Last night I told my wife “If I die, I want you to know that I really love you and every day I try to love you better than the day before. I am sorry for failing miserably.” I don’t know why I felt the need to tell her this. I guess I was feeling sentimental or something; I just thought she needed to know.
This got me thinking. Shouldn’t we feel this way about Jesus too? The more I thought about it the more I realized how much I fail miserably at this as well. The funny thing is if I were to work on my relationship with Jesus more than I do the other would fall into place. Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine Jesus as the apex of a triangle and me and my wife at the bottom two corners. We’ll call this The Relationship Triangle. Normally a relationship triangle is not a good thing but when Jesus is at the top you’re good.
So, if we place Jesus first in our lives we will draw closer to Him. The closer we draw to Him, the closer we will draw to one another. If two people in a relationship are genuinely seeking after the Lord, I believe it can’t be helped but for the two of them to come together eventually.
Well, Christmas came and went. It was kind of like a whirlwind. That seems to be the case since getting married. Spend time here, spend time there, and relax nowhere. I am glad it’s over. I love Christmas but I think I love the days off afterward even more. But, my Christmas was pretty good and I won’t complain too much. I got Guitar Hero III AND two nail guns! So I can be a big kid one minute and a tough guy the next. Rock on!
Last night I went to my church’s 2nd annual Christmas party. There was lots of Italian food, lots of sweets…ummm, cheesecake…sorry, lots of fun with plenty of cheese and then the people. I don’t know how many we had but there was a bunch for our little, growing church. It was great.
I don’t think I will ever forget Buddy singing “I Saw Santa Kissing Santa Claus”. That has to be one of my favorite memories of 2007. I got it all on tape, anyone know how to use youtube?
Anyway, I was really glad we got to do this. I saw people laughing and talking. Relationships were being built and solidified. It really is a special thing to witness. “Church People” as a whole usually don’t take a lot of time to get to know people within their church body. Our church seems so different because we do. We spend between half to a full hour after church loitering in the entryway/lobby area. We end up having to arm our ushers with cattle prods to get everyone out. Last night I was thankful for that too.
At the end, Tony asked the staff to stay and help clean up. I don’t think anyone left. I think almost everyone did something to help. I have never witnessed that in a church. I am fortunate to have witnessed Christ’s love in so many. I am proud to be a part of this unique body of Christ.
What a wonderful day. Today, I got to ride my twisty shredding Honda 919 to work. I missed her. It has probably been a few weeks since I rode; it has felt likes months. I was developing a tick.
I smell like exhaust and probably will all day. Ahhh, the sweet smell of freedom!
Yesterday I did a lot of reflecting on my life as it is so far. I thought about friends and family; how I have treated them, how they have treated me, and what life would be like without them. I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life to shape me. I would not be where I am today without the help and support of many.
There is one person in particular that I thought about yesterday. You see, my parents really shaped my values, morals and beliefs. They were the catalyst in helping me to believe what I believe. But no one has encouraged me quite like a guy named Shane Heise.
I met Shane when I was a freshman in high school. If memory serves, he was about 6 years my senior. He was a youth worker at the church I was going to at the time. I didn’t often go to the youth meetings but when I did Shane always made a point to reach out to me. When I found myself grounded for a year (yeah, ONE YEAR), the only place I was allowed to hang out socially was church. I decided I would give it another chance.
Shane became my mentor. He would drive me home so that I would come to church. I remember going to Mazzio’s and eating pizza while talking about God. I remember talking more and more about God in the car on the way home. I was in a bad place at the time and Shane knew it. Every memory I have of Shane is a fond one. Everything I remember talking about centered on God. I don’t think that is a coincidence.
God put Shane in my life to help encourage me to become a better person, a better Christian and a Godly man. I am so very thankful for Shane and his encouragement. Without it, I don’t know what kind of man I would be.
I believe we all need someone we admire to encourage us. That encouragement can help get you through tough times. I know it did with me. Who encouraged/encourages you?
Filed under: Fantasy Football, Football, Legacy Fellowship | Tags: Adrian Peterson, Texas
This is a ridiculously hard thing for me to say since I am a Longhorn fan so please bear with me. I just have to say it though; Adrian Peterson, I love you. Thank you so much for putting together a little something in the second have last night. You came back with a vengeance and I am now playing for the championship of our church fantasy football league.
Now, that should be the last time I ever thank a Sooner. At least he is from Texas.
Don’t hate!
Filed under: Friends, Games, Leadership, Legacy Fellowship, Ministry, Relationships, Sports | Tags: bowling, disc golf, Main Event
It is always refreshing to get out and have fun with people you know and love. When you serve in ministry together I think it is that much more important. There is a lot of pressure when you serve in ministry. That pressure can seep over into your relationships with those people. You have to get out and do something together to unwind and have fun together.
Last night, the staff of Legacy went bowling at Main Event. We bowled a few rounds/sets/games (whatever) and ate some gre…goo…okay pizza. It was a lot of fun. I think we all had a good time.
What was great was the total lack of pressure and the complete absence of competitiveness. No one was trying to beat up on the other for bragging rights. No one gloated. As a matter of fact, I don’t know if we even kept score. We just had a great time of bonding.
I can’t wait until we get to do something like this again. Maybe we can play disc golf. I’m better at disc golf than I am bowling. Not that it matters; we wouldn’t keep score anyway. It’s just about the bonding.
This story may or may not contain some historical inaccuracies. Creative license was used in the story, especially in paragraph three, in order to keep the story flowing.
Filed under: Conviction Hurts, Leadership, Learning my trade, Ministry, Missed Opportunities, Prayer, Religion, Youth Ministry | Tags: God, James 3, Jesus, the tongue
Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.-James 3:1-2
I don’t know if I like this scripture very much; it’s kind of scary. I know I have been called to be a minister. I also know I sometimes have a hard time controlling my tongue. I have had the opportunity to do just that over the last few days and I have failed miserably. Since then I have kind of just kept my mouth shut.
This past weekend, while the youth, my wife and I were watching the children of the church, I had an opportunity to watch my tongue as well. I failed miserably. When approached with an opportunity to lovingly correct a kid for doing something they shouldn’t have I corrected immediately following the incident. The incident upset me a little and I must have shown it a bit. My wife lovingly corrected me and I had to apologize to the kid. I don’t know if the kid forgave me or not but I really was, and still am sorry. I should have waited a couple of minutes to gather my thoughts and allowed my usually cool head to prevail. (Please note, I was not mean to the kid nor did I punish them. I simply didn’t correct in a loving way.)
My prayer today is for God’s grace in this area. That God will forgive all incidents where I have stumbled by not bridling my tongue. That moving forward, the Holy Spirit would convict me in every situation I find my mouth open. I want to use my tongue as a tool for God to love people through me. I want to edify, speak life, pray and rebuke lovingly and not harshly. I want to share my thankfulness and gratitude. I want to open my mouth and not have to worry about what falls out.
Filed under: Daily Living, Fantasy Football, Food, Football, Friends, Games, Houston Texans, Life Happens, NFL, Random Junk, Relationships | Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Fantasy Football, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Salt Lick, Scene It
The Patriots are the best team I have seen. Ever.
I might just be The Patriots of “Scene It.”
The Houston Texans are starting to look good. Can’t wait till next year.
Ryan Grant and Earnest Graham are the real deal. They are also great fantasy players. They were also on my bench, scoring 22 and 21 points respectively while my starters, Steven Jackson and Adrian Peterson, score 7 and 0 points.
I still hate the Cowboys. Maybe even more so today after that ridiculously lucky touchdown pass Tony Romo threw.
I love The Salt Lick. I’d love it even more if they didn’t have The Cowboys on a giant plasma right in front of me.
I love having people stay with us for the weekend. I love being able to open my home and entertain. That’s why God has blessed us with a home.
I love those same people even more when they get to go home.
I love things in small doses…unless it’s chocolate…or mashed potatoes…or meat.
