Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What does wiring a guitar have to do with a relationship with GOD?

As you know I am a guitar enthusiast. Let me clarify, I am a cheap guitar enthusiast. I just love the old Telecaster that Bruce Springsteen plays, buy one just like it and it will cost you something around, well lets just say my first house did not cost that much. And to buy a replica, well you are looking at somewhere around 5 large bills. I also loved the white Stratocaster that Jimmi Hendrix played at Woodstock, the reverse headstock just rocks! But to buy one to match, house costing again! And a replica, well you are looking at 8 large bills.
So what is a cheap guitar enthusiast to do? Well you build one yourself silly.
So I built the Tele first, shaped the wood, bought a neck (I am not that talented yet...) got all the hardware and electronics and put it together. Did the same with the Stratocaster. But to really get an electric guitar to work you have to do some work on the eclectic components... duh!
So I soldered and soldered (I hope I am spelling that correctly) all those little wires together, from the pickups to the switches, to the tone pots to the volume pots to the output jack to the ground points. Hey, there is a lot a soldering to be done on a guitar.
So anyway I am playing one of my guitars the other day when it starts making this horrible shriek during worship practice. Nothing I can do will fix it so I change guitars. Now my other guitar is making an annoying buzz, not something that really stands out but is annoying none the less. So last week I tear into the guitars to fix them problems with the wiring which brings me to my title of this writing.
If you do not have a good ground on your electronics, your guitar will have an annoying buzz that makes everything just sound bad.
If you do not have a good grounding on your relationship with GOD, well you will become annoying also. Grounding our relationship with GOD is so important, it keeps us humble not only in his sight but in the sight of others. It keeps us from getting so full of our self that we force all of HIM out. It keeps us insulated from the things of this world that will light you up as quick as a lightning strike if you do not keep yourself grounded in GOD.
And if you have a loose wire that connect with something that it is not supposed to connect to it will cause a huge SHRIEK!!! in your life. We are designed to connect directly with GOD, nothing else. But when we try to plug ourselves into something other than GOD, well that is when the shrieking occurs. It is loud and obnoxious, painful to hear and even more painful to watch as you try to make sweet sounding music and all that comes out is pain and agony. Loose wires in the relationship with GOD have a tendency to connect to things that they should not causing all sorts of problems. It might be a relationship, or a habit or some other innocuous thing that causes a short circuit in your life causing the unbearable shriek.
So get to work making sure your life is grounded in HIM and all lines are plugged into HIM solidly so you can make sweet music from your soul.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Letting go...

We took our oldest child to college this weekend. It was a mad rush of getting her car ready (it had an overheating problem and we were going to TEXAS!), getting her car packed and leaving on time. So we thought once we arrived on campus it would be all laid back and easy, NOT!
Who knew that a college kid would need so many things. Irons and ironing boards, trash cans and vacumn cleaners, hair dryers and laundry soap. Seemed like it was never finished, thank GOD for Wal Mart!
So as we spent the weekend with her there was an unspoken tension that filled the air knowing that on Sunday we would say our goodbyes and leave her on campus six hours from home.
We had a lot of fun, she made some new friends and in the end the letting go part was really all in our minds. We hugged, cried and said "love you, see you later" as we gathered our belongings to come home.
It is a weird feeling, letting go. She has been brought up well, is independent, a thinker, smart and hard working. She has determination, grit and guts. She is very rational, not critical, and not one to jump without first thinking it through. She is all of those things and yet it is scary to think she is going to make her own choices now. She is going to be making her own rules to live by. She is going to decide when she goes to bed, what she is going to eat and what she is going to do.
I guess as parents we are all working for that day when we are to let them go into their own life. But it sure is hard to let go when you have held on for so long...

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Patience Grasshopper...

I am like an out of work Doctor, I have no patience...
I think it must be an reflection of the day and age we live in that I am not the only one without patience in this world.
Thinking back a few years you can see where I am coming from.
When I was a kid we had a party line phone. That was when there was just one line from your house to the switchboard. Sometimes you would pick up the phone and someone was already on it talking away. Well you would just have to wait... and wait... and wait till they got done.
I remember when we first got computers hooked to the internet, remember the bzzzzzz, beep, bzzzzz gurgle gurgle as it connected... yeah good times.
I remember when the phones all had rotary dialers, the 1's weren't too bad but when you had to dial a 9 or something, well that is why for an emergency you dialed 9-1-1. After that rotary had to be twisted around to 9 and then had to slowly make its way back to the stop so you could dial again, many of those people in need of an emergeny either died or got better.
I remember when the only fast food was the kind they delivered on roller skates...
Remember when their was no such thing as remote controls? You had to get up and walk to the TV to change the channels. We watched a lot of really boring TV when I was a kid because no one wanted to get off the couch and loose their seat.
I remember Mom making dinner and actually cooking stuff in the oven and on the stove where we had to wait for it...
I remember saving my money to buy that new bike, dollars, pennies whatever I could find till I had enough to actually pay for it in full.

The more I think about it the better the old life was.
On that party line, you actually knew what your neighbor was doing, if you lifted the phone really quiet like.
I remember where the internet was slower than getting the encyclopedia, forget downloading any damaging files, it wasn't worth the effort.
Rotary dialers? Well you really really really needed to call someone to use one of those.
Fast Food, I saw a restaurant the other day that had on their marquee "we knew you were coming, and your food is ready".
Remote controls, well I don't have patience for commercials anymore, I just flip to another channel.
Cooking on a stove top? Doesn't everyone had a nuclear reactor to warm up their chicken pot pies?
And actually saving money up to buy something? Why shoudl we do that when we can buy it now and pay later at a low monthly interest rate?
Some days I really do think the old days were better...

Monday, August 23, 2010

Cattle call?

When I was a youngun (that is southern for a small child) we operated a ranch in Arkansas. Nothing too big, we ran under a hundred head of cattle, grandpa had the big ranch, he ran about 300 head so we worked over there also. So I was around cattle most of my young life. And we had something that was a "cattle call". It usually consisted of a "whoop" with something after it. My grandfather could place his hand up along the side of his face, point his face in the direction where he thought the cattle were and give a loud "whoop!" and a few minutes the cattle would come over the hill heading for the corrall.
So the other day my wife says I need to take my daughter to a casting call, so I agreed. She later told me it was a cattle call as we did not have an appointment with the casting director so it would not be a big deal. Well I kind of got excited, I haven't called cows in a long time. So I started to practice in my mind all of my cattle calls. (I did this in my mind as you don't want to stand in the front yard yelling "whoop whoop whoop", it drives down your property values) for this opportunity I just knew I was cut out for. Why they were inviting my daughter to a cattle call was beyond me, but I just knew I would blow them away with my cow calling.
So we get to the hotel and there is a pretty good line already formed. We arrived early and I was sure glad we did as when we finally made it to the room where I assumed the "calls" would be made we were numbers 341 and 342. (for the record there were over a thousand people in line when we left!!) So we get there and stand in line with all these other people. There was this one guy who kept walking through the line and he would pull people out at random and take them away to another room. I just knew that they were doing special calls in that room, although I could not hear them. "Just wait till I get back there" I thought to myself, the people on the top floor will hear my "Whoop" when my turn came.
But alas the guy never did pull me out of the line. So we made our way through the line to a point where they gave us a piece of paper to fill out which had all sorts of things on it. They wanted to know my suit size, shoe size and even my dress size and my measurements. Well I have never wore a dress so I guessed a XXL would do it and my measurements were somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-40-45. The even asked my hair color, which I promptly wrote in as "bald".
So anyway after we finished our paperwork, we got our numbers and nice lady took our mug shots, face and profile just like at the police station. She pointed us to a door and I started warming up my vocal cords for the yodel of a lifetime only to pass through the door and find myself at an exit.
My daughter later told me that they just "called" it a cattle call as you feel like cattle walking through their little lanes they set up.
I am guessing whoever came up with that phrase never worked on a ranch, for when you walked through those little lanes there was usually a butcher awaiting you at the end.
So at least there wasn't a meat cutter waiting behind door number one...
I never did get to use my call...

Friday, August 20, 2010

Not Me!!!

It was not me!! I am telling you, I did not do it. I had nothing to do with it, I wasn't even around it when it happend! I am innocent, not guilty, or whatever else you want to call it. It wasn't me!! I swear!!

Have you ever heard that before? I have, coming out of my own mouth when I was a kid. See I had three younger brothers which meant there was a lot of things that happened that I really had nothing to do with. But this one day I messed up. I broke one of my Mom's things. It was really an accident, the ball should have missed the vase and bounced off the wall back into my glove like it had the forty times before. But this one time it took a funny hop off the end table and seny my Mom's vase crashing to the floor. I made a heroic diving attempt at a catch but alas came up short and the vase broke. It was at this point I had a decision to make, do I take the path of George Washington who never lied but I am sure was spanked by his Daddy for cutting down that cherry tree with his little hatchet. Or do I take the Al Capone defense and blame it on someone else and join the mob?
Well I ran out of the room and prayed that my Mom would not notice the vase that I left in pieces on the floor when she came home. So later that night my misdeed was discovered and all of us boys were lined up and asked who broke the vase. My youngest brother just looked at my Mom and then smiled at us when she said, "I know you did not do it as you were with me." One down, three to go. Well my next to the youngest brother pointed out that he was over at his friends house from before Mom left till after Mom got home. Two down, two left...
So it is down to my brother and me. Mom is displaying the evidence right before us. Telling us how she can't keep any nice things in the house because us boys don't respect her stuff and on and on. So then she asked the question, "who broke my vase?" Well my brother replied "not me", and then I went on the rant I wrote out above.
My Mom was flummoxed so she did the only logical thing, she said we will talk to your father about it. Well that really got me scared because who knew if my Dad might pull out some kind of fingerprinting machine or had the house wired for sound, he was kind of like that. Mom went into the kitchen to dispose of her now broken and useless vase. So my brother then accuses me of breaking the vase and he is not going to get a whoopin' because of it. It was as this point I decided to go all in with Al Capone. Yes, I blackmailed my brother. I told him all the things that he had done that Mom did not know about and if he squealed not only would I roll over on him I would make his life miserable. I may have even threatened to break his legs, but I can't remember if I went that far, I probably did.
So my Dad comes home and asked the simple question. "Who broke the vase?" Again we both denied it, wallowing in the sea of guilt and shame for our misdeeds. So my dad turns to my Mom and says, well there you have it, neither of them broke it and I am sure they would never lie to me". More guilt falls upon my shoulders as my Dad turns to console my poor Mother over the loss of her heirloom.
It was then that I realized I had gotten away with it, I had succeeded in my rouse, I had become Al Capone.
I lived with that guilt and shame every time I saw that end table where my Mother's vase had set.
It was many years later that I finally came clean with my mother. I told her that I was the one that broke her vase. It was as if a hundred pound weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I appologized and told her how it had happened and she said she knew. A week later she found my ball, with my name on it behind the end table where my Mother's vase set right along side the scuff marks on the wall where I was bouncing it.

So the next time you have the choice to be a George Washington or an Al Capone, take it from me. George might have gotten a whoopin, but at least he lived his life without a guilty conscience.
We need more George Washingtons in this life that take responsibility for their actions...

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Enough is Enough

Been traveling the last week and haven't had time to update the old blog, so here goes...

I think I found out this week that enough is enough. I had to catch and early flight on Monday which meant leaving before the sun was up. I actually banged the door and woke up the rooster, who I am sure he was not too happy with me but hey he wakes me up all the time too!!
So work, work, work and finally about 9:30 that night I finally settle into a hotel room. Thats a 15 hour day boys and girls...
So then on Tuesday we have to start early, 7AM to look at restaurants, which means I have to be there early (don't want to be late) so the day starts around 6AM and ends that night again just after 9PM when I checked into a hotel. Another 15 hour day...
So on Wednesday I just have to fly home, but try as I may I can't sleep in, out of the hotel by 9AM because I had to get my phone fixed. try as I may to catch earlier flights doesn't work out and again I find myself not getting into bed till after 11 PM that night. That was the easy day, only 14 hours going non stop.
So I found myself last night driving home feeling really distant from GOD. I mean for the last three days I have ignored him. Not on purpose but when you are working every waking minute there is really not any time for anything else. I realized this as I was driving alone in the dark heading toward home when I saw a bright and shining star on the horizon and I started to think that GOD placed that star right where it is. So I started talking to GOD, just telling him my day, how busy I was and such which is kind of silly since he already knows all of that stuff. So as I was talking I got this distinct impression that GOD was asking me how I was. I mean it was like, "how are you?" in my spirit. And I had to admit I was not too good. I had turned off everything in my life for the last 72 hours that did not associate with work, including GOD. Now I am sure that GOD was watching everything that I did, he is like that but it made me realize that as a friend I pretty much had ignored him for three days... It was then that I realized that enough was enough and that I needed to reconnect. Thank GOD that he gives us a nudge when we start to get off balance to put us back into proper balance in him...
So when you find yourself going nonstop, take a moment to get back into balance with HIM, it will make all the difference!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Are you in control?

In thinking about the male airline attendant who recently went AWOL at JFK airport this week and it got me to thinking about being in control of the circumstances around us. And then last night in small groups what was the topic all about? Control.
So I got to thinking, how much control do we really have in our lives?
Not much I have come to realize. I mean yes we can plan for the future but can we control the future? I don't think so.
Can we plan our lives out with our marriage, our carreers and our retirement? Yes but how many times does that work out like we planned? Yes, I have to agree with our teacher from last night, control is just an illusion.
Which brings me back to the airline attendant. He lost control, but he also gained control at the same time. He lost it over a rude customer (as a frequent flier, to all my other frequent fliers out there, be nice to people and follow the rules, thanks) who felt they were above everyone else and more important than some insignificant flight attendant. Well I can tell you that person did not make their connecting flight or their meeting or their appoinment that they were flying to after the attendant made his emergency landing. He gained control over the whole situation, took control more like it. But sometimes there are things out of our control, like when the cops showed up at his house and arrested him. There we go again, control really is an illusion...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Women are from Venus and Men are from Mars?

Who came up with this crazy thought? Men and Women are not that alike.

Mars is an always hot desolate red planet, filled with gas pockets. Well OK maybe men are from Mars.

Venus is a large hot planet with an impenetrable layer of clouds covering its atmosphere. Once you get through the clouds 90% of its surface is covered by vocanoes, active most of the time. Venus does not spin as fast as the Earth, it takes roughly 115 earth days to turn a full revolution driving the temperature up to 464 degrees during the day and to -45 degrees during the night. The wind on Venus blows most times at around 217 miles per hour and it rotates in a completely opposite direction than all the other planets other than Uranus. Well maybe Women are from Venus.

Redneck Much?

We are doing a series on Sunday called the Redneck Christian series. It plays off the Jeff Foxworthy "you might be a redneck if..." where we are using it as "you might be a christian if..."


So anyway I went through google images looking for "redneck" pictures and I found some doozies. But what I have come to realize is that rednecks come from all aspects of society. Now hear me out. I centered my search on cars and houses. Those are the two most valuable investments most Americans have so it sums up most of our financial wealth in regards to the car we drive and the house we live in. Well looking at houses is kind of hard to tell if the owner is a redneck or not. Sometimes the outside looks all right but the inside might be a different story.


But in looking at the cars on that site, I have realized that there are a lot of rednecks out there.


I know rednecks get a lot of harassing but they are really ingenious people. Here are few examples.


Say your car locks all of the sudden stop working. You can't lock your car with all the valuables inside of it, what are you going to do. Well the dealership tells you it is going to cost $300 to fix it. Well a quick run to Ace Hardware and for about $10 you can get a length of chain, a drill bit and a master lock. Drill through the face of the door and then through the frame of the car. Slip chain through the two holes and put a padlock to tie the ends together on the outside. There you go, done. Try to get into that car with a coat hanger...

http://www.failfunnies.com/32/images/totally-secure-fail.jpg


Say your Air Conditioner goes out and you live in the south. You don't want to be sweating to the oldies on the radio like Richard Simmons driving down the road do you? So the dealership tells you it need a complete AC makeover, cost is $800, what do you do. Well if you aren't a redneck, you pony up the 8 bills. If you are a redneck you think, I have that old window unit that we pulled out of the old trailer, and I have that new generator I bought for the deer stand in winter, I wonder... viola Air Conditioning...
http://www.inquisitr.com/38418/redneck-car-airconditioning/

So there you go... if the world suddenly has a major crisis, all electrical, communication and technoligies goes in an instant, suddenly the American Redneck with all his ingenious skills will be in high demand!! YeeHaw!!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Fear of....fear?

I had an experience lately that brought to my attention the number one thing people are afraid of, and it is fear.
People are afraid of being afraid. Fear is a God given instinct that gives us pause when we put ourselves in a dangerous position. Like standing on the edge of a cliff looking down causes your knees to get weak and the need to move away from the edge. Like standing on the BIG diving board at the pool and deciding that it is way too high to be jumping from.
But we can't allow our lives to be ruled by fear, so much that we are afraid of anything that we decide to do nothing.
My daughter told me the other day after making a mistake in a ballgame that she was afraid of making another mistake. That type of attitude many times can put us into captivity. We shut ourselves out and decide the only way to not make another mistake is to quit playing all together. But once we get over the fear of making a mistake, we are free to make the plays that result in winning the game instead of losing the game.
I once read where the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, missed more game winning shots than he ever made. Yep, he did not make them all. I know every time I think of his Airness he was drilling a jumper over Byron Russel of the Utah Jazz or Craig Ehlo of the Cleveland Cavaliers to win a championship. Let me ask a question, what if Michael had missed his first shot to win a game and decided to never try again? Well we would have missed some memorable moments that is for sure. But Michael got over his fear of missing, how? Because he embraced making the shot more than missing the shot. He got over his fear in doing what should in the natural made him the most afraid. He did not allow missing the game winner to define him although he missed more than he made, instead his willingness to take that game winner made him into the greatest basketball player ever.
So next time you are afraid to try something over the fear of failing, remember to shoot, and if you miss shoot it again, sooner or later you are bound to make one!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Summer is almost over...

Wow, where has the time gone? Summer is almost over. Kids start school next week and it is official, summer is over.
There were many things that I wanted to do this summer that did not get done.
I wanted to landscape the yard. Nothing major but I wanted to trim some trees, cut back some bushes, plant some stuff, build some stuff, but I got absolutely nothing done on the yard this year. I think part of it was the heat, it was so hot the other day I saw a cat swimming in a kiddie pool. But part of it was the yard was not a passionate thing for me so it fell on my priority list.
I also wanted to clean out my shed. It has gotten so full of stuff over the years it needs a good going through. But then again I was not passionate about it so it fell to the inactive list.
I also wanted to go on a long motorcycle ride this year. Nothing crazy but at least an overnighter where I could pack my stuff, ride a few hundred miles a day or two and camp out. But then again, priorities took the center stage.
I also wanted to work out more this summer. You know get active, walk, run, burn some energy but then again, priorities, priorities, priorities.
So I can sit here this morning lamenting on what I did not accomplish this summer, beating myself up for my failure and shortcomings. That is what most of us do right? But I am going to focus on what I did get done this summer.
I finished a bathroom remodel that has been on the books for five years.
I repaired a broken and unplayable guitar for my daughter.
I worked on my daughters car with her.
I played catch with my kids.
I took my kids and my wife swimming, twice.
I took my wife out on a few dates, not near enough dates but I am still trying.
I took my oldest son golfing.
I took my youngest son minature golfing.
I have played video games one night with all of my kids all evening a couple of times.
So all in all, I think I did OK this summer, I mean will the yard remember that I did not spend quality time with it this summer? I don't think so... but those others will.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

Football season is upon us once again. All is right in the world once more. Now don't get me wrong, I love all sports. I even watch curling during the Olympics but Football reigns supreme!
I am not really sure why I get all jacked up for football. I played when I was younger but I really loved baseball and later basketball much more than football. But when it comes to watching sports, football is my preferred viewing.
So the top headlines for this football season will be as I prognosticate...
1) Will Brett Come back... are you kidding me? YES he will come back. For one more season to win it all, he has a team that came within an interception and one that he threw to add insult to injury from going to the SuperBowl. He just doesn't want to do the 2 a day practices in the heat. Look for old number 4 to show up about the second or third preseason game.
2) Will the New Orleans Saints repeat? Well they have a good team, another disaster in the Gulf but the Saints will fall short this year. Sorry all you WhoDat fans.
3) Will the Patriots find their way back to the promise land? Well they still have Tom Brady, Randy Moss and, and, and, Wes Welker. I don't know if I can name a guy on D. So I would say no.
4) Is Rex Ryan all hot air or is he onto something? Have you seen this guy? I love him! He is a little rotund, a little thick around the middle but he strikes me as a guy who would jump on a grenade if you were in a fox hole, let it explode and then jump up and say, "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?" They are primed for a run at a ring, although I think their QB play may doom them.
5) First coach to get canned in the season? Well the Raiders coach, whoever that is currently is always a favorite pick but I also think the Panthers and the Bears better play well the first part of the season or their could be some changes.
6) Is this the year Payton Manning gets hurt? Of all the teams the Colts are the one that can loose one player and go from a SuperBowl team to the cellar of thier division. But Payton never gets hit so he is going to have to trip over a dog (ala Brian Griese), wreck his motorcycle (ala Ben Rothlisburger), or get in trouble with the commish for his "gangsta" birthday party (no charges filed yet Michael Vick) to miss a game. So to answer my question, no.
7) Will the Messiah get to play? You know Tim Tebow, the one who walks on water? As a Broncos fan, I am not enamored with our new head coach or the decision to take Timmy. He is a great college player, empahasis on college. As a pro QB? I am not so sure. But if the coach wants to win me and Bronco nation over there is an easy decision to make. Both of the Bronco starting Running Backs went down in training camp within minutes of each other. A position where we do not have a top ranked guy anyway. It is time to take one for the team, put Timmy in that halfback roll. He outruns everyone on the team already, is as big as some of the largest running backs in the league and can deliver a hit. Picking a running back in the first round with the number 25 pick and having him rush for a thousand yards his first year is a good pick!!
8) Will Big D who gets to host the SuperBowl this year have the "home" team playing? I don't think so, my condolences to those who worship the single star and gather in the church that Jerry built. Their team is good, but they never can seem to get over the top. This year is no exception.
9) Will the TO and OCHO or the OCHO and TO show work out in Cincy? I just have to think there are too many O's for that be successful. But these two guys love the spotlight so much that I think they might just push themselves beyond what they normally would to just outshine the other. I am sure the Commish is going to be watching their games very closely... get your popcorn ready.
10) So here it is, time to make my picks for the upcoming year. Representing the NFC in the Super Bowl this year, yes it is the old grey beard, the immortal one, number 4 and his Minnesota Vikings. And in the AFC, is the brash and bold, the young and the old, the New York J E T S JETS JETS JETS.
Have a good one!!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Trust...

Trust is an important thing in life. Sadly too many times our trust has been smashed to smithereens by friends, family and others who let us down. But without trust what kind of world would we live in.
I think it is important for kids to trust their parents, but sadly even that trust in many cases is fractured forever. I remember playing this game with my daughter when she was still really young. She would climb up on this couch we had, right up on the top of the back on the end and she would jump right into my arms as I sat on the chair next to it. Well one day we were playing this game and she kept jumping and jumping and finally she got tired of it and went and found something else to do. So I got involved with a discussion with a guest and unknown to me my daughter decided to revisit the jumping off the couch game. Luckily for me the saucer shaped eyes of my guest gave away what was happening behind me as I turned and luckily caught her before she hit the ground. As I lifted her up to chastise her that she can't jump when Daddy is not looking, the angelic look on her face that told me she knew I would catch her caused the words in my throat to disolve. She trusted that no matter how close to the ground she might have fallen I was going to catch. And catch her I did, at the very last moment. She had complete trust in me.
I think it is important for husbands to trust their wives. I know, I know, I have counciled numerous people whose trust in those relationships has been betrayed. Many are unwilling to trust ever again for fear of being hurt once again. But I still believe that when a marriage is made if there is not any trust between spouses that marriage is doomed for failure. Sometimes my wife and I have to tell each other things that we really do not want to reveal. Fears, mistakes and common everyday issues are brought up but because we are willing to share them with each other we do trust one another with everything in our lives.
So I have said all of this to make this point. If as a child we need to put complete trust in our parents, and as a spouse we need to completely trust our mate, why do we have such a hard time completely trusting GOD with every aspect of our lives? Come on, I know people well enough that there are parts of their lives that they refuse to turn over to GOD for one reason or another. Most times that reason is rooted in the big T word, trust. Do we trust GOD to handle our problems or do we not. You see GOD is our heavenly Father and we are his children. And as children we need to trust our father to have a healthy relationship. I have never put my children in harms way and they trust me to never put them there. I have never purposely caused my children pain, and they trust me even with their most painful injuries to treat them with care and respect. And although I believe if you asked my children they would say that they trust me whole heartedly, I believe there are many of GOD'S children who do not trust him in the same manner. That is a sad statement of a relationship a GOD who loves us.
Also as a husband to my wife there needs to be trust in that relationship to be healthy as well. The New Testament calls the church the bride of Christ. Now as a large man, I always have a hard time envisioning myself dressed in a wedding dress about to marry Jesus. I can imagine him lifting the veil and going, "ohhhh" as he sees my bald head and my gotee. But as the Son of GOD, and as the bridegroom of the church, he is the one that will bring wholeness to the body of Christ. And as the bridegroom of the church, we need to trust him as well. My wife knows that every decision I make is based on how it will impact both of us. She knows that every fork in the road that is presented to us will be a fork that both of us take no matter what. She trust that I will never knowingly do anything to hinder our relationship. Jesus is the same way to his bride, the church. We just need to realize that he means for our best, even though sometimes the road is hard, our best interest he has in mind.
So what are you failing to trust in? Are you willing to trust GOD in EVERY aspect of your life, as a child trust a parent or as a wife trust her husband?
Think about it.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

One is the loneliest number...

That old Three Dog Night song has a lot of truth in it. One is indeed the loneliest that you have ever knew.
I am by nature a loner. My father was that way. Even though he had four sons and a wife he was never really happy being around people. He was an intelligent man, could crack a good a joke and was a wiz in the kitchen making up party snacks. But my Dad hated being around people. We usually saw each other in passing during my teenage days. Dad was off to work usually between 6 and 7 AM, came home around 6 PM and watched a little TV before he turned in at 8. I know my Mom struggled with his actions, being "available" for an hour or so each night was not enough for her or her four sons. And soon you could see it in our lives that we all took on the character of our Father, we all did our own thing and very rarely did something together.
My Father and Mother divorced after I had left the house, I am not really sure what happened in the last couple of years of their marriage but I am sure not much changed. I really thought my Father would never remarry, being alone suited him. But apparently the loneliest number is truely one. He remarried within two years of his divorce and was the same with his second wife as he was with his first. Always aloof, seperated, never really engaged.

I learned a lot from my Father. First I learned that even though I sometimes like to be by myself, I am not happy when I am alone. I can be in a room full of people and still feel alone, but that is not reality. The reality is although I may feel alone I can never be alone in a room full of people unless I decide to be alone.

I also learned that you can be all alone in a house full of kids and a wife, if you want to be. You have to decide to be alone with all those people around you, but if you decide to be alone, you can be. I have decided to not be a recluse in my own home, to have an effect on my kids, and be a husband to my wife, not just a provider.

Yes one is the loneliest number, if you allow it to be.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Preventative Maintenance

I envy those people who are all over preventative maintenance. I have great aspirations of doing preventative maintenance but never seem to get there.
There are two hard parts to swallow being like I am.
Number one is things will break down without preventative maintenance. I hate it when that happens. Nothing ever breaks down when it is convienent. It always breaks when it is the most inconvienent time and is most desperately needed.
Secondly, I have the guilt issue to deal with. Because I am always second guessing myself IF I had done the preventative maintenance it may not have broken in the first place.
So what can I do to get into that preventative maintenance frame of mind?
I need help!