Let Loose

On one of my fave blog sites here there was a discussion about what word you would choose to meditate on for Christmas......after pondering this I chose the word(s) "let loose".

I was reading "The Message" translation of the story of the birth of Jesus and in describing the shepherds in Luke 2:20 it says,"The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen."

Those words "let loose" have been rolling around in my head ever since with thoughts such as:

• God let loose his Son on earth
• I should let loose of things that keep my focus off of Jesus
• when was the last time I really let loose in praise and glorifying God
• Jesus let loose of his life and died for me.....the list goes on

Of course - Christmas was a day that i never seemed to get around to meditating on those words. So, being that I am a blatant procrastinator I have decided to start the new year with the words - let loose - as a guide, at least to begin with. There is so much that I have to let loose of that would help me focus more on Jesus......not really a resolution but seems like the right place to start for me.....for now.....

Credit where credit is due?

My wife and I were enjoying the post Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza when I was informed by a very nice young lady behind the counter at a local retail establishment that my credit card had been rejected, refused, not accepted, etc. Ouch....I hate it when that happens.

Of course, as soon as I returned home I called my local banking establishment to find out what was wrong. I was informed that my credit limit for "per day" purchases was $550 and my shopping totals had exceeded that. (Okay, I am sort of embarassed that I would be spending more than that in one day....but it is the holidays after all!) The nice young man on the phone gladly increased my credit limit for daily purchases - problem solved.

Since my wife and I each have a card that draws on the same account, I asked if the new credit limit was "per card" or a "combined total"of our two cards. I was quickly informed that it was "per card". Being the helpful guy that I am, I inquired if I needed to have my wife's credit limit raised as well - I would hate for her to have the same problem I did.

I was then informed that her credit limit per day was $X,XXX dollars!

Now I'm wondering how the bank knew to set her limit at basically infinity and mine at $550? And what does this all mean in relationship to the phrase "one will receive credit where credit is due!?"

Thanksgiving sacrifices

So thank GOD for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
tell the world what he's done--sing it out!
Psalm 107:21-22 (The Message)

I have a love/hate relationship with Thanksgiving. Every year I look forward to Thanksgiving with anticipation and dread. Here’s a little insight as to why.
Stuff I love about Thanksgiving:
· The food - our family describes our meal as Turkey with 9 starches
· Gathering with family and friends
· The occasional football game
· The post meal nap is pretty awesome too!
Stuff that drives me crazy about Thanksgiving:
· Do we stay or do we go (i.e. invite family here or visit them)
· If we go, who do we go to?
· What’s up with that Christmas shopping frenzy – standing in line to be the first into Wal-mart? Seriously…..
· It is THE deadline to have the Christmas lights up.

All that being said I wouldn’t change a thing. Somehow, in all the chaos and craziness, we create some of the best family memories. Regardless of where we are, there is laughter, shared stories, and the warmth and embrace of love generated by time spent together in community. Gatherings, even “forced” gatherings around a holiday, help me step outside of myself and see all that God has blessed me with.

I believe the same is true for our church family.

I recently returned from our Sr. High retreat at Lake Beauty Bible Camp. We had a gathering of 12 students and 8 adult volunteers. Definitely a time of craziness and chaos (would you jump off a 30 foot pole into the air?) that created some awesome memories. It is a very beautiful thing…..to see people, regardless of age and/or circumstance, step outside of themselves to share, listen, pray, worship, laugh, and encourage one another. It’s part of what we were created for and it resonates so strongly when we gather…..that one is lead to thank God for his marvelous love and tell the world what he’s done.

My thanksgiving sacrifices are nothing compared to the one God has made for me. I guess I better start getting those Christmas lights out…..

Help us serve Jesus

Teenagers come to us looking for something to die for... and we give them pizza.- Kenda Dean

Found this on another blog that I cruised by today. Have heard comments recently about how youth group (by the way...I hate that phrase!) seemed to be just games as the year wound down. At the same time I hear comments that we can't have a group gathering without games.

Gotta give them Jesus....I can best serve others by serving then Jesus.....maybe a little at a time, maybe a lot, but whatever portion that is given needs to be the main course.

Lord, help me serve Jesus.

6 y.o.'s have great questions.....

but I don't have very good answers!

"Why do moms and dads get to share a bed?"

Be glad you didn't get to listen in on the conversation as I tried to use this as a "teachable moment" with my 6 y.o. son. Sure glad God works thru and with imperfection because I am an expert at it!

I love kid's questions - so honest and direct. Sometimes I miss being that way and look for ways to recapture it.

*sigh*

Peer pressure?

Peer pressure....in most parent circles considered a bad thing for their kids to be exposed to. Most often I associate peer pressure with one of my kids being tempted and or "seduced" into an inappropriate and/or negative behavior. But tonite I saw the opposite. Peer pressure being used to elicit positive behavior.

While I was driving a group of kids around they were discussing playing "cell phone tag". (I won't go into that phenomenon here.) One of the kids asked if he could join the group - and they said "Yes, if you are going to come to church whenever you are in town!" It was such a cool display of "we want you to participate....please join us!" Nice to see.... And I've probably mis-labled this as peer pressure.....I think it was really more out of wanting to share their love of Jesus with another and a cool way to invite their participation that mixed well with their culture.

Of course, then I began to think of the last time I had a conversation with someone that included - "Hey, you know, you should really come to church with me whenever you're in town!" Convicted by my kids again........*sigh*

And so it begins.....

Well, since I’ve had this “site” since 5/21/05 and have not posted anything, it’s about time to just jump in. The idea of and concept of blogging is such an enigma to me. I’ve been reading other’s blogs for probably about a year now……some are very insightful, many are very “incite”ful, some have challenged me, and quite a few are just hilarious. It is such a cultural thing. Anyway – I hope to use this “medium” to process, respond, think out loud and provide shallow, voyeuristic glimpses of a stay at home dad struggling to live out his faith and trust in Jesus in the context of his ever changing environment and surrounding culture. Welcome!