Humor

I am struck by how valuable humor is. I found an Abbott and Costello old time radio podcast and have been laughing like crazy since.....and I simply feel better. As many of you know, my oldest son has struggled with adolescence and that struggle has led to some behavior that has been, to say the least, frustrating. One of the ways Judy (my wife) and I have dealt with the frustration is to laugh about it, to use humor to ease the pain of our disappointment, fear and frustration. When it comes to preaching or teaching a little humor goes a long way to keep attention and communicate hard truths.

Is This Still My Blog?

Wow! I haven't blogged in a long time. As you can see I have the ability to state the obvious. S0 here are some random thoughts.

• Arthritic knees really suck.
• It could be worse.
• God is good.
• Sleep doesn't come when you want it most.
• My wife is awesome.
• I really, really, really, like coffee.
• The book of Malachi is very challenging.
• Politics are frustrating.
• I miss being on campus everyday.
• I just don't read enough.
• I am a big fan of Lost.
• Grace really is amazing.
• I use "really" a lot.

So, this was my step back into the blogging world. I hope I am here a little more often, but you know how I am.

New Year Resolutions Update

I think I promised both of you who read my blog that I would update on my progress concerning my New Year Resolutions. So here goes!

Well, the daily to do list has been incredibly helpful to me in getting tasks done everyday in a timely manner. I have been making my to do list every work day when I am not traveling. I probably need to make the to do lists on work days that I am traveling or out of town, I probably still have tasks that I need to do on those days as well. As far as trying to lose some weight, I have lost 5 lbs. so far. I weighed in at 210 lbs. today.

the new bench press weight lifting routine seems to be going well, I am certainly working harder in the gym. I have faithfully lifted weights 3 times a week since the beginning of the new year without missing once. I even found a place to lift on my recent trip to Huntsville, Alabama.

The prayer guides have helped me to be more disciplined in my prayer life and overall I have seen improvement, but I don't always use the prayer guides and on those days I am not so prayerfully minded. Certainly there is room for improvement in this area.

Wisdom

In my previous post I mentioned that one of my New Year Resolutions is:

To cultivate a more prayerfully minded life by using a daily prayer guide, reading a daily prayer blog and reading a prayer article once a week.

Well along those lines my wife and I have covenanted together to read one chapter of Proverbs a day and pray for wisdom for our children (two teenage boys). So today I read Proverbs 4 here is part of what I read.

Hear, O sons, a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown." Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.
(Pro 4:1-13)

These verses clearly extol the value of wisdom in the life of the young (and old for that matter). Wisdom is a protector, a clear path, a lover, a prize, a key to long and fruitful life. I certainly want these things for my sons and it was easy to pray that they would get, guard, and love wisdom. The real convicting part of those verses for me in my own life is the entire tone of the passage of a father constantly teaching and imparting wisdom to his sons. I also prayed that God would make me the kind of father who intentionally teaches and imparts godly wisdom to his children.

New Year Post

Well, a new year is upon us. This is the obligatory New Year Post with my New Year resolutions or goals or whatever you want to call them. I really only have three New Year resolutions so here they are.

To cultivate a more prayerfully minded life by using a daily prayer guide, reading a daily prayer blog and reading a prayer article once a week.

To accomplish non-relational tasks but necessary (I am still not sure these exist) tasks in a more timely manner by making a daily to do task checklist.

To be more disciplined in caring for my body's health and fitness by losing 3o lbs. and increasing my maximum bench press to 300 lbs.

I am actually pretty excited about these three goals. There's plenty of other things I need and perhaps should do in the coming year, and I hope that I am mindful of other growth areas in my life but these are the big three for 2008. I will try to keep you updated on my progress through out the year.

This month I am using the North American Missions Prayer Gram prayer calendar for my daily guide and I am reading the IBSA Prayer Ministries Blog. I plan to read an article from my wife's copy of Prayer Magazine. On January first my max bench press was 240 lbs. and I started my new bench press and weight lifting routine today. Up till now I was sort of making it up myself, but I did some research and now have a new routine. Oh, I weighed in at (gulp) 215 lbs. So do you have any New Year Resolutions?

What the Heck?

That is what I ask myself when I notice I haven't posted anything here since October! No excuse! So I am sitting at the Panera Bread Company in Cleveland Tennessee with my brother-in-law, Bill, drinking coffee and using the free wifi. I seem to be in this end of the year mode. For me end of the year mode means evaluating the past year and excitement about the coming year and a renewed commitment to the things I need to be much better about doing. Of course posting regularly here in this blog is one of those things I feel I need to do better with.

So my birthday is in 9 days, I turn 41. For the first time in my life I feel kinda old as my birthday approaches. I blame in on teenage children, bad knees, and nose hair.

Service or Serve Us

I usually don't "need" to blog. I like blogging, it is one way to communicate to different groups of people, but I don't have this self expression need that drives me to blog, usually. This is a post I "needed" to write.

I am in Atlanta, GA. at this







One of the speaker this week is Andy Stanley








He was sharing from John 13 about Jesus and a principle of leadership that he displayed.

Joh 13:1-15 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (2) During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, (3) Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, (4) rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. (5) Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (6) He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" (7) Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." (8) Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." (9) Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" (10) Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." (11) For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean." (12) When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? (13) You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. (14) If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. (15) For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

Andy pointed out a good principle of leadership, but something else really spoke to me out of this passage and it has to do with verses 3-5 and 14-15. It says that Jesus knew his own exalted position, "that the Father had given all things into his hands." Yet the next verses tell how the exalted Christ who has all things put in subjection to him, laid aside the symbol of his authority, his garment, and humbled himself and washed the disciples feet. The Creator of the universe stripped off his clothing and wore a towel. The very expression of the Glory of God, pure and holy, dipped his hands into increasingly dirty water and scrubbed the filthy feet of twelve men.
Jesus, who had the praise of angels and the worship of heavenly creatures became a servant. the very light and Lord of heaven condescended (in a good way) to service in order to show the full extent of his love.

I just have to say, that blows my mind. Wow! What a mighty, loving, and unsearchable God!!
Then in verses 14-15 Jesus makes it clear that he is calling his followers to a life of service following his example of service. I am afraid I all to often have an attitude of serve us instead of service. Jesus said no servant is greater than his master. When I want to be served instead of serve others am I saying I am greater than my master, he who said, "the son of man came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.

God forgive me