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Have you ever looked something up on the internet before you purchased it to see what others who own that same thing think about it? Have you ever noticed that the majority of the time there are more negative comments than there are positive? Why is that?
I’d say that there are more negative comments because oftentimes the unhappy people are the ones who make the biggest fuss. Instead of us celebrating something we really like and enjoy, we keep that happiness to ourselves, while those who are unhappy rant and rave and make everyone know they are unhappy.

The point I’m trying to make this week is that maybe we need to start showing joy a lot more than we do. If we’re truly happy with the Christian lives we’re living, why don’t we show that in everything we do? Why can’t others see it in us all the time?

It’s time to start drowning out the negative and expressing our happiness with God and our relationships with Him. If we do that, just maybe others will want to be a part of this life as well.

Determination

This past weekend as I stood on top of my roof I had one thought going through my head, I gotta get this work done so I can get off of here!  That is right, at that point I was determined to get the work done.  What got me there, let me explain.

So at least two months ago I decided that I was tired of paying Time Warner Cable for TV channels.  I was looking for ways to cut some costs and I found alternatives to allow our family to still see some TV shows we enjoyed.  The only thing we were really going to miss was sports.  Then a little over a week ago, after weeks of research, I purchased a TV antenna for my house that would hopefully get us at least the main 4-5 local channels I wanted, which would allow us some football games, etc.

So on Thursday I had a friend come over and we worked on putting the antenna in the attic.  We got everything hooked up just fine, but the results were bad.  We didn’t get much of anything receptionwise, and after a few hours of work we gave up for the night.  I then went and continued researching what to do, and finally resolved that I’d have to put the antenna outside on the roof.  I’d avoided that because I’m not a lover of heights, and I didn’t know what I was doing.  Well, after much research Saturday came along and I had everything I needed to get the job done.  A different friend was there to hand me whatever I needed, but I was going to be the one on the roof doing the job.  I had two choices, either not do it that day, or do it myself.   Well, I was determined to get the work done as I didn’t think we’d get another nice day like that when I had the time, so I took the steps up the ladder and got up on the roof.  Long story short, I now have an antenna up on my roof that is properly wired and securely attached and it’s something I accomplished even though I’m not all that handy overall.

Upon reflecting on this adventure I was able to get a perspective that I didn’t expect at the time but have come to appreciate since.  When we’re determined to do something, we can accomplish our goals even if we didn’t know how to accomplish that goal prior to doing the work.  I was determined to get a clear signal for my house.  I was determined to do it right the first time.  I was also determined not to be rushed to the ER from falling off the roof! 

How often are we as Christians determined to accomplish a goal?  How often are we determined to reach someone for His kingdom?  How often are we determined to do that one thing that we feel He’s asking us to do in order for others to do their part for the kingdom of God?  This weekend I was determined, God gave me the great conditions to work in, and not only did I accomplish my goal, but we also receive a number of other channels I had never even hoped to receive.  You see that my determination to complete the goal not only allowed me to reach the finish line, but I received more than I could have imagined before.  What if we actually completed all the goals that God gave us to achieve?!  Do you think we’d all be even more blessed than we hope?  Do you think the kingdom would be blessed?  Are you willing to be determined for God and achieve His goals?

Joy

I know that I’ve been talking about my kids a lot lately on here, but what can I say?  I really enjoy them and my daily dealings with them give me some ideas for the blog, so here I am writing about them again.

This weekend I really got to experience joy.  I had all three kids in action at their sports.  I got to watch them all play well and do well for their teams.  Abby played soccer Saturday morning in the rain and mud, and although she didn’t score any goals, she braved the elements and ran all over the field, only days after having a cold that she was still trying to get over.  Sunday Andrew’s U9 B division soccer team finished up an undefeated season with him as the starting goalie for the team.  Andrew played very well all season and really has improved throughout the year.  After that game I was able to watch Noah and his 6^th grade football team win their first game of the season.  He couldn’t be stopped by the opposing team and really led the charge for the defense and played very well on offense as well.

Why do I mention this?  Is it just to brag on my children?  (Which I’m very happy to do btw!)  Because of that joy I was able to experience.  As I was looking back at the day that was, I started to reflect about what kind of joy we give God daily.  Does my working hard at my job give Him that kind of joy?  When I spend time with my kids does that give Him joy?  What about when I do well playing a sport, leading a Bible study, praying with others, spending time with my wife, etc.?  The answer – YES! 

How great it must be to experience as much joy as God does, eh?  I only got a glimmer of that joy this weekend, and He has billions of people He gets joy from!  Yet, when I experienced the joy that I did, I had a hint of what it’s like to be Him. 

What have you gotten joy from lately?

Everything I know on parenting, I learned from Bill Cosby

A couple weeks ago we cancelled our cable at home.  We decided that we could live watching shows on Hulu, Netflix, etc. and cut a ton of our costs.  One of the shows that our kids have been watching through each and every episode of every season is The Cosby Show.  I remember when this show was first on and watching it with my parents.  I’ve constantly referenced it since then when I’ve been raising the kids, and so they wanted to watch the episodes. 

Well, almost every episode one of my kids will turn to me and say that I’ve either said or done the same thing that they just watched on TV.  It cracks me up as they are so right…I really did take a lot more away from that show than I ever thought.  I often treat my kids the same way, and I can’t really say that my doing that is bad at all.  The funniest part is that the kids are noticing me doing the same things.

This fact does have me thinking about the other shows that people watch and how much they could be emulating them as well.  Would I be happy if my kids saw me doing things from The Simpsons?  How about Married with Children?  It’s very true that the things that we put into our heads is the same stuff that comes out.  My parenting style has been shaped from my parents, along with stuff I’ve seen on TV from The Cosby Show, Home Improvement, etc.  Yet, most of all it’s been shaped by God through my reading from the Bible and doing many different parenting studies.  I’ve spent time with other people going through the same things that I am going through and have gained from their experiences to figure out how to handle situations. 

Today the thought I want to leave you with is just to examine the things that have influence on your life.  Be it parenting, marriage, money, etc., the information that comes into your life are the same things that will show to others.  We all spend years gathering information and eventually most of that is going to come out one way or another.  I’d like to encourage you to look for positive influences in people, from media, etc.  Those positive influences just might be seen by others some day, and like my family and The Cosby Show, I’m sure you’d rather it be positive than negative.

Goal!

My son Andrew plays on a local travel soccer team. Over the course of two seasons he has become the team’s starting goalie and is thriving in that position. He is becoming very vocal in positioning his teammates and is really learning how to anticipate where a shot will come from, etc. He’s learned how to be aggressive and cut down a shooter's angle to the goal, etc. Yet, he still gives up a goal from time to time and gets frustrated. No matter how hard he works there is always a possibility that the other team will get a good shot off that he just can’t stop. There is also a possibility of a communication break down or lazy teammate who doesn’t do their part, which can result in a goal for the opponent as well.

As I’ve been teaching Andrew about playing goal, one thing we’ve really worked hard on is knowing that he isn’t going to be perfect in goal all the time. There will be times when a ball gets through even in near-perfect circumstances. The hardest part is making sure when this happens he doesn’t become frustrated. He has to accept this possibility and do what he can to keep that from happening, but know in the back of his head that it’s always possible.

This has me thinking about my own Christian walk. What a lesson to learn, eh? No matter how good our defenses are, there is always a possibility that the enemy will get through our defenses. We can stop attempt after attempt, but there is always the possibility that something will go wrong and something bad will happen, even in the best of circumstances. The key is not to get overly frustrated when it happens. We have to figure out how they “scored” and take steps to not allow it to happen again. Just like Andrew, we have to continually practice to make ourselves better. In order for our defenses to be at full strength we always have to be on alert. Sometimes the enemy will come with only one attempt. Other times they’ll take multiple shots. Some times, they’ll even “score”.

Do you work on your “game” every day? Have you learned from the various attempts to “score” on you and worked to get better at keeping those advances away? If you want to continue to thrive in your Christian walk you have to keep working to make your “team” stronger. The more defenders you have in the way, the easier it’s going to be to be great at defending your goal.

10 Years Later

This past Sunday I had the honor of being Elder of the Day at church on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I really wrestled with that responsibility as it is a day of many memories for people and can be difficult for some people to remember. I spent some time reviewing various videos on 9/11 and looking up other sources of online information as well. Yet, after doing that and praying about what to do, I was still at a loss.

Then it hit me! Instead of really focusing on the past, instead it’s time to focus on now and the future. Although the events of 9/11 were tragic and will never be forgotten by many, the real thing that I saw come out of that day was the unity of Americans. For those days, and even the months that followed, people really seemed to look out for one another. We didn’t stress over all the little things that often divided us, but instead most houses had a flag up in one form or another. People often saluted the men and women of our armed forces and safety services as they went by. Most important to me, people were praying to God more than I’d seen in a long time.

In the ten years that have followed the number of flags we’ve seen has diminished. People don’t often publicly appreciate our police officers, firemen, etc. as much as they did back then. Heaven forbid if you prayed in public, unless you were at a church.

If we are truly going to learn lessons from 9/11/01 and the ten years that have followed is that we have to continue to be united. We need to put our trust in God instead of the Government. We need to truly support and appreciate those that keep us safe every day both here at home and across the globe. We need to support the people who are out trying to reach the hard-to-reach people in the world to show them how great a God we truly have.

What have you learned from 9/11 and the years that have followed?

First Encounters

Sorry this is a day late - holiday weekend messed me up!

I remember the first time I went into Sherri’s Coffeehouse. I had been told about the place by a friend who told me I had to get a certain drink. So, eventually I made my way there and went to purchase the drink that I’d been told about. The problem was that the drink wasn’t on the menu. In fact, many of the drinks I’d heard about weren’t on the menu. I’d never been a “coffee house” kinda guy so I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t realize that the menu was only the tip of the iceberg and if you could dream it, they could make just about anything you want there. Instead I was searching for something that I couldn’t find, and I didn’t know what to do. I let other people go ahead of me in line stating that I was still trying to make up my mind. Eventually I got up to the register and asked about the drink I’d heard about and the person working acted like it wasn’t a big deal at all. All the anxiety I had about asking for a drink that I couldn’t find was relieved, and in only a minute I was going to be able to try it for myself. Since that first day I’ve been back many, many more times than I’d like to admit. I’ve sampled many different drinks there, both hot and cold. I’ve taken my wife and kids, friends, and other family members there. I’ve attended meetings, or just hung out.

I mention that first experience at Sherri’s today because I wouldn’t have a love for Sherri’s without first experiencing Sheri’s for myself. I think that same thing can be said for Christianity. You can hear all about it from other people. You can think about going for awhile, and then finally give it a shot. You search for that thing you are looking for and maybe, just maybe you’ll find it easily….or maybe you won’t find it on the menu and won’t know what to do. Yet, when you first encounter Christianity, you may just get what you were looking for all along and eventually find a home.

You see, when we talk to others about God, this is what we’re showing them. We’re giving them a glimmer of what it will be like, but they may not be to find what they are looking for on the menu. We have to remember as we lead others to Christ that they will be a bit anxious with their first encounter. They have a preconceived idea of what it’s going to be like and it may not be what they expected, like when I couldn’t find the drink on the menu. Some people will be able to adapt and search for what they want, as I did with the drink. Others will turn and leave because they aren’t fully prepared for the first encounter. They won’t be able to adapt and instead, they will retreat.

Our goal as Christians should always be to lead others to Christ. It’s His word of mouth marketing campaign. He wants us to give others a first encounter with Him, just as Sheri’s wanted me to come in and try out a drink. God knows that it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea (or in this case maybe coffee) right away. Yet, getting others to give it a shot is what we’re called to do. My prayer this week is that you are doing your part in that marketing campaign. That you are trying to get others to have a first encounter with Christ as well…and preparing them for what they’ll find when they get to His store.