"How do I look?"
If you are breathing, I can guarantee you have been asked this question at least 7 times this week. If you are a man, asked by your wife or girlfriend, you have to be very careful how you answer this question. The best technique is to form an honest, sincere answer while collapsing with either a seizure or made-up illness. Why? Because we will never come up with the right answer.
The problem is that women don't usually think of their looks the same way that a lot of men do. Most men see their looks in high school, and stick with that thought the rest of their lives. Some see themselves as irresistible studs that any woman would be lucky to have, even if their faces sag, their noses grow to the size of Squidward, and their eyebrows are so tightly knitted that they would need divorce papers to be separated. Some see themselves as nothing but ugly, disgusting and a wart to society.
I believe most men think of themselves as average. Even if their flawless faces emit stares of all women and most men, or if they are sometimes blamed for causing heart failure in small animals. Being average doesn't bother most men, so they usually don't ask how they look. Our primary form of beauty care is a quick shave, hoping they washed all the blood and shaving cream off, and then head out. We give our lawn more attention then we give our looks.
Women are different. Out of the three youth groups I run, I have 99% girls. In my home, I have a wife and daughter, and two cats....all females. I also have around 30 guppies in a fish tank out of which I believe 29 are girls. Why? Because they keep having more babies. I am surrounded by the X chromosome, and if I had to express, in three words, what I believe most women think about their appearance, those words would be: ''not good enough.'' No matter how attractive a woman may appear to be to others, when she looks at herself in the mirror, she thinks: eh.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to tear apart or make fun of women. Please let me finish.
I grew up with G.I. Joe's. Most girls grew up with Barbie, or another perfectly made doll. Barbie was some sort of genetic mutation that if she was the size of a human, she would be 6'9 weighing all of 93 lbs. My G.I. Joe was extremely self-confident and I never pictured him saying "Does my butt look big in this camo?" But some girls grow up thinking that they need to look like Barbie. There is a multi-billion dollar industry devoted to convincing women that they are not good enough and they need to look better. Cindy Crawford, Elle McPherson, and most of television push women to look a certain way. Some men, even though they are as shallow as a puddle of spit, push their women to look a certain way even though it is impossible without a scalpel and surgeon. These women are constantly searching to better themselves.
Don't buy these lies.
If I could talk to all these women, I would tell them ALL the same thing: There could never be a more beautiful you.
Genesis 1:27 says: So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
The same God that made the beautiful sunrise, made you.
The same God that created the waterfalls, the sunsets, the starry nights....made you.
You know the best news? You are His favorite. Out of everything He has ever created, you are His prize possession.
Although we don't act perfect, our image is perfect because we were made in the image of a perfect God. Self-confidence is a tough thing to grasp sometimes. It's easier to grasp if we get to know this perfect God, and see the love He has for us.
Right now, God is looking down on you. He sees your image as perfect. I can picture Him looking down on some of us and thinking "Why do you want so badly to change? Why do you 'need' that new product or the next surgery? Why can't you see yourself the way I see you?"
If we had all God's eyes, this world would change. Many businesses would shut down. Many actors or models would be out of work. If we all had God's eyes, we would walk around, look at each other and say:
There could never be a more beautiful you.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
I Wish.......
Have you ever had one of those days where you say "I wish I would have...."
Today was one of those days for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I love the people I talk with. I love the fact I work outside all day long. I love the satisfaction of fixing something that gets results. There have only been a few distinct times that I wish I had chosen a different profession. Today was one of those days.
Nothing seemed to be going right. I had been talked down to and yelled at by a customer. I couldn't find an address. I forgot my lunch. It all came to a head when I had to go up in an attic that was 168 degrees, and try and fix an air handler. As the sweat was dripping into my eyes and through my shirt, I felt the nausea coming on. After I finished vomiting behind my van, the thought hit me "I wish I would have gone to college".
This was not as bad as what happened to me a few years ago. I had to check the duct work under a house because they were getting rat droppings blown out of the vents every time the air came on. That should have been my first sign to run, but I took on the challenge. I found the spot to go under the house and when I started crawling, claustrophobia set in. There was only about 12" of clearance for me to snake my way on my belly and pull my body the 30 feet to the ducts. The smell was horrendous. I thought it was just dead rats...I was wrong. I shined my flashlight into the darkness and realized I was crawling towards a dead raccoon. There was no way around it. As I got closer to the carcass, I heard a noise the made my heart jump. A sort of hiss with a growl mixed in. I turned my flashlight a little to the left and saw the source of the noise. I had cornered a raccoon, and this one wasn't dead. I had no way to turn around because of the limited access. The jungle rat was getting more and more ticked off. The only way out was to push myself backwards the twenty feet I already had crawled. I was so terrified that the only thing I go think of to say was "here kitty kitty. Nice kitty. Good kitty" (My wife still ribs me for trying to call a raccoon like a kitten). I slowly backed out and once I made it out I uttered those words again "I wish I would have listened to my gut".
I wish I would have....
How many times have you said that?
As long as we breath, we can try and fix past errors. We can try to right something that we did wrong, or do something we wished we would have done before. But what about when we die? In the last month, I have seen more young people pass on then I ever have before. What did all these teens have in common? They thought they had a tomorrow. What would you do different if you didn't have a tomorrow?
Here on earth, it's not everyday we meet someone who will give us a second chance. But what if we met that person and he not only gave us a second chance, but he gave us a second chance everyday? I know of someone like this. His name is Jesus Christ. He is offering that free second chance. He took on the mistakes of all of us, in order for us to have those second chances. All we have to do is take advantage of this opportunity by coming to Him. I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I talk with Him everyday. That's all He's asking of us, to get to know Him.
All of us will be at the feet of Jesus Christ someday. Whether we believe in Him or not, we will all have to make an account of our life that we have been given. I don't want anyone to have to look up at Jesus, look Him in the eye, and say: I wish I would have known you.
Today was one of those days for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I love the people I talk with. I love the fact I work outside all day long. I love the satisfaction of fixing something that gets results. There have only been a few distinct times that I wish I had chosen a different profession. Today was one of those days.
Nothing seemed to be going right. I had been talked down to and yelled at by a customer. I couldn't find an address. I forgot my lunch. It all came to a head when I had to go up in an attic that was 168 degrees, and try and fix an air handler. As the sweat was dripping into my eyes and through my shirt, I felt the nausea coming on. After I finished vomiting behind my van, the thought hit me "I wish I would have gone to college".
This was not as bad as what happened to me a few years ago. I had to check the duct work under a house because they were getting rat droppings blown out of the vents every time the air came on. That should have been my first sign to run, but I took on the challenge. I found the spot to go under the house and when I started crawling, claustrophobia set in. There was only about 12" of clearance for me to snake my way on my belly and pull my body the 30 feet to the ducts. The smell was horrendous. I thought it was just dead rats...I was wrong. I shined my flashlight into the darkness and realized I was crawling towards a dead raccoon. There was no way around it. As I got closer to the carcass, I heard a noise the made my heart jump. A sort of hiss with a growl mixed in. I turned my flashlight a little to the left and saw the source of the noise. I had cornered a raccoon, and this one wasn't dead. I had no way to turn around because of the limited access. The jungle rat was getting more and more ticked off. The only way out was to push myself backwards the twenty feet I already had crawled. I was so terrified that the only thing I go think of to say was "here kitty kitty. Nice kitty. Good kitty" (My wife still ribs me for trying to call a raccoon like a kitten). I slowly backed out and once I made it out I uttered those words again "I wish I would have listened to my gut".
I wish I would have....
How many times have you said that?
As long as we breath, we can try and fix past errors. We can try to right something that we did wrong, or do something we wished we would have done before. But what about when we die? In the last month, I have seen more young people pass on then I ever have before. What did all these teens have in common? They thought they had a tomorrow. What would you do different if you didn't have a tomorrow?
Here on earth, it's not everyday we meet someone who will give us a second chance. But what if we met that person and he not only gave us a second chance, but he gave us a second chance everyday? I know of someone like this. His name is Jesus Christ. He is offering that free second chance. He took on the mistakes of all of us, in order for us to have those second chances. All we have to do is take advantage of this opportunity by coming to Him. I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I talk with Him everyday. That's all He's asking of us, to get to know Him.
All of us will be at the feet of Jesus Christ someday. Whether we believe in Him or not, we will all have to make an account of our life that we have been given. I don't want anyone to have to look up at Jesus, look Him in the eye, and say: I wish I would have known you.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
My Father
"You must have had great parents."
That was a compliment that I received at work this week. One of the best compliments that I could get. I was working at a customer's house, trying to get their A/C to work, and I struck up a conversation with the owner. He asked about the tattoo that I have on my arm. I explained to him that after Christ was crucified, the men that would battle in His name would have this symbol on their shields. They called themselves "Warriors for Christ", and so do I. That conversation turned to my work with the youth, and the passion that I have for God. As I was leaving the home, he said "You must have had great parents." I let him know that I do have great parents.
With today being Father's Day, I would like to tell you about my Dad.
My Dad is the greatest man I have in my life. Why? Because he is always there for me.
While in High School, I was always in three sports. Cross Country, Basketball, and Track were my sports for three years, and in my fourth year I switched Cross Country for Football. My Dad rarely missed any of my meets or games. In Cross Country, you run out in a field for three miles and then circle your way back. The people watching would literally get a 30 second glimpse of the runners from their vantage point. My Dad would make sure to yell for me as I ran by, to let me know he was there. In Basketball, I was never any good until my senior year. I was the guy that checked in the game the last 30 seconds IF we were up by 30 or down by 30. My Dad was always there, no matter how many minutes or seconds I played. Track was the same way. I ran the mile and two mile. With each lap, he yelled out my name as I passed. He let me know that he was there for me. After each of my games and meets, he would come up and hug me. He never told me what I needed to work on or what I did wrong. He would just hug me and say four words: I'm proud of you.
This didn't stop after High School. Whether it was sitting and talking in the break room with me at Boise Cascade during my lunch break, or coming home early from vacation after I fell asleep at the wheel and wrecked his car, he was always there for me. One of the best pictures I have is when he was holding my daughter right after she was born. That's just the kind of Dad that I have.
In September of 2004, I called my Dad from work. I asked what he was doing that night. I distinctly remember that he had meetings for church that he had to go to. He asked why. I broke down on the phone and told him that I had an addiction to pain killers. He was at my house when I got home from work. He had skipped the meetings to come over and be with me.
I have tried my hardest to push my Dad out of my life with my actions in the past. He has never waivered.
After working with the guys at Hope, Help and Healing, I realize how blessed I am to have my Dad. Over 90% of these men don't have their father in their lives, and they haven't had one since an early age. I've heard of abusive fathers, absent fathers, drug addicted fathers, alcoholic fathers, and even fathers in prison for murdering their mother. My Dad is none of these. My Dad is a spiritual, loving, faithful, man of all men. He has shown me how to love my wife. He has shown me how to love my daughter. He has shown me how to stick to your guns when it comes to your faith. But most of all, he has shown me how to be more than a father. He has shown me how to be a Dad.
I will spend the rest of my life trying to be as great a Dad as my father. I have some amazing shoes to fill. I just know that it's a gift and a blessing to be following such a great man. I'll never consider myself as great a father as my Dad, because of how great he is. I'm just thankful for the chance. Happy Father's Day to the greatest man I know.
I love you, Dad.
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That was a compliment that I received at work this week. One of the best compliments that I could get. I was working at a customer's house, trying to get their A/C to work, and I struck up a conversation with the owner. He asked about the tattoo that I have on my arm. I explained to him that after Christ was crucified, the men that would battle in His name would have this symbol on their shields. They called themselves "Warriors for Christ", and so do I. That conversation turned to my work with the youth, and the passion that I have for God. As I was leaving the home, he said "You must have had great parents." I let him know that I do have great parents.
With today being Father's Day, I would like to tell you about my Dad.
My Dad is the greatest man I have in my life. Why? Because he is always there for me.
While in High School, I was always in three sports. Cross Country, Basketball, and Track were my sports for three years, and in my fourth year I switched Cross Country for Football. My Dad rarely missed any of my meets or games. In Cross Country, you run out in a field for three miles and then circle your way back. The people watching would literally get a 30 second glimpse of the runners from their vantage point. My Dad would make sure to yell for me as I ran by, to let me know he was there. In Basketball, I was never any good until my senior year. I was the guy that checked in the game the last 30 seconds IF we were up by 30 or down by 30. My Dad was always there, no matter how many minutes or seconds I played. Track was the same way. I ran the mile and two mile. With each lap, he yelled out my name as I passed. He let me know that he was there for me. After each of my games and meets, he would come up and hug me. He never told me what I needed to work on or what I did wrong. He would just hug me and say four words: I'm proud of you.
This didn't stop after High School. Whether it was sitting and talking in the break room with me at Boise Cascade during my lunch break, or coming home early from vacation after I fell asleep at the wheel and wrecked his car, he was always there for me. One of the best pictures I have is when he was holding my daughter right after she was born. That's just the kind of Dad that I have.
In September of 2004, I called my Dad from work. I asked what he was doing that night. I distinctly remember that he had meetings for church that he had to go to. He asked why. I broke down on the phone and told him that I had an addiction to pain killers. He was at my house when I got home from work. He had skipped the meetings to come over and be with me.
I have tried my hardest to push my Dad out of my life with my actions in the past. He has never waivered.
After working with the guys at Hope, Help and Healing, I realize how blessed I am to have my Dad. Over 90% of these men don't have their father in their lives, and they haven't had one since an early age. I've heard of abusive fathers, absent fathers, drug addicted fathers, alcoholic fathers, and even fathers in prison for murdering their mother. My Dad is none of these. My Dad is a spiritual, loving, faithful, man of all men. He has shown me how to love my wife. He has shown me how to love my daughter. He has shown me how to stick to your guns when it comes to your faith. But most of all, he has shown me how to be more than a father. He has shown me how to be a Dad.
I will spend the rest of my life trying to be as great a Dad as my father. I have some amazing shoes to fill. I just know that it's a gift and a blessing to be following such a great man. I'll never consider myself as great a father as my Dad, because of how great he is. I'm just thankful for the chance. Happy Father's Day to the greatest man I know.
I love you, Dad.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Work in Progress
This morning on my way to work, something amusing happened. I was stopped at an intersection leading to the highway, and a man was standing next to the road with his thumb up and a sign that said "Reno". We made eye contact and I gave him a quick nod as if to say hello. He pointed down to the sign and I shrugged my shoulders to let him know I couldn't do it. I don't think my boss would like it if I made a 250 mile side trip before my next call. I don't think this guy understood that, because as I drove past him, his thumb went down and his finger came up. His bird was flying long and proud.
I drive about 4 hours average per day between different calls. When I am logging all this windshield time, I have random thoughts just jump into my head. The thoughts can be anywhere from "Does a deaf person have to wash his hands with soap if he swears in sign language?" to "I wonder what Hawaii 5-0 will think of next?" It can be dangerous trying to get into my head.
The thought I had today after seeing this bird flying was "When did I first learn that flipping someone off was wrong?" There are certain moments in your life that you don't forget and this was one of them for me. I was just learning to ride a bike. After multiple attempts and multiple failures, I finally started riding. I looked at my cousin and yelled "I got this!".....after which I promptly ran into a bank of trash cans. I took a big chunk of skin off my middle finger. As I was showing my cousin, he told me about the power of flipping someone off.
The reason I bring this up is the sentence that I yelled while riding: "I got this!". How many times in life do we yell that phrase? Step out of the way God, I got this.
I work at a Drug Treatment Facility, and I have heard that phrase multiple times. Two weeks ago I was teaching a class, and one of the men told me he was leaving in two days. I asked if he was ready. "I got this now", is what he told me. Last Saturday, I was at Safeway and ran into this same guy. Reeking of alcohol, he told me that he wasn't prepared for real life and that he already violated parole. In my experience, the men who tell me "I got this!", more often then not are back in prison before the end of the month. Why? Because we are putting ourselves above God. "I" got this and not "He". We are stating that we "arrived" somewhere.
None of us have arrived yet. We are still works in progress. If you are reading this right now, if you are breathing right now, you haven't arrived yet. "I got this" should be changed to "God has me". I am glad today that I am not what I used to be and, most importantly, that I am not now what I will be when He is through with me. As we travel towards eternity we are clay in the hands of the Heavenly Potter. He is working on us now, and has great plans for us in eternity. The Lord has made a substantial investment in each of our lives. I cannot see Him leaving us now or ever, and let us handle this world on our own. God did not save a single soul to lose it along the way. Trusting ourselves instead of trusting God seems to be easier.
It is our own choice if we push God out of the way and try and complete this life ourselves. Know this: He started it, He maintains it, and He will finish it. Thank God, He is still working on me! And, He will continue to work until every single one of His children is at home with him in Eternity. Someday God will finish His work in me. I will never be satisfied with the me I know down here, but I will be satisfied with the me that will be with Jesus in Eternity. We are all just works in progress.
I drive about 4 hours average per day between different calls. When I am logging all this windshield time, I have random thoughts just jump into my head. The thoughts can be anywhere from "Does a deaf person have to wash his hands with soap if he swears in sign language?" to "I wonder what Hawaii 5-0 will think of next?" It can be dangerous trying to get into my head.
The thought I had today after seeing this bird flying was "When did I first learn that flipping someone off was wrong?" There are certain moments in your life that you don't forget and this was one of them for me. I was just learning to ride a bike. After multiple attempts and multiple failures, I finally started riding. I looked at my cousin and yelled "I got this!".....after which I promptly ran into a bank of trash cans. I took a big chunk of skin off my middle finger. As I was showing my cousin, he told me about the power of flipping someone off.
The reason I bring this up is the sentence that I yelled while riding: "I got this!". How many times in life do we yell that phrase? Step out of the way God, I got this.
I work at a Drug Treatment Facility, and I have heard that phrase multiple times. Two weeks ago I was teaching a class, and one of the men told me he was leaving in two days. I asked if he was ready. "I got this now", is what he told me. Last Saturday, I was at Safeway and ran into this same guy. Reeking of alcohol, he told me that he wasn't prepared for real life and that he already violated parole. In my experience, the men who tell me "I got this!", more often then not are back in prison before the end of the month. Why? Because we are putting ourselves above God. "I" got this and not "He". We are stating that we "arrived" somewhere.
None of us have arrived yet. We are still works in progress. If you are reading this right now, if you are breathing right now, you haven't arrived yet. "I got this" should be changed to "God has me". I am glad today that I am not what I used to be and, most importantly, that I am not now what I will be when He is through with me. As we travel towards eternity we are clay in the hands of the Heavenly Potter. He is working on us now, and has great plans for us in eternity. The Lord has made a substantial investment in each of our lives. I cannot see Him leaving us now or ever, and let us handle this world on our own. God did not save a single soul to lose it along the way. Trusting ourselves instead of trusting God seems to be easier.
It is our own choice if we push God out of the way and try and complete this life ourselves. Know this: He started it, He maintains it, and He will finish it. Thank God, He is still working on me! And, He will continue to work until every single one of His children is at home with him in Eternity. Someday God will finish His work in me. I will never be satisfied with the me I know down here, but I will be satisfied with the me that will be with Jesus in Eternity. We are all just works in progress.
"being confident of this,
that He who began a good work
in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus"
-Philippians 1:6
Sunday, June 12, 2011
May I Help?
I recently received an email from one of my "followers" to this blog. Tammy is a mother of two, and someone that I've grown close to over the years. She has seen me at my best and been with me through the worst. Although we drifted apart for a few years, we have recently renewed our friendship. The email she wrote explained how she loves reading my blog with her 12 year old daughter, Devyn. I even received an email from Devyn telling me she loves reading this blog.
This got my mind racing. How cool to have an activity to look forward to with your children. Even though this blog may not be that exciting, I think it's neat to spend quality time together. I remember when I was little, my Dad and I would read the "Green Mile" together. This was the time when Stephen King only released a few chapters each month. Every month we would anxiously await the release of the chapters, and then spend that afternoon together reading it. Some of the best afternoons ever.
As I was reminiscing about this, I was drawn to different experiences I've had with my daughter and one story was brought to the center of my memory.
My daughter was around 4 years old at the time. I was outside mowing the lawn and I clearly remember looking at her face pressed against the sliding glass door from the inside. She wanted to be outside with Dad. I let go of the lawn mower and pulled open the slider for her to come outside. I made sure to tell her to stay on the patio because mowing the lawn wasn't for kids. As I turned to push the mower, I felt her go under my arms and grab the handle to push. She was outside with Dad but now she wanted to help Dad. I quit pushing for a second, and the mower came to a complete stop. Barely able to see over the handles, she was frantically trying to push. She wanted to show me that she could help. Her feet were slipping on the grass as she kept trying and trying. I was laughing at her futile attempt to help, and admired how cute she was trying to be as much assistance to me as possible. At first I wanted to say "Hey, get out of the way. I still have a lot of lawn left." But instead, I said "Let me help you, Mikaila". Together we started pushing. I was bent over and walking wide-legged the whole time so not to step on her little feet. After awhile my back started hurting. I almost told her to get out of the way, but I loved how much she wanted to "help". The grass ended up being cut but a lot less efficiently because Mikaila was "helping". She even helped me put ketchup on my foot and ran inside to tell Mom that "Daddy cut his foot off!" I love that little girl.
After wondering why this story popped into my head, it dawned on me. This is the same type of way that my Heavenly Father allows me to 'help' Him build His kingdom. I could picture God at work seeking, saving, and transforming the lost, and here I am with my weak little hands, 'helping'. I know that God could do the work Himself, and a lot more efficiently, but He condescends to allowing us to work with Him. How honored I am that He allows me to help and to minister with Him!
Our God takes the time to include all His children in His life. This is an example that we as parents should follow. Tammy and Devyn are doing their part. Our time with our children is essential, and is NEVER wasted. It doesn't matter how small the task, it is never small to our children. God is not merely like a father, He is a father.
Children can live without many things, but love is not one of them. Perhaps the greatest gift a parent can give a child, besides the knowledge of the Lord, is the knowledge that they are loved unconditionally.
We need to love them like God the Father loves us.
This got my mind racing. How cool to have an activity to look forward to with your children. Even though this blog may not be that exciting, I think it's neat to spend quality time together. I remember when I was little, my Dad and I would read the "Green Mile" together. This was the time when Stephen King only released a few chapters each month. Every month we would anxiously await the release of the chapters, and then spend that afternoon together reading it. Some of the best afternoons ever.
As I was reminiscing about this, I was drawn to different experiences I've had with my daughter and one story was brought to the center of my memory.
My daughter was around 4 years old at the time. I was outside mowing the lawn and I clearly remember looking at her face pressed against the sliding glass door from the inside. She wanted to be outside with Dad. I let go of the lawn mower and pulled open the slider for her to come outside. I made sure to tell her to stay on the patio because mowing the lawn wasn't for kids. As I turned to push the mower, I felt her go under my arms and grab the handle to push. She was outside with Dad but now she wanted to help Dad. I quit pushing for a second, and the mower came to a complete stop. Barely able to see over the handles, she was frantically trying to push. She wanted to show me that she could help. Her feet were slipping on the grass as she kept trying and trying. I was laughing at her futile attempt to help, and admired how cute she was trying to be as much assistance to me as possible. At first I wanted to say "Hey, get out of the way. I still have a lot of lawn left." But instead, I said "Let me help you, Mikaila". Together we started pushing. I was bent over and walking wide-legged the whole time so not to step on her little feet. After awhile my back started hurting. I almost told her to get out of the way, but I loved how much she wanted to "help". The grass ended up being cut but a lot less efficiently because Mikaila was "helping". She even helped me put ketchup on my foot and ran inside to tell Mom that "Daddy cut his foot off!" I love that little girl.
After wondering why this story popped into my head, it dawned on me. This is the same type of way that my Heavenly Father allows me to 'help' Him build His kingdom. I could picture God at work seeking, saving, and transforming the lost, and here I am with my weak little hands, 'helping'. I know that God could do the work Himself, and a lot more efficiently, but He condescends to allowing us to work with Him. How honored I am that He allows me to help and to minister with Him!
Our God takes the time to include all His children in His life. This is an example that we as parents should follow. Tammy and Devyn are doing their part. Our time with our children is essential, and is NEVER wasted. It doesn't matter how small the task, it is never small to our children. God is not merely like a father, He is a father.
Children can live without many things, but love is not one of them. Perhaps the greatest gift a parent can give a child, besides the knowledge of the Lord, is the knowledge that they are loved unconditionally.
We need to love them like God the Father loves us.
Friday, June 10, 2011
To Save a Life
This has been a tough week for some people that I love deeply. I would like to share a story that I have held in confidence, in the hopes that it will help someone out that may be struggling tonight.
I know a story of a guy that was once in a deep, very dark place. For years he had been battling with an addiction that consumed him. I deal with men every week that struggle with addictions and who have to fight the demons inside just to make it through the day.....but this guy was different. I was close to him. He would fight the addiction and be "normal" for a few months, and then everyone would hear about his fall. Again and again this happened. He would go to bed praying that God would just take this away, and he would promise himself and God that this would be the last night he gave in to the temptations. Tomorrow would be different.
Tomorrow wasn't different. He would wake up and the cycle would start all over again. This man had a family that loved him and he was tearing them apart, pushing them away. He would promise his family over and over again that this time would be different. But it was never different. Empty promises is all his wife heard. Finally she had enough and brought home divorce papers for him. This man could see it in his wife's face and eyes that she was as good as gone.
When you wake up with no hope, it is tough to even get out of bed. This man had zero hope inside him. If only he could just open his eyes, he would have witnessed the beauty around him....but all he saw was the empty pit consuming him. His wife loved him. His daughter loved him. He hated himself.
One morning he woke up and finally realized something: He had no hope. For years he would beg his wife to stay with him, to not leave. Today was going to be different. He told his wife to pack up his little girl and leave. He told his wife that he would grant the divorce, but just to leave him alone for the night and tomorrow he would find somewhere else to live. He just wanted one night alone. So, she grabbed the little girl and got in the car and drove away.
His mind was made up. He wouldn't need to find a new place to stay tomorrow...he wouldn't be alive tomorrow. With every fiber in his body, he knew that this was going to happen. No phone calls were made to say goodbye, no letters were written. He was so serious, that he sent a text to his friend to be the first at the house in the morning before his family came back home. He didn't want his family to find him first. He was so serious, that he set a time...5:45. As soon as the clock hit that, he was going into the garage and he would be gone.
5:00 approached and he sat sobbing on his bed. "God, this is your fault!!!. You left me like this!! You didn't take this away!!!" he yelled out loud with so much anger that his head felt like it was going to explode. Cursing God over and over, he headed down the hall to the garage. There was a door separating the inside of the house that led to the garage. As he neared that, he said something that I will always remember "You weren't big enough for this problem, God." It was almost time. He opened the door and stared for a moment into the garage. At that instance, he saw the garage door start to roll open. It was his wife. She was driving up into the garage and parked. The man, still sobbing, broke down even more when she got out of the car and said "Something told me not to leave you."
That was the last day that man touched another substance.
You may be going through something that you feel is too much for you to handle. You may be waking up with no hope as this man once did. All the problems seem to be coming at once, and God seems so far away. You may be thinking that God doesn't care about you, and God doesn't see what you are going through.
You are wrong.
God is the Creator of the Universe. He knows the second you were born, the second you'll die, and EVERY second in between. God created this world out of nothing and He can surely handle whatever problem that you are going through right now. There is no problem too big for God. He wants you to come to Him. God is a God of Agape love. He loves you unconditionally even if you don't love yourself right now. If you feel you are at the end of your rope, don't keep holding on, let go and let God catch you. Get help. Some people are always looking back, focused on their hurts and their pain. Some people are looking down, living in depression and hopelessness. Try this. Lift your eyes up. Let God consume you with so much love and compassion that you will be lifted out of this dark hole.
I love Jesus Christ so much. I am so passionate about my love for Him, that some days I just can't shut up. He is my Savior. He is my Friend. Give Him a chance. I know that He won't disappoint you.
How can I be so passionate about Jesus? Because He opened that garage door for me.
I know a story of a guy that was once in a deep, very dark place. For years he had been battling with an addiction that consumed him. I deal with men every week that struggle with addictions and who have to fight the demons inside just to make it through the day.....but this guy was different. I was close to him. He would fight the addiction and be "normal" for a few months, and then everyone would hear about his fall. Again and again this happened. He would go to bed praying that God would just take this away, and he would promise himself and God that this would be the last night he gave in to the temptations. Tomorrow would be different.
Tomorrow wasn't different. He would wake up and the cycle would start all over again. This man had a family that loved him and he was tearing them apart, pushing them away. He would promise his family over and over again that this time would be different. But it was never different. Empty promises is all his wife heard. Finally she had enough and brought home divorce papers for him. This man could see it in his wife's face and eyes that she was as good as gone.
When you wake up with no hope, it is tough to even get out of bed. This man had zero hope inside him. If only he could just open his eyes, he would have witnessed the beauty around him....but all he saw was the empty pit consuming him. His wife loved him. His daughter loved him. He hated himself.
One morning he woke up and finally realized something: He had no hope. For years he would beg his wife to stay with him, to not leave. Today was going to be different. He told his wife to pack up his little girl and leave. He told his wife that he would grant the divorce, but just to leave him alone for the night and tomorrow he would find somewhere else to live. He just wanted one night alone. So, she grabbed the little girl and got in the car and drove away.
His mind was made up. He wouldn't need to find a new place to stay tomorrow...he wouldn't be alive tomorrow. With every fiber in his body, he knew that this was going to happen. No phone calls were made to say goodbye, no letters were written. He was so serious, that he sent a text to his friend to be the first at the house in the morning before his family came back home. He didn't want his family to find him first. He was so serious, that he set a time...5:45. As soon as the clock hit that, he was going into the garage and he would be gone.
5:00 approached and he sat sobbing on his bed. "God, this is your fault!!!. You left me like this!! You didn't take this away!!!" he yelled out loud with so much anger that his head felt like it was going to explode. Cursing God over and over, he headed down the hall to the garage. There was a door separating the inside of the house that led to the garage. As he neared that, he said something that I will always remember "You weren't big enough for this problem, God." It was almost time. He opened the door and stared for a moment into the garage. At that instance, he saw the garage door start to roll open. It was his wife. She was driving up into the garage and parked. The man, still sobbing, broke down even more when she got out of the car and said "Something told me not to leave you."
That was the last day that man touched another substance.
You may be going through something that you feel is too much for you to handle. You may be waking up with no hope as this man once did. All the problems seem to be coming at once, and God seems so far away. You may be thinking that God doesn't care about you, and God doesn't see what you are going through.
You are wrong.
God is the Creator of the Universe. He knows the second you were born, the second you'll die, and EVERY second in between. God created this world out of nothing and He can surely handle whatever problem that you are going through right now. There is no problem too big for God. He wants you to come to Him. God is a God of Agape love. He loves you unconditionally even if you don't love yourself right now. If you feel you are at the end of your rope, don't keep holding on, let go and let God catch you. Get help. Some people are always looking back, focused on their hurts and their pain. Some people are looking down, living in depression and hopelessness. Try this. Lift your eyes up. Let God consume you with so much love and compassion that you will be lifted out of this dark hole.
I love Jesus Christ so much. I am so passionate about my love for Him, that some days I just can't shut up. He is my Savior. He is my Friend. Give Him a chance. I know that He won't disappoint you.
How can I be so passionate about Jesus? Because He opened that garage door for me.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Truth or Dud
I have always loved History.
In High School, although my grades rarely showed it, History was my favorite subject. Mr. White, my History teacher, made the subject very interesting at the time. I don't know whether the subject was the first to catch my attention, or the fact that Mr. White is still the only guy I know that could sweat through a shirt, sweater and a parka in the middle of winter. The only problem that I have is that Mr. White made the subject seem so important that I thought I needed to memorize every useless fact in order to survive life. To be honest, I've rarely used any facts about The Emancipation Proclamation while working my blue-collar job, so the facts have been replaced by thoughts such as "DUhhh....water plus electricity is a no-no".
That's why I was so glad Sarah Palin reminded me this week about the story of Paul Revere. I forgot that he rode through the streets yelling "They are coming to take your guns!"
I was excited because I have finally noticed History actually being used in everyday life. This ignited a fire in me to talk all things History with as many people as I can this week, just to renew my fervour for such an important subject.
I can barely contain my excitement as I wait to talk about how the Chinese bombed Pearl Harbor on that fateful morning of December 11, 1941. Or the horrific events in 1963 when Lee Harvey Oswald leaned out of the 7th story window of the Book Depository and assassinated Robert F. Kennedy. When I get to my first service call tomorrow, I want to somehow initiate a conversation about how at George Washington's funeral in 1845, his pet parrot had to be removed because it was swearing.
Now before I get a ton of comments about how much of an idiot I am, let me correct myself. I know that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. I'm well aware of the fact that John F. Kennedy was assassinated back in 1963, and that it was Andrew Jackson's parrot that was swearing in 1845. But I wonder how many people picked out just those mistakes in my last paragraph? There were two other mistakes. It was December 7th, not the 11th, and it was the 6th story window of the Book Depository, not 7th. Oh, and Paul Revere yelled "The British are coming!", not "They are coming to take your guns!" as Mrs. Palin stated. Thank goodness she's pretty.
My point is this. If we take just what people say and use them as fact, we may be wrong more often then we think. As a Youth Pastor, I constantly get texts or phone calls saying "Where in the Bible does it say....."
"Where in the Bible is the story of a whale swallowing Jonah"? I have been fooled by this question before. But in fact, nowhere in the book of Jonah or in any other part of the bible does it say that this fish was a whale. It says that God prepared a big fish to swallow Jonah. We just all assumed it was a whale.
"Where is the story of the Three Wisemen?" I have been guilty of sharing the story of The "Three" Wisemen. The bible talks about the wise men, but nowhere does it ever say that there were three of them. Children’s authors and song writers now perpetuate this idea without knowing where it has come from. I think that the world has decided that there were three of them because they brought three different gifts, but we have no idea exactly how many men were there.
If we really dug into it individually, where does the majority of our knowledge of the Bible come from? Does it come from what Pastors, teachers, or stories have mentioned, or does it come from the Bible itself?
I'm not discounting what other's teach you. I obviously feel the need for what Pastors and Teachers do. I just want to make sure that more of our knowledge about the Bible comes from actually digging deep into the Word of God, praying and pondering. How many times will we recite a "fact" that we KNOW is somewhere in the Bible? Next time you hear a "fact" about History or the Bible, really think about what's being said, open a book or The book, and make sure it's the truth.
That way you really know how many animals Moses took on the Ark.
In High School, although my grades rarely showed it, History was my favorite subject. Mr. White, my History teacher, made the subject very interesting at the time. I don't know whether the subject was the first to catch my attention, or the fact that Mr. White is still the only guy I know that could sweat through a shirt, sweater and a parka in the middle of winter. The only problem that I have is that Mr. White made the subject seem so important that I thought I needed to memorize every useless fact in order to survive life. To be honest, I've rarely used any facts about The Emancipation Proclamation while working my blue-collar job, so the facts have been replaced by thoughts such as "DUhhh....water plus electricity is a no-no".
That's why I was so glad Sarah Palin reminded me this week about the story of Paul Revere. I forgot that he rode through the streets yelling "They are coming to take your guns!"
I was excited because I have finally noticed History actually being used in everyday life. This ignited a fire in me to talk all things History with as many people as I can this week, just to renew my fervour for such an important subject.
I can barely contain my excitement as I wait to talk about how the Chinese bombed Pearl Harbor on that fateful morning of December 11, 1941. Or the horrific events in 1963 when Lee Harvey Oswald leaned out of the 7th story window of the Book Depository and assassinated Robert F. Kennedy. When I get to my first service call tomorrow, I want to somehow initiate a conversation about how at George Washington's funeral in 1845, his pet parrot had to be removed because it was swearing.
Now before I get a ton of comments about how much of an idiot I am, let me correct myself. I know that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. I'm well aware of the fact that John F. Kennedy was assassinated back in 1963, and that it was Andrew Jackson's parrot that was swearing in 1845. But I wonder how many people picked out just those mistakes in my last paragraph? There were two other mistakes. It was December 7th, not the 11th, and it was the 6th story window of the Book Depository, not 7th. Oh, and Paul Revere yelled "The British are coming!", not "They are coming to take your guns!" as Mrs. Palin stated. Thank goodness she's pretty.
My point is this. If we take just what people say and use them as fact, we may be wrong more often then we think. As a Youth Pastor, I constantly get texts or phone calls saying "Where in the Bible does it say....."
"Where in the Bible is the story of a whale swallowing Jonah"? I have been fooled by this question before. But in fact, nowhere in the book of Jonah or in any other part of the bible does it say that this fish was a whale. It says that God prepared a big fish to swallow Jonah. We just all assumed it was a whale.
"Where is the story of the Three Wisemen?" I have been guilty of sharing the story of The "Three" Wisemen. The bible talks about the wise men, but nowhere does it ever say that there were three of them. Children’s authors and song writers now perpetuate this idea without knowing where it has come from. I think that the world has decided that there were three of them because they brought three different gifts, but we have no idea exactly how many men were there.
If we really dug into it individually, where does the majority of our knowledge of the Bible come from? Does it come from what Pastors, teachers, or stories have mentioned, or does it come from the Bible itself?
I'm not discounting what other's teach you. I obviously feel the need for what Pastors and Teachers do. I just want to make sure that more of our knowledge about the Bible comes from actually digging deep into the Word of God, praying and pondering. How many times will we recite a "fact" that we KNOW is somewhere in the Bible? Next time you hear a "fact" about History or the Bible, really think about what's being said, open a book or The book, and make sure it's the truth.
That way you really know how many animals Moses took on the Ark.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
How many Calories is that?
I probably shouldn't admit this to my youth, but when I was your age, I did some pretty stupid things. I'm talking about taking crazy stupid risks. I drank water straight from the hose. I spent more time shooting my BB gun then shooting Nazis on the X-Box. I opened packages of cheese with my teeth, and not with the helpful ziplock seal. I could open my refrigerator without seeing 47 warning labels like "Don't Go Swimming With This Appliance".
But the most insane, wildest thing I was able to do as a kid, was survive without looking at the calorie count on everything that I ate. And this is coming from a guy that would come home from track practice and eat mayonnaise straight from the jar.
I know I was lucky. We can all breathe a sigh of relief that anyone over the age of 15 is still alive and walking around right now. I'm not proud of this. I could blame ignorance, peer pressure, or the time I use to play with mercury I took out of thermometers.
I have been known to stop by up to three different fast food restaurants a day while working (Back off, I'm starving). But recently, all I notice are calorie counts everywhere I look. On every menu and every sign are calories. I don't know what the numbers mean, but my favorite foods usually have the highest numbers. That's good, right? Last night I was eating dinner at a restaurant that shall go nameless (Let's just say it's mascot is a big red bird that says "YUM!). I noticed they had calorie counts on the menu as well as a separate sheet of paper giving them again. I was just waiting for someone to walk by, hit me in the head with a tack hammer and say "you really gonna eat that, fatty?"
This got me thinking. What if there was always printed calorie counts with everything ever eaten. Can you imagine reading the Bible and knowing that when Jesus fed the five-thousand, all the people knew that they were each eating approximately 280 calories in fish and 180 calories in bread? I wonder if anyone would have turned it down and waited for a healthier option? "Jesus, I know that you just performed a massive miracle, but have you seen how fatty that bread is?"
The Last Supper would be changed a little also. Judas would have known, when he dipped the bread into the bowl with Jesus, he not only would be fulfilling a prophecy but he would also be eating 112 calories. I wonder if Eve would still have taken a bite of that fruit if she knew the content of it?
I say we are blessed, that as a nation, we have been able to survive these thousands of years without these helpful guides. I urge all of you to boycott all restaurants, taco trucks, and continental breakfasts that don't plaster these guides over everything you put in your mouth. I'm afraid that if we don't, our country could soon be underwater as far inland as Kansas City.
Tonight, hold your loved ones a little tighter. Give thanks for living this long without knowing the damage we have been doing to our bodies. But most of all, know this.....There are no calories when drinking from a water hose.
But the most insane, wildest thing I was able to do as a kid, was survive without looking at the calorie count on everything that I ate. And this is coming from a guy that would come home from track practice and eat mayonnaise straight from the jar.
I know I was lucky. We can all breathe a sigh of relief that anyone over the age of 15 is still alive and walking around right now. I'm not proud of this. I could blame ignorance, peer pressure, or the time I use to play with mercury I took out of thermometers.
I have been known to stop by up to three different fast food restaurants a day while working (Back off, I'm starving). But recently, all I notice are calorie counts everywhere I look. On every menu and every sign are calories. I don't know what the numbers mean, but my favorite foods usually have the highest numbers. That's good, right? Last night I was eating dinner at a restaurant that shall go nameless (Let's just say it's mascot is a big red bird that says "YUM!). I noticed they had calorie counts on the menu as well as a separate sheet of paper giving them again. I was just waiting for someone to walk by, hit me in the head with a tack hammer and say "you really gonna eat that, fatty?"
This got me thinking. What if there was always printed calorie counts with everything ever eaten. Can you imagine reading the Bible and knowing that when Jesus fed the five-thousand, all the people knew that they were each eating approximately 280 calories in fish and 180 calories in bread? I wonder if anyone would have turned it down and waited for a healthier option? "Jesus, I know that you just performed a massive miracle, but have you seen how fatty that bread is?"
The Last Supper would be changed a little also. Judas would have known, when he dipped the bread into the bowl with Jesus, he not only would be fulfilling a prophecy but he would also be eating 112 calories. I wonder if Eve would still have taken a bite of that fruit if she knew the content of it?
I say we are blessed, that as a nation, we have been able to survive these thousands of years without these helpful guides. I urge all of you to boycott all restaurants, taco trucks, and continental breakfasts that don't plaster these guides over everything you put in your mouth. I'm afraid that if we don't, our country could soon be underwater as far inland as Kansas City.
Tonight, hold your loved ones a little tighter. Give thanks for living this long without knowing the damage we have been doing to our bodies. But most of all, know this.....There are no calories when drinking from a water hose.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Hurt
I've stated before that I want this blog to be a lighthearted, sometimes comical read about my walk with Christ. Today won't be that type of read. I hope you bear with me as I get something out that's heavy on my heart today.
I have such a blessing to be able to run three youth groups. Fuel (Jr. High age), Octane (High School age), and Revolution (LifeGroup for Juniors and Seniors in High School). This week has been an amazingly tough week for Revolution. Wednesday, I get a text from one of my youth saying this: "Why does God let bad things happen Matt? I don't understand...He was such a great kid and now he's dead. WHY?!". I didn't know what had happened yet. After calling this girl, I found out that a close friend to a multiple of my students, had committed suicide.
This morning, I was at work and I receive another text from a different student: "Why did he have to go? Why does this happen?" At first I thought that she was meaning the same young man that died on Wednesday. No. Another teenage kid, close friends with this same youth group, had been in a car accident and passed away. I was crushed. I have received multiple texts, calls, and emails all stemming with this same question: Why did they have to die? Why did God let this happen?
I have to be honest. I'm struggling writing this right now because of how heavy my heart is. Being in the position that I am in at my church, I have become close to these youth. I have emotionally invested myself in them more than I realized until the events this week. I hate seeing them in so much pain.
I have learned one thing from leading teenagers, I have to be honest with them. It took me a while to build trust with them, and I know that it can be lost in an instant. I made a promise to them that I would never lie to them. If I didn't know the answer to their questions, I would find the answer for them and not pretend like I knew it all. That includes the question that I got multiple times today: Why did God take them so young?
My answer is this. I don't know.
I wish I could give them a concrete answer that would take all their pain away. These youth are searching for answers. They don't want a solid answer, they need a solid answer, and I don't have it. I don't know why things happen the way that they do.
What I am sure of is this: I trust in God to be God. God is the Great Creator. God didn't create this wonderfully, beautiful universe to walk away from it. Nor is he going to walk away from you. God had a plan from the beginning, which included the need for Jesus and your need for a savior at a time like this.
Paul writes, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort."
But I know, as well as God, that the kindest words are not consolation enough when we are troubled especially by death, so what did He promise? A Spirit to bring you close to God in times just like this.
Jesus told his disciples, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." You are Jesus' disciples. Jesus is offering to help comfort you now if you turn to Him, now and in the future, when you are hurting.
God doesn't gain happiness by seeing you in so much pain. I don't have a mind like God, so I can't give those answers that you search. I know this. Jesus Christ loves you. Jesus Christ wants to comfort you. Jesus Christ will never leave you.
Turn your eyes to Christ to find His strength. Feed off His strength. You don't have to do this alone. Trust in the fact that His great love will never fail you. Hold God to His word. He will comfort you.
I love you all.
I have such a blessing to be able to run three youth groups. Fuel (Jr. High age), Octane (High School age), and Revolution (LifeGroup for Juniors and Seniors in High School). This week has been an amazingly tough week for Revolution. Wednesday, I get a text from one of my youth saying this: "Why does God let bad things happen Matt? I don't understand...He was such a great kid and now he's dead. WHY?!". I didn't know what had happened yet. After calling this girl, I found out that a close friend to a multiple of my students, had committed suicide.
This morning, I was at work and I receive another text from a different student: "Why did he have to go? Why does this happen?" At first I thought that she was meaning the same young man that died on Wednesday. No. Another teenage kid, close friends with this same youth group, had been in a car accident and passed away. I was crushed. I have received multiple texts, calls, and emails all stemming with this same question: Why did they have to die? Why did God let this happen?
I have to be honest. I'm struggling writing this right now because of how heavy my heart is. Being in the position that I am in at my church, I have become close to these youth. I have emotionally invested myself in them more than I realized until the events this week. I hate seeing them in so much pain.
I have learned one thing from leading teenagers, I have to be honest with them. It took me a while to build trust with them, and I know that it can be lost in an instant. I made a promise to them that I would never lie to them. If I didn't know the answer to their questions, I would find the answer for them and not pretend like I knew it all. That includes the question that I got multiple times today: Why did God take them so young?
My answer is this. I don't know.
I wish I could give them a concrete answer that would take all their pain away. These youth are searching for answers. They don't want a solid answer, they need a solid answer, and I don't have it. I don't know why things happen the way that they do.
What I am sure of is this: I trust in God to be God. God is the Great Creator. God didn't create this wonderfully, beautiful universe to walk away from it. Nor is he going to walk away from you. God had a plan from the beginning, which included the need for Jesus and your need for a savior at a time like this.
Paul writes, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort."
But I know, as well as God, that the kindest words are not consolation enough when we are troubled especially by death, so what did He promise? A Spirit to bring you close to God in times just like this.
Jesus told his disciples, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." You are Jesus' disciples. Jesus is offering to help comfort you now if you turn to Him, now and in the future, when you are hurting.
God doesn't gain happiness by seeing you in so much pain. I don't have a mind like God, so I can't give those answers that you search. I know this. Jesus Christ loves you. Jesus Christ wants to comfort you. Jesus Christ will never leave you.
Turn your eyes to Christ to find His strength. Feed off His strength. You don't have to do this alone. Trust in the fact that His great love will never fail you. Hold God to His word. He will comfort you.
I love you all.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Rewind?
I work in the HVAC Residential field.
This requires me to enter around 8-10 different houses a day. I have seen everything from the most immaculate of homes, to smells that actually made me dry heave. Some days are more interesting. Like when a 60 yr-old man asked me out on a date, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Or the time when an older gentleman thanked me for a "job well done" by patting me on the butt for what seemed like minutes. (My wife says I have a "look" about me.) And I can't forget about when I climbed down from the attic and surprised two members of a biker gang while smoking from a bong. I'm just glad that they had a "prescription" for it.
I used to be surprised and thrown off by the various situations I walked into. I've become numb to what I now see, partly because I feel I've seen it all, and also because I realize that these houses are theirs and whatever they do with it is not my business. As long as I respect their property, we have no issue.
This brings me to what happened at a recent call I was on.
As I entered the home I noticed two things: One, Everything from the carpet to the couches were very white. Two, the lady was NOT friendly.
I have a routine with every call I'm on. No matter what the house looks like, I wear shoe coverings or "booties". This call was no different. I put on the booties, walked across her amazingly clean white carpet and tried to break the ice with her. Talking about everything from the weather to complimenting her home, she wasn't changing her icy demeanor, so I moved on. As I was testing her thermostat, her annoying designer dog kept yapping at me, and lunging at my ankles. After getting enough attitude from the homeowner AND the dog, I decided to take my talents outside and check the A/C unit. I only took three steps out the backdoor before I realized I left my toolbag inside by the thermostat. I rushed back inside and it wasn't until I reached the bag did it hit me. I forgot to put my booties back on. My heart sank. I checked one boot. Clean! As I looked down at my other boot, I saw mud curling up the sides of the sole. I lifted my leg to see how much mud was on my shoe, and that's when the smell hit me. This was no mud. Yes, that's right...I stepped into a fresh pile of dog crap. I looked at the 30 feet separating myself from the backdoor. All carpet. All white carpet, except for one shoe print every few feet. It looked like a one-legged man stepped in crap and then hopped around this lady's house. To add insult to injury, the dog had stopped barking and just stared at me with his head cocked, mocking me. This was not going to be pretty.
Do you ever wish you had a rewind button? As Ursela was yelling at me, I wish I had one. I stood there looking at this white carpet with the smell permeating the home, while having the pleasure of listening to her call my boss and let him know he would be paying for the cleaning of the entire home. She made it clear over and over that I would not be welcome back. Duh.
While sitting in my van outside her home, all I could do was laugh. There was no rewind button. Nothing I could do would change the fact that the stupid dog took a giant crap right outside the backdoor.
Looking back, I see a parallel between this situation and everyday life. When we come to Christ, He promises us this: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.. -Isaiah 1:18. We become like this carpet before walked upon. But it won't stay this way for long, we aren't perfect. We will muddy up our lives. We will treat our lives like I treated that carpet. Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We WILL make tracks in the new life given to us. Some tracks will smell worse than others.
Aren't you glad that Ursela isn't who we have to answer to on a daily basis? I know I am. My God is full of Agape Love. Many people are frightened to go to God with their sin, just as I was frightened to tell this ice-queen what I had done.
Relax, take a breath and know this: God knew you were going to make the tracks before you made them, and He still loves you. Unconditionally. He'll even clean up the mess for you.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness
-1John 1:9
This requires me to enter around 8-10 different houses a day. I have seen everything from the most immaculate of homes, to smells that actually made me dry heave. Some days are more interesting. Like when a 60 yr-old man asked me out on a date, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Or the time when an older gentleman thanked me for a "job well done" by patting me on the butt for what seemed like minutes. (My wife says I have a "look" about me.) And I can't forget about when I climbed down from the attic and surprised two members of a biker gang while smoking from a bong. I'm just glad that they had a "prescription" for it.
I used to be surprised and thrown off by the various situations I walked into. I've become numb to what I now see, partly because I feel I've seen it all, and also because I realize that these houses are theirs and whatever they do with it is not my business. As long as I respect their property, we have no issue.
This brings me to what happened at a recent call I was on.
As I entered the home I noticed two things: One, Everything from the carpet to the couches were very white. Two, the lady was NOT friendly.
I have a routine with every call I'm on. No matter what the house looks like, I wear shoe coverings or "booties". This call was no different. I put on the booties, walked across her amazingly clean white carpet and tried to break the ice with her. Talking about everything from the weather to complimenting her home, she wasn't changing her icy demeanor, so I moved on. As I was testing her thermostat, her annoying designer dog kept yapping at me, and lunging at my ankles. After getting enough attitude from the homeowner AND the dog, I decided to take my talents outside and check the A/C unit. I only took three steps out the backdoor before I realized I left my toolbag inside by the thermostat. I rushed back inside and it wasn't until I reached the bag did it hit me. I forgot to put my booties back on. My heart sank. I checked one boot. Clean! As I looked down at my other boot, I saw mud curling up the sides of the sole. I lifted my leg to see how much mud was on my shoe, and that's when the smell hit me. This was no mud. Yes, that's right...I stepped into a fresh pile of dog crap. I looked at the 30 feet separating myself from the backdoor. All carpet. All white carpet, except for one shoe print every few feet. It looked like a one-legged man stepped in crap and then hopped around this lady's house. To add insult to injury, the dog had stopped barking and just stared at me with his head cocked, mocking me. This was not going to be pretty.
Do you ever wish you had a rewind button? As Ursela was yelling at me, I wish I had one. I stood there looking at this white carpet with the smell permeating the home, while having the pleasure of listening to her call my boss and let him know he would be paying for the cleaning of the entire home. She made it clear over and over that I would not be welcome back. Duh.
While sitting in my van outside her home, all I could do was laugh. There was no rewind button. Nothing I could do would change the fact that the stupid dog took a giant crap right outside the backdoor.
Looking back, I see a parallel between this situation and everyday life. When we come to Christ, He promises us this: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.. -Isaiah 1:18. We become like this carpet before walked upon. But it won't stay this way for long, we aren't perfect. We will muddy up our lives. We will treat our lives like I treated that carpet. Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We WILL make tracks in the new life given to us. Some tracks will smell worse than others.
Aren't you glad that Ursela isn't who we have to answer to on a daily basis? I know I am. My God is full of Agape Love. Many people are frightened to go to God with their sin, just as I was frightened to tell this ice-queen what I had done.
Relax, take a breath and know this: God knew you were going to make the tracks before you made them, and He still loves you. Unconditionally. He'll even clean up the mess for you.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness
-1John 1:9
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Really Bad Advice
"Today you might feel a little depressed and apathetic, like you don't care what happens right now. You might try to get your mind off those feelings by spending money. This works, Taurus, but don't spend any more than you have to. These feelings really have more to do with the past than the present. If old pain wells up, let it go. Tomorrow all will seem a lot better!"
That is my Horoscope for the day. This is the first time I've read my horoscope in probably ten years, and I was sorry that I did. How depressing. I'm not the type of person that puts any stock in my horoscope, but let's pretend for a minute. It seems like 70% of them tell you what not to do and how you should be feeling. If I truly looked at this horoscope and based my day on it, this would have been my routine this morning: Wake up a little sleepy...Call into work because the paper told me I'm apathetic....kick Moose.....overdraw my bank account (I know it says to just spend a little, but that's all I have).....get even more depressed because I now have no money and a dog that hates me...realize my feelings came from the past (anger at listening to my last horoscope)....Let it go, and hope for a better horoscope tomorrow.
I know that seems a little bit overboard, but those horoscopes are in there for a reason, right? These readings could either be really good advice or really bad advice depending on how the day turned out.
As a Christian, the "horoscope" I follow in my daily walk is this:
And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. -Romans 8:28.
When man states something, there could always be a chance of error. When God promises something it's FIRM. Why? Because God is without error.
Don't live your day on "words of man". Don't let your day be dictated by a guy getting 17 cents a word to tell you how to live your life. Open your eyes to the "Word of God".
He promises us that ALL things work for good for those who love Him. That's a horoscope worth basing your life on.
That is my Horoscope for the day. This is the first time I've read my horoscope in probably ten years, and I was sorry that I did. How depressing. I'm not the type of person that puts any stock in my horoscope, but let's pretend for a minute. It seems like 70% of them tell you what not to do and how you should be feeling. If I truly looked at this horoscope and based my day on it, this would have been my routine this morning: Wake up a little sleepy...Call into work because the paper told me I'm apathetic....kick Moose.....overdraw my bank account (I know it says to just spend a little, but that's all I have).....get even more depressed because I now have no money and a dog that hates me...realize my feelings came from the past (anger at listening to my last horoscope)....Let it go, and hope for a better horoscope tomorrow.
I know that seems a little bit overboard, but those horoscopes are in there for a reason, right? These readings could either be really good advice or really bad advice depending on how the day turned out.
As a Christian, the "horoscope" I follow in my daily walk is this:
And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. -Romans 8:28.
When man states something, there could always be a chance of error. When God promises something it's FIRM. Why? Because God is without error.
Don't live your day on "words of man". Don't let your day be dictated by a guy getting 17 cents a word to tell you how to live your life. Open your eyes to the "Word of God".
He promises us that ALL things work for good for those who love Him. That's a horoscope worth basing your life on.
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