We are in the Race

This year has been eventful. My oldest daughter is 12 years old and enjoying her 7th grade year. For years I watched parents of the students and their crazy lifestyle and thought “Why are you so busy?”  Now I know. Between volleyball, soccer, homework, friends, family and Grace Fellowship we meet ourselves coming and going. It has been interesting. He have managed and there is a system in place (kind of) but it is still nuts. The biggest issue is how do we stay parents, keep our marriage, keep our family and our sanity.

Here is what I have learned -
I have to manage my time so it won’t manage me.
I have to manage my schedule so it won’t manage me.
I have to manage my children so they don’t manage me.
I have to manage my life so it won’t manage me.

It ultimately boils down to my vision of my life.  Where do I want to be next year?  Where do I want to be in 5 years?  What is my life all about?

Jesus says in Matthew, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33)

My purpose and goal in life is to seek the Kingdom of God.  When this happens my whole life is put into perspective. It no longer is all about me and what I can get out of life.  It is even not about my kid being the best little league soccer player or football player in the area.  It is about me and my family seeking God and His purpose first and foremost.  So the next time I load up the chairs and head off to the soccer field I will ask myself is this Kingdom driven.  The next time you head off in all kinds of direction ask yourself this question – “Who’s kingdom am I trying to build?”

Too Grounded

Kristie and I have been married for 17 years this last August. It has been a total blast. 0ne of the things about our marriage we often joke about is how many different places we have lived. Let me take you on this short journey. We lived in a small rent house in Ruston, moved to an apartment in Fort Worth, then to the missionary house in Rockwall, to an apartment in Garland, then to another apartment in Garland, then an apartment in Deer Park, to a house, to an apartment in Ruston, to a house in Ruston, to an apartment in Lewisville, to an apartment in Flower Mound, to a house in Nacogdoches, to an apartment in then to a rent house, then to a rent house in Decatur and now we live in a house in Rhome. Did you enjoy that trip? I wish we could say we did but it has been quite interesting. So in the midst of this fun 17 years we have longed for stability and a place to stop. But is that always the best thing?
This morning I was reading in Numbers(9:15-23) where God had blessed His chosen people with a fiery cloud that lead them toward the promise land. It would rest on the tabernacle and when it moved the people moved. They had to be ready at any point in time to take up their household and follow the Lord. The Israelites could be at one location for a day or months. They simply were ready to “go!” They were ready to go wherever and whenever the fiery cloud led them. That was their life. But is it our life!
Too many of us have too deep of roots, whether they are financial holes we have dug, fear of the unknown or family roots deeper than an Oak tree. In the midst of trying to establish roots we limit ourselves to being completely open to go and do exactly what God ask. I know it would be hard for me to take up my tent and go; I have a job, a house payment, two car payments, a two year contract with Dish Network and I have to manage my Fantasy Football Team every week.
Not saying we need to live in tents but maybe we need to work toward having less things strapping us down and more free to go where God wants us to go and do what God wants us to do. Just a thought! Not easy but maybe worth thinking about in the middle of some challenging times.

Life is more than just living

I am a routine guy. I like things to always go the same way. I like to wake up at the same time, do the same thing, and whatever you do please do not jack with my schedule. It just kind of messes everything up. But the downside of this way of living is I just begin to go through the motions. I get done what needs to get done but I that is just about it. You see my life just becomes about survival. It has no purpose or direction. I am just living!
Then I read this week in Acts 20 some words written by Paul. He wrote “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”(Acts 20:24) Here is the challenge that hit me as I read that one verse; what is my life worth. I can accomplish my “to do” list for the day. I can make sure all he bills are paid. I can clean up the kitchen after dinner tonight but unless I am finishing the task given to me by Jesus Christ my life is worthless. It is not about success, it is not about getting the job done-it is about making sure that people all around me see and understand who Jesus Christ is. That is where live becomes more than just living. That is where life and purpose intersect. Life is too short to be worthless. I want my life to be worth more than just a bank account, a house or a car. People are worth it! I want to live a life that is worth living!

Never Good Timing

When is a good time to help people?
If we feel nice we would answer anytime they need help. But honestly, it is never a good time. The majority of the time we are presented with the chance to help others we are busy doing something else. Some times it is just the regular living of life. It is work. It is school. It is lunch break. It is soccer practice.  Whatever it may be we tend to miss the chance.

Monday is the day I usually take off during the week.  This last Monday I had several things on my list to get done.  One of those items was my wife’s car needed the oil changed and tires rotated.  Then I was going to head into the office for a couple of things and then back to the house.  Like normal I was running behind schedule and was in a little bit of a hurry to make up some time.  As I pulled out of my neighborhood I saw a car going the wrong direction on the other side of the road in the grassy median.  As I drove past the car I noticed someone was still in it.  So I pulled off, backed up and got out of my car.  As I ran across Hwy 114 and the grass I realized it was a young person and she was noticeably shaken up.  I opened the door and saw her shaking and tears coming down her face.  The accident had just happened and she was real upset.  She was fine and I really could do very little other than talk with her till someone she had called could get there.  So I did just that.  In 20 minutes I was back on my way later than ever.  But that young lady had calmed down enough to at least talk.

Was me stopping convenient?  Was it part of my schedule?  Did I have that 20 minutes blocked off on my calendar?  No!  But compassion is never convenient.  In Matthew 14 Jesus hears about the murder of his cousin John the Baptist.  Immediately he leaves and heads off to be by himself.  But as soon as he gets to a quiet place the masses surround him again.  In verse 14 is where I find my challenge.  It says, “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”  

There is never a good time for compassion.  It almost always is inconvenient.  It almost always comes at a time when life is too busy.  But the people needed compassion.  The young lady in the car needed compassion. Somebody today in my life and in yours will need compassion.  Will we miss it because it is not a good time? I hope I don’t.

One of those Weeks

Last week was one of those weeks for me. It wasn’t horrible, just long. I had this crazy idea of changing some stage stuff at the church and in my head these ideas were great. The problem began on Monday when everything I tried to change ended with a dead end. There was even some smoke involved. Not a good thing.
As the week went on things slowly began to come together but with about three times the amount of time planned. After about three days and nights of room and stage setup I was exhausted. Not only was I exhausted but I was not a happy camper. It took me so long that I was not able to spend enough time on some things that I needed to. For the most part I was very short and my attitude was pretty bad. I was tired and was pretty mad at myself for biting off more than I could chew. I was short with the family around the house, with people driving bad on the road, people in the grocery store and even the nice young lady refereeing the soccer game I was coaching. Basically, my mood stunk. And the longer the week went the more I was able to blame it on the lack of sleep and all the stupid people around me; until this morning. God had to remind me of the real issue.
This morning I woke up and made my way to the breakfast table. I opened up my Bible and Journal to spend some time with God. My wake up call hit me before I even opened my Bible. In my journal the last entry (which means my last time to spend with God personally) was February 18th. The wheels started turning. Then I began to read in Psalm 32 about sin and how it can suck the life out of you. The issue in my life is this; when I refuse to deal with sin, whether this is things I have done or things I have not done, it impacts my mood. I become moody and every little thing changes it. A good thing can make me smile and laugh and then a bad thing can set me off and I loose it. All of a sudden my situations begin to take me on this roller coaster mood ride. And the scary thing is most of the time I don’t even know it. Last week was a roller coaster. Now time with God may or may not have changed how long it took to complete the stage, but there is no doubt it would not have impacted my attitude the way it did. Time with God is more than just something we are supposed to do. It is a balancer. It keeps us in check. It keeps our life in perspective.  It keeps our eyes on what is important and off of us and all the stuff going on around us. We will still have “one of those weeks” every now and then. Some of us manage to have several of them back to back. Those times are still tough. There is nothing easy about “one of those weeks.” But when we are able to keep it in perspective we can keep our excitement for life in the midst of all the junk going on. I just have to remember that time with God and letting God lead me is the key. It makes those weeks worth it.
*But just to let you know I still will pass on “those weeks” if I had the choice.

ready for life

This morning we were sitting at the breakfast table as a family discussing the reports cards each girl received this week.  Each girl did fine and we were talking about the areas that needed a little more attention during next six weeks.  Parker said she struggled in science because she didn’t like it.  My wife, being the good question asking teacher she is, then followed up with “what don’t you like about science?” Her answer went all over the place and eventually we got to the root – group work!  They do group activities and projects and she doesn’t like them.  I have to admit I never did either.  She said some students didn’t do the job right and she didn’t like that.  

I can remember school when i was younger.  I can remember the struggles of “why do we need this subject?” and “what good will this do me in life?”  And it occurred to me this morning like never before.  School prepares us for life.  Last night I had a dream or it could be categorized as a nightmare.  I dreamed I was back in college and stressing over projects and finals and everything else that came with school.  I hated the deadlines for papers and projects.  I hated the massive test that carried so much weight in the big picture of grades.  I hated the team projects where I depended on someone else doing a good job to get a good grade.  Then it all hit me this morning.  School is dress rehearsal for life.  It gets us ready for what is coming.  Because in life we have deadlines.  In life we have big things that have to be completed.  In life we have to function as a team.  In life we have to depend on others.  I don’t always like it.  I don’t enjoy the stress that comes along with life.  But every step along the way I can see how my past has prepared me for my future.

too busy

What do you do when life just gets too busy?  

The common sense answer is to slow down, but how?  My family and I are not involved in that much stuff outside of our normal life.  We have work, school, soccer and church.  So why are we meeting ourselves coming and going?  Why is our house a docking station for sleep and breakfast?  Why does it look like a complete mess with laundry piles, baskets of clean clothes, dishes in the sink, weeds in the yard, trash needing to be taken out and in the middle of it all a traffic light to tell the next person to walk down the hall. Just kidding on the traffic light even though that would be pretty cool.

We can’t stop.  School work still has to be done.  Homework is brought home.  Projects have to be completed.  Test still have to be taken.  Soccer is an outlet for us all and helps with exercise and to get them outside.  Work for Kristie and I will never change.  She has to grade papers, call parents and make lesson plans.  I have to make phone calls, work on messages, and check things off my “to do list.”  

Is there an answer?  What do we do?

Here is what we try to do – we try to keep the weekend as much family oriented as possible.  We go play soccer, we watch college football together, we go to Walmart, we go to the church, we eat together, we play together, we relax together, we laugh at each other and with each other.  We have fun!  We try to make life as fun as possible.  We don’t always succeed, but a day without laughter is a day without life.  So on Saturdays and Sundays we focus on living; living together.  Because the next day is Monday and it all starts over again.

We all are busy!  Everyone of us have crazy schedules and crazy expectations.  Most of which we cannot control.  But what we can control is usually a few hours here and few hours there.  Spend them with your family and laugh.

It’s yellow – hurry!!!

Yesterday my daughter and I were running late for soccer practice.  I was late leaving the office and then I was late picking her up at school.  Then we had to swing by the house to get water and make one last pit stop. But that was the easy part.  I never fails; when I have no schedule and no place to really go the traffic is perfect.  There are limited cars on the road and it seems like I catch every light on that beautiful shade of green I like to see so much.  But not yesterday!

We were running late because of me and with that came every red light, lots of traffic, and a sign behind every slow car that said “get behind me you idiot.”  For one stretch it took me nearly 15 minutes to go about 2 miles.  In that stretch of road there was three lights and too many cars trying to get through.  Well, as we came to the last light I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, I could see the point where things opened up and we could get back up to the speed limit.  The car in front of me changed lanes and so I sped up and got right behind the car that was in front of him.  My heart started racing and I got extremely excited because we were about to make it.  I could see the light.  I could see the other side.  Then we passed the imaginary line in everybody’s mind that is before every light that says if you pass this line, even if it turns yellow you are good.  We passed that line and I thought we can make it.  It turned yellow but we were pass the line so we were good – BUT NO!  The car in front of me decided to stop.  I freaked!  Are you serious.  Cars beside us went through.  Cars behind them went through.  I sat there frustrated as they sat there talking and laughing like they were on a picnic.

This morning I was reading in Matthew 9:35-38 and it talks about how Jesus had compassion on people because they were lost and needed help.  In that entire passage it speaks about how there are people everywhere and they need Jesus.  But the key verse said this “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them…”

He had compassion on them even when they stopped at the yellow light when they could have gone through it when you are stuck behind them in a hurry because you are late.  Do I truly have compassion?  I know how there are people everywhere in need of Jesus, but until I truly am compassionate for them it won’t matter.

“the touch”

There is power in the touch!  I would not have believed that statement as a kid, but now as a 38 year old I have years of experience and understand it well.  I probably knew it as a little kid too but chose to block it out of my mind because 9 times out of 10 it dealt with me getting in trouble.  The touches I remembered and enjoy the most were at my MiMi and Big Daddy’s house in the morning when MiMi would come in and wake me up early by tapping me on the arm and saying it times to eat honey buns and go fishing.  I also remember studying with a pretty hot girl in college and in the middle of studying we both leaned over and kissed for the first time.  That was powerful and I have been enjoying it for 17 plus years now.  I also remember holding my first daughter which happened to be the first infant I really held.  Blew my mind!  But it was powerful.  I also enjoy the coming home touch from my two girls when they meet me at the door and give me a “miss you hug.”  That touch heals me everyday.

There is power in the touch.  But I don’t live like that outside my world.  I don’t live like that in a way to help others experience that kind of power.  In Matthew 9 there was a lady that believed in that kind of power.  A greater power than the “wake up call, the kiss, the here is your baby, and we miss you” touch.  This lady had been sick for 12 years and just wanted to touch Jesus because she knew his touch could change her life forever.  It did!  

Can you believe that?  She walked up touched him and she was immediately healed.  Crazy! Jesus’ touch changes lives.  But do I believe that is true?  If I truly did it would change the way I live.  Or would it?  I would do everything I could to get people to a place where they can be touched by Jesus.  Not just to a church, but to a place in their lives where Jesus can touch them, change them, and heal them.  My purpose in this life is to help family, friends and people get to a place where Jesus can touch them.  Am I seeing that take place?  What am I doing to help that happen?  Do I believe there is power in the touch?

Arm Pit Hair

One of the worst things in the world for me to do seemed to happen once a year at youth camp.  It never failed at lunch everyday I sat at a table to eat and a nasty sweaty dude would come up and sit right across from me.  You know I can handle sweat.  I can even handle a little smell.  But one thing I cannot stand is a sleeveless shirt and arm pit hair.  There is a reason God put it under the arm and that is because it is not to be seen; especially at meal time. To me that is just nasty!  Most of the time I would just get up, go put my food up and leave. 

In Matthew 9 Jesus ask a tax collector to be one of his special followers.  Tax collectors were not liked people; they lied, cheated and stole from everyone.  So when Jesus asked Matthew to be one of his closest friends that freaked some people out.  Some of the churchy people of that day asked the other friends of Jesus this question, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” (Matthew 9:11-NLT)  Jesus hung out with scum.  He ate with people no one else would.  He ate with people that stunk, had sleeveless shirts and nasty arm pit hair.  

Where are the scum?  Are you eating with them?  Jesus would be!