Matter!

I lost a friend last week. A friend on earth and a brother in the Kingdom. He was 14. His funeral was today. He died after complications from heart surgery. He's been walking down a path of heart problems and subsequent surgeries his whole life and this time was more than his body could handle. Sometimes I guess our bodies just won't do what we or others tell them to.

His seemingly, untimely death reminds me to live to matter!

Don't waste a minute! Don't miss a moment! Live significantly while you can! Hug your kids a little closer a little longer. Hold you wife's hand more often and let it take you where only lovers can go. Find time to do more than you normally would have with the people you are closest to and do a little more for those you may not know so well.

Wake up. Pay attention. Notice those around you. Invest in them. Do not go through life without living, loving, or longing to connect and better those around you. time is short. Leave your mark. Matter!

ts

Quick List on Life and Ministry

1 Be a Follower of Christ First
2 Love Much
3 Speak Up
4 Have a Plan
5 Work Hard
6 “Set an Example…”
7 Be Open to Change
8 Embrace Your Limits
9 Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
10 Be Patient
11 Help Someone Else
12 Don’t Rely On Stuff more than Authenticity
13 Think Ahead
14 Think Globally
15 Don’t Screw Up
16 Defend the Defenseless
17 Be Kind
18 Do Something Better
19 Do Something New
20 Do Something!

Matter!

ts

The Spirituality behind Bananas

Banana is a funny word, weird fruit even. I love the repetition of vowels and consonants in the a-n-a-n-a. Then they trick you and throw an s in there for good measure just to keep you honest. The banana is fascinating really.

I mean, you can take a banana, stick it in the freezer, it turns black, you peel it and the inside can be unharmed. Amazing!

How do you eat a banana? That is assuming you even like bananas. Some don’t, in fact, some are repulsed by them. I don’t know if I am repulsed by any fruit really. Although I do like some more than others, like grapes (red or white…I used to think red grapes were different and never tried them, then I realized much later in my life that red grapes are in fact the same as if not better than white grapes, but I do like white grape juice better) over pineapple. Although pineapple is gaining a strong place among liked fruits.

I have actually met people who have been afraid of fruit. Like a real, substantial fear of strawberries or somehting. I mean, I can understand a fear of wig heads or snakes or clowns, but c'mon, what can a strawberry do? Anyway, some people eat bananas as long as they are not bruised. The bruises make the banana soft, but some do have an hankerin’ for a good bruised banana. I will eat bruised bananas, but I there is a cut off where the banana becomes too bruised. I am sure you can understand that.

I digress. When you eat bananas, how do you eat them. I don’t mean to ask whether you eat them over cereal or dried or something along those lines, but I want to know…Peel then eat or peel while eating?

Here are the results of a recent survey*:

Survey
Todd/Peel then eat
Angela/Peel while eating
Hunter/Peel while eating
Hope/Peel while eating
Bob/Peels to end, leaving tip of peel to hold
Karen/Peel while eating

(*Non-scientific Poll. Probably a pretty large margin of error.)

So I was thinking about bananas and about my walk with God…
I am not saying those that do not peel then eat aren’t full on, running after what God has for them, but I am saying that we shouldn't hesitate and play it safe when it comes to following God. Peel it, man! Go after the things God calls you to. Where will we be if we are always neat, tidy, peel-while-eating believers. Hey, following God, I mean in that serious obedience, sacrificed, surrendered life kind of way is not always clean, neat, and tidy.

I think that we have to understand that truly following Christ means that we will get our hands messy, and we will sometimes have to eat the bruised parts…(whoa….that’s a whole other survey now isn’t it?)

Long Time, No Blog (The Wimpification of the American Christian)

I was just wondering tonight why we, as believers in our country, are content to just sit in our pews or chairs or bean bags (wherever you sit on the church worship center food chain) and settle for totally missing the cross for a few laughs, a good video, or challenging lesson that we soon file away into some place in our history never to drawn on again. Or we just are content to show up and never engage or really not even pay attention or engage with the living body of Christ that has assembled with us.



We absolutely have no understanding of the cross and for what Christ did for us and what we have in all of that!

I can tell it happens because we have rendered the Gospel, this Great Salvation, useless, ineffective. You see, our lives often are no different, our lives do not reflect any part of the life that God has called us to. I am guilty, too. So many times I am a poor reflector of God's glory, of this life inside of me. Or maybe I just have painted over the life on the outside so it hides light on the inside. Whatever the picture, dangerous and tragic none-the-less.

We have stopped in the participation in our faith daily, privately to weekly, corporately. We have ceased living out this life God put in us through Christ.

Don't get me wrong...I think pews are fine, chairs are fine, bean bags are fine, I love a good video (I saw one tonight that was really good), and think challenging Truth from Biblical messages (That was good tonight as well) are vital. But seriously Church, let us scrape off the paint that hides the light, let's clean the mirror so the light can radiate, so Christ can reflect. Let us not wimp out and accept some cheap, empty religion or soon-gone experience we have traded for true life in Christ. Don't wimp out. The world needs more.

Philemon 6

Chico's Contentment

My dog teaches me contentment. He has abut four or five toys that have their noses or eyes chewed off. Nonetheless, he never tires of chasing them down the hall, under the table, in and through the pocket of my hoodie. He pursues them relentlessly and seems to find great satisfaction in pouncing them, throwing them with his mouth, or, upon their capture, just sitting and gnawing at a leg or ear. Chico just does the same thing over and over and with this incredibly full-on energy. Just hold the bunny up in front of him, and it's on! Throw it down the hall and forget it...

Why is is that I get so side-tracked by the other thing, the thing I am not doing, watching, reading, listening to? Why can't I just sit and gnaw on that one thing and be happy? I would like to think it has something to do with being a leader and really being driven to do somehting new and excel at that too. Sometimes I feel like it is just b/c I am not content to be, to live, to be consistent and effective. Maybe I read too much in to playing fetch with the dog.

Be good!

October 8, 2007

Well, here I am, wanting to jump into the great big world of blogging. I am not really sure what it is I will blog about, or just what is to be included in a blog, but I begin none-the-less. I guess I shouldn’t be too concerned about what goes in herealthough I would hope to be included in some discussion that is bigger than me, but at the same time, hope that I will be content just to put some stuff out here that will give a fresh voice, point of view, or maybe just some light-hearted banter that might just bring someone encouragement or hope or assurance that they are not the only one who feels the way they do or thinks the things they think. I know I need that.

I have read what some others ae blogging about and think, “Hey, I at least have something like that to say!” or maybe more significant, or maybe not. Maybe I just have the same opportunity to put my words out there, or someone else’s words, or whatever.

Anyway…here it goes. It is what I think, see, hear, observe, learn… it’s into my mind. I hope it is worth your time.

I just watched Dallas beat the Buffalo Bills. Romo was off, but the boys came thru. I remember watching Bufalo lose all those Super Bowls in the 90's, a couple of them to the Cowboys. This was a great game. The Yankees lost in the divisional series. Go Tribe!

I think of life like a big game in a lot of ways. It is not that life is just a game, 'cause it's not just a game, but I think that every second is one of those vital plays in a big game that can turn the thing around at any moment. There are no downs or plays or at bats that are opportunities to loaf, take it easy. That takes a lot of attention, focus, perserverance, concentration...

In order to make it through those games it is important to have guys on your team who will push you. You know what I mean. They push you, challenge you, better you. They won't accept slacking. They won't let you phase out.

I have a lot of those guys in my life that sharpen me, keep me honest. These are people that, when I look at them, I am spurred on to continue in this thing, in my faith. I may be the only one (probably not) that wonders at times if I have what it takes to make it in faith and in life. Satan messes with my head and tells me I'm not what I pretend to be or think I am. These people are there. They keep me acountable. God reminds me, through them, that it is Him and not me that will bring me through. I may not talk to all of them all the time, but when I think about them I am encouraged and inspired.

Here's my team (although not exhaustive):
My wife
My kids
My family
Tyson, James, Mick, "kind of" Greg, tfannin, Buddy, Charlie, Bill, Mark, Alex, Tim, Aaron, Steve, Ryan, Marvin, Ted, Dave, Jeremy, the captain, Jay, Big Daddy, Choate, Clayton, Arlo, Joey, Zane, Mike, Chris, Brian, Ron, Pete, Rich, Dennis,...I will try to update this list from time to time b/c I know my list is much longer...I am just not thinking of everyone right here, right now...

I am so blessed to have such a great cloud of witnesses that walk through life with me and who are pointing me deeper into Christ.

When I look at or think about or talk to or interact with these people, I am moved and I know that God is alive and at work in his pepole. I hope you have a team. Who's in the trenches with you? Who is keeping you alert and on target? Where are they pointing you?

If you don't have a team, put me on there. No one is alone. Be good!