Ever since Christopher began pre-school this year he has prayed "God is great, God is good....." at mealtimes. While we were at my mother's on Christmas Day Christopher said he would like to say a special prayer which included several things for which he was thankful. We were thankful that he wanted to do this and not the standard memorized prayer.
Jacob on the other hand can pray and pray and pray. He is often speaking in some unknown tongue but he has his head bowed and eyes closed, usually with his forehead resting upon the table.
Happy New Year!
In Him,
David
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Counting Blessings
It is a slow day at work today (yippee, we all needed that) and I actually have time to look at the web for something other than work related matters. During this time of the holidays I think we all tend to pause and count our blessings. Here are some of the things that I am thankful for:
1. My wife
2. My kids
3. My parents
4. My brother and his family
5. All the in-laws
6. Extended family
7. My new job (is it still new after 6 montsh?)
8. A house payment that does not over extend our budget
9. My church family
10. Freedom
11. The Mountains
12. While I don't like being overweight, I am grateful that we always have enough to eat
13. Friends
14. The parents of my sons' future wives
16. A slow day at work
17. Sunsets
18. Lakes
19. Mountain streams
20. That I have a God who loves me enough to give this and more than I can ask for
Happy Holidays,
David
1. My wife
2. My kids
3. My parents
4. My brother and his family
5. All the in-laws
6. Extended family
7. My new job (is it still new after 6 montsh?)
8. A house payment that does not over extend our budget
9. My church family
10. Freedom
11. The Mountains
12. While I don't like being overweight, I am grateful that we always have enough to eat
13. Friends
14. The parents of my sons' future wives
16. A slow day at work
17. Sunsets
18. Lakes
19. Mountain streams
20. That I have a God who loves me enough to give this and more than I can ask for
Happy Holidays,
David
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Magic
There is something magical about this season. The first snow makes us laugh and play with wonde'r and delight. The look on our childrens' faces as they get excited about Christmas, Santa and presents.
Compare that to our faces as we go to the malls, work, or the grocery store. Where did the magic go? Where is the wonder. Maybe if we slow down and be Christ in these places rather than pushing our way through another activity then the wonder will return.
In Him,
David
Compare that to our faces as we go to the malls, work, or the grocery store. Where did the magic go? Where is the wonder. Maybe if we slow down and be Christ in these places rather than pushing our way through another activity then the wonder will return.
In Him,
David
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Sorry so long
Sorry it has been so long since my last blog. Life keeps getting busier and busier and spending time on the computer is sometimes a luxury. We had a busy Thanksgiving week as we were in East Tennessee the entire time. The boys got to play with their cousins and spend a great deal of time at grandmother's. While we all enjoyed the visit we were also very glad to be home.
As we were coming home a pickup truck came flying down the mountain in the right hand lane. We were in the left lane in a line of cars passing the slower traffic. Well the truck came flying down the right hand lane and came upon the car in front of him at too high of a rate of speed and decided it would be better to come in my lane than rear end the car in front of him at about a 40 mile per hour differential in speed. As his back wheel was parallel with my wife in the passenger seat he began coming over. I got hard on the brakes and the horn, use as much asphalt as was available to my left and we managed to avoid touching bumpers by fractions of an inch. God was watching out for us.
Now it is back to routine...until the weekend! The holidays have a way of filling up your time...in a very wonderful way. Happy Holidays.
In Him,
David
As we were coming home a pickup truck came flying down the mountain in the right hand lane. We were in the left lane in a line of cars passing the slower traffic. Well the truck came flying down the right hand lane and came upon the car in front of him at too high of a rate of speed and decided it would be better to come in my lane than rear end the car in front of him at about a 40 mile per hour differential in speed. As his back wheel was parallel with my wife in the passenger seat he began coming over. I got hard on the brakes and the horn, use as much asphalt as was available to my left and we managed to avoid touching bumpers by fractions of an inch. God was watching out for us.
Now it is back to routine...until the weekend! The holidays have a way of filling up your time...in a very wonderful way. Happy Holidays.
In Him,
David
Monday, November 3, 2008
Election Day
Tomorrow is election day. While I definitely have my preference I will not let the outcome drive me to the remorse that some feel nor if it goes the way that I prefer will I be dancing in the street. The reason, while I live in this country my citizenship is in another kingdom. It took me a long while to learn this lesson. For too long in my life I have been a Christian American. Now I am a Christian who is an American. It may sound like I am playing with semantics but the truth is my faith is no longer in the American system, it is in God. I try to take of the blinders of nationalism and the partisan politics that goes along with it. While I love my country and am thankful that God has allowed me to live here, my hope lies with a king. So tomorrow while most are worried about who the next president will be and the "news reporters" will be tripping all over themselves to announce the latest results I can rest assured that all is well because God is still in control. No matter who wins, He still reigns.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Lessons from the washcloth
Last night as I was giving Christopher his bath he started playing with the washcloth. First it was a big fish and later it became a magic curtain for his ducks to disappear behind. In the end, in the hands of his father it became what it was intended to be, a washcloth that cleaned up a creative little boy.
Often we make religion and God like that washcloth. We shape them to be what we want them to be, not what they are intended to be. God is love but he is also the God that destroyed the world in a flood. He is peace but he took his people to battle many times. He is the God of blessings but we are promised that the poor will always be among us. He is righteousness but his Son was called a friend of sinners. He is the protector of the poor, the fatherless and the widows. While he is Abba Father he is STILL the Great I AM! If we are to call him Father and be his children shouldn't we know him and what he is truly like?
Father, remove the blinders that causes me to see you through a lens of religion that is shaped by the world and give me the faith to see you as you truly are and the strength to be the man you call me to be.
In Him,
David
Often we make religion and God like that washcloth. We shape them to be what we want them to be, not what they are intended to be. God is love but he is also the God that destroyed the world in a flood. He is peace but he took his people to battle many times. He is the God of blessings but we are promised that the poor will always be among us. He is righteousness but his Son was called a friend of sinners. He is the protector of the poor, the fatherless and the widows. While he is Abba Father he is STILL the Great I AM! If we are to call him Father and be his children shouldn't we know him and what he is truly like?
Father, remove the blinders that causes me to see you through a lens of religion that is shaped by the world and give me the faith to see you as you truly are and the strength to be the man you call me to be.
In Him,
David
Monday, October 6, 2008
Did you hear that?
Christopher is 3 1/2 and when he goes to bed at night we play a short audio tape for him with a story on it and then a longer music tape. When the story ended and he was ready for me to change tapes we had the following exchange.
Christopher: "Daddy, daddy, did you hear that?"
Me: "Hear what Christopher?"
Christopher: "Did you hear that noise?"
Me: "No, the only noise I heard was you calling me?"
Christopher: "You didn't hear that noise?"
Me: "No, what did the noise sound like?"
Christopher: "Um, it sounded like a Pooh story."
Me: "No, you're not getting a Pooh story but I will turn on your music for you."
Christopher: "Okay, I will try again later.
The Pooh tape is very long and he will not go to sleep while listening to it. I had to walk away and laugh, after starting his music for him. Where does he get this stuff? Like Mary, I will write them on my heart. I love my kids.
In Him,
David
Christopher: "Daddy, daddy, did you hear that?"
Me: "Hear what Christopher?"
Christopher: "Did you hear that noise?"
Me: "No, the only noise I heard was you calling me?"
Christopher: "You didn't hear that noise?"
Me: "No, what did the noise sound like?"
Christopher: "Um, it sounded like a Pooh story."
Me: "No, you're not getting a Pooh story but I will turn on your music for you."
Christopher: "Okay, I will try again later.
The Pooh tape is very long and he will not go to sleep while listening to it. I had to walk away and laugh, after starting his music for him. Where does he get this stuff? Like Mary, I will write them on my heart. I love my kids.
In Him,
David
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