Storm of the Century!!

3 days left!  3 days to buy your supplies and be prepared to hunker down in your house for at least a day or 2.  That's right!  Because of the predicted 6 to 12 inches, maybe more, of snow you had better be ready to ride it out in your house for at least a day maybe even two.  Are you prepared?  Do you have enough food and water?  Do you have a generator ready to power the electronic babysitters in-case the power goes out?  What will we do?  Better make sure you hit up the grocery store and anywhere else you can buy supplies!
I love the predictions.  I've even seen parents telling their kids there will be snow days on Thursday and Friday.  I hope it does snow.  I like the snow, and the good news is now we're getting close enough to spring that it won't stay around forever, and maybe it will give us some much needed water.  So I'm with Mike...bring it on Mother Nature!
I hope you read some sarcasm in the previous paragraph asking if we're prepared to spend a day or two cooped up in the house.  I think the scariest sentence in that paragraph though is what happens if the power goes out?  No TV, no video games, no internet...oh my gosh no Facebook!  The humanity!  Whenever there is a snow storm and you are in your house for more than a day it doesn't take long for cabin fever to kick in.  Even though you really have no where to go it is almost like you've been stuck in that place for two weeks and just need to get out before you go nuts.  And if the electricity goes out, besides the fact it is going to get cold, how are you going to entertain yourself.  You might have to actually interact with your family.  You might have to break out a book and/or play a board game.  Would we survive? 
I think there is a lesson here, and it's not to buy a generator.  The lesson is how all of our stuff keeps us distracted from our families and from God.  We're so busy trying to keep up with whatever is going on in the world through various connections that we neglect the most important connections.  Our connections with God and our family.  What happens if you have a rule in your house no electronic devices during the week, except for work or school necessities?  Would you recognize your family?  Would you know what to do?  Of course I'm exaggerating a little bit, but I think we need to be careful in how distracted and busy we keep ourselves.  It is easy to lose the connection with the Spirit, and even your connection with your family.  During this Lenten season of sacrifice why don't we try to limit our time spent on electronic stuff and focus a little more attention on the Spirit and our own families.  I know it won't be time wasted, and I bet you'll even find you can enjoy each other!  Who's with me?

Boys will be boys

Tracy and Alex have been gone since Thursday, so on Friday I told Isaac he could have a friend stay over.  Oh the joys of listening to and witnessing two boys play.  If they are involved in a competition then they argue over every little thing, and if they are trying to decide what to do next each one is desperately trying to convince the other that their idea is the most fun.  Luckily it didn't come to fistacuffs, and I reminded Isaac that his friend was the guest in our house, which I'm not sure registered.  I was reminded of the times I played with my best friend as I was growing up.  We would almost kill each other over a game of 1 on 1 basketball.  But, as with most boys, and with Isaac and his buddy, when we were done playing it was all in the past and we were bust buds again.  I had to keep reminding myself of my past growing up to keep myself from barging into the room and telling them both to knock it off and get along! 
As I pondered my blog for the week I wondered how often God wants to barge into our world, or our rooms, and just scream at us to get along.  I would assume almost every minute of every day!  I'm not sure why God doesn't make us all get along.  I'm sure the answer to that question is about as easy to answer as to why God allows bad things to happen at all.  But we don't do a good job of getting along as a human race do we?  People starve as we eat pretty much when and what we want.  People go without basic needs for shelter and water while we redecorate our homes and by designer water in stores.  I suppose I could go on but I'm depressing myself.  If we don't like looking at the macro scale of human relations we can look at the micro scale.  Think how easy it is to put someone down, gossip about someone, and feel angry towards someone that we know.  There have been times when all of us have acted like little children when we didn't get our way and probably threw the same tantrums.  Why is it we find it easy to tear down instead of build up?  Why do we insist on our own way and argue like crazy whenever we feel like maybe we didn't get exactly what we think we deserve or earned?  In essence we never stop being kids who want their own way...especially when it comes to how we think we want our lives to go.
This Lenten season I have a challenge for you.  I don't want you to give something up...I want you to take something on.  Think of a friend...think of a family member...think of an enemy...someone you've not been close with for whatever reason and reach out to them.  Say you're wrong if you made a mistake.  Forgive them if they've wronged you.  Reach out to someone who needs to hear from you.  Make an effort to put someone else first for a change and see how rewarding and freeing it can be for you.  So...who's it gonna be? 

Client's Corner

Every month or so I get an email from my financial adviser.  I look forward to reading his emails because he'll forward an article and write some of his own thoughts on the market and investment strategies.  I like reading them because they keep me grounded.  When the market was in free fall a few years ago the articles came more frequently and they always contained data that showed what happened to people who jumped ship and to those that stayed the course in investing.  It's not like I have a ton of money in the market, but I enjoyed, and still enjoy, those articles because they remind me that I am a lifetime investor.  The articles showed the folly of trying to time the market and get in and get out at the right time.  I also enjoy talking to Ryan and going over our retirement plan every so often because it assures me that Tracy and I are taking the right steps now to ensure we can live comfortably in retirement.  We won't be on a private island somewhere, or traveling to exotic locations all the time, but we should be able to keep a roof over our head and some food in the cupboards.  It's good to be reminded once in awhile amongst all the doom and gloom that there is a rhyme and reason to all this and the future is something to look forward to and not dread.
As I was contemplating the last article Ryan sent I thought this would be good advice for life too.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the immediate goings on of the present that we forget the lessons of the past and the promises of God for the future.  Sometimes the rat race keeps us form seeing the forest because of all of the trees.  Wait, did I just mix a metaphor there?  Anyway, my point is we need to be reminded sometimes that there is a bigger picture.  God is in control, and even though life may seem like an out of control freight train sometimes we can be assured that God will never abandon us or forsake us.  We may certainly question sometimes what the world God's plan may be, but we should never doubt the fact that God is walking with us on our journey no matter how bad the present may be.
A good way to be grounded is to read some articles that God has given to us.  And by articles I mean the Bible.  Reading the Bible connects us to what God has done in the past for God's people, and also connects us to what God is doing for us in the present and will do for us in the future.  No matter how many times you've read the Bible something new will stick out, a new message can be taken from it's passages, and God can speak to you again.  Not only does reading the Bible remind us of God's actions and faithfulness in the past, it also gives us a concrete way to connect to God's plan for our lives going forward.  I challenge you to read your Bible for 30 days straight.  If you can commit to 30 days, for 15 minutes a day, I promise you that you will feel connected to God in a whole new way.  Let the Spirit work in your life.  The path may not be easy, but I promise the reminder and belief that no matter the trouble that God is with you will help ease the  burden.  Take the challenge and see if God's investment strategies for the future can give you a guide.

Following directions

I finished two projects on the to do list this past weekend.  I assembled a kitchen cart that our microwave sits on, and I assembled a TV stand.  We sorely needed both, and with my incredible construction knowledge and the eager willingness of two boys to "help" we got them put together.  What I found interesting, besides the terror of a three year old with a hammer, was the difference in directions that came with both.  One set was very detailed, and the other set was basically pictures, letters, and numbers and you were left to your own devices.  So which one do you think was easier to follow?  Actually, they both presented different challenges, and neither one was really easier.
I would have thought that the more detailed directions would make things easier, but sometimes they were too detailed and I found myself skipping over something or not being able to make heads or tails of what they were trying to say.  The directions with pictures, letters, and numbers was a little hard at the start, but once I got the gist of the instructions things went a long smoothly.  A quick aside: as I was assembling the kitchen cart I noticed that they sent me two pairs of right handed hinges and one pair of left handed hinges.  Well, I needed one right and two left.  After a minute, or 10, of using every curse word I could think of...carefully keeping them to myself because little ears were around...I decided to "modify" the hinges.  Yup, I knew better then the directions, and obviously someone messed up the packaging, so I set off to fix it.  Well, after some modifying I took a closer look at the directions and ended up unmodifying the hinges!  I wasn't completely wrong, but I made more work for myself unnecessarily.
Don't we wish life came with a set of directions?  I know I was looking around for the manual when we brought Isaac home for the first time!  If you're like me maybe you think that life would be easier if we had step by step instructions on how to get form here to there.  Well, maybe life could be easier, but do you think we'd follow the instructions carefully enough?  Or would you be like me and find the detailed instructions too easy and find yourself skipping a step or two and ending up starting over again.  Maybe you'd like some general guidelines, but then think you needed to modify somethings in your life because obviously the directions are wrong.  You know what?  We do have a manual for our lives and it is the Bible.  I bet you didn't see that one coming!  The Bible might not be able to spell out for us how we are to act in each and every situation we face.  The Bible might not be able to spell out for us how we raise perfect children, attain the 5 bedroom house and the 3rd car we just drive around in the summer, but the Bible does tell us how we can live a happy and content life.  There is a catch though...You need to read it, and better yet you need to follow the direction the Spirit gives you.  I know, pretty deep thoughts, but if you're searching for direction in your life the Bible is always a good place to turn.  Can you find time to read it?

Assuming the worst

I don't know if any of you are like me or not, but when it comes to an uncertain outcome I usually assume the worst.  Does that sound familiar?  Last Thursday I had my first big exam in my EMT class.  The test consisted of 75 multiple guess questions.  Of course you can eliminate 2 answers fairly easily, and then you have to choose between the 2 remaining answers.  Well, a lot of the time both of the 2 remaining answers were "right", and you had to pick the best answer.  I just love questions that start with: "Choose the best answer."  Ugh!  Needless to say I completed the test and I felt pretty dumb.  Then the instructor says he isn't going to grade them until the next night.  Awesome, now I get a whole day to wonder how I did.
Well, wonder I did.  I didn't sleep good the night after the test because I kept thinking of questions and answers and if I got the answer right.  Then I'd wonder what happens if I fail the test?  Does that mean I'm not supposed to be in the class?  Will everyone laugh at me because I couldn't pass the EMT class?  Will Tracy divorce me because all she's ever wanted in life is to be married to an EMT?  Okay, so that last question never entered my mind, but the other ones did along with a few more.  I immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion.  Why?  I had no real reason to.  I knew I got a couple questions wrong, but other then that I had done everything I could do to prepare for the test.  I could honestly say I could do no more to prepare.  So why did I assume the sky was falling?
I'm pretty good at assuming the worst when it comes to things I do sometimes.  I'm very good at helping others look at the bright side and keep their head up, but when it comes to me and my stuff I still tend to assume the worst.  I could us a radio personality's theory on life: he doesn't want to be an optimist because then when good things happen you aren't happy because you expected it, and when bad things happen you're crushed.  He'd rather go through life as a pessimist because then when bad things happen you expect them and when good things happen you're pleasantly surprised.  Not a real cheerful person do be around I imagine.
When I/we assume the worst outcome I think we're doubting God a little bit.  Sure there are times in our lives when we don't do so good at something, but that doesn't mean the sky is falling does it?  I could give you all kinds of quotes about failing, but I think we all know that the important part is getting back up again.  So instead of assuming the worst outcome I/we need to have a little more faith in ourselves and in God.  No matter the outcome of the class for me God is still going to be at work in my life and life will go on.  And I know that if I put the work in I will do just fine.  Plus, nothing ventured nothing gained right?  So the next time I want to assume the worst I need to remember to look at the big picture and to remember that optimism is always more enjoyable than pessimism.  God isn't finished with me yet...I'm certainly still a work in progress so ups and downs are an expected way of life. 

PS-I did ok on the test if you're wondering

Ugh...now what?

Sometimes I wonder if the week after New Year's is the most depressing week of the entire year.  The build up of the holiday season is done, Christmas and New Years has past, school starts again, and all we have to look forward to is 3 or 4 more months of snow.  Plus, you have to deal with the stress of increased illnesses this time of year, and not getting the Christmas present you wanted!  Ok, so maybe one of those last two are a little silly, but really the Monday after New Years has to be one of the most depressing days of the entire year.
Whoa...did you just read that?  I depressed myself typing it, and I suppose if you look at the year like that you'll be depressed too.  I heard a statistic that made me chuckle on TV.  And, if it is on TV then you know it is true.  40% of adults make a New Year's resolution...8% keep that resolution.  What's worse...that only 40% of adults make a resolution to do something better, which might mean 60% of adults have given up on doing anything better, or that only 8% follow through with the resolution?  I'm one who doesn't make New Year's resolutions, and I haven't given up on trying to make myself better.  I've just found that resolutions are only going to work when I decide to commit the will power into making them work.
Now that I've completely bummed you out to start the year I want to say there is something refreshing about throwing that old calendar away and starting a new one.  You have an entire year in front of you in which you can start fresh if you want, and throwing that old calendar away helps you put the past behind you.  See, New Years isn't all bad.  I think we need a little New Years in our spiritual life too.  We need to be able to let go of past failures and hurts and start anew.  Just like tossing out that old calendar and looking at a new calendar just waiting to be filled.
The good news for us is that Jesus forgets our past mistakes when we ask for forgiveness.  We are the ones who continually hold on to them and can't let go.  Once we've confessed a sin it is forgotten, and we'd do good to remember that some more.  We can have a fresh start.  We can begin to reshape our lives and change our lives with the help of the Spirit.  We just need to be willing to turn that page on our lives and look forward to the life we have ahead of us.  A life that may not be perfect, but a life full of opportunities to live out the love, grace, and forgiveness that Jesus offers to all of us.  So, maybe one New Year's resolution could be to let go of the past and let Jesus help you with the present and future.  I think that one has a much better chance then 8% of succeeding!

Truly Incomprehensible

I suppose that most of you, like me, are tired of seeing all the coverage of the tragedy in Newtown.  I can't comprehend what anyone that is connected to that community and that school is going through.  I don't want this blog to pile on concerning that incident, but I do want to respond to some things I've heard. 

First continued thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the events on last Friday.  I'm not interested in getting into a debate about gun control and our gun culture.  That's something to be had at a later time.  I will acknowledge that our nation does need to be a lot better about how we handle mental illness, but that topic isn't for this blog.  What I want to talk a little bit about is how I see God working through all of this.

I've read a number of posts on Facebook and heard some commentators talk about how this is what we, and by we I mean the United States, get by taking God out of the schools and taking God out of our culture.  Frankly that idea offends me.  To think that God allowed this to happen, or even caused this to happen to show us as nation we've erred is horrifying to me.  To think that God abandoned these kids and this community because we as a culture have abandoned God in some ways doesn't hold water with me.  We can have a discussion about the consequences of pushing God further and further from our lives, and there are consequences to that, but I do not believe this incident is God trying to get our attention.

I firmly believe God was at Sandy Hook elementary that day.  God is everywhere, and God has promised to never leave us or abandon us.  News flash...the world is broken...breaking news...the world has always been broken.  Since the beginning of time God has chosen to work with us through this mess we call life.  God has allowed us free will, and has chosen to work within that free will to try and make this world as good as it can be.  I do not know, or understand, why God allows free choice.  I do not know why God allows such atrocities to happen since I believe God has the power to stop them.  Sometimes bad things happen because we, and by we I mean us personally and us as a society, make bad choices.  And sometimes bad things happen for no reason.  I think it is a mistake to try and make sense out of the senseless.  Sure there might be reasons for why this happened, and we should investigate what can be done to stop this from happening again.  But, God did not abandon those kids and teachers at that school.  I cannot and will not believe that.  I believe that God has a plan for this world and for each of us.  I believe it is our job, if you will, to try and follow that plan as best we are able.  When horrible events happen I lean on my faith.  That faith reminds me that God is always there, that God is in control (even if I don't understand why or see how), and that God will walk with us through it all.