. Now for the record I think the design is one of the best that Honda has come out with. My friend Randy works for a Honda Dealership and he has been driving one around for the past 6 months. I like the look, I like the eco-friendly mode that shuts down some of the cylinders to conserve gas and I like the fact that it slightly resembles a Jaguar. And the truth is we could have a great converstation on how to determine how much to spend on things like this, but that's not the point today. Here's my point, when I think of that kind of bumper sticker I think of a 1974 Pinto or some car which is stating that the person driving it truly isn't storing up there treasure here on earth. They would be saying something like "maybe I could spend $20 or 50K on a car but instead I am saving that money to do things that will outlast me." But what message does it send when a "brand New $20,000+" car has that sticker on it? How is that car going to "fool me" and more importantly how is going to "fool" someone who is trying to figure out Jesus?

With that being said, I put myself in the shoes of the average person who doesn't have a relationship with God reading that bumper sticker and wonder how confusing of a message that sends to people. Keep in mind, I am not against people having new cars if they can afford it, but when they put a bumper sticker on it that says we aren't supposed to "store up our treasures on earth," then I think it contradicts the verses in Matthew 6.19-21 that the bumper sticker is based on. The sad part is that the church has become known more for what we have than what we give. We become known more as a people who expect God to give to us rather than a people who give as much as we can even everything we have to God trusting that our treasures will be stored up in Heaven.

And the problem with bumper sticker theology is that we don't know the person's real situation. Are they a person who gave $100K to a needy cause and decided to buy a smaller car? Or are they someone who doesn't have a clue what that bumper sticker means? Wouldn't it just be better to live out our faith instead of trying to "witness" to someone through a corny bumper sticker that doesn't even properly fit in the context? Most of us struggle anyway with "how much is too much." I wonder at what point, God is saying "Hello stop buying more things!" But when we do things like these bumper stickers, I wonder what the world really thinks? What message are christians sending?

What do you think about this? Am I the only one who seems to be aggravated at the contradiction that it sends?

Genetics...

2008-10-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

Its funny how genetics work... There is an old saying that says a "chip of the old block" which is apparently linked back to a carpenter making something small out of a bigger block of wood and thus looking like that bigger block. Well on Friday night, Kaleb and I went to the mall to walk around and play. They just opened up a 2 level Dick's Sporting Goods" which Kaleb calls "The Ball Store." Initially, he said he wanted to go to the playground but on the way to the playground I asked him if he wanted to go to the ball store (he hadn't been inside yet). He said yes so away we went. Well about an hour later with a little coaxing (promise of a cookie) we finally left the store. I had to smile seeing him with all those balls. As a new dad, I vowed not to push Kaleb into sports. I've just seen too many bad examples. All we did was give him a few balls to play with and now, I see genetics at work. He really is a chip off the old block! And he's a great little boy!
That's all!
Be His!

Speed Cameras and Wandering

2008-10-10T16:07:00.006-06:00

Were you a wanderer? When you were a kid did you parents have to keep a tight reign on you? Now they have leashes. Cute little ones with teddy bears attached but leashes nonetheless. We don't use one, not because we haven't tried, but because Kaleb won't let us put it on him. And some things aren't worth the fight. But I will tell you that he likes to wander and to explore.

I was driving down the highway the other morning and noticed there are now "speeding cameras" about 3 miles from our house. I am not sure how effective they are, though. People find out where they are and then just slow down, on top of the fact that you don't get picked up unless you are 11 miles an hour over the speed limit, which opens up a whole new discussion on what is the "real" speek limit, but that isnt' the point. The reality is that they put these cameras in place to attempt to keep people from speeding and in some case I think it probably works...

I began to think about the paralells of these two devises. They are set up to deter us from breaking the rules. In theory the child who is restrained can't wander off and in theory if you know they are going to take your picture and send you a $200 fine you won't speed.

I also have been thinking about the line in the hymn "come thou fount." It says the following...

"Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above"

The writer, Robert Robinson penned these lyrics back in 1758 and though that was a much different time, I think the human condition was exactly the same. In this hymn, he seems to have figured out something in the human condition that I can certainly relate to. We are "prone to wander." We are prone to wander away from our parents when we are little, prone to break traffic laws as adults and ultimately prone to wander away from the God who loves us desperately. I love the conclusion that Robinson come up with. "God seal my heart" in other words, put a leash on my heart and keep me close to you!

I need this, do you? What is it that really can keep us from wandering so much? The reality that I have some up with is that most things that are used to keep us from wandering away don't work. So the question is what will truly keep us from wandering away from God? The only thing I can think of is God himself! What else? I am interested in hearing what works for you?

Just some thoughts for the day!

That's Just Funny!

2008-10-09T10:45:00.003-06:00

In the midst of a political season where both sides tell half truths and try to spin their story (check out this non-partisan lie-count done by an independent group) as well as many other people spreading stories and rumors that aren't accurate, I find the political process needing to be reformed. I think of things like a third party or politicians who make the right choice not the choice that will gain them greater support and it is a bit disheartening! Then this morning, Julie and I were watching the morning news and the following clip was on the morning show. I just had to laugh. No matter what side of the isle you sit on, or if you are sitting in the isle, THIS IS JUST HYSTERICAL! Enjoy!

I hope that brings a smile to your face in an otherwise "mean" political season!
Psalm 20.7

Another 3 foot tall lesson...

2008-10-02T16:51:00.003-06:00

The Lessons from the little boy keep coming. This one is short but spot on. Last night I asked Kaleb a question that went something like this...

Daddy: "Who's your favorite person?"

I fully anticipating that he would say "daddy" or even "mommy!" Either would have made me happy!

Kaleb's , "Self!"

That is the word Kaleb uses instead of "me." We aren't sure where he picked it up and that's for another post, but he says self anytime he wants to do something. Julie and I just laughed but a while later I had this picture in my mind...

God: "Ty Who's your favorite person?" (I think he anticipates that I would say Jesus)

Ty : "Self" (He would at least want me to say Julie or Kaleb right?)

But how often do we live just that way. We may not say it. We may say that everyone else is more important, but in reality our actions, our spending habits, and everything else about us supports the fact that "I" am the most important thing in my life!

Gale Sayers, a Hall of Fame Running Back from the Chicago Bears, entitled his autobiography, "I AM THIRD." The Lord is first, my friends and family are second, I am third. That is such a good mantra to live by. Listen to the 2 greatest commandments...

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Matthew 22.36-40

1st God
2nd Neighbor
3rd Self

Kaleb is 2 so we understand why he lives that way and honestly he probably doesn't know what he said, so it was cute!

But "Why do we live that way?" What is our excuse?

Just my thoughts!

Easier to Ask Forgiveness than Permission???

2008-09-30T15:07:00.008-06:00

Have you ever heard the expression, "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission?" My guess is that you have. I once knew a youth pastor that his web-page had that listed as his "life statement." I don't know correctly how to interpret that, but know that I often live that way! In the past few weeks, Julie and I have been observing as our little boy adopting this as his current "life statement." He is quick to say "I'm sorry", right before he punches you or he will turn the TV off, (which he isn't allowed to do) and as he is turning it off, he is saying "I sorry!" Well this morning I went into get him up as I do most mornings before I leave the house, and as I opened his door, he looked up and said "Bubby sorry!" Sorry for what I am not sure. He had yet to do anything. It was almost like he was starting the day out with a quick apology for whatever he might do next. I gave him a kiss and hug and when he couldn't see me, I chuckled to myself, one because it was really cute and two at the reasoning of a 2 year old.

Then it hit, me. How many times do I live like this? How many times do Christ-followers in general live like this? We know that God will forgive us and instead of taking the high road, letting God build our character and self-control by saying "no" to the temptation, we just say "Ty sorry" to God and go ahead and partake in the activity that we know isn't good for us and isn't good for anyone else. Can you relate? What I learn is that Kaleb doesn't know yet what it means to really be "sorry." He thinks of it as a magic word that erases whatever he has done. And to some degree I guess he is right, but it doesn't remove the consequences, like the split lip he gave me when he decided to swing the remote control like a baseball bat. The difference I think is that we are old enough to know what "sorry" means and yet too many times we just do our thing and tag a quick "I'm sorry, please forgive me" on at the end.

I think what I must learn is that God tells me what is "wrong" not to make me miserable but to protect me. Just as in Kaleb's case, most of our rules have to do with safety and our love for him. The reality is that the forgiveness part is "easy" for us. It doesn't cost us anything but I know that I too often forget how much Jesus gave for me to have that forgiveness. And then I flippantly take the easy way out by just "asking forgiveness" instead of doing what Hebrews 12.4 says, "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."

Don't get me wrong, just as I continue to forgive Kaleb, I believe that God continues to forgive me, but as a dad, I do hope Kaleb learns and stops doing things that he learns are wrong. I believe that God sees the same for me.

Do you understand the verse in Hebrews 12. 4? How can we truly resist sin? What have you learned helps you to make the right choice?

That's all!
Be His!

More Randomness...

2008-09-25T12:19:00.004-06:00

For those of you from Ohio, another Random event has occurred in my life. Not quite as unusual as the Ben Logan Sports Center event, but interesting nonetheless. Today is Julie's birthday and she is a big fan of breakfast. So this morning when we woke up, she asked if we could go out to breakfast. We decided to go to Crackerbarrell. There is one about 3 miles from our house right next to the AZ Cardinals stadium so we headed over and got a table. Right after we sat down, Julie says something to the effect of "no way, look at that sign." The sign by our table was the picture above us. For those of you not from the Ohio area, that is a little tourist site about 7 miles from where I grew up. Ironically it is the place that I had my first job interview as well (for the record they didn't hire me!) It is kind of a big thing locally, but it certainly isn't a National Park like the Grand Canyon or anything. It reminds me that we live in a very small world. And interestingly, this is the first time we've been to this particular Crackerbarrell, and just the fact that they sat us at that table of all the ones in the restaurant made me laugh a little bit.

Just thought I would share.
How are things where you are at?

Living in the Desert...

2008-09-23T17:20:00.006-06:00

First of all, for those of you back east, this isn't a post about living in AZ. Although, maybe there are parallels, that is for you to decide. Actually, I was in a meeting this morning and one of the guys there pointed something out that I thought was worth a blog entry. Ironically (or not), as I was reading in Matthew this afternoon, I came across the the verses that he was referring to and decided that I should definitely give some thoughts on it here...

Here are the verses Matthew 3.16-4.1
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

It is interesting to me how the church over its history has often times made it out that if you do everything "right" then only good things will happen to you. It is almost redused to a "good luck" based faith or even very similar to the Eastern belief in "Karma." In other words, we serve God and follow God so that He will grant us our prayers and be our good luck charm. Can you relate to this? Have you seen this? If you haven't, try Christian TV for about 3 minutes and you will probably discover this world view.

Here is the problem... Jesus' words and life don't support this. Jesus said in John 16.33 "in this world you will have trouble" We also see that after Jesus' baptism, one of the most significant experiences of His life. One in which God is present in all three forms, Father, Son and Spirit, God leads Jesus immediatly out to the desert to be tempted by Satan. And not a quick little testing, but one that lasted 40 and included fasting, prayer, and attacks by the enemy.

Wow, we don't hear a lot of sermons about that kind of stuff. But I ask this question, what can I learn from this? And though I don't have a ton of answers, I do find two things that are worth thinking about.

1. God not only can speak, minister and show up in the good times, but often he works on our character in the desert. When times are the toughest, He often makes us into who He has destined us to be. During Jesus' time in the desert, He understood His humanity and His need for the Scriptures clearly. The same is true for us. When things are easy, it is too tempting to think that we are in control, when in fact, we are simply taking God for granted and becoming lazy in our faith. As much as we don't like it, our character is forged in the "desert" much more than it is developed when things are going "well."

2. Jesus said two other things in John 16.33. First he said that He has taught us so that we "might have peace," and then he said "take heart, because I have overcome the world." In other words, life will be hard, you will live in the desert, be tempted, struggle, get persecuted and often for us (unlike Him) fail, but He is there to let you know that He has won the victory for you and wants to dwell in your heart and be your strength not just in the good times but ALL THE TIME.

It strikes me that if God allowed Jesus to go to the desert then I better believe that He will also allow me to go there But if I learn from the example of Jesus, to comune with God while I am there and trust that God's word will carry me through, then I might find that my growth in that experience might carry even more weight than the easy times...

That's my thought... what do you think?

Be His!

My New Favorite Song...

2008-09-19T15:22:00.002-06:00

You know how you find songs that just hit you in a different way? Sometimes I hear a song where the lyrics just say something about life and hit me right where I am at... A couple of weeks ago a heard a song by an artist that I am not even familiar with named Brandon Heath. The song is called "Give Me Your Eyes."

If everyone who called themselves a Christ-Follower would live like this song talks, and see the world through God's eyes or at least through the lens of faith, well I can't imagine what our world would look like. I think it would look less political and more "full of grace." People would think of others first and not themselves. I think the world would see us as ones who care, more than they would see us as ones who judge. I think our influence would increase in ways that we never could imagine, but we would have to think less like suburban people who think that we are owed and deserve anything!

Here are the lyrics as well as well as his video. Again, I don't know the artist, whether he wrote the song or it was someone else, but I can say, GREAT LYRICS, I am glad you wrote them!!!

Give Me Your Eyes

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah
yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work
He's buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

I've Been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all along

Just my thoughts!

Green Light...

2008-09-12T23:32:00.004-06:00

Tonight I was driving home with Kaleb from a Jr. High youth group party and as we exited the freeway onto the road to our house, we got stopped at a traffic light. While the light was red I was looking down at my phone waiting on the light when I hear a little voice in the backseat saying "green light." I looked up and he was right it was green. I just laughed. I have my own little backseat driver and he is only 2 years old! How great is that?

That's all!

The Most Random Thing Ever!!!

2008-09-04T16:33:00.004-06:00

Most of you who know me, know that I love football! I loved playing it, I loved coaching it, I love watching it... My football roots go back to a little tiny school in West Central Ohio called "Benjamin Logan." It is a school that people within an hour of, often have never heard of. I got an email from my brother last night with a video attached of last Saturday/Sunday's Sports Center episode. The clip is only of the last 30 seconds of the show, so I am not sure why it happened, but they listed my little high school's score from Saturday night. Not only is it the most random thing ever, it might be the coolest thing ever. Benjamin Logan High School from Bellefontaine (actually pronounced Bell Fountain and mispronounced by the Sports Center Anchor but understandably because its not spelled that way), Ohio mentioned on the GREATEST SHOW EVER! Thanks SC.... da da da dadada!!!

Silence and Solitude...

2008-09-02T14:36:00.002-06:00

One of the spiritual disciplines that our church staff has been studying as of late is the discipline of silence and solitude. For those of you from Ohio, you might remember times at Goshen or even at Camp Union when we would take 10 minutes and go out and sit quietly before God. This isn't a time of prayer, so much as a time to listen to God and a time to allow the silence that we don't have in our busy lives to refresh us. I find myself drawn to these times. I like the quiet. I like the peacefulness, but I find at times, it is easy to go into silence and miss out on the spiritual element of going quietly before Almighty God. There are great books written on this subject from Richard Foster in "Celebration of Discipline" to Ruth Haley Barton's "Invitation to Silence and Solitude." If you find yourself struggling in the business of life, I would recommend these books (and I am sure there are others you might find). In the midst of this conversation on silence and solitude, I found myself listening to Bebo Norman's song called "Disappear." As I was listening, I found that this song, really wraps up what Silence and Solitude is all about. I thought I would share those lyrics here on the blog. If you are a person who thinks that silence doesn't have a place in your spiritual journey, read these lyrics and see if you connect. If you do, check out one of the above mentioned books. If you are one who has already seen the benefit of silence and solitude in your life, then read these lyrics and be encouraged. Either way, I hope today that we all want to disappear in Him!

Disappear by Bebo Norman
On a day like this I want to crawl beneath a rock
A million miles from the world, the noise, the commotion
That never seems to stop

And on a day like this I want to run away from the routine
Run away from the daily grind that can suck the life
Right out of me
I only know of one place I can run to

Chorus:
I want to hide in You
The Way, the Life, the Truth
So I can disappear
And love is all there is to see
Coming out of me
And You become clear
As I disappear

I don't want to care about earthly things
Be caught up in all the lies that trick my eyes
They say it's all about me
I'm so tired of it being about me¦

I would rather be cast away
Separated from the human race
If I don't bring You glory
If I don't bring You glory
If I don't bring You glory

Answers and Reminders...

2008-08-29T14:08:00.003-06:00

The past few months I have been asking a lot of questions. I don't know if you can relate, but my guess is that if you are human, you can. What's funny for me as a Christ-Follower is that you would think that I would begin to realize that God has the answers I am looking for. The hard part for me is that God doesn't work on my time frame. He works in His mighty power in whatever time he chooses to be best. The reason that I make this observation, is that in some ways, I think I had began to doubt and even give up on ever getting answers to the things that were stirring around in my brain. So, yesterday though a few friends that I have been talking to, I began to see things a little clearer and some of my questions began to get answered. Not all of them but enough that I am reminded that God still has a plan and still gives answers in His timing. And I find myself encouraged for the first time in quite a while. I am glad. Now I need to remember that in the future, but will I?

Be His!

Sorry!

2008-08-28T22:25:00.003-06:00

Well I really don't know how many people read this blog, but for those that do, I would like to apologize. I have been in quite an interesting state of mind in the past 2 months and that has limited my desire to write. I am not giving up. I really enjoy writing, but bear with me as a seek to be inspired to write again. As a sign of my sorrow to you, I am posting a link to a musician by the name of JJ Heller. She is giving her album away on her website for the next couple of months. She is a friend of Josh's (for those of you who know Josh...) and he highly recommends her music! I have heard her sing a few times and she is very talented. So go check it out and enjoy the music!!!

That's all!
Be His!

Summer Mission '08

2008-08-14T16:57:00.005-06:00

I put a little video together for our summer mission trip that I thought I would share. The song, which is by John Waller, says we wanna do...

"Something so big
It’s destined to fail without You, Lord
It’s gonna fail without You, Lord
Something so great
It takes a miracle to do
We, Your children
Wanna do something big for You"

I think this goes right up the line of what Henry Blackaby talks about in Experiencing God. He says that we should try "God-sized tasks" so that when it is accomplished, there is no way that we can take the credit for it. I just like that thought.but will add that I think it is one of the hardest things in the world to try something that is that much bigger than I am. I struggle with trusting God to pull it off. Why is that? Why do I struggle with faith when I watch God accomplish things like he did on our trip? Just my thought for the day. Check out the video!

Ugggghhhh!

2008-07-30T19:29:00.003-06:00

I have always seen myself as an introvert. I am the kind of person who likes to be alone. I think its in my wiring. Its just who I find myself to be. Today however, I find myself reacting differently to things. I woke up last night with some kind of stomach flu and for the past 18 hours I have been kind of isolated here in my bedroom. Now don't get me wrong, I need the rest and the time for my body to heal, but it has been an interesting day listening to my famly play in the other room as I just sit here! I find myself wanting their company and not being able to do anything about it. I am glad that they are my family and though I can't hang out with them today, I am really fortunate to have Julie and Kaleb! I think this must me a bit of what an extrovert goes through when they are alone. I have never quite understood that, but today I think I've gone a little ways in understanding others. Julie is an extrovert and I hope this allows me to understand her more! For the record, being sick in no fun. I talked to a couple of other people today that have been fighting this flu thing, too. I hope that they are feeling better!

Just my thoughts on a long day laying around!
Be His!

In light of Wednesday's post...

2008-07-27T16:50:00.004-06:00

I find the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes to be true, in light of Wednesday post about my phone...

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

"Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."

What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1.1-3

My phone quit sending email today. I had to laugh. Really I shouldn't find comfort in stuff and this reminds me that there is more to life than technology! The system said it will be fixed in a few hours, hopefully! But either way it made me laugh about my post of Wednesday. The writer of Ecclesiastes, most think is King Solomon. He had lots of stuff (and that is an understatement). But he concludes that everything in life is meaningless. I think I am finding that stuff really is meaningless. But check out this verse,

"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

1 John 2.17

In this time of feeling down and questioning things, it is a reminder to me (and thankfully in humorous way) that what brings TRUE fulfillment is the will of God. Now how to figure that out is for a different post, but for now, I am reminded that the things of this world really don't bring meaning!!!

Be His!

1001 Reasons...

2008-07-27T14:43:00.003-06:00

Not that I need another reason to like Chik-Fil-a. But just in case I did...

Their playground on a Saturday morning with my little boy, while his mommy was in a meeting in Scottsdale. We had such a good time!

The Voice of God...

2008-07-24T21:06:00.002-06:00

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. Genesis 12.1

That is a pretty definitive statement from God. Do you ever wonder what God's voice sounds like? I don't mean in the sense of sound as in each of our voices have a unique sound, but more in the sense, how does God speak now? I know that I have read a lot about it. I have read Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God 5 times. And I know what he says, "God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways." I understand that in many ways. I believe it philisophically as well as I've lived it practically in many aspects of my life. However, lately I have been wondering a few things and I have asked God what He wants in my life. In a lot of ways right now, I don't hear Him. I want to hear Him, and I look at Abram's life and see how God spoke directly to him on more than one occasion, and I wonder "What does God's voice sound like?" Lately, I have heard sermons and thought "is that God speaking to me?" I have wondered if the advice of a few friends were God's voice??? I want to think they were, but in many ways I find doubt creeping into my heart and I find that my faith is weaker than it was even a year ago. That makes me wonder if I am hearing God and choosing not to act, or if God is choosing not to speak right now. And that is the dilemma. Which is reality? Either of which is God's choice. I don't believe that He has to speak. At the same time I am glad that He does speak, but at the end of the day, it isn't audible and so our faith (whether it is weak or strong) has to play into how we react to what we believe God is saying through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church. Do you ever just wish that God would speak out loud? Sometimes I do. Not always because there is a fear involved in hearing the voice of God, but I just find myself wondering if I really hear Him or if He just isn't speaking right now (and I am okay if that is it). I just am in a season of trying to decipher which is true. There's a song by Andrew Peterson that I am going to use to close this post. It is called "The Silence of God." Hope this isn't too depressing, it is just where my mind seems to be drifting to lately.

The Silence of God

from "Love & Thunder"
Words and music by Andrew Peterson

It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith
It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane
When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God

It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God

And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes...

There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone
All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone

And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God

That's all!
Be His!
and I hope you hear His voice clearly

It may sound silly, but it makes my life easier...

2008-07-23T22:00:00.005-06:00

I got a new phone a few months back. It's one of those phones that does everything. (see post from Feb. 17th). And as much as I have really loved the phone, there was one thing that disappointed me about the phone. The phone could receive email but it couldn't sent email. Now I am a flexible person so I just didn't worry about it. I would receive email then go to my computer to return email. Well the other day the phone had some problems so I backed up all my files and did a complete reset. Now is the part that makes me HAPPY! When I rebooted and set it back up, out of nowhere, it now sends email! It may seem like something really small but today I was able to return about 10 emails while I was out running errands and didn't feel like I needed to run back to the office. I know it sounds silly that something SO small and something that I lived without for 34 years would make me so happy, but it makes my life so much easier! And in a season that has been difficult and stressful and where I have struggled to see the positive, having one little thing added to my day that is positive is a GREAT thing! I hope that being thankful in the little things will help me be more thankful in general.

Just my thoughts!
Be His!

A Good Tired!

2008-07-20T10:58:00.002-06:00

I am thinking today about all the times in life that I have been worn out. Most of the time it feels terrible to be tired. I don't really like sleep that much and when I get tired I am often aggravated that I have to slow down. But today it's a different kind of tired. I am so worn out from last weeks mission trip, but it is really nice to know that all the things that led to this feeling were great projects that will hopefully have long lasting effects. Though I sit here worn out, I feel very good about our team, the work project and all the influence that we build among the children at Tolani Lake. I don't mind this tiredness at all, its a good tired!

Thanks Team for all your work!
Be His!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2008-07-12T14:41:00.004-06:00

Yeah I know that is ususally a Christmas thing right? Well if you know me you know that I LOVE summer and each of the past 2 summers I have spent a week working with a little church on the Navajo Reservation in Northern Arizona called Tolani Lake Community Church. We leave tomorrow to spend the next 5 days working with their children and helping to do some renovations on the building itself. I am so excited to be a part of God's work with the wonderful people of Tolani Lake!

Have a great week!
Be His!

9 Years!

2008-07-10T11:40:00.004-06:00

Just kids!!!

Well, time goes really fast. I remember when I thought that people who had been married for 9 years were old, and where that may be true, today Julie and I celebrate 9 years of marriage and a decade together. I am thankful for her and having her in my life. I am also grateful that she is such a great mom.

That's all for today!
Be His!

Music like medicine...kind of a "Remedy"

2008-07-09T21:05:00.003-06:00

I don't know what it has been lately, but I have found myself feeling very melancholy for longer than usual. I guess I am like everyone and have down days but lately it seems that I have just been discouraged a lot. I am sure that it is what lead to the last entry, and all day, though I accomplished a lot, I have felt quite empty. This evening, I did something that I haven't done in recent years. I sat down and listened to music. I know that may not seem profound to you, but for me, I hear a lot of music. I scan the stations in my car between AirOne and The Edge looking for songs I like but I usually don't make it through a song before I change it. I don't know why that is. When I was in High School I listened to albums over and over and over again. I think one year I had an album that I wore out I listened to it so much. (not an exaggeration I think it was in my cassette player in my car for over a year). But lately, I haven't "gotten into" music. Could be a product of my age, or a lack of interest but it is what it is. But tonight I opened up my itunes and began to listen to the David Crowder Band's new album "The Remedy." Ironically, it really has become a bit of a remedy for me tonight. The words have been sinking in and I have felt better tonight. It is funny to me how something simple as this can help. Maybe its because the album isn't the normal upbeat Crowder stuff, but instead its a bit more contemplative. Whatever it is I have felt like writing again and I have felt a little life jump back into my heart. I am not sure what has driven this time for me, but I am ready for it to pass. I thought I would post the lyrics to one of the songs that I found encouragement in. Maybe it will speak to you too. Thanks for Reading :o)

Surely We Can Change

And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn't hit

And I don't know
What to do with a love like that
And I don't know
How to be a love like that

When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do

Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something

And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything

And I don't know
What to do with a love like that
And I don't know
How to be a love like that

When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do

Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something

Oh, the world's about to change
The whole world's about to change

I read but do I understand?

2008-07-09T14:56:00.002-06:00

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." ~Matthew 11.28-30

These are Jesus' words. You might have read them or heard them before. I have heard them for the past 16 years. Yet today I read them and I struggle to understand how to take His yoke upon me and to let go of anxiety. I teach on these verses and I want to understand them. Maybe at times I do understand them, but not today. Today it seems to be what I want and where my heart longs to be, but I find myself stressed, anxious and not being able to trust. I want His rest...

That's where I am at today!
Be His!

1/2 Way...

2008-07-04T14:58:00.003-06:00

I realized this week that 2008 is now 1/2 over. How is that possible? Where does time go? It seems that I spend the first quarter of the year working on the summer plans and after next week, they will be complete. Summer is well under way. School for the students starts in just a little over a month, and I guess before we know it the fall will be upon us.

Do you ever have those moments when something is coming up that you just can't wait for, and it seems that time must be standing still. It seems that you wait for eternity for it to arrive, but then out of nowhere you realize that it is gone and over? I seem to have those moments more and more and more. I remember the 9 months waiting for Kaleb to be born and now he is almost 2. I remember looking and interviewing with a dozen churches, not knowing where I would end up. That was nearly 3 years ago. Every week I cannot wait for Monday to come so that I get to play golf and hang out around my home for the day, and every week it is over so quickly.

I am reminded by the writer of Ecclesiastes in chapter 3.1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven," how times come and go. And each has its place in our lives. I am also reminded that God, the creator of time, works in these seasons to accomplish his purposes. What must it be like to not be limited by time. What must it be like to know everything, be everywhere at once and be the first and the last? It just hits me that though I lose track of time and I am continually reminded how short our lives are, that God is in control of everything including time. And though I don't totally understand it, I am grateful that it is TRUE!

Just My Thoughts today!
Be His!

Tales from the Crib: Perspective...

2008-06-27T21:14:00.004-06:00

I have to admit the past few weeks have been quite stress filled and at times very discouraging. Maybe only those that know me really well know this. Sometimes as a realist, I find the world and the "cares of the world" bringing me down. I don't like that but "it is, what it is..." Last night as I was driving around with Kaleb,I was trying to get him to say different words. As I attempted to get him to say "I Love you" the dialogue went like this...

Me: Say "I"
Kaleb: "I"
Me: Say "Love"
Kaleb (with great enthusiasm): "Daddy!"

If you check out the video above (and the sound is low so you'll have to turn it up), he did it again tonight (right at the beginning of the video) as he was eating dinner. At that moment, I got a nice dose of perspective. There are lots of things that can bring a person down, but for me, that little conversation, was enough to give me the right perspective. So in the midst of business, discouragement, and often anxiety, I was reminded about the important things in life! Thanks Bubby!

That's all!
Be His!

Camp Surf 08

2008-06-21T14:55:00.001-06:00

Like an Old Friend...

2008-06-10T10:10:00.002-06:00

Do you have any of those friends who no matter how long it is between conversations and getting together, it is so great to finally hang out and catch up? This generally happens with a few people in each of our lives. They are the person that when you leave, you think, "wow, we've got to hang out more." The stories and the feelings are often nostalgic (see previous entry for that explanation), and generally leave you just feeling good.

I've had an encounter like that this week. But this encounter is a bit different, in that it doesn't involve a person, it involves an object. Allow me to explain.

It was about 11 years ago. I was a young youth pastor in rural Ohio and we were working hard to have a Great Youth Ministry. Our desire was of course to be relevant and loving and where I believe we were doing a great job in the second part, we were lacking relevancy. One thing that was holding us back was in the area of music. We didn't have ANY! I inherited a youth ministry that would meet with the older folks that came to church on Sunday nights and we would sing with them before dismissing to go to youth group. Needless to say that wasn't very relevant and it was awkward for the kids. So we spent time trying stuff. We tried split track CD's, we tried accapella singing, we tried all different kinds of things, but we couldn't find our nitch.

I remember one night praying and asking God what to do and in the following days, I felt that the right thing to do was to learn how to play guitar. My Father plays and I figured that meant that somewhere in my DNA I would be able to do it. So I started practicing and praying that God would just give me enough of a skill to get us by until someone better came along.

What happened next is one of the few miracles that I believe happened before my eyes. I bought a new guitar and began to play and play and play and play. Hours upon hours that winter I spent on the orange couch in my apartment. There were moments that I didn't think I would ever get it, but I would pray for more strength and perseverance. Now, I am not claiming that I became Eric Clapton, or Phil Keaggy because I didn't. I guess I never prayed to be "great" just to be "good enough" for our youth group to have a little music. What happened was that 3 months later. I was able to get up front in our group and play music and lead songs. I was stunned that it happened that quickly. I was thinking maybe in a year or so, but in 3 months we had taken a dramatic step in the right direction. I was of course a realist (as usual). I didn't think our music or my guitar playing was the best, but it was enough for us to have corperate worship as a youth group. I remember being so thankful for that time.

In the years that followed though, something else happened. No I didn't become a great guitar player. I still haven't really prayed for that, but what did happen was that I fell in love with playing the guitar. I use to play often and at every opportunity that I had. From about 1997 until 2002. I played guitar as much as I did anything else. After moving to AZ and getting involved with a church that had much better musicians that I am, I slowly drifted a part from my friend. Not intentionally, but as usual, life gets busy and without a need to play, I haven't played as much. I have had a few instances when I was needed to play in a band or for a worship set and in those times I have played with sore fingers (for those of you that don't play, you have to get your finger tips in shape to play or it HURTS). But each time, the need is met and I get busy and neglect my friend.

Well I am in that place again. We leave for Sr. High camp in less than a week and we don't have a guitar player going on the trip except for me. So a few weeks ago I began to play here and there, and in the past day, I have found myself playing often in preparation for the trip.

This morning as I was sitting here in my office playing a guitar with new strings and similar to a guitar that I use to own, things began to come back to me. Feelings of life 10 years ago, and remembering that 3 months when I learned to play guitar. It was such a nice feeling. It was nice to reacquaint myself with my past. And I began to wonder. Will I keep it around this time, or will camp end in 10 days and for another year we will go our separate ways?

As I am ending this post, this came to mind...

I think about how many times, I approach God in this same way. I get busy and I don't take time to spend with Him. I don't engage in the Spiritual Practices and Disciplines until I feel like I need something out of it. Then for a season I engage with God in this Grand Friendship until somehow I feel as if I have accomplished what I need only to let the cares and business of life push me away from that Intimate Friendship with Him. Can you relate? Why is it so easy for me to let unimportant things crowd out the important things? How can we engage in the journey with God and realize it is the Greatest Gift?

Just my Thoughts!
Be His!

Nostalgia...

2008-06-05T14:35:00.003-06:00

Nostalgia is a sentimental longing or affection for the past. Have you ever had and enjoyed nostalgic moments? True nostalgia really is an association with "good times and good feelings." I usually get these when I visit my home community or an old church that I have served at, but last night I a moment of nostalgia come into my life for a few moments. As a child, I was an LA Laker fan. This was mostly because I loved Magic Johnson and partly because LA seemed like the promise land for a kid sitting in the winter time in rural Ohio. Now, I will state boldly at this point and time that I DO NOT like the Lakers (not one little bit). I am a Fully Devoted follower of the Phoenix Suns! However, there was day when I dreamed of getting the same shoes as Magic Johnson (you know the yellow and purple Converse Weapons! Yeah I had those). And times on the court in the winter with snow on the ground I pretended to be Magic. So last night, I was playing ball with Kaleb in the living room and as he chased the balls around and threw them to me, I was sitting on the couch and flipping through the channels when I came by ESPN classic. And what of all things was on but the 1987 Lakers vs Celtics Game 4. That was the game when Magic hit the baby sky-hook to win after they had trailed the entire game. So I sat there watching this and Kaleb climbed up in my lap and for me there was a nostalgic connection between my past as a young person who loved sports and a dad sitting with my son, who like his dad, seems to equally love sports (he kept saying "ball"). The thought that came to mind was that when I watched that game back in 87 as a 13 year old, I never would have thought that the next time I watched it I would have my little boy sitting on my lap watching it with me (of course there was no ESPN Classic back then). So as the nostalgia connected with the present and Kaleb put his head on my shoulder and calmed down to get ready for bed, I just felt good. Like it was a good moment. One that brought 2 of my worlds (both of which I love) together. It was a good moment and I just wanted to share it!

Just my thought!
Be His!

Trust???

2008-06-04T09:33:00.002-06:00

Obviously as of late there has been a real disconnect in our world with leaders, politics and trust. Truth is I really don't get into "politics." That is not to say I don't vote or care, but it is to say that there are definite weaknesses to a system that is so polarized by only 2 parties. I was reading this morning how both candidates for the upcoming election are trying to figure out how to deal with low "Trust" from the people in our country. The low trust seems to be coming from a struggling economy and from rising energy costs (this isn't news to you, just a framework for this post).

So without taking sides or pointing out political points or questions, here is my suggestion...

"Be honest, build trust, don't let the interest groups lead you, instead lead them!" The quotes are mine, that is my suggestion. It seems that in 2008, our leaders have forgotten that the average person like me, wants honesty, and not political double talk!

Hmm, that isn't what I was planning to post, but I like what it points out. Trust is the biggest thing that I want to see in a politician, but I wonder, can it exist in today's political arena?

Now with that being said, here is the solution for us as "normal people." Instead of putting all of our trust in politics, because I don't believe that they will ever fully have our trust. Not only because they are politicians but also because they are finite human beings. Instead we need to put our trust in God. I know this sounds a bit like an easy church answer, but I have a question for each of us... how much time have we gone before the Creator of the Universe and asked Him for help??? You see, I think we find it easy to either get really involved in the political arena, or to avoid it all together figuring one of the two is the answer. But the last time I looked, politics change daily, candidates change views on a regular basis and the only One who doesn't change is God.

So with that in mind, I want to remind us of the words of King David from the Psalms. I find it interesting that these words came from the leader of the Nation of Israel. It seems that David understood that Monarchy's, Politics and even Armies weren't the answer. The answer to the issue of Trust goes way deeper than that. Read these verses and no matter what side of the isle you relate to, please remember to ask God to help our leaders become trustworthy servants of the people and not political "yes men/women" for interest groups!

Psalm 20.7-9
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.

O LORD, save the king!
Answer us when we call!

As a side note this may be the most political you'll ever find me :o)

That's all!
Be His!

Now that I have seen, I am responsible...

2008-06-03T16:55:00.006-06:00

My buddy Josh, has been telling me about this great song, I need to hear. He posted it on his blog and now I am going to do the same.

The lyrics say, "now that I have seen I am responsible, faith without works is dead." Wow, why is it that we in the richest country in history often justify turning a blind eye to the needs of the world? More than that question, why to we as Christ-followers who live in the richest country in history, turn a blind eye to the needs of people in the world that God loves and wants us to reach out to? Check out this song and BE RESPONSIBLE!

The song is by Brooke Fraser.

Also pray for my friend Beth as she is in Kenya right now BEING REPONSIBLE and check out her blog
kenyaafrica.blogspot.com
(sorry if you checked this blog ealier I left one of the "a's" out and it linked the wrong blog :o(

That's all!
Be His!

Brian's Poem

2008-06-02T17:56:00.002-06:00

For those of you who were at our Sr. High service on Saturday, I told you that I would post Brian's poem so you could read it. Thanks Brian for allowing me to post. Here is is...

Worship. Worship.
What is the thing you worship?

It’s no surprise that from deep inside,
Despite the lies your body tries,
What your hands create, reflects, resonates,
The thing you worship most.

Some call it art, others a gift
And what is put in costs less than they get
Selling expressions, their sweetest possessions,
They are what they worship most.

Others sing, and dance, and prance, and roll,
Practicing pseudo perfection, yet losing their soul
Public cries of attention, intended for private submission,
They’ve forgotten what they worship most.

Worship. Worship.
What is the thing you worship?

We are His creation, His own reflection,
The greatest act of worship, His Son’s resurrection,
No greater love than this, redeemed, sinless,
I will worship Him most!

In every thought, with every breath,
Every action and word, giving till nothings left,
More than music, instruments & keys,
More than owing David Crowder CD’s,
I will worship Him most!

In every stroke of this worn-out keyboard,
Till going without sleep I can no longer afford,
I will give Him praise, the rest of my days
I will worship Him most!

Worship. Worship.
What is the thing you worship?

~Brian Carson

I Can Relate...

2008-05-27T17:09:00.003-06:00

"Your Grace is Enough" is a song written by Matt Maher and championed a few years back by Chris Tomlin that has become a song that I have grown to not only appreciate but to love. It makes me think about that line "Your Grace is Enough" and how we so don't derserve the grace God gives us yet he gives it to us. But I also often wonder if I really believe that? I often wonder if God only gave me His Grace and nothing else if that would be enough in my "human heart?" I also wonder why at times, I am quick to tell others that God's grace is big enough for them, but in my heart I am wondering if it is big enough for me. Can you relate to that? Can you relate to telling someone else that God can forgive anything and that there is nothing too big for God to take care of and then walking off and thinking to yourself "maybe for them but I know what my heart is like..." Well today as I was looking at Matt Maher's web-site I found a clip that I am putting below where he points out being there when he actually wrote the song. I can relate to what he says. I want to grow to believe more that God's grace is enough for me. Can you relate?

That's all!
Be His!

Question... need responses!

2008-05-21T16:43:00.003-06:00

So I had a conversation with a friend today. And the topic that came up was this... "What connects people with a church or a ministry?"

So I want to ask you who are reading to do me a favor... if you are a Follower of Christ, "what was it that caused you to connect with your current church/ministry?" This is continually debated as to what exactly connects people, and I don't want to sway your opinion so I'm not going to put anything that we discussed. I just want to hear from as many people as possible.

Second, if you are not a Christ-Follower, "what would draw you to give a church/ministry a try?"

Generally, I don't beg for comments, but if you read this blog regularly, or especially if you are a friend of mine, would you give me some feedback. I think it would enrich the conversation that my friend and I shared.

Write what you feel and let me know what was the deciding factor for you. Oh and I also would challenge you not to read the other comments before you comment. I want honest feedback and someone else's ideas may change your answer (if you are anything like me) :o)

That's all!
Be His!

Life is Change...

2008-05-14T15:40:00.010-06:00

Think back in your life a few years. If you are a teenager, think back 5 years. If you are in your 20's think back 10 years. If you are in your 30's think back 15 years and if you are over 40 think back 20 years...

Okay, do you have that picture in your mind. The way things were... the way you were... the way you looked and dressed... the hairstyle... your favorite TV show... favorite movie... favorite music group... Okay you got it in your head?

Now the obvious question, how have things changed? How have you changed?

I think back to my life 15 years ago. I was a very different person. I had only lived in rural Ohio except a little time at a small college). I loved "heavy metal" music. I loved the TV show Cheers. I think the big movie was "Tombstone." My hair was similar but longer on top. I was a lot stronger, faster, and more athletic. I had never been to California, and I spent a lot of time riding my motorcycle.

Nowadays, I'm a 34 year old married dad. I love the city. Musically, I prefer a singer with a guitar (Jack Johnson-like). "The Office" is THE show. I honestly don't get to go to the movies often. I don't own a motorcycle, I'm weaker, slower, less athletic, but a much better golfer. And, I love going to California and spending time on the beach.

But here's the big news, I am still Ty Godwin.

Okay that's a long into... what am I getting at? I notice often, that people are scared to death of change. You ever see that middle aged guy who's still sporting the "mullet" from 1989? Its not so much that it looks good, it's that he is afraid to change. Other people of scared of change when it comes to jobs, schools, church life and the list goes on and on and on.

But the truth is, that "Life is change." I look at Kaleb today at 22 months old and he has changed over and over and over almost daily. If he didn't change, we as parents would panic, because as a growing little boy, he has to change.

I find that today I am a much different person that I was at 19. Hopefully most of that is for the good. I hope that I have matured into a better man and a more caring individual. How about you? How have you changed? Now look at life. Are there things that are freaking you out because its going to cause change in your life? If so, realize that its okay to change. In fact, it is good and healthy.

Here's a verse to encourage you...

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." ~ Hebrews 13.8

He is the only ONE who doesn't change. He is constant. So no matter what is coming, He is there and will be strength for you, if you lean on Him. And if you are a person that is struggling with "trust." Ask Jesus for the strength to make that your next "change" because change is coming, I guarantee it!

Just my thoughts!
Be His!

Where everybody knows your name...

2008-05-09T11:02:00.004-06:00

What is community? My mac dictionary defines it as a group of people who live in the same area and "practice common ownership." Interesting... I am sitting at Starbucks right now which is common on Friday for me. It is nice to be out of the office doing my work instead of couped up in the little area that I have at the top of the stairs in our church. Each week as I sit here, I see lots of people living in community. Some of them in the "Starbucks Community." You know the ones that are on the first name basis with the employees. The ones who have a specail drink that only they and the employee understand. And then there are the little groups of people who are sitting and sharing stories and life together. I see an older guy staring at his coffee probably asking his buddy if the coffee is as "good as it use to be." But nonetheless he is sharing community with the gentleman he is sitting with . Of course there is the business community. I see people talking real estate and such. Then there are others just sitting and relaxing. Really even me, I am sitting my myself on the computer, but I am typing out this blog hoping to share community with you.

What's all of this add up to? Well it seems to me that people want places to connect. Places to meet others, and places to grow relationships that will enrich their lives. Do you agree? It seems that God has wired all of us, extroverts and introverts alike, to need other people. Starbucks is an easy place to make that happen. Its a comfortable environment, in my opinion, the coffee is good, the employees are friendly, and the music is always mixed at a comfortable level. I am just amazed at no matter what Starbucks I am at, it is usually very similar.

Then I think about our ministry. If you are a part of it, you can think along with me, if not, think of your church if you have one. Do we allow community to be built in a way that influences others and makes them want to be there? Do we know everyone's name? Do we treat each other in a friendly way? Do we enrich the lives of others in a way that they will drop whatever they are doing to show up? Have we created a welcoming place that allows others to "practice common ownership?" Or is it a place where only a few people feel welcome and accepted? I think its a good question to ask ourselves. When I look at the life of Jesus, I see a guy who created a great sense of community among his followers and among the onlookers. He never compromised truth, but he loved and accepted people in spite of their shortcomings and helped the grow through it (look at the life of Peter in the Gospels and see how Jesus dealt with shortcomings).

I long to be a part of a ministry where the community is contagious and where students in our Local Community see the value of the community they can experience in our ministry. Agree? What can we do to pull this off?

Just my thoughts!
Be His!

It wouldn't be the same!

2008-05-08T18:13:00.003-06:00

A friend showed me a new web-site that does cool 30 second videos for free. Here's a video of Kaleb that I put together today and thought it would be fun to share with you!
That's all!
Be His!

Spring Time...

2008-05-07T14:22:00.003-06:00

I remember growing up in the Eastern half of the country and enduring grueling winters that seemed to go on and on and on until you just didn't think spring would ever arrive. Then just when you were about to give up hope, the sun reappeared, the flowers began to spring up and you felt life coming back into everything. Isn't that a good feeling. Truth is, where I live now, that's not as noticed. Seasons look very similar and though we do have great temperature swings, I really don't notice spring the way I use to (and trust me I love not having winter so no complaints). Last week after a year with the same "MySpace" layout, I decided to give my page a face lift, then yesterday this blog received the same "makeover." As funny as it sounds, they both felt a little like spring to me. Spring is a time of new starts, fresh attitudes and warmer feelings. I find that being a techy kind of guy, I feel refreshed when I can find time to start things over. I also think that it must be how it is when God renews us day after day. Check out these verses,

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

~Lamentations 3.22-24

I think these verses tell us that everyday God's mercy is like a new start. He doesn't have to offer that to us. We don't deserve it, but that is what mercy is all about... being renewed every day without an ounce of worthiness in us. How incredible is that?

I am just constantly reminded that Christ is the remedy for my life every day. Without his spring like, make-over each day, I don't know where I'd be. I often fight it and other times embrace it, but at the end of it all, He is my remedy! I am going to close this post with a video of the David Crowder Band's song The Remedy. The video is decent, not great, but the words are exceptional, listen to it and be encouraged that if you are down, Christ can renew you and give you a fresh start!

That's all!
Be His!

Tales from the Crib- The Father's Arms

2008-05-06T14:28:00.003-06:00

Last night on the way home, Julie and I decided to get her car washed (it was really dirty). We had Kaleb and though he was really tired, we thought that he would enjoy the carwash and the water on the car (it was touch free wash). The wash started with a couple of light rounds of prewash and as usual, he observed everything that was happening and really seemed to enjoy the water and the cool lights. What happened next, changed the course of his experience. The high pressure wash kicked in and for the first time ever, I truly saw FEAR in his eyes. We tried to console Kaleb and tell him it would be okay, but he was past verbal comforting, so quickly both Julie and I leaned back, unbuckled his car seat and pulled him up front with us. I immediatly took him and held him close to me in my arms and let him know that I was there.

It was really a one of a kind experience for me as a dad. I felt his body relax and rest all at one time. He felt safe again. The car wash finished and we pulled forward into a parking place and he sat up and was fine.

The lesson to me is that I am sure in my hard times, God wants me to lean into His comfort and rest in Him. Instead, I often try to fix things or I run away from God instead of letting Him pick me up and hold me. I think I need to learn from my little boy, that it is okay to be comforted by my Father and to be held in His arms. If I did that, I am sure that, just like Kaleb, things would feel better a lot quicker!

That's all!
Be His!

"ALVIN!!!!"

2008-05-02T20:38:00.006-06:00

I've been searching tonight for a video clip of Tim Hughes' song "
Oh Happy Day"(click for lyrics) and I came across this video of these two boys doing a "Chipmunks" version. It is AWESOME. Especially watch the little boy in the back when he says "He's Alive!" This is what i wonder... Are we that excited when we realize that "He's alive?" I don't know. Maybe we take it for granted and maybe we forget what it was like the day that Jesus "washed our sin away" but hopefully this video will remind you of the joy that you once had (if your like me and find that you forget). Either way enjoy the video. It will bring a smile to your face. I don't know who created the video, but I'm glad they did!

Just my thoughts!
Be His!

This is Classic!

2008-04-30T16:05:00.007-06:00

I found this picture on a blog that I read. I had to share it. For those of you who are PC people I hope you see the irony in this picture! For those of you who are Mac people just enjoy it, it's now my desktop picture!

Picture Found at ragamuffinsoul.com

Tales from the Crib-Hide and Seek

2008-04-27T08:43:00.003-06:00

The other night I was at home with Kaleb and he was running around, playing and having a great time. At one point he ran into his room which is nothing unusual. About 30 seconds later he hadn't returned again nothing unusual. Then I heard a banging sound. The first thing that came to my mind was that he fallen climbing on the chair in his room. For those of you who don't know, Kaleb LOVES to climb. He climbs on anything that he can find. So at this point I jump off the floor and run in to make sure he is alright. As I get into his room, he's not there. This is the point that my heart jumped. Had he ran into Julie and my room? Where was he? What was going on? For just a couple of seconds my heart panicked because I was just expecting him to be there. Then I heard something. A little noise from the closet... And it hit me, he was hiding from me. I said something like "OH NO where is Kaleb at (add parent playful voice)? And I could hear him trying not to laugh and I hear the "banging" again, which was clearly him letting me know that he was hiding. And then the closet door slid open and he had the biggest grin on his face. It was so cute!!!

Here is what hit me. Initially I wasn't expecting him to hide, so when I went into his room I had that brief 2 seconds of detachment, or loss. Where was he? We run and hide from God a lot. Not so much in the playful sense but in the embarrassment or the ashamed sense. Check out Genesis 3. 8-10. The thought that came to me was "did God have that same momentary empty feeling when Adam and Eve were hiding?" Does He have that feeling when I "hide" from Him?" Well maybe not because He is All-Knowing, but if my silly little feeing for that brief second is anything like God may have felt in the garden, and his was over a serious issue (not hide and seek), then I think we forget what our sin and bad choices must do to God. We know that God loves us, and my love for Kaleb is why in that moment I felt like I did. But the reality is that God loves us more and He wants to have complete fellowship with us and not have it cut off when we try to hide from Him.

Does God know where you are at? Or are you hiding?

Just my thoughts!
Be His!

A Little Reminder...

2008-04-17T16:49:00.008-06:00

Yesterday after I wrote the previous entry, I left the office and made my journey home. I use the word journey loosely. It is only 7 miles. But yesterday it felt like a journey. There was CRAZY traffic everywhere. I am the kind of driver who doesn't mind taking side streets to avoid traffic, but even the side streets were crazy. I just couldn't find my way (you ever feel like that?) So to make a long story short, my mind came back to #32 of the list I had typed, "hitting traffic at the right time." I had to laugh. I definitely didn't get that one right yesterday. But then I got home and spent time wrestling and playing with Kaleb and something hit me. A lot of things make me happy (57 on the list) but half or more of those are fleeting. What brings real happiness and purpose? I think it comes down to relationships with both God and people. I am going to go back and see how many of my 57 fit into that category. Be right back... (insert jeopardy music here.........................................
...................................)

Okay, I'm back. My count is that 24 of my 57 things that make me happy would fall into the previous mentioned category. The rest is mostly circumstantial. That is a reminder to me that a lot of what I invest my time, can be gone so fast. I want to be a person who is driven by the things that last. Then the traffic doesn't matter.

That's all!
Be His!

Things that make me happy...

2008-04-16T17:45:00.003-06:00

I was talking to a friend of mine today who is going through a difficult time in life. Lately I've been feeling down a lot, and as I went through this conversation, I was reminded at how much stuff in my life makes me happy and how much I have to be thankful for. Some of it is superficial and some isn't, but many people in the world don't have and I take it for granted or get down for NO reason. With that in mine, I thought I would try this exercise. I am going to list all the things that make me happy. Just a reminder to myself that I have been given so much and I shouldn't dwell on the negative things. I am going to write for 15 minutes and see what I can come up with. Here it goes...

my wife who loves me
my son who loves me
sports
golf on a summer day
the students that I work with
seeing people's lives changed
helping someone out
blogging (even when I take a few weeks off)
riding my bicycle
warm weather
the beach
trying to surf
mentoring a friend
riding a motorcycle
finding old friends on facebook
a visit from my niece
a new 3 wood
reading a good book
seeing a student go on a mission trip for the first time
playing poker with friends
video editing
finding a cell phone that I like (this is a log story worthy of a blog of its own)
flying in an airplane
being forgiven
making a new friend
blowing bubbles with Kaleb
going for a walk with the family
an Arizona sunset over the mountains
a good cup of coffee
espresso
opportunities to grow
hitting traffic at the right time
"the office"
throwing a football
making a 25 foot putt
Julie's cooking
Kaleb saying "dad"
a phone call from my niece
dinner at Abuelo's
dinner at my grandma's
working out at the gym
good music
seeing a volunteer succeed in ministry
finding a good deal!
a good movie
Mexican Food
playing catch with Kaleb
playing hide and seek with Kaleb
writing with a Sharpie (you either understand this one or you don't)
my Mac
teaching
being loved
being needed
giving something away
meeting my neighbors
climbing a tree
living in Arizona

Okay 15 minutes are up, I am going to count and see how many things I came up with...

57 things... and it would grow if I hadn't stopped at 15 minutes.

Now I know a lot of these are superficial and others are so important that I don't know what life would be like without them. But this is the lesson; I have SO much. SO MANY things make me happy! And that isn't event to mention that the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE knows my name. So as I write this I realize that I have to find ways to not "get down" when, I have so much to be thankful for. But I find this to be hard. Can anyone relate? Why do I get down so easily? Why does discouragement find me often? What can I do to not get caught up in feeling sorry for myself? What do you think? I think I need to live my life less focused on me and more on God and others.

That's all!
Be His!

The One I would Pick...

2008-03-27T18:09:00.003-06:00

Well, this will be a short post, but I want to close this list down. Its been a fun exercise for me to find out the things that I am really curious about that I might ask God if I knew He would give me an audible answer. And for the sake of not jumping further back into one of my previous posts, I will simply give you the answer to which question I would choose.

The one that I am most curious about and one that I hope to have an answer for in this life one day is

#9 "Why does my half brother not want to have anything to do with my family?"

Click here to read the entire post

I simply would like to know. The other things make me curious as they might make you curious, but this one is one that need not be. Maybe one day I'll find my answer, until then I hope that he finds his answers and ultimately "The Answer."

That's all...this exercise is complete!
Be His!

#1- The End

2008-03-26T10:51:00.002-06:00

Well, in retrospect, I should have come up with the top 9 questions that I would consider asking God. As my friend Ryan stated, this list became a lot like those TV lists that never come to an end. Looking back, maybe doing this list leading up to Easter was a bad idea. In church work life, this is really a busy time, and it doesn't allow a ton of time for free writing. Then I had the grand idea of reviewing the book. Not only did that take time to write but the book (which I again recommend) is nearly 300 pages of reading. Adding that on top of the Easter season and the fact that where I live, the weather is sooooo beautiful this time of the year, it's amazing that this list is coming to an end today. With that in mind, I think the appropriate title for this post is "The End." This title isn't what you think, it really has nothing to do with the fact that this is the 10th post in the list. It actually has everything to do with my final question...

"What is the correct interpretation of the book of Revelation?"

That's a simple enough question right? haha. If you have spent any time studying the book, or have talked to people who have, you know that there is great debate on how to interpret the book of Revelation (or as a lot of people refer, the study of the End Times).

I spent 6 months in a college class studying this book, and writing a 23 page paper, which is still sitting next to me in my filing cabinet. And allow me to tell you, it is a hard study. The reason is because there are many different theolgical ways to interpret the book. Here are a few (there are more but you'll get the idea)

There is the idealist/spiritual/symbolic interpretation. This view looks at the entire book, looking for the meanings behind the imagery. . Primarily this view is looking for the lesson in the book and how it applies to any generation. This has some good points because as you read the book there is definitely some symbols that need considered and clearly there are lessons that apply in all places and all times.

There is the historisist interpretation. This view sees the book of Revelation as small history of the events that transpire over the course of church history. A lot of people see this based upon the opening letters to the 7 churches as the first century church, all the way through the end of this age. One of the great strengths to this argument is that many of our church ancestors who have given the church great Biblical doctrine and understanding, chose this as their theology. People like: John Wycliffe, John Knox, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Isaac Newton, John Hus, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, and Matthew Henry. That is a who's who of reformation thinkers.

There is the pretarist interpretation. This view looks at the entire book from the first century perspective and what the meaning was to the original readers. This view has some good points, because the first rule in biblical interpretation is to look at the original context.

There is the futurist/dispensational interpretation. These views are similar but do have some distinctions if you study them. This is the view that is held by quite a number of modern day people. Out of this view comes the Left Behind books and the people who you see "charting out" the end times. This view has a lot of good points and its literal interpretation carries a lot of weight with great numbers in the church.

Then you tack on that there are hybrid interpretations. There are pretarist/futurists, Symbolic/futurist, idealist/futurist, well you get the point. It leads to a lot of debate.

If time allotted, I could go into lists of pro's and con's, strengths and weaknesses and the the list could go on and on and on.

I'm not going to do this because that is not the purpose of this post. And the truth is that I do find myself in a certain "interpretive camp" on this one, but the more I study it, the more I realize that God knows exactly how its all going to end (just like he knew when my list was going to end), and the clear message of the Book of Revelation that is unarguable is "Stay Strong and Persevere" no matter what happens.

So knowing all of this, if I were to have one question that I could ask God and get an answer too, I would have to consider this question as the one I would choose. Thanks for bearing with me to get through the list, and maybe in the next week I will post one last post choosing a top choose from the list of 10.

For the record, if you are scholarly type, the lists above a greatly condensed to show the variety. They are not exhaustive nor conclusive.

That's all! Go read Revelation and know that God knows it all and is in control!!!
Be His!

He is Risen Indeed!

2008-03-23T09:42:00.002-06:00

In the early church, history tells us that when followers of Jesus would meet, there was a special greeting. The first person would say, "He is risen." And the other person would respond by saying, "He is risen, indeed." We live in a busy chaotic world. Tomorrow we get back to that busy life, but today let's take time to remember, Jesus, "He is Risen!"

check out the video. The song is by Phil Wickham. It's the Easter story!

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: A Review

2008-03-19T14:45:00.006-06:00

About a month ago, when visiting the blog site of one of my favorite music artists (linked on the side bar of my Blog) , I found that he had written a book. Now, Andrew Peterson (www.andrew-peterson.com) is truly one of my favorite story tellers. He weaves stories into his music in ways that connect people to his thoughts. It was for that reason that Andrew as an author intrigued me. I did not at that time know anything about his book (genre included) but because of his ability to communicate through song writing, I signed up to see if I would be selected as a “Blog reviewer.” Needless to say, when I was selected, I was very excited to read the book and to get wrapped up into an Andrew Peterson story.

This book is a story with which every young boy can relate . It is a story of growing up, seeking adventure, learning responsibility and protecting what is important. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, is a story that Andrew Peterson wove together as a dad telling his children bed-time stories. That is especially close to my heart as I look forward to telling stories to my son as he grows. As I began to read, I found that the story is a fantasy story similar to the writings of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien and after reading the three short introductions, I was ready to jump in and experience “the Land of Aerwiar”.

Here is the publishers description of the book:

“In the once-quiet land of Skree, Janner Igiby, little brother Tink and crippled sister Leeli stumble upon lost jewels of the mysterious King of the Shining Isle Anniera. But Gnag the Namelss seeks the treaure for purely evil ends, so our brave trio, accompanied by their trusty dog Nugget and ex-pirate grandfather, must escape his minion Fangs. Singer-Songwriter Andrew Peterson spins a page turning tale of redemption peppered with songs, poems and hilarious asides that follow the Igibys through a fantastical world of wonders complete with

Memorable characters like Bimney Stupe, Armulyn the Bard, and the soft-shoe dancing Peet the Sock Man.
Fanciful creatures: sea dragons who sing the light of the moon, spine–tingling toothy cows, snarling horned hounds, and mischievous flabbits
And dazzling places: from Books &Crannies Bookstore and Anklejelly Manor, to Fingfap Falls, and across the Ice Prairies… not to mention the Dark Sea of Darkness.”

As I began to read the book, I found myself, falling completely into the world that the Author had created. It was not that different from my experience when reading “Tolkien” and “Lewis” as they developed the lands of “Middle Earth” and “Narnia.” Early in the reading I was concerned that it would seem that he was trying to create something too similar to those worlds, that we have all learned to love, but Peterson did not disappoint. Within 6 chapters, I had completely forgotten the comparison. I also found myself in between my reading times, wondering what would happen next, trying to figure out the mysteries and hoping that Peterson is close to finishing Book Two so that I could just keep reading.

As a reader, I do not get a lot of time to spend in the world of fiction. But I think I rediscovered through this book that books are not always about knowledge and theology. Sometimes they exist for fun and imagination. The past week as I read through the book in my spare time, it became the story of my thoughts and as a reader, I was completely enveloped into the world of Janner, Tink and Leeli Igiby.

Andrew Peterson has long been one of my favorite music artists, but with this book, he has worked his way onto my list of favorite authors. His story was grand and fresh. And for creating a “new world” out of his thoughts, it all worked and made sense. I have long looked forward to reading the previous mentioned “Fantasy” books to my son, and now cannot wait to take my little boy to the world of Aerwiar.

• I would also like to mention without giving any plot away, that chapter 44 was by far my favorite part of the book. With each turn of the page, I found myself wanting to know “what was going to happen.” I felt like a little kid anxious to open a present as I turned the pages.

To check out the book on Amazon go
HERE.

Busyness and such!

2008-03-19T11:12:00.003-06:00

Well, I guess the past two weeks have been full of lots of different things. From visits from family to lots of stuff around the office and thus no posts. I wanted to let you know that later today I am going to be posting a book review. The blog of one of my favorite music artists was asking for bloggers that would be willing to review his new book and kind of a on a whim (thinking they wouldn't choose me) I signed up. And they picked me! I didn't know anything about the book, but was excited about getting to read and review it. So for the past week I have been spending some of my free hours reading the book. I finished it today and will be posting a review later. This will be a bit different entry as I have never reviewed a book before, but I am excited to share my observations with you and maybe you'll become familiar with both his writing and his music.

More later...
Be His!

2- A Controversial Question...

2008-03-06T11:17:00.002-07:00

I spent a great deal of my high school days studying science and as I have shared on this blog many times, I love science. It truly encourages my faith when I see God's magnificent creation. That being said the next question that I would consider asking God if I had the chance, comes from the time of creation. It is also a question that brings great controversy and passion from a lot of His followers on both side of the argument. I am small enough to know that I don't have the answer to this question, so I have found myself okay with both sides of the argument. I also know that no matter which side of the argument you fall on, it doesn't change who God is. The question...

"Was it a literal 7 days of creation? or Was the term "day" a general term meaning a period of time?

On the literal side, I know a lot of people that are passionate, that the days were 7 actual rotations of the Earth on its axis. And that God created everything in 168 hours. After all, Genesis says it in a literal way. To that I respond, absolutely. God is all-powerful and if that is how He chose to create, I am okay with that.

On the figurative side. A lot of people site verses like "a day with God is like 1000 years." And others point out places in the Bible where symbolism through numbers are used in more of a figurative way, thus concluding that God created the Earth in a longer time, than a literal week. And to that I respond, absolutely, I'm okay with it.

The reason that I am okay with either side is that God can work however He wants. And either way, it is still God who created and spoke the Universe into existence out of nothing. Whether I totally understand it or not. To me, both ways shows His power and creativeness. Both are amazing and both still strengthen my faith.

That being said, when I talk to people on both sides of this issue, I find the arguments compelling and making sense. And then I switch sides and the others also make good sense. Thus, I would have to consider this as one of my questions that I would just love to know the answer to. Simple as that. I am okay with not knowing, but the curiosity in me, might put this high on the list of questions to ask.

That's all!
Be His!

Tales From the Crib- El Camino

2008-02-29T21:18:00.003-07:00

Well I will eventually give you the final two questions on the top 10 list. I have narrowed it down but am still formulating thoughts... until then, here's a funny thought.

If you have been around my son Kaleb at all in the past 3 months, you have heard him say his two favorite words. "Ball and Truck." Now Ball is distinct and he says it ALL the time. Of course that is okay with me because I gain the same amount of excitement in my life because of games and sports that use a ball. But the funny word for me to listen to is "Truck" pronounced in Kaleb's language "Cruck." He loves to point out trucks on the road, in pictures, in books, you name it and he calls it out. But the funny things is that though he learned the word "Car" before he learned the word "truck," he has given up on it. Now days, all cars fall into the truck category. And you might think to yourself that he is confusing the two, but we are certain that isn't the case because he gets excited when a truck comes down the road or goes around our car and not when a car does (even though if we ask him, he will call a car a truck). I hope you are following all of this.

Now here is where the humor came into all of this. A couple of weeks back, we stopped at a store and were getting out of our car, when Kaleb noticed an El Camino. Now if you are familiar with the El Camino (spanish for "The Road"), you know that it was a car sized truck. Or some would call it a car that looked like a truck. By technical definition it was a truck but smaller. As you can see in the picture, it creats much confusion as to what it was and what it wasn't. But Kaleb noticing it, of course, began to call out "cruck" which immediately caused me to chuckle, because the truth is that most people confuse what the El Camino is. I told him (and of course he didn't understand) that he might be right on this one, it might be a truck, but then again it might be a car! I am sure Julie and I got a lot more amusement out of it than he did. He was just happy to see something that looked like a truck to him.

Here what hit me. As a Christ-followers, I am a lot like that. We probably all are. We have the Spirit of God living in our hearts, we have been set free from sin and we are friends with the Creator of the Universe and at times we live and look like something completely different. We are often clearly a "Car" but live and look like a "Truck" (You can switch that around if you are a truck person, I happen to be a car person myself). We have the power of God living inside of us, but we often camouflage ourselves so that we can hide and look just like the world. And at the end of the day, we are much like an El Camino. We look like both a Car and a Truck, but we can only seat two people (so not an effective car) and aren't big enough to haul around a heavy loads (so not as good as a truck). We simply lose our purpose.

The good news is that God has extended His Grace upon us. And we aren't judged based upon our ability to look like a Christ-Follower, but that doesn't dismiss the fact that God wants us to look like an "Authentic Follower." He wants us to live transformed lives. Not so that others feel like we are somehow "holier" than they are, but so that others will see that God is at work in us.

I don't want to be confused as something that I am not, but I think I am as good as anyone at living a confusing life before others. I don't want others to debate whether I am a car or a truck... I want them to know that by God's Grace, I belong to Him!

That's all!
Be His!

Move the Mountains...

2008-02-27T14:33:00.003-07:00

I was sitting in church service on Sunday morning and my friend Josh was leading the music worship time and we were singing a song that I really like. The song is called "Mighty to Save." And I'll be honest with you, I am just like you are. I sing songs and don't pay attention to the words quite often. And my mind wonders to everything else during "worship" time. I'll think about the golf tournament on TV, or spending time with my son after church. I'm just human... you know? But as we were singing this song on Sunday, one of the phrases just jumped off the screen an into my face.

Here's the words...

My Savior, He can move the mountains,
my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save,
Forever, author of Salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave.

The words that struck me are "He can move the mountains." I've heard this phrase a million time, so I wasn't expecting for the phrase to jump out at me, but what came to my mind, was what would we really do if God moved the mountains?

To the front of my house, you can see the White Tank Mountain Range (see picture). I love it. I grew up with a hill across from my house, but certainly no mountain range. So there are days I walk outside (I have to walk about 10 yards down the sidewalk to see them) and stair at the mountains and think to myself, "how fortunate I am to live with a mountain view." It is like a boyhood dream to live with mountains in view. But as I sit and sang that song, I began to think, "What would I do if Jesus just decided to move the mountains?" And then I began to wonder, "Do I really believe that He can move those mountains?" And then I began to wonder "How strong is my faith that He can do everything that He says He can do?" Wow, I was just singing a song and all of this just started hitting me out of nowhere.

I am not sure if I came to any conclusions, but I do know that in our culture (suburban America) it is so hard to believe and to know that God has the power to move the White Tanks if He wants to. I think that the reason is that we feel so self-sufficient. We feel like we have God figured out and as I sang that song, I began to realize once again, that I don't understand His ways, I don't understand God. Do I even want to fully figure God out? That really got a lot of people in trouble in the Bible when they started doing that!

But now I find myself thinking about the second part of the song, I do believe that He is Mighty to Save. I know that He has taken a frail, worthless, person and saved me from the grasp of a hopeless life. I believe that He rose on the third day and that He still is alive. I believe that He created the Earth, the Galaxies and the Universe. So why couldn't He move the mountains? But again I ask, how would we react if He did it? And like everyone, I struggle with doubt, because it doesn't make sense. Then I come to the final thought. God doesn't owe it to me to "make sense?" He's God, and I'm not. I know that line of reasoning aggravates some people (it does me at time, too) but its true!

My hope is that my faith grows and that if He chooses to "move a mountain," I would react by saying "I am not surprised, and that I would fall into worship!"

That's all!
Be His!

Total Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-21T12:29:00.003-07:00

I don't know where you are reading this from, but in a great part of the world, last evening, you were able to see a Total Lunar Eclipse. If you don't know, a lunar eclipse happens when a full moon passes through the earth's shadow and the earth blocks the moon from the Sun's rays. And because some of the rays get through the Earth's atmosphere to the moon, the moon appears Red. It is a really cool event that occurs "every once in a while." The next one will not be until 2010.

I remember the first time I saw a lunar eclipse. It happened in the middle of the night when I was little, and I remember my mom waking me up and seeing it through my parents window as the moon turned Red. As a child I was fascinated and amazed by what I was seeing. It is cool how things in outer space happen and how we get to enjoy them down here (a solar eclipse is even more amazing but I'll save it for another blog). As I watched as a small kid, I was amazed that something like a Red Moon was even possible, but it was something that I have never forgotten and I look forward to seeing lunar eclipses as they happen.

So last night, Julie called me on her way to small group to tell me she heard on the radio that the eclipse was going to occur. At that point I hadn't heard that it was happening, so with the baby already asleep and Julie gone, I sat up camp on our back porch with a great view of the moon to watch the event as it happened. I was pretty fortunate that though the clouds were moving in, I was able to see the eclipse as it occurred and I got a really good glimpse through the passing clouds when the moon was at the MID STAGE of the Full eclipse. It was pretty cool! (check out shadowandsubstance.com for an animated look at the eclipse... the picture above was from my phone just before the moon entered Full Eclipse Stage the little dot in the middle is the moon click on it for a bigger view)

Now if you know me at all or have read my blog for long, this doesn't surprise you, but it is at moments like last night when I see the handy work of God laid out before my eyes that I am amazed by His work and His Power. He could have made it that the moon just disappeared which would have been similar to a New Moon phase, but instead, as He created, He made it such that the Moon would turn Red. As I sat watching last night, I had to think that God was "pleased with His work." And as I along with others (maybe you too) watched the eclipse, I wonder if He thought to Himself, "how small" the event was (lasting only about an hour in full eclipse stage) and how much "Bigger" He really is if we only knew.

Here's a couple of verses for you!

Psalm 19.1-2
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

Just some thoughts from my evening!
Be His!

3 - Just Out of Curiosity...

2008-02-20T10:10:00.002-07:00

Well, I have found a lot of serious questions in this quest to find my top 10 questions, so I thought I would throw in one that I am just curious about. I will preface this question by saying, that this would not be the one that I would ask God if given the chance, but for the fun of it, I thought I would post this as one of the 10 questions...

"Is there life on any other planets?"

Come on, you know that you have wondered this, too. And if your like me, you probably figure that there isn't. But the truth is, we don't know. From a belief standpoint, the Bible doesn't support that there is, but have you ever studied the universe and how big it is? Have you ever looked at the magnitude of each of the galaxies? It is SO Big, that I just wonder if it would be possible that there was another planet with human life? And if so, have they messed it up as bad as we have? Have they broke fellowship with God because of their selfish desires? Have they caused a need for a salvation? Well its at this point that I think that there probably isn't life on other planets, because I don't think that God would allow Jesus to go through what He did for us more than once. As a dad, I know that Jesus' redemptive act, had to hurt God the Father, but maybe because of the way I think, or the debates on the playground as a kid, "Are there aliens? Is there life on Mars?" I just am curious. In our finite minds, we think we have a lot of things figured out, but what if in a way that we can't imagine, God has life in another part of His creation. What would it be like?

Okay, enough rambling in the imaginative world. Just wanted to give a lighter post.

That's all!
Be His!

Disconnected...

2008-02-17T14:12:00.005-07:00

Yesterday after a long time of trying to figure out which cell phone carrier we wanted to use, we decided that after 4 years with Cingular/AT&T that it was the right time to make the change. So after ordering new phones on-line we went about our normal Saturday routine. About 6pm last night I looked down at my phone and discovered that AT&T had cut us off. We are officially disconnected. In case your wondering, it is because we decided to keep our numbers and "port" them to the new carrier. My understanding was that our old contract would be in effect until we got our new phones, but I was definitely mistaken and am now disconnected from the cell phone and the text messaging world.

Now understand, it is only for 2 or 3 days. That isn't even that long, but after years of being "connected" it feels really weird. I still think I feel my phone buzzing the silent ring tone, and am constantly reaching to see if I have missed any calls, but each time I get the same response...NO SERVICE. It's kind of strange that I lived for about 23 years of my life without a cell phone. And I lived for about 26 years before I actually made regular calls and gave out my number, but over the past 7 years, it has become a regular part of my life. It's amazing to me how quickly our reality changes.

Now here is the lesson that I learn. How easy it is to get disconnected from God? I mean for the first 17 years of my life, I wasn't connected to Him. And then in 1991, He seized my heart and took over the #1 spot. I began to learn and to grow and to practice the Spiritual Disciplines. But many times over the past 15 years, I find myself disconnecting from Him. At times, He becomes a low priority, losing out to business or to other people, or even to just flat out laziness. But the truth is, sometimes I don't even notice. I just go on living life. Can you relate to that?

What I have learned over the past day is that I want to be the kind of Christ-Follower that notices my disconnection with God the same way that I notice my disconnection with my cell phone. When I miss out on the Disciplines, I want to notice and recognize that I am missing them. I want it to have the same kind of impact that losing technology has on my life. How about you? What would you notice more? The lack of a cell phone or the lack of time with the Creator of the Universe? Stay connected!

Joshua 1.8
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

By the way if you are like me, you are wondering which carrier we decided to pick. You may even be asking why I haven't told you. Well I just wanted you to ask? And there was a hint in the picture... T-Mobile was the decision, and If your nice to me you might get to be in my FAV 5 so I can call you for free!

That's all!
Be His!

4- Another Hard One...

2008-02-14T22:42:00.005-07:00

The more that I have delved into my thoughts and wonderings on what I might ask God given a chance to ask one question, the more I have concluded that there is so much truth in the following verse...

Isaiah 55.8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

With that in mind I climb deeper into my thoughts with another hard to understand question.

"Why do you allow Satan to be around and continue to exist?"

I have come to grips with the fact that evil exists if for no other reason that it is the opposite of good. And in order for free choice to work, then the allowance of the wrong choice will be there. But then I wonder about Satan (i.e. the Devil, or the Enemy...whatever you call him). Revelation 20 is clear that one day Satan's end will come and that ultimately His power trip will end. But I wonder what made God's decision to allow Satan to continue to exist? I am not sure of an answer and I truly trust God's way, but I would definitely be curious to know why God decided to do it this way.

We don't truly understand how Satan works, but the Bible is clear that he is at work. I do think at times, people think that he is more powerful that he really is... everything is under God's permissive will including Satan which means he is not the equal to God on the bad side kind of like Darth Vader is to Obi Wan Kenobi. That is the misconception, but the reality is that God has allowed him to exist and have some power. And with that power, he continues to influence and work. That doesn't mean that God causes it nor that he approves of it, but that He allows Satan to exist. And thus the question, Why? Why not just take him out and end the whole thing now or many years ago, instead of waiting until the end of time? I have no answer only the reality that God's ways (which I believe and right, noble, pure and best) are higher than my ways and whether I like it or understand it, His ways are best!

That's all!
Be His!

*** Please excuse the picture. It is not to make light of Satan and the reality of who he is but that most people envision something like this when they think of the "devil"

"But what if it's Jesus and I walk away?"

2008-02-13T13:14:00.002-07:00

I keep coming by this song. It's called "The Twenty-First Time" by Monk and Neagle. It's powerful. Read the words, listen to the song, then let's do our part!

Here are the lyrics...

Nowhere to live, nowhere to fall
he used to have money, but he’s wasted it all.
His face is a photograph burned in my mind,
but I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He sleeps under stars, that’s all he can afford
His blanket's an old coat he’s had since the war
He stands on the corner of Carter and Vine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He may be a drifter, he’s grown old and gray
But what if he’s Jesus and I walk away?
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
but I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

She’s twenty-nine but she feels forty-eight
She can’t raise three kids on minimum wage
She’s cryin’ in back of the welfare line
but I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

She may be a stranger tryin’ to get through the day
but what if it’s Jesus and i walk away?
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
but I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

This is a call for a change in my heart
I realize that I’ve not been doin’ my part
when I needed a Savior, I found it in Him
He gave to me, now I’ll give back to them

Drifter or stranger, father or son
I’ll look for Jesus in every one
’cause I am the body and drink of the wine
and I’m thankful there’s more than the twenty-first time

That's all!
Be His!

5- Choice?

2008-02-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

As I have continued to think about the question that I would ask God if I could ask Him one question, I have gone back and forth about some of my possibilities, but this one has stayed on the list since the start.

Why do you allow us Free Choice when You know we will generally make a poor choice?

I think about this question on many levels. First of all, God knows everything, He knows our thoughts before we have them, He knows our choices before we make them, and He knows the outcome of all of this right now, even before things have happened in our world. That's pretty powerful.

The question that comes to mind is why did he choose to create our universe and specifically your life and my life with the ability to choose what we want? It's hard to understand how God in all of His infinite power would want to give us such a gift that we generally use as such a curse. From all the reading in the Bible and other books, I find that God knew all of this before He created the Universe and He knew that not only would Adam and Eve sin, but so would you and me. He also then knew that He would give His Only Son (more on this later) to correct our problem and yet He still went through with this universe and free choice. Wow! Why would he do that? I mean if I had to give up my "only son" because of other people's self-centered poor choices, well let's just say that wouldn't have been a good situation for any of us. I would have made people who could have only choose "right" and never "wrong."

Of course if that were the case (only choosing right) then the obvious next question is "then would there even be right and wrong?" And that is a good question. It seems that God knew that in order to have the ability to choose Good then the ability to choose Bad had to go along with it.

Another thing that brings me understanding in this question is how all of this points us to our need not only for a Savior but also for our need to have the Holy Spirit our Helper in our lives to help us do the "Right Thing." I find that in all of this, the ability to choose causes me to know how badly I need God and how if I didn't have Him I don't know what I would do. The truth is I make a lot of bad choices and thank God for His Grace. I also know that I make a lot of Good choices and to that I say Thank God for His Presence in my life.

My conclusion is that Free Choice, leads me toward my need for God in ways I don't fully understand, and I know that I need so badly in my life. That's kind of the story of the Old Testament. God's people's free choice got them into so much trouble that they needed a Messiah and God took care of that by sending Jesus.

Check out these verses in Galatians 3.13-14
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

You see the curse of the Law is that we can't fully follow it because we will break it and make bad decisions. Paul tells us that Law is only good if we follow it 100% of the time and our free choice keeps us from doing that. But Christ came to redeem us from that curse, be our sacrifice, and give us His Spirit in our hearts to guide us and change us. How incredible is that? He takes care of the mess that our bad choices make and then changes our heart to be who He wants us to be! Amazing!

I don't fully understand free choice but I am glad that God has given it to us and even more glad that He solved our problem with His Son and His Spirit.

That's all!
Be His!

6- A Fair Question...

2008-02-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

So some of the questions that come to my mind are theological, but not all of them. This one is pretty simple and as I can tell a fair question...

"Why does my stomach get upset so easily?"

It seems that my whole adult life, I have had regular stomach aches. I don't know if it is nerves or if it is something else, but if I had the chance to find out the answer I would be interested in knowing. As a kid, I don't think I was ever sick (maybe 5 times in 18 years) but as an adult, it isn't that I am sick, its just that my stomach always hurts. Thankfully it doesn't stop me from eating spicy foods or drinking a lot of coffee, (maybe that's the problem) but it is a part of my reality. I know people that never have an upset stomach, but not me. Every time I travel I have to think about it, and every time I get stressed, you can bet I'll be having a stomach ache. Its just that simple. And I know that God knows the answer. Whether is physiologically driven or stress related, He knows, and if I were able to ask Him one question and get the answer, I would have to consider this.
"
One thing for you as you read along...

Romans 8.18-21
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

I hate to try to answer my own questions but as I read this it reminds me that Creation is Fallen." Someday God will redeem it all and there will be no more stomach aches, but for today...well today has been good, no stomach ache, but who knows what tomorrow will bring... I guess only God knows!

That's all!
Be His!

7- Life Choices @ 18?

2008-02-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

I guess because I have spent the past 13 years working with High School Seniors and having spent countless hours talking to students about life choices, career choices, college choices and 100 other key life choices that need to be made at or around the age of 18, along with the fact that I lived this same time period with quite a few questions in my own mind that it leads me to another question that I would consider asking God if I were able to ask Him one question. So the next question on the list is...

Why did You make it that we have to make so many key life decisions right after we become an adult?

I think this is a fair question. I have seen many students lose sleep, second guess their choices and at times like in my own life, gotten to be into their later 20's and began wondering if I made the right choices for education, career and other such key decisions. It is truly difficult to decide what to do with your life and on top of that, this decision needs to be made right after a person has become (or sometimes just before) an adult. That makes adult life start out with a great amount of difficulty and pressure right there.

I wonder why not at 21 or 25 or even not until we are 30 that we would have to lock into our education and career choices. The truth is that most people my age are not using there original college degree, or if they are, they are seriously considering starting over, switching careers or going back to college. Which leads me to wonder, why are things the way that they are?

So as I am writing this, I began to look at the Bible and this is the verse I found,

1 Chronicles 29:1
Then King David said to the whole assembly: "My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God.

It's kind of interesting that God chose an inexperienced Solomon to build the temple, so that God could reveal His own power.

Maybe the same is true for us. Maybe He causes us to make hard choices early so that we really learn to rely on Him. I guess the problem with us as humans is that we don't rely on and trust Him very well. That is probably why we end up playing the second guessing game. We should rely less on ourselves and more on Him and if He chooses to change things up, that okay! At least we know we are in His hands!

Hmm, I didn't expect to draw a conclusion when I started to write this one, funny how things can turn out (especially when you seek out, God's council)

That's all!
Be His!

Tales From the Crib- Simplicity

2008-01-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

I am taking a break from my 10 questions to share another great lesson that I have seen from my favorite little boy in the whole wide world Kaleb.

Yesterday, Julie had an appointment at the Doctor's so I went along to take care of Kaleb. Knowing his high energy level, I decided to take him to the mall to walk around instead of sitting in the small waiting room. So we ventured over the the Arrowhead mall, and went inside to walk around. My goal was to get to the playground area so he could climb and run and burn off some of his energy, but we got distracted when we came to the escalator. Now if you know Kaleb, you know that he LOVES to climb. Anywhere we go that has stairs (we don't have any at our home) that is where he wants to be, but you throw on top of that a set of stairs that "moves" and we had a good combination for him. We road up and down about 10 times before I could get him to go to the playground. And he was so obedient to hold my hands and to not try to go on his own. And he was mesmerized. Over and over we road and he was so happy. For a change of scenery, I headed down to the playground with him and he had a little fun climbing and running, but I could tell where he really wanted to be. So back we went to the "moving stairs" and I am not kidding, we road it probably another 20 times up and down. He was so content and so happy to ride and look around. It was truly a great time!

Here is what I learned. We often cram so much stuff in our lives that take up so much of our time, energy and money, that we miss it is often the simple things that bring us great joy. Instead of the "flashy" mall playground, Kaleb was content with an old escalator. And the truth is for me, just a simple trip up and down that escalator with my son, brought me as much joy as any of my hobbies and activities. For me it was because I was with my little boy. For him, it was because he was experiencing a "new" thing.

One version of Ecclesiastes 7.29 that Richard Foster quotes when referring to the dicipline of simplicity and to my research may have been St. Francis of Assisi's interpretation of that Scripture, says, "God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising" (Ecclesiastes, 7:29-30).”

This verse along with the observations that I made at the mall, remind me that we are the one's that complicate things. We are the one's that "love stuff and use people" instead of "loving people and using stuff." The truth is that Kaleb was very happy without a bunch of toys and things. He was just happy to ride the escalator and spend time with his dad. Sadly, as he grows just like all of us, he will complicate his life with "possessions." He will forget just as we all do that life's purpose is usually found in simplicity and not complexity and drama. St Francis along with the writer of Ecclesiastes realized that we have to be careful not to get the whole purpose of life confused. Remember the purpose is to "Love God and Love Others." Keep it simple! Don't let possessions, wants and greed ruin what God wants to use you for.

That's all!
Be His!

8- A Plan Started Long Ago...

2008-01-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

I would like to start this entry out with two Bible verses that will hold as the basis for my question. Here they are...

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

The Dictionary on my Mac says that faith is, "Complete confidence or trust in someone or something." The Bible adds that faith is the "evidence of the unseen." Others define faith as believing in something that we cannot tangibly touch or see. I think all of these help to define how God asks us to put our complete trust in Him, inspite of the fact that he is not physically tangible (at least since Jesus walked the Earth). So this leads me to the next question on my list...

Why faith?

Hebrews is clear that if we want to please God, we must have it and Ephesians is clear that our faith in His grace is the very commencement of our salvation. So FAITH is of the utmost importance to our relationship with God. So much so that we often refer to our relationship with God as "Our Faith" And that is excellent and the truth is that is not what causes this question to arise. Allow me to explain...

What causes this question to arise is actually more about the question of why God doesn't just come down here and establish residence. Why doesn't He just take control? Once we all saw His power and love, wouldn't everyone follow Him? Well, maybe or maybe not, but why does He allow us to put our faith in Him and why is faith as defined above such an integral part of that relationship?

The truth is that I am convinced it is the BEST and the RIGHT plan because God who is infinitely smarter than we are came up with it and holds it in such high regard. That isn't my question. My question is more about "why" is it in the high regard? I would just love to hear God explain how the idea and the importance of faith became such a foundation for His plan to redeem humanity. That's all! I love that we can have faith and as hard as it is many days, I am glad that is the way that God decided to do it. I would just like to hear how it all happened and why God in His infinite wisdom decided that it was the BEST way.

Again, I know I may not know the answer until I am in His presence (and then faith won't matter) but I do wonder about why things are the way that they are and this one is one that gets my mind going trying to understand!

Just my thoughts!
Be His!

9- On a Much More Serious Subject

2008-01-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

The next question that I came up with if I were given the opportunity to ask God one question is a lot more serious. This question is very personal to me. It is a question that I have concluded that at least in this life I will probably never know an answer. The next question that I would love to have an answer for is...

"Why does my half brother not want to have anything to do with my family?"

Family matters are often very hard to understand. And to be honest with you, if I were to give all the details as to why I think this is the case in my family, it would take a long long time. So I will sum it up by saying that my brother, whose name is Mike, is 14 years older than I am. I was 7 years old before I knew that he even existed. And for about 5 years back in the 80's, he was a semi-regular part of my life. I remember going to his wedding, going to his house and meeting my first nephew when he was born (I think my nephew is in his early 20's now). I remember being proud to have a brother who was out of school when I was still in elementary school, and I was so excited when he actually came to one of my soccer games. And then a couple of years into this new built relationship, he stopped coming to see us. That was it, he was gone. Since that time, I have seen him one time. When I was in the 8th grade, I had stopped at a store to get a coke and call my mom for a ride and as I walked in, I ran into him. We spoke for a couple of minutes, he showed me the deer that he had just got (it was hunting season and he was tagging it at the store), I asked him to stop and see us sometime. He said maybe and then he left. And the truth is that he left for good. I have never seen him since and that was about 20 years ago.

Now I am sure there is history that I don't understand. I was so young, and the truth is I am not in anyway mad or angry with him. He is my brother and though I don't know him, I love him. All of the past for me is done and been forgiven. But I do wonder, what is he like? Why did he not want a relationship with us? What is his family like? Would he like to meet my son? I'll be honest, I don't think about this all the time. Sometimes it seems like it never really happened, but every once in a while, I find myself thinking "what if?" What if he hadn't left? What if he would have really became a part of our family?

You know this reminds me that things don't always go out way. We don't always get what we want, and there is always proof that we live in a fallen world. But I wonder if I will ever know the answer to this question.

I trust the Bible when it says that "all things work together for good for those that love God." (Romans 8.28) So I choose not dwell on this. I will trust that God will use the situation for good, and though I may or may not ever know what that good is. Still I choose to , I will trust Him. And if someday I get to meet my brother, I would be happy and would extend to him grace and acceptance. But if not maybe one day, I will get to ask God my question.

That's all!
Be His!

10-This One Bugs Me!

2008-01-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's get this thing started... I'm going to start out light-hearted on this list. Not because I have too, but because it will keep us from jumping right into things too heavy. Here's the question and to those of you in the Sr. High group, this is the one I mentioned last Saturday and actually is what got me thinking about this whole list. Here it is...

"Why Mosquitoes?"

I know a lot of people hate bugs, but in most cases you can find a great reason for bugs or if there is no great reason, at least they are harmless. Flies harmless...Spiders eat flies... Scorpions, well they might be on an equal level to mosquitos!

But have you ever wondered? Have you ever thought to yourself right after you had been bit and had blood coming out of your arm, wondering if you were now a candidate for West Nile, what the purpose was of these obnoxious little demons? I remember back at Camp Union (that is the camp where Julie and I met in Ohio), there were mosquitoes so large that you could see the stripes on there legs (any Ohio people back me up in the comments so people in AZ know I'm not exaggerating). They were the real deal. You could have gone into battle beside these guys and felt confident of victory. No exaggeration, they were fierce. And I think to myself, why?

Well in this case, I think that mosquitoes as we know them are certainly a product of a fallen world. I wonder before the fall, what they were like? In this case, I am just reminded that this world isn't perfect, it has its set backs due to sin and evil. So this question would not win my top 10, and I will probably never know the answer, but I can't stop wondering, why mosquitoes?

Top 10

2008-01-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

So over the weekend I have been thinking about this... if I could ask God one question what would it be? I think this is a question that a lot of people think about and it brings a ton of different questions to the table. I started thinking about this in light of the message that I was doing for our Sr. High group and it has stuck in my mind and made me curious, if I had to narrow it down to one question what would it be? Over the next couple of weeks I am going to share the top 10 questions that I would consider asking God. Some of them will be very serious and others will be light-hearted and humorous (though still relevant questions in my mind) and I will try over the course of writing to narrow it down to the ONE question that I would actually ask Him. My plan at least for now it not to do them in any certain order, though that could change, but just to share my thoughts and see what happens from there. For me this will an interesting way to find out what my thoughts really are. I have some ideas, but am open to changing my questions as I go. Keep in mind, I am really okay with God not giving us this kind of opportunity and this isn't really set up as a "Question God's Ways" kind of exercise, but more of an exercise to see what kinds of things make me wonder and things that I am curious as to why things are the way that they are. These are probably questions that I look forward to learning the answers to in Heaven one day. So my overall purpose is for contemplation and/or fun. I hope you enjoy the questions and feel free to comment on these blogs with questions you might want to ask Him. So from here I set off on the journey to find my top 10 and ultimately ONE question that I would ask if given the chance.

That's all!
Be His!

Dr. King

2008-01-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy today's holiday. I like reflecting on the life of a man who saw a cause bigger than himself. He was a person who put the interests of millions of people ahead of his own. He was able to envision needed change and cast that vision to others. He ultimately gave his life for that vision. I hope that we all understand his passion and vision today. A vision for equality and love for all people. I am going to post a link to Dr. King's speech called, "Paul's Letter to American Christians" which he presented back in 1956. His words are as true now as they were then, and I love his take on this speech from the perspective of the Apostle Paul. The words he spoke were full of life changing truths that if we just lived them would make our world a better place. Thank you Dr. King for you commitment and your sacrifice!

I encourage you to read his speech linked below...

Speech given at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, on 4 November 1956

Removing the Clutter

2008-01-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like your life is cluttered? Too much stuff going on? Not enough time for the important stuff?

I feel that way a lot. There is a lot of business that has no purpose and its just not worth the time. I thought of this today as I cleaned out my office. I've called this office home for almost 2 1/2 years and its amazing how it can get cluttered! I found that taking an hour to remove the clutter was time well spent. My office feels neater and more livable now. I think my life gets like that at times. Sometimes an hour to remove the clutter by getting away and seeing what is important is needed in my life just like in my office. I am not always sure how to pull that off, but I think I will try to figure it out! I like things to be in order. Its probably my personality, but I need it not just in the stacks of papers, but also in the layers of my heart, mind and soul.

Just a little thought for today. What do you do to remove the life clutter?
That's all!
Be His!

#7 Happiness vs God's Glory

2008-01-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

I am not sure what all I will say in this post. I've got some ideas spinning in my mind. Last night when I was getting ready for a new small group I was listening to the XM station "The Message" which is a Christian Station on our Direct TV which is provided through XM Radio. I don't always listen to music and then about 1/2 the time I listen to Christian Music, so I don't always notice songs, but last night I noticed a song that left me with some questions. Now first of all the song is fine and I am sure the writer had good intentions in writing the lyrics so I want to point out that I have no problems with it, but I wonder about the message is sends. The song basically says, "You make me happy!" It says it over and over and it got me to thinking, "Is it God's job to make us happy?"

Now there is nothing wrong with being happy. I like it as a matter of fact, but as I listened to the song, it kind of hit me that the Bible doesn't say a lot about happiness... In the NIV "happy" is only used 21 times and the word "happiness" only 6 times. And most of those references are not commands nor promises, they are simply references to the human emotion of happiness. Now I am pretty sure that the song is simply stating that a relationship with God makes the singer happy. Nothing wrong with that, but I think of the many people who don't know God and I wander if when they here a song like that, if they get a wrong message of what being a follower of Jesus is? Jesus said things like "deny yourself take up your cross and follow me (Matt 16.24) and ""If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14.26). He also said, "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" (John 12.26-28a).Jesus is in the last telling us to follow Him, but also struggling with the reality of hi impending crucifixion. These are pretty direct purpose statements that are not centered around our happiness, but are instead centered around God's glory.

Now you might be thinking that I am nit picking a word and it may sound to you like I am somehow against happiness. On the contrary, I, just like everyone, love to be happy. There are many things in life that make me immensely happy... my family, my job, sports, and many many days my faith. But on the days that these things fail to make me happy and on the days that God asks me to follow him in faith and trust Him even when it hurts and I don't like it, it doesn't change the fact that God is SO GOOD and SO WORTHY to be trusted and followed. Life is hard and happiness is fleeting and is usually based on a current circumstance. I remember one night back in '92 praying with a group of friends and there was a great sense of happiness. We were laughing and praising God and it was an amazing moment, but I also remember times when I sat before God confused, hurt and struggling... far from being happy, and this is what I learn. In both circumstances, it is about God getting the Glory! Never about me getting the glory and never ultimately about my happiness. I do believe God likes it when we can be happy and he likes it when our relationship with Him makes us happy, but I don't think that He makes decisions on that basis. I think He makes decisions on what is best and what is right, even if that doesn't make us happy!

Just my thoughts!
Be His!

#6 Tales from the Crib...God's Hand

2008-01-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

As usual Kaleb continues to inadvertently teach me lessons about life and about God. Here is the latest...

Lately Kaleb has been getting more comfortable on his feet. He is moving around like a madman. He loves to explore, and he loves (and I do mean loves) to climb. You name it he likes to climb it. And here is what I notice... When climbing on his own, he is a tiny bit leery. He still climbs and is usually successful (as much as that scares his mama). But when he is climbing and has my hand, he doesn't hesitate, he just climbs freely! And I must mention, he is really good at it (that's a little bragging from his daddy!) Listen to these verses,

John 10 28-29, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."

What Kaleb reminds me of is how it is so freeing to live in God's hand. We don't always approach it this way. A lot of times we complain and feel like God's hands are "holding us back," but when we really realize that God has a hold of us and wants to help us in life, then its a lot like when Kaleb doesn't push me away. That is when he is truly free to climb, because I have him and I can hold him safe in the midst of the climb! The same is true in the climb of life. When God has a hold of us, that is when we are most free. I think there is some truth to how when we live with God in control of our life, and we live trusting that, then and only then are we FREE to really live, serve and love Him and others.

The difference is that I am human and I can't always have Kaleb's hand, but God is eternal and He is there for those who trust in Him, and though our circumstances and actions may appear that we have let go of His hand, the truth is that He has never let go of us!

That's all!
Be His!

#5 Great Coffee

2008-01-14T08:31:00.001-07:00

I love coffee. That's no news to anyone who knows me. And I am a pretty simple guy. I don't need all the frills, I just like a good cup of joe. I life straight black coffee and occasionally I like a nice Latte. Now I grew up in a little town that doesn't have much outside of a Wal-Mart and a couple of restaurants. So on Monday evening last week, I was driving through my hometown with my niece and out of nowhere I saw a Tim Horton's. Now if your not from the mid-west of from Canada, Tim Horton's is a really great little coffee and pastry place. They don't have alot of fancy coffees but there regular coffee can compete with anyone! I asked my niece about it (her mom is a coffee lover) and she said that they built it right after I was there back in October and it had only been open for a little time. I was so excited because usually when I am there I am limited to McDonald's coffee or making my own at my parents (which is bad because they have well water and it is sulfury...not a good combination for a good cup of java!) So the three days that I was there, I got to drink great coffee everyday! Usually that takes a 40 minute drive to the city, so that's a real step up for my home town.

In other Great Coffee News. I found a place in Colorado who donates 1/3 of all of their proceeds to feed orphaned children in Africa. That is a really worthy venture, so Julie and I decided this would be a good way to put our love for coffee to good use! And just so you know, it is some of the best coffee I have ever had! It is better in my opinion than Tim Horton's and Starbuck's and we can know that children's lives are being impacted because of the ministry through coffee! It works out that every pound of coffee you buy raises enough money to feed a child for one month! I mean really how INCREDIBLE is that?!? We got the St Martin de Porres Blend. I am going to link there web-site here, try it out, not only a good cause but a good cup of brew!

Saint's Coffee click here to check out there page!

That's all!
Be His!

#4 Brushing My Teeth

2008-01-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

For 28 years of my life I used a normal everyday tooth brush, but at a dentist appointment back in '03 my dentist gave me a nice Oral B rotary tooth brush and told me that it would be better for my teeth. For the past 5 years I have only used that kind of tooth brush. I don't think that I have brushed my teeth with a traditional tooth brush at all. Then last week on my trip, I didn't have room to take the rotary tooth brush (I carried everything on so that I wouldn't miss my connecting flight...ha see last post). So when I got to Ohio and needed to brush my teeth I used a traditional tooth brush. I have to tell you for something that felt so routine and easy for all those years, it felt STRANGE to be brushing my teeth with no help from the tooth brush motor. But as I stood there kind of chuckling at how weird it really felt, it got me to thinking.

As I thought about it, it reminded me that there are a lot of time in my life that spending time in the Spiritual Disciplines is pretty easy and normal. The reason is because in those times it is a normal everyday thing and it feels normal. But just as when I quit normally brushing my teeth and using the electric tooth brush it caused the normal brushing to feel weird, the same is true with the Spiritual Disciplines. When they are not a regular part of my life, they feel hard to do and weird because I am not use to them. Funny how that hit me. It is just easier when it is a normal thing and not the exception.

I also want to add in reference to the Spiritual Disciplines (prayer Bible reading, serving, fasting, etc) that we do these to grow closer to God, not to appease Him so that He blesses us and doesn't punish us. It's kind of like as a kid we brush our teeth so we don't get in trouble but as an adult, we do it because we know that it will help us! The same is true about the Disciplines, they are good for our relationship with God!

Just my thoughts!
That's all!
Be His!

#3 It Isn't About Me!

2008-01-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I was on my way to Ohio by way of an airplane. It was taking us forever to take off. I am generally a very patient person, but knowing that I had 15 minutes to catch my connecting flight, I began to get nervous. It turned out that we had a malfunctioning fuel gauge. When all was said and done, we were about 40 minutes late taking off, and though the pilot assured us we would be on time, we actually landed 10 minutes late. Well I hit the ground running, hoping to somehow maneuver my way through the people in the Detroit airport, but at the end of my half mile sprint through trams and moving walkways, I missed my flight by 9 minutes! I was so disappointed and all I wanted to do was get to Ohio to get to the Funeral Visitation. But there truly was nothing that I could do. I was at the mercy of the airlines. As I walked away from the desk knowing that I would be delayed for 2 hours, I found myself being tempted to be upset and to feel sorry for myself. After all my reason for going wasn't about me, it was about my family. But what I sensed God telling me in that time was a simple message. And that message is that "Its not about me!" We live in a society and culture when things don't go our way, we get upset and mad at others. We say things like "I don't deserve this" or "It's not fair," and we throw what my grandma use to call "pity parties" as if the world revolved around us. But as I walked back through the airport actually back to near where I started, I found this message filling my mind. What the message was is that things in life won't always go our way. Things in life will cause us to be delayed and have to wait. Things in life will not always allow us to get "what we want" and that's okay because it isn't our story. It isn't supposed to be about us at all! It is about Him! And what I hope is that my actions even in the midst of all the craziness and delays were glorifying to Him! I don't want my life to only glorify Him when things are good, but in all circumstances. At the end of the delay I hoped that even though I am sure others got upset and bent out of shape when they missed their flight, that the people I came in contact with knew that something was different about me, not for my benefit, but for His Glory. That is the reason that we live and hopefully in my imperfection, I was able to somehow Give Him Glory!

1 Peter 2. 11-12 (NIV)

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

This is our charge, my question is do you and I live up to this when things aren't going our way? I don't always remember that "it's not about me" but I feel more and more compelled to remember to live in this way and know that my actions can either draw others to Him or pull others away...its a choice everyday!

That's all!
Be His!

As a post note, I wrote this initially on Friday then hit post instead of save, but I finished it and posted it on Saturday so it should actually be my post for Saturday not breaking up the one post a day string :o).

#2 Love Wins

2008-01-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

While I was gone I had the Robbie Seay band's new record (well its not really new anymore) playing and every time I get into that record, I find myself drawn to a song called "Love Wins." It is a song that points out that in the end of all things love will be there. Its very much like what Paul says at the end of 1 Corinthians 13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Here are the lyrics,

It’s a big world, we are hoping
For a big change, we are broken
In the fading light of a dying sun
We cry for redemption

There is hope, there is hope, there is hope
But everyone who’s lost will be coming home
And everything that hurts will be whole again
And love will be the last thing standing

Can’t stop, you can’t stop the seasons
Don’t stop, don’t stop believing
Keep on dreaming of the day when it all will change
Believe in the end, love wins
If you’re waiting for the time when your sun will shine
Oh, look above cause love wins

If it hurts you, just breathe in
When it pains you, just believe in
The radiant light of the morning sun
We can find our redemption

Love is strong, love is strong, love is strong
It's been there holding you all along
Everything thrown away will be new again
And love will be the last thing standing

There is hope, there is hope for my lonely soul
There is hope, there is hope to be made whole
There is life, there is life to be set free
There is life, there is life surrounding me

There is hope, there is hope for my broken heart
There is hope, there is hope for a brand new start
There is life, there is life give me eyes to see
There is life, there is life you have captured me

I've highlighted some of the lyrics that especially hit me.

What hits me so much about love is that we often lose the real meaning of what it is. Our culture has taken love and in a lot of ways softened it. We often think of Hearts and Candy and Teddy Bears. You know the Valentine's belief in love. And that is certainly one part of what love is, but it is not the main part of love that the verses and this song is referring too. Allow me to explain.

In the Bible there are three different greek words that we define in the English language as "love" There is EROS, PHILIA, and AGAPE.

Eros love is the love that is shared between a husband and a wife. It is the intimate love that is shown through physical affection. It is the love that we associate with Passion and Desire. This is the word that is thought of when Valentine's Day comes up. It shows itself with silly gifts like candy and hearts. And the truth is that this is a Love that God developed for us as humans to draw us together into the bonds of marriage. The problem arises when we think of this as the only definition of love. In 1 Corinthians when it says that in the end "Love will remain" it isn't referring to this kind of love.

Another kind of love that the Bible refers to is the word Philia. This is the word that can be defined as "brotherly love" or "friendship love" This is the love that is shared between best friends. It is like when you have a person that you just connect with and you would do anything for, but it is a friendship.

The last kind of love is the kind of Love that will be standing at the end of time. It is AGAPE. This is the love that is self-sacrificing, unconditional, and giving love to all--both friend and enemy. This is the kind of love that we miss when we only associate love with the Valentine's Day kind of love. This is what God's love is for us. It is the kind of love that allowed Jesus to be hung on the cross for our sins. It is the kind of love that puts yourself on the line for someone else even when you know the other person will often walk away from you and not love you in return.

So here is what I am finding. A lot of people and many time guys get all freaked out when the word "love" is used because they don't understand that love is very different than how we often use it. I know that there are time when I tell a friend that I love them, that it feels all weird. And it shouldn't we should PHILIA (love) our friends. We should seek to AGAPE (love) everyone. And when we have that wife/husband in our life we should seek to also EROS (love) them.

Okay, so that's the background. So what has hit me is this. At the end of everything Paul says that three things will remain "Faith, Hope and Love (Agape) and the greatest of these is love." Robbie Seay says that "love will be the last thing standing." Why is love the greatest? Why will it be the last thing standing? Here is my conclusion. We put our faith in God and we put our hope in Him that we will be in Heaven some day. And one day, thanks to God's AGAPE love he will give us the keys to our new home. Our ticket is based on God's love for us not anything we have done, and once we are there, our faith and hope will not be the same as it is today. In effect, we won't need them because we will know God in all his fullness and we will be walking on the streets of Heaven. But what will remain as strong as it ever was, is God's AGAPE love that paid for our sins with His own son to give us "Full" life on Earth and "Eternal" life in Heaven. That is what love is and that is why when I listen to the song, I find Hope that no matter how bad things may get here on Earth, in the end God's Love will stand the test and in the end "LOVE WINS!"

That's all!
Be His!

#1 Ella Dione Cooke Godwin VanBuskirk

2008-01-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

I got a phone call this past Friday morning from my mom in Ohio. She called to tell me that my grandma who was almost 96 years old had died and left this life. Since that call I have traveled across the country to go to the memorial service to honor my grandma, and I thought I would write my tribute to her here.

Above you will see my grandma's name. They say a lot can be said about a person from their name. I think with my grandma that is the case. Here given name was Ella Dione Cooke. Early in life she determined that she didn't like the name Ella so she opted to be called by her middle name Dione (pronounced DEONE). And so she was known for the first 20 years of her life. At the age of 20 she married my grandfather and her name became Dione Godwin. She was married to my grandpa for 34 years and in that time became the mother of 4 sons and 1 daughter. Seven years after my grandfathers death in 1966 she remarried to my step-grandfather and her name became Dione VanBuskirk. Its funny how so much can happen in 95 years. Grandma's name changed 4 different times, she worked 3 different jobs, and I am not even sure how many different houses she lived in. And to think of all the things that she saw change in her lifetime. Think about what life must have been like in 1912 when she was born in that small Ohio town, and all the things from history that occurred in her lifetime. World Wars, the Great Depression, the invention of the TV, the first man on the moon, the invention of computers, and the list goes on and on. On top of all of these things that happened in her 95+ years, my grandma not only had 5 children but she also had 13 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, and 7 great-great grandchildren. And in addition to all of these things (and most important) my grandma had ONE Savior and Lord in her life. She lived for Christ for most of her years. She was truly a Christ Follower! All of these things show why I think she was truly one of the most amazing women that I have ever known, and I am so grateful to be called her grandson.

The reality about my grandma's life that I want to have when I die, is that my grandma lived in such a way that her legacy will outlive her. As I watched my parents, my brother, my cousins and aunts and uncles pay tribute to her, I could see that her life made a difference to MANY people. I even remember my high school guidance counselor telling me that my grandma was his Sunday School Teacher. And others when they found out who my grandma was would tell me how blessed I was to have her in my life... They were right!

One story about my grandma that I want to share. When I was 16 years old I got my driver's license on a Friday. That afternoon I had a baseball game and afterwards I returned home and wanted to drive somewhere. I got into my car and left the house not knowing where to go. With all the options I had with my new freedom of a car, I drove to my grandma's apartment for a visit. I am not sure that at the time I knew how unusual that must have been for my first trip as a driver, but I am glad she was the first person I drove to see.

I will close by saying that I will miss my grandma. The past 6 years her health had gotten really bad, and after nearly 96 years her body had really worn down. She had told me a number of years ago that she was ready to "Go Home" referring to Heaven. I can't imagine what her life is like now. She is in the presence of God. She is probably learning things and singing, and getting to see the great saints that have gone before her. Its got to be AMAZING! But I will miss talking to her and I will miss having her tell me how special I am! But I do know that someday in the future, when I am in the presence of our Savior, there will be a reunion. And my grandma who is no longer sick and her grandson will be able to Praise our Savior and Lord together in our permanent home! And for that I am grateful and have much hope!

Grandma and I use to sing the song "My Jesus I love Thee" together I remember the last time she was able to sing it with me as I played to guitar. It was a special moment. I thought I would finish this tribute appropriately with one of the verses.

"I’ll love Thee in life, and I’ll love Thee in death,
I’ll praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ’tis now."

I love my grandma and I was blessed to have her in my life for 33 years.

That's all!
Be His!

Bloggers Block in '08

2008-01-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wow I can't believe its been nearly two weeks since my last post. It's funny with the new year starting, I have been busy and haven't had many ideas to write about. This week I made an unexpected 3 day trip back East and on the trip, the "bloggers block" went away and I was getting all kinds of new ideas for entries. The only problem is that I had no internet access. Funny how that works... So here is the plan. I am going to attempt one entry a day for the next 7 days. I will write about a ton of things that crossed my mind as I traveled and observed and maybe it will challenge you as you seek to "Interact with our Great God!" By the way, this entry doesn't count as one of the 7.
That's all for now...More to Come!
Be His!

How Big is God?

2007-12-28T22:32:00.001-07:00

Every few months, I find myself coming back to some part of science and how complex God's creation is. It is always an encouragement to me to see the bigness of God. For me believing all of this is "chance", takes greater faith than believing the Bible through faith. Tonight I was looking at the Hubble Site and looking at the amazing pictures that the Hubble Telescope have sent back to us from the universe. God's creation is amazing. I also found this video, which is a compilation of Hubble pics set to the song "Go Outside" by The Robbie Seay Band .

Take it in and know, that these little pictures on your computer are pictures of stars and systems that are nearly immeasurable. They are HUGE!

Now consider the words of David from nearly 3000 years ago...

Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun

That's all!
Be His!