The Olden Days

I posted on my Facebook page a conversation that Isaac and I had in the van on the way to school. During the conversation he made reference to the olden days. I thought he was talking about hundreds of years ago, but unfortunately he was referring to the days when I was in school. Man, talk about making someone feel old!
As I was thinking about this conversation and reminiscing about my childhood and all the toys we didn't have back then...cell phones, tablet computers, computers (for my early childhood), video games, Facebook, Twitter...I wondered how I ever had any fun. How in the world did we know what was going on in the world? Then I watched the Daytona 500 last night an a driver had a special compartment made in his car so he could carry his iphone with him. Really...just in case he needs to take a call at 200 mph! Luckily for him there was a 2 hour jet fuel fire delay so he was tweeting and sending pictures all over. What broke the camel's back was the article headline I saw that read, "Our devices now own us." How true that is.
Are we better connected now then we were in the olden days? Have these devices of convenience lent us more free time, or have the invaded our lives in such a way they are consuming more time then saving? Does our need to check Facebook, Twitter, email, Pinterest take away from time we could be spending with family? I think so. Leave your cell phone at home once when you go to work or out shopping as Tracy and I both did last week. Talk about a strange feeling. We almost turned around to get them, but instead enjoyed a fairly quiet day with the boys. Quiet because we didn't have to answer to our cell phones. What would happen if you couldn't check any social media sights from 5pm to the time the kids go to bed? Do you find yourself in a better relationship with your smart device then family and friends?
I think I have been guilty of that, and I've decided to wean myself from the cell phone a social media a little bit. I'm not stopping them altogether, but I'm going to be more aware of the time I have with family and not let me need to constantly check in on the latest news take my attention away from my kids and wife. Pretty soon I'll be wishing Isaac would ask me questions about the olden days, and I don't want to wish I'd spent more time with them instead of on social media sites. Will you reevaluate where your time and energy is spent with me?

Give it up

The season of Lent has arrived and it is time for that annual ritual of giving something up for 40 days. I've never been very good at doing this. My standard response is, "I've given up giving something up for Lent." I guess I've always thought of it as a waste of time and silly really, but I'm not so sure I can dismiss this ritual so easily any more.

Lent is about taking stock of your relationship with God (among other things). To me it is about focusing on what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus means to me. How does the fact that the God that created everything sent his son to live and die change how I live my life? I know I need to reflect on my relationship with the Spirit more and I need to work on strengthening it, and Lent provides a kick in the pants to do so.

So this year I'm going to give something up for Lent. If you're going to give something up then it truly needs to be a sacrifice. It needs to be something that you are going to miss and you'll have a hard time going without. I know someone who always states he gives up Brussel Sprouts...I'm fairly certain I sense the sarcasm, but the point is it has to be difficult. I saw on Facebook that some people were giving up the internet from 7pm to 7am. I've also seen some people giving up Facebook and texting for a certain time during the day. I also know someone who is giving up Diet Coke, and that truly will be a sacrifice...in fact Coca Cola stock might fall from loss of sales! The point is whatever you give up has to be hard so it reminds us of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. Every time we choose not to have/do the thing we give up we are to be reminded of what this season is leading up to...Jesus' death and resurrection. So give up something and let it be a reminder of Jesus' sacrifice and how that should/does impact your life. I'm giving up the internet/computer/cell phone from 7pm to 7am. Should give me plenty of time to reflect...will you join me?

I'm Back

Whoa...almost a year since my last post! I can't guarantee that I will post every week, but I suppose I could guarantee that I won't wait almost a year to post again. I'm sitting in my office, and it's Valentine's day, and I'm pondering the relationships between men and women. No I didn't forget my sweetheart this Valentine's Day, but I'm intrigued by the different responses to this day.

I see on Facebook some elaborate displays of affection...from dates planned to sweet, if not contrived, status updates stating their undying love for their certain loved one. I have a very weird reaction to those kinds of posts, but maybe that should be a topic for another blog. I have also talked to some people about today and I've gotten two responses: 1) the day is really over blown and over-hyped (well duh!), 2) my significant other and I have stated we don't need to get each other anything for today, we don't need to waste the money. Since when is doing something nice and showing your love through flowers or a small gift of whatever a waste of money! And for you men out there...I'm sure I'm stating the obvious, but if your wife says don't get her anything get her something anyway! It doesn't have to be big, a card, heck you can save the money and make the card yourself, but you'd better get something! I don't care how long you've been married...take a little time and do something.

Hallmark may have taken over Valentine's Day, but I think it is a good time to remember just how lucky you are to be with someone. If you're single and reading this post then I apologize, but it is impossible to talk about Valentine's Day and make you feel included too. If you don't have a Valentine take the time to call a family member or a friend and let them know how much they mean to you. Also, it might do us some good to remember that we are all loved by someone much greater than creation itself. The God of the universe loves us enough to send his Son to die for us, and God loves us enough to want to be intimately involved in our lives. If that isn't a fantastic Valentine's Day reminder then I don't know what is!

Is it worse now?

I had an interesting question asked of me last Sunday in church. And no this time isn't wasn't from an inquisitive 5 year old! Someone asked if I thought there were more tornadoes and stuff this year and what I thought of all this "stuff" going on in nature. Of course I had an answer right on the tip of my tongue..."I don't really know I said."

I don't know if there have been more tornadoes this year compared to others, or if they are just hitting populated areas this time around. Of course when they hit populated areas the damage is much worse and we hear about them a lot more. And on the subject of the floods, don't get me started...for thousands of years the rivers flood and nothing happens, then the human race comes along, builds dams and levees and thinks it is control. We build on flood planes and then cry whoa is me when they flood?!?! I'm not trying to downplay the devastation this water will cause cities and especially family's, but the human race's arrogance is mainly to blame there.

I think an implied question, that wasn't overtly asked, was where is God in all of this? A question that comes up often when a disaster strikes. I wish I knew why God allowed suffering to happen at all. Wouldn't it be nicer if we lived in a perfect world where there was no suffering? I suppose we'd call that heaven. One thought is we can't know good if we don't know bad. We don't know joy if we haven't experienced suffering. Another thought says that God just set the world in motion and stays out of its affairs like a watchmaker after he/she finishes the watch. I suppose another thought would be that God is punishing the people somehow.

I'm not sure I like any of those ideas. It is intriguing to think about some of the theories out there, except the punishment one, I don't buy that at all. I think God is right there suffering with the people. I do believe God could stop any of this from happening, but for some reason, known only to God, God chooses not to intervene in that way. I see God in the volunteers that pour in to help strangers, in the stories of people giving until it hurts to help neighbors, and in the renewed sense of community that is felt during the rebuilding efforts. God is there...weeping along with families that have lost loved ones and everything. God is there...when people are reunited. God is there even when God's name is cursed for letting this happen. I can't answer why it happens, but I am confident that God has not deserted us and continues to work through us to let God's love shine through. The question as always...are we listening for the still small voice?

Did Jesus do it?

What a joy to listen to the questions of a 5 year old! Well, maybe not so much if it is the 100th time he's asked how fast a semi can go, but most of the time the questions are an amazing insight into what goes on in a kid's brain. The family was watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition last night and the little boy on there had brittle bone disease. After explaining to Isaac what it meant to have brittle bones he asked why Jesus made the little boy like that. Come up with an answer to that one will ya!

Maybe a little background will help...Isaac has asked a lot about where God and Jesus live, and we've done our best to explain they are everywhere; including inside us. Well, a 5 year old takes the "inside" you part literally so we get questions like: Why did Jesus make me burp? Did Jesus push a button and make my tummy growl? Why doesn't Jesus stop me from being bad? See literally. Although the fact that he simply accepts the idea that Jesus is inside of him is pretty cool. Maybe there is something to that child like faith once talked about.

So back to his latest question, which is a darn good one if you ask me! Tracy and I simply said we don't know why Jesus made that little boy with bones that break so easily. And that's the truth. Could you explain why some people are born with handicaps and some are born without? We then explained that's why we are so thankful that Jesus has blessed us with health and everything we could possibly want. And we tried to explain a little that seeing people who aren't so lucky should make us thankful and push us to try and help those who aren't so lucky. He simply stared in wonder at the little boy and accepted the answers. Not sure what sunk in, but he was happy.

I'll tell you one thing though...it sure made me glad for all the blessings I have. I had just spoken Sunday morning about being in awe of God, and I was certainly awed at that time because I have so much! Let us all thank God for what we have and remember those who aren't as blessed.

2 months!

I have to apologize...it has been almost 2 months since I updated this blog. I could blame the hectic pace of the Lenten season and then Easter week and all that, but in the end it is just a lame excuse. So I guess the only blame should fall on me...I was too lazy or just plain forgot. Plus, today is quite a day to put my thoughts down on a blog.

Osama Bin Laden has finally been killed. I find my feelings being mixed. Don't get me wrong...I detested the man and what he stood for. The atrocities that he was accused of and had a hand in planning are horrible, and he deserved to be brought to justice. I've always been fascinated by this extreme group and how a lot of their attacks are on the people and religion they purport to defend. I want to stress this is an extreme group and in no way represents the Islamic religion. There have been a lot of terrible things done in the name of Christianity, and I certainly wouldn't want my faith defined by those extremists...would you?

It is hard to put into words why I seem to have mixed feelings. I do not feel sorry for Bin Laden or his family I guess. I believe it is a good thing he is gone...maybe I just feel a little put off by the outright joy we find in the death of another human being no matter how disgusting his/her actions might have been. I don't know...maybe I just ate some bad eggs for breakfast.

Maybe I just want us to be more aware that Jesus talked a lot more about love and forgiveness then revenge and justice. Again I'm not defending what-so-ever what Osama did, but I think I'm reacting to how easily we can find joy in violence. Oh well...that's what's rolling around in my head this morning, and things might change by the afternoon. You'll have to check out the post next week to see what's going on.

Funny Article

I received this article from a church member and want to share it with ya'll. The article is from The Island Moon newspaper of Corpus Christi, TX.

Texas Beef Joint Sues Church Over Lightning Strike

Drummond's Bar in Mt. Vernon, Texas, began construction on expansion of their building to increase their business. In response, the local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from expanding with petitions and prayers. Work progressed right up until the week before the grand reopening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground! After the bar burning to the ground by a lightning strike, the church folks were rather smug in the outlook, bragging about the power of prayer, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church "was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means." In its reply to the court, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise. The judge read through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply, and at the opening hearing he commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not."

A quick glance at snopes.com tells me this story isn't true, but the moral of the story is. Do we continue to stand up for our faith even when it becomes inconvenient or maybe even a little risky? In this fictional story the church members were all to glad to gloat about the power of prayer, but when they were faced with some risks/consequences they were very quick to deny that belief. How often do we believe, or act out our beliefs, only when it is convenient and safe to do so? Will we continue to hold those same beliefs and convictions even when it is easy to do so? Seems that is a true test of where our real strength and heart lies.