At our store we take names and deliver the tray to the person by name. The other day my brother Mike had the pleasure of delivering a very nice lady named Flo her food. This post is for him. We laughed about this for a good while.
Blessings...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yab9fyO3M14
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
It's The Relationship That Matters
I got a text today from Suzanne and she told me that Ryan had gotten an 88 on his science test and that it was the highest grade in the class. When I read the text a huge smile spread across my face. Before I get too far into this let me set the record straight, I am not sharing this so that you know that my son got the highest grade in the class. Tomorrow he is just as likely to come home with the lowest grade!
As I was working today though I really smiled deep down inside thinking about my relationship with Ryan and what I am lerning from fathering my son. Suzanne and I have really struggled to work with him on giving his best efforts at all times (especially in school). He really tends to blow things off if it isn't something that gets him jacked up or is of real interest to him. I have also noticed how relationships are very important to him. If he connects with a teacher or coach he is all in and goes after it in a way that he doesn't if that relational connection is not there. Ryan has a teacher right now that he is really connected with. She is a very gifted lady who has been teaching for many years and knows her stuff and cares about her kids.
This little situation made me think about God and how so often people view him as a distant something floating around somewhere. Often he is viewed as disengaged and disinterested. maybe even uncaring. As I read the Bible though and I spend time working on my relationship with God I find that the opposite is true. I read about and experience a God that desperately wants to be involved in our lives and wants to be known. I also find that just like my son when I keep that thought in front of me and I live life with him and trust him (even when it seems like he is nowhere to be found) I find myself becoming more engaged with others and living my life as he says, "to the full." I grade out better because I am tracking with someone that I can trust loves me, sees me and wants what is best for me. If God is distant and disconnected it is hard to give life your best efforts. To live it out as he asks us to. To have real meaning. But, if God is close and caring that changes everything.
Thanks for the lesson Ry!
Blessings...
As I was working today though I really smiled deep down inside thinking about my relationship with Ryan and what I am lerning from fathering my son. Suzanne and I have really struggled to work with him on giving his best efforts at all times (especially in school). He really tends to blow things off if it isn't something that gets him jacked up or is of real interest to him. I have also noticed how relationships are very important to him. If he connects with a teacher or coach he is all in and goes after it in a way that he doesn't if that relational connection is not there. Ryan has a teacher right now that he is really connected with. She is a very gifted lady who has been teaching for many years and knows her stuff and cares about her kids.
This little situation made me think about God and how so often people view him as a distant something floating around somewhere. Often he is viewed as disengaged and disinterested. maybe even uncaring. As I read the Bible though and I spend time working on my relationship with God I find that the opposite is true. I read about and experience a God that desperately wants to be involved in our lives and wants to be known. I also find that just like my son when I keep that thought in front of me and I live life with him and trust him (even when it seems like he is nowhere to be found) I find myself becoming more engaged with others and living my life as he says, "to the full." I grade out better because I am tracking with someone that I can trust loves me, sees me and wants what is best for me. If God is distant and disconnected it is hard to give life your best efforts. To live it out as he asks us to. To have real meaning. But, if God is close and caring that changes everything.
Thanks for the lesson Ry!
Blessings...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Listen to your wife
My wife says that my blog is too serious and I need to lighten it up.
Here ya go honey...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSYlxzCHvKg
Here ya go honey...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSYlxzCHvKg
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Be Not Afraid
A week before Thanksgiving I tweaked my back and it has been giving me trouble since. Back problems are nothing new to me, but they always just go away. This time it did not go away though. It progressively got worse and so I went to see a doctor and they prescribed some medicines and all of those medicines gave me side effects (at one point I think Suzanne thought I had cancer and was going to die) and then finally I got an MRI and they discovered that I had ruptured a disc in my back (then I thought that I was gonna die!)
When the doctor told me the news I really thought I would puke. I had to have him open the office door and get me some water it was so bad. For several days after that I was irritable and really worried. It wasn't just the 'roid shots they gave me either. I was scared that it wouldn't heal, that I would have to have surgery, that the doctor might hit a nerve when they operated on me. All kinds of things were running through my head. Fearful things. Over time though I remembered a song that John Austin my area director had played for us at a YL staff retreat and I began to calm down, I began to relax and I began to trust that God saw me, knew me and loved me. The song that he played that day has calmed my heart through many trials and situations. God has planted it inside me and brings it out whenever I need it. John took a lot of flack from some of the other staff folks for playing a somewhat cheesy version that was sung by monks, but I love it and am thankful for it.
I have heard it said that God, in one form or another, tells us to not be afraid more than any other command in the Bible. The world wants you to be very afraid. The enemy of your heart wants you to be afraid. Afraid you don't drive the right car, that God doesn't really care, that you aren't pretty enough, are going to go broke, don't know the right people, will never find healing and the list goes on and on and on. But the God who loves you says in his word....
When the doctor told me the news I really thought I would puke. I had to have him open the office door and get me some water it was so bad. For several days after that I was irritable and really worried. It wasn't just the 'roid shots they gave me either. I was scared that it wouldn't heal, that I would have to have surgery, that the doctor might hit a nerve when they operated on me. All kinds of things were running through my head. Fearful things. Over time though I remembered a song that John Austin my area director had played for us at a YL staff retreat and I began to calm down, I began to relax and I began to trust that God saw me, knew me and loved me. The song that he played that day has calmed my heart through many trials and situations. God has planted it inside me and brings it out whenever I need it. John took a lot of flack from some of the other staff folks for playing a somewhat cheesy version that was sung by monks, but I love it and am thankful for it.
I have heard it said that God, in one form or another, tells us to not be afraid more than any other command in the Bible. The world wants you to be very afraid. The enemy of your heart wants you to be afraid. Afraid you don't drive the right car, that God doesn't really care, that you aren't pretty enough, are going to go broke, don't know the right people, will never find healing and the list goes on and on and on. But the God who loves you says in his word....
You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always.
Come follow me, and
I will give you rest.
If you pass through raging waters in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames, you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell and death is at your side, know that
I am with you through it all.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always.
Come follow me, and
I will give you rest.
You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always.
Come follow me, and
I will give you rest.
If you pass through raging waters in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames, you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell and death is at your side, know that
I am with you through it all.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always.
Come follow me, and
I will give you rest.
The refrain is the part that I love and sing in my head when I need to hear from him. To be reminded that whatever I am encountering and whatever is happening, he is with me and before me. This is a link to an equally cheesy version of the song if you would like to listen.
Blessings...
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Recabites
The Recabites... ever heard of 'em? Yeah, me neither until the other day. I did something that I don't do very often. I simply opened my Bible and just read wherever I opened it and I came upon the Recabites. They are an old testament group of folks in Jeremiah 35 that God used as an example to the people of Israel.
You see they had an ancestor that gave them some commands from God and he said that if they would simply follow what he told them they would live long good lives in the land they were in. The people of Israel have not been listening to God and have been going off doing as they please. God has Jeremiah go and let the people of Israel know that he is not happy with them because they have not been doing what God told them to do over and over again.
This little story got me to thinking about how important it is to have people in your life that are speaking truth into you. Telling you things that are going to help you have a full life worth living. Things that point you to God. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the countless people that God has given me the opportunity to hear from. Some for just a talk or an encounter and some for many years. It is not enough though to just have them in your life, we need to follow the example of the Recabites and heed their advice and be open to what they have to say to us.
It also gave me a different kind of encouragement. For a few weeks now I have been meeting one time a week with Ryan and Matthew and going through a Bible study in the back of my FCA Bible called, "Starting Line". It is allowing me to pour into the boys as they begin to grow. To stop one time a week and purposely look at God's word together (we probably spend half our time just looking up verses, but that is just fine), see what our need is and what he has done to fill that need and then see what that means going forward as they live out life as 2nd and 5th graders at Orchard park and in our neighborhood. It has been really fun. This morning Matthew had to be excused because he simply could not stop laughing after Ryan was reading in Hebrews and stated that there is no longer any difference between Jew and Geek! Of course he meant to say Greek, but it was too late once it came out.
I am not sure that I would recommend just opening the Bible and starting to read, but the story about the Recabites made a great impression on me. It reminded me about the importance of listening to those that have gone before us and can speak wisdom into our lives through their actions and words and then turning around and sharing the truths of God's word and what he has done in our lives to the next generation so that they might live a long good life in the land.
You see they had an ancestor that gave them some commands from God and he said that if they would simply follow what he told them they would live long good lives in the land they were in. The people of Israel have not been listening to God and have been going off doing as they please. God has Jeremiah go and let the people of Israel know that he is not happy with them because they have not been doing what God told them to do over and over again.
This little story got me to thinking about how important it is to have people in your life that are speaking truth into you. Telling you things that are going to help you have a full life worth living. Things that point you to God. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the countless people that God has given me the opportunity to hear from. Some for just a talk or an encounter and some for many years. It is not enough though to just have them in your life, we need to follow the example of the Recabites and heed their advice and be open to what they have to say to us.
It also gave me a different kind of encouragement. For a few weeks now I have been meeting one time a week with Ryan and Matthew and going through a Bible study in the back of my FCA Bible called, "Starting Line". It is allowing me to pour into the boys as they begin to grow. To stop one time a week and purposely look at God's word together (we probably spend half our time just looking up verses, but that is just fine), see what our need is and what he has done to fill that need and then see what that means going forward as they live out life as 2nd and 5th graders at Orchard park and in our neighborhood. It has been really fun. This morning Matthew had to be excused because he simply could not stop laughing after Ryan was reading in Hebrews and stated that there is no longer any difference between Jew and Geek! Of course he meant to say Greek, but it was too late once it came out.
I am not sure that I would recommend just opening the Bible and starting to read, but the story about the Recabites made a great impression on me. It reminded me about the importance of listening to those that have gone before us and can speak wisdom into our lives through their actions and words and then turning around and sharing the truths of God's word and what he has done in our lives to the next generation so that they might live a long good life in the land.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
...the Way of the Master
Ephesians is one of my favorite books in the Bible and Chapter 6 verse 4 is very challenging for me. Here is what it says:
4Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.
As I said before, I am reading a book with my brother that is called Integrity, but I have dubbed it The Quan and it is really challenging me. As the father of 3 boys that live life at full tilt my home is rather crazy, noisy and difficult to keep tidy. Last night I came home to Ryan having taken apart his entire airsoft rifle and scattered it across the kitchen table, Matthew dancing and flopping around on the second floor so loudly that it sounded as if he was going to come through the ceiling and did I mention that there was a paper target tied to the tree in the front yard, several pairs of muddy boots in the driveway and a boomerang laying in the yard. The rest of the evening was filled with more than its fair share of accusations and frustrations of trying to get things cleaned up, who made what mess and should be accountable for it and then of course the jabbing and nagging of boys towards each other.
Later that night while Suzanne was wrapping gifts I was reading The Quan and a couple of lines really hit me right in the nose. In them Dr Cloud talked about the fact that at home, just like at work you want to win the hearts of your wife and children through true care and empathy and then they will be more likely to follow you out of love and respect not because you have forced them to by shear will power (which can be easy for me to do with my young boys). That is exactly what this verse is talking about in Ephesians. I don't want to exasperate my kids so that they do what I ask in the short term but want to get out from under me the first chance they get. I want to lovingly "lead them in the way of the Master" so that they will want to follow me and ultimately him. It is something that takes great thought and focus for me though. I often have to check myself and evaluate my words and actions so that I do not find myself exasperating them and being too heavy handed with them.I have to constantly be checking my words and motivation. So that as the Bible says, when they are older they will have that foundation of love, discipline and faith and not stray from it. Thanks for the challenge God, Paul and Dr Cloud!
4Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.
As I said before, I am reading a book with my brother that is called Integrity, but I have dubbed it The Quan and it is really challenging me. As the father of 3 boys that live life at full tilt my home is rather crazy, noisy and difficult to keep tidy. Last night I came home to Ryan having taken apart his entire airsoft rifle and scattered it across the kitchen table, Matthew dancing and flopping around on the second floor so loudly that it sounded as if he was going to come through the ceiling and did I mention that there was a paper target tied to the tree in the front yard, several pairs of muddy boots in the driveway and a boomerang laying in the yard. The rest of the evening was filled with more than its fair share of accusations and frustrations of trying to get things cleaned up, who made what mess and should be accountable for it and then of course the jabbing and nagging of boys towards each other.
Later that night while Suzanne was wrapping gifts I was reading The Quan and a couple of lines really hit me right in the nose. In them Dr Cloud talked about the fact that at home, just like at work you want to win the hearts of your wife and children through true care and empathy and then they will be more likely to follow you out of love and respect not because you have forced them to by shear will power (which can be easy for me to do with my young boys). That is exactly what this verse is talking about in Ephesians. I don't want to exasperate my kids so that they do what I ask in the short term but want to get out from under me the first chance they get. I want to lovingly "lead them in the way of the Master" so that they will want to follow me and ultimately him. It is something that takes great thought and focus for me though. I often have to check myself and evaluate my words and actions so that I do not find myself exasperating them and being too heavy handed with them.I have to constantly be checking my words and motivation. So that as the Bible says, when they are older they will have that foundation of love, discipline and faith and not stray from it. Thanks for the challenge God, Paul and Dr Cloud!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Turn Around
The word repent can be translated, turn around. I heard my friend Allen Levi sing a song at our church in Greensboro many years ago and was looking for some Christmas music on the computer yesterday and came upon it on his website. It is a Christmas song of a different kind.
This song reminds me of how much love Jesus has for each of us. How he sees us and loves us just as we are, yet longs for us to turn around and follow him. To repent of the things that we have done that have caused bumps and bruises on others as well as forgiving folks for the scars they have left on us. Neither is easy sometimes. The baby Jesus, the creator in flesh, though calls us to change. He calls us to bold and daring moves that don't make sense like The Word becoming flesh and moving into the neighborhood to save that which has been lost. He calls us to turn a round and trust him and as the song says we are often scared to turn around and walk a different way than those around us. To walk differently than the rest of the world. God please give us the courage to turn around follow you in new ways this Christmas season and beyond.
Below is the link to the song if you would like to listen. Blessings...
http://www.allenlevi.com/songsandstories/LandBackwards.html
This song reminds me of how much love Jesus has for each of us. How he sees us and loves us just as we are, yet longs for us to turn around and follow him. To repent of the things that we have done that have caused bumps and bruises on others as well as forgiving folks for the scars they have left on us. Neither is easy sometimes. The baby Jesus, the creator in flesh, though calls us to change. He calls us to bold and daring moves that don't make sense like The Word becoming flesh and moving into the neighborhood to save that which has been lost. He calls us to turn a round and trust him and as the song says we are often scared to turn around and walk a different way than those around us. To walk differently than the rest of the world. God please give us the courage to turn around follow you in new ways this Christmas season and beyond.
Below is the link to the song if you would like to listen. Blessings...
http://www.allenlevi.com/songsandstories/LandBackwards.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)