My Son Has Taught Me

I'm sitting at my desk trying to problem solve technical questions for a sales order. In the background I can hear Judah laughing as his splashes hose water all over the porch. I allow a groan escape as I visualize the meter running sending our water bill through the roof. Becca sits in her "thinking place" as she works on another piece for her blog. Trying to refocus, the computer screen stares back as though taunting me. In a split second, my muscles grow tense and the hairs on my arms stand straight up. Becca and I exchange looks as Noah lets out another frustrated scream following by more expressions of dissatisfaction. Becca gets up to diagnose the situation. I can hear the series of "yes-no" questions. My mind wanders. Five minutes later, it seems we still have no resolution to Noah's frustration. As Becca calmly sits next to him watching and talking softly to him, his voice is less strained and his recording continues. What went wrong? Perhaps, he just needed his mom to sit next to him, reassuring him everything was alright. I sigh. All is well again.

My body, now fully relaxed, I sit here for several minutes ignoring the glare from my computer screen and allow my thoughts to process the scene from the sofa. Although, this scene is as common in our lives as the Progressive commercial on TV during prime time, a thought occurs to me: this is how we reach people. We meet them where they are, instead of expecting them to reach our expectations. This is, after all, how God reaches us. When I'm angry, I call out to God, and He meets me where I am and speaks softly to me.

"How did we get to the point of not meeting people where they are?"  I look at my computer screen. Problem still not resolved. What's another two minutes of pursuing my thought? Okay, so this causes me to think about the church. Why is it that Christians fail to follow the commandment to love? 1 Corinthians 13 13 says, "...But now faith hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." This passage speaks of the "excellence of love." It often seems the church is resistant to meet folks where they are. How did we get to that point?

As the church, as Christians we really need to examine how we go about living our lives. Christians have become too much about theory and politics, and less about the tending to the people of their community. Think if as a church we started to love people again, the Church can help cure racial tension in their neighborhoods and in this great country. Then again in the 40’s and 50’s the Church could have bridged those gaps and we may not even be in this position now. We can affect the hopelessness in the inner city, we can affect families everywhere. It takes a community of believers who finally say enough, God has put me on this earth to serve him and we are going to listen to his voice and follow his word and serve the people in love. At least for me right now, this is what my son has taught me, to meet people where they are in love and allow the Holy Spirit to work through me.

We need to examine how we live. Our concerns should tend towards people in our communities. What could develop if we focused on loving people?

Racial conflict and inner city tension...

A God fearing community who stands up and says, "God brought us here during this time, and we are going to listen and follow His word. In obedience to His voice, we will serve our community in love.

I am learning to meet people where they are and allow the Holy Spirit to work through me.

My son has taught me...

Drawing Closer

      Balancing life doesn't mean equal time in every area.  The older I get, the more I realize there is no such thing as work-life-balance. I mean, if I am really honest, I spend over sixty plus hours working in a week's time.  Somewhere between travel and work, I try to spend as much time as I can with Becca and the boys.  I play softball once a week, we have been hosting neighborhood game night on Friday evenings the last four years, occasionally, we host our small group on Mondays, we are working on adoption paperwork, and this list goes on.  This doesn't even touch on the passions and desires of our hearts. 

      So what do I need to be taking in and absorbing into my life that will draw me closer to God and help me to more fully understand God's holiness?  Currently, I am reading from the book of Leviticus. Alright, I know what you are thinking.  "Leviticus?  Really?"  The thing with Leviticus is it that it teaches the purity, the sacrificial atonement, the forgiveness, and the presence of God.  This is where God's holiness can be seen.  As I read chapter one, I am beginning to get a grip on how God interacted with His people and what were the offering requirements of that day.  How did life look during that time?  

      The reason I am starting here is really simple. It is interesting to me how clearly God lays out the path for us and how quickly and easily we tend to muddy the waters.  Our pride, our ambitions, our emotions, and everyday living so readily gets in the way of us drawing closer to God.  We use those obstacles as excuses and reasons for who we are, why we are that way, and why we are entitled to remain on that path.  However, once we begin to understand the holiness of God, we will begin to have God's perspective on life and who we have been created to be in His plan.  Only then will we begin to grasp all the goodness God truly has for our lives.

Day 1, Life Wide Open

      Do you ever wonder how life is supposed to look? Do you have regrets regarding past mistakes, questions about what the future holds, or concerns pertaining to present circumstances? These are things I think about all the time. As I live life with the throttle wide open, as it were, these are things I want to understand better in order to become a better husband, father, brother, son, and a better friend.

      There are questions I frequently ponder. What are my life choices producing?  Is my speech reaping "life" into my family and others who step in and out of my daily life? Will God say, "Well done, My son" at the end of the day? What is it that draws me closer to God, my wife, and my children? Am I speaking words of truth and life into their lives? Are the results and consequences of my choices reflective of God's Person and His glory? Or at the end of the day, is it all about me?

      I am a technology junkie. At any moment, whether I am at work or at home, I receive phone calls, texts, emails, and breaking news flashes on mulitple devices.  Combine that with a short attention span, staying focussed is like trying to drive uphill on black ice in an ice storm. So how does this father slow down every day to hear God's voice? How do I adjust my life to grow closer to my wife? How do I slow my pace to enjoy, teach, and learn from my children?  Since technology is such a draw for me, I have decided to use it to help slow me down so I may better share my struggles and successes with you.  

       Life often seems to move at breakneck speed.  I invite you to join me on this journey learning to lean on God for His wisdom and strength in order to glorify Him daily.