Filed under: Uncategorized
As you have probably noticed by now, the days of “Into Danger/Out of Rescue” have come to a close.
And so we will also close this blog. But don’t leave empty handed!
Here is a new blog by a collection of writers that you should definitely look into: www.parachurch.wordpress.com
Thanks for always reading!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Sorry for my absence from blogging recently. We’ve had a few changes around our house that have kept me preoccuppied…
1. We had to deal with termites (see my previous post) in the same week my youngest son was in the hospital.
2. I started a new job as the director for the Elizabeth F. Correll Teen Center. Check us out: www.apositiveplace.net
3. My wife is pregnant and we’ll be having a new addition to the family on January 30th. I’m pulling for a girl this time.
4. Due to the aforementioned pregnancy and termite repairs I am renovating portions of our house… for the third time.
So life has been busy, but in very good ways. I’m constantly amazed at how fast things can change. A month ago I was not able to say any of this. Now I’m just trying to take things slow enough that I don’t miss the next surprise. I hope your week is full of surprises that make you aware of how big and good God is.
My wife and I like old houses, and with that being true – we live in one. When we first moved in and started renovating a few years ago we found out that one room had dry-wood termite damage in it. Naturally, we called in a termite pro who assured us that the damage was old and the termites were inactive, but still he would need to treat the wood just in case. This required damaging the floors a good bit in order to get to where the termites had been. All in all, the damage was minor, the termites were seemingly history, and by the time we laid down a roll of carpet we almost forgot this event even happened.
A couple of weeks ago I was repairing a piece of siding outside of this room and noticed something very familiar when I removed that first piece of siding. After removing the second piece it was clear – the termites were still there. Even worse, they have been quite busy the past few years. We called in a termite pro again. He confirmed that the termites were active and that since they were dry-wood termites there was only one solution: find every piece of wood the termites are in and get it out of the house.
Just spraying a little bug spray will not work. Covering up the damage with a pretty piece of carpet will not work. Filling in the holes with wood filler will not work. The only solution to get rid of these pests is to cut the wood out! In the end, we had to completely rip out the floors of my bedroom and my boys’ bedroom. The termites went from just a few planks to two whole rooms in a couple of years. Some pieces of the floor were so eaten through that a 10 foot piece of wood was as light as a sheet of notebook paper (no, I am not exaggerating). I was surprised we had fallen through the floors yet. I felt unbelievably foolish for not being more agressive years ago. I had heard of termites. I knew they were dangerous. I knew they could destroy my home.
Why would I not take every action I could to be absolutely sure that they were gone? I hate to think what would have happened a few more years from now if we had not done something.
In the bible Jesus is teaches about sin and he says this, “If your eye causes you to sin then gouge it out. If your hand causes you to sin, then cut it off. It would be better for you to live the rest of this life without a body part than to spend eternity in hell with your whole body.”
Translation: if there is sin in your life you have to cut it out. Some people think Jesus was going to the extreme with his example here, that its just a metaphor. Jesus doesn’t really expect us to start performing self-amputations does he? After my termite experiment, I believe he 100% meant every word of it. The only way to get rid of sin is to cut it out completely. You can cover it up. You can paint it up. You can spray it with a little bug spray. But over time it is going to destroy your “house.”
Why would you not take every action you can to be absolutely sure it is gone?
Filed under: Uncategorized
I just saw a new commercial for KFC, you know… the fried-chicken, fast-food restaurant that used to be called Kentucky Fried Chicken. When KFC first introduced its 7 layer bowls (mashed potatoes, corn, chicken, cheese, gravy, one unidentifiable ingredient, and grease) I thought they might be slipping a little. Then I ate one of these bowls and found it quite delicious. But after seeing the latest commercial I’m positive KFC has lost their mind.
This new ad has the current KFC President as the spokesperson. All in all it is a pretty good commercial, until the Pres starts talking. The dude has a British accent! KFC – Kentucky Fried Chicken – luxury eating for rednecks – hallmark restaurant of the South has a British president?! I mean, the only British food I’ve ever tasted had names like mutton and haddock, and it definitely did not taste like chicken. What do the Brits know about fried chicken? I imagine the Colonel is rolling over in his grave. KFC has clearly gone mad. You’re not going to move a lot of chicken with a British spokesperson. The two just don’t go together. First of all, people who eat fried chicken say things like “ain’t” and “skeered.” British people say things like “highly unlikely” and “fearful.” It just doesn’t seem like a good fit to me. Second of all, a British accent generally conveys some sense of class. I’ve never felt more undignified than when I ordered and then ate a 7 layer KFC bowl in public.
If that is not crazy enough, I went to the KFC website (hoping to post the Brit-Pres-Commercial) and landed on the KFC promos page. Here I found more insanity. For instance, KFC is trying to get the Colonel on the US Stamp. I like fried chicken as much as the next Southerner, but I usually reserve my stamps for real American heroes like George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr, and the American Cancer Society. I’m not sure promoting heart attacks and indigestion qualifies you to be put on a stamp. Check out the page and see what you think. While you’re there, make sure to order a KFC Colonel Bobblehead.
And just who decided the world “Colonel” should be pronounced “kernel?”
Oh the insanity.
Filed under: parenting
So my 5 year old son now plays soccer in a U-6 league, which not only makes me feel like a real parent, but it has also opened myeyes to a whole new universe in which play dates are planned with the importance of Fortune 500 board meetings and your parents bank their child’s entire future on what color uniform they wear. In the end, win or lose, every kid gets a snack and a trophy at the end of the season, but the competition among the parents on the sidelines can get pretty fierce.
My wife and I decided that we just want our son to have fun and enjoy what he’s doing. Be it soccer, music, or synchronized swimming – if he doesn’t enjoy doing it then what’s the point? We may suggest it, but in the end it is his decision as to what activity he’s involved in. Our only rule is that he picks one, and only one, activity. We’re all about him getting some culture in his life, but enough is enough. Some of the other parents do not share our perspective. The other day my wife overheard some of the other mom’s talking about how their 5 year old sons were playing soccer and t-ball, and how difficult it was to balance those activities with the play dates, the french cooking lessons, and their other children’s activities. Some of these kids literally spend their entire weekend in the car. When they are not in the car their changing uniforms, playing sports, attending the “right” birthday parties, and being tested to get into the right schools. When your 5 year old needs a Blackberry and a personal assistant, things may have gone too far.
We have laws against child abuse – laws against mental abuse, physical abuse, nutrition abuse, and sexual abuse. These are good and necessary laws that protect children from having more stress put on them than a child should have. After spending a few Saturdays on the sidelines, I’d like to recommend a law against a new kind of child abuse: Time Abuse. To demand that your child be involved in everything is not only an unnecessary source of anxiety for your child, but it also sets him up to think that quality of life and self-worth is only measured through busyness. It robs our children of values like family and personal creativity and passion. Its no wonder that our society thinks a 40 hour work week is lazy and that 24 hours in a day is still not enough. If this parenting trend continues then our children are going to start having a mid-life crisis when they’re 12 years old. Don’t even get me started on what I think about 10 year olds being diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders. I’m not saying children don’t have problems. They do. I just think the source of the problem has less to do with them and more to do with their parents. Its no wonder underage drinking, substance abuse, runaways and std statistics are on the rise in children (i didn’t say teens – i said children). I can barely balance my checkbook much less attend school, play 3 sports at once, and learn a foreign language in between play dates, birthday parties, and private school interviews. When you’re 5 your biggest concern should be if you made it through the night without wetting the bed, not what college you plan on attending in 13 years. Enough is enough!
So consider this my word of caution to all the soccer moms (and dads) out there: Your child is not a time machine. You can’t, and shouldn’t, try to re-live your glory days through your children. Making your child’s life fuller, will not necessarily make your life fuller. I want my child to be successful just as much as the next parent, but I don’t believe my child’s “importance” will make me feel more important. Stop and smell the roses. Let your kid be a kid – he’ll have plenty of time to be an adult when he grows up.
We have city curfews, child labor laws, and nutrition guidelines. Isn’t it time we have a Time Abuse Law?
Write your senators, people. And while you’re at it, leave a comment below of your thoughts on Parent/Child Time Abuse.
Filed under: Uncategorized
This blog was written by my good friend, Jason Harwell. If you like his writing, you’ll love his music. Read him and listen to him over at www.jasonharwell.com
I cut my grass this morning (last neighbor on the street to do so… sorry, neighbors), which always gives me some uninterrupted time to think. Being Good Friday in the Christian faith, I thought a lot about death – my own, of course, since I’m a self-centered American – but also that of Jesus’. I also want to be clear that I am not making an attempt here to tell you how to think, feel, or live. I rarely trust my own opinions, though I do know a few things to be true. Here’s some completely unacademic things I considered while mowing the lawn:
1. The process of crucifixion is an especially heinous way to die. What does this say about a God who would choose to die this way? And what does is say about him that he went through with it? I think he must really hate sin, and he must really have wanted to fix the brokenness. He spared no brutality nor did he spare any part of himself.
2. If I was to truly get what I deserve, my death would surely look like Jesus’. But the power of sin died with him, and if I am to truly believe this, then I am to also believe that I have been forgiven, healed, and restored. So when God looks at me, I am holy and blameless as if I’d never sinned at all. If this is true, why then do I continually strive to wallow in my own guilt, shame, and failure when God himself does not see me so?
3. Society likes a murderer. The crowd chose to set free a killer instead of Jesus. Somewhere in there is a distortion in perception. Would an individual, if given the choice, choose to set free a murderer over someone who had been convicted of nothing? I wouldn’t think so generally. But our weird world is such that when a bunch of us get together and people are all shouting things at each other, killing innocent folks seems like a perfectly legit idea.
4. Jesus let a murderer off the hook. Under the penalty of the law, Barrabus deserved death; if Jesus was truly who we say he is (the son of God), then he could have saved his own skin. Instead, he let a killer go free. He gave him his life back and with that, Jesus gave Barrabus a choice of what to do with it. Jesus didn’t walk around proclaiming his “rightness,” and he didn’t push himself on anyone. Does this square with what we do as a church in America (me included)?
5. Truth is truth. While not brow-beating others to accept, follow, or worship him, Jesus did speak a whole lot of truth. And the thing about truth is that you can love it or hate it, but it does not change. If something is true, it is not subject to popular opinion, data, or persuasive bantering. Like death. Love it or hate it – you’re going to die. And me, too.
6. So what about our own deaths? We are certainly good at using the word “sin” to do whatever we want it to, and much like the word “love,” it has lost its effective meaning. Sin is not a list of “Do Nots;” it is more like a condition, a way of being. It’s dying a slow death on the inside without even realizing it. It’s having no way out of the hole our lives are born into. It’s the outcome of the first bad decision being compounded by every other bad decision everyone else has made for the last gazillion years. To say sin is simply using curse words or drinking alcohol excessively is like saying breast cancer is just an illness. Sin is way broader, deeper, and inside our bones than refraining from harsh speech or excessive drinking can fix.
I’ve been dying since the day I was born. No one taught me how to lie, to hurt, or to hate. Those options came standard. I don’t know why deep down I am so angry; by all accounts, my life has been way easier than a lot of folks’. But these things have always been there, and if Jesus is who he says he is, if he truly took all that deep-seeded crap that has always been there and got punished for it… and if I truly am no longer bound to this broken condition… then I pray to see what’s on the other side of his death.
For I am familiar with dying; I’d like to know more about living.
Filed under: life
I just returned from a visit to the dentist. Let me be clear: I absolutely hate going to the dentist. I like the actual dentist, the hygenist, the other folks there. I like the office. I find the chair very comfortable. I even don’t mind the lighting. But I hate the process of getting my teeth cleaned and poked and prodded and drilled and filled and flossed. And I pay for this torture in the name of health.
Today the hygenist was poking a rather sensitive area. I said, “Ow, that hurts.” She poked more. I said, “That’s really sensitive.” She poked again… harder and more painful. I didn’t say anything as much as I kind of growled. She says, “Sorry, I just need to see how your teeth are responding to pressure and to assess their functionality. I had issues with this statement.
A) How are my teeth responding to pressure? They don’t like it. You could have figured that out the first time I said, “Ow, that hurts.” This is a phrase people generally use to express pain and discomfort and is a very effective indicator of when something is responding negatively to pressure. One poke is quite enough. Make a note after the first “ow” and move on.
B) You want to assess the functionality of my teeth? By poking and prodding with a metal instrument? I don’t normally chew on sharp, metal objects. Why don’t you rub some butter around on my teeth and see how they respond. Watch me eat a turkey sandwhich to assess the functionality. As long as I can chew and no teeth fall out, I’m good right?
Why do you use metal to clean my teeth. Why not bunnies? Or clouds? That sounds so much better.
I had plenty more of these types of thoughts as the cleaning session (and the pain) continued. I almost found myself getting angry with this girl who was cleaning my teeth. At one point I thought seriously about getting out of the chair, driving home, and finishing the job with my belt sander. It would feel the same, but take a lot less time. It might even be more effective at removing tarter. At the end of it all I was pretty bitter and had an overall feeling of “that’s not fair.”
Then the hygenist looked at me and said, “I know that was uncomfortable, but sometimes a little bit of pain is the best thing we can do for you.”
I said, “Thanks,” but what I really meant was “Whatever.” Then I looked in the mirror and saw how clean my teeth were. I moved my tongue around my mouth and realized the pain was gone and my mouth actually felt good. Even now I’m amazed at how good my teeth feel and I’m happy I made the dental trip today. I’m even happier that it will be 6 months before I go back. So, to my friendly hygentist – thanks for cleaning my teeth. Sorry about all the snide thoughts you never heard. I’ll try to do better next time.
And thanks for the life lesson.
Sometimes a little bit of pain is the best thing for us.
The latest installment of The Writer’s Closet is available for free download. It’s a song called “You Got Love.” Give it a listen, and give this blog a read. Enjoy!
I won’t lie, it feels like bleak times in America these days. Most of us are more focused on what we don’t have right now – jobs, investments, money – instead of what we do have. Yet, we keep surviving, right? In everything you read, in everything you hear, you would think that we’re losing it all. But we’re still here, and while we may not be “thriving,” we are surviving. Which makes me ask the question: What do we really need to make it? Are we losing everything we NEED, or just everything we WANT. There is a big difference.
It is in times like this that I’m reminded of the simplicity of Jesus Christ. He came to the earth to accomplish one purpose: to provide for us what we NEED most. And the driving force behind is sacrifice is exactly what we need. Love. He came out of love. He died out of love. He arose out of love. He enables us to love. He enables us to be loved. Not to sound cliche, but love is really all we need.
Take a trip to any third world country, and I’m sure you will find that what people value most is relationships. Before material possessions and wealth, they value families and love. In their “lack” of “things” they have discovered that love is their ultimate need, and as long as they have that they survive.
I might lose my house, my car, my 401k, but I still have my family and my friends and my faith. Why look for anything else? Simplistic? Yes! But that is kind of the point. There are a lot of things Jesus could have said and done while on this earth, but he chose one thing: Love. And he teaches us to pursue that same, simple thing. Find love, and you will find all that you need.
For more free mp3’s and blogs, check out The Writer’s Closet.
Filed under: marriage
Dreams are an interesting subject. There are countless theories on where dreams come from, what they mean, etc. Dreams could be a way God speaks to us or they could come from that pint of Ben & Jerry’s we ate before we went to bed (I prefer “Chubby Hubby). But no matter what your preference for dream theories is, I truly believe dreams mean something and we should learn from them.
I’ve recently had a heavy heart concerning our culture’s view on manhood and marriage and sexiness and all the things that go along with those issues. I’ve been spending a lot more time out of my Christian bubble and in the secular world, and I’m daily becoming more aware of how the institutes of marriage and love and purity are quickly decaying in our society, especially in the hearts and minds of men. This may explain some of the dreams I’ve been having. I believe God is speaking, but it could have just been something I ate. Either way, I’ll share with you.
Dream #1: I dreamed that my wife came up to me one day and told me that she was going to marry another man. The way she calmly announced this to me was strange, but even stranger was that I accepted it. So the course of the dream was the countdown to this new marriage, and consequently the end of mine. Such a strange dream. My wife was not angry with me. Our marriage was not troubled. Everything was in fact, just fine and dandy. Yet, she was going to marry someone else, and even stranger, I was okay with it. It was days before the said event was to occur and all of a sudden I was filled with heartache and anger and passion. The dream ended with me begging and pleading with my wife not to leave me. I professed my undying love for her and said I would do anything to change her mind.I told her that I didn’t know how to live a life without her as my wife. I was overwhelmed with the desire to win my wife back. And then I woke up – heart racing, sweating, out of breath. The dream felt so real, and it literally took me all day to shake the feeling off. Of course in reality my wife was not planning on leaving me, and I had nothing to fear. But I have never hugged her more than I did that morning, and I have not let a day go by since that she has not known how greatly and how deeply I love her.
Dream #2: The next night I dreamed I was walking out of my house to get into my car. I looked down the street and saw a prostitute going door to door. She was dressed in complete 70’s attire – big fro, platform shoes, lepoard print tights, and a fake fur jacket. This is not a normal occurrence in my neighborhood, and for some reason I became deathly afraid of the prostitute. I ran to my car, fumbled with my keys, and looked over my shoulder. She had spotted me and was moving very quickly in my direction. By the time I closed the door, she was in front of my neighbor’s house. By the time I was backing up, she was right next to my door and banging on the window. I literally burned rubber trying to get away and drove as fast as I could down the street. I watched in my rearview as she ran down the street after me. I was gaining ground when all of a sudden she turned into a giant T-Rex. Think about that scene in Jurassic Park when the T-Rex is chasing the Jeep – it was exactly like that. Then, right before the T-Rex prostitute devoured my car, I woke up. Again – heart racing, sweating, out of breath.
So what do these dreams mean? I believe God was just giving me some hardcore imagery of what it takes to preserve love and marriage and purity. You have to fight for it! You must fight for your marriage and love and purity everyday.
Dream #1: While my wife has no intention of running off with another man and while our marriage is pretty healthy and normal, I still have to daily fight for my marriage. Too often we (men especially) think that just because we put a ring on her finger means that we don’t have to continue to woo our wives. Nothing is further from the truth. You don’t just throw some seeds in the ground and expect to have a “yard of the month” garden. You have to tend it. You have to water it. You have to weed it. It requires work and maintenance. And so it is with marriage. We must fight and labor for the health of our marriages.
Dream #2: Jesus teaches in the Bible to flee from immorality. He says the devil is a prowling lion, waiting for an opportunity to devour us. Apparently he is a T-Rex in my dreams (I’ve always had a strong interest in dinosaurs). And while there are no prostitutes walking up and down my street, the opportunity for immorality is easily available through multiple mediums on a daily basis. Again, men are especially susceptible to these temptations, and we must diligently flee from immorality.
All in all, the general consensus of men is that “things will work out.” It is a passive strategy, one that “hopes” nothing bad will happen. But we have to wake up and realize that passive will not cut it in this culture. The thing about temptation is that it is so tempting. A little doesn’t seem so bad, and then a little more, and a little more, and before you know it you have been devoured. We must fight!
Even though she probably already knows it, tell your wife that you love her. Even though that scene is only about 30 seconds long, turn the channel. Even though all the other guys are telling those jokes, walk away from the conversation. Even though you don’t think you have time, stop and pray for your family. Now more than ever our society needs men who will fight for love and marriage and purity. If Jeff Goldblum can beat a T-Rex, so can we.
It could have just been something you ate, or it could be something that is going to eat you.
Filed under: Uncategorized
You can tell a lot about someone by reading their bumper stickers. Over the past few weeks I’ve noticed a few that really peaked my interest and thought process, so I thought I would share.
1. I was behind a car that had a Kerry/Edwards 2004 campaign bumper sticker. My first thought was: “Now there is a person who is extremely optomistic.” That race is long over and then some, yet this person is still extremely proud to get behind Kerry/Edwards and recruit others’ support. Upon second thought, this driver may be a bit bitter and keeps the bumper sticker on the car as a way of saying to the rest of us, “The last 4 years could have been a lot different.”
2. I got stuck in traffic behind an old truck the other day, so I had a lot of time to study this sticker. It was one of those stickers with the kid who looks like Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes). You know the one – where Calvin is relieving himself on something. Usually he is peeing on Jeff Gordon’s number or Ford or Chevy. He is a very angry child or either he has not been potty trained. I’m not sure how Calvin and his urine became the international symbol for dislike, but despite that he was on this truck. Calvin’s victim this time was simply the word “WORK.” Apparently this person does (or did not) enjoy his work. The interesting thing about this sticker is that someone (presumably) the driver had taken a black marker and colored in the pee stream and the word “WORK.” The only thing left visible is Calvin. So what happened? Did Calvin get dehydrated? Or did this driver begin to enjoy his work enough that he didn’t feel it was appropriate to piss on it anymore? Did he get a new job? Did he get a new boss? Did he lose his job and therefore no longer needs to pee on work? I lie awake at night thinking about this man and his editing of Calvin’s pee sticker.
3. The black sticker with the blue stripe on it. I see this thing all over the place. This sticker is some kind of trademark for law enforcement. Often drivers obtain this sticker by making a donation to some kind of law enforcement agency or union. The mindset is that by displaying this sticker law officers will know that this driver has financially supported them in some way and therefore should not be issued a citation or pulled over, etc, etc. To make a financial contribution to something would imply that you believe in its values; in this case the law. The last time I saw one of these stickers was on a Mustang as it cut me off, while speeding, and then ran a red light – which leads me to believe that many of the people who use these stickers intend on breaking the law and hope that this sticker will somehow get them out of trouble. Ironic isn’t it?
So here is my message to you three drivers (if by some chance you read this):
1. Kerry and Edwards lost. Barrack Obama is our president now. And while he is not a windsurfer, he is a Democrat, so it may be okay for you to bring your politics into present time. You can take your sticker off now.
2. I’m glad you seem to like work now, or at least you’ve got your bladder problem under control. I would appreciate it if you would leave a comment explaining to me what changed in your life (or in Calvin’s life) so that you no longer pee on work. Seriously – I need to catch up on my sleep and your answer could really help me out.
3. Just because you bought a sticker does not make you a police officer. Its a sticker – not a badge or sirens. Please slow down and drive safely. You’re almost as bad as those people who have the Christian fish on their car but still cut me off and then flick me off. You’re sending mixed messages – its confusing.
Now, you may think there is no point to this blog… and you would be right. Feel free to share your favorite bumper stickers and your psychological assessment of the drivers who display them.
