Redundant

Often I find that someone else writes the exact same words that I have in my head and heart.  I do not know how or why that is.  I have strange little creatures milling around the dungeons of my brain!

Sometimes a person even writes something downright beautiful and brilliantly captures what I wanted to have said but didn't think of it that way before.  I wish I was that creative!  I wish that I was able to put words to paper to so effectively capture an idea.  Either way, my world is made brighter by reading the article or book.

That situation happened today.  And it was while I was reading the Banner.  Gasp!  I know!  Maybe you feel the same as me about this.  There are times I find that my reading of the Banner is another 15 minutes of my life wasted that I can never get back.  But that is why this article grabbed my attention.  It was short, to the point, about a topic that is totally relevant to me and our culture. Maybe the biggest reason this spoke to me is that he was daring enough to use a book of the Bible that is often avoided: Song of Songs.

I don't think that I could improve on the author's thoughts about love. So, to keep from being redundant, I will direct you to read the article yourself. I think that it will be well worth your time.

http://www.thebanner.org/features/2012/05/love-lessons-from-the-song-of-songs

Mr. Mom

I  have never tried to take the job of my wife.  She does a great job with managing the home and I am grateful for it! I felt that I could do the job for a very short term but that the damage grow exponentially if the length of time was extended.  We have never tried to prove it until this week.

This week confirmed what I have thought all along.  I could do it as I proved this week but I am sure that this was not the best use of my talents. There are some that are snickering with the thought that I actually do have talents.  Yes, I do have some talents and they are quite varied.  However, to use a baseball analogy, this week was not my "sweet spot".

I know without a doubt that my kids will be soooo glad to see Carla come home tomorrow night.  They will run to her and tell her they missed her and love her.  They may even pick up her luggage and carry it to the car.  Then they will state quite plainly say, "Mom, it was fun to have dad do the work of home management but could you never ever ever go away again!"

More than once we had this exchange, "Mom doesn't do it that way." followed by "Oh, you must be confusing me with Mom?  That is the way we are going to do it when mom is gone!"  Or "Why can't we do it?  Mom let's us." followed by "Mom probably lets you play with sharp knives too.  We aren't doing that today!"

I know that it is a parent's job to permanently scar their children in every possible emotional way.  Most find ways to live with the damage that was unintentionally inflicted.  I think that I added to this trauma this week!

So, Carla, we are looking forward to your return.  See you soon!

Your admiring and loving husband!

Beat Up By God

How does God get our attention? We know that sometimes God speaks in a still soft voice in our heart. We love this way because it is a great conversation with God. However, sometimes we are a bit thick and the "ears of our hearts" are plugged. That is when the “God stick” comes out and things get really interesting!

For example, I know a guy who has been struggling to find a reason to stay at our church. He is a great godly man who honestly wants to do what God wants. It has been an ongoing conversation for a few months whether he will stay or find another place for God to use him.

Yesterday, this past Sunday, the newsletter comes out and the secretary wrote an article about commitment to the body of Christ. She said that followers of Jesus need to “set down roots and grow” with other Christians. THUMP! The man came up to the secretary before church and said, “If you wrote that article for me, it doesn’t change anything!” Then, part of my sermon had to do with having others in your life who have permission to speak into your life and help you stay close to God. He talked to the secretary after church and said, “Yeah, I heard it. It still doesn’t change anything!” THUMP! THUMP!


Just before he left for the day, this woman approaches him. She has been coming to church for a short time and is presently in the middle of a relational mess. She gives him a hug and says, “I am so thankful that you were here today. I needed to see a friendly and familiar face.” THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

This morning, the man drives over to the secretary’s home and says, “OK. I guess God is telling me to stay at church.”

I love it when God finally get’s our attention!

Avengers

My boy and I went to see the Avengers today.  First we needed to go to the store and get a $1 box of Mike & Ikes for me and some Airheads for Brandon.  We were 2 of 6 people in the room and 2 of them were staff.  With so many seating options, it was difficult to choose our seats!

It was a good movie and quite funny. The best part was when Loki says to the Hulk, who is looking quite angry, "Enough! You are, all of you are beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature, and I shall not be bullied..."  Then the Hulk grabs him and totally thrashes the room with him.  It was impressive to say the least.  After he has embedded him into the floor, the Hulk says, "Puny god."

I am sure that there are a few sermon applications here but you can think up your own.  I am just glad that I had a great time with my son and that the world didn't have an unruly, ego-maniacal, otherworldly power thinking that I should bow down to him.  It was a good day!

Father's Day

It is tough to be a dad!  If you are a dad you know what I am talking about.  I don't mean that being a mom or being a student isn't tough.  It is just tough to be a dad.  Especially a godly dad who wants to do things right.  To do things the way God wants them done.

Today we thank God for all dads.  The ones who want to do things right and even the ones that are/were not very good "dad examples" for us.  What a blessing is a dad that shows us Jesus despite their flaws!  Maybe through their flaws!

I love you dad!

We played this great video this morning at church!  What a tribute to godly dads!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liZBFdKXKIE

Bored With Blogging!

I am bored with blogging!  There, I said it!  Haven't you ever just get bored with doing something so you stop doing it?  You aren't totally sure why you STARTED doing this thing in the first place but you no longer find the joy in doing it anymore.  It isn't that it is a a bad thing to do but the fun has gone.

I stopped blogging around 2 months ago because I was just bored with it.  I am still not sure that anyone reads these ramblings from the cobwebs of my brain!  If it is just me writing for the sake of writing, what is the use in that?  I can entertain myself without typing out a few paragraphs about my insights on life which may or may not be insightful.

The other day when I was about to give up blogging forever, a person asks me if I am going to keep blogging.  They said that they missed reading my blog.  I tell them thanks and that I will consider writing it again.  I really think that they are just being nice.  Then another person asks me the same thing.  Is this a conspiracy?  Does this overcome my boredom with it?  Do I see a reason to continue blogging now?

I have met many people that get bored with going to church or even the people at church.  They find that they don't receive one little bit of joy from attending a Sunday worship service.  They find that it is rather tedious to hang out with people from church because they are not fun!  So they don't go.

Then, just when they are going to give up on church and sometimes God too, someone asks them how they are doing.  The person asks if they are coming to church on Sunday because they missed seeing them.  It is that interaction that leads to a quandary: do they continue to go to church until they find a purpose?  Does the interaction with a caring person overcome the boredom in their heart?  Someone appreciates them so maybe there is something to this gathering of misfits at church.

If I know anything, which is often in doubt these days, I know that people usually return to church after their "vacation" because someone made it personal.  People genuinely cared.  Strike up that conversation with your friend who is on "vacation" from your community.  Make it personal and care for them.  And if God lays it on your heart to do this, invite them back again.  Maybe you are the reason they have been looking for.

Suicide Forest

I saw a news clip today that made me sad.  It was the mission of this Japanese man to hike throughout this forest and save people who wish to commit suicide.  The 20 minute video clip shows him walking around discovering remains of people who have died, stopping one person from killing himself, and questioning why a person would kill themselves in such a beautiful forest.

One quote of his really struck me, "You think that you die alone but that is not true.  No one is alone in this world.  We coexist with one another to take care of each other."  This man has such a heart for people, for those who feel they are all alone, that no one really cares for them.  Could we be that kind of person for those around us?  There are so many who feel defeated, rejected, and alone.  They need us to give them a reason for living.  May we tell them about Jesus who cares for them and honestly care about them too.