The greatest and maybe my least favorite teacher showed up tonight, my kids. I have found it funny how life allows us moments to teach our children lessons we need to re-learn ourselves. Our spring has been given to the great American Pastime, while neither of the boys are All-Stars yet they are having fun playing. I guess that in of itself is a win.
Andrew my oldest is a little more determined to become better. If he could he might live at the batting cages taking swing after swing. On the other hand we have Isaac. Isaac loves playing, but playing is all he loves. Tonight while trying to coach'em up and get that swing fined tune, Ike, as we call him, sort of just quit on me, went through the motions, checked out. While the "coach" in me wanted to "light a fire under him" and "push'em to the limit" and every other classy coaching cliche I could come up with. The man in me reflected on me. I embarrassingly admit there have been days in life that I have just "showed up" or "phoned it in" or "went through the motions" with some responsibility.
While Isaac's swing is not life or death, my responsibilities at least are life. They are my life. Much like Isaac's cuts in the cage, on some days I have lacked effort, lacked energy and drive. I have given less than my best to responsibility I had.
And what would a life lessons be without God smacking you right between the eyes? As I reflected, the verse (and probably not by coincidence) came to mind that reads "do everything as unto the Lord." Oftentimes without even realizing it, we just show up in life. God's expectations is that we would put forth a God-sized effort into everything we do. Whether that things is a game of baseball or a job, schoolwork or "kingdom work", God asked for our best efforts. God asks us to treat every responsibility as we are doing it for him. Lesson re-learned!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Thoughts
Fleeting as they seem and random as they are I have them, as do you. I think about my kids, my wife, my work, my money and lack there of. I think about baseball and teaching my boys the perfect swing. I think about music as it plays over the top of my random thinkings. I think about God and life and the collision of those two. Sometimes I over think, like when I was a kid it would take me 20 minutes to chose between a pack of Fleer or Topps baseball cards. I would then not pick either and buy Donruss.
The bible teaches us to take every thought captive. All my growing up this was taught or at least learned as a negative. It was as if our mind was the pampers of the body catching all the feces and urine that flowed freely in and out. Maybe it was the word captive that brought this type of thinking. To be a captive means that you have been taken or possibly surrendered to what is capturing you. So the teaching went something like this "take captive all those bad thoughts and then just hit the delete button, get rid of them." While I agree hold heartedly that our mind needs to purged of the cranial poverty that destroys it, what then shall we fill it with?
That leads me to this thought, while we are supposed to go all commando on our thoughts like a Navy Seal on Osama there is another side to that coin. God all tells us to set our minds on things above. This is the positive to the negative, the AC to the DC, the heads to the tails. While I feel like I am at least trying to be in constant purge mode of the filth, I am at the same time trying to capture the "things above" thoughts -- thoughts on love, faith, hope. Thoughts of creativity and community. Thoughts that bring life, thoughts that bring joy, thoughts that fill not just your mind, but your heart.
Our thoughts can set us up for successes or set us up for failures. It is our thoughts that often lead us to our destinations. It is our thinking that often sets the course that we sail. So where are your thoughts taking you?
The bible teaches us to take every thought captive. All my growing up this was taught or at least learned as a negative. It was as if our mind was the pampers of the body catching all the feces and urine that flowed freely in and out. Maybe it was the word captive that brought this type of thinking. To be a captive means that you have been taken or possibly surrendered to what is capturing you. So the teaching went something like this "take captive all those bad thoughts and then just hit the delete button, get rid of them." While I agree hold heartedly that our mind needs to purged of the cranial poverty that destroys it, what then shall we fill it with?
That leads me to this thought, while we are supposed to go all commando on our thoughts like a Navy Seal on Osama there is another side to that coin. God all tells us to set our minds on things above. This is the positive to the negative, the AC to the DC, the heads to the tails. While I feel like I am at least trying to be in constant purge mode of the filth, I am at the same time trying to capture the "things above" thoughts -- thoughts on love, faith, hope. Thoughts of creativity and community. Thoughts that bring life, thoughts that bring joy, thoughts that fill not just your mind, but your heart.
Our thoughts can set us up for successes or set us up for failures. It is our thoughts that often lead us to our destinations. It is our thinking that often sets the course that we sail. So where are your thoughts taking you?
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday Tune May 24th
Owl City is the one man band of Adam Young. Owl City hit it big with the widely covered YouTube sensation Fireflies. The man, the keys and the Mac are at in once again with a new album that drops June 14th titled "All Things Bright and Beautiful".
If you have never heard Owl City you are in for a treat. This does not fit your traditional of any music category. Adam Young blends poetic lyrics over elctronic mixes with a dance beat feel. Beyond the quirky lyrics is deeper meaning that exposes the faith of Owl City. Tuesday Tune is the first release off the new album entitled "Galaxies".
If you have never heard Owl City you are in for a treat. This does not fit your traditional of any music category. Adam Young blends poetic lyrics over elctronic mixes with a dance beat feel. Beyond the quirky lyrics is deeper meaning that exposes the faith of Owl City. Tuesday Tune is the first release off the new album entitled "Galaxies".
Monday, May 23, 2011
Inspiration
What is funny is that you never know where it will be found - inspiration that is. It is mysterious, it is even sneaky at times. It comes at the end of rain storms. It comes in the middle of sunny days. It shows up in the midst of tears or hidden in sounds of child's laugh. A single second of life can bring about a fury of ideas and creativity. A blink of an eye can open up an entire B&O Railroad of thoughts. And then at times...nothing, nada, zip, zilch.
Often I sit and look at this blank white square that serves as place words seem to spill out of my brain into the wide open spaces of the world wide web and eventually onto your eyes, lacking inspiration. And there are other moments my fingers cannot franticly keep up with the pace of the language longing to hit the pages of my journal or my blog.
I have spent most of my adult life in the capacity of a minster in some form or another. From that context comes the my understanding of the greek word theopneustos used in the bible for inspiration. Which is literally translated "God-breathed". It is used in this context to describe the writing of the Holy Scriptures through the penmanship of man. By no means do I claim this blog to sit anywhere near the level of God's good book. But I do believe that at times, the words that find their way out are inspired in the "God-breathed" sense.
There are moments when days pass and I come back to a post and re-read it. And not that the blog is perfect, grammar is still not a strong suit of mine. But as I re-read I think to myself, "wow, there is no way you are that smart." I start to see somewhere tucked tightly in the randomness of my thougths is something inspirational, something even "God-breathed." I realize that the source of my moments of profound insight or quirky banter or even poorly shaped thesis statements is something God gave.
So next time you find yourself inspired in whatever it is you do, just possibly you'll think that Heaven in all it's splendor has breathed that inspiration into your life!
Often I sit and look at this blank white square that serves as place words seem to spill out of my brain into the wide open spaces of the world wide web and eventually onto your eyes, lacking inspiration. And there are other moments my fingers cannot franticly keep up with the pace of the language longing to hit the pages of my journal or my blog.
I have spent most of my adult life in the capacity of a minster in some form or another. From that context comes the my understanding of the greek word theopneustos used in the bible for inspiration. Which is literally translated "God-breathed". It is used in this context to describe the writing of the Holy Scriptures through the penmanship of man. By no means do I claim this blog to sit anywhere near the level of God's good book. But I do believe that at times, the words that find their way out are inspired in the "God-breathed" sense.
There are moments when days pass and I come back to a post and re-read it. And not that the blog is perfect, grammar is still not a strong suit of mine. But as I re-read I think to myself, "wow, there is no way you are that smart." I start to see somewhere tucked tightly in the randomness of my thougths is something inspirational, something even "God-breathed." I realize that the source of my moments of profound insight or quirky banter or even poorly shaped thesis statements is something God gave.
So next time you find yourself inspired in whatever it is you do, just possibly you'll think that Heaven in all it's splendor has breathed that inspiration into your life!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Knowledge is confidence
The old expression is "knowledge is power" but in the reflections of my children "knowledge is confidence". Yesterday I took out for a run. I am an on again, off again runner. Lately, more off than on. Andrew decided to ride his bike alongside me while I ran, a new experience for us.
Maybe some of you are better runners than I, so carrying on a conversation with a 10 year old full of fourth grade knowledge was not my plan. But as I was informed, I should not have worn a black shirt because black causes you to be hotter. Biking is a great form of exercise because your legs move up and down. A groundhog and a beaver are kind of the same animal. And amazingly 20 minutes of other random thoughts (yes, I realize the paradox of that statement) and other questions of intrigue.
Not only was I exhausted from my near 3 mile run, but was extra winded from trying to engage in all things that Andrew wanted to share or wanted answers to. But this made me realize this that knowledge creates confidence in us. Some people fake this. You and I know those people who have an answer or a correction or comment or some other insight into every conversation they are a part of. But this was not that kind of confidence which is insecurity masked with knowledge. No, Andrew expressed an honest willingness to share what he knew.
All of us have knowledge or a level of expertise within us. What if we took this 10 year old approach to life? What if we just freely, willingly, sincerely wanted to share what was inside us? The six words that changed my life were spoken by Jesus "freely you have received, freely give". Maybe that is why I blog. Not because I am an expert, but simply the confidence to share what I know in hopes that makes someone else's life a little better. Go do it! Have the confidence to share some thought, knowledge, wisdom, insight, talent, gift or ability that has been put inside you. Go ahead give it away!
Maybe some of you are better runners than I, so carrying on a conversation with a 10 year old full of fourth grade knowledge was not my plan. But as I was informed, I should not have worn a black shirt because black causes you to be hotter. Biking is a great form of exercise because your legs move up and down. A groundhog and a beaver are kind of the same animal. And amazingly 20 minutes of other random thoughts (yes, I realize the paradox of that statement) and other questions of intrigue.
Not only was I exhausted from my near 3 mile run, but was extra winded from trying to engage in all things that Andrew wanted to share or wanted answers to. But this made me realize this that knowledge creates confidence in us. Some people fake this. You and I know those people who have an answer or a correction or comment or some other insight into every conversation they are a part of. But this was not that kind of confidence which is insecurity masked with knowledge. No, Andrew expressed an honest willingness to share what he knew.
All of us have knowledge or a level of expertise within us. What if we took this 10 year old approach to life? What if we just freely, willingly, sincerely wanted to share what was inside us? The six words that changed my life were spoken by Jesus "freely you have received, freely give". Maybe that is why I blog. Not because I am an expert, but simply the confidence to share what I know in hopes that makes someone else's life a little better. Go do it! Have the confidence to share some thought, knowledge, wisdom, insight, talent, gift or ability that has been put inside you. Go ahead give it away!
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