Working hard to try to rest!?!!?

My wife and I are trying real hard to make Sunday a true day of rest. This being said, I'm finding it really hard right now to not do much of anything. We have learned from our society to keep moving, and I'm finding it really hard to Be still!!!

Worship, Dedication and Parenting

It has been impressed upon me over the past few days how presumptuous I can be when it comes to my children. I always thought I was good at keeping an open mind in regards to my kids, but I realize now how little this is true. And frankly, I have been presumptuous in what is clearly the most critical area of both my life and theirs.

When you have children, you immediately assess and marvel in their personality as you watch it unfold. You start noticing their strengths as they continue to grow and how you think they will excel in life. Our inherent nature is to want our children "succeed" more than we have. That somehow they are not only making a contribution to the world, but that contribution would benefit the family line. This is why when you start supposing what they will be as they get older, it's often professions like scientist, doctor, lawyer, and teacher. Professions that we see as stable, noble and sometimes lucrative. Whatever you think is a "lowly job" you don't suppose your children will be that. This really seems right to think this way. Surely you wanting the best for your children is a good thing and I thought I was open minded when I would say, "Hey, if my son wants to be a then by all means, this is what I want for him too." But what is funny about this, is that I never think of him in that title, so I doubt it's really what I believe. There is room for my open mind to become more so.

As a Christian, the Apostle Paul challenges me in Romans 12 when he says:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."
-Romans 12:1

Now that is a challenge to me, not my children. And this challenge extends beyond our physical body as well. It's a big challenge and one that I will spend the rest of my life trying to accomplish. In my readings this past week, I was struck with how imperfect my worship is. What I am doing externally should be the overflow of what I truly feel and believe inwardly. In doing this I thought about what it meant to truly worship and glorify God. Part of this requires that I submit all that I have responsibility over to him. Otherwise those same things will be a distraction to me as I will try to use my own abilities to accomplish worldly goals. Sure it may look right to other folks, but God and I know that when I'm not focused on him, my worship is less than pure. This may not make sense to everyone, but in order for me to worship God in my work, my relationships, my actions, my everything, I need to give it all to him. Allow Him to be my central focus. Don't get me wrong. This doesn't mean I ignore or discard these aspects of my life. It means that I give them to God and allow him to pervade all aspects of my life and affect these areas more positively than I in my flawed human efforts ever could. In essence, to worship Him through these areas. The opposite of what it may sound like will occur. These parts of my life will be all the more healthy.

So, what does this mean when it comes to my parenting? Well, it means in my worship and service to God, I have to submit my children to God as well. I know what you may be thinking. That I did that when dedicated our children in church. Well, that's partly true, but for it to be fully true, my ideas for what the future holds for my children would take on a different meaning. When I say my son might be a good doctor, am I seeing him as a doctor with a healthy practice where he is loved by his patients and he is never found to be financially wanting? If so, then am I really focused on what God might have in store for him, or what I think is the most beneficial by worldly means? In my case, I think the latter.

So what does it look like to truly worship God in relation to our children? What should we want for our children and pray that God will give us? First we should probably pray that they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I'd venture to say that this is a good prayer. What about their life? As far as success goes, what should I be asking in this regard? Is it wrong to be successful by worldly standards? I don't think so. Is it wrong to pray that they become wealthy? Well, for me, I say that it's a bit worldly to pray for this. Consider the story of Hannah and Samuel in the Old Testament. I can only imagine a fraction of what it may feel like to be barren. That despite your desire and efforts, you are without child. I'm sureit's even harder for the woman in the relationship than the man. In the case of Hannah, this was definitely true. Her husband had a second wife who had 10 children. So Hannah in her grief prayed earnestly to God and asked for him to open her womb. She also promised to commit the child to Him. God heard her prayer and blessed her with Samuel. Now imagine holding the child you had yearned for for many years and recalling the promise you made to God. I can honestly say I couldn't imagine doing what Hannah did. I think I wouldn't be able to keep my promise to God. The first chapter of Samuel's life was that of being weaned from his mother, Hannah, she took him to Eli the priest to live with him and to serve in the temple. Imagine! Waiting for so long to have a child of your own and then physically taking him to serve in the temple all of his days. I have little doubt in my mind that Hannah understood both how to worship and how to dedicate her life (as well as Samuel's) to the Lord.

As a parent I have presumed so much. What will their profession be? Well, I don't know, but what I suggest it should be might tell me more about myself and where my heart is than it predicts what they will do when they grow up. I'm inclined to say that they might be missionaries, or pastors. I have to say the idea of my child living in a third world country in dire conditions so he could minister to the less fortunate who do not know Jesus is still hard for me to swallow. I think my prayer should be that their lives will bring glory to God and that others will see the character of God manifested in my boys. Sounds easy, but I need to constantly reflect on how willing I am to accept that my child may choose a really hard life for the Glory of God. My own spiritual health could be indicated by how willing I am to accept that.

The Best Name for a Coffee

It's 6:00 AM and I'm about have some Seattle's Best Breakfast Blend. It's good stuff. There are a lot of good coffees out there these days. I pity my grandparent's generation and the coffee selection they probably had. The only thing they had over what we use now was the percolator (although you can still get them and I have been tempted to buy one). Percolator's make great coffee, and the noise they make while percolating is neat too. (It's also fun to say "percolator"). But anyhow, aside from the blends and techniques of brewing coffee, there are a lot of exotic names, but the best name for any coffee, especially in the morning is Millstone's Foglifter.®
It's not fancy or exotic, but in the morning, there is something psychologically appealing to a coffee called Foglifter.® And they must also know it's a good name because they have it as a registered trademark. OK, time for some joe.

Burning Question(s): Passing on the right*

When traveling on the highway, I'm a firm believer that you should only pass on the left.* Now I know of one other person who believes you should NEVER pass on the right*, but I think there are some times when it becomes acceptable. So the question is when is it acceptable to pass on the right?* When there is room in front of you in the right lane*, but someone in the left lane* is going at or below the speed limit. When you are traveling in the left lane* faster than the car in front of you and they are not getting over to allow you to pass despite there being plenty of room for them to do so? If this is acceptable, then how long do you wait? Is it acceptable if your wife is pregnant or your son has just fallen face first onto the cement and you have to rush him to the hospital? What are the scenarios that are acceptable? Please! Somebody help!!



*For those of you unfortunate enough to live and drive in countries such as England who actually drive on the left side of the road, please substitute left for right and right for left in the above post. I'd hate to confuse you. :-)

"Hey remember that one Easter when...?

when the Chapman and Davis families came over for the afternoon meal and afterwards Christopher and Andrew were playing baseball in the back yard with Joshua? And remember how they were trying to tag each other out and then Christopher and Andrew collided at third base causing Andrew to fall onto the cement patio face first?"

"Ha, yeah, it looked pretty bad, that's for sure. I couldn't believe how quickly he got up considering how it sounded when he hit! Yeah, and do you remember what his lip looked like and how everything about the day stopped while his mom washed him up?

"Hey, what ever happened to that white shirt he was wearing?"

"Well, it WAS white. His mom threw it away."

"Oh, and then Mr. Davis and his dad got ready and took take him to the Urgent care?"

"Oh yeah, and most of the Urgent Cares were closed because it was Easter, and then after hours of waiting and trying to get him treated, and after one doctor said he would need stitches, the doctor who treated him gave him a Popsicle and sent him home?"

"Yeah...all of that for a Popsicle and some amoxicillin."

"Yeah, that was hilarious."

Well...it will be about five years from now.

Good Friday: God's Great Goodness

In recognition of the magnitude of this day in all of history...


Many know this verse:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
-John 3:16

And some may know this one:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
-Romans 5:8

But long before those were written it was foretold in Isaiah 53:
3. He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4. Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5. But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

6. We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7. He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

...This may not seem to "good" on the surface, but God's gift to us at Christmas means very little without the occurrences that we recognize on this day.

In recognition of this day and this weekend a talented friend of mine expressed his reflections in his sketchbook. Feel free to have a look and click on the sketch to get a closer view.

Burning Question: Are You Trying to Tell me Something?

So during my morning reading time I was reading a Christian book that quoted a book called Half Time. This intrigued me but I went on. Later in the morning I was reading a separate book and it referenced and quoted Half Time as well. So the question is, is God telling me to go read this book as well? Or perhaps the bigger question is, does God use books other than the bible to speak to His people?

Soccer: I won again!!

Sunday it was me against my two boys aged 5 and 8. I smoked them! Of course I let them score a few, but this 41 year old handed it to them!

Last night It was me against the two of them AND our 3 year old neighbor. I WON AGAIN!!!

No performance enhancing drugs were used on either side, and sportsmanship was in the air. However my only concern is that I'm beginning to believe that their post game debriefing may include the phrase, "but we will live to fight another day." At my age, I'm beginning to wonder whether "my team" can say the same.

Bring on the ibuprofen!

Why blog?

This blog has become a hobby of mine. When I set out to blog, I didn't have a good reason to do so, but this has changed. There a multiple reasons why I post and some of them follow:

Often I have family members and friends that I admittedly do not call/contact frequently enough. They want to see pictures. Not of me (as you can tell by previous posts), but of my family. I know they like seeing how they're growing and learning about what they're doing. I also get to tell them what's going on and what I'm thinking or feeling, which brings me to another reason.

Having a blog allows me to publicize my opinions and my passions. I typically try to do this in a non-offensive way, but by doing this, it becomes a sort of release for me. A good friend of mine started a blog about the same time as I did. His purpose was to express spiritual beliefs and spiritual truths. I never thought I would do this on here, but more often than not, I'm learning something about God and what He is telling me, I just want anyone willing to read it to know what it is. Oh, and those who are wondering, yes, He DOES talk to me, and sometimes I even listen! This blog also allows me to throw around other opinions too.

Frankly another reason I post is for the sake of humor. Before I became a somewhat serious person, I was known to say "humor at all cost!" I back off from this now, because I've decided taste should win out, let alone other virtues. But I love trying to make people laugh. It's a beautiful sound, and I like to think I can do it occasionally. I try to work it in to almost all of my posts, and sometimes post solely for this reason.

One of the more fascinating things about blogging is that it becomes a connection tool as well. If you comment on someone's blog, they may in turn come to your site and comment as well. This is great as it allows for connections to be made with people you may not otherwise get to (virtually) meet. Of course, comments for me are a great thing in and of itself. Nothing like a nice dialog or debate on a topic.

Thanks to Google Analytics, I can also get an idea of where people are when they visit the site. This is also encouraging. Often I can tell who hits the site based on what city they are viewing the site from. There is a modest little readership out there, which is encouraging. I suppose if nobody read this, it would essentially just be a journal of "polished thoughts." I appreciate the fact that people visit.

One of the harder parts of blogging is the self-imposed pressure. If you do not keep posting, then readership dwindles. So you constantly think about what you should write about. Often posts are written but the editor in your brain scraps the idea before it's actually posted. I keep telling myself that shorter is better (See footnote below). It's interesting how consuming a blog can be.

So anyhow, in case you were curious, this is why I now blog. It's not why I started, but it's why this drivel ends up out there for the world to see. OK, maybe not the WHOLE world, but it sounds good doesn't it?

Footnote:
This post was suppose to be a short one actually too, but posts can also be organic and run out of control.

Rearranging Furniture

Every so often, my wife wants to move the furniture. Usually this happens more often than I would prefer, because it requires me to think along with her. Usually the time of day she wishes to do this is after my brain has hung it's hat and is slowly turning to mush. There are so many combinations and permutations to consider with my handicapped brain activity. But I must admit that I rarely regret the change. It's usually nice to see something fresh. (If you don't believe me ask an Obama supporter).

Thankfully when it comes to the blog, I can just preview new templates on blogger.com and choose the one I think looks nice. A nice Fresh change now that spring is fast approaching.

Daylight Savings Time

Just one simple statement about the opportunity to "spring forward" at this time of the year.

I love Daylight Savings Time!!!

Can I get a witness?

Eight Years!

Our first son, Christopher turned 8 on Friday and we had a party for him on Saturday. Lot's of fun!
It's hard to believe he has been with us for eight years now!Coincidentally, eight years is also exactly how much his mom and dad aged while hosting a party of nine second graders.

School Project

So my second grader was required to create a poster of a notable figure for Black History month. After giving him a few different choices, true to his form, he chose Tony Dungy. I was actually very pleased with this choice for a few reasons. First, he's a football player/coach which is cool. Second, he is a leader with great character and standards. And third, he's a Christian who is not ashamed to share his faith when anyone who will listen. Coach Dungy is soft spoken and with integrity. He is well-liked with his players and appears to have a great gift for leadership. He has recently written a book, Quiet Strength, that will be on my short list of "next reads."

Anyhow, working on a school project with a second grader is a challenge in itself. And this is not his fault, but I think it has to do with his parents, or more specifically his dad. The teacher asks us to name three accomplishments, three goals, three interesting facts as well as the basics such as where he was born, etc. I suppose things are different now than 30 years ago when I was roughly his age. (OK, 33 years ago to be exact!). We didn't run off to the library. we didn't even have to dial in to the internet. We just opened my laptop and began "googling." Ahhh, life gets easy in some aspects. So despite having the wireless and multiple computers in the house, I, er, I mean, we had to track down all of this information. This isn't easy. I had to find three of his goals. I don't know if I can find three of MY goals! I, er, I mean, we checked a number of websites. One of the websites had the writer saying that Tony's goals was to get the most out of his players. That seemed good. We struggled to find the second goal when I came across a quote from Tony where he essentially said we shouldn't get caught up in goals but should focus on purpose. For Tony, it was to Glorify God in everything he does. What a great goal! So we added it. Now I knew I, er, we, were really stuck. He admits there is too much emphasis on goals. So after thinking about this for a while, we eventually settled on one he has obtained already as a player and a coach, which was winning a Super Bowl. Well, this seemed to suffice, since I got, er...I mean, well Chris got an "A!"

Another thought on Rusty Hardin

A while back I posted regarding the high profile attorney, Rusty Hardin. The selfish side of me has sort of wished he wasn't so high profile. See, I went by Rusty up through part of college, so any old friends who choose to "google" me will find him. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I suspect I don't have too many old friends looking for me, but I'm sort of a nostalgic fellow, so I'd hate to think someone who might be looking for me couldn't find me. Then it occurred to me that thanks to Roger Clemons, and others over the past few years, people are probably reminded of me every so often which I hope is a good thing. And besides, now that I've posted about Rusty myself, I'm starting to get people hitting my site who are likely looking for him. I suppose it all equals out.

Side note: I love Google Analytics. It allows me to see lots of data on who is hitting myself and where they are when they do so. It doesn't tell me who exactly is hitting it though....the ACLU may have a problem with that. (I would too!)