Not too BIG

I haven’t written in quite some time, but then I really haven’t had much to say.

But recently, I’ve just been blown away by the fact that The Creator of the Universe checks in with me daily. Think about that for a second . . . God Almighty wants to know what I’ve got planned for my day. Furthermore, He wants to come along for the ride and be included in every activity. Crazy ain’t it?

My daughter recently turned me on to a documentary entitled “Expelled”. In it, Ben Stein interviews various people who have been reprimanded and/or fired for teaching the idea of intelligent design, not for teaching about God necessarily, but just for suggesting the possibility of intelligent design. It’s definitely worth streaming on Netflix. Below is an excerpt where Ben Stein interviews Richard Dawkins, a well known high profile atheist.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlZtEjtlirc&feature=related

I’m also reading “Wild Goose Chase” by Mark Batterson. Mark also wrote “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day”, which is a worthwhile read as well. In “Wild Goose Chase”, Mark reminds us that the earth is spinning on it’s axis at about 1,000 miles per hour and that that we are hurling through space at about 67,000 miles per hour. By this time tomorrow, we will have traveled about 1.3 million miles in our annual trip around the sun. Now, that’s crazy!

Mark Batterson prompts me to reflect and remember that God cares about everything and everyone. He causes the grass to grow and He cares about the sparrow.

Think about this, what if God did not simply start the ball rolling thousands of years ago like some giant perpetual motion machine or some huge complex atomic timepiece. What if God consciously and purposefully prompts the sun to rise each morning? What if God chooses to constantly keep us spinning in orbit with a daily wave of His hand? What if God says, “I think I’ll make it rain again in Seattle, cuz those Washingtonians really love the rain”. What if God says, “Peter is going for a bike ride today, I think I’m gonna give him a few extra green lights so he doesn’t have to unclip so often”. What if God cares about an orphan kitten stuck in a barrel? I think that God cares about the big stuff and the small stuff. He is the ultimate multi-tasker.

Now, some might say that I am simple-minded. And I would answer, “I hope so”. I take God at his word. Trust and obey, there’s no other way. We need to have the faith of a child. We need to believe that we are His special ones, His favorites. We need to understand that God sees us individually and not mankind as a whole. He sees you and He sees me. And if only to save you and me, He would have gone to the cross for just us.

We constantly find ways to complicate our lives. But God’s ways are quite simple, love Him, love others, love yourself, and in that order. The Creator of the Universe cares for me, of that I am sure. He said it, I believe it, and I will do my best and try to live that way.

And now, He and I are gonna take a little drive together, cuz He likes spending time with me. I can’t wait to hear what He has to say.

Sharing Life

First of all, allow me to say, "I love my wife". I say that because she probably doesn't hear it often enough. Truthfully, we tend to take the ones closest to us for granted. We just assume that they will always be there.

The Lord only gives us one day at a time. Sometimes, even that can be a bit overwhelming.

I lost my dad in 2000. He was 69 years old. He was my coach, my friend, my mentor, my role model and my hero. Growing up, we spent lots of time together. He was the king of inappropriate humor, and he had an arid sarcastic wit. I think about him often and miss him more than words can say. What I wouldn't give for just one more day with him, just sitting on the couch watching TV. No deep philosophical discussion, quite possibly no interaction at all. Just spending time with him would be more than enough.

I lost the bride of my youth when she was only 34 years old. We were married for 12 years. One Sunday afternoon, we were eating ice cream and walking along the waterfront. The very next morning, she was gone.

My daughter lives in an area that might be considered somewhat questionable at certain hours of the night. I pray that the Lord will keep her safe. But, she loves life. She strives to make every minute of every hour of every day count. She is not content to sit on the curb and watch the parade go by. She wants to be a part of the parade. If she could, she would be up there on the float with Ferris singing "Danke Shein", or better yet, "Shake it up baby, twist and shout". Her mom liked to "shake things up". Her mom liked to "carpe diem". I'm glad that my daughter and her mom have a lot of the same attributes.

I took my son to college this week. How I love that boy. Actually, he has grown into quite a successful young man, a man of integrity, a man of character. Others may not see it, but I can look past the mop top hair, scruffy face, locked jaw, folded arms, and caustic wit. He reminds me more of my dad each day.

Last Christmas, my father-in-law almost checked out. He was in ICU for a few days and it looked pretty bad. My wife was devastated. Her dad was incoherent and he was wasting away. With prayer, he turned the corner and began to heal. We spent time with him pretty much every day over the following few weeks. She had a second chance to show him how much he meant to her, a second chance to just spend time with him.

My mom lives in Humboldt. I talk to her every few weeks. I hope she knows how much I love her. Maybe I should call.

My daughter lives 30 minutes away. I talk to her about once a week. I hope she knows how much I love her. Maybe I should call.

My son lives 400 miles away. I rarely talk to him. I hope he knows how much I love him. Maybe I should call. Who am I kidding? He never answers his phone. Maybe it's time to schedule a road trip.

My wife is in the next room watching TV. I hope she knows how much I love her. I think I'm gonna go in there and tell her, or show her, or just spend time with her. No words are needed, just sharing life.

My dad is looking down from heaven. He already knows how much he means to me. He already knows how much I love him. Although, I do miss watching TV with him, and I do miss watching TV with my son, and I do miss watching TV with my daughter.

I think I'm gonna go watch TV with my wife . . . . . . . and share life.

Dog Blog

I am a dog, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Luckily, my bride loves dogs.

Typically, dogs are social creatures. Dogs have been known to travel hundreds of miles, and brave harsh environments, just to be back with the family. They can be loyal, trustworthy and closer than any friend. There's nothing like a faithful mutt.

We have a dog named Hunter. Like most dogs, he is always ready to play. But, he is also content to sit at, or should I say "sit on", your feet. He rarely complains, unless you refuse to come outside and spend time with him on a beautiful sunny day, or a warm summer evening. He doesn't really whine. It's more like a guttural moan (Ro 8:26) with a few sneezes thrown in for emphasis. He actually ran around for months with a torn ACL, or whatever the dog physiological equivalent is. Basically, the ligament that works his hind leg was severed. We noticed a limp, but thought it was arthritis. The vet thought that I was an idiot, but then again, most people do.

Hunter loves life. He is the canine equivalent of Tigger, except the term "Pooh" takes on a whole different meaning. He gets into his share of trouble, but he relishes each day. Just getting a drink is something to experience. And, if you happen to be close by when he happens to be getting a drink, you will definitely share in the experience. He blows bubbles like a 3 year old in the bathtub. He drinks the first quarter, backwashes one-quarter, drags one-quarter along the floor, and wipes the final one-quarter across your leg. If he's getting a drink, and you are in the vicinity, you're gonna get wet. It's kinda like the first 3 rows at Sea World during the Shamu show.

All I'm saying is this . . . .
Dogs love life. They're rarely in a hurry and they never worry about tomorrow. They have faith that someone will always be there for them. And when properly socialized, they make fast friends with pretty much everyone.

As for me, I like hangin' with a pack. I don't need to be the lead dog, In fact, I prefer being close to the Master. The view ain't always the greatest, but if I listen to His voice, and obey His commands, the reward is awesome.

See ya at the dog park, I mean ball park . . . . heck, any park will do.


CHECK THIS OUT . . . . . .

IF A DOG WERE YOUR TEACHER, THIS IS WHAT YOU WOULD LEARN

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

Take naps and stretch before rising.
Run, romp and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout . . . run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Never pretend to be something you're not.

Be loyal.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them.

Sumpin' Fo' Nuthin'

Did you ever receive something that you didn't really deserve, or expect? What a great feeling. I remember this time when my nana (grandma for you gringos out there) won a bike at her local bank. I was about 11 years old, but I can still remember how excited I was. She pulled up to our house just like she had done a dozen times before. But then like magic, she pulled a bike out of her trunk (cars were much bigger then and so were their trunks). It wasn't my birthday, I did nothing to deserve it, but one random Saturday afternoon, this bratty little kid received a gift. To this day, there's nothing like that new bike smell. The combination of fresh rubber, new leather and undefiled chain lubricant still takes me back.

I'm sure all of us have taken bagels to the office, or paid someone's toll, or stopped to help a stranger, or bought a meal for someone who couldn't, but I'm talking about day-to-day living. I'm talking about thinking outward instead of inward. I'm talking about doing the unexpected.

I love the people in my life. I have dozens of stories where I've seen these people offer themselves privately and publicly. They've given of their time and resources, wanting and expecting nothing in return. In fact, they would be quite embarrassed if I mentioned them by name. I love the people in my life. Did I say that already?

There's a group from New York called Improv Everywhere. They do some pretty funny and random stuff. I thought this one was kinda cool. I definitely wanna try something like this next year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nbkbss7i5s


Making someone's day sometimes doesn't take much. Sometimes it takes planning, sometimes it doesn't. Check out this quick Gandhi story:

One day, Gandhi was running to get on a train, and as he jumped up, his shoe slipped off his foot. Though he tried to grab it, he ended up watching helplessly as it fell to the tracks. Quickly, he grabbed the other one off his foot and threw it back down the tracks towards the first rapidly disappearing shoe.

People who saw this thought perhaps Gandhi had taken leave of his senses. His response to their mystified expressions was: “At least now if a poor person finds his way across my shoe he will soon come across its mate and end up with a good pair of shoes.


All I'm saying is begin with something easy. Offer to buy someone's lunch, make your hunnie dinner, volunteer to babysit, help a neighbor with their _____ (fill in the blank), extend kindness to that certain person that drives you nuts. Each one of us knows someone who could use a little . . . . . something.

If we start small, before long, in time, with God's help, we will become better people, we will become better lovers of those around us, we will become more like Jesus.

A Fun Favorite

I sometimes read blogs while eating my lunch.

This is one of my favorites . . . .

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


btw: his other 2 sites are pretty cool also.

I Love Weddings!!

This picture was taken at my friend's wedding. Does it look like I'm having a good time?

Answer: I always have a good time at weddings.

If I could, I would be a wedding crasher, for all of the right reasons and none of the bad ones. A wedding is a celebration of the birth of something new, and why wouldn't anyone want to join in that celebration.

Some friends of mine are getting married later this year. I can't wait. Another couple I know just had a new baby. What a joyful occasion. Another friend of mine has started his own business. I am very excited for him. Someone else I know has just started pursuing a relationship with Jesus. Watching it unfold is awesome.

Birthing something, anything, is fun, wonderful and rewarding But at the same time, it can be difficult, scary and painful. And it doesn't matter if it's a new marriage, a new baby, a new business or a fresh relationship with Jesus, there will be adjustments.

My friends have a 2 yr old and a 3 yr old. Ask them how often they get a good night's sleep. Ask them if they've had any disagreements with regards to parenting. Ask them if their lifestyle has been altered in any way. My bride and I have been married for 3 years. Ask her how many times she has wanted to pick me up and shake me like a British nanny. My friend with the new business is having growing pains as well. It's either lean times or too much work. And a relationship with Jesus is whole different ballgame. I was a pretty good kid, until I met Jesus, then the devil came a callin'. But the good thing is, I have grown.

In life, hopefully we mature. We don't have to grow up, but we should continue to learn. As time goes by, my friend is becoming wiser with his business decisions. And raising the second child is usually less catastrophic that raising the first. And year five of the marriage will hopefully have fewer bumps that year four.

Parenting taught me what selfless unconditional love is. Jesus continually teaches me the best way to live. Marriage is the perfect landscape for practicing what I've learned.

I said it before and I'll say it again, I love weddings. It's the birth of something new, and celebrating a birth is a time for rejoicing.

"Birth is the sudden opening of a window, through which you look out upon a stupendous prospect. For what has happened? A miracle. You have exchanged nothing for the possibility of everything.” William MacNeile Dixon

Obligatory Blog

Been busy at work, been busy at home, softball season has started and I'm training for a 10K. For most people, a 10K ain't that big a deal. But when you crack the half-century mark, a guy could fall and break a hip.

I've never been much of a runner. I figure, what's the point?!! There's no ball, no bat, no hand-eye coordination requirement. Now if you're a runner, don't overreact and get your underwear all bunched up. I'm not sayin' runners are not athletes. I'm just saying it's not for me.

I guess I had better end this thing before I dig a hole from which I may never return.

Check back next week. I may even write something worth reading.

In the mean time . . . . enjoy your Passover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_glMo9FtYQ


SHALOM