Today is an exciting day for our family...our granddaughter is going to start her first day ever to a Mother’s Day Out program. Unfortunately for her, I don’t think she will have the same excitement that I have about her first day of school. Brynley is very attached to her mom and does not like it when mom is not close by. She will be going through the dreaded “separation anxiety.” Every child goes through it at some point, but most of them adjust quickly to the circumstances. I’m really questioning if Brynley will fall into that category. You see, Brynley is the only grandchild for both sides of her family. She is always with adults and she rules when she is around. She brings so much joy and laughter into our lives, and she is really smart and entertaining. Still, she’s also very good at letting you know what she doesn’t want. She will hold up her hand, shake it, and say no, making sure you understand that she is not in the mood for what you want to do. On top of that, it’s not very pleasant when Brynley goes to her nursery class on Sundays because she wants to be with her mom. We all know Brynley needs to work through this, so the decision was made that she would attend Mother’s Day Out for the rest of its summer session.
I remember when Krystal, Brynley’s mom, was five and getting ready to begin kindergarten. She was so excited and had worked through the separation stuff much earlier in her life. With Tami and me in full-time ministry, she was always handed off to adults when we were working at the church. So she was excited as we went to school that first morning. Our family all walked Krystal to school and to her class, and she sat with all the other first-day students while the parents stood around outside of the class. Sounds like a beautiful setting—until you learn that over half the students were crying, the moms were crying, and to me it was a very funny scene. Krystal was in shock and looked to us because she didn’t know if she should cry or not. We assured her everything was fine, and she went on and had a great first day of school.
As a Christian, I want my life to make a difference in the lives of others. To do that I must be willing to step out into uncomfortable territory. That means I may have to face my own type of separation anxiety because I like the normal and comfortable. Life is about taking steps of faith, and it’s the same for anyone who is going to do anything great for the Lord. Stop making excuses and waiting until you feel like you’re ready. What can you do today to step out in faith and impact a life?
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Pushing the Limits
Have you ever had one of those days when choices you made earlier caused you a lot of turmoil? I did on Monday and just have to share it with you. I drive a car that has sport tires on it that cannot be rotated and have a life of about 25,000 miles. I’ve known for a few months that it was time to replace the tires but kept thinking that I would do it next week. Part of this was due to really busy days and not wanting to take the time, but the other part was my desire to get the most out of the tires that were on the car.
On Monday morning I was driving to the office but needed to stop for gas on the way. I was getting off the highway in Grapevine and suddenly felt a funny wobble coming from the back of my car. I drove to the gas station because the wobble had stopped when I was driving straight. As I turned into the gas station, it happened again, and I knew that I had a tire going flat. At the pump, I walked around the car and discovered that my tire had rolled its final mile. No problem, I thought, I’ll put on the spare and drive to the tire store to get new tires.
I opened the trunk and started digging around for the tire. I was surprised to find an electric pump, a first aid kit, and other helpful items, but I couldn’t find a jack or a spare tire. I thought that I had to be looking in the wrong place because who would build a car without a spare tire? After a few minutes of searching I called the dealership where I purchased the car and explained the situation. They told me that it was not uncommon for my style of car to lack a spare tire…REALLY? So now I’m sitting at a gas station with a tire that can’t be repaired and no way to even get the car in a state that it can be driven for a couple of miles. I ended up having to call a tow truck to tow my car to a tire store, and in the process I wasted half a day. Oh, one final thing about the new tire installation. I sat and watched as they mounted my new tires to the wheels (rims), but then the wheels wouldn’t go back onto the car. The rear tires are larger than the front tires and they had put the tires onto the wrong wheels and had to take them off and do it all over again. Ugh…
What I learned is that in trying to save myself a few weeks of wear and tear I ended up losing a lot of valuable time. I’m thankful for the tow company and the tire company for helping me get back on track, but if I’d only replaced the tires when I knew I should have, this problem could have been avoided. We all have things in our lives that we know need some change but we keep thinking that we’ll do it next week. We’re living right on the edge, and if we don’t deal with the issue it will lead to bigger issues. Make today the day that you change those things and get back on secure ground. If you deal with the issue today, you will never get caught needing a spare tire and a jack.
On Monday morning I was driving to the office but needed to stop for gas on the way. I was getting off the highway in Grapevine and suddenly felt a funny wobble coming from the back of my car. I drove to the gas station because the wobble had stopped when I was driving straight. As I turned into the gas station, it happened again, and I knew that I had a tire going flat. At the pump, I walked around the car and discovered that my tire had rolled its final mile. No problem, I thought, I’ll put on the spare and drive to the tire store to get new tires.
I opened the trunk and started digging around for the tire. I was surprised to find an electric pump, a first aid kit, and other helpful items, but I couldn’t find a jack or a spare tire. I thought that I had to be looking in the wrong place because who would build a car without a spare tire? After a few minutes of searching I called the dealership where I purchased the car and explained the situation. They told me that it was not uncommon for my style of car to lack a spare tire…REALLY? So now I’m sitting at a gas station with a tire that can’t be repaired and no way to even get the car in a state that it can be driven for a couple of miles. I ended up having to call a tow truck to tow my car to a tire store, and in the process I wasted half a day. Oh, one final thing about the new tire installation. I sat and watched as they mounted my new tires to the wheels (rims), but then the wheels wouldn’t go back onto the car. The rear tires are larger than the front tires and they had put the tires onto the wrong wheels and had to take them off and do it all over again. Ugh…
What I learned is that in trying to save myself a few weeks of wear and tear I ended up losing a lot of valuable time. I’m thankful for the tow company and the tire company for helping me get back on track, but if I’d only replaced the tires when I knew I should have, this problem could have been avoided. We all have things in our lives that we know need some change but we keep thinking that we’ll do it next week. We’re living right on the edge, and if we don’t deal with the issue it will lead to bigger issues. Make today the day that you change those things and get back on secure ground. If you deal with the issue today, you will never get caught needing a spare tire and a jack.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The Cost of Freedom
Last week I was captivated by the events surrounding the 70th anniversary of D-Day. It was June 6, 1944, when some 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasions began at 6:30 a.m. One of the landing areas was Omaha Beach, where U.S. forces faced heavy resistance and over 2,000 Americans would give their lives in the hope of freedom for all people. By the end of the day, Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches. More than 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the D-Day invasion, with thousands more wounded or missing.
These soldiers fought, with many giving their lives, so that we could live in a country where every citizen was given the opportunity to dream. And not only to dream, but to live in a place where those dreams could become a reality. A place where we didn’t have to live in fear of a government that would try to limit those dreams or the hard work it would take to reach them. Everything I am today is because of those men and women who have sacrificed to ensure I have the right to make choices for my life.
As I was reflecting on those sacrifices, I couldn’t help but wonder what those brave soldiers would think of what America is becoming. It seems as if our regard for dreaming and working hard is slowly being replaced by a society in which we expect others to take care of us. America is a great country because Americans have always taken pride in working hard and getting the task done. We lived in a country that encouraged us to worship God and love our neighbors, but that has changed. Today I see so many that feel like they are owed something because they are Americans. The attitude seems to be: What can I get without effort because I’m entitled to it? We have to remind ourselves of what made America great and start teaching that to our children. And not only teach it, but start sacrificing to ensure they can enjoy the America that men and women sacrificed to pass on to us. A great nation where dreams can come true!
Jesus Christ came to this world 2000 years ago to offer each of us hope. Hope of a relationship and eternal home with God. He died on a cross to pay the price for my sin and your sin. That’s been the message of the church, and many men and women have died to preserve that message of hope. Over the past several years I’ve seen churches that have started to compromise that message, telling people that certain sins are acceptable to God and that Jesus is one of several ways to have a relationship with God. Just as my heart breaks because of those who are trying to destroy the America I have come to love, it breaks even more from those who are bringing a message that will destroy a person for eternity. Please don’t fall to the lies that compromise the message of the gospel. Jesus Christ is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him]” (John 14:6). I thank God for America and my relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
These soldiers fought, with many giving their lives, so that we could live in a country where every citizen was given the opportunity to dream. And not only to dream, but to live in a place where those dreams could become a reality. A place where we didn’t have to live in fear of a government that would try to limit those dreams or the hard work it would take to reach them. Everything I am today is because of those men and women who have sacrificed to ensure I have the right to make choices for my life.
As I was reflecting on those sacrifices, I couldn’t help but wonder what those brave soldiers would think of what America is becoming. It seems as if our regard for dreaming and working hard is slowly being replaced by a society in which we expect others to take care of us. America is a great country because Americans have always taken pride in working hard and getting the task done. We lived in a country that encouraged us to worship God and love our neighbors, but that has changed. Today I see so many that feel like they are owed something because they are Americans. The attitude seems to be: What can I get without effort because I’m entitled to it? We have to remind ourselves of what made America great and start teaching that to our children. And not only teach it, but start sacrificing to ensure they can enjoy the America that men and women sacrificed to pass on to us. A great nation where dreams can come true!
Jesus Christ came to this world 2000 years ago to offer each of us hope. Hope of a relationship and eternal home with God. He died on a cross to pay the price for my sin and your sin. That’s been the message of the church, and many men and women have died to preserve that message of hope. Over the past several years I’ve seen churches that have started to compromise that message, telling people that certain sins are acceptable to God and that Jesus is one of several ways to have a relationship with God. Just as my heart breaks because of those who are trying to destroy the America I have come to love, it breaks even more from those who are bringing a message that will destroy a person for eternity. Please don’t fall to the lies that compromise the message of the gospel. Jesus Christ is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him]” (John 14:6). I thank God for America and my relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Out of Control
The other day I was out working in my yard and found myself bummed out by how my backyard looks. During our remodeling our backyard was the dump for all the trash that would eventually be hauled away, so it was nearly impossible to do anything back there. Now that the mess is gone, it’s time to get it ready for the summer by doing some landscaping. Several years ago I decided that I wanted a maintenance-free backyard or at least as close as I could get to it being that way. So we took out all the grass, laid weed and grass barrier, planted some trees and bushes, and filled in the rest with mulch. Each year we’ve refreshed the mulch and touched up other areas but the yard has been pretty much maintenance free.
This year, something happened. Our easy to maintain backyard has gone crazy with growth. I’m amazed that the areas in my yard where I’d like to see grass growing never experience any growth yet an area where I removed all the grass now looks like a wild meadow. The grass is probably a foot tall and looks like nice, strong grass, but I don’t want it there. My weeds are growing so tall that they could almost be mistaken for trees. And everything we’ve done in the past to keep it simple is going to have to be redone. Now that our house is pretty much put back together, it’s going to be time to focus on our backyard and redoing a lot of the landscaping.
Have you ever noticed how our lives are like that? There are things that I try to eliminate from my life because they make life a little more difficult and I just don’t want to deal with those things any longer. I can clean things up, get priorities in order, and feel like I’m on the right track, and I can even maintain it for a period of time. Yet, as good as I am about making those changes and taking steps to make my life better, those undesirable things always have a way of trying to sneak back in. Those things remind me that my life needs to be evaluated and to turn to the Lord who can help me overcome them.
At the same time, I’m reminded that in my life there are areas where I really want to grow, but they need my constant attention and work to grow properly. It doesn’t just happen because I want it to; it happens because I put myself in position to stay strong and grow in those areas. All of us go through these battles and I want to encourage you that the out-of-control stuff can be brought back under control. It’s your life and you need to live it in the way that God has called you to live.
This year, something happened. Our easy to maintain backyard has gone crazy with growth. I’m amazed that the areas in my yard where I’d like to see grass growing never experience any growth yet an area where I removed all the grass now looks like a wild meadow. The grass is probably a foot tall and looks like nice, strong grass, but I don’t want it there. My weeds are growing so tall that they could almost be mistaken for trees. And everything we’ve done in the past to keep it simple is going to have to be redone. Now that our house is pretty much put back together, it’s going to be time to focus on our backyard and redoing a lot of the landscaping.
Have you ever noticed how our lives are like that? There are things that I try to eliminate from my life because they make life a little more difficult and I just don’t want to deal with those things any longer. I can clean things up, get priorities in order, and feel like I’m on the right track, and I can even maintain it for a period of time. Yet, as good as I am about making those changes and taking steps to make my life better, those undesirable things always have a way of trying to sneak back in. Those things remind me that my life needs to be evaluated and to turn to the Lord who can help me overcome them.
At the same time, I’m reminded that in my life there are areas where I really want to grow, but they need my constant attention and work to grow properly. It doesn’t just happen because I want it to; it happens because I put myself in position to stay strong and grow in those areas. All of us go through these battles and I want to encourage you that the out-of-control stuff can be brought back under control. It’s your life and you need to live it in the way that God has called you to live.
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