I read an interesting article the other day titled, "An Apology from a Remorseful Atheist to the Baby Jesus." Basically, the guy was ranting about how much he hates religion, specifically Christianity, but that he's sorry for everything he'd every said bad about Jesus. Because really, according to this guy, Jesus wasn't a bad dude. It's the people who follow Jesus that he had a problem with. You know, Christians.
It got me thinking. In today's world, faith isn't a problem. People want to have faith in something. In fact, I would argue that most people would say faith is necessary to survive. And it's certainly necessary to live.
Faith isn't the problem. Religion is. Or rather, the stigma that comes with religion because of years of abuse, misuse and misunderstanding. I have people very close to me who are turned off because of religion, not because of faith.
But think about this for a while. Your faith isn't a stumbling block to anyone coming to Christ. But how often do you look at someone who doesn't have your faith and think, "I don't want to alienate so-and-so by talking about my faith"? When in reality, your faith may be the one thing that attracts them.
Don't be afraid to talk about Jesus, the Church, God or any other aspect of your faith under the guise of not wanting to turn someone off. Instead, use your faith in Christ and your love for his Church to blow the doors off of the stereotypes and show people that being a Christian isn't about following a religion. It's about having a relationship with the true Savior of the world.
2/28/09
Some Things are Worth the Fight
Last night I planned on surprising Carissa with a date. I had arranged for babysitters, thought about what to do, changed plans at the last second and bought tickets to the symphony. I thought it would be a great way to end the week - relaxing, new, fun.
Carissa knew we had a date. She just didn't know what we were doing. All I told her was to dress up a bit. The babysitters would be here at 6, which would leave plenty of time to get something to eat and then find our seats before down beat (not sure that's what they call it in the symphony, but anyway...)
6:15 p.m. The phone rings. The babysitters were in a car wreck. My first thought, "Oh no! Are they ok?" Answer: yes. Whew.
Now my second thought, "Crap! How in the world are we going to find someone to watch the kids? We have to leave NOW if we're going to be on time!" (By the way, my pet peave is being late.)
So we start the frantic cell phone calls. Each call led to more and more stress on my part. Out of town. Sick kid. Not home. Voice mail. AHHH!
Then, the saviors. I love you, Nick and Alecia. They were willing (and able) to watch the boys. The only problem is, now it's 6:30 and they live 25 minutes away. But we thought, let's try it anyway. So we hop in the truck and head out.
Now, at some point in the drive, I'm literally thinking, "This isn't worth it. Besides, there's no way we'll make it!" (Oh, and at this point Carissa still doesn't know what we're doing.)
Yet, we still drive. And the longer we drive, the more stressed I'm getting. But I'm doing my very best to just shut my mouth, because I don't want to make this evening any worse than it is apparently becoming. Then I think, "Maybe I can call Will Call and have the tickets transferred to tomorrow night." No dice. No refunds. No transfers. Grrrr!
Then I tell Carissa what we're doing. But I also say, "It's not worth it. We aren't going to make it anyway," to which she responds, in the perfect pitch, tone and tenor that only my bride can have, "Andy, let's try anyway. Because I really want to do this."
It completely changed my perspective on the whole situation. And now, as I look back at last night and hear her in my mind again, I think, "Maybe some things are worth the fight." Because to make a long story...well, too late. But we made it. And by the time we actually found our seats, we had only missed part of the first number. Sure we were a little late. But we had a great time. Relaxing, enjoyable, new.
Whatever you are facing, remember something. You may just have to gain the right perspective. Step back from the emotion of the ordeal. And see that in the end, while you may miss a little bit of the first number, overall, some things are worth the fight.
Carissa knew we had a date. She just didn't know what we were doing. All I told her was to dress up a bit. The babysitters would be here at 6, which would leave plenty of time to get something to eat and then find our seats before down beat (not sure that's what they call it in the symphony, but anyway...)
6:15 p.m. The phone rings. The babysitters were in a car wreck. My first thought, "Oh no! Are they ok?" Answer: yes. Whew.
Now my second thought, "Crap! How in the world are we going to find someone to watch the kids? We have to leave NOW if we're going to be on time!" (By the way, my pet peave is being late.)
So we start the frantic cell phone calls. Each call led to more and more stress on my part. Out of town. Sick kid. Not home. Voice mail. AHHH!
Then, the saviors. I love you, Nick and Alecia. They were willing (and able) to watch the boys. The only problem is, now it's 6:30 and they live 25 minutes away. But we thought, let's try it anyway. So we hop in the truck and head out.
Now, at some point in the drive, I'm literally thinking, "This isn't worth it. Besides, there's no way we'll make it!" (Oh, and at this point Carissa still doesn't know what we're doing.)
Yet, we still drive. And the longer we drive, the more stressed I'm getting. But I'm doing my very best to just shut my mouth, because I don't want to make this evening any worse than it is apparently becoming. Then I think, "Maybe I can call Will Call and have the tickets transferred to tomorrow night." No dice. No refunds. No transfers. Grrrr!
Then I tell Carissa what we're doing. But I also say, "It's not worth it. We aren't going to make it anyway," to which she responds, in the perfect pitch, tone and tenor that only my bride can have, "Andy, let's try anyway. Because I really want to do this."
It completely changed my perspective on the whole situation. And now, as I look back at last night and hear her in my mind again, I think, "Maybe some things are worth the fight." Because to make a long story...well, too late. But we made it. And by the time we actually found our seats, we had only missed part of the first number. Sure we were a little late. But we had a great time. Relaxing, enjoyable, new.
Whatever you are facing, remember something. You may just have to gain the right perspective. Step back from the emotion of the ordeal. And see that in the end, while you may miss a little bit of the first number, overall, some things are worth the fight.
2/24/09
Parker's Lists
Conversation around the dinner table at our house can follow any number of paths. It can range from what happened at school that day to how hot the sun is to how bad the dog smells. Tonight's topic? Parker's "weeee list."
Now, I know what you're already thinking. And no. This isn't a list about the most exciting places to go #1. Although with two boys, God knows we have plenty of those conversations.
No, this is a list of names. More specifically, it's a list of Parker's "worst enemy enemy enemy enemies".
Every boy, I guess, has a list of enemies. I had one, though I never articulated it. Parker's list isn't long. In fact, there are only four names on it. But it's well thought out. If you ask him, he has very specific reasons for having these names on the list.
Three of the names don't really surprise me (although two are essentially the same person). The fourth name, however, caught me off guard. It's a name that many of you won't know. But if you do know her, you'll think, "What?!" just like I did. But again, if you ask him, there's a reason she made it onto the list. Apparently there was an incident on the playground.
So here they are. According to Parker, his "worst enemy enemy enemy enemies" are (in order):
1) The Devil
2) Satan
3) Gavin
4) Teagan
Now, if you are the parents of any of these people, I would like to point out that we did talk about God's command for us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (or kick at us on the playground). So hopefully, one day, the bottom two can move from the "weeee" list to the "f" "bf" or "bff" list. And yes, he has those all worked out in his mind too.
Now, I know what you're already thinking. And no. This isn't a list about the most exciting places to go #1. Although with two boys, God knows we have plenty of those conversations.
No, this is a list of names. More specifically, it's a list of Parker's "worst enemy enemy enemy enemies".
Every boy, I guess, has a list of enemies. I had one, though I never articulated it. Parker's list isn't long. In fact, there are only four names on it. But it's well thought out. If you ask him, he has very specific reasons for having these names on the list.
Three of the names don't really surprise me (although two are essentially the same person). The fourth name, however, caught me off guard. It's a name that many of you won't know. But if you do know her, you'll think, "What?!" just like I did. But again, if you ask him, there's a reason she made it onto the list. Apparently there was an incident on the playground.
So here they are. According to Parker, his "worst enemy enemy enemy enemies" are (in order):
1) The Devil
2) Satan
3) Gavin
4) Teagan
Now, if you are the parents of any of these people, I would like to point out that we did talk about God's command for us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (or kick at us on the playground). So hopefully, one day, the bottom two can move from the "weeee" list to the "f" "bf" or "bff" list. And yes, he has those all worked out in his mind too.
2/21/09
Ghetto Phones
We have two landline phones in our house. One in the kitchen; one in our bedroom. And they used to both work. Emphasis on 'used to'. Now, the one in the kitchen can't dial out. If someone calls in; if the connection already exists, that's a different story. The other one (the phone in the bedroom) dials out, but you can't hear anything. Oh you can talk to the other person; but you can't hear them talking to you.
So if you actually want to make a phone call and talk to the person on the other end, you have to dial with the bedroom phone and then run to the kitchen phone. See? Ghetto phones.
It got me thinking. So often, that's a picture of my relationship with God. There are two kinds of "phone calls" I will have with him. And sadly, rather than using a fully functioning phone, I'll use one of my two ghetto phones.
When life is going great, I'll use the kitchen phone. It's like I don't even need to dial. The connection is already there. I simply pick it up and start having a conversation. And man, it would be so easy if all of life was this way. Just have God on stand by waiting to telling us clearly what we need to hear.
But it doesn't always work that way. There are times when I have to call him up. It's part of having relationship. It's true with God, just like it's true with people. I can't always expect someone to call me. As they say, the phone works two ways (if it's not ghetto).
With God, I'll come to a point where I know I need to call him. So I'll walk to the bedroom, pick up the phone and dial. But then, I'll just start talking. And I get so busy talking and telling him what I think he needs to hear that I can't hear what he is saying back to me.
But then I remember something like the passage my pastor preached on just a few weeks ago. 1 Kings 19:10-12. Go read it. Basically, this is a fully functioning phone. Elijah had just gone off, telling God all of his "problems." And then, God spoke back. And Elijah must have had to take a breath or something, because he actually heard what God said.
You see, if I'm going to make it through life, I can't rely on a ghetto phone. I do that too often. Yes, there are times that I can unleash all my frustration and emotion on God. But there comes a point where I have to shut up and listen. Because so often God will be in that still small voice, telling me about his plan, his love, his forgiveness. And only by having a fully functioning phone, a fully functioning relationship with him, will I be able to actually hear him.
So if you actually want to make a phone call and talk to the person on the other end, you have to dial with the bedroom phone and then run to the kitchen phone. See? Ghetto phones.
It got me thinking. So often, that's a picture of my relationship with God. There are two kinds of "phone calls" I will have with him. And sadly, rather than using a fully functioning phone, I'll use one of my two ghetto phones.
When life is going great, I'll use the kitchen phone. It's like I don't even need to dial. The connection is already there. I simply pick it up and start having a conversation. And man, it would be so easy if all of life was this way. Just have God on stand by waiting to telling us clearly what we need to hear.
But it doesn't always work that way. There are times when I have to call him up. It's part of having relationship. It's true with God, just like it's true with people. I can't always expect someone to call me. As they say, the phone works two ways (if it's not ghetto).
With God, I'll come to a point where I know I need to call him. So I'll walk to the bedroom, pick up the phone and dial. But then, I'll just start talking. And I get so busy talking and telling him what I think he needs to hear that I can't hear what he is saying back to me.
But then I remember something like the passage my pastor preached on just a few weeks ago. 1 Kings 19:10-12. Go read it. Basically, this is a fully functioning phone. Elijah had just gone off, telling God all of his "problems." And then, God spoke back. And Elijah must have had to take a breath or something, because he actually heard what God said.
You see, if I'm going to make it through life, I can't rely on a ghetto phone. I do that too often. Yes, there are times that I can unleash all my frustration and emotion on God. But there comes a point where I have to shut up and listen. Because so often God will be in that still small voice, telling me about his plan, his love, his forgiveness. And only by having a fully functioning phone, a fully functioning relationship with him, will I be able to actually hear him.
2/14/09
New Site; Same Blog
I'm moving my blog from wordpress to blogspot. Why? Several reasons. Ease. Reliability. Maybe I like the colors more here. Whatever the reason, this is going to be the new one. So I hope you follow me here and continue to pick up what I put down.
If not, and you check in on the old one, you'll probably get pretty bored reading the same post over and over. But if you're into that sort of thing...
If not, and you check in on the old one, you'll probably get pretty bored reading the same post over and over. But if you're into that sort of thing...
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