We asked this question of our kids and we got four totally different responses. You would think kids growing up in the same house, sharing a set of genetic codes from just two people would be somewhat alike, but not our kids, they all picked something totally different.
So I got to thinking about my favorite holiday candy, and I found that I don't have one. I know weird isn't it. All my kids have one, my wife has one (can you say chocolate covered strawberries?) but I don't have a favorite. I guess I am kind of a "one candy fits all" kind of person.
So I decided if my wife is reading my blog to give her some hints. So here are the top five...
5) The Ultimate Gobstopper. Now this isn't the little marble jawbreakers you get at the C store. Now the "Ultimate" is a the mother of all Jawbreakers. It is so big you can't bite it in half even if you tried. Actually I think you might need a diamond tipped cutter to make a dent in it. It is the greatest, and it last and last and last, and if you are in a pinch you can play marbles with it. Just dry it off first!
4) The Watchamacallit. I just love saying it when you went to the store when it first came out. You go to the counter and ask, "do you have a watchamacallit?" The clerk gives you a weird stare and you ask again. Then you look down and say, "well here it is" and you put it on the counter and try to keep the smug look off your face.
3) Mr. Werthers Original Hard Caramel Candies. My Grandfather used to keep these around the house. I assumed since he liked them they were nasty like polk greens. But one day I thought I would try one, and wow, it is like a caramel candy that last and last. I think I ate a whole bag in one sitting. Now the only problems with these are they are individually wrapped, so when you sit and eat a whole bag there are a bunch of wrappers and they are hard to hide.
2)M&M's. I don't know if there is a better candy than the good old M&Ms. Hard candy shell, with a chocolate, peanut or peanut butter center. It is one of those candys that you can feel confident eating even if you found it in the floor boards of your car. Kids, adults or even grandparents love them and a bowl of them will go for a long time. Pour them out into a bowl and unless my father in law is around they will last a long time.
1) Whoppers Malted Milk Balls. I think these are my favorites. I have always loved Whoppers, it is the only candy I have ever found that came in a recycled milk carton. I just love eating a whopper, letting the chocolate melt off of it and getting that puckered malt flavor at the end. You can eat about a handful and feel good about your self and still have half a half gallon left at the end of the day. And nothing beats those that the malt center has become gooey and it kind of like a soft nuggety center. Yum...
So what is your favorite.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Letting go...
I think with me letting go is a problem. I do not think I am quite at that "hoarders" stage but I can see the signs of that disease in my life. Now don't get me wrong, my house is not littered with old newspapers, magazines, pizza boxes and clothes strewn all over the place (OK well we are not counting the laundry room). But I find in my physical and spiritual life I have a hard time letting things go.
I was going through my closet a couple weeks ago and saw a suit that I have not wore in over 10 years. It is a great looking suit, double breasted, pin striped and about five sizes too small for me now. So instead of donating it to some foundation, I looked at it, wiped the dust off the shoulders and hung it back up thinking that I will one day be skinny again and put that dude on. When in reality if I get back to that weight I am not sure I want to be wearing a fifteen year old suit.
I was looking through my stack of stuff and found I have a briefcase fetish. I have about ten briefcases laying around my den. I have briefcases for all sorts of situtations. I have messenger bag briefcases (4), I have a briefcase that has a handle and wheels (1), I have a soft side leather briefcase (1), I have a hard side leather briefcase (1), I have a soft side egonomic laptop computer briefcase, I have a briefcase that will allow you to put a change of clothes in it as well as all the papers and laptops you might need (1) and I have a stainless steel clad briefcase I bought on a whim one time because it was cool. Okay, so I only have 9 briefcases but really how many do I need? I think I am going to get a backpack briefcase so I can have a nice round number of ten. See there I go again, adding and not releasing.
I have a hard time letting go of things. Do I need a stainless steel briefcase? No so why do I still have it? That is the hard question.
Do I need to work weekends? No, so why do I? Do I need to allow others to take on things I am doing currently? Yes, so why won't I embrace them and allow them to help me instead of wrapping my arms even more tightly around my problems?
Sometimes letting go is the hardest thing to do.
I was going through my closet a couple weeks ago and saw a suit that I have not wore in over 10 years. It is a great looking suit, double breasted, pin striped and about five sizes too small for me now. So instead of donating it to some foundation, I looked at it, wiped the dust off the shoulders and hung it back up thinking that I will one day be skinny again and put that dude on. When in reality if I get back to that weight I am not sure I want to be wearing a fifteen year old suit.
I was looking through my stack of stuff and found I have a briefcase fetish. I have about ten briefcases laying around my den. I have briefcases for all sorts of situtations. I have messenger bag briefcases (4), I have a briefcase that has a handle and wheels (1), I have a soft side leather briefcase (1), I have a hard side leather briefcase (1), I have a soft side egonomic laptop computer briefcase, I have a briefcase that will allow you to put a change of clothes in it as well as all the papers and laptops you might need (1) and I have a stainless steel clad briefcase I bought on a whim one time because it was cool. Okay, so I only have 9 briefcases but really how many do I need? I think I am going to get a backpack briefcase so I can have a nice round number of ten. See there I go again, adding and not releasing.
I have a hard time letting go of things. Do I need a stainless steel briefcase? No so why do I still have it? That is the hard question.
Do I need to work weekends? No, so why do I? Do I need to allow others to take on things I am doing currently? Yes, so why won't I embrace them and allow them to help me instead of wrapping my arms even more tightly around my problems?
Sometimes letting go is the hardest thing to do.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Brrrrrrr....
Was Chicago the last weekend and I have come to one conclusion, it is really COLD up there in Winter.
I started to wonder why people would want to live in an area where the temperature rarely gets up over the single digits for long periods of time.
Here are some must haves if you need to go to the frozen north sometime in the near future.
1) a HEAVY coat.
I live in Oklahoma, you know the place where if you don't like the weather hang around a few days and it will change. It gets cold here, but not cold like it gets in Chicago. You have to have a heavy coat. Something that will break the cold and keep the heat in. My coat is not a heavy coat, it is a middleweight coat, kind of like Sugar Ray Leonard. But in Chicago you need a Mike Tyson kind of coat, one that will bite the ears off of the wind if it has to. The happy people in Chicago in the winter are the ones walking around looking like the Michelin man. A Heavy coat is a must.
2) A furry hat.
Now you can do a regular hat but only the furry hats survive Chicago winters. I do not know if it is the fact that they were once alive, or at least partially alive still, but those furry hats will keep your noggin warm. I tried to wear different hats in Chicago but to no avail. You can wear a baseball hat only till the next gust of wind rips it off of your head. By the time you reach up to grab it, it will be in the next county and in 30 seconds will be somewhere over in Michigan. Plus baseball hats are meant to be worn in the summer anyway... You can try to wear a stocking hat, but only certain people can pull those off. You either look like someone spray painted your head a bright color or you look like you are somehow related to the clone heads from Jersey. And as far as keeping your head really warm, well they have a shelf life of about 15 minutes when at that time the stocking hat is colder than the outside temperature. You can also try to wear some of those "cool" hats, like a scottish driving hat (won't keep your ears warm), a beret (unless you are Phil Keagy or in the Special Forces please don't even wear these in the summer) or a cowboy hat (see wind notice here) nothing works like the animal pelt molded to your noggin. There is just something about fur around your ears and balding pate that just makes you warm. So when picking out your warm weather hat, go for the dead animal that has been turned into a beanie.
3) Gloves.
Gloves are also a must have in the windy city. And I am not talking those sheer skin driving gloves either. I am talking gloves that you can hold car keys in your gloved hand kind of gloves. Ones with fur on the inside AND the outside to keep your digits doubly warmed. My gloves are the nice looking, very distinguished leather looking gloves with a little fluff around the wrist area, that absolutely positively do not work in cold weather. I would have been better off making sock puppets and wearing them on my hands than those thin little wisp of what passed as a glove that I had. I would recommend again furry gloves that come all the way up to your armpits, if you can't get them that long at least settle for ones that will go up to the elbows. Believe me you will need it.
4) Boots.
You need adequate footwear if you are going to take on Chicago in the dead of winter. Lets just say that my topsiders and my slippers would not cut it, even with two pairs of socks. You need those boots that have insulation in them. Now in Oklahoma we have steel toed boots for rough work, in Chicago you need steel toes, heels, insteps and ankles if you are going to make it through the winter without getting frostbite. And don't get those slick soled bottoms either, get some that can grip in the winter, you might be walking on snow, ice or really cold mud that is only slightly above freezing that seeps into your socks and leaves you all day wondering if your toes actually ever did have any feeling in them. I have been in Oklahoma a little over 12 hours now and I still can't feel my toes, I hope they are still there.
So if you are heading to the great North, dress accordingly, or you might not make it back.
I started to wonder why people would want to live in an area where the temperature rarely gets up over the single digits for long periods of time.
Here are some must haves if you need to go to the frozen north sometime in the near future.
1) a HEAVY coat.
I live in Oklahoma, you know the place where if you don't like the weather hang around a few days and it will change. It gets cold here, but not cold like it gets in Chicago. You have to have a heavy coat. Something that will break the cold and keep the heat in. My coat is not a heavy coat, it is a middleweight coat, kind of like Sugar Ray Leonard. But in Chicago you need a Mike Tyson kind of coat, one that will bite the ears off of the wind if it has to. The happy people in Chicago in the winter are the ones walking around looking like the Michelin man. A Heavy coat is a must.
2) A furry hat.
Now you can do a regular hat but only the furry hats survive Chicago winters. I do not know if it is the fact that they were once alive, or at least partially alive still, but those furry hats will keep your noggin warm. I tried to wear different hats in Chicago but to no avail. You can wear a baseball hat only till the next gust of wind rips it off of your head. By the time you reach up to grab it, it will be in the next county and in 30 seconds will be somewhere over in Michigan. Plus baseball hats are meant to be worn in the summer anyway... You can try to wear a stocking hat, but only certain people can pull those off. You either look like someone spray painted your head a bright color or you look like you are somehow related to the clone heads from Jersey. And as far as keeping your head really warm, well they have a shelf life of about 15 minutes when at that time the stocking hat is colder than the outside temperature. You can also try to wear some of those "cool" hats, like a scottish driving hat (won't keep your ears warm), a beret (unless you are Phil Keagy or in the Special Forces please don't even wear these in the summer) or a cowboy hat (see wind notice here) nothing works like the animal pelt molded to your noggin. There is just something about fur around your ears and balding pate that just makes you warm. So when picking out your warm weather hat, go for the dead animal that has been turned into a beanie.
3) Gloves.
Gloves are also a must have in the windy city. And I am not talking those sheer skin driving gloves either. I am talking gloves that you can hold car keys in your gloved hand kind of gloves. Ones with fur on the inside AND the outside to keep your digits doubly warmed. My gloves are the nice looking, very distinguished leather looking gloves with a little fluff around the wrist area, that absolutely positively do not work in cold weather. I would have been better off making sock puppets and wearing them on my hands than those thin little wisp of what passed as a glove that I had. I would recommend again furry gloves that come all the way up to your armpits, if you can't get them that long at least settle for ones that will go up to the elbows. Believe me you will need it.
4) Boots.
You need adequate footwear if you are going to take on Chicago in the dead of winter. Lets just say that my topsiders and my slippers would not cut it, even with two pairs of socks. You need those boots that have insulation in them. Now in Oklahoma we have steel toed boots for rough work, in Chicago you need steel toes, heels, insteps and ankles if you are going to make it through the winter without getting frostbite. And don't get those slick soled bottoms either, get some that can grip in the winter, you might be walking on snow, ice or really cold mud that is only slightly above freezing that seeps into your socks and leaves you all day wondering if your toes actually ever did have any feeling in them. I have been in Oklahoma a little over 12 hours now and I still can't feel my toes, I hope they are still there.
So if you are heading to the great North, dress accordingly, or you might not make it back.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Staff...or Staph?
I will never forget the one time I told someone that I had "staff". They looked at me like they needed to immediately wash their hands. It was then that I realized what I had said. I should have said that "I have A staff" as there is a difference.
I am so thankful for the staff that I have. They are all pretty much home grown, came up through the minor leauges so to speak in our church.
Out associate Pastor John Dorsey is such a rare treasure. If anyone knew how much money we pay him for all that he does, they would snag him in an instant, just saying. He does it all. I used to joke with him when he was doing his studies at ORU when he was taking a carpentry or a plumbing class because all Sr. Pastors need to know how to do those things. But Pastor John really does know how to do all those things. He has a heart for our community, a real desire to make a difference in the people of our community. He even volunteered to serve on the city council when a seat became available, so he is either committed or needs to be committed, as to a psych ward. But he loves helping people. There is no one I know that if a widow woman calls because her toilet is leaking will get all giddy and excited about fixing a leaking toilet than Pastor John. When we first arrived in Welch he was a teenager just out of school and off chasing skirts and big money in the mining towns of Neveda. When he returned to Welch he started leading worship in our church and we had to put some limitations on him. Boy he did not like that one bit, even walked away for a bit but I am so glad he stuck it out. GOD is really making him into one in whom he delights. He took his schooling and applied to get credentials and for a while actually held higher credentials for a while than I did. It was at that point he was pushing me onwards and upwards. And his wife, Christina, she is the director of our day care. She is as much a blessing as Pastor John is. Servants one and all.
And then we have Pastor Mike and Pastor Katie, our youth Pastors. They are so much like my wife and myself it is scary. Katie is the pushy one, always on the run and always planning something. Mike is like myself, thoughtful to the point where we forget to move on sometimes. But they are really being shaped by GOD to be the couple that he will use for decades to come. I sometimes forget they haven't even hit 30 yet! They were not always on staff either. Katie grew up in the church, her and Mike got married and they kind of did their own thing for a while. I remember some of the gifts that were given at their wedding and thinking that they might have some problems later. They did, but they worked through them and GOD called them to do ministry as only they can. Katie leaped first in getting credentials and Mike followed soon after matching her. They are still working through their ministry style, still raising a family and working in carreers but the sky is the limit for them. One day the light will turn on and they will find their groove and then watch out world...
Pastor Charlie and Elaine are our music/performing arts Pastors. My wife and I have known them for a long time. We actually attended church together when we were all riding a pew instead of standing on stage. They were a crazy pair then, still are today. Elaine is a PK (Pastor's Kid) so she has been doing this all her life. She has seen it all and then some. Elaine was a stay at home Mom who took care of their SIX kids and Charlie was working for a dog food company as a design engineer. Our wives had a mutual interst in sign language which meant they left Charlie and I with his six kids and my three. So after one night of that Charlie and I found we both loved music and we both played trumpets so from that night on the screams of the kids were drowned out by the blasting of our trumpets. I probably owe my musical talents that I have today to Charlie, without him showing me, training me and challenging me I would have never rediscovered my musical talents. We spent a number of years with Charlie and Elaine until they decided to change churches. A situation came up and they left to attend another church, it wasn't long after that we took the Church in Welch. We of course asked them to come and be part of our new church when we started in Welch but they were just getting settled at their new church so they declined. Of course the relationship faltered as our common interaction dissolved into a once a month or eventually a once in a while visit. It was not until we opened our new building that we invited Charlie and Elaine to come entertain us with some music and acting. After that interaction my wife wanted to reach out to them but we put it on the back burner to make sure that GOD was speaking to us and not our own desires and wants. About two months later we met with them and offered them a staff position to be our Worship Pastors. I was not sure they would accept, but when they told us they were feeling called we rejoiced and they came and joined us at Gateway. It has been a few years now since they joined us, Pastor Charlie is now credentialed, and they are using their talents and their kids talents to bless our people. It is amazing how GOD has used them for his glory.
Pastor Lynda and Darrell are our Childrens Pastors. They have been with us since the beginning. Not as staff but as a part of our family. Darrell is my wife's brother, my brother in law. We had some childrens pastor at the time that they started at our church and Lynda mentioned that she would like to work with kids sometime. Unknown to us, GOD was working to prepare them for that work as our childrens pastors left about a month later and Pastor Lynda and her husband moved into that position. They served for a while before we asked about them getting their credentials and found out that Pastor Lynda actually graduated from a Bible College with her degree in teaching. Lynda applied for credentials and with her schooling was able to get credentials as a minister as well. Darrell decided he did not want to pursue pastoring was was willing to be a helper and a helper he is. They have been such a blessing, spending each and every sunday working with our churches kids, ministering to them and investing in their lives. I tell them all the time that their efforts are like planting an oak tree. They dig the hole and put in the acorn but it will be years before their labors are realized. But over the course of time GOD will reward them for their efforst.
So in our little old church, we have a gold mine of staff. And each and every day that I work with them I am blessed.
Many churches have staff, our staff is like a shepherds staff that you can lean on and will help you reach areas that you could never reach.
Other churches I have heard about have said that their staff is like staph, an infection that causes discomfort. I am so glad our staff is not like that.
I am so thankful for the staff that I have. They are all pretty much home grown, came up through the minor leauges so to speak in our church.
Out associate Pastor John Dorsey is such a rare treasure. If anyone knew how much money we pay him for all that he does, they would snag him in an instant, just saying. He does it all. I used to joke with him when he was doing his studies at ORU when he was taking a carpentry or a plumbing class because all Sr. Pastors need to know how to do those things. But Pastor John really does know how to do all those things. He has a heart for our community, a real desire to make a difference in the people of our community. He even volunteered to serve on the city council when a seat became available, so he is either committed or needs to be committed, as to a psych ward. But he loves helping people. There is no one I know that if a widow woman calls because her toilet is leaking will get all giddy and excited about fixing a leaking toilet than Pastor John. When we first arrived in Welch he was a teenager just out of school and off chasing skirts and big money in the mining towns of Neveda. When he returned to Welch he started leading worship in our church and we had to put some limitations on him. Boy he did not like that one bit, even walked away for a bit but I am so glad he stuck it out. GOD is really making him into one in whom he delights. He took his schooling and applied to get credentials and for a while actually held higher credentials for a while than I did. It was at that point he was pushing me onwards and upwards. And his wife, Christina, she is the director of our day care. She is as much a blessing as Pastor John is. Servants one and all.
And then we have Pastor Mike and Pastor Katie, our youth Pastors. They are so much like my wife and myself it is scary. Katie is the pushy one, always on the run and always planning something. Mike is like myself, thoughtful to the point where we forget to move on sometimes. But they are really being shaped by GOD to be the couple that he will use for decades to come. I sometimes forget they haven't even hit 30 yet! They were not always on staff either. Katie grew up in the church, her and Mike got married and they kind of did their own thing for a while. I remember some of the gifts that were given at their wedding and thinking that they might have some problems later. They did, but they worked through them and GOD called them to do ministry as only they can. Katie leaped first in getting credentials and Mike followed soon after matching her. They are still working through their ministry style, still raising a family and working in carreers but the sky is the limit for them. One day the light will turn on and they will find their groove and then watch out world...
Pastor Charlie and Elaine are our music/performing arts Pastors. My wife and I have known them for a long time. We actually attended church together when we were all riding a pew instead of standing on stage. They were a crazy pair then, still are today. Elaine is a PK (Pastor's Kid) so she has been doing this all her life. She has seen it all and then some. Elaine was a stay at home Mom who took care of their SIX kids and Charlie was working for a dog food company as a design engineer. Our wives had a mutual interst in sign language which meant they left Charlie and I with his six kids and my three. So after one night of that Charlie and I found we both loved music and we both played trumpets so from that night on the screams of the kids were drowned out by the blasting of our trumpets. I probably owe my musical talents that I have today to Charlie, without him showing me, training me and challenging me I would have never rediscovered my musical talents. We spent a number of years with Charlie and Elaine until they decided to change churches. A situation came up and they left to attend another church, it wasn't long after that we took the Church in Welch. We of course asked them to come and be part of our new church when we started in Welch but they were just getting settled at their new church so they declined. Of course the relationship faltered as our common interaction dissolved into a once a month or eventually a once in a while visit. It was not until we opened our new building that we invited Charlie and Elaine to come entertain us with some music and acting. After that interaction my wife wanted to reach out to them but we put it on the back burner to make sure that GOD was speaking to us and not our own desires and wants. About two months later we met with them and offered them a staff position to be our Worship Pastors. I was not sure they would accept, but when they told us they were feeling called we rejoiced and they came and joined us at Gateway. It has been a few years now since they joined us, Pastor Charlie is now credentialed, and they are using their talents and their kids talents to bless our people. It is amazing how GOD has used them for his glory.
Pastor Lynda and Darrell are our Childrens Pastors. They have been with us since the beginning. Not as staff but as a part of our family. Darrell is my wife's brother, my brother in law. We had some childrens pastor at the time that they started at our church and Lynda mentioned that she would like to work with kids sometime. Unknown to us, GOD was working to prepare them for that work as our childrens pastors left about a month later and Pastor Lynda and her husband moved into that position. They served for a while before we asked about them getting their credentials and found out that Pastor Lynda actually graduated from a Bible College with her degree in teaching. Lynda applied for credentials and with her schooling was able to get credentials as a minister as well. Darrell decided he did not want to pursue pastoring was was willing to be a helper and a helper he is. They have been such a blessing, spending each and every sunday working with our churches kids, ministering to them and investing in their lives. I tell them all the time that their efforts are like planting an oak tree. They dig the hole and put in the acorn but it will be years before their labors are realized. But over the course of time GOD will reward them for their efforst.
So in our little old church, we have a gold mine of staff. And each and every day that I work with them I am blessed.
Many churches have staff, our staff is like a shepherds staff that you can lean on and will help you reach areas that you could never reach.
Other churches I have heard about have said that their staff is like staph, an infection that causes discomfort. I am so glad our staff is not like that.
Monday, December 6, 2010
How in the world did I survive?
I was thinking of my childhood this weekend and as the memories continued to flow by as I strolled down memory lane I had a dramatic moment where I realized I was lucky to be alive...
Let me recount some of my experiences...
I rode in the back of a pickup truck going down the highway. Yeah, I know what were my parents thinking? I guess they were thinking we only had a pickup truck, and with my Dad driving and Mom riding shotgun there was only enough space between them for my two youngest brothers. Which means me and my next youngest brother got to ride in the back.
I went through a auto accident once with my Mom and I was not wearing a seatbelt. I think we were in this big old station wagon. I remember brakes squealing and then hitting the big padded seat in front of me and ending up on the floor board. Then I remember Mom saying something she shouldn't have...
I remember owning a BB gun at the ripe old age of six, and I never shot my eye out with it. But I did shoot my brother once, right in the keister.
I remember drinking water straight out of the water hose...multiple times. I know, I was a daredevil.
I remember making a gasoline bomb out of a beer bottle and a hankerchief. It burned up the entire backyard and an acre of pasture.
I remember running through the house while my brother threw LIT matches at me. I grabbed a can of hair spray and just happened to catch one of the lit matches in mid flight with the spray, viola, FLAME THROWER.
I remember putting a speedometer on my ten speed and going down the biggest hill I could find. I got a little scared when I hit 70 about halfway down the hill. I think I coasted about a mile.
I remember eating dog food on a dare; trying to get the swing to go ALL the way around the pole it was hanging from; having BB gun wars with friends; and riding inside a tractor tire down a hill till I got stopped by the barbed wire fence.
And that is just the half of it... yeah, I am indeed lucky to be alive.
Let me recount some of my experiences...
I rode in the back of a pickup truck going down the highway. Yeah, I know what were my parents thinking? I guess they were thinking we only had a pickup truck, and with my Dad driving and Mom riding shotgun there was only enough space between them for my two youngest brothers. Which means me and my next youngest brother got to ride in the back.
I went through a auto accident once with my Mom and I was not wearing a seatbelt. I think we were in this big old station wagon. I remember brakes squealing and then hitting the big padded seat in front of me and ending up on the floor board. Then I remember Mom saying something she shouldn't have...
I remember owning a BB gun at the ripe old age of six, and I never shot my eye out with it. But I did shoot my brother once, right in the keister.
I remember drinking water straight out of the water hose...multiple times. I know, I was a daredevil.
I remember making a gasoline bomb out of a beer bottle and a hankerchief. It burned up the entire backyard and an acre of pasture.
I remember running through the house while my brother threw LIT matches at me. I grabbed a can of hair spray and just happened to catch one of the lit matches in mid flight with the spray, viola, FLAME THROWER.
I remember putting a speedometer on my ten speed and going down the biggest hill I could find. I got a little scared when I hit 70 about halfway down the hill. I think I coasted about a mile.
I remember eating dog food on a dare; trying to get the swing to go ALL the way around the pole it was hanging from; having BB gun wars with friends; and riding inside a tractor tire down a hill till I got stopped by the barbed wire fence.
And that is just the half of it... yeah, I am indeed lucky to be alive.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Its the most wonderful time of the year...
I always love to hear that Christmas song because it means we are getting close to Christmas. The Holiday decorations go up, the Christmas tree goes up and the presents start showing up under the tree.
But for many this is the hardest time of the year. They are reminded of past joys that multiply the sorrows they feel in their hearts. They may have lost a loved one this year that will not share this special time. They may have relocated because of careers putting them in a position away from family and friends for the first time. They may have lost their job this year putting presents on the tail end of the to do list behind the mortgage, insurance and food.
So as you enter this Holiday Season, as you pass one another on the street, in the mall or at Wal Mart. Remember there are those who are having a hard time right now. Do something out of the ordinary this Holiday Season.
Invite a homebound neighbor over for Christmas dinner.
Buy the person behind you a cup of coffee at the donut shop with a hearty Merry Christmas.
Shovel the snow out of your neighbors driveway.
Drop off a present at that Single Mom's house that is just for her.
Know a family struggling to pay their bills? Pick one of their bills to pay for them.
Adopt a child in your neighborhood and leave some gifts at the front door. You could put a note that Santa gained weight this year and couldn't fit down the chimney and the front door was locked!
There are a million things that we can do to brighten someones Holiday season, get creative and see what you can do to turn this into the most wonderful time of the year.
But for many this is the hardest time of the year. They are reminded of past joys that multiply the sorrows they feel in their hearts. They may have lost a loved one this year that will not share this special time. They may have relocated because of careers putting them in a position away from family and friends for the first time. They may have lost their job this year putting presents on the tail end of the to do list behind the mortgage, insurance and food.
So as you enter this Holiday Season, as you pass one another on the street, in the mall or at Wal Mart. Remember there are those who are having a hard time right now. Do something out of the ordinary this Holiday Season.
Invite a homebound neighbor over for Christmas dinner.
Buy the person behind you a cup of coffee at the donut shop with a hearty Merry Christmas.
Shovel the snow out of your neighbors driveway.
Drop off a present at that Single Mom's house that is just for her.
Know a family struggling to pay their bills? Pick one of their bills to pay for them.
Adopt a child in your neighborhood and leave some gifts at the front door. You could put a note that Santa gained weight this year and couldn't fit down the chimney and the front door was locked!
There are a million things that we can do to brighten someones Holiday season, get creative and see what you can do to turn this into the most wonderful time of the year.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
If I had hair...
I would be pulling it all out sometimes.
There are things about human nature that just astound me. Let me give you a couple of examples.
Iwas watching some TV the other night while on the road and saw a show called "Jail". It is filmed in local lockups as they bring people in who have been arrested that night and go through the booking process. It amazes me how people who have handcuffs on, who are being fingerprinted, and put in a jail cell keep telling those people who arrested them that they did not do anything wrong.
There was one lady who was clearly intoxicated, slurring her words and could not walk a straight line. And as they put her in the cell she shouted out for all the hear, "I not drunk, no drinking I have done." So from translating those words, either she is Yoda's padawan trainee or she is drunk as a skunk. She proceeded to later try to tear a phone off the wall before she was restained in the restraining chair.
And another guy who was being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, could not figure out why he was being arrested. He did not actually shoot the guy, he missed, so why should he be arrested for shooting at a guy and missing? Iwas thinking are you serious?
I guess I should not be amazed at what I saw on TV, I see it all the time in the church world. People who profess to be Christians doing things that they should not be doing and when they are caught in their lies and their sin their first inclination is to blame others, or if there are not others to blame to ignore it and pretend it did not really happen. And then there are others who take on the victim mentality that it is not their fault, the world is against them and they should not be held responsible for their actions. Are people so blinded that they can't see their forest of sin and rebellion for the trees in front of them?
Just wondering...
There are things about human nature that just astound me. Let me give you a couple of examples.
Iwas watching some TV the other night while on the road and saw a show called "Jail". It is filmed in local lockups as they bring people in who have been arrested that night and go through the booking process. It amazes me how people who have handcuffs on, who are being fingerprinted, and put in a jail cell keep telling those people who arrested them that they did not do anything wrong.
There was one lady who was clearly intoxicated, slurring her words and could not walk a straight line. And as they put her in the cell she shouted out for all the hear, "I not drunk, no drinking I have done." So from translating those words, either she is Yoda's padawan trainee or she is drunk as a skunk. She proceeded to later try to tear a phone off the wall before she was restained in the restraining chair.
And another guy who was being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, could not figure out why he was being arrested. He did not actually shoot the guy, he missed, so why should he be arrested for shooting at a guy and missing? Iwas thinking are you serious?
I guess I should not be amazed at what I saw on TV, I see it all the time in the church world. People who profess to be Christians doing things that they should not be doing and when they are caught in their lies and their sin their first inclination is to blame others, or if there are not others to blame to ignore it and pretend it did not really happen. And then there are others who take on the victim mentality that it is not their fault, the world is against them and they should not be held responsible for their actions. Are people so blinded that they can't see their forest of sin and rebellion for the trees in front of them?
Just wondering...
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
So I am sitting in an airport minding my own business...
When a lady's voice comes over the speaker and says my name and that I needed to go to the gate counter. I had flashbacks to my grade schoold days when you would get called to the office that way. I could nopt figure why I was needed there as I had already checked in for my flight, had my ticket in hand and was starting to get upset because I was afraid they were going to bump me from the flight. The earlier flight had some electrical problems AFTER takeoff and had to come back to Omaha and the flight was cancelled. So I get up there ready to tell the woman that I am a PLATINUM frequent flier when she hands me a different ticket and says she bumped me to FIRST CLASS. I was kind of shocked and then she said "is that OK?". I was almost speechless and finally got out, "you bet".
Well I went up to that counter ready to give that lady a piece of my mind, tell her where the corn grows and the cows graze. I went up there ready to battle, ready to throw down and get down because it was on like Donkey Kong. And it was all for nothing as she did not mess me around but blessed me abundantly.
So have you ever been called to the principal's office thinking you were in trouble only to find out you were being blessed?
Well I went up to that counter ready to give that lady a piece of my mind, tell her where the corn grows and the cows graze. I went up there ready to battle, ready to throw down and get down because it was on like Donkey Kong. And it was all for nothing as she did not mess me around but blessed me abundantly.
So have you ever been called to the principal's office thinking you were in trouble only to find out you were being blessed?
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
My Favorite Commercial
I just love the Gieco commercials right now. The introduction dude always gets my attention when he says, "can switching to Gieco really save you 15% or more on your car insurance? Does ..."
So I decided in this blog post to rank the top five Geico "Does..." commercials.
1) Does an ex drill instructors make really bad councilors... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhlWddAXSRA
Drill Instructor berates an emotional young man who is expressing his feelings. Favorite line, "well let's go over to Mamby Pamby Land and see if we can find you some self confidence"
2) Does the little piggy really cry wee wee wee all the way home... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_G2zp-opg
A lady is driving her SUV with the eerily high cry of WEEEEEEEEEEE reverberating through the car. We finally see a little piggy crying WEEEEEEEEEE out the back window all the way through the commercial even after the car stopped in which the driver says, "Max, Max, MAXWELL, YOU'RE HOME" at which time the little pig stops saying WEEEEEEEEE.
3) Is Abraham Lincoln honest? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdy3orO6tQA
Old grainy black and white footage show Abraham Lincoln in a room when his wife walks in and ask "does this dress make my backside look big". Abe is certainly flustered as his wife's backside is indeed big, after a moment he raises his hands and puts his fingers just so far apart and says "Perhaps"...to the angst of his wife.
4) Is having a snowball fight with pitchig great Randy Johnson a bad idea? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yenuvSUKugc&feature=channel
The Big Unit Randy Johnson throws a snowball through a guys arm, feathers from his down jacket falling out as Randy picks him up. The look farther on and see holes in someones garage in a snowball shape...
5) Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aZLw_KBdqc&feature=channel
Country Western star Charlie Daniels is seen playing the tar out of a fiddle. As he finishes you realize he is in a fancy restaurant as he hands the fiddle to a man wearing a tux and says, "That's how you do it, son."
Did I mention that I don't even use Geico? They couldn't save me 15% on all my insurance needs but I love thier commercials non the less.
So I decided in this blog post to rank the top five Geico "Does..." commercials.
1) Does an ex drill instructors make really bad councilors... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhlWddAXSRA
Drill Instructor berates an emotional young man who is expressing his feelings. Favorite line, "well let's go over to Mamby Pamby Land and see if we can find you some self confidence"
2) Does the little piggy really cry wee wee wee all the way home... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_G2zp-opg
A lady is driving her SUV with the eerily high cry of WEEEEEEEEEEE reverberating through the car. We finally see a little piggy crying WEEEEEEEEEE out the back window all the way through the commercial even after the car stopped in which the driver says, "Max, Max, MAXWELL, YOU'RE HOME" at which time the little pig stops saying WEEEEEEEEE.
3) Is Abraham Lincoln honest? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdy3orO6tQA
Old grainy black and white footage show Abraham Lincoln in a room when his wife walks in and ask "does this dress make my backside look big". Abe is certainly flustered as his wife's backside is indeed big, after a moment he raises his hands and puts his fingers just so far apart and says "Perhaps"...to the angst of his wife.
4) Is having a snowball fight with pitchig great Randy Johnson a bad idea? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yenuvSUKugc&feature=channel
The Big Unit Randy Johnson throws a snowball through a guys arm, feathers from his down jacket falling out as Randy picks him up. The look farther on and see holes in someones garage in a snowball shape...
5) Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aZLw_KBdqc&feature=channel
Country Western star Charlie Daniels is seen playing the tar out of a fiddle. As he finishes you realize he is in a fancy restaurant as he hands the fiddle to a man wearing a tux and says, "That's how you do it, son."
Did I mention that I don't even use Geico? They couldn't save me 15% on all my insurance needs but I love thier commercials non the less.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Christmas is coming...
We always decorate our church so the Sunday after Thanksgiving we have our Christmas Decorations up. It is a real pain in the neck for our staff as we kind of go overboard for Christmas. At our church it is not acceptable to have one little tree on a tabletop with some twinkle lights. No, we go BIG. Multiple trees, lots of light and lots of Holly everwhere.
I know many times as a staff as we are dealing with hanging the lights and the greenery, we probably look at it as a temporary thing that we have to take down in a little more than a month. But JESUS is the reason for the season, and I think we should do it BIG to celebrate him.
So pray for our staff as they bring the seasonal items out of the attic, dust them off and put them on display for all to see as we celebrate the coming of the Savior.
Do you do it BIG at your church or do you just get by?
I know many times as a staff as we are dealing with hanging the lights and the greenery, we probably look at it as a temporary thing that we have to take down in a little more than a month. But JESUS is the reason for the season, and I think we should do it BIG to celebrate him.
So pray for our staff as they bring the seasonal items out of the attic, dust them off and put them on display for all to see as we celebrate the coming of the Savior.
Do you do it BIG at your church or do you just get by?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Shattered lives...
We have the pleasure each weekend before Thanksgiving of hosting a Teen Challenge program in our area. Each year we have ten to fifteen girls from that program grace us with their presence for our service. And each and every year I am beset by tears and emotions as these girls share the stories of their shattered lives. Many of them abused as children by those close to them. Many of them turning to drugs, alcohol and self mutilation to ease the pain of their suffering souls. But each and every year as I cry tears of sadness hearing the stories of their lives, I also cry tears of joy as I hear the redeeming stories of their lives by the living GOD.
Where pain and shame once lived, now joy and pride of a newfound life is testified to all.
These young ladies are a living testimoney of how GOD can truely change a life.
GOD is still today taking shattered lives and mending them once again into a life worth living.
Shattered lives to Redeemed and repaired.
Where pain and shame once lived, now joy and pride of a newfound life is testified to all.
These young ladies are a living testimoney of how GOD can truely change a life.
GOD is still today taking shattered lives and mending them once again into a life worth living.
Shattered lives to Redeemed and repaired.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Planning...
I am remodeling my wife's closet. It was not a planned remodel. After our bed disaster we had to take everything out of our bedroom to dry out the floor. So the closet got trashed and today my wife complained that she did not have enough closet space because the closet was unorganized.
So I jumped into my SuperHero tights and thought I would save the day. Alas, I think I am more prepared to be a SuperVillan than a SuperHero.
You see SuperVillan's usually plan some monumental disaster but forget one little thing leaving room for the SuperHero to save the day. That seems to be what is happening on the closet. I am always a half inch this way or that way from making something work. It seems that everything is just a hair too big or a hair to small for it to work and it is frustrating me.
Now I should not expect some miracle, I am working with absolutely no budget and I am cobbling things together that were leftovers from something else.
I am not sure why I jumped into it without doing some proper planning. Well I do know why I did not plan, and my excuse is not good. My reason for not planning was the job was too small to plan. I figured by the time that I worked out a plan on paper I could have the entire job done. But alas my fiendishly clever plan to conquer my closet has turned into a nightmare. I guess there is nothing that is too small to plan. I just need a SuperHero to come and finish the job.
So I jumped into my SuperHero tights and thought I would save the day. Alas, I think I am more prepared to be a SuperVillan than a SuperHero.
You see SuperVillan's usually plan some monumental disaster but forget one little thing leaving room for the SuperHero to save the day. That seems to be what is happening on the closet. I am always a half inch this way or that way from making something work. It seems that everything is just a hair too big or a hair to small for it to work and it is frustrating me.
Now I should not expect some miracle, I am working with absolutely no budget and I am cobbling things together that were leftovers from something else.
I am not sure why I jumped into it without doing some proper planning. Well I do know why I did not plan, and my excuse is not good. My reason for not planning was the job was too small to plan. I figured by the time that I worked out a plan on paper I could have the entire job done. But alas my fiendishly clever plan to conquer my closet has turned into a nightmare. I guess there is nothing that is too small to plan. I just need a SuperHero to come and finish the job.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Drip, drip, drip...
For the last twenty or so years I have slept on a waterbed. Yeah I know I should have grown up many years ago but stay with me.
When I first got married back in the 80's waterbeds were all the rage. My wife and I however went conventional and bought a standard queen size matress and box springs to start our house. However not long after that we developed a hatred toward that matress and box springs. If I remember we bought it used, and we were starting to figure out why its previous master released it. My mother though was dealing with arthritis and the queen size waterbed she had was bothering her joints so we agreed to a trade. We took over our parts, swapped out with her and soon we were floating on a bed of water, warm water to be precise. It was one of those bladder type waterbeds where if your spouse was sleeping too close to the edge, you could actually send them flying out of the bed with a well timed flop. We absolutely loved that bed, it was warm as soon as you got in, soft as a pillow and the gentle waves lulled you to sleep. Waterbed 1.0 was great, then we got a pair of cats.
Yeah those cats ran through our bed one night while we were sleeping and we awoke with wet sheets from about a hundred claw marks that had penetrated the bladder. It is never a good thing to wake up feeling wet and cold in your own bed. It brings back bad memories of childhood that no one wants to relive. Well that was the end of that water bed, waterbed 1.0 died so we went searching for another bed.
What we found filled our hearts with joy. My brother in law was moving and decided he did not want to move his KING size soft side waterbed and offered it to us. It was the best of both worlds!! It was WATERBED 2.0! The hard wooden sides that greeted you every morning with a smack to your ankles or cut into your thighs as you manuvered yourself out of waterbed 1.0 had been replace with soft foamy edges on the 2.0 model. The free floating bladder from model 1.0 had been enhanced with some kind of foam in the middle that made bed 2.0 "waveless". Now I will tell you in just certain situations a flop from enormous heights still will create enough of a wave in a waveless waterbed that is capable of spilling your spouse right out into the floor. But the smaller waves of just rolling over disappeared overnight with that magical foam. The other great thing about this bed was it took standard size sheets. No longer did we have to shop at "Waterbeds R Us" to get our sheets. No longer would we awake in the night to find the sheets had slipped off and we were laying on a cold plastic filled zip lock bag. We could shop at normal stores, buy those neat frilly sheets that were in style today and they fit like a glove. We were so happy... and then it happened.
We had our first experience with a leak late one night many years into our ownership of waterbed 2.0. We probably had that bed at least 10 years before we ever had a leak. It had this thick cover that wrapped around the entirity of the bladder so cat claws would never come near to penetrating the liquid filled center. It was made of such thick plastic I actually considered putting some goldfish in there so they could swim around. It would be so cool to actually sleep in an aquarium. Of course my wife would never go for that, it would freak her out knowing that she was sleeping actually WITH the fishes!!
So it came as a shock to me when we first experienced a leak in waterbed 2.0. I remember waking up in the middle of the night feeling cold and clammy. As I laid there I realized that I was wet from chest to toe. My first instinct was that I must have had an "accident". I know, I know, I was at this time in my mid 30's, mature and still the first thought I had was that I had wet the bed. As I laid there, cold and wet I suddenly realized that I really had to go to the bathroom, and if I had to go to the bathroom then I could not have wet the bed. It was then that the most horrible thought came to my mind. My thirty something wife must have wet the bed and I am laying in HER "accident".
As a young child I always had to share a room with someone. And because of that sharing my brothers and I always had bunk beds. You know where I am going with this, but don't jump to far ahead. There is a reason why the OLDER sibling always gets the top bunk. There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night to the feeling of rain falling on your body. Nothing worse except when you realize that you are indoors, and that is not rain that is falling.
So as I laid there, cold and clammy in my wife's "accident" I did what every husband, father, and grown man would do. I yelled at the top of my lungs, "YUCKKKKKKKK!!! YOU WET THE BED!!!!" which immediately waked my wife who was still sound asleep. as I jumped out of bed my hasty exit created another problem. You see in a water bed, the heavier of the two individuals displaces more of the bladder's water creating a hole or a depression in the bed. That hole or depression will collect andy and all liquids that are on top of the vinyl bladder of the bed. As I rolled out of the bed the depression that I had been causing was suddenly no longer there and the water quickly found the depression that my wife was now occupying, soaking her from chest to toe as well. She quickly awoke only to tell me she had not had an "accident" ("Yeah right" I thought to myself) and that I was a moron for thinking that of her. Actually she did not call me a moron, I added that part as that was what I thought of myself after I falsely accused her of being a five year old with a bladder problem. Anyway after a night on the couch (both of us) we discovered what had happened was that somehow something sharp had slipped down between the bladder and the soft edge of the bed and poked a hole in the bladder. We did a patch job on that hole the next day, dried out the covers and had a good laugh at our "accident" and went back to enjoying our waterbed 2.0.
That is until this last Monday. I had to catch an early flight that day so I was getting up early anyway but I was not planning on getting up quite that early. About 4:45 AM I heard the distinct sound of "drip", "drip", drip" which I chalked up to an early morning thunderstorm. But then I realized that the sound of this drip was not falling from the gutters outside but sounded like it was coming from inside the house. Since we had just finished remodeling out master bathroom I just knew that we must have broken a hose or the sink faucet had sprung a leak. My thoughts were derailed though when I put my foot upon the floor and found the carpet to be cold and clammy and really really wet. Not just soak it up with a towel it will be OK wet but water standing on the floor wet this is a sinking ship wet. It was then that I realized waterbed 2.0 was out for the count. I grabbed a towel and tried to stop the outflow of its precious liquids but it was beyond what I could repair. As I began to gather my things to quickly put it out of its misery and as humanely as possible drain its remaining fluids this thought caused me to choke up. My days as a waterbed owner were coming to an end. No, I would never again be lulled to sleep by the slow rocking of the waves, or have the opportunity to fling my wife out onto the floor with a well timed flop. No, that morning as I drained the last of its still warm water from its radidly deflating shell I realized that I had finally grown up, no more waterbeds for us. Sleep is too precious a commodity now than to wake up wet, cold and clammy every so often. But it was sure fun while it lasted.
When I first got married back in the 80's waterbeds were all the rage. My wife and I however went conventional and bought a standard queen size matress and box springs to start our house. However not long after that we developed a hatred toward that matress and box springs. If I remember we bought it used, and we were starting to figure out why its previous master released it. My mother though was dealing with arthritis and the queen size waterbed she had was bothering her joints so we agreed to a trade. We took over our parts, swapped out with her and soon we were floating on a bed of water, warm water to be precise. It was one of those bladder type waterbeds where if your spouse was sleeping too close to the edge, you could actually send them flying out of the bed with a well timed flop. We absolutely loved that bed, it was warm as soon as you got in, soft as a pillow and the gentle waves lulled you to sleep. Waterbed 1.0 was great, then we got a pair of cats.
Yeah those cats ran through our bed one night while we were sleeping and we awoke with wet sheets from about a hundred claw marks that had penetrated the bladder. It is never a good thing to wake up feeling wet and cold in your own bed. It brings back bad memories of childhood that no one wants to relive. Well that was the end of that water bed, waterbed 1.0 died so we went searching for another bed.
What we found filled our hearts with joy. My brother in law was moving and decided he did not want to move his KING size soft side waterbed and offered it to us. It was the best of both worlds!! It was WATERBED 2.0! The hard wooden sides that greeted you every morning with a smack to your ankles or cut into your thighs as you manuvered yourself out of waterbed 1.0 had been replace with soft foamy edges on the 2.0 model. The free floating bladder from model 1.0 had been enhanced with some kind of foam in the middle that made bed 2.0 "waveless". Now I will tell you in just certain situations a flop from enormous heights still will create enough of a wave in a waveless waterbed that is capable of spilling your spouse right out into the floor. But the smaller waves of just rolling over disappeared overnight with that magical foam. The other great thing about this bed was it took standard size sheets. No longer did we have to shop at "Waterbeds R Us" to get our sheets. No longer would we awake in the night to find the sheets had slipped off and we were laying on a cold plastic filled zip lock bag. We could shop at normal stores, buy those neat frilly sheets that were in style today and they fit like a glove. We were so happy... and then it happened.
We had our first experience with a leak late one night many years into our ownership of waterbed 2.0. We probably had that bed at least 10 years before we ever had a leak. It had this thick cover that wrapped around the entirity of the bladder so cat claws would never come near to penetrating the liquid filled center. It was made of such thick plastic I actually considered putting some goldfish in there so they could swim around. It would be so cool to actually sleep in an aquarium. Of course my wife would never go for that, it would freak her out knowing that she was sleeping actually WITH the fishes!!
So it came as a shock to me when we first experienced a leak in waterbed 2.0. I remember waking up in the middle of the night feeling cold and clammy. As I laid there I realized that I was wet from chest to toe. My first instinct was that I must have had an "accident". I know, I know, I was at this time in my mid 30's, mature and still the first thought I had was that I had wet the bed. As I laid there, cold and wet I suddenly realized that I really had to go to the bathroom, and if I had to go to the bathroom then I could not have wet the bed. It was then that the most horrible thought came to my mind. My thirty something wife must have wet the bed and I am laying in HER "accident".
As a young child I always had to share a room with someone. And because of that sharing my brothers and I always had bunk beds. You know where I am going with this, but don't jump to far ahead. There is a reason why the OLDER sibling always gets the top bunk. There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night to the feeling of rain falling on your body. Nothing worse except when you realize that you are indoors, and that is not rain that is falling.
So as I laid there, cold and clammy in my wife's "accident" I did what every husband, father, and grown man would do. I yelled at the top of my lungs, "YUCKKKKKKKK!!! YOU WET THE BED!!!!" which immediately waked my wife who was still sound asleep. as I jumped out of bed my hasty exit created another problem. You see in a water bed, the heavier of the two individuals displaces more of the bladder's water creating a hole or a depression in the bed. That hole or depression will collect andy and all liquids that are on top of the vinyl bladder of the bed. As I rolled out of the bed the depression that I had been causing was suddenly no longer there and the water quickly found the depression that my wife was now occupying, soaking her from chest to toe as well. She quickly awoke only to tell me she had not had an "accident" ("Yeah right" I thought to myself) and that I was a moron for thinking that of her. Actually she did not call me a moron, I added that part as that was what I thought of myself after I falsely accused her of being a five year old with a bladder problem. Anyway after a night on the couch (both of us) we discovered what had happened was that somehow something sharp had slipped down between the bladder and the soft edge of the bed and poked a hole in the bladder. We did a patch job on that hole the next day, dried out the covers and had a good laugh at our "accident" and went back to enjoying our waterbed 2.0.
That is until this last Monday. I had to catch an early flight that day so I was getting up early anyway but I was not planning on getting up quite that early. About 4:45 AM I heard the distinct sound of "drip", "drip", drip" which I chalked up to an early morning thunderstorm. But then I realized that the sound of this drip was not falling from the gutters outside but sounded like it was coming from inside the house. Since we had just finished remodeling out master bathroom I just knew that we must have broken a hose or the sink faucet had sprung a leak. My thoughts were derailed though when I put my foot upon the floor and found the carpet to be cold and clammy and really really wet. Not just soak it up with a towel it will be OK wet but water standing on the floor wet this is a sinking ship wet. It was then that I realized waterbed 2.0 was out for the count. I grabbed a towel and tried to stop the outflow of its precious liquids but it was beyond what I could repair. As I began to gather my things to quickly put it out of its misery and as humanely as possible drain its remaining fluids this thought caused me to choke up. My days as a waterbed owner were coming to an end. No, I would never again be lulled to sleep by the slow rocking of the waves, or have the opportunity to fling my wife out onto the floor with a well timed flop. No, that morning as I drained the last of its still warm water from its radidly deflating shell I realized that I had finally grown up, no more waterbeds for us. Sleep is too precious a commodity now than to wake up wet, cold and clammy every so often. But it was sure fun while it lasted.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
What do you do, when you don't know what to do?
That is a question that many have been struggling with lately. I have counciled many people lately who have asked that question. What do we do in this situation?
Well the answer is not always what they want to hear. It is not always the situation that they want to go through. And it does not always lead to an area of their life that they want to explore.
But through every situation we need to remember that GOD is still there. Many times we feel like GOD has abandoned us, that he has left on vacation and is not returning our calls.
But GOD has never left us or forsaken us. He is still there even when we feel like he is not.
But many times his answer to our cries is "not yet" or "no". And when we do not hear what we want to hear we think that GOD is not there. It is not that he is not there, it is just that he is not telling us what we want to hear.
So when you don't know what to do, make sure you are listening for everything that GOD is saying even those things that you may not want to hear.
Well the answer is not always what they want to hear. It is not always the situation that they want to go through. And it does not always lead to an area of their life that they want to explore.
But through every situation we need to remember that GOD is still there. Many times we feel like GOD has abandoned us, that he has left on vacation and is not returning our calls.
But GOD has never left us or forsaken us. He is still there even when we feel like he is not.
But many times his answer to our cries is "not yet" or "no". And when we do not hear what we want to hear we think that GOD is not there. It is not that he is not there, it is just that he is not telling us what we want to hear.
So when you don't know what to do, make sure you are listening for everything that GOD is saying even those things that you may not want to hear.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Coffee... yum
So for Pastor's Appreciation day the church got me a coffee maker. Now before you go, "well they must not like him too much" they got me the bomb diggity coffee maker ever made.
It is one of those that makes one cup of coffee from those little packets you insert into the machine like loading a shotgun. The only way for it to be cooler would be if it made some sort of whoosh whish noise like on Star Trek.
So with the maker which is too cool (Oh I have already said that) came all these different kinds of coffees. There is of course the typical girly coffee, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Vanilla, but there is this stuff called BOLD, Caribou, Columbian Roast that look promising. See I grew up on coffee made in a percolator, on a stove top. That coffee was the kind where if there wasn't grounds in the bottom of your cup it wasn't REAL coffee.
So I made pancakes for supper last night and decided, yum Coffee! So I made a cup and then I see my kids bringing cups in filled with... wait for it... HOT CHOCOLATE!
My coffee maker makes steaming hot cups of HOT CHOCOLATE also!
So I got to thinking, what other options could I put in that machine?
So here are FIVE things the little coffee packagers should put out for my do it all coffee and more machine.
1) Chicken soup - now I am not sure how they could get the noodles and chicken chunks to go through the little strainer but I am sure they can figure it out. Something like those sea monkeys that when they were added to water expanded and get bigger. That would be great to get a steaming cup of soup without using a can opener.
2) Milk - now stay with me. Nothing can cure insomnia like warm milk sipped from a mug. Not an every night drink but maybe one where you keep a couple of those little canisters next to the antacid in the medicine cabinet.
3) Sweet and Sour Sauce - pop some frozen chicken nuggets in the microwave and cook on nuclear. Then drizzle some HOT sweet and sour sauce on them. YUM!
4) Gravy - I can not make gravy to save my life, but if they had one of those little canisters, I could make gravy all day long!! Oh we ran out of gravy for the potatoes? Let me pop in one of these little canisters, whoosh whish and Viola!! Gravy nice and hot!
5) Pudding - Everyone needs a quick and easy desert every so often. How about a pudding canister that pops in there and out comes some chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, caramel, butterscotch or any kind of pudding you can think of.
It won't be long now when we stand in front of a little door and say, "computer, I would like a chocolate shake please" and whoosh whish the door rises and there is a chocolate shake.
I can dream can't I? Captain Pat, star date 76985 signing off.
It is one of those that makes one cup of coffee from those little packets you insert into the machine like loading a shotgun. The only way for it to be cooler would be if it made some sort of whoosh whish noise like on Star Trek.
So with the maker which is too cool (Oh I have already said that) came all these different kinds of coffees. There is of course the typical girly coffee, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Vanilla, but there is this stuff called BOLD, Caribou, Columbian Roast that look promising. See I grew up on coffee made in a percolator, on a stove top. That coffee was the kind where if there wasn't grounds in the bottom of your cup it wasn't REAL coffee.
So I made pancakes for supper last night and decided, yum Coffee! So I made a cup and then I see my kids bringing cups in filled with... wait for it... HOT CHOCOLATE!
My coffee maker makes steaming hot cups of HOT CHOCOLATE also!
So I got to thinking, what other options could I put in that machine?
So here are FIVE things the little coffee packagers should put out for my do it all coffee and more machine.
1) Chicken soup - now I am not sure how they could get the noodles and chicken chunks to go through the little strainer but I am sure they can figure it out. Something like those sea monkeys that when they were added to water expanded and get bigger. That would be great to get a steaming cup of soup without using a can opener.
2) Milk - now stay with me. Nothing can cure insomnia like warm milk sipped from a mug. Not an every night drink but maybe one where you keep a couple of those little canisters next to the antacid in the medicine cabinet.
3) Sweet and Sour Sauce - pop some frozen chicken nuggets in the microwave and cook on nuclear. Then drizzle some HOT sweet and sour sauce on them. YUM!
4) Gravy - I can not make gravy to save my life, but if they had one of those little canisters, I could make gravy all day long!! Oh we ran out of gravy for the potatoes? Let me pop in one of these little canisters, whoosh whish and Viola!! Gravy nice and hot!
5) Pudding - Everyone needs a quick and easy desert every so often. How about a pudding canister that pops in there and out comes some chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, caramel, butterscotch or any kind of pudding you can think of.
It won't be long now when we stand in front of a little door and say, "computer, I would like a chocolate shake please" and whoosh whish the door rises and there is a chocolate shake.
I can dream can't I? Captain Pat, star date 76985 signing off.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Surprised? You should't be...
When the church helps people with no strings attached, why are the people being helped surprised? Isn't that what we are supposed to do?
We had a house in our community burn down the other night so my wife sprang into action. She started finding out what they needed. It is amazing the little things that you find you need when everything is gone.
So the people of our church started donating things, little things like razors, toothpaste and a hairbrush. My wife handed the hair brush to the lady of the home and she immediately ripped it out of its package and started brushing her hair. She said she had been wanting to do that all day.
And last night at church my wife mentioned that they were getting settled into a small RV but that they still had some needs. She had asked them if they needed a coffee maker (some of us would run out of a burning house clutching one thing, it might be the coffee maker) for the morning. They said yes but that they like to perculate their coffee on the stove top. They did not like the "drip" coffee makers. Well we did not have one of them but a lady in our church had two. So she offered it to them. My wife takes it out last night and pulls it out of a bag and says look what one of the ladies in our church had and the lady smiled a little bit. Then she pulled out some creamer and said she had found this also, and the the lady smiled a little bit more. The my wife pulled out two coffee cups and the lady's smile lit up the room. She told my wife that the coffee pot was good, and the creamer was good but they would not be able to drink it because they had no cups to put the coffee in. My wife is the bomb! She was told over and over how surprised they were that total strangers were helping them out. Church, we need to step up and quit helping people with hidden agendas and trap doors to get them in our church. We need to help because that is what Christ would have done.
In the end those people lost their home and everything that they owned inside went up in flames. But this morning as the sun rose once again they were able to sit together, side by side, maybe even holding hands and they get to drink a cup of coffee together. I am glad we got to surprise them.
We had a house in our community burn down the other night so my wife sprang into action. She started finding out what they needed. It is amazing the little things that you find you need when everything is gone.
So the people of our church started donating things, little things like razors, toothpaste and a hairbrush. My wife handed the hair brush to the lady of the home and she immediately ripped it out of its package and started brushing her hair. She said she had been wanting to do that all day.
And last night at church my wife mentioned that they were getting settled into a small RV but that they still had some needs. She had asked them if they needed a coffee maker (some of us would run out of a burning house clutching one thing, it might be the coffee maker) for the morning. They said yes but that they like to perculate their coffee on the stove top. They did not like the "drip" coffee makers. Well we did not have one of them but a lady in our church had two. So she offered it to them. My wife takes it out last night and pulls it out of a bag and says look what one of the ladies in our church had and the lady smiled a little bit. Then she pulled out some creamer and said she had found this also, and the the lady smiled a little bit more. The my wife pulled out two coffee cups and the lady's smile lit up the room. She told my wife that the coffee pot was good, and the creamer was good but they would not be able to drink it because they had no cups to put the coffee in. My wife is the bomb! She was told over and over how surprised they were that total strangers were helping them out. Church, we need to step up and quit helping people with hidden agendas and trap doors to get them in our church. We need to help because that is what Christ would have done.
In the end those people lost their home and everything that they owned inside went up in flames. But this morning as the sun rose once again they were able to sit together, side by side, maybe even holding hands and they get to drink a cup of coffee together. I am glad we got to surprise them.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Cowboys fire head coach...
Yeah I know it is old news but I just can't get over the look on Wade Phillips face as the Packers just beat the tar out of his team on Monday night football. He looked lost, he looked disappointed, he looked like his world had just turned upside down and he was the only one that was still with his feet on the ground.
Now I am not going to get into should he or shouldn't he have been fired. I probably would have fired him a few weeks ago before the season totally got out of hand. But what I want to discuss is what happened?
The Cowboys have all the talent in the world. Now don't get on the our star QB got hurt and that is why they are so bad train. He got hurt two games ago, and they only had ONE win then. They have arguably the most talented offense in the leauge. Their defense is not that much different than the one that ranked in the top ten last year. So what happened?
I think it is something that happens to many "teams", they get to believing in their own success and forget how hard it was to get successful. Stay with me a moment. To be successful in anything it takes a lot of effort. Nothing can replace hard work, nothing. But many times we become victims of our own success and we begin to feel entitled and that we have arrived. It is at that point that you have to check the ego at the door and put on the hard hat and go to work. When I looked at the Cowboys in the preseason they made all sorts of mistakes, missed assignments and yet all everyone talked about was that they were going to be the first team to host a Super Bowl. This was all before the season started. Some of the NFL commentators said there were big problems in Big D but most of the talking heads just brushed it off and said once the season started they would be fine. Well they are not fine today and because of it Wade Phillips is on enemployment.
So what can we do as leaders and coaches to avoid the pitfalls that snared the Boys this year.
1) Don't buy into the lie that you are all that and more.
Many times we get enamored with our success that we forget we are all still human and do not have GOD powers to simply speak something into existance. We still have to do the little things right, still have to lay the foundations and work hard.
2) Don't get complacent.
Abraham Lincoln said "the enemy of great is not bad, but good". I try to live that because there are a lot of people who could be great but settle for good. And the problem with that is the same problem the Boys are having today, they were pegged for greatness, just being good is not good enough.
3) Do the little things right.
GOD promises in his word that if we are faithful in the little things he will give us the larger things in life. It works like that in all aspects of life, start small and slowly as you gain experience you get bigger things to work with. But if you never do the little things right, you will keep repeating that job until you do.
4) Do your job with all your heart
I have watched some of the Cowboys play their tails off, and still I have seen others, well not look like they had their heart into it. I would be the last one to ever question an athletes heart, but I know that during my athletic carreer there were times when I just gave up when there was still time on the clock. Working in a losing effort is not fun, it is work. But that work will pay off later in life, trust me.
5) And finally, Sometimes change is needed.
Do I think that the new coach will do any better? Probably not. But I will say this, I guarantee you that this week in practice and in the locker room things are different. It may not be large change, it may be something as insignificant as a change of pace of schedule but many times change is needed to jump start our lives. As humans we love to be comfortable, but only in our uncomfortable state do we truely start to look for opportunities, for options to make life better. The world is changing around us and we need to be ready to change with it or we might find ourself on the end of a loosing record and a boss looking to fire somebody, think about it.
Now I am not going to get into should he or shouldn't he have been fired. I probably would have fired him a few weeks ago before the season totally got out of hand. But what I want to discuss is what happened?
The Cowboys have all the talent in the world. Now don't get on the our star QB got hurt and that is why they are so bad train. He got hurt two games ago, and they only had ONE win then. They have arguably the most talented offense in the leauge. Their defense is not that much different than the one that ranked in the top ten last year. So what happened?
I think it is something that happens to many "teams", they get to believing in their own success and forget how hard it was to get successful. Stay with me a moment. To be successful in anything it takes a lot of effort. Nothing can replace hard work, nothing. But many times we become victims of our own success and we begin to feel entitled and that we have arrived. It is at that point that you have to check the ego at the door and put on the hard hat and go to work. When I looked at the Cowboys in the preseason they made all sorts of mistakes, missed assignments and yet all everyone talked about was that they were going to be the first team to host a Super Bowl. This was all before the season started. Some of the NFL commentators said there were big problems in Big D but most of the talking heads just brushed it off and said once the season started they would be fine. Well they are not fine today and because of it Wade Phillips is on enemployment.
So what can we do as leaders and coaches to avoid the pitfalls that snared the Boys this year.
1) Don't buy into the lie that you are all that and more.
Many times we get enamored with our success that we forget we are all still human and do not have GOD powers to simply speak something into existance. We still have to do the little things right, still have to lay the foundations and work hard.
2) Don't get complacent.
Abraham Lincoln said "the enemy of great is not bad, but good". I try to live that because there are a lot of people who could be great but settle for good. And the problem with that is the same problem the Boys are having today, they were pegged for greatness, just being good is not good enough.
3) Do the little things right.
GOD promises in his word that if we are faithful in the little things he will give us the larger things in life. It works like that in all aspects of life, start small and slowly as you gain experience you get bigger things to work with. But if you never do the little things right, you will keep repeating that job until you do.
4) Do your job with all your heart
I have watched some of the Cowboys play their tails off, and still I have seen others, well not look like they had their heart into it. I would be the last one to ever question an athletes heart, but I know that during my athletic carreer there were times when I just gave up when there was still time on the clock. Working in a losing effort is not fun, it is work. But that work will pay off later in life, trust me.
5) And finally, Sometimes change is needed.
Do I think that the new coach will do any better? Probably not. But I will say this, I guarantee you that this week in practice and in the locker room things are different. It may not be large change, it may be something as insignificant as a change of pace of schedule but many times change is needed to jump start our lives. As humans we love to be comfortable, but only in our uncomfortable state do we truely start to look for opportunities, for options to make life better. The world is changing around us and we need to be ready to change with it or we might find ourself on the end of a loosing record and a boss looking to fire somebody, think about it.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Conflict...
Man, who does not love conflict?
I love to watch conflict happen, especially when it is not happening to me. How many times are you drawn to a story becuase of the conflict found inside?
Think of all the great movies. What do they all have in common? They all have conflict. Great books? They all have conflict. It is part of the story, it is part of the backround, it makes life exciting. Yep, I said it, conflict makes life exciting.
It is that part of life that is unpredictable and uncontrolable. It just happens and how we deal with it defines our lives in so many ways.
Now when I am in the midst of conflict, I am never happy. I do not like conflict, I avoid it like the plague. But in every season of conflict I have come through I have changed and learned from it.
I have become a "better" Pastor because of conflict. I have become a "better" person because of conflict. I have learned to be a "better" employee because of conflict. I have learned to be a "better" boss because of conflict. I have become a "better" husband because of conflict. I have become a "better" father because of conflict. In every situation that has arose the conflict within it has made be "better". That does not mean that they were not painful, that they were comfortable and everything was rosey as I was going through them, but they all made me "better".
That is the key, for you see in every conflict there is the opportunity for you to get "better" or for you to get "bitter". The only difference in those two is the second letter. For when you get "bitter" it most times revolves around the "I" part in your life. When you get "better" is when you resolve the conflict and the we part of it becomes the central part. When you are wrong you get to appologize. When you are pridefull you get to be humble. When you are right you get to be a gracious winner, and when you are vindicated, you get to be free.
But when you get bitter, it becomes all about the "I". I have been made to look bad, I have been attacked, I have been wronged, and I have done nothing wrong. Sound familiar?
That attitude can cause bitterness to creep in and the conflict will never go away because it soon becomes a part of you. Instead of freedom being found when conflict is resolved you stay inside a prison made from bitterness.
So the next time you are in conflict, choose to be "better" than get "bitter".
I love to watch conflict happen, especially when it is not happening to me. How many times are you drawn to a story becuase of the conflict found inside?
Think of all the great movies. What do they all have in common? They all have conflict. Great books? They all have conflict. It is part of the story, it is part of the backround, it makes life exciting. Yep, I said it, conflict makes life exciting.
It is that part of life that is unpredictable and uncontrolable. It just happens and how we deal with it defines our lives in so many ways.
Now when I am in the midst of conflict, I am never happy. I do not like conflict, I avoid it like the plague. But in every season of conflict I have come through I have changed and learned from it.
I have become a "better" Pastor because of conflict. I have become a "better" person because of conflict. I have learned to be a "better" employee because of conflict. I have learned to be a "better" boss because of conflict. I have become a "better" husband because of conflict. I have become a "better" father because of conflict. In every situation that has arose the conflict within it has made be "better". That does not mean that they were not painful, that they were comfortable and everything was rosey as I was going through them, but they all made me "better".
That is the key, for you see in every conflict there is the opportunity for you to get "better" or for you to get "bitter". The only difference in those two is the second letter. For when you get "bitter" it most times revolves around the "I" part in your life. When you get "better" is when you resolve the conflict and the we part of it becomes the central part. When you are wrong you get to appologize. When you are pridefull you get to be humble. When you are right you get to be a gracious winner, and when you are vindicated, you get to be free.
But when you get bitter, it becomes all about the "I". I have been made to look bad, I have been attacked, I have been wronged, and I have done nothing wrong. Sound familiar?
That attitude can cause bitterness to creep in and the conflict will never go away because it soon becomes a part of you. Instead of freedom being found when conflict is resolved you stay inside a prison made from bitterness.
So the next time you are in conflict, choose to be "better" than get "bitter".
Friday, November 5, 2010
So what move what moves you?
Remember that car commercial a few years ago whose tag line was "what moves you?"
Well I got to thinking about that yesterday in relation to my life. What really moves me, to action that is. See there are many things that move us emotionally. A scarry movie, speaking of, I hear they are making a remake of the "Thing". I will never forget that movie the rest of my life. We were living in Odessa, TX and during one of those free cable months we got HBO. Well I waited till all my brothers went to bed and Mom and Dad had turned in and I snuck back out to the living room to catch some late night TV (who am I fooling it was probably around 8:30, Mom and Dad were freaks like that). So anyway "Thing" comes on. The premise is these people in the artic find an alien frozen in the ice, after it thaws it comes alive and starts killing everyone. That movie MOVED me. I did not sleep a wink for the next few weeks just knowing "thing" was out there stalking me. I was emotionally scarred.
And who can't cry when they have to shoot "Ole Yellar" in the end. Oh and "Chariots of Fire" when the race is going on and your heart starts pounding like you are running for you life. And how about the original "Rocky" when he is running through the streets of Philly. All those things move us emotionally, but do they "move" us to action?
I am seeing a trend in our society that people are not as easily moved to action anymore. Is it because we are more educated? Is it because we are more selfish? Is it because we are too busy?
I do not think so, I think it is because we are oversaturated with suffering and needs. I will never forget the first time I saw a starving child in Africa. It was burned into my mind so badly that I wanted to box up the leftovers we had after dinner (it was goulash I think) and send it over to those starving kids. My Mom said it would spoil before it got there (I am not so sure) and not be any good to them. She then said that we needed to adopt a child, send money each and every month so that they could be fed and taken care of. The problem being, there were four young boys in our household and if we sent off money to feed someone in Africa one of the four in our home would be going hungry (we were really poor, yet I did not know it till I was almost grown). Even though I was unable, I was moved with compassion to the point that I was willing to DO something to help. Today we are so inudated with the needs of the world that I think we become insulated to the suffering and needs of people today. It all becomes white noise to our receivers and just does not garner our attention anymore. So much so that we even filter out the needs of those that are living right down the street from us.
So wake up America and see the needs around you for they are many and be moved to do what you can to make a difference in someones life.
Well I got to thinking about that yesterday in relation to my life. What really moves me, to action that is. See there are many things that move us emotionally. A scarry movie, speaking of, I hear they are making a remake of the "Thing". I will never forget that movie the rest of my life. We were living in Odessa, TX and during one of those free cable months we got HBO. Well I waited till all my brothers went to bed and Mom and Dad had turned in and I snuck back out to the living room to catch some late night TV (who am I fooling it was probably around 8:30, Mom and Dad were freaks like that). So anyway "Thing" comes on. The premise is these people in the artic find an alien frozen in the ice, after it thaws it comes alive and starts killing everyone. That movie MOVED me. I did not sleep a wink for the next few weeks just knowing "thing" was out there stalking me. I was emotionally scarred.
And who can't cry when they have to shoot "Ole Yellar" in the end. Oh and "Chariots of Fire" when the race is going on and your heart starts pounding like you are running for you life. And how about the original "Rocky" when he is running through the streets of Philly. All those things move us emotionally, but do they "move" us to action?
I am seeing a trend in our society that people are not as easily moved to action anymore. Is it because we are more educated? Is it because we are more selfish? Is it because we are too busy?
I do not think so, I think it is because we are oversaturated with suffering and needs. I will never forget the first time I saw a starving child in Africa. It was burned into my mind so badly that I wanted to box up the leftovers we had after dinner (it was goulash I think) and send it over to those starving kids. My Mom said it would spoil before it got there (I am not so sure) and not be any good to them. She then said that we needed to adopt a child, send money each and every month so that they could be fed and taken care of. The problem being, there were four young boys in our household and if we sent off money to feed someone in Africa one of the four in our home would be going hungry (we were really poor, yet I did not know it till I was almost grown). Even though I was unable, I was moved with compassion to the point that I was willing to DO something to help. Today we are so inudated with the needs of the world that I think we become insulated to the suffering and needs of people today. It all becomes white noise to our receivers and just does not garner our attention anymore. So much so that we even filter out the needs of those that are living right down the street from us.
So wake up America and see the needs around you for they are many and be moved to do what you can to make a difference in someones life.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Allegiances...
I will never forget the first time I was with my future wife's family for Sunday lunch. After lunch it was onto the TV room for some football. So I walk in and say "who's playing?". My future father in law, and two brother's in law as well as a cousin or two respond, "the Broncos and the Raiders". Now let me stop right there and explain a few things. The Broncos and the Raiders hate each other and their fans feel the same way. It is not one of those type of hates where you hate on someone for being too good looking, or way to athletic or too popular. This kind of hate borders on the excessive type of hate like you have for that girl that dumped you to date that nerdy kid in your class. The type of hate you have for that kid that stole your bubble gum in class and then blows bubbles right in front of you to rub it in. That kind of hate.
So after they say "Broncos and Raiders" I blurt out to my embarrasment "Go Raiders".
Have you ever been in one of those situations where the music is so loud and the noise so deafening that you have to yell to the person sitting next to you to communicate? So you know how it feels when you are sitting there yelling to be heard and all of the sudden the music drops out and you are yelling at your friend who is sitting two feet away and all the people look at you like you are a moron. Well I got those kind of looks and then looks of menace and mayhem.
My father in law said something like, "what did you say?" and my two brothers in law started to rise I changed my allegiance right fast. I was born in the Bay Area, my mom and dad were Raider fans because only the wealthy were 49 fans. So to step foot in a Bronco fan's house and to date his daughter I had jumped right behind enemy lines. So I became a Bronco fan. I converted and placed my faith in John Elway and the Blue and Orange.
So yesterday was a little hard on me as I saw the Silver and Black just beat the stuffing out of my adopted Raiders. I wonder if it is too late to recant...
So after they say "Broncos and Raiders" I blurt out to my embarrasment "Go Raiders".
Have you ever been in one of those situations where the music is so loud and the noise so deafening that you have to yell to the person sitting next to you to communicate? So you know how it feels when you are sitting there yelling to be heard and all of the sudden the music drops out and you are yelling at your friend who is sitting two feet away and all the people look at you like you are a moron. Well I got those kind of looks and then looks of menace and mayhem.
My father in law said something like, "what did you say?" and my two brothers in law started to rise I changed my allegiance right fast. I was born in the Bay Area, my mom and dad were Raider fans because only the wealthy were 49 fans. So to step foot in a Bronco fan's house and to date his daughter I had jumped right behind enemy lines. So I became a Bronco fan. I converted and placed my faith in John Elway and the Blue and Orange.
So yesterday was a little hard on me as I saw the Silver and Black just beat the stuffing out of my adopted Raiders. I wonder if it is too late to recant...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Difference between faith and trust
I was doing some study for a sermon the other day and I came to a startling conclusion. Faith and Trust are not the same thing.
I used to believe that Faith and Trust is the same concept, interchangable one with the other. But in studying I have found out that they are entirely different and that Trust believe it or not is actually a step up the spiritual ladder than Faith.
I know, I know, I am in major danger of going off the deep end here, getting a call from the head of our denomination for speaking heresy but hear me out on this.
Faith, the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things unseen. Sound familiar? Paul wrote those words and I have lived by them. I have faith that GOD is going to bless me, he is going to keep me safe, he is going to keep me and my family well. I have faith that he is going to bless the flock he has entrusted me with. I have faith that the Broncos will pull out a win against the hated Raiders even though they are down 21 points... well I kind of hope they do... but really don't think they will. So my faith is not so well with the Broncos...
So that is really what faith is, the hopes that all those things we hope for and the unseen workings will work out for our good.
Well I came to realize this... I can be standing at the top of a 1000 foot cliff looking down at the rocks below. And as I stand there I can have faith that GOD will send an angel to catch me should I jump. I can have faith that should I fall that there would be a soft landing at the end of the fall and I would survive and be OK. I can have faith that halfway down I would grab a branch and it would swing me into a sea cave where thousands upon thousands of dollars of Pirate gold was stashed...sorry there I go hoping again.
Faith is one thing standing at the top of a cliff and declaring that GOD will catch you. Trust is a whole other ballgame. Trust is actually taking that leap from faith into action.
I realized that Trust is really when we put Faith into action. We can have Faith without action, but Trust kicks in when we begin to act on our Faith.
It is Trust that the three amigos stood down Kind Nebekenezer when he threatened to throw them into the firey furnace. They trusted that GOD would deliver them out of the King's hand either by being burned up or saved from the fire.
Oh GOD that I would have Trust to feed the fire of my Faith!!
I used to believe that Faith and Trust is the same concept, interchangable one with the other. But in studying I have found out that they are entirely different and that Trust believe it or not is actually a step up the spiritual ladder than Faith.
I know, I know, I am in major danger of going off the deep end here, getting a call from the head of our denomination for speaking heresy but hear me out on this.
Faith, the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things unseen. Sound familiar? Paul wrote those words and I have lived by them. I have faith that GOD is going to bless me, he is going to keep me safe, he is going to keep me and my family well. I have faith that he is going to bless the flock he has entrusted me with. I have faith that the Broncos will pull out a win against the hated Raiders even though they are down 21 points... well I kind of hope they do... but really don't think they will. So my faith is not so well with the Broncos...
So that is really what faith is, the hopes that all those things we hope for and the unseen workings will work out for our good.
Well I came to realize this... I can be standing at the top of a 1000 foot cliff looking down at the rocks below. And as I stand there I can have faith that GOD will send an angel to catch me should I jump. I can have faith that should I fall that there would be a soft landing at the end of the fall and I would survive and be OK. I can have faith that halfway down I would grab a branch and it would swing me into a sea cave where thousands upon thousands of dollars of Pirate gold was stashed...sorry there I go hoping again.
Faith is one thing standing at the top of a cliff and declaring that GOD will catch you. Trust is a whole other ballgame. Trust is actually taking that leap from faith into action.
I realized that Trust is really when we put Faith into action. We can have Faith without action, but Trust kicks in when we begin to act on our Faith.
It is Trust that the three amigos stood down Kind Nebekenezer when he threatened to throw them into the firey furnace. They trusted that GOD would deliver them out of the King's hand either by being burned up or saved from the fire.
Oh GOD that I would have Trust to feed the fire of my Faith!!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Under the weather...
I just hate being sick...
Number one my wife is not the sympathetic type. She doesn't baby me around, make me chicken soup and keep orange juice and toast at my bedside. I guess that is OK, but it sure is nice to have someone wait on you hand and foot.
So as I sit here my nose is stopped up, my throat raw and my head is pounding. I have taken drugs to help with the symptoms but the end result is I still feel bad.
I think we can relate this to a lot of our lives. We have issues that come up and we take the necessary steps to correct them but they still plague us. Maybe not as bad as when they first started but they still cause us discomfort.
I know in my life there have been financial issues that still continue to raise their heads that cause discomfort. There are car repairs, house repairs, football expenses, cheerleader expenses and lets not forget college!! All of these are not incompacitating on their own but when they gang up together watch out!
I saw a cartoon the other day with a harried lady who was quoted as saying, "normally I take each day at a time, but recently a number of them have been ganging up on me." I kind of feel like that today, head cold, cough, congestion... all ganging up on me.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Number one my wife is not the sympathetic type. She doesn't baby me around, make me chicken soup and keep orange juice and toast at my bedside. I guess that is OK, but it sure is nice to have someone wait on you hand and foot.
So as I sit here my nose is stopped up, my throat raw and my head is pounding. I have taken drugs to help with the symptoms but the end result is I still feel bad.
I think we can relate this to a lot of our lives. We have issues that come up and we take the necessary steps to correct them but they still plague us. Maybe not as bad as when they first started but they still cause us discomfort.
I know in my life there have been financial issues that still continue to raise their heads that cause discomfort. There are car repairs, house repairs, football expenses, cheerleader expenses and lets not forget college!! All of these are not incompacitating on their own but when they gang up together watch out!
I saw a cartoon the other day with a harried lady who was quoted as saying, "normally I take each day at a time, but recently a number of them have been ganging up on me." I kind of feel like that today, head cold, cough, congestion... all ganging up on me.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Friday, October 15, 2010
A dangerous trend...
There is something that is happening among our churches today that is somewhat disturbing to me. I do believe this is just a trend or a fad or whatever you would like to call it but I have seen that once something like this happens others are quick to jump on board and they take it a step further and then once again someone else jumps on board and they take it a step further and pretty soon we are so far off from where it started that we are in left field.
What am I talking about? The use of secular music in our churches.
I have been told that if you think it is too loud, then you are too old. Well I have never gotten into that position ( I have been known to pump up the volume in my car ask my kids, nothing better than a little Stryper in the morning to get your blood going!) so I do not think I am too old to adress this. And as I was raised heathen so many of the songs I am hearing in churches today I was banging my head to as a young adult.
Let me put some examples out there. A few months ago there was a video of a church service where the worship band was playing "Highway to Hell" from AC/DC as an introduction to a sermon series. Now they did a very good job with the song and they seemed to be enjoying themselves but all I could think was, why? Were there not any other songs that would have introduced the series better? How about "To Hell with the Devil"? I think I have echausted my Stryper references for this post...
I thought it might have been a one time event but I also attended a conference a month ago where "Dream On" from AeroSmith was on the worship set list along with a "Star Wars" montage. They were all well done, performed admirably. But again I had to ask, why?
I had one of my worship singers ask me a few weeks past to do a secular song. When I asked why he wanted to do the song he really did not have a reason other than it was not what the congregation was expecting... So do we need to be "shocked" to pay attention today?
I know we live in a age where the Lady Gagas, the Marilyn Mansons and the Rob Zombies shock and awe us so much with the look at me and what crazy stuff I am doing that we can't take our eyes off of them. I remember as a young adult there was this guy named Alice Cooper who bit the head off of a live chicken. And this guy named Ozzy Ozborne who bit the head off of a bat. That was like so 80's gag me with a spoon and take away my high tops kind of shock and awe of the day. But I see it coming back in society today where we have to one up each other to get attention. The things done on todays stages make chickens and bats seem like child's play.
So as the church do we have to resort to shock and awe tactics to gain an audience? Do we not have enough Chrisian music writers writing songs to keep our attention today that we have to dig into the classic rock albums to stay relevant?
I am all for classic rock, but is AeroSmith really relevant today? I mean Steven Tyler is like 60+ and the rest of the band is up there in age as well... how would you feel if your Grandpa got up on stage and began singing "Dream On" in his highest falseto and his skinny leather pants?
And AC/DC? Well they were really good back in the late 70's and 80's. How do I know? I had their albums in my cassette tapedeck that I just upgraded from my 8 track player.
People that was THIRTY years ago, come on! Tell me they still aren't relevant today and there is not something else.
So as I thought about this culture we are in today, the church is usually about 50 years behind the world. And looking at the music choices being empowered in our churches we might have caught up a few years. So now we are only about 30 years behind!!
So I am thinking that this Sunday, I am breaking out the pastel blue sport coat, the white t shirt and I am going to push the sleeves up to my elbows. I need to find my white shoes and my white pants, I think they are in the back of my closet and I guess get a wig so I can feather my false locks back on my head like I did when I had hair. Dig out my 501's and my white hi tops and my Op T shirts and it will be on like Donkey Kong! I will be relevant again to kids who will say something like, you look like that guy I saw on TV Land...
What's next? Is someone going to start bringing back Parachute pants and we will all start doing Hammertime on stage as the spirit moves? I hope not, I am not sure my back can handle it anymore...
What am I talking about? The use of secular music in our churches.
I have been told that if you think it is too loud, then you are too old. Well I have never gotten into that position ( I have been known to pump up the volume in my car ask my kids, nothing better than a little Stryper in the morning to get your blood going!) so I do not think I am too old to adress this. And as I was raised heathen so many of the songs I am hearing in churches today I was banging my head to as a young adult.
Let me put some examples out there. A few months ago there was a video of a church service where the worship band was playing "Highway to Hell" from AC/DC as an introduction to a sermon series. Now they did a very good job with the song and they seemed to be enjoying themselves but all I could think was, why? Were there not any other songs that would have introduced the series better? How about "To Hell with the Devil"? I think I have echausted my Stryper references for this post...
I thought it might have been a one time event but I also attended a conference a month ago where "Dream On" from AeroSmith was on the worship set list along with a "Star Wars" montage. They were all well done, performed admirably. But again I had to ask, why?
I had one of my worship singers ask me a few weeks past to do a secular song. When I asked why he wanted to do the song he really did not have a reason other than it was not what the congregation was expecting... So do we need to be "shocked" to pay attention today?
I know we live in a age where the Lady Gagas, the Marilyn Mansons and the Rob Zombies shock and awe us so much with the look at me and what crazy stuff I am doing that we can't take our eyes off of them. I remember as a young adult there was this guy named Alice Cooper who bit the head off of a live chicken. And this guy named Ozzy Ozborne who bit the head off of a bat. That was like so 80's gag me with a spoon and take away my high tops kind of shock and awe of the day. But I see it coming back in society today where we have to one up each other to get attention. The things done on todays stages make chickens and bats seem like child's play.
So as the church do we have to resort to shock and awe tactics to gain an audience? Do we not have enough Chrisian music writers writing songs to keep our attention today that we have to dig into the classic rock albums to stay relevant?
I am all for classic rock, but is AeroSmith really relevant today? I mean Steven Tyler is like 60+ and the rest of the band is up there in age as well... how would you feel if your Grandpa got up on stage and began singing "Dream On" in his highest falseto and his skinny leather pants?
And AC/DC? Well they were really good back in the late 70's and 80's. How do I know? I had their albums in my cassette tapedeck that I just upgraded from my 8 track player.
People that was THIRTY years ago, come on! Tell me they still aren't relevant today and there is not something else.
So as I thought about this culture we are in today, the church is usually about 50 years behind the world. And looking at the music choices being empowered in our churches we might have caught up a few years. So now we are only about 30 years behind!!
So I am thinking that this Sunday, I am breaking out the pastel blue sport coat, the white t shirt and I am going to push the sleeves up to my elbows. I need to find my white shoes and my white pants, I think they are in the back of my closet and I guess get a wig so I can feather my false locks back on my head like I did when I had hair. Dig out my 501's and my white hi tops and my Op T shirts and it will be on like Donkey Kong! I will be relevant again to kids who will say something like, you look like that guy I saw on TV Land...
What's next? Is someone going to start bringing back Parachute pants and we will all start doing Hammertime on stage as the spirit moves? I hope not, I am not sure my back can handle it anymore...
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Waiting... part 2
I have been writing a lot of sequels lately... go figure.
But last night something really cool happened in small groups, guess what the lesson was...
Yep you guessed it, waiting on GOD.
I thought it was pretty cool that what I was dealing with was covered in the lesson the very day I blogged about it.
So what I learned, well I guess the waiting part is a test as to wether I trust or do not trust GOD.
The story in our lesson last night was about Lazerous. How he died and Jesus did not get there in time to heal him. I really related to how the author describe the angst that Mary and Martha must have been going through "waiting" on Jesus to show up and heal their brother.
I made this point. They sent a message off to Jesus and when Jesus received the Bible says he stayed there another two days. So Mary and Martha send a message that Lazerous is sick and they are expecting Jesus to come a runnin' as we say in the south. But Jesus doesn't come immediately like they expected. Can you imagine Mary and Martha watching the road for Jesus and his followers to come walking over the hill. They send the message and the next day they are thinking well if he is close he should get here today. And the sun sets ending the day and Jesus still has not arrived and Lazerous is getting worse. So the next morning they just know that this is the day when Jesus will arrive. So they set about getting the house ready, looking and yearning for Jesus' arrival because Lazerous is really getting bad now but still no Jesus. Imagine this if you will. Lazerous is fading fast, his breathes are becoming more and more shallow, he hasn't opened his eyes or communicated with his sisters for a few hours now. He is at death's door and I am sure Mary and Martha are just waiting for Jesus to bust in the door and make their brother well. Imagine you are sitting at the bedside of Lazerous and he takes his last breathe and dies. Mary and Martha at his point must be thinking, well Jesus must be really close now and yet Jesus still does not show up. An hour goes by and Lazerous starts to look real pale as his heart has ceased to beat. Four hours go by and rigamortis sets in. Eight hours goes by and the family is telling Mary and Martha that he is gone and we have to prepare his body for a funeral. The next day they have the funeral and they put Lazerous in the tomb and roll the stone in front of the door.
When do you think Mary and Martha felt that GOD had let them down? At the point of Lazerous' last breathe? When rigamortis set in? When they rolled the stone in front of the door. You kind of see Mary's faith when Jesus does show up when she said "if you had been here you could have healed him". To Mary the promise was dead, laid behind a stone in a tomb.
How many of us are in that situation today. Promises and dreams given by the Lord dead and gone, the breath of live no longer living in them?
I know that I have felt that way. That GOD had missed the deadline, if only he had acted then...
But with GOD, he can bring back to life the dead and buried dreams. He can breath life back into the promises of yesterday with just the sound of his voice because he is GOD.
All he had to do was say, "Lazerous, come forth", and he did!
So trust in GOD, even when the cold hard fingers of death have gripped your dreams and promises and remember that death has no hold on him who has the keys!!
But last night something really cool happened in small groups, guess what the lesson was...
Yep you guessed it, waiting on GOD.
I thought it was pretty cool that what I was dealing with was covered in the lesson the very day I blogged about it.
So what I learned, well I guess the waiting part is a test as to wether I trust or do not trust GOD.
The story in our lesson last night was about Lazerous. How he died and Jesus did not get there in time to heal him. I really related to how the author describe the angst that Mary and Martha must have been going through "waiting" on Jesus to show up and heal their brother.
I made this point. They sent a message off to Jesus and when Jesus received the Bible says he stayed there another two days. So Mary and Martha send a message that Lazerous is sick and they are expecting Jesus to come a runnin' as we say in the south. But Jesus doesn't come immediately like they expected. Can you imagine Mary and Martha watching the road for Jesus and his followers to come walking over the hill. They send the message and the next day they are thinking well if he is close he should get here today. And the sun sets ending the day and Jesus still has not arrived and Lazerous is getting worse. So the next morning they just know that this is the day when Jesus will arrive. So they set about getting the house ready, looking and yearning for Jesus' arrival because Lazerous is really getting bad now but still no Jesus. Imagine this if you will. Lazerous is fading fast, his breathes are becoming more and more shallow, he hasn't opened his eyes or communicated with his sisters for a few hours now. He is at death's door and I am sure Mary and Martha are just waiting for Jesus to bust in the door and make their brother well. Imagine you are sitting at the bedside of Lazerous and he takes his last breathe and dies. Mary and Martha at his point must be thinking, well Jesus must be really close now and yet Jesus still does not show up. An hour goes by and Lazerous starts to look real pale as his heart has ceased to beat. Four hours go by and rigamortis sets in. Eight hours goes by and the family is telling Mary and Martha that he is gone and we have to prepare his body for a funeral. The next day they have the funeral and they put Lazerous in the tomb and roll the stone in front of the door.
When do you think Mary and Martha felt that GOD had let them down? At the point of Lazerous' last breathe? When rigamortis set in? When they rolled the stone in front of the door. You kind of see Mary's faith when Jesus does show up when she said "if you had been here you could have healed him". To Mary the promise was dead, laid behind a stone in a tomb.
How many of us are in that situation today. Promises and dreams given by the Lord dead and gone, the breath of live no longer living in them?
I know that I have felt that way. That GOD had missed the deadline, if only he had acted then...
But with GOD, he can bring back to life the dead and buried dreams. He can breath life back into the promises of yesterday with just the sound of his voice because he is GOD.
All he had to do was say, "Lazerous, come forth", and he did!
So trust in GOD, even when the cold hard fingers of death have gripped your dreams and promises and remember that death has no hold on him who has the keys!!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
"I hate waiting"... Inigo Montoya "The Princess Bride"
Remember the scene where Inigo is waiting for "the "man in black" henceforth known as Wesley" to reach the top of the cliffs so he can kill him?
Stop right now. If you have not read or watched "The Princess Bride" get your Kindle and download it or go to Blockbuster or your movie store of choice and rent it, either read it or watch it and then you can continue reading.
Okay if you have read it or watched it please continue...
So Inigo is waiting at the top of the "cliffs of insanity" for Wesley to either climb to the top of the cliff so he can kill him with the sword or for Wesley to fall which accomplishes the same result as the sword, death. So Wesley is taking his time climbing the cliff, which is a very laborous task. Inigo looks down on Wesley as he climbs and asked if he could possibly speed things up, meaning either go ahead and fall to your death or climb up here so I can kill you. I love Inigo, a man of action!
But what happens when men of action have to wait... and wait... and wait... well we get frustrated.
I have been waiting on a lot of things in my life lately. GOD has given certain promises and directives that I know are to come to pass but have yet to show up. I feel like Inigo looking at GOD and saying, "could you possibly hurry things up?".
It is frustrating to sit around and wait for something to happen. It is like watching paint dry, you can blow on it, wave a piece of paper and fan it, but it really does not dry any faster. All you can do it wait... and I hate waiting.
Waiting is a waste of time. It is non activity, it is fruitless. There is nothing worse than doing nothing. And yet that is where I am at today, waiting on a GOD who is not hindered by seconds, minutes, hours or even days and years. Time for GOD does not exist as he exist in a place where past, present and future all intersect. In actuality GOD exists in a place where he just revealed to me the directives and promises in days past. He is in that place where fear and excitement both ran the gaunlet of my emotions. He is also in the present where the frustration and anxiousness of something to come which has not yet arrived clouds my mind with doubt and fear that I might have missed it. And he also exists in that future place where the promises he made come to pass, where he sees the joy on my face as the dreams are realized. Where the excitement of the fulfillment of promise raises the faith level in my heart.
I guess as I walk through this I will hold onto the scritpture that says "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall walk and not grow weary, they shall run and not faint, they shall mount up on wings as eagles..."
I may not be flying today, but one day it shall be.
Stop right now. If you have not read or watched "The Princess Bride" get your Kindle and download it or go to Blockbuster or your movie store of choice and rent it, either read it or watch it and then you can continue reading.
Okay if you have read it or watched it please continue...
So Inigo is waiting at the top of the "cliffs of insanity" for Wesley to either climb to the top of the cliff so he can kill him with the sword or for Wesley to fall which accomplishes the same result as the sword, death. So Wesley is taking his time climbing the cliff, which is a very laborous task. Inigo looks down on Wesley as he climbs and asked if he could possibly speed things up, meaning either go ahead and fall to your death or climb up here so I can kill you. I love Inigo, a man of action!
But what happens when men of action have to wait... and wait... and wait... well we get frustrated.
I have been waiting on a lot of things in my life lately. GOD has given certain promises and directives that I know are to come to pass but have yet to show up. I feel like Inigo looking at GOD and saying, "could you possibly hurry things up?".
It is frustrating to sit around and wait for something to happen. It is like watching paint dry, you can blow on it, wave a piece of paper and fan it, but it really does not dry any faster. All you can do it wait... and I hate waiting.
Waiting is a waste of time. It is non activity, it is fruitless. There is nothing worse than doing nothing. And yet that is where I am at today, waiting on a GOD who is not hindered by seconds, minutes, hours or even days and years. Time for GOD does not exist as he exist in a place where past, present and future all intersect. In actuality GOD exists in a place where he just revealed to me the directives and promises in days past. He is in that place where fear and excitement both ran the gaunlet of my emotions. He is also in the present where the frustration and anxiousness of something to come which has not yet arrived clouds my mind with doubt and fear that I might have missed it. And he also exists in that future place where the promises he made come to pass, where he sees the joy on my face as the dreams are realized. Where the excitement of the fulfillment of promise raises the faith level in my heart.
I guess as I walk through this I will hold onto the scritpture that says "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall walk and not grow weary, they shall run and not faint, they shall mount up on wings as eagles..."
I may not be flying today, but one day it shall be.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Airports...
My daughter is going to take her first solo trip on a plane coming home from college to see us this Christmas. So I booked her flights yesterday and sent her the e-mail acknowledgement so she would know what is heading her way.
She sends a response to her mother that she received them but then asked, "what am I supposed to do?"
I have found that there are a lot of travelers who have no clue how air travel works today. As a frequent traveler (approaching 100K air miles this year) I will offer some handy suggestions for you so frequent travelers like myself don't walk by you shaking my head in pity as you get the full body search from the TSA..
1) Pack light. I know that airlines are charging for bags to fly now so many are resorting to trying to carry on as much as they can. You get TWO carry ons. Only TWO no matter how small that fanny pack it is considered a carry on. That small infant in your arms? Well unless he or she is crawling on the plane, you are carrying them on so they count as well, just kidding. Oh but that diaper bag counts as yours unless you purchased a seat for the little one. So back to the carry on bag thing. You get TWO bags to carry on and they have to fit in the overhead compartment. Do not stuff that bag so full it won't fit or you might have to offload your undies into your other bag while your seatmate checks out wether you are a boxers or briefs kind of guy. I don't even want to go there with the ladies.
2) If you do carry on TWO carry ons, you only get to put one in the space above your seat. The other MUST go under the seat in front of you. Now there are some seats which do not have a seat in front of them, mainly exit rows and bulkheads, but unless you are a frequent flier you are not likely to get those seats, and frequent fliers know the rules anyway so this really doesn't apply to most of you. So you put the larger one in the space above and cram the smaller one under the seat in front of you. Now at this point it is YOUR decision to bring on TWO bags, and that does not give you the right to take the leg space of your neighbors on each side as your own leg space has been confiscated by your carry on bag. No one appreciates when you rub your sweaty legs against ours trying to get a little extra leg room because of your oversized carry on. Oh and share the armrest, think of it like the DMZ in Korea, no one lives there, you occasionaly get to rest there but it doesn't belong to either of you, it is just a buffer to keep your sweaty parts on your side and my sweaty parts on my side.
3) Once we start boarding, get your behind on the plane and sit down. You know where your seat is (unless you are flying Southwest and then just grag the one closest) get to it and sit down. We are not shopping for furniture, all the seats are the same. And the number order goes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ect from front to back and the seats go ABCDEFG (just like the song) from right to left across the plane as your board. So if you are in seat 29B, just get on the plane and walk as fast as you can to the back, you are somewhere way back there. And if the flight attendant says, "please take your seats so we can leave the jet bridge" they are talking to you, yes the one standing in the aisle. If you do not sit down they will get rude and call you out in front of all of these people like Mrs. Smith used to do in fourth grade. Of course they won't make you wear the little pointed hat that has DUNCE written on it but we will all think it in our minds.
4) Be courteous of the person next to you. There are many of us that are business travelers who take the hour and a half flight as a little down time. We like to read, catch up on the news, listen to music and relax. The last thing we want to hear about it how long it has been since you flew, and where you are going. I am sure your cousin Vinny is an interesting character but unless he is in the mob and works as a hit man I am probably not that interested.
5) The flight attendants are there for YOUR safety. They are not there just to give you pillows or blankets or serve breakfast like down as Mo's Diner. Unknown to most people there are tazers on the airplanes and the flight attendants will use them on you. So say in your seat, obey them like they are a drill instructor and behave and you will be fine. Cross that line and you might find yourself strapped to the seat drooling out of the side of your mouth.
6) Going back to arriving at the airport, there are two lanes when you drive onto the airport, one for departures and one for arrivals. Think of it this way, the departure lane, that is for those that are leaving. And the arrival lane is for those getting home. Simple? No one likes the guy who keeps trying to pick up where everyone is dropping off.
7) If you are not checking bags there is this thing called the internet that Al Gore invented which will allow you to print your tickets BEFORE you get to the airport. Yes that is right, you can go right from the car that dropped you off straight to the security gate without bothering the nice ladies at the ticket counter. Leave that area alone for the poor people who did not read this blog and travel once a century.
8) At security the TSA will want to see your ticket and your PHOTO ID. And no, a year book will not count. Please have them out when you get to their podium or you will get the glare from the TSA as they are waiting on you. If you are still fumbling with your ID when you get to the security officer you will see a very indescreet nod from him or her to the screening area. What that is a signal for them to do a full body search on you because you broke their flow. And a full body search will mess up anyone's day.
9) Going through the screening area is a very important area to keep your wits about you. If you see kids, avoid that line at all cost. You can not believe how long it takes kids to take their shoes off, get all their electronic gadgets out of their little backpacks and get through security. Old people are even worse. They will almost come to blows with the TSA because they have to take their shoes off. One lady made a comment about "how stupid it was to take their her shoes off, what are they looking for a bomb?" The TSA heard that and she ended up behind the screen... just saying.
10) So we have already covered shoes, lets go onto other accessories. Make sure your socks do not have holes in them as you will not get your shoes back till after the screening. And if you are not wearing socks, well that is really gross for the rest of us as you walk your barefeet through the little narrow tunnel that ALL OF US have to walk through as well. Have some decency and bring some booties or something.
11) Ladies (and some guys, you know who you are) take your jewlry off and put it in your carry on bag BEFORE you get to the airport. It takes you like 15 minutes to take off the necklaces, the bracelet, the anklet, the earings, the toe rings, the belly button rings, the nose rings, the tree rings and all those other rings. Save some time and put them in a bag in your carry on and AFTER you get through security put all those things back on. Nothing worse than to stand behind a lady as she takes off all her jewlry and you start thinking, "man I am a schmuck, my wife doesn't have nice rings like that..."
12) Some airports are now equipped with full body scanners that will take your picture and even though you are fully clothed will show up on the screen with you naked. So don't go thinking you can hide some contraband on your person, they will find it and you will be in big trouble. Also when you stand there you need to put your hands over your head like you are getting arrested. I know it just makes it easier on the TSA when they find your contraband. Oh and guys suck that gut in, it might be a gal doing the screening.
13) On your baggage that you put through the scanners, you have to take your Laptops, MP3 players, gameboys, playstations, XBox, PSP, and any other kind of electronic equipment out and put them by themselves in the big grey tub. If you try to send it through and hope someone won't noticeit, well it is like when you put gum under your seat at a restaurant, we all notice and they will too.
14) Liquids, you CAN NOT take liquids or gels into the secure area of the airport. They have to be 3 onces or less and in a clear quart size ziplock bag that will be taken out of your carry on and inspected by the TSA. I can't tell you how many BIG bottles of shampoo have been thrown away at security. Think hotel size bottles and you will be fine. Nothing worse than to have to wait on your stuff to come through and see someone has a gallon size bottle of shampoo, a gallon size bottle of conditioner and a gallon size bottle of mouthwash and the TSA has to stop the line to check those things out.
So all in all flying is as frightful or as peaceful as you would like to make it. Just remember these simple rules and you will find yourself flying the freindly skies in a matter of no time. If you decide to skirt these rules, well have fun in the private screening area...
She sends a response to her mother that she received them but then asked, "what am I supposed to do?"
I have found that there are a lot of travelers who have no clue how air travel works today. As a frequent traveler (approaching 100K air miles this year) I will offer some handy suggestions for you so frequent travelers like myself don't walk by you shaking my head in pity as you get the full body search from the TSA..
1) Pack light. I know that airlines are charging for bags to fly now so many are resorting to trying to carry on as much as they can. You get TWO carry ons. Only TWO no matter how small that fanny pack it is considered a carry on. That small infant in your arms? Well unless he or she is crawling on the plane, you are carrying them on so they count as well, just kidding. Oh but that diaper bag counts as yours unless you purchased a seat for the little one. So back to the carry on bag thing. You get TWO bags to carry on and they have to fit in the overhead compartment. Do not stuff that bag so full it won't fit or you might have to offload your undies into your other bag while your seatmate checks out wether you are a boxers or briefs kind of guy. I don't even want to go there with the ladies.
2) If you do carry on TWO carry ons, you only get to put one in the space above your seat. The other MUST go under the seat in front of you. Now there are some seats which do not have a seat in front of them, mainly exit rows and bulkheads, but unless you are a frequent flier you are not likely to get those seats, and frequent fliers know the rules anyway so this really doesn't apply to most of you. So you put the larger one in the space above and cram the smaller one under the seat in front of you. Now at this point it is YOUR decision to bring on TWO bags, and that does not give you the right to take the leg space of your neighbors on each side as your own leg space has been confiscated by your carry on bag. No one appreciates when you rub your sweaty legs against ours trying to get a little extra leg room because of your oversized carry on. Oh and share the armrest, think of it like the DMZ in Korea, no one lives there, you occasionaly get to rest there but it doesn't belong to either of you, it is just a buffer to keep your sweaty parts on your side and my sweaty parts on my side.
3) Once we start boarding, get your behind on the plane and sit down. You know where your seat is (unless you are flying Southwest and then just grag the one closest) get to it and sit down. We are not shopping for furniture, all the seats are the same. And the number order goes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ect from front to back and the seats go ABCDEFG (just like the song) from right to left across the plane as your board. So if you are in seat 29B, just get on the plane and walk as fast as you can to the back, you are somewhere way back there. And if the flight attendant says, "please take your seats so we can leave the jet bridge" they are talking to you, yes the one standing in the aisle. If you do not sit down they will get rude and call you out in front of all of these people like Mrs. Smith used to do in fourth grade. Of course they won't make you wear the little pointed hat that has DUNCE written on it but we will all think it in our minds.
4) Be courteous of the person next to you. There are many of us that are business travelers who take the hour and a half flight as a little down time. We like to read, catch up on the news, listen to music and relax. The last thing we want to hear about it how long it has been since you flew, and where you are going. I am sure your cousin Vinny is an interesting character but unless he is in the mob and works as a hit man I am probably not that interested.
5) The flight attendants are there for YOUR safety. They are not there just to give you pillows or blankets or serve breakfast like down as Mo's Diner. Unknown to most people there are tazers on the airplanes and the flight attendants will use them on you. So say in your seat, obey them like they are a drill instructor and behave and you will be fine. Cross that line and you might find yourself strapped to the seat drooling out of the side of your mouth.
6) Going back to arriving at the airport, there are two lanes when you drive onto the airport, one for departures and one for arrivals. Think of it this way, the departure lane, that is for those that are leaving. And the arrival lane is for those getting home. Simple? No one likes the guy who keeps trying to pick up where everyone is dropping off.
7) If you are not checking bags there is this thing called the internet that Al Gore invented which will allow you to print your tickets BEFORE you get to the airport. Yes that is right, you can go right from the car that dropped you off straight to the security gate without bothering the nice ladies at the ticket counter. Leave that area alone for the poor people who did not read this blog and travel once a century.
8) At security the TSA will want to see your ticket and your PHOTO ID. And no, a year book will not count. Please have them out when you get to their podium or you will get the glare from the TSA as they are waiting on you. If you are still fumbling with your ID when you get to the security officer you will see a very indescreet nod from him or her to the screening area. What that is a signal for them to do a full body search on you because you broke their flow. And a full body search will mess up anyone's day.
9) Going through the screening area is a very important area to keep your wits about you. If you see kids, avoid that line at all cost. You can not believe how long it takes kids to take their shoes off, get all their electronic gadgets out of their little backpacks and get through security. Old people are even worse. They will almost come to blows with the TSA because they have to take their shoes off. One lady made a comment about "how stupid it was to take their her shoes off, what are they looking for a bomb?" The TSA heard that and she ended up behind the screen... just saying.
10) So we have already covered shoes, lets go onto other accessories. Make sure your socks do not have holes in them as you will not get your shoes back till after the screening. And if you are not wearing socks, well that is really gross for the rest of us as you walk your barefeet through the little narrow tunnel that ALL OF US have to walk through as well. Have some decency and bring some booties or something.
11) Ladies (and some guys, you know who you are) take your jewlry off and put it in your carry on bag BEFORE you get to the airport. It takes you like 15 minutes to take off the necklaces, the bracelet, the anklet, the earings, the toe rings, the belly button rings, the nose rings, the tree rings and all those other rings. Save some time and put them in a bag in your carry on and AFTER you get through security put all those things back on. Nothing worse than to stand behind a lady as she takes off all her jewlry and you start thinking, "man I am a schmuck, my wife doesn't have nice rings like that..."
12) Some airports are now equipped with full body scanners that will take your picture and even though you are fully clothed will show up on the screen with you naked. So don't go thinking you can hide some contraband on your person, they will find it and you will be in big trouble. Also when you stand there you need to put your hands over your head like you are getting arrested. I know it just makes it easier on the TSA when they find your contraband. Oh and guys suck that gut in, it might be a gal doing the screening.
13) On your baggage that you put through the scanners, you have to take your Laptops, MP3 players, gameboys, playstations, XBox, PSP, and any other kind of electronic equipment out and put them by themselves in the big grey tub. If you try to send it through and hope someone won't noticeit, well it is like when you put gum under your seat at a restaurant, we all notice and they will too.
14) Liquids, you CAN NOT take liquids or gels into the secure area of the airport. They have to be 3 onces or less and in a clear quart size ziplock bag that will be taken out of your carry on and inspected by the TSA. I can't tell you how many BIG bottles of shampoo have been thrown away at security. Think hotel size bottles and you will be fine. Nothing worse than to have to wait on your stuff to come through and see someone has a gallon size bottle of shampoo, a gallon size bottle of conditioner and a gallon size bottle of mouthwash and the TSA has to stop the line to check those things out.
So all in all flying is as frightful or as peaceful as you would like to make it. Just remember these simple rules and you will find yourself flying the freindly skies in a matter of no time. If you decide to skirt these rules, well have fun in the private screening area...
Friday, October 1, 2010
Fix it part TWO...the sequel
Well since I had such an outpouring of emotion in regards to my blog last week about fix it problems let me lay some new ones on you.
I have experienced the highs and lows of the fix it personality this week.
I have found probelms that have plagued me, and overcome them. And I have had problems that are going beyond the fixable.
My wife comes in the other day and says her car is broken. Of course that is something us husbands are just waiting to hear, it just makes our day all full of sunshine and flowers. NOT!
So my wife's car is throwing a trouble code and her check engine light is on. Always not a good thing. So I run the code down and find it is a sensor that is likely clogged. So I get out the old carburator cleaner which is guaranteed to break down carbon deposits making your car run smoother and more efficient. It will also peel paint off of a vehicle if you spray it on the paint by accident and will make you feel like your eyeballs are being removed with a spoon if you spray it in your eyes... don't ask how I know this, it brings up painful memories... I digress...
So after working on her car for a while I get the dreaded check engine light to go away and it has stayed away for the better part of a couple of weeks. So I have once again earned my "Mr. Fix It" badge from the Man Scouts of America.
But I have another problem. I have a brother I have mentioned before who has multiple problems. I have tried and tried to fix them for him only to have him break the things I thought I had fixed. So he called me yesterday, early release is supposed to be a good thing but I found myself thinking I do not have the ability right now to deal with this. He is two and a half hours away and needs picked up from the correctional facility. Well as I explained my delimma and that fact that I was a couple of hours away he fixed his own problem. He had someone else pick him up. He even found a place to stay for the night, and I am thinking he has done it!! He is doing it all by himself!! Then I found out that my Mom fixed it for him. She wired him money to take care of his problems. His Mom had come to his rescue once again.
Sooner or later there will be a day when my wife's car throws a code that is going to require more than carb cleaner to fix it. I will be forced to actually put a new part on it or replace the car altogether. There comes a point in time where you just can't fix everything, it becomes to expensive.
I hope my mother realizes this one day, sometimes there are things that money can't fix.
I have experienced the highs and lows of the fix it personality this week.
I have found probelms that have plagued me, and overcome them. And I have had problems that are going beyond the fixable.
My wife comes in the other day and says her car is broken. Of course that is something us husbands are just waiting to hear, it just makes our day all full of sunshine and flowers. NOT!
So my wife's car is throwing a trouble code and her check engine light is on. Always not a good thing. So I run the code down and find it is a sensor that is likely clogged. So I get out the old carburator cleaner which is guaranteed to break down carbon deposits making your car run smoother and more efficient. It will also peel paint off of a vehicle if you spray it on the paint by accident and will make you feel like your eyeballs are being removed with a spoon if you spray it in your eyes... don't ask how I know this, it brings up painful memories... I digress...
So after working on her car for a while I get the dreaded check engine light to go away and it has stayed away for the better part of a couple of weeks. So I have once again earned my "Mr. Fix It" badge from the Man Scouts of America.
But I have another problem. I have a brother I have mentioned before who has multiple problems. I have tried and tried to fix them for him only to have him break the things I thought I had fixed. So he called me yesterday, early release is supposed to be a good thing but I found myself thinking I do not have the ability right now to deal with this. He is two and a half hours away and needs picked up from the correctional facility. Well as I explained my delimma and that fact that I was a couple of hours away he fixed his own problem. He had someone else pick him up. He even found a place to stay for the night, and I am thinking he has done it!! He is doing it all by himself!! Then I found out that my Mom fixed it for him. She wired him money to take care of his problems. His Mom had come to his rescue once again.
Sooner or later there will be a day when my wife's car throws a code that is going to require more than carb cleaner to fix it. I will be forced to actually put a new part on it or replace the car altogether. There comes a point in time where you just can't fix everything, it becomes to expensive.
I hope my mother realizes this one day, sometimes there are things that money can't fix.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Super glue, duct tape and bailing wire...
I am a fix it person. Show me a problem and I will fix it for you, many times not having to buy a part to do it.
I have fixed a screen door with a little bailing wire instead of having to buy new door hardware.
I fixed a faulty muffler hanger on my old truck with some bailing wire.
I fixed my water bed one time with some super glue and duct tape.
I have used duct tape and a black plastic trash bag to fix a broken window (it is still there by the way).
I have duct taped hoses together, poles together and even used duct tape one time to fix some ducts... who'd thunk it?
I have used super glue to glue back together broken glasses, a piece of fine china my boys broke (sorry mom) and numerous fingers in the process (by accident of course, you have SEW fingers back on).
But many times when it comes to fixing someone's problem, it takes more than duct tape, super glue and bailing wire.
Many times I want to just take people and fix their problems for them.
Have a drinking problem? Well quit going to bars, the liquor store and don't hang out with people who drink, there you go, problem solved.
Have a drug problem? Well just stop. Just say No. Its easy.
Have a weight problem? Well quit overeating and exercise, its that simple.
But many times fixing our problems is more complicated than what I just mentioned. I have never struggled with an alcohol or drug problem but I have struggled with a weight problem. I know what my problem is (duh, I am fat) but I still mess us sometimes.
Like the other night I was returning from a trip so I stopped on my way home to get some fast food. I pulled into BK and took one look at the menu and felt a sensation going through my body like a crack addict must feel about to get a fix. I gazed on the menu board and decided I did not want to spend too much so I ordered off the dollar menu. I ordered two double cheeseburgers, since they were just a dollar each. But I really wanted a spicy chicken sandwich too, and since it was just a dollar as well I ordered one up. I did not order any fries because they are not too good for you... yeah I know small victories. But then, to wash it all down, well I think it would be stupid to order that much food and then get a diet Coke and feel good about yourself so I got a chocolate shake. It came to a little over $5 and I was pretty happy about that fact. At least until the food came out.
I dumped the contents of the bag into the passenger seat and placed the shake in the cup holder. I unwrapped one of the burgers and the first taste sent my whole body buzzing like an alcoholic getting another round. I quickly finished that one off and decided it was so good I had to have another.
Set em up barkeep, I think I am going to stay awhile.
As I devoured the first and then the second doublecheesessliceofheavenburger I washed it down with that somewhat runny chocolate shake. It wasn't the best shake I have ever had but it washed down the remains of the cheeseburger just fine. It was after I had eaten both cheeseburgers and drank most of that shake that I looked down at that spicy chicken sandwich. It was still appealing but I was pretty full at this point.I really did not need to eat it but I wanted a taste. So I reached over, unwrapped it and took a bite. Oh mama, this was even better than the slice of heaven cheeseburger. It was crispy with a hint of fire to it that made your nose start to water and your tastebuds sizzle. As I chewed that bite I looked over at the two empty wrappers and the quicky diminishing shake and thought to myself, "I really don't need this, I just want it". So I wrapped it back up, sans the one bite, and put it back into the bag with the other now empty wrappers and the almost empty chocolate shake. Quickly before my willpower was lost I put it in the floorboard in the backseat where I could not reach it.
As I drove home I pondered my actions. I did not need that much food, I really could not eat that much food, but I want ahead and bought that much food because, well it was cheap and I really wanted it. It was then and there that I decided I had a problem and it is one that duct tape, super glue and bailing wire will not fix.
I read about Lindsay Lohan today and I thought to myself, what a waste, she has no self control. Two weeks out of rehab and she is back doing drugs. I sure am glad I am not like her... but in some areas I think I am...
Something to think about...
I have fixed a screen door with a little bailing wire instead of having to buy new door hardware.
I fixed a faulty muffler hanger on my old truck with some bailing wire.
I fixed my water bed one time with some super glue and duct tape.
I have used duct tape and a black plastic trash bag to fix a broken window (it is still there by the way).
I have duct taped hoses together, poles together and even used duct tape one time to fix some ducts... who'd thunk it?
I have used super glue to glue back together broken glasses, a piece of fine china my boys broke (sorry mom) and numerous fingers in the process (by accident of course, you have SEW fingers back on).
But many times when it comes to fixing someone's problem, it takes more than duct tape, super glue and bailing wire.
Many times I want to just take people and fix their problems for them.
Have a drinking problem? Well quit going to bars, the liquor store and don't hang out with people who drink, there you go, problem solved.
Have a drug problem? Well just stop. Just say No. Its easy.
Have a weight problem? Well quit overeating and exercise, its that simple.
But many times fixing our problems is more complicated than what I just mentioned. I have never struggled with an alcohol or drug problem but I have struggled with a weight problem. I know what my problem is (duh, I am fat) but I still mess us sometimes.
Like the other night I was returning from a trip so I stopped on my way home to get some fast food. I pulled into BK and took one look at the menu and felt a sensation going through my body like a crack addict must feel about to get a fix. I gazed on the menu board and decided I did not want to spend too much so I ordered off the dollar menu. I ordered two double cheeseburgers, since they were just a dollar each. But I really wanted a spicy chicken sandwich too, and since it was just a dollar as well I ordered one up. I did not order any fries because they are not too good for you... yeah I know small victories. But then, to wash it all down, well I think it would be stupid to order that much food and then get a diet Coke and feel good about yourself so I got a chocolate shake. It came to a little over $5 and I was pretty happy about that fact. At least until the food came out.
I dumped the contents of the bag into the passenger seat and placed the shake in the cup holder. I unwrapped one of the burgers and the first taste sent my whole body buzzing like an alcoholic getting another round. I quickly finished that one off and decided it was so good I had to have another.
Set em up barkeep, I think I am going to stay awhile.
As I devoured the first and then the second doublecheesessliceofheavenburger I washed it down with that somewhat runny chocolate shake. It wasn't the best shake I have ever had but it washed down the remains of the cheeseburger just fine. It was after I had eaten both cheeseburgers and drank most of that shake that I looked down at that spicy chicken sandwich. It was still appealing but I was pretty full at this point.I really did not need to eat it but I wanted a taste. So I reached over, unwrapped it and took a bite. Oh mama, this was even better than the slice of heaven cheeseburger. It was crispy with a hint of fire to it that made your nose start to water and your tastebuds sizzle. As I chewed that bite I looked over at the two empty wrappers and the quicky diminishing shake and thought to myself, "I really don't need this, I just want it". So I wrapped it back up, sans the one bite, and put it back into the bag with the other now empty wrappers and the almost empty chocolate shake. Quickly before my willpower was lost I put it in the floorboard in the backseat where I could not reach it.
As I drove home I pondered my actions. I did not need that much food, I really could not eat that much food, but I want ahead and bought that much food because, well it was cheap and I really wanted it. It was then and there that I decided I had a problem and it is one that duct tape, super glue and bailing wire will not fix.
I read about Lindsay Lohan today and I thought to myself, what a waste, she has no self control. Two weeks out of rehab and she is back doing drugs. I sure am glad I am not like her... but in some areas I think I am...
Something to think about...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Just take the ___ out!
Take out the _____.
You fill it in. Most time I am told to take our the "trash" because no one in my family can see that it is overflow other than my wife who happens to notice those types of things. So then I yell at the boy closest to me and request that they take the trash out.
But that is not the thing that I see most people trying to take out in their lives. Most of the time they are trying to remove God or at least replace him with something else. I guess it is easier that way, it gives us a glimmer that we are in control , because no one controls God. God just won't seem to come around and appease us with our fantasies that we know what is best for our lives. It is like that overbearing mother who thinks she can choose the people that you associate with, what carreer field you will go into and that you always wear clean undies in case you are in an accident. How many times do we actually listen to those choices that others made for us?
Well if you are having a God complex like this I have good news for you. You can scientifically eliminate God from your lives! Yes it is true, God really does not have any interation in our lives that can not be explained away in science!!
See the attached link for a great example of replacing God with science.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddIg3tzTggA
Yes you see, science once again proves that God really does not exist. Moses actually just so happened to be at the right place at the exact point in time when a 60+ mile per hour wind just so happened to be blowing in the right direction at exactly the time when they were pushed up against the edge of the sea. And when the water fell and covered Pharoh's army just so happened to be the time when the last Hebrew finished crossing and Pharoh's army happened to be in the middle and wind just stopped, and everyone got wet.
Wow, and people say I am nuts for believing in a God I can't see.
I really have a better feeling about God supernaturally intervening on that day than believing some gale force winds just so happened to blow hard enough to part the Red Sea. What are they going to throw at us next? That some explosion cast particles throughout the universe millions of years ago and some of that matter took up a place not too far from the sun to create a big ice cube but not too close to create a big oven but just far enough to create a life sustaining planet? Then I guess someone will come along and tell us that life on earth somehow evolved from some single cells of protiens into all the animals that cover the face of the earth today? And that we as humans really are descendants of that same single cell that made the girrafe, rhino and the blue whale and we became who we are as we went from single cell, to tad pole to frog to fish to lizard to monkey to ape to man. Yeah, that sounds believable... about as much as Moses just happening to be at the right place at the right time to cross the Red Sea when a big wind blew...
You fill it in. Most time I am told to take our the "trash" because no one in my family can see that it is overflow other than my wife who happens to notice those types of things. So then I yell at the boy closest to me and request that they take the trash out.
But that is not the thing that I see most people trying to take out in their lives. Most of the time they are trying to remove God or at least replace him with something else. I guess it is easier that way, it gives us a glimmer that we are in control , because no one controls God. God just won't seem to come around and appease us with our fantasies that we know what is best for our lives. It is like that overbearing mother who thinks she can choose the people that you associate with, what carreer field you will go into and that you always wear clean undies in case you are in an accident. How many times do we actually listen to those choices that others made for us?
Well if you are having a God complex like this I have good news for you. You can scientifically eliminate God from your lives! Yes it is true, God really does not have any interation in our lives that can not be explained away in science!!
See the attached link for a great example of replacing God with science.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddIg3tzTggA
Yes you see, science once again proves that God really does not exist. Moses actually just so happened to be at the right place at the exact point in time when a 60+ mile per hour wind just so happened to be blowing in the right direction at exactly the time when they were pushed up against the edge of the sea. And when the water fell and covered Pharoh's army just so happened to be the time when the last Hebrew finished crossing and Pharoh's army happened to be in the middle and wind just stopped, and everyone got wet.
Wow, and people say I am nuts for believing in a God I can't see.
I really have a better feeling about God supernaturally intervening on that day than believing some gale force winds just so happened to blow hard enough to part the Red Sea. What are they going to throw at us next? That some explosion cast particles throughout the universe millions of years ago and some of that matter took up a place not too far from the sun to create a big ice cube but not too close to create a big oven but just far enough to create a life sustaining planet? Then I guess someone will come along and tell us that life on earth somehow evolved from some single cells of protiens into all the animals that cover the face of the earth today? And that we as humans really are descendants of that same single cell that made the girrafe, rhino and the blue whale and we became who we are as we went from single cell, to tad pole to frog to fish to lizard to monkey to ape to man. Yeah, that sounds believable... about as much as Moses just happening to be at the right place at the right time to cross the Red Sea when a big wind blew...
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Twinkies...
We are finishing our "Snack" series at our church this weekend. I know, I know... a "snack" series? Yeah, we preached as a staff the first week on Zingers... and the second week on
"Ding Dongs" and this week on "Twinkies".
So the first week my wife preached that Zingers come out of our mouth more often than going in our mouth. A word spoken harshly comes out of nowhere, can hurt and can't be recalled once they left. She really nailed it when she flung (sorry honey, if I said "threw" that would not really tell the story) Zingers around the auditorium. People are still talking about it.
Pastor John preached on Ding Dongs, don't be double minded. Double minded people are unstable, kind of like a Ding Dong once you bite into it, it starts to break apart once the chocolate coating has been compromised. Double mindedness creates people who are wishy washy and tossed to and fro by every fad and new thing to come along becuase they have no foundation.
So this week we finish on Twinkies... you will have to come Sunday to hear it. But I will tell you this... Twinkies... cream filling, Yum!! And only 150 calories.
"Ding Dongs" and this week on "Twinkies".
So the first week my wife preached that Zingers come out of our mouth more often than going in our mouth. A word spoken harshly comes out of nowhere, can hurt and can't be recalled once they left. She really nailed it when she flung (sorry honey, if I said "threw" that would not really tell the story) Zingers around the auditorium. People are still talking about it.
Pastor John preached on Ding Dongs, don't be double minded. Double minded people are unstable, kind of like a Ding Dong once you bite into it, it starts to break apart once the chocolate coating has been compromised. Double mindedness creates people who are wishy washy and tossed to and fro by every fad and new thing to come along becuase they have no foundation.
So this week we finish on Twinkies... you will have to come Sunday to hear it. But I will tell you this... Twinkies... cream filling, Yum!! And only 150 calories.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Satire vs Mockery
Was at a conference (Inluence) where a young man presented this thought to us.
Do you know what the difference between the two, satire and mockery are?
Well mockery aims to wound, where satire is a humorous way to look at something.
How many times do you aim at satire and end up in mockery? I know for me many times something starts off innocent enough in a humorous way and ends up going way to far until someone gets hurt.
I believe as the speaker said that many times that fear alone keeps us from using humor as an effective communication tool. But if our motives are good, and we don't push things too far, humor can have a great effectiveness in presenting a point.
Think of this...
I find myself many times breaking into my "business" voice when I pray. I lower the timbre a few steps, and my wife says I start speaking in King James. I thought it was absolutely false until we were sitting at Olive Garden and I started to pray. I felt my vocal cords loosen, and a "dear GOD" came croaking out of my mouth that would have made James Earl Jones proud.
I continued, "LORD, bless our fellowship (we were just having dinner, but fellowship sounds so much more scriptual and old testament sounding), bless the meal we are about to receive (wow I say to myself, as I don't know if I have ever "caught" a meal before) and bless it to our bodies and our bodies into your service. Ahmen."
I sat there after I prayed that prayer and thought to myself, it is all true! I do use my business voice and I speak King Jamesesnees when I pray. I just hope when the prayer gets to GOD he can figure out who it is on the other line...
Do you know what the difference between the two, satire and mockery are?
Well mockery aims to wound, where satire is a humorous way to look at something.
How many times do you aim at satire and end up in mockery? I know for me many times something starts off innocent enough in a humorous way and ends up going way to far until someone gets hurt.
I believe as the speaker said that many times that fear alone keeps us from using humor as an effective communication tool. But if our motives are good, and we don't push things too far, humor can have a great effectiveness in presenting a point.
Think of this...
I find myself many times breaking into my "business" voice when I pray. I lower the timbre a few steps, and my wife says I start speaking in King James. I thought it was absolutely false until we were sitting at Olive Garden and I started to pray. I felt my vocal cords loosen, and a "dear GOD" came croaking out of my mouth that would have made James Earl Jones proud.
I continued, "LORD, bless our fellowship (we were just having dinner, but fellowship sounds so much more scriptual and old testament sounding), bless the meal we are about to receive (wow I say to myself, as I don't know if I have ever "caught" a meal before) and bless it to our bodies and our bodies into your service. Ahmen."
I sat there after I prayed that prayer and thought to myself, it is all true! I do use my business voice and I speak King Jamesesnees when I pray. I just hope when the prayer gets to GOD he can figure out who it is on the other line...
Friday, September 10, 2010
How much for that human in the window?
I got to thinking about this the other day and I can't seem to shake it. How much is one human really worth?
See what happened is this kid was walking through my front yard, not on the sidewalk mind you but through the middle of my yard. My wife looked up from the couch and said, "there is a kid walking through our front yard". Well I was on my way out anyway so I kept walking to the door and headed to the car never seeing the kid until I remembered that our trash can was being blown down the street. So I decided to retrieve it and it was then that I saw the kid. He was bent down behind my pickup truck and when he popped up he looked very suspicious. Well I just nodded at him and headed that way to get the trash can that was behind him. He quickly started walking away putting distance between himself and I. I retrieve the trash can and dragged it back to the house but I can't help but notice that the kid keeps looking back at me over his shoulder. After depositing the trash can back at the house I get into my car and just happen to hvae to drive up the same street the kid was walking on. When I turned that way I saw him break into a trot and soon disappear around the corner of a building. Now I am starting to get suspicious when I saw him start running as it was as I just pointed my car his direction when he started to jog. As I started up the street I saw it; rolling down the street in my direction was a blue and yellow nerf football. This was the same football that had somehow found its way into my trash can that morning. One of the boys must have gotten tired of it or Mom had enough of it not being put away but I did remember it that morning sitting on top of the trash. Well our thoughtful trash guys knew not to throw it away and so they had tossed it into the yard where it came to rest, you guessed it, on the back side of my truck. So as I pulled over to retrieve said football my mind started racing on what I should do to this little punk that stole my football. That is what I really thought and said was, "you little punk kid". Well I went on down the street and the kid apparently thought I was gone as he poked his head back around the corner and after seeing me then took off across another person's yard. At this point I turned the car toward my destination and drove off in a fever as I thought about how brazen this punk kid was.
After a few minutes of stewing I realized that I had pretty much condemned this kid over a $1.99 Nerf football. I know stealing is not right and I am pretty sure that with the way the kid acted he knew it was not right as well, but over a football that could have very easily been thrown in the trash that very morning, I was willing to condemn him?
It was then that I thought about how someone gave his life for all of mankind, wether we were a murderer or a thief, an adulterer or a punk kid. He paid the ultimate cost, way more than $1.99 for the cost of our transgressions. As that sobering thought coursed through my mind I started to see a young boy without a football more than a punk kid. Who knows his story, I know I don't. Maybe he had never seen one before, maybe he had never gotten to play with one before. Maybe he has never ever owned a football, maybe he saw it in the trash earlier and realized we had discarded it. I don't know but what I do know is that young boy is worth much more than a $1.99.
See what happened is this kid was walking through my front yard, not on the sidewalk mind you but through the middle of my yard. My wife looked up from the couch and said, "there is a kid walking through our front yard". Well I was on my way out anyway so I kept walking to the door and headed to the car never seeing the kid until I remembered that our trash can was being blown down the street. So I decided to retrieve it and it was then that I saw the kid. He was bent down behind my pickup truck and when he popped up he looked very suspicious. Well I just nodded at him and headed that way to get the trash can that was behind him. He quickly started walking away putting distance between himself and I. I retrieve the trash can and dragged it back to the house but I can't help but notice that the kid keeps looking back at me over his shoulder. After depositing the trash can back at the house I get into my car and just happen to hvae to drive up the same street the kid was walking on. When I turned that way I saw him break into a trot and soon disappear around the corner of a building. Now I am starting to get suspicious when I saw him start running as it was as I just pointed my car his direction when he started to jog. As I started up the street I saw it; rolling down the street in my direction was a blue and yellow nerf football. This was the same football that had somehow found its way into my trash can that morning. One of the boys must have gotten tired of it or Mom had enough of it not being put away but I did remember it that morning sitting on top of the trash. Well our thoughtful trash guys knew not to throw it away and so they had tossed it into the yard where it came to rest, you guessed it, on the back side of my truck. So as I pulled over to retrieve said football my mind started racing on what I should do to this little punk that stole my football. That is what I really thought and said was, "you little punk kid". Well I went on down the street and the kid apparently thought I was gone as he poked his head back around the corner and after seeing me then took off across another person's yard. At this point I turned the car toward my destination and drove off in a fever as I thought about how brazen this punk kid was.
After a few minutes of stewing I realized that I had pretty much condemned this kid over a $1.99 Nerf football. I know stealing is not right and I am pretty sure that with the way the kid acted he knew it was not right as well, but over a football that could have very easily been thrown in the trash that very morning, I was willing to condemn him?
It was then that I thought about how someone gave his life for all of mankind, wether we were a murderer or a thief, an adulterer or a punk kid. He paid the ultimate cost, way more than $1.99 for the cost of our transgressions. As that sobering thought coursed through my mind I started to see a young boy without a football more than a punk kid. Who knows his story, I know I don't. Maybe he had never seen one before, maybe he had never gotten to play with one before. Maybe he has never ever owned a football, maybe he saw it in the trash earlier and realized we had discarded it. I don't know but what I do know is that young boy is worth much more than a $1.99.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Welcome to Heaven, can I take your order?
Our small group got to discussing this last night and a thought came to me. Do we live to serve our GOD, or does our GOD live to serve us?
Think about it.
Many times I have heard it preached that GOD is there waiting to fulfill our every need, if we will just ask he will provide. He is as close as the very mention of his name. If we ask him and believe with mustard seed faith, he will come through.
I know that these statements have originated from my own mouth at one point in time or another, and last night I was challenged to rethink my relationship with GOD.
We need to get this through our thick skulls, GOD is not a butler, standing ready to serve us as a moment's notice. He is not standing just behind us in a black suit and bow tie picking up our little messes as we travel through our lives. And yet most of the time we treat him like a butler.
Our prayers go like this, "Oh GOD, I need your help today. I have messed up really bad. I know your word tells me that I should control my attitudes and actions but sometimes you just blow it, ya know? So I really need your help GOD. This has escalated beyond my control and I need you to provide a way of escape for me. I know this is all my fault but remember you chose to love me first, just as I am. Oh and I know you have been working on me about my temper, but I am a work in process reemmber. I have done so good for the last five days, no problems and then all of the sudden this comes up and I lose it. But GOD I know that you are for me and not against me, that you will be my strong tower and place of refuge. Your word says that you have plans for me, plans to prosper me and bless me. So GOD, you have to do what your word says and take care of this. I really do appreciate it so much. Thanks, check ya later. Out.
So do we exist to serve GOD, or does GOD exist to serve us? That is the question I am posing to you today. Paul said that we were lay our lives down and live as Christ, meaning we are not worried about our personal preferences, our comfort, or our very lives. Nothing being more important that fulfilling GOD'S purpose. So as you think about this figure out which catagory you are in. When you are praying, is it like you are at McDonald's ordering from GOD or are you at the HQ receiving orders for duty.
Think about it.
Many times I have heard it preached that GOD is there waiting to fulfill our every need, if we will just ask he will provide. He is as close as the very mention of his name. If we ask him and believe with mustard seed faith, he will come through.
I know that these statements have originated from my own mouth at one point in time or another, and last night I was challenged to rethink my relationship with GOD.
We need to get this through our thick skulls, GOD is not a butler, standing ready to serve us as a moment's notice. He is not standing just behind us in a black suit and bow tie picking up our little messes as we travel through our lives. And yet most of the time we treat him like a butler.
Our prayers go like this, "Oh GOD, I need your help today. I have messed up really bad. I know your word tells me that I should control my attitudes and actions but sometimes you just blow it, ya know? So I really need your help GOD. This has escalated beyond my control and I need you to provide a way of escape for me. I know this is all my fault but remember you chose to love me first, just as I am. Oh and I know you have been working on me about my temper, but I am a work in process reemmber. I have done so good for the last five days, no problems and then all of the sudden this comes up and I lose it. But GOD I know that you are for me and not against me, that you will be my strong tower and place of refuge. Your word says that you have plans for me, plans to prosper me and bless me. So GOD, you have to do what your word says and take care of this. I really do appreciate it so much. Thanks, check ya later. Out.
So do we exist to serve GOD, or does GOD exist to serve us? That is the question I am posing to you today. Paul said that we were lay our lives down and live as Christ, meaning we are not worried about our personal preferences, our comfort, or our very lives. Nothing being more important that fulfilling GOD'S purpose. So as you think about this figure out which catagory you are in. When you are praying, is it like you are at McDonald's ordering from GOD or are you at the HQ receiving orders for duty.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Mistakes...
We all make them, mistakes that is. Some are small ones, like putting on a black sock and a dark blue sock when you are getting dressed in the dark so you don't wake up your wife (guilty).
Others are significantly larger like running a red light and getting in an accident (guilty and in my defense the light was in a funky location).
But the worse of mistakes is the ones that are life changing. Yeah I heard a lot of grief that day at the office about my one blue sock and my one black sock. And the humiliation and hassle of dealing with a fender bender is no fun whatsoever. But the mistakes that change lives forever are the ones that really bother me.
And I am not talking about those accidents that all of the sudden happen, I am talking about the self inflicted mistakes. You know the ones where you shoot yourself in the foot type of mistakes.
I have found that many of these types of mistakes boil down to one thing, greed.
Now we normally don't associate greed with mistakes, normally it is about materialism or money but greed can be a driving force in our lives and when it is out of control it can lead to many mistakes. The "want" for things, wether it is that item on the shelf, that boyfriend's love or a position of influence, the things that we really want can drive us to not think things through and make monumental mistakes in our lives.
One of the Ten Commandments that does not get talked about enough is the "thou shalt not covet". What GOD is saying is that we should not look at something and want it so badly that we will do anything to get it. The society we live in today is all about instant gratification, we have a certain time limit set in our minds on how fast thing should be. We think we should be able to get whatever we want whenever we want. I remember asking my Mom for a toy when I was a child and she told me that we did not have the money for it. I asked her, "don't you have any checks?" If I knew I would not get the spanking of my life I would have thought of stealing that toy just because I wanted it. That is a mistake I am glad I did not make, but many have.
I remember a girl I knew in high school who made the mistake of going too far with her boyfriend because he threatened to leave her. She wound up pregnant, the boyfriend broke up with her and she got an abortion all in the span of a few months. I know that she must live with that mistake the rest of her life.
I have lived my entire adult life in the business world and have seen people use one another to make their way to the top. One gentlemen I know told a lie about a fellow employee that secured a big promotion for himself. It was all good till the lie came to the forefront and the truth was exposed. The man who got the promotion was demoted and the one who whas lied about quit the company because they believed a lie. In the end the company was worse off than it started all because of one mistake made by someone trying to get ahead.
So next time you are tempted by greed to make a decision, remember it might be the biggest mistake you ever make...
Others are significantly larger like running a red light and getting in an accident (guilty and in my defense the light was in a funky location).
But the worse of mistakes is the ones that are life changing. Yeah I heard a lot of grief that day at the office about my one blue sock and my one black sock. And the humiliation and hassle of dealing with a fender bender is no fun whatsoever. But the mistakes that change lives forever are the ones that really bother me.
And I am not talking about those accidents that all of the sudden happen, I am talking about the self inflicted mistakes. You know the ones where you shoot yourself in the foot type of mistakes.
I have found that many of these types of mistakes boil down to one thing, greed.
Now we normally don't associate greed with mistakes, normally it is about materialism or money but greed can be a driving force in our lives and when it is out of control it can lead to many mistakes. The "want" for things, wether it is that item on the shelf, that boyfriend's love or a position of influence, the things that we really want can drive us to not think things through and make monumental mistakes in our lives.
One of the Ten Commandments that does not get talked about enough is the "thou shalt not covet". What GOD is saying is that we should not look at something and want it so badly that we will do anything to get it. The society we live in today is all about instant gratification, we have a certain time limit set in our minds on how fast thing should be. We think we should be able to get whatever we want whenever we want. I remember asking my Mom for a toy when I was a child and she told me that we did not have the money for it. I asked her, "don't you have any checks?" If I knew I would not get the spanking of my life I would have thought of stealing that toy just because I wanted it. That is a mistake I am glad I did not make, but many have.
I remember a girl I knew in high school who made the mistake of going too far with her boyfriend because he threatened to leave her. She wound up pregnant, the boyfriend broke up with her and she got an abortion all in the span of a few months. I know that she must live with that mistake the rest of her life.
I have lived my entire adult life in the business world and have seen people use one another to make their way to the top. One gentlemen I know told a lie about a fellow employee that secured a big promotion for himself. It was all good till the lie came to the forefront and the truth was exposed. The man who got the promotion was demoted and the one who whas lied about quit the company because they believed a lie. In the end the company was worse off than it started all because of one mistake made by someone trying to get ahead.
So next time you are tempted by greed to make a decision, remember it might be the biggest mistake you ever make...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Batten Down the Hatches...
There is a hurricane a coming to Oklahoma? It surely must be a sign of the end of the world as we rarely (like never) have hurricanes in Oklahoma.
Now we get our fare share of rough weather in Oklahoma.
Thunderstorms - Not the sit on your stoop and watch the lightening show kind of storms. Our thunderstorms are the kind that rattle your windows, blow water sideways and knock trees down in your yard. And they usually last a few hours followed closely by you guessed it, another storm.
Hail Storms - Now we do get the usuall pea sized hail on occasion. But we also get the softball size, knock a hole in your windshield hail. I remember one hail storm where the yard looked like someone took a sledgehammer and went around hitting the ground.
Ice Storms - I am not talking sleet here, I am talking everything getting an inch of ice covering it. It covers everything, from power lines to trees.
Straight Line Winds - Now this is a weird thing that happens here, we get like 80 MPH winds that just come out of nowhere. They are really strong and blow shingles off, knock trees down, and will clean your yard of an laying around items.
Tornados - I saved this for last. We have our fare share of twisters here, this area is called Tornado Alley for a reason. They come out of nowhere, tear things up and then leave the way they came.
So now we have Hurricanes coming to Oklahoma... big deal, NOT!
Now we get our fare share of rough weather in Oklahoma.
Thunderstorms - Not the sit on your stoop and watch the lightening show kind of storms. Our thunderstorms are the kind that rattle your windows, blow water sideways and knock trees down in your yard. And they usually last a few hours followed closely by you guessed it, another storm.
Hail Storms - Now we do get the usuall pea sized hail on occasion. But we also get the softball size, knock a hole in your windshield hail. I remember one hail storm where the yard looked like someone took a sledgehammer and went around hitting the ground.
Ice Storms - I am not talking sleet here, I am talking everything getting an inch of ice covering it. It covers everything, from power lines to trees.
Straight Line Winds - Now this is a weird thing that happens here, we get like 80 MPH winds that just come out of nowhere. They are really strong and blow shingles off, knock trees down, and will clean your yard of an laying around items.
Tornados - I saved this for last. We have our fare share of twisters here, this area is called Tornado Alley for a reason. They come out of nowhere, tear things up and then leave the way they came.
So now we have Hurricanes coming to Oklahoma... big deal, NOT!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)