Janelle's Job

As I have mentioned in posts past, Janelle is working a few evenings as a tax preparer. As such, she does not represent the IRS or a bank's interest, she is there to serve her clients. It is not her job to question the validity of the client's claims (unless it is totally ridiculous like supporting a family of 5 with only $1,000 in income for the year). She is there to listen to what they tell her, what they have signed and sworn to be true, and to record that information properly for them. She is neither judge nor jury, she is there to help. How often in life do we appoint ourselves as both judge and jury when all we have really been asked to do is listen and to help? I need to work harder at listening. Still struggling.

In Him,

David

Storms

Last night storms came rolling through Music City USA. It was a fast moving system with lots of wind associated with it. It knocked out power in some areas, blew some tractor trailer trucks over, moved some large commercial air conditioner units on some buildings and blew some dumpsters around. After the storm passed through we still had high winds for the next 3 hours. Life can be like that too, a powerful storm passes through wreaking havoc and then we expect the "calm after the storm" but the calm does not come, instead we continue to get blown around. I want God to take away the storms but we are not promised that, we are promised peace - comfort. Even while the storm is raging the master over the storm is holding my hand.

In Him,

David

Raising Boys

Janelle is working part-time during tax season as a tax preparer, leaving me to take care of the boys on many evenings and on weekends. I love spending time with the boys and had a great time with them this weekend. The thing with Christopher is finding the balance, discipline without breaking spirits. I don't think I have ever come close to doing that, but I often remind myself to discipline without breaking his spirit. He's two and he likes to run and push and jump and wrestle which are all natural activities for a young boy to do. I just need to guide him towards when it is appropriate and when it is not. Twice this weekend he played with older boys, lots of running and lots of pushing, which is great because he held his own. The bad part was he was playing where lots of other children were playing and he would get excited and could not distinguish between who was playing his game and who was not. We'll keep working on that. The best part about all that running and jumping was that he went to bed well on Friday and on Saturday and took a 2 and 1/2 hour nap on Sunday. That gave Jacob and me over an hour on Sunday for just the two of us to play....big fun.

We are having a warm snap so the boys are able to go out and play some. We had a great time int the backyard yesterday for about an hour, till we had to go in and eat and get ready for church. Christopher went up on the stage for the first time last night and sang with the other children. I was told he behaved very well, which of course makes me proud. I missed it as I was donating blood in the Family Life Center. It did not take me long to donate but while I was there 2 people passed out (one guy twice) and for the Red Cross people it was all hands on deck tending to them....leaving the rest of us stuck on the tables for quite some time. No matter, it was for a good cause.

Have a great week,

David

Thanks Lamar

What is the opposite of holy?





Think about it............




If you say unholy then you are just where I was 24 hours ago, till a class on Leviticus last night. I think unholy, I think Satan, evil and all that stuff but lets ask the question again, "what is the opposite of holy?" Look what God says to Aaron and the priests in Leviticus 10: 10 "You must distinguish between the holy and the common". That was a wow moment for me. The opposite of holy is common.

How many times have I tried to fit in, not cause a stir or blatantly exhibit my Christianity? How many times have I been satisfied in being common? 6 times in the New Testament we are called to be a holy people and yet I still try to be common. I can fit in and common myself straight to the firey pit if I am not careful. I think this is Satan's most powerful deception yet. I must choose to be uncommon, I must choose to be Holy.

In Him,

David

Sick

Okay, I am sitting around feeling kind of sorry for myself because Sunday I spent over 12 hours throwing up. (What a way to start a blog). But really, I felt bad all day Monday, went to work Tuesday and wake up this morning sick again. Poor me. Then I get an e-mail from a friend about a message that I should listen to. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Rick & Bubba radio show, but one of the hosts, Rick Burgess lost his 2 year old son this weekend while he was speaking at a youth rally in Pigeon Forge. Below is a link to the message he gave during his son's funeral service. I pray to God that he will give me such a faith.

http://216.69.161.56/audio/BronnerMemorial-RicksMsg.mp3

If the link does not work, go to www.rickandbubba.com and listen to "A Father's Heart".

Anything else I might say would be meaningless in light of this powerful message.

In Him,

David


The video is now on You Tube
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PUHUZWyFeg
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7aNDixS2J0
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUT8Bk6Ou90

What am I doing here?

Have you ever asked yourself the question above? I think we all have or one similar such as, "is this all there is?", "how did I end up here?", "how did I get stuck here?", or "why doesn't God help me find a better job?" I wish I knew the answer but I don't. I know he loved the poor woman who gave her last coin as much as he loved David who was a king and composed those amazing songs to God.

I don't think it matters to God what job we do just that we do it to his glory. God wants us to be happy, but I think we confuse that happiness to mean that we have everything we want instead of its true meaning of knowing that whatever happens to me, God is in control. Its hard to let go and let God be in control. It is hard at times getting up and going to a job that you don't like or live in a place that you don't like. I don't have an answer for that as I struggle with these questions at times myself. I do know that I have a God who loves me and a God who knew I would sin but had a plan to redeem me before he even created the universe. I have a savior who formed the earth and shaped the hill that he would one day have to die on, but did it because he loved me. I have a wife and kids who love me and support me and all of these give me peace.

Where do you find peace/comfort? Do you have a special place that you like to go in times like these?

In Him,

David

Neighbors

What ever happened to neighbors? (sounding like Andy Rooney) When I was growing up I can remember Naitha, Margie and Shirley who all lived on our street just popping in to visit. They would drink coffee with mom while my brother and I would played with their kids. It was fun. There was also Juanita, Helen, Judy and others who lived across town who were often at our house or we at theirs. None of these people went to church with us, they were just friends/neighbors.

Sharon Black lived across the street from us and we were a two person welcoming committee to anyone who moved onto our street. We visited every house and knew everyone. With neighbors like this you could not get into much mischief without your parents learning about it, often before we even got home. None of these people went to church where we did, the were simply neighbors.

We don't get much of that anymore. Now we have to form neighborhood watch groups because nobody knows their neighbors. We come home, turn on the tv, eat dinner, check the e-mail, watch a movie and go to bed and it is tearing away the fabric of our society. People don't trust others like they used to. People are quicker to sue each other, I think in part because there are no consequences....there are no bridges to be burnt because they were never built. Kids can't play outside like they used to. When I was a child, the whole neighborhood looked after each others children. Now parents are afraid to let their children out of their sight.

My circle of friends here revolve around my spiritual family and people that I work with. If you are not in one of those two groups and we are friends, it is probably because our lives did intersect at somepoint due to one of those two groups. My question is, if we are to be light in the world, wouldn't it be smart to begin with our neighbors?

In Him,

David

God Tube

I was getting ready for work this morning and flipped on the tv so that I could see the local weather report. On the CBS Morning show they were doing an interview with the creator of the website God Tube. I whole heartedly support a video site where we don't have to worry about kids running across adult themed videos or links to adult sites. With that said, while he had a very positive interview, what he said near the end troubled me. I wrote it down so that I would not misquote him. The founder of God Tube said this, "instead of going to church, a person can go online. Its Christianity on demand."

"Christianity on demand", it seems that we all want a God on demand, where we want him, when we want him, doing what we want him to do. "Instead of going to church a person can go online", isn't that the problem today? People want to find love behind the anonymity of a computer screen. Rather than face to face interaction they blog, text, IM and e-mail. Now, rather than go to church, we can go to the web..... electronic fellowship?

I'm sorry, I need to meet God on his terms not mine. I need the fellowship I get when meeting with fellow Christians. I need the discussion and teaching when we open the book together. I need to get out of my house at times and go in search of God. I need to meet him in prayer, in study, in fellowhip and at times online but I do not need to substitute the online experience for other ways of experiencing God.

I hope to see you tonight at the fellowship dinner and at the study hour.

In Him,

David

Deceived

My last entry on Joseph created such stimulating conversation (okay, I did say that I was writing this for myself in my initial post...trying to be funny) I thought I would continue on this train of thought a little while longer. For kids the devil is pictured as having horns, tail, red skin and carrying a pitchfork. Classical art does not depict him much better, this sinister, snarling, creature and while the Bible describes him as a roaming lion seeking those he can devour, I don't think any of these adequately portray the deceiver.

How would such an ugly creature be able to lure an army of angels to follow him? No, I see the deceiver as a beautiful, strong creature, seeking only to glorify himself. Now the ugliness of his actions are worse than even the classical artist portrayed. If I saw such an ugly creature coming, I would surely flee from him. No, the deceiver comes as a beautiful woman saying what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. He comes in a bottle that says that he can make the pain go away for a little while, only to be made worse when the numbness of the pills or alcohol wear off. He comes as the promise of a better life if only we had more money, a bigger house and more stuff. He comes saying success is measured by what we achieve regardless of the toll it takes on our family. He comes saying it is the quality of time, not the quantity of time that matters. He comes saying you're a good person, surely God would not condemn you. How could a loving God condemn anyone to hell. He comes saying take care of your family and have your fun..go hunting, fishing, skiing; you will have time for church later.

I wish I could see Satan like the artists portray him. I wish all temptation came to me with a guy in a red suit, with horns and a pitchfork. I wish I could always recognize the subtle ways Satan is trying to deceive me. Instead I have to be on guard, ready for the spiritual battles that are surely to come my way. I hope I am strong enough for the attacks. I hope you will forgive me when I am not. I hope you will love me regardless. I hope I will respond in the same manner to you.

In Him,

David

Fatherhood

Raising two boys has me thinking a lot about being a father, a provider, a role model. It has also caused me to wonder what kind of father Jesus had? I think Jesus had a very good father. In my image of Joseph he provided for his family, taught Jesus his trade, made sure that they were all at the synagogue at the appropriate times and honored all the feasts and sacrifices. I believe that just as God chose Mary to be the mother of Christ, he chose Joseph to be the father. God had all of history and all of mankind to choose from and He chose these two people to raise His Son, I believe that speaks well for Joseph. It also sets a high benchmark for me to emulate.

I want my sons to love God and serve Him. I want them to respect their parents and those in authority. I want them to have good marriages, wonderful children and be good providers and role models for their families. I want them to be happy and to have them long lives. I want them to have a father like Jesus had.

In Him,

David

Happy New Year

Yesterday we spent the day running around. We went to see Janelle's 94 year old grandfather and then went to Opry Mills and Opryland Hotel. On the way shopping, we stopped at a McDonald's to grab a bite at the drive through.....between the time I ordered and the time we got the food, both boys had fallen asleep. I asked Janelle to pull their two cheeseburgers out of the bag and give them to me. As we were pulling away I passed a homeless man and handed him the cheeseburgers and wished him a happy new year. He put the burgers in his pocket, smiled real big and said thanks. We drove off and continued our errands but we felt better because of our random act of kindness. Start your year off better, do something for someone who cannot give anything in return except a thank you.

By the way, Christopher liked the "jungle" at the Opryland Hotel the best. He had a big grin on his face walking through there and was laughing and singing while daddy sang "In The Jungle."