I'm going to be moving this blog to it's new home... heck, if you made it here, you probably already know that!

The new site is here: http://blog.onethingido.org

My vision for Sunday School... for my local church involvement of any sort, for that matter...

"From Christian Clubhouse to Kingdom Outpost"

I am starting to see this... and someone on DAB gave me this quote today:

"Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell;
I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell."

- C.T. Studd.

Ok, so it wasn't really a shopping spree, but we did spend probably $25 and bought anything and everything we needed. It was fun. Erin picked Zorina up @ her house, brought her to the church where I was, we went through our decoration planning, of which Zorina gets to head up herself as I don't get home from PA until 3-4 hours before VBS actually starts, and we have that planned. Then we all went to Culvers and had dinner... good times. I am so thankful for my wife for helping make this happen; it was a lot of fun. Different from when I've done stuff with guy teenagers, and having Erin along for the ride really made it seem natural and cool and fine and all that... Thank you, honey.

After dinner we did the shopping spree @ good old Walmart... bought some "cool pens" (Zorina and Erin approved), big rubber bands, and some last minute stuff for our trip to PA.

Great family evening and great evening with our sis Z.

Psalms 72:1-20 : Kingship and Fatherhood
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 2:00 AM

From Deuteronomy 17:

14 "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, 'We want to appoint a king over us like all the nations around us,' 15 you are to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people. 16 However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the LORD has told you, 'You are never to go back that way again. ' 17 He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won't go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself. 18 When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. 20 Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel.


I did not know this was in Deuteronomy. From 1 Samuel 8, when it came to pass:


So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."



6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."



10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."


19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."



In Deuteronomy God fortells of the longing of a king. God's kind of king. A king who purposefully reigns under and with God's authority. In 1 Samuel, the people ask for a king, but what Samuel tells them they'll get is not at all what God told them they should hope for in a king. Why the difference? Both passages talking about the desire for a king coming from the people because they want to be like other nations. It's almost like the king described in Deuteronomy would be more of a loving, rulling judge than the warrior king described in 1 Samuel. Maybe this is the difference. I particularly noticed the last words in the Samuel Passage: we want a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles. They wanted a king to do their work for them. Even though Samuel told them that they'd be the people thrown to the front of the battlefield, that their women would basically be made slaves, and that their land, money, and possessions would be taxed and taken over. They wanted someone to do their work for them, and God originally wanted a King to rule over them in His authority... to represent Him.



As I think about this more, it starts to click. A leader is not simply a leader because he tells people what to do. He is a leader because he has authority; because he speaks on behalf of someone or something bigger than himself. This is how Jesus led. Not in his own power but that of his Father. Not in his own strength but in the power of the One who sent him. He is the kind of King predicted in Deuteronomy... he is THE king predicted in Deuteronomy.



I loved the Psalm for today as well, which is described as "a prayer for the king" in the HSB. It's also described as relating to Solomon, so when I first read this, I thought maybe this was one of his wise sayings... an example - a picture - of the kind of King talked about in Deuteronomy.


1 God, give Your justice to the king

and Your righteousness to the king's son. (B)


2 He will judge Your people with righteousness

and Your afflicted ones with justice. (C)

3 May the mountains bring prosperity [a] to the people,

and the hills, righteousness. (D)

4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,

help the poor,

and crush the oppressor. (E)



Here the prayer is for God's justice to be given to the king... for His righteousness. For him to defend, not attack. To help, not oppress. As I read this, I thought... what a godly leader this would be! What a prayer this would be if we prayed this for our leaders, and if our leaders prayed this for themselves. And then I got to the last phrase in this psalm, and it HIT me.


The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded.


This is not Solomon praying for himself. This is not the people praying for the king. This is a FATHER passing the mantle to his son. This is a blessing bestowed from father to son, from king to prince. These are David's "final words." As I read this I wonder how often the leaders we have - nation, state, organization, church, home - receive this kind of blessing and prayer from their fathers. No wonder so many of our leaders have lost their way; they didn't know it in the first place or have it set / told / set upon them by those who preceded them!

What to do here? "Being Fathered" is a huge concept in my life, something I long to learn about and share, and honestly... to experience. I no longer look go my earthly dad for this, but still recognize that I need it - from "fill-the-gap" fathers here on earth, but ultimately, from my Heavenly Father. It's so important, and here it is, put into words as David passes the mantle to his son in Psalms. As God declares what His King will be like in Deuteronomy.

Fathers, love your children. Raise them up your entire life to be your sons, but even more, to be God's sons. Teach them the word. Bind it on your heart so that you can show them how to bind it onto theirs. Model it. Share it. Do it with them. And when the time comes for your last words, for your "final prayer," may it be a blessing to those that follow you, a life well lived as a model for what a man chasing after God can do through him.

Praise God, my Grandfather has gone home! He went peacefully tonight about 15-20 minutes ago (9:30?) I was outside praying for this very thing as he breathed his last breath.

I went outside about 9:25 tonight. Decided to talk to God out loud and "release and complete" this earthly relationship. I told him goodbye, I told him I'd see him soon, and I claimed God promise that His will is our sanctification, and there was no more possibility for my grandfather to be more set apart than to go home this very night. I went in the house, almost KNOWING it was going to be tonight, that I'd be awoken in the middle of the night to find out he'd gone home.

But NOOOO!!! God took him WHILE I was in that prayer, or immediately after it. I'm totally serious. I walked in the door, and my mom was on the phone 5 minutes later. Such an answer to prayer.

My grandpa loved to go up on his grain silo and sing "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" at the top of his lungs on clear summer mornings. I can already see him scaling the gate of heaven with that same SHOUT!!!!!!

I've been reading a lot in Mark lately about faith, and thought I'd copy down some things here that I'm being reminded of.

From Mark 5:

³⁰At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

³¹"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "

With all the people crowded around Jesus, the disciples didn't understand what he was asking when he said, "who touched me?" But that's not what Jesus was really asking. He wanted to know, "who touched me...touched me with the expectation of being healed?" The woman's faith in the power in Jesus was different from the many people that were crowded around Jesus... she knew that something could and would happen if she could just touch Jesus... she had the faith that others did not.

From Mark 6:

³⁷Jesus replied, "You give them something to eat."

This seems to almost be a teaching opportunity for the disciples. They're worried about food, and so they come to Jesus, the "miracle worker guy." But He turns it around on them and tells them to give the people food. Of course there is no food, so the (hidden?) meaning is, "you perform the miracle." Get creative. How is God going to work this one out? I love it.

Later, Again From Mark 6:

⁴⁷Later that evening he was still there by himself, and the boat was somewhere in the middle of the lake. ⁴⁸He could see that the disciples were struggling hard, because they were rowing against the wind. Not long before morning, Jesus came toward them. He was walking on the water and was about to pass the boat.

What I never noticed before in these verses was the phrase, "[Jesus] was about to pass the boat." Here are the disciples, struggling against a headwind to make any progress, and here comes Jesus, strolling across the lake. I can almost hear him whistling a tune in the midst of the storm, simply on his way across the lake to meet the disciples he sent over there hours ago. But no, here they are, still stuck in a storm. Did Jesus really expect their faith to have gotten them out of that jam? Had they already seen Him calm a storm and did He really expect their faith to do the same?

This is an interesting read, and a new way of looking at things in Mark for me. This is an action-packed gospel, but I'm loving the expectation of faith that Jesus seems to have of His inner circle. He also is amazed at the faith of some of those who "shouldn't" understand and have it, and surprised at the lack of it from some of those who "should." How true all of that is today.

Father, we believe! Help our unbelief, and Lord, show us how to do as you instructed the disciples when you told them to go feed everybody... "How much bread do you have, Go and see!" Let us get moving, regardless of our expectations of how you "should" work. You have enough bread for everyone, along with a basket left over for each of us!

Readings:

http://www.awalkthroughtheword.com/DailyReadings.aspx?month=2&day=21

http://www.awalkthroughtheword.com/DailyReadings.aspx?month=2&day=23

CAP from today's readings:

Leviticus 7:28 - 9:6 - CONSECRATION

CONSECRATE. That's what the OT reading was all about. Setting things apart for God - people, buildings, animals, food, offerings... it's looks awkward then, and it's awkward now... but that doesn't change the fact that when we take something and physically set it aside for God, something changes...

Mark 3:31 - 4:25 - TRUE FAMILY AND MULTIPLICATION

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."

"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

"Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."

Psalm 37 - THE LORD'S FAVOR

If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;

though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

I'm putting together a little guide for our church youth group tomorrow night. Neither myself nor my other Wednesday night cohort in crime, Dewey, can be there, so one of the college-age guys is going to lead the group. I thought I'd jot down the flow here, since I can easily link directly to the videos and write out the discussion questions as well.

 

GETTING STARTED

Today we're going to watch a couple video clips from a movie called To Save a Life. This movie is the story of a young man named Jake Taylor. He's the school champion of basketball and beer pong, has a beautiful girlfriend, and everybody loves him. Life couldn't get better, right? An old friend from Jake's childhood comes back into his life, and shortly thereafter, commits suicide. Jake begins to think. "What did i miss? What could I have done different? It's all my fault!" A youth minister meets Jake, and leads him to Jesus. Things don't magically turn nice and neat, however, and Jake begins to really wrestle with the realities of life, judgement, and character.

VIDEO CLIP - TRAILER (full screen button in bottom right)

. .

DISCUSSION

Just what does the "Good Life" look like in your world?

What do we suppose the Christian Life is "supposed" to look like?

When you've shared your faith with a friend, or when you've looked for promises in the Bible, what is it you hope to find?

I don't think anyone would disagree that the Christian life is better than the Good Life... but how? Why? Are those things just words?

If we really want to go deep into being the people God has made us to be, we have to quit wading in the shallow waters of easy answers, convenient friendships, and false hope.

In this next video clip, Jake ventures into a youth meeting at the church shortly after everyone was playing a game of drinking pop through a sock. Even though he's living a life of newly found faith in Jesus, the problems of his world did not go away, and the shallow attitudes of the other people in the room becomes quickly obvious to him.

VIDEO CLIP - LET THIS CHANGE YOU (full screen button in bottom right)

. .

DISCUSSION

What reasons did people give to why they didn't want to be in church?

Are those valid reasons? Not just in our church, but anywhere?

Jake said: "What's the point of all this if you're not going to let this change you?"

How would you answer that? Big or small... how are you going to let this change you?

Just a couple weeks ago, for example... Drew was up on the stage as the youth shared about their trip to Nashville, and he talked about the way he wanted to go out of his way to start seeking out friendships with some of the students at school who needed extra help. I loved how he said it, how often we say we're trying to "protect them from getting hurt" but in reality, how much of it really is a convenience thing that we just don't have to "deal with them?"

How much would you risk? How much would you give up... To Save a Life?

There are people all around us, in our schools, on our block, or even in this very room on any given Sunday, who are lost, lonely, and without hope. Do we expect them to get up off their butts and come to us for help, or do we take the help to them?

This last video is the music video from Casting Crown's song, Does Anybody See Her. I'd encourage you to make that decision, individually, and together. Just how far will you go... to save a life?

CASTING CROWNS - DOES ANYBODY HEAR HER? (full screen button in bottom right)

. .

SONG LYRICS

She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind

Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away

Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we've never even met her

If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we've never even met her

Never even met her
(Never Even Met her)

(OHHHHH)Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me

Does anybody hear her? (Does anybody hear her?) Does anybody see? (Does anybody See?)
Does anybody even know she's going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple (shadow of her steeple)
With all the lost and lonely people (Lost and Lonely people)
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?

He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction

I have a little thing with hugs. With physical contact period. I long for it, yet am uncomfortable around it.

Friday, after a very wearing day, I finally had a few minutes alone before bed. I sat down on the kitchen floor, put my head in my hands, and finally just relaxed and let it all out for a couple minutes. I remember saying something like, "I would just love to be hugged, God. Freely, just given a real hug."

Sunday morning after church it started. A pair of boys from the youth group, Ethan literally RAN up to me and have me a huge hug. Right after that, another. Later on, a full fledged hug from Tabi.

On monday, two girls came out to ride horses. Again, the hugs came as a pair, Tabi and Stevi. I was starting to get the message. These were direct from God, and just what I needed.

Then today, after lunch with a group of friends, 3 more. 2 from kids I may not see again for awhile but are now emblazoned on my heart, Stephen and Amber. And another from Tabi. And I felt finally free of something, to really hug back.

Loved it.

As I told Erin the whole story, starting with the prayer, tonite it made me tear up a little more. God gave me EXACTLY what I asked for, in a way far more personal and meaningful than I'd thought possible. Especially with how they seemed to come in pairs.

So to all of you, ET, Tabi, Stevi, Amber, Stephen and one more who I've gone blank on... Thank you from the depths of my heart and soul. God was hugging me, through you. You mean so much to me, and I love you.

As I push mowed my lawn this weekend, I had a song stuck in my head. It's called "The Voice of Truth" by a group called Casting Crowns. The first verse goes like this:

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.

This song, in case you're wondering, is referring back to the story of Jesus' follower named Peter who was invited to step out of a boat in the middle of a sea and walk on water. Quite a feat of faith, if you ask me... even to simply get out of the boat! How many of us would even have the thought. I think the thing about Peter was that he quite often acted before he thought, and while that may also lead to rash, un-thought-out actions, in this case... the guy defied physics, at least for a few seconds.

I like how the song compares the voice of truth with all the other voices calling out to me. In the place I am in life right now, there seems to be more questions than answers. That in itself, I am coming to perceive, is one of those false voices. There are not more questions than there are answers. Some of the questions may not be relevant at all, some of the answers will come in time, and some of it... just isn't for me to know. So, as the song goes, I must choose to listen and believe the one constant: The Voice of Truth.

As I woke up this morning I had a psalm on my head that I couldn't placed, so of course, I googled it. It's from Psalm 121:

 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
       where does my help come from?
 2 My help comes from the LORD,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.
 3 He will not let your foot slip—
       he who watches over you will not slumber;
 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
       will neither slumber nor sleep.

Those words are just chock full of the voice of truth, aren't they? Getting your eyes off the one or two steps in front of you and looking up toward the mountains. Getting your focus off of the next few steps and seeing the bigger picture of the journey, and the destination. Reminding ourself where our help has come from in the past, and being reassured that it will continue to be that way into the future. Reminding myself who that help comes from: not a friend who's "been there, done that," a career coach, or a book... the Maker of Heaven and Earth! If God cares for me, and I believe wholeheartedly he does, I can trust that these words are true... tha the won't let my foot slip on slippery cliffs, that He's not going to take a break when I need him the most.

The Voice of Truth is telling me several things right now. Many don't have anything to do with the next few months. The first one, and I love it... is that in 2 weeks, I am going to have a daughter. I am going to have new life in my family. Guaranteed. Bank on it. It's also told me to take this past weekend off from the stress of things to come, from emails, from strategies, from considerations of the short term future. It's told me to count on my friends, to be willing to share stuff they may not even "get," not just because I want their advice, but because I need their companionship. It's told me that I need not worry. It's told me that tough decisions may truly be ahead, but that tough does not equal bad.

These are the things that the Voice of Truth is telling me, the things it is reassuring me with. It does not make fear go away, no, not in the least. In fact, it tells fear, "bring it on!" Because I know that when I am afraid, I can trust in my Father. And when I get in that habit of trusting Him, it begins to both couteract existing fears and prevent future ones from taking hold of me, even in the weak points of my life. So I choose to do that. I accept the fact that my life may change, or it may turn out much similar to what it is right now. I accept the fact that decisions made may also affect those around me, from family, to coworkers, to friends, to clients. That's fine. Because I'm not the one determining my steps. I'm looking to the mountains, listening to the Creator, who cares enough for me to send His Son to die in my place. His care for me has been proven, and I have no doubt in it.

So to me, that's what the voice of truth means. There's a little followup to the story of Peter walking on the water that I theorize about a little bit. It's from a little story told later on in the gospels, after Jesus has died on the cross and been raised from the grave. He comes to see his disciples who are out in a boat fishing again, Peter included. It goes like this:

 7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[b] 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. (John 21)

My theory is this. It may or may not be true. I think Peter may have got his second chance to walk on water here. As soon as he heard that Jesus was on the beach, he took off. He didn't hesitate. He didn't check the depth of the water. He hopped out and ran to his Lord, his Friend, his Savior. Whether he walked on water is not the question here, or the point. What I think the point is, is that he didn't hesitate. His trust was finally there. He had seen Jesus "show up" for him by being raised from the dead, even after he himself gave up, abandoned Jesus, and even went so far to deny him while He was under trial.

The story of Peter is a great one of a growing faith and trust. He started out a man full of a haughty spirit and false bravery, which Jesus quickly proved empty. He ended up a pioneer of faith, trailblazing a Message that has spread around the world, and Changed. My. Life.

Irreversable Change. There's no going back. Why would I want to?

Tonight I am leading a youth activity at my church called Bigger or Better. It's a team-based game where you get into groups of 4-5 people, and head out into the surrounding neighborhoods in an attempt to trade your starting item for something bigger or better. This is one of my favorite games from my own youth days, and those in the group who have done it themselves have great stories to tell of it as well. The basic idea is you take what you have, go to a house, tell them what you're doing, and see if they'll make you a good trade. One guy made this pretty famous with his trades from a red paper clip to a house in 14 trades. I doubt we'll come back with something that big tomorrow... but who knows. If I remember right, the last time we did it, one team came home with a working refrigerator and a drivable car. Not bad for a couple hours work.

Today I am also being made known of some big changes in my life. I've thought this day would come sometime, but it wasn't until today that it became public and details started to come out. The biggest client of my business, Arelco Inc. (dba National Car Sales, National Car Rental, and other names) in Indianapolis, is being sold to it's corporate parent, Enterprise Holdings (yes... National, Alamo, and Enterprise all roll up into the same corporation. Did you know that?). Huge news to all involved, including those of us who are "merely" vendors, if you want to get technical. My business, while small, burns through it's share of cash in terms of payroll, insurance, hardware, and software. We are quite lean compared to most 3 person companies, I'm sure... but we still work hard for our living, that's for sure. And as of today... over 60% of that money is up in the air. 75% - 80% if you count other business that could is related to this client.

As I mentioned, I've wondered when today would come. Actually, it's probably been a long time coming, to be truthful. The owners of the company have spent most of their lives building this place, enduring good times and bad, and they've decided the time has come to let most of it go. I sat across the desk from one of the V.P.'s the other day hearing about it, and as I listened to some details, time tables, I was amazed. I wasn't seeing dollar signs flying away. I wasn't seeing hours disappear or question marks stamp themselves across every wall. And on the other hand, I wasn't feeling some euphoric sense of peace that "passes all understanding." This is reality. Change is a-coming... change is HERE.

What I did feel, was a tremendous sense of freedom. A weight being lifted off of my shoulders. A yoke that I have carried, in one shape or another, for 16 years.

I started working at Arelco / National when I was 16. I was hired as a summer intern working a few hours a week replacing broken network cards and modems (we seemed to be a magnet for lightning) and learning to program FoxPro. That progressed to regular high school employment. That progressed to a steady job through college, all the while developing passions for data-driven software development. When my boss started his own company, still primarily serving National, I went with him, eventually coming on full time. Eventually, in 2004, when he retired for health reasons, I was given the opportunity to start my own business and head out on my own, picking up a few other clients here and there along the way, as well as a lot of other work that came along with working for a franchise of a continent-wide corporation.

I felt like so much had been handed to me. And it had been. While I wouldn't call it easy or posh, it was definately what we'd typically call a blessing. But was it... really? Was I special simply because I'd gone from $5.50 an hour to a lot more than that while still in college, and then having a company "dropped in my lap" when I was only 27 years old? In many ways... yes. God's hand is all over it. But in other ways, as in many aspects of life, I took it for granted. I relied upon my own strength, my own driven-ness, and even the moments when things seemed to just drop into place... I don't think I fully recognized how great I "had it." (Queue Rodney Adkings, song, "I've Got it Good")

But as I sat in that office a few days ago, realizing that something's going to change, and possibly lots of somethings changing big-time, I realized that in many ways, I have bound myself to this reality. In some ways, that's great. I have developed real relationship with real people who are doing real things with their lives. I support them, help them succeed, and help them survive. I have been mentored, counseled, and taught. And in reciprocation, I have committed much of "me." And as the reality of this time has begun to sink in over the last year or so, I've realized that I didn't know of a way out. That there really wasn't one, at least not on the personal side. I was going to have to wait for God's timing to release me from some of these personal commitments that I truly have been blessed with.

And now that time is here, or so it would seem. I may well continue working with many of these people, depending on where they and I go from here. I might also discover that God is doing more than simply making a drastic shift in where C2IT Consulting, Inc's monthly hours and income come from. And instead of feeling burdened to force that change, to get it all under control, to come up with some big plan that will handle the unknowns... I feel a sense of release. Of complete. of finishing strong. And I relish that. I relish the peaceful nights' sleep I have had this week. I love the conversations this has and will stir up between my wife and I. I anticipate the opportunities it's going to give me to not only show that peace, but to live it out in front of others who may not have it or know where it comes from. I have learned over the last several years that fear of the unknown and uncertainty is not wrong. It's not bad. It's not a sign of weakness. Terror might be. Timidity might be. But not fear. I've learned that you can only be brave when you've experienced fear. You can only be truly courageous when you've thrown all your cards on the table and gone all in with God.

This week has been amazing. God has shown up in so many ways to remind me that he DOES have it under control. Those reminders haven't come in terms of solutions to "problems," but rather in memories, reassurances, and lives that I have become partnered with. He is, has been, and always will be Faithful and True. To use the words of a TobyMac song I've come to really like, "right here and now, I am all in."

I feel I could write so much. I pray that this all "works out" in not just a manner that puts money in the bank and hours on the clock, but in a way that is a testimony to the steadfastness of my Creator. I not only want him to be pleased with and proud of me, but for it to be something that shows.

So after I walk into meetings and read documents about how things may be going away and changing this morning, I will go into my evening with a chance to share with the youth I've come to know and love of how trustworthy God really is. Not just when He's got it all under control, but also when everything seems so out of control. When you don't have a clue what's next or how you'll get from here to there, repair this relationship, or make it through this hard time.

I feel empty of words right now. I feel more will come. Answers will come, too. I'm curiously excited about what they are. And as I sit here and think about a verse that captures so much of this right now, I know exactly what it is:

In his heart a man plans his course,
       but the LORD determines his steps.
              Proverbs 16:9

NASCAR finally put up some video from the dirt track race, and it looks like they are going to make a die-cast of the car with the names on it.... very cool.

Video:

Die Cast Links:

• Speed Works Die Cast

GOOOOO Jimmie!

Yesterday I wrote about my dad's name being on Jimmie Johnson's race car at the Prelude to the Dream charity race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Jimmie led all 30 laps, including the one that won him the race.

Several Children's Hospitals were the beneficiaries of the race, which I think is cool, with the whole honoring dad's thing:

• Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis
• Cincinnati Children's
• Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, N.C.
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Jimmie didn't have / take time to practice before the race, hadn't been on dirt in a while, and wound up with a bruised and battered car, but he finished strong. Isn't that a lot like fatherhood? You don't get a practice run at being a dad, you hit experiences you have no idea how to handle, and you're going to get hurt by, and probably hurt, those you love the most. But in the end, you accomplish something great.

Good job Jimmie. Good job dads. You've made at least 480 of your sons and daughters proud.

Below are some pictures from the race. You can't read the names on the car, but they are there.

It's been 4+ years since I've seen my dad, other than pictures on Facebook. During that time God has taught me much about how He wants to father me, and it's caused me to grow up quite a bit, I must admit... both as a son, and as a man, father, and husband.

I saw this thing where Jimmie Johnson and Lowes Racing were going to honor dads on the car they run at Tonight's "Prelude to the Dream" dirt track race. My first thought when I saw it was, "wow, I wish I wanted to do something like that." But the more I thought about it, I saw that I still could. So I did. And while I'm not going to pay the $20-some bucks to watch the race, I did at least grab some pics from the site's page. I grabbed a few screen shots and have them below, as well as this PDF version.

Here's the text from Lowe's site about the list of fathers that made it to the car's paint job:

Watch for Jimmie and our specially designed dirt late model car at the Prelude to the Dream event from Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio on Wednesday, June 9.

In honor of dads everywhere leading up to Father’s Day, Jimmie Johnson and Lowe’s gave our fans on Facebook and Twitter the opportunity to show 480 fathers how much they are appreciated.  The announcement of the special dads car was made on the Lowe’s Facebook page, and fans had the opportunity to email their Dad’s name to Lowe’s.  The first 480 verified names were selected and are featured on the car. The live, commercial-free broadcast of the Prelude to a Dream event will begin at 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT) with an immediate replay. 

I wish / hope they provide a high res image of the actual car; I think that would be a lot better than this graphic. I'm sure that would have to wait until it's revealed at the race tonight, so we'll see. Anyways... Thanks for being my dad, dad... I have no regrets. If a dad's greatest accomplishment is to introduce their sons to their True Father, you have done well. Thanks.

 

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE
(I don't know who wrote this)

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease..

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin.
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

True Friendship

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)

"A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity."
- Solomon - Proverbs 17:17

"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives."
- Euripides, Greek playwright

"Never injure a friend, even in jest."
- Cicero, Roman Philosopher 106BC – 43BC

"A true friend stabs you in the front."
- Oscar Wilde

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."
- Helen Keller

"Be slow in choosing your friends; slower in changing."
-Benjamin Franklin

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
-Solomon – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.”

-Aristotle

"A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway."
-Jerome Cummings

"You only meet your once in a lifetime friend... once in a lifetime."
-The Little Rascals

"...no man is useless while he has a friend."
-Robert Louis Stevenson

"My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life."
- Lee Iacocca

It is not what you give your friend, but what you are willing to give him that determines the quality of friendship.
- Mary Dixon Thayer

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
- Solomon  - Proverbs 18:24

“Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
YOU are MY friends…”
- Jesus, John 15:13-14a

Here is a copy of a speech that I helped a 16 year old at my church develop. It was both fun and rewarding to help her with this and watch it and her develop over time. But it was even more interesting to see how her life suddenly got crazy busy while she was working on a speech about busyness and how we can be prepared for it and handle it. Not avoid it. Be ready for it. Because there are times, and perhaps even entire seasons, of life, where it’s both unavoidable and important to do what we are doing.

She sent me another quote a week or so after the fact from Abe Lincoln: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

Good job, Tabi. I'm very proud of you.

---

Am I too busy to serve the Lord?
By Tabi Layton

 

Some years ago a young man looking for work approached a foreman of a logging crew and asked him for a job. “It depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you take this one down.”

The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. The foreman was impressed and exclaimed, “You can start on Monday!”

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday rolled by. Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.”

Startled, the young man asked,” I thought you paid on Fridays.”

“Normally we do,” answered the foreman, “but we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last place on Wednesday.”

“But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected. “I arrive first, leave last, and I’ve even worked through my coffee breaks!”

The foreman, sensing the boy’s integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening your ax?”

The young man replied, “Well, no sir. I’ve been working too hard to take the time.”

This young man did not understand the importance of sharpening his ax. He was so busy working as hard as he could that he neglected the most important thing that made His work effective. This is a problem Christians are faced with, as well; we become so busy serving the Lord that we often lose sight of whose glory we are working for.

We should never be too busy to serve the Lord; every breath we take is a gift from Him. When we do become busy, it should be to further God’s kingdom, not centered on worldly interests. This can sometimes seem really difficult, putting God first in all we do, but that is where God wants to be. Serving Him doesn’t require training; all we need is a willing heart. Sometimes a simple e-mail or text message is what God chooses to show His love through.

However, we must be careful to make sure that our busyness does not deteriorate our relationship with others and with God. We can’t let our service become routine, something we think we have to do. The beauty of serving God is that we want to, because of all He has done for us. It’s a way of saying ‘I love you’ back to our Maker who says it to us by reaching down and picking us up when we fall. When our actions match what we say, it screams to others that it is something very close to our hearts.

The balance of matching our actions with our words can be difficult, but it is necessary. James 2:14-17 is a great example of this importance: “What good is it, dear brothers, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

The balance comes when your relationship with God is continuously growing; you fall more in love with Him everyday. And because you have that amazing love for Him, you can’t help but serve the ones He came to save! The closer you become to God, the more you yearn to be like him. In John 13 we find Jesus Christ himself acting in service to those he loves. This isn’t normal service, this is loving service, and it has special qualities that make it unique and effective. You begin to want to serve others because of the deep love God puts in your heart.

It is important that we maintain these qualities by keeping our ax sharp and ready for use. To keep our ax sharp, we need to grow closer in our relationship to God. As we love God and serve others with the same love, our service becomes a praise offering to God and an example to those around us.

1 Peter 4: 9-11 says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.”

In these verses, verse 9 is the one that catches my attention, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” We are supposed to offer it, not wait until we are asked. If someone has a need that the Holy Spirit is prompting us to meet, we should do all we can to help out. It doesn’t matter if we had plans or if we are too busy, we are to drop everything to go help those who need it, and not complain about it.

Our service to others is the same as our service to God, and if that’s true, then why should we grumble about serving our Savior, the Creator of the universe? In Matthew 25:40 Jesus tells his disciples, “Whatever you do for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” This is something we often forget when presented with an opportunity to serve others.

These passages come back to one main point: that our actions and words should reflect God. We are used to administer God’s grace, to speak His words, and use the strength He gives to serve. All of this is to bring glory to God, to bring praise to Jesus Christ. If we are careful to sharpen our ax, we can work efficiently and our service can be a joy to us and to others, while deepening our relationship with our Maker all the while. Our service is a gift to and from God, and when we become busy, it becomes all the more important to keep our focus on God.

System.UriFormatException: Invalid URI: The URI is empty. at System.Uri.CreateThis(String uri, Boolean dontEscape, UriKind uriKind) at System.Uri..ctor(String uriString) at C2IT_Journalling_RssReader.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) in D:\Inetpub\ftproot\LocalUser\C2ITConsult\Websites\www.awalkthroughtheword.com\c2it\journalling\RssReader.ascx.vb:line 29

System.UriFormatException: Invalid URI: The format of the URI could not be determined. at System.Uri.CreateThis(String uri, Boolean dontEscape, UriKind uriKind) at System.Uri..ctor(String uriString) at C2IT_Journalling_RssReader.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) in D:\Inetpub\ftproot\LocalUser\C2ITConsult\Websites\www.awalkthroughtheword.com\c2it\journalling\RssReader.ascx.vb:line 29

System.UriFormatException: Invalid URI: The format of the URI could not be determined. at System.Uri.CreateThis(String uri, Boolean dontEscape, UriKind uriKind) at System.Uri..ctor(String uriString) at C2IT_Journalling_RssReader.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) in D:\Inetpub\ftproot\LocalUser\C2ITConsult\Websites\www.awalkthroughtheword.com\c2it\journalling\RssReader.ascx.vb:line 29

System.UriFormatException: Invalid URI: The format of the URI could not be determined. at System.Uri.CreateThis(String uri, Boolean dontEscape, UriKind uriKind) at System.Uri..ctor(String uriString) at C2IT_Journalling_RssReader.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) in D:\Inetpub\ftproot\LocalUser\C2ITConsult\Websites\www.awalkthroughtheword.com\c2it\journalling\RssReader.ascx.vb:line 29