The other Monday night I realized a fundamental difference between a child and an adult. Holly and I were in the van most of the day, well... the entire day. We traveled to do some errands without 2 of the 3 boys, with the theory that it would be easier that way. We handled our business, only to see that we were running kind of behind. A 40 minute travel later and we checked the other 2 out of school for doctor appointments. Then, we traveled 45 minutes BACK to where we were for the visits. The extra time was because of traffic. Our plan was to get home earlier in the evening, but this was shot because the appointments took longer than expected.
Now to the difference:
When we got home an hour or so before the kid's bedtime, all I wanted to do is sit and watch tv. I was spent. The boys, however, were ready to go, and wrestled, played with a balloon, and ate and ate. When I'm cooped up, it zaps me. When kids are cooped up, they become wild freakazoids that chomp at the bit to run around and destroy a house.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Spirit of Adam
Where is the creativity in the Church? I realize that this is a generalized question, and there are some that are very creative, but I am talking about the Church as a whole.
We serve the creative God. We are made to be in His image and likeness, so creativity is to flow from us as well. All too often, however, we (the church) simply rips off what the world is doing. We do need to speak to our society, but we need to innovative as well.
Where is the song that has never been sung? What painting has never been displayed on canvas? I speak more about this in a previous blog entry.
Briefly, I believe that the problem is that we don't know what to call what we do, so we don't "do" it. We feel that it must have a title or something easily recognizable to be considered "ministry" so we just allow thoughts to flow through our brain, never seeing the light of day as action.
In the garden after creation, Adam was given the job of naming the animals. They had never been named before, but he was naming what had been created out of nothing. I believe that God wants us to put those nameless things that are stuck bouncing around in our spirits into action, and then worry about naming them later, as well as stop worrying that another person cannot name it for us.
In other words, creation doesn't just make what is already created, but it creates something new. Then it works to figure out what it is called.
We need the spirit of a pre-sin Adam, in that we create the new, and then allow God to give it a name.
We serve the creative God. We are made to be in His image and likeness, so creativity is to flow from us as well. All too often, however, we (the church) simply rips off what the world is doing. We do need to speak to our society, but we need to innovative as well.
Where is the song that has never been sung? What painting has never been displayed on canvas? I speak more about this in a previous blog entry.
Briefly, I believe that the problem is that we don't know what to call what we do, so we don't "do" it. We feel that it must have a title or something easily recognizable to be considered "ministry" so we just allow thoughts to flow through our brain, never seeing the light of day as action.
In the garden after creation, Adam was given the job of naming the animals. They had never been named before, but he was naming what had been created out of nothing. I believe that God wants us to put those nameless things that are stuck bouncing around in our spirits into action, and then worry about naming them later, as well as stop worrying that another person cannot name it for us.
In other words, creation doesn't just make what is already created, but it creates something new. Then it works to figure out what it is called.
We need the spirit of a pre-sin Adam, in that we create the new, and then allow God to give it a name.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Blessings to Burdens
I have noticed that we as a society are generally ungrateful. I was in the post office a day or two ago and the lady next to me asked me if it was supposed to rain. Now, I 'm not Willard Scott, but I know enough to look at the sky as well as to never trust a Nashville Weatherperson. By the way, a Smuckers "Happy Birthday!" to beautiful Erma Lee from Idaho Falls. She turns 103 today.
"It's supposed to rain, they say. But who knows if you can trust them?" I responded. The sky was ominous, but I realize that it probably wouldn't do much of anything. She then said, "It sure does look like it, but I hope it doesn't!"
I don't know what this lady had planned for the day, but we have had a drought of almost biblical proportions in Middle Tennessee. How could you hope it doesn't rain?!? That's absurd! When it actually did rain a month or so ago I stood in it and smiled.
This is so typical of the average person. The thing that we pray for and hope for comes, and we turn it into a burden. I'm not talking about the things we beg God for that are not good for us, and then we find out later that there was a reason that we weren't supposed to have them. I speaking of the things that are good, and we call them bad because they are inconvenient for us at the time they come.
We pray for a baby and are upset because of pregnancy sickness.
We get the loan for our dream home and then get overwhelmed with the process of building a house.
The rain comes to end our drought and we curse the postponement of our golf game.
Geez people. Get content wherever you are!
"It's supposed to rain, they say. But who knows if you can trust them?" I responded. The sky was ominous, but I realize that it probably wouldn't do much of anything. She then said, "It sure does look like it, but I hope it doesn't!"
I don't know what this lady had planned for the day, but we have had a drought of almost biblical proportions in Middle Tennessee. How could you hope it doesn't rain?!? That's absurd! When it actually did rain a month or so ago I stood in it and smiled.
This is so typical of the average person. The thing that we pray for and hope for comes, and we turn it into a burden. I'm not talking about the things we beg God for that are not good for us, and then we find out later that there was a reason that we weren't supposed to have them. I speaking of the things that are good, and we call them bad because they are inconvenient for us at the time they come.
We pray for a baby and are upset because of pregnancy sickness.
We get the loan for our dream home and then get overwhelmed with the process of building a house.
The rain comes to end our drought and we curse the postponement of our golf game.
Geez people. Get content wherever you are!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Hail to the Chief, Pet Cemetery & Pumpkins
Hail to the Chief:
Jonah comes home from school Monday and says, "I'm the class president." We, of course, are shocked because we hadn't even put up a poster. On Friday, we had checked him out of class early for some reason that I don't remember, and when he went back to school on Monday he found out that he had been elected in his absence. On a side note, that's usually how I get volunteered for things.
Anyway, they told him, "Jonah, you're class president." "What?" he asked/said. "Yeah, Sarah nominated you and we voted for you." Now, Jonah and I began to hum the song Hail to the Chief while Holly asked him if he got paid for the job. We found out it is a classroom thing, rather than a fourth-grade thing. This led to my question as to if he gets to run for president of presidents. Good times.
Pet Cemetery:
I'm pretty sure the movie had a different spelling, but you get the idea. We have two dogs, a mommy and her stupid, but lovable son. The mommy apparently "got married" to another dog in the neighborhood and had a premature puppy. Yes, just one. It was a combination Chihuahua and miniature Doberman Pincher. We called it Chancho, and it died. Sorry to cut to the chase, but it didn't live long. Why we named it, I'll never know; but I don't make these types of decisions at our home. Anyway, it's a dad's job to bury dead things, so I did. For two days straight, a dog (one of ours or random neighbor's - I don't know) tried to dig up Chancho. They did, but didn't remove him; out of respect for the dead, I suppose. I had to rebury him twice, covering the sacred ground with three bricks and a spare tire the last time. I really expected to see the little rat dog roaming the neighborhood, then biting someones feet off in a fit of "undead" rage. May he now rest in peace.
Pumpkins:
Had to throw it in, because I found out this morning that I was to go on a field trip with Jonathan today. We went to a pumpkin patch. It was fun.
The thing that I realize is that my kids run their schools!
Jonah comes home from school Monday and says, "I'm the class president." We, of course, are shocked because we hadn't even put up a poster. On Friday, we had checked him out of class early for some reason that I don't remember, and when he went back to school on Monday he found out that he had been elected in his absence. On a side note, that's usually how I get volunteered for things.
Anyway, they told him, "Jonah, you're class president." "What?" he asked/said. "Yeah, Sarah nominated you and we voted for you." Now, Jonah and I began to hum the song Hail to the Chief while Holly asked him if he got paid for the job. We found out it is a classroom thing, rather than a fourth-grade thing. This led to my question as to if he gets to run for president of presidents. Good times.
Pet Cemetery:
I'm pretty sure the movie had a different spelling, but you get the idea. We have two dogs, a mommy and her stupid, but lovable son. The mommy apparently "got married" to another dog in the neighborhood and had a premature puppy. Yes, just one. It was a combination Chihuahua and miniature Doberman Pincher. We called it Chancho, and it died. Sorry to cut to the chase, but it didn't live long. Why we named it, I'll never know; but I don't make these types of decisions at our home. Anyway, it's a dad's job to bury dead things, so I did. For two days straight, a dog (one of ours or random neighbor's - I don't know) tried to dig up Chancho. They did, but didn't remove him; out of respect for the dead, I suppose. I had to rebury him twice, covering the sacred ground with three bricks and a spare tire the last time. I really expected to see the little rat dog roaming the neighborhood, then biting someones feet off in a fit of "undead" rage. May he now rest in peace.
Pumpkins:
Had to throw it in, because I found out this morning that I was to go on a field trip with Jonathan today. We went to a pumpkin patch. It was fun.
The thing that I realize is that my kids run their schools!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
How 'bout them Cowboys!!!!!
Last night, I got to watch one of the most enjoyable games in a while.
I love the Dallas Cowboys. I grew up loving Tony Dorsett and others. I loved Emmitt and Troy and Michael. I did not like Parcells, so I'm glad he's gone. I love how Tony Romo plays.
All of that said... if they had lost last night, it would have been no big deal. Everyone loses. I would not have lost sleep over it. However, I did lose sleep by watching the game.
The main reasons that I watched the game was two-fold:
1) I like the cowboys, and for the morbid curiosity of how many interceptions that Romo could throw (apparently 5) and,
2) I could not get up out of my chair. I have been working on tiling a floor for some friends of ours, and I am so sore that I can't hardly move. I sat down, and it hurt to get up, so I didn't.
The blessing of all of this is that I got to see and onside kick recovered; a completion and spike with 1 second left ruled a non-completion; two quick passes and out of bounds completed with the time put back on the clock from the before mentioned incomplete pass; an apparent made field-goal that was nullified by a last minute time out by a cheating Buffalo Bills coach; then the kick actually made that put the 'boys up 25-24 with time expired!
I actually laughed out loud, and woke my wife up down the hall in our bedroom.
Good times!
I love the Dallas Cowboys. I grew up loving Tony Dorsett and others. I loved Emmitt and Troy and Michael. I did not like Parcells, so I'm glad he's gone. I love how Tony Romo plays.
All of that said... if they had lost last night, it would have been no big deal. Everyone loses. I would not have lost sleep over it. However, I did lose sleep by watching the game.
The main reasons that I watched the game was two-fold:
1) I like the cowboys, and for the morbid curiosity of how many interceptions that Romo could throw (apparently 5) and,
2) I could not get up out of my chair. I have been working on tiling a floor for some friends of ours, and I am so sore that I can't hardly move. I sat down, and it hurt to get up, so I didn't.
The blessing of all of this is that I got to see and onside kick recovered; a completion and spike with 1 second left ruled a non-completion; two quick passes and out of bounds completed with the time put back on the clock from the before mentioned incomplete pass; an apparent made field-goal that was nullified by a last minute time out by a cheating Buffalo Bills coach; then the kick actually made that put the 'boys up 25-24 with time expired!
I actually laughed out loud, and woke my wife up down the hall in our bedroom.
Good times!
Friday, October 05, 2007
My wife is brilliant!
Beautiful too, but I digress.
Last night I mentioned to Holly that I am trying to be a great husband and a father, but I feel like I fail so often at both. She said, "Maybe you try to hard. Maybe you should just be you."
She's right. She's also opening herself up for a great patience test.
Last night I mentioned to Holly that I am trying to be a great husband and a father, but I feel like I fail so often at both. She said, "Maybe you try to hard. Maybe you should just be you."
She's right. She's also opening herself up for a great patience test.
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