CANS

This morning as I was sitting in my bosses office, I looked out the window and saw a homeless person crossing the street carrying two large bags of cans. I told my boss that I would be right back, ran to the office kitchen where we have a can recycling bin and took off out the door with the cans. I caught up with the guy at the next block. As I approached I hollered for him to stop. He cautiously turned around and I said, "Hey you collecting cans?" He replied that he was and I said I had a big bag here and would he like them....that is when he began to smile, as big of a smile as I have ever seen. He asked me "has anyone wished you a merry Christmas?" and I said not yet and his smile got even bigger and he said "let me be the first, Merry Christmas!" I handed him the bag, wished him a Merry Christmas and we went our separate ways.

I get emotional even thinking about it now. What two different worlds that we live in. It was not a big deal for me to give him the cans and yet he was so grateful. I'm not sure if he was grateful for the cans or for the fact that someone took the time to acknowledge his existence. I have SO MUCH and so often I fail to acknowledge it and thank God. It does not make me a better person because I gave away some cans, but I hope that my encounter with this man will make me a better person, more thankful, more patient, more tolerant.

In Him,

David

Something about the Holidays

There is something about the holidays that makes you feel special. You look forward to time with the family. You think about home. There are the smells, the traditions the time together that make the holidays special. We spent Thanksgiving with Janelle's sister and her family in Florida and stopped in Georgia for a brief visit with one of her uncles and her grandmother. Family. We will go to East Tennessee for Christmas where my mother and my brother and his family live. Again family. I look forward to going home, spending time with family, spending time with people who love me.

I also have a similar feeling when I "attend Church". I have a feeling of being home, being with people who love me, being with family. It may be a bit of a stretch but every Sunday should be a holiday...because we share in a special time with family. What about you, do you feel at home when you are with your brothers and sisters? Is the Church a place where you feel loved? Do you worship with family? I hope so! I don't want to seem preachy or like I have it all together; I don't always get that feeling and that makes me sad...but I try. Won't it be cool when we get to heaven and have a big family reunion and every day will be a holiday?

In Him,

David

Tough Getting Back

This Thanksgiving was full of firsts, we went to Jacksonville where Janelle's oldest sister lives to spend Thanksgiving with her family. So this was the first Thanksgiving at Tammy's, the first spent in Florida, Jacob's first trip to the beach and my first trip to St. Augustine.

We spent Friday combing the mall and lifestyle centers for Christmas bargains. Since I met Janelle I have done black Friday shopping in Delaware, Gulfport, Maryville, Knoxville, and now Jacksonville, FL.; for a guy who hates shopping, that's a lot of different places to shop. I do enjoy getting a good bargain, so I cannot complain to loudly.

It is kind of hard to get back in the swing of things today. On Saturday is was in shirt sleeves, dining on a patio in St. Augustine, enjoying near 80 degree weather; today it is cold and wet and yucky. Isn't that true about life? One moment everything is sunny and fun then in the blink of an eye everything can seem yucky. The yucky of today though makes me appreciate the beauty of Saturday even more. Sun, sand and time with my family. Enjoy the day.

In Him,

David

Seasons

Spring is my favorite season of all. I love when the flowers bloom, the red bud trees and the dogwoods splash us with color. I love fall with all the colors. Even driving to work today with a gray sky I could look at the trees and see oranges, yellows, browns and reds in all different hues. Even in death there is a beauty. There is a promise of life again in the spring. A promise of hope and renewal after a long winter of rest.

I was privileged to be at the church building yesterday at 5:00 to see Jian be baptized. A person of science who did not believe in God now confessing that Jesus is his Son. Walt's sermon reminded me that while I live in a microwave society, there is still a need for sowing, growing, watering and then a harvest. Praise God and Happy Thanksgiving.

In Him,

David

Birthday Balloons

Yesterday the boys went to a birthday party for a friend who was turning 1. When they left, Christopher was given two balloons filled with helium. They were pretty and fun to play with. When he got up from his nap the first thing he asked was "where the balloons daddy?" Of course, when we got up this morning the balloons would no longer float and weren't fun to play with nor were they as pretty since they started to shrink so we threw them away.

Satan puts party balloons in our lives all the time. He says "look at this, see how pretty they are, think how much fun they would be, who would it hurt if nobody found out about it." And just like those balloons, those temptations soon become not so pretty, not so fun and we wish we had just thrown them away. What started out with so much promise in pleasure ends with hurt and disappointment.

I have to remember that what I have is so much better than a few party balloons.

In Him,

David

In-law update

It is unique having in-laws living halfway around the world and behind the ??? rice curtain??? We tried to set up a blog site for them but their access there has now been blocked to that site. We have to be careful what we say on the phone. But their work there is bearing fruit. They have had 50 new members join the team. I have not had 50 people that I have taught in my lifetime and the work there has seen 50 since the end of August. It proves that God is still in charge and he can move in the lives of men no matter what geographical borders are set up.

They said it is cold and rainy there now and most of the public buildings, including all of their classrooms, do not have heat. Here we get upset if the thermostat at the office or in the auditorium are set too high or too low....not a problem there. If its cold outside you bundle up inside. Another difference, they are getting custom draperies made for each window at less than $20 per window. A package was sent to them in mid-October and still has not arrived. The more updates that we hear from them, the more I know that I need to pause and thank God on how he has truly blessed us.

In Him,

David

Could we have saved them?

Man, with the passing today of Mike Matheny, Joey Jones back in August, a few years back of Mary Morris and even further back with my dad the question comes to mind "what more could we have done to save them?" In my selfish, human mind I want to keep friends and loved ones around as long as possible. I want people to pour millions of dollars into cancer research so others don't have to go through what they went through, so that other lives can be saved. In reality, all 4 were saved and it had nothing to do with cancer research or dollars spent... it had everything to do with the lives that they lived and the one life sacrificed so that we all might truly live. Instead of dwelling on this loss, which the apostle Paul would call gain... I need to focus on those that truly need saving. Those without Christ. Those in the daily battle to maintain their faith. On me, my family and my faith. We are all the ones that need more done...for we have not finished our race. Let the angels stand up and rejoice for Mike, Mary, dad and countless others and we can all say "well done, well done."

What do you know?

Let me start by saying I am not a doctor, I have never studied medicine and I did not sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Most of my adult life I have been told not to eat eggs as they are not good for you. If you are going to eat eggs then eat either Egg Beaters or just egg whites. Now according to Liz Applegate Ph.D., author of The Encyclopedia of Sports and Fitness Nutrition those claims are being debunked. Much of the best stuff is in the yolk- the part missing when you eat Egg Beaters or just egg whites. Eggs supply micronutrients such as choline, which is essential for healthy brain and central nervous system functioning and zeaxanthin and lutein, coratenoids that protect your eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration. They also boost vitamin K, which helps build str0ng bones, guards against cell damage and encourages healthy blood clotting.

So while people were telling me to engage in a behavior that they said was "good for me" and would "help me live longer" they were actually unknowingly keeping things from me that were good for me. Hmmmm. They weren't doing this to be malicious or mean, they were doing it in good consciousness for my benefit. Turns out though that they may have been wrong.

I wonder if I have ever "corrected" someone or asked them to cease an activity that was "harmful to them" when in fact my opinion of that activity was in error? I wonder how many things I have avoided because of "danger" when in fact they could have promoted my growth? I'm not advocating change of any type, instead I am advocating studying what we "know" and make certain that what we "know" is in fact TRUTH. Guess that puts the responsibility squarely on me to study... as soon as I finish my eggs.

In Him,

David

Observations from Shenandoah

One of my favorite movies is the 1965 version of Shenandoah starring Jimmy Stewart. There are several memorable scenes in this movie but one I recollect best is when Lt. Sam (Doug McClure) is talking to Mr. Anderson (Jimmy Stewart) about marrying his daughter. Anderson asks Sam if he likes Jennie and is answered with "Yes sir, I love her." which leads us to this discussion:

Charlie Anderson: Do you like her?
Lt. Sam: Well, I just said I...
Charlie Anderson: No, no. You just said you loved her. There's some difference between lovin' and likin'. When I married Jennie's mother, I-I didn't love her - I liked her... I liked her a lot. I liked Martha for at least three years after we were married and then one day it just dawned on me I loved her. I still do... still do. You see, Sam, when you love a woman without likin' her, the night can be long and cold, and contempt comes up with the sun.

I am so thankful that I have people in my life who like me and love me. I know how flawed I am and am grateful that these people choose to look past my flaws. I am even more grateful that I have a Savior who loves me even when I was unloveable, covered in my sin.

I'll leave you with a little more Shenandoah wisdom:

Charlie Anderson: It's no easy job, Sam, to take care of a woman.
Lt. Sam: No, sir.
Charlie Anderson: They expect things they never ask for. And when they don't get them, they ask you why. Sometimes they don't ask... and just go ahead and punish you for not doing something you didn't know you were supposed to do in the first place.
----------------------------

Charlie Anderson: If we don't try we don't do. And if we don't do, what are we on this Earth for?

In Him,

David

Everyone that Labors

In Matthew 11 Jesus says: 28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." We are given this promise and still it seems hard at times to be a Christian. We talk about "working hard for Jesus" and "bearing our cross" and yet we want an easy Christianity. We want a loving savior who allows no harm, no pain, no suffering. We hear people say "if God is a loving God, why would he allow this to happen?"

I think many "churches" are guilty of teaching what I call the true Voodoo Economics. They say if you contribute regularly, pray regularly, do as you should that God is going to reward you economically far more than you can imagine. Logic would dictate that the counter to that would be that if you suffer you must be doing something wrong.....hmmmm isn't that exactly what Job's friends told him? I believe the apostles gave far more than I ever have in service and probably of their economic blessings and still they were persecuted and executed.

I'm not discounting the pain that we feel in this life. I know, I questioned God as to why my father died when so many faithful people were praying for him. I questioned why our congregation had to experience so much loss this summer. I constantly worry about the health and safety of my family. When the pain starts to subside and I wipe the tears from my eyes, there is God with his arms outstretched, loving me.

At times its hard for me to see now but the promise that I have, the reward that I will be given is far superior to any labor that I might have to endure in this life. I believe the promise of Mt. 11. I believe that viewed from the other side, what I went through here will be seen as very easy.

In Him,

David

Monday's Storm

Monday night we had a series of storms blow through Nashville. Our house is located in the center of the path where the weather service was noting upper air rotation and calling for tornado warnings. The storm woke Christopher up from a late nap and he asked me "Daddy, what's wrong with the house?" I told him the house was okay, that there was a big storm outside. We ended up spending about 15 minutes huddled in the bathroom as a family and about 2 and 1/2 hours without electricity. That's the thing about storms, they can cause damage. They can reveal unseen flaws and disease. A tree that is weak or dying can be toppled or broken in a storm. We had a tree that came down last year in a storm, it looked perfectly healthy with lots of green leaves but once it was down you could see the decay and rot in the center. We hear lots of news reports about the damage created by the storms and may fail to recognize how much went undamaged. More trees survived than were toppled. All those leaves that I was going to have to rake in the upcoming days.....many of them are a 1/2 mile or more away by now. :-) The point is, we all encounter storms in life, how we respond to the storms can be very revealing. Do we break like the tree with decay in the middle, are we a healthy tree that gets toppled over or do we stand strong?

In Him,

David

Orientation

I like Google Maps especially when you toggle between the map and the satellite image. You can find the general area that you are looking for in map mode and then see all the buildings from a satellite image. I was playing around with Google Maps today looking at my old house in Gulfport and noticed blue tarps on many of the roofs. Obviously this satellite photo is post-Katrina so I decided to look at some friends homes in the area as well. One of these homes that I know very well and have visited often looked much different from above. Actually my perception of what part of the house faced north was off by 90%. When you are looking at a pond that you thought was on the east side and find that it is actually south of the house, it can be somewhat confusing while trying to orient yourself to the satellite image. I wonder how many other things there are in my life that I think I "know" the answer to when in fact if I looked at it from a different angle I could see how wrong my assumptions are.

In Him,

David

a cup of water

I was sitting in the office when from out of the blue came the words "just a cup of water". What a weird thing to think about. For me, giving someone a cup of water is as easy as turning on the tap but to think that to do so could get me a reward, that's amazing. Look at Mark 9:41 (I know, I'm taking it out of context) but go along with me please, "I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward." So often I look for the BIG things to do and Christ keeps reminding me that the small, simple things that we think are not significant ARE important. It's not the size of the service, its the fact that I am willing to serve. Water anyone?

In Him,

David

Home

Where is home? You ask me and it is in Maryville, TN. I moved away from Maryville in 1994 but I still consider that home. When I lived on the Gulf Coast, home was East Tennessee. I have a wife and family here in Nashville but home is still East Tennessee. I know, I know, my home is where my family is; which is Nashville but I get a feeling of home back in East Tennessee.

I am a person who loves to travel but Janelle can tell you, I need to get back to the mountains every so often to renew myself. In East Tennessee I feel myself, I feel my roots, I feel the hand of God as he sculpted this beautiful landscape that I so enjoy and it gives me peace.

So my home is in Nashville but my "home" is in Maryville. It's weird being a person torn between two homes. I love my life here in Nashville, my family, my friends, my Church family and I don't want to give any of it up but I also long to be back at home in the mountains of East Tennessee. Isn't that the reality for all of us? We are all a people torn between to homes. We love our life here and don't want to give any of it up but we also anticipate and long for our home in heaven. For now I will be happy at home here but I can't wait to go "home".

In Him,

David

Am I judgemental

In my last post I wrote that I am not my job but how often do we judge the person by what they do? When we first meet someone usually within the first 30 seconds of the conversation we will ask them "so, what do you do?" We form an opinion of that person based on that answer. We think we know something about their intellect, financial status, etc based on their occupation. "You're a doctor? Wow!""You dig graves for a living? I need to go call the sitter and check on the kids." How can I be so hypocritical to say that I am not my job and yet base my opinion of someone on what they do?

Sam Walton used to go to town in a beat-up old pick-up truck and wearing overalls. Here was one of the richest men in America dressing like a common man. How often do I judge a person by what they wear? How often do I judge them by how they look? If you are overweight people think you are lazy. If you are taller than most, they are inclined to think you possess leadership qualities.

We are judged by the size of our house, how neat the house is, what car we drive, where our kids go to school.......... No wonder we have depression in this country! Who can keep up? Maybe its time I got out of the business of judging and got to the business of loving. If I begin to show unconditional love to everyone I meet then people will begin to see not me, but Christ. I've got a lot of internal house cleaning to do!

Maybe I should begin to answer the question "what do you do?" with something like "I love God, I try to follow his commands. I love my wife and kids and am attempting to be a better example every day." If I start with that then it won't really matter what the occupation of the other person is.

"Father, give me the eyes to see people, not as I have always looked at them but the way that you see them. Help me to value them as you value them."

In Him,

David