I Hate Roller Coasters...

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "A roller coaster of emotions."  Well, I hate roller coasters...especially the emotional kind!

I've never enjoyed riding roller coasters, even though friends have managed to talk me onto a few of them in my life.  Maybe it's because I have a fear of heights, or a fear of falling (and the sudden stop at the bottom!)  I've never found any pleasure in the anticipation and anxiety of climbing that first hill, or in the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you stare down the opposite side of that hill.  No sir, roller coasters just aren't my thing.  Turn the physical roller coaster into an emotional one, and it's even more miserable for me, but I have been on one this past week!

When we moved back to the farm, we came to be near Mom and Dad so we could be here to help them keep up these 147 acres.  For a year and a half we have settled in and have enjoyed being back around family and friends.  Then, I got a call that made me stop and reconsider.

I was offered a chance to be back on the air at the network where I worked before we moved back.  It would have been a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the ministry, and would have given us a chance to be around the friends we made there.  Of all the offers I have received over the years, this one really grabbed me and made me wrestle it like it was a Grizzly bear.

I fought it on one side and then the other!  I could see us staying here and being perfectly happy, but I could also see us going back and still being happy.  It wasn't one of those no-brainer decisions -- or was it?  That was the problem.  I could see so many benefits to each side that I almost think I over-analyzed it and made it more difficult than it really should have been.  Yes, we wanted to do God's will, but sometimes His will isn't in the answer that seems to be the most logical.  Well, to make a long story short, I wound up turning down the offer.  On the surface, it seemed to be perfect and we almost felt like we had no other choice, at least for a short while.  In the end, it all came down to answering the question of why we moved here in the first place.  As soon as I cut through the emotion and got to the real heart of the matter, the answer was so clear!  There was also an overwhelming peace!

I don't know what you're going through, but if you're on a roller coaster of emotion and you're struggling to make a decision, let me offer a suggestion.  Get off the roller coaster!  Emotions are good, but they can be so deceptive.  Don't make a decision based on emotion, PRAY!  That's the only way you can know that the answer isn't a "hit or miss" thing.  Of course, a little bit of Godly counsel is a good thing, and it can provide confirmation of your answer.  Just don't try to use it to give the answer, otherwise you'll end up with a bunch of "what ifs" when the emotions start rising once again!  Hang in there, and if you need someone to agree with you in prayer, just send me an email.

A Perfect Gift!

Well, I've recovered from an action-packed weekend!  I love hanging out with family and friends, but there was something that happened on Sunday that capped it off in a royal way!

The weekend actually started last Thursday with Becky's oldest sister, Kathy, coming for an "end of summer break" visit.  I have to say, it's nice to be able to work from home so I can maximize my time with company while they're here.  We had a great time Thursday and Friday, and the fun was kicked into high gear on Saturday when more of her family came to spend the day with us.  We had a great time talking and laughing, and the day just flew by.  They headed home Saturday evening, and we spent a little bit of time relaxing and getting ready for the big day on Sunday!

I've posted about Damon, Maggie and the kids before so I won't go back into detail about our relationship with them.  I'll just say that they are more family than friends, and they were going to dedicate baby number 6, Sidney-Kay, during the Sunday morning church service.  We have been given the honor of being her godparents, so that made our being there even more special!

We got up early Sunday morning and headed to Houston anticipating a good time and a wonderful dedication ceremony...but were we ever surprised at how things turned out!  I've probably seen hundreds of dedications during my lifetime, but I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like this!  It was apparent early in the service that there would be no dedication ceremony!  No bringing the family forward just before the message, no simple prayer spoken over the baby and family, no simple charge to the family and the church to raise the baby in the fear and admonition of Jesus!  Instead, the entire service was given to sharing how God can use the gift of Sidney-Kay's life to share so much of Himself with us!  It was beautiful!

During the message, the Pastor talked to each of the family members and asked them to use one word to describe what SK meant to them.  Each one had a unique perspective of what God was revealing to them through her life.  The Pastor would take that and expound on it before going to the next one.  Before I go any further, I should probably explain just why this is so special.

Sidney-Kay was born on March 4th and was diagnosed with a mild form of Down Syndrome.  Even though it's mild, she has still had her share of physical challenges over the last few months.  Most recently, she was taken in for tests and the doctors found that she had a hole in her heart.  If it didn't heal on its own then they would have to try to patch it through surgery.  So many have been praying and believing that God will heal it so she won't have to go through the surgery, and she is scheduled to have a follow-up test soon to find out how it is progressing.  Your prayers are very much appreciated!  I know He is able to heal and I give Him praise for that!

Needless to say, she is a special baby and is truly a gift from God!  Her dedication service was so awesome and I'm still blown away by how God has used a little baby to bless so many people.

After the service, we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with the family and had a relaxing day!  It ended too soon, and I was so wrapped up in the service and the fellowship that I completely forgot to take any pictures.  Oh, well -- they wouldn't have done it justice.  A picture might be worth a thousand words, but no picture can compare to what God says through friends, family and the gift of a beautiful, perfectly designed baby!

If You Seek Him, Why?

I mentioned in the last post that we have been taking a deep look at what we've been taught in church all of our lives and examining it in the light of God's Word.  We've been shocked more than once by what we've found.

It's sad, but often we're trained to believe that if the Pastor says it, then it must be correct.  They're seminary graduates who spend time studying and they even use Scripture to back up their revelation, so it must be right!  What if it wasn't?  What if the verse or verses were used out of context?  Do we know if the proper meaning was applied, or if was it used incorrectly?  Was it "enhanced" in order to pump up the people and coax an emotional response, instead of allowing God's Word to penetrate the heart and bring about the life change that God desires?  Let me ask you...do you know why you seek God?  Is it for self, or is it for a relationship with Him?

You might be asking what those last 2 questions have to do with a Pastor taking verses out of context and hyping up messages.  Believe it or not, the answer has a direct impact on whether or not you would even care.  If we serve God selfishly, then we might need to have Scriptures taken out of context or "spun" a certain way in order to satisfy our desires.  Let's face it, the lifestyle of some "Christians" today can only be justified by cutting and pasting the Bible to mean what they want it to mean.  If we go to church just to get our blessing, then we probably need that hyped-up jive talk to pump us up so we feel great about ourselves.  Then we can hit that emotional "high" that lets us know that we've really had a good service!  If that's the case then we've missed the whole point!

God wants to bless us, but His primary concern isn't with our emotional bliss, or our monetary abundance!  He wants our soul to prosper and that only comes through a right relationship with Him.  That relationship is not based on what He can do for us.  It's based on our desire to be close to Him.  If you get married based on convenience or other selfish reasons, that marriage won't last long because there is no solid foundation.  If, however, you get married because of the relationship you have with that other person, it will last because that relationship will grow stronger, even through the tough times.  (And let me just say here that marriage is ONLY between a man and a woman.  You can't argue with Romans 1 unless you completely ignore what it says...sorry.)  So now, let me expand on the questions I asked earlier.

Why do you serve God?  Is it because you don't want to go to hell, or is it because you truly love Him?  Why do you seek Him?  Do you seek Him for Who He Is, or for what He can do for you?

I'm going to let you think about those questions and I'm asking you to be honest in your answers.  I'm not asking you to give those answers in the comments, either.  Just take some time and examine your heart and your motives for serving God.  If they are selfish, it's not too late to do something about it.  If they are pure, then stand guard and don't back down.

I look forward to sharing more with you next time.  Until then, be blessed!

A New Beginning!

It's been a long time since I've done any maintenance around here.  As you can see, I've made a few changes and remodelled things a bit.  It's amazing what a new coat of paint and some rearranging can do for the place.  Now, what will I "furnish" it with?
Well, I am looking forward to sharing some of the things that God has been dealing with us about.  Becky and I have been taking some long, hard looks at some things that we have been taught in church and have compared those to what the Bible really says.  Let me just say that it's not easy to change unless that change comes in the light of God's Word.  Even then it doesn't just happen, because you often worry about what others will say.  I'm past that, now!  When it comes to what God's Word says, there is no need for concern.  It is THE source of truth and there's no argument.

Of course, there are the things that happen in our lives on any given day and I'll let you know what's going on there, too.  I also tweet, or twitter, or whatever you want to call it, and those will keep popping up on the Twitter feed on the right side of the blog.

Let me finish pulling some more things together and I'll start posting again later tonight or tomorrow.  Until then...make yourself at home.

Happy Anniversary

On this date, 59 years ago, my parents stood before family, friends, and God and pledged their lives to each other. Life hasn't always been perfect for them (especially some parts where I was involved) but they took their vows literally, and have remained faithful 'til "death do they part."

We wanted to do something special for them, but they have pretty much everything. We thought about taking them out to eat, but they really prefer home-style cooking instead of fancy foods. We knew they love Cracker Barrel, so we decided that was the place to go. The only problem was...there's not a Cracker Barrel in Lufkin and the closest one is about 90 miles away. Ok, that wasn't really a problem because we love Cracker Barrel, too, and we're talking about my parents who are celebrating 59 years of marriage! So we loaded up and made the trek to Tyler, filled up on great food and had a great time laughing and talking about whatever topic popped up. It was a great day together and my only regret is forgetting to take pictures.

I know this is a short post but I just wanted to let you know that the attack on marriage in our world today hasn't had any effect on one particular couple who continue to defy the odds and remain faithful to the vows they made to each other and to God. Way to go, Mom and Dad! Maybe Cracker Barrel will open a restaurant in Lufkin before number 60! If not, I'm sure we'll head back to Tyler next year.

Carving Out Time For...Carving

Boy, time has gone by again! We're almost finished with the first month of 2010 and I honestly don't know where the time has gone! I guess that's a good thing, because I'd rather be doing things that make time seem to fly by instead of sitting around twiddling my thumbs, bored out of my skull.

Speaking of doing things, I've taken up a new hobby that I hope might turn into a way to earn some money at some point. I grew up loving knives. I got my first pocketknife when I was 6 and was completely hooked from then on. Let me just assure you right now that I wasn't allowed to carry it around and use it unsupervised until I was older. It did make me an avid "whittler" and I used my ever-growing collection of knives to carve some pretty mean spears and large toothpicks. Impressive, huh? Well, now I'm learning how to use professional carving knives to turn blocks of wood into things that are a little more interesting to look at than just sharpened sticks. At least, that's the plan. I found a local group of carvers that range in experience from beginners eager to learn to masters who truly know this craft! They have taken me in as part of the group and are so willing to pass along their knowledge.

So far, I have taken a block of wood and carved out a donut. Simple sounding, but a great exercise to learn how to use the knives and how to "read the grain" of the wood.

Believe me, it was harder than it sounds. I've also learned how to sharpen the knife and I can tell you that it's a totally different edge than a standard pocketknife. These are literally razor sharp and will actually polish the wood as they slice through. Needless to say, I'm having a blast learning this new art form, and I'm really enjoying the fellowship as I get to know some wonderful people. Maybe by the time I learn how to carve well enough to sell some things I'll have figured out how to combine the carving with my leather working, which is also going well. I'll fill you in on that next time. In the meantime, please, take a minute and share about your hobbies whether they are ones you have enjoyed for years, or have just picked up to help reduce stress in the new year. And if woodcarving is something you would like to learn, here's a link to search for a local carving club in your area. It's not very expensive to get started, and most carvers I have encountered are eager to pass on their knowledge of this fun, rewarding craft.