Mornings with Chuck and Alistair

So, my morning routine is pretty consistent. Wake between 5:40 and 6:00 and out the door around 6:30-6:45 to head to the office. If I leave any later than 6:45 during the school year it adds an extra 10-15 minutes to the drive due to school traffic. Most mornings I listen to XM channel 170 FamilyTalk. Truth for Life with Alistair Begg is on a 6:30 and Insight for Living with Charles Swindoll is on at 7:00. I'd have to say, along with Walk in the Word with James McDonald, that these are my favorite radio programs. This morning Alistair's message was about the City of God and the City of Man and how Christians tend to try to take things from the City of Man and "Christianize" them with the end game of isolating ourselves from the City of Man (ie don't Jazzercize at the Civic Center when you can "Praisercize" in the Church basement). What we miss in this is an opportunity to be salt in the world. Instead we're just salt staying in the shaker...pretty useless. The other example he gave was about John Lenin when he wrote the song "Help". He was at his lowest and no one was there to help him. Many pious Christians were too busy condemning songs like She Loves Me and I wanna hold your hand to recognize that Lenin was a lost soul just like any other and was calling out for help.
If that wasn't enough to get your juices flowing, Charles Swindoll follows that up with a message on fatherhood. What a challenge!! Arguably one of the best I've heard. It wasn't just the don't do this and repent of that type of message, but one that really challenged father's to be the type of father than God wants us to be. It's hard to explain how the message was presented, but it was one of encouragement. He talked about the difference between quality time and quantity of time. He talked about how much our children look to us and our relationship with God and our wife. He then talked about the emasculation of males on tv and by society and how man are not to be weak, but also how men are to be tender. I think the perfect example for obvious reasons was Jesus. He was caring and tender, yet he was also powerful, bold, and controlled. I've heard that meekness is not weakness, but rather Power under control. As my children grow up and I see more and more, my son wanting to be like his dad, I pray that I can effectively model power under control for him so that he can become the Man of God who is salt and light to the City of God.

Rained Out

Puddles, Puddles everywhere and not a drop to drink! All week long, I get geared up for Thursday night softball. Double headers for the next 8 weeks means lots of fun at the ballpark. Obviously mother nature in SE Texas has something else in mind. Our normal daily rain, bolstered by the outer rain bands from Hurricane Dolly, left the Beaumont fields a muddy mess. No softball this week. Fortunately we get to tack it on to the end of the season. I can't complain too much since I did get to play basketball on Wednesday night. Not my first choice in sports....not even my second, third, or forth choice...but it is a sport and we get to run up and down the court. It beats sitting at home and watching "So you Think You Can Dance" every Wednesday evening. Instead of playing softball I was treated to a wonder meal of Bayou Shrimp that Sam' made and the whole family went for a walk around our neighborhood. We did make it back in time to catch the result show for "So you Think You Can Dance" (see you thought I was joking...) and I listened to the end of the Cubs game on mlb.com. Now it's Friday and I'm contemplating what activity I can do tonight to burn some more calories. Maybe I'll just vacuum out the pool and take a swim afterward. We're paying for the pool so we might as well use it.

Anyway, this has gotten me thinking about exactly what my favorite sports to play are.... here is a stab at ranking them....remember this is playing them...not watching them.

1 Football
2 Volleyball
3 Softball
4 Golf
5 Basketball
6 Ultimate Frisbee
7 Tennis
8 Bowling
9 Soccer
10 Racquet Ball

I didn't include Croquet, Bocce Ball, Sporting Clay Shooting or Ping Pong because I have a hard time really thinking of them as sports. They are more games than sports. Hockey also missed the list, but only because I don't have skates anymore and street hockey just isn't the same.

Perspective

It started as a busy day back at work. The case sealer on the synthetic line had problems last night, PPMS was collecting dust on the shelf, my desk has been a mess for weeks because I've been out of the office or in the plant and haven't spent my lunch hours cleaning it off. The maintenance supervisor doesn't have any updated information for me and the plant engineer is sitting in my office discussing Cost of Goods credits on a $5M project that we are getting ready to roll out. Basically, my day is buzzing by. Other than 20 minutes of Alister Begg on the way into work, I haven't focused on God or anything other than work since I woke up. Then the phone rang and a sweet little voice on the other end says, "It's loose, the fifth one to the right in the back..." I had no idea what Caleb was talking about...then I put two and two together and realized that he was so excited about his first loose tooth that he wanted to call and share the news with me. What a sweet kid. It changed my morning. Instead of focusing solely on sprockets, cylinders, and mistake proofing equipment, my mind went to my family; To a wonderful wife who is battling the stomach flu herself but is willing to do anything for one of the twins who has signs of the same flu bug coming on; To my other daughter who goes out of her way to tell people what she likes about them; and to a little boy who wants to grow up to be just like his dad.

Nothing in my life changed in those moments. My family was there all along, but my perspective was refocused and the stress of the day was lightened just knowing that no matter what I did at work there would be three little smiling faces running to me when I got home and one of them would tell me how much she likes my shoes.

Gap Analysis - Busy Weekend

The run down between Thursday afternoon and today is actually pretty long. My life is definitely not boring. It seems at times to happen at light speed. So fast that I think I could actually pass Chuck Norris running around the world and block him from punching himself in the back of the head (see prior post). As I get busy, I tend to get worn down over time...all the go go go and no slow slow slow eventually leads to uh-oh. I was planning on having a peaceful weekend at home with the kids out of town with Samantha, but plans change and Samantha is now sick on the couch with a 102 fever and the kids are in bed for the evening...but that's the current situation....how exactly we got here is like going back three years just to cover the three days.

Thursday night's softball games were about what one could expect. My issue was that I didn't expect us to drop so many balls or throw so many around to give up free runs....it was pretty pathetic with signs of promise. We'll see as the season goes on...on the bright side, we're only 2 games out of first place.

Friday at VBS we had the normal last day stuff and both Brother Nathan and I got pies in the face. The kids (who weren't to get wet) got soaked in the foam pit. Go figure...it's not rocket surgery...but what did you think the "foam" was made from?

At the same time Sam' had a dermatologist appointment and had two moles removed..from there it has been down hill for her. Her ear hurt due to the mole removed there so she got a head ache from sleeping stiff and now she has been in and out of the flu like fever. It's tough to watch her not feeling well. Rather unwisely we still decided to go to Houston for a friend's birthday party which was a lot of fun. I enjoy see the Iveys when we get a chance. Sam' decided to stay with the kids overnight (original plan was to stay two nights). She was feeling better until she went to bed...it was more down hill from there. She's home now, but still pretty much out of it. I think the kids see it as time to get away with back talking because they didn't behave at all in Houston after I left. They're still young to try to reason with, so it's hard to deal with after the fact.

Today was the normal Sunday routine by myself which meant it was easier and I was on time, but it's still tiring....and with that I think I'll retire so I have the energy to make it through tomorrow.

Monks are Hunks!! Skunks are Punks!!

Tonight is our first softball game and our team is called the "Monks." Not a bad name for a softball team, but it is ironic since we're a Baptist Church team. I'm hoping that we are able to talk on the field, but I guess being the monks gives the players the excuse for not calling the ball. Typical SE Texas summer softball is hot anyway, but the wool robes we are wearing for uniforms don't help in the slightest. Regardless of the uniforms, it 's definitely better than being on a team call the Skunks (our intrachurch rival)

What's up with all the Chuck?

Let me preface this with a big, "I'm not a Chuck Norris fan", but several months ago while exiting a Walmart bathroom I was waiting for my son to finish so I started reading a poster on the wall about Chuck Norris. I found it to be hilarious!! I find it the whole Norris as a tough guy thing funny because Chuck Norris is such a small guy and most of his fight scenes are extremely staged....like why don't all six guys try to hit him at once instead of dancing around him while each one gets taken out. I happened upon Delta Force two nights ago...man those guys had bad aim. Chuck never was hiding behind anything as he dodged bullets and was never touched. Anyway, I digress (so what....it's my blog). Here are some of the types of things that were on the poster:

• When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.


• Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.


• There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.


• Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.


• Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.



• Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.

• Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.


• Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.


• There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.


• When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.


• Chuck Norris is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.


• Chuck Norris’ hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush.


• Chuck Norris can lead a horse to water AND make it drink.


• Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch, HE decides what time it is.


• Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.


• Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost


• Remember the Soviet Union? They decided to quit after watching a DeltaForce marathon on Satellite TV.


• Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.

OK, so some are just plain dumb, but since then I've seen them popping up all over the place. I wonder what Chuck is thinking about all of this? I wonder if he's getting any royalties out of any of the products? I guess it really doesn't matter, I'm sure he's not wanting for anything. My understanding is that he's a pretty devout Christian. I know that can mean a lot of things in today's world....everyone thinks they are Christian which really waters the whole meaning down. Instead of asking someone in America if they are a Christian, the pollsters should ask a more detailed question. Maybe are you walking everyday with the Holy Spirit? or Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that goes beyond just knowing his name? I bet if we boiled it all down, less than 10% of America would be actually Christian and I dare say even less. More people probably thing Chuck Norris is actually a hero than think the Creator of the Universe could actually do all those things on the Chuck Norris poster...but doesn't have to. What a perspective....no wonder our culture is where it is.

Origins of Humor

Day three of VBS is in the books. It's been a busy week with both work and VBS, but I've been able to manage. The tough part is switching from VBS mode in the morning to work mode in the afternoon. I'd much rather be at VBS all day, but then again, who wouldn't. All I have to do is help the kids have a fun time at the Rally, compete in some "physical challenges", then cruise the halls talking with the kids and goofing around with them. It's not quite the same as being in a chicken costume like last year, but it's fun none the less. We had over 60 kids come forward today saying that they gave their life to Jesus. Out of the three boys that I talked to, one didn't understand anything about what he just did which really means that he was just following the group and two had already prayed to accept Christ and were baptized, but still prayed the prayer again. It's tough with kids this age because it is really hard to know whether they "get it" or not. Ultimately, it doesn't matter if I think they do or not. If only one kid were to "get it" then the whole week would be worth it to me.

VBS is a lot of fun for a goof ball like me....like today....I played with beach balls, swam in bubbles, played the cow bell, shot kids with squirt guns, played on the preschool play ground, rode a mechanical surf board, and ate ice cream with a group of three year olds so i could smear the ice cream all over my face like they did. On a more serious note, I got to counsel with Quinton, Trevor, and Gipson, pray for a ton of kids, sing in worship, and make some little kids smile. I love striving to be a man of God, but showing people that being a Man of God or even a deacon, doesn't mean that you have to be stuffy or rigid.

I know God is the author of humor. Just look around. Look at the Duck billed Platipuss, or the giraffe or elephant. He had to be laughing when he made them. I think God also laughs at people....like scientists who think that world evolved from nothing or people with OCD who think they can control things that only God can control. I know He's a loving God or he wouldn't have sent His son in our place, but I think he sees humor in our idiocy as well.

I'll leave with that for now.

Did I mention I like Fantasy Football.....no......well more on that in the future.

Let there be Blog...

"and Paul said, 'Let there be Blog' and there was his blog" and so it begins.

I don't exactly know how I intend to use this blog, but I thought it was a chic thing to do. I mean, anyone who is anyone has a blog. I was beginning to think that I wasn't normal because I didn't dump my opinions, pictures, videos, and the like out into the collective consciousness that is cyberspace. But here in lies the dilemma.

What do you blog about?

A blog is not exactly erasable once it's published. It's like the word "logos." More than just meaning "word" it carries the connotation of words that are alive and once spoken have a life of their own. Not that I would suggest this, but tell a close loved one they are fat, even in jest, and you will understand what I mean about words having a life of their own. Simply put, I can't just rant about anything that I don't want to address head on, because as sure as dogs lick their butts, it will come back to get me. So I guess this will just be about trivial things that I'm thinking or doing, daily happenings, philosophy, blah blah blah...

I'm thinking this could be pretty scary, since it's all coming from my head in free form which can get pretty weird. I'm not exactly where I got my sense of humor, but it lies somewhere between bust a gut improv to wife rolling her eyes idiotic. Anyway...I'll get back to thinking about what is to follow and you get back to doing whatever you were doing on here.