For wives only?

"Wives, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward... rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
I Peter 3:1-4

This passage spoke to me today - it would be so easy to take this passage at face value "for wives only", but since we live in am equal opportunity society and I value my relationship with my wife.....

Image for a moment what our witness would be like if we were so submissive to Christ that our actions spoke enough to point others to Christ, or if we focused on the "hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit". I wish that my actions always displayed that the desire of my heart was to be "very precious in the sight of God".

I think that I like the narrow-minded version better!

sucker punched

Have you ever watched a boxing match where one of the competitors is way overmatched, and you feel sorry for the guy? It's the match where a KO is inevitable, and he should just fall down and get it over with.

Sometimes a church service can be like that, and as I sat through one recently it felt like I was getting sucker punched over and over. The concepts of "die to self", "take up cross daily", and "sacrifice" shouldn't be such foreign terms in my life. "Show me my sin Lord" revealed several areas that He's provided victory in, but also way too many areas where, once again, I've grown lax, and where, once again, I'm struggling. "Lord, please forgive me" provided too many memories of uttering the same phrase for the same sin 6 months ago, a year ago, or two years ago. For some reason, "I mean it this time, Lord" sounds hollow - I'm tired of uttering the same phrases for the same sins over and over.

And then, through the haze of defeat, the cross comes into view, and the softly spoken words: "Lynn, I died for your sin, I fought, and I won these battles, and my victory and my grace are sufficient for your struggles if you'll accept them - you know this, I don't know why you always forget."

"Father, forgive me for forgetting, for my lack of belief, lack of faith, my sin - I want to serve you, to offer you my best - thank you for your patience, love, forgiveness, for who you are."

My heart is chastised, but my load is lighter - He loves me in spite of who I am.

Remember the boxing match? Submission would be much easier....

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23

happy 10th birthday!

Today is Garrett's 10th birthday. We love him!! We are proud of who he is, and who he is becoming. He is an awesome young man, and it's a privilege to be his dad.

football, a treadmill, and an exclusive club

Recently, in a mandatory parent's meeting for Garrett's football team, the director for the local Ruritan football teams made the the statement that "if you don't want you kid involved in prayer then he's on the wrong team."

Gotta say that the statement caught me off guard, although it shouldn't have since the team shirts have Philippians 4:13 on the back.

I was on the treadmill recently, and running on a treadmill is BORING. My mind tends to wonder to odd topics while attempting to not look at the meter every 5 seconds. It's amazing what you think about sometimes.

So I'm running and considering the above-mentioned statement by the Ruritan guy, and I'm thinking "wonder how long it'll be until they're sued over this", and I can hear a parent saying "football isn't church, and we shouldn't subject the kids to the Bible or prayer, they have nothing to do with winning."

I love to win. Win, win, win, win. Give everything that you've got, win. But....

Remember, I'm bored, running, and having a conversation with myself.... Next thought is "what would I say if a parent made these statements to me?" A song that our praise band at church sings, "A Mighty Fortress" by Christy Nockels, popped in my head, it goes like this (I highlight the verse down into the song because that's what I thought of first):

Our God is a consuming fire,
A burning holy Flame, with glory and freedom
Our God is, the only righteous judge,
Ruling over us with kindness and wisdom

We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You

A mighty fortress is our God
A sacred refuge is Your Name
Your Kingdom is unshakable
With You forever we will reign

Our God is jealous for His own
None could comprehend, His love and His mercy
Our God is exalted on His throne
High above the heavens
Forever He’s worthy...

We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You
So we can set our hearts on You
Lord we will set our hearts on You!

We are trying to teach our boys that our, their, God isn't just God on "Sundays", and that He should be the center of their lives in everything all of the time. He is righteous and holy, and He desires that we worship Him continually.

Next thought was that salvation is like membership to an exclusive club, but with open enrollment. Anyone has access, but you must accept the gift that Christ offered on the cross to gain entrance.

I'm thankful that Garrett's coaches take a minute to "live" their Christianity in front of a group of impressionable kids. Sometimes "winning" is about much more than the scoreboard.

"For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Deuteronomy 4:24

salvation

Grayson accepted Christ as his Savior tonight! I've been praying for this since before he was born, and am so grateful that my Heavenly Father brought him into His kingdom.

I'm amazed that a 6-year-old can understand Christ. And I don't mean understand a little, I mean that they get the message of the Gospel. We've seen so many of our Sunday School kids accept Him, and I know that it's not us, it's Him.

I've taught K-5, 1st, or 2nd grade Sunday School for 4 years now, and every week I share with the kids that God loves them, and that Jesus died on a cross for us. I never push the kids. I don't want a child to make a decision that they don't understand, and might forget. It's the Holy Spirit's job to bring them to a realization that they need Jesus. It's awesome to see a child pondering Christ, what His sacrifice means, and then hear from their parents that they've lead their child to Christ.

We've done the same for Grayson. We've not pushed, but when he started asking questions a few months ago we attempted to give him clear answers, and his questions have become more specific recently. The Holy Spirit has been working, and Grayson's been thinking about this, trying to piece it together in his mind.

Tonight on the way home from church he told us that he knew about Jesus in his head, but that he didn't know him in his heart, and that he wanted to know Jesus in his heart (and yes, he said that. We've never said that to him - but he knew it). I took his little New Testament and showed him in Romans, in simple terms, what it means to accept Christ. A forever gift. A cross, a grave, and THE resurrection. A Savior, and then a Father. Jesus.

The angels are havin' a party!!

Daddy is crazy happy!

My son is now my brother, and we share a Father.

"that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

a new "investment"

Lisa & I did something a couple of weeks ago that we rarely do - we bought a big ticket item that wasn't a "need" (I define a vehicle or a house as a "need"). Rather than calling our new purchase a "toy", we've opted to call it an "investment" - primarily because that's where the money should have gone!

It's currently in the shop getting a new engine. Yup, we bought a boat that doesn't run. Yes, we knew that it was torn up when we bought it. It seems that the prior owner failed to winterize the the boat last fall, and, in the process, cracked the block and blew the manifolds. The mistake cost the prior owner several thousand dollars at the time of sale, and is now costing me several thousand to get fixed.

Yup, we're crazy, and I must admit that I've asked myself several times why we bought a boat that was torn up, but the answer is always that it was the exact boat that we wanted. We are looking forward to many summers on the water with the boys! We also can't wait to get the boat back......eventually.....

The boat is, in a way, an investment in our boys, our family. That it happens to be something that we'll enjoy for many years is a bonus! (although I might feel differently after we find out exactly how much this little "investment" is going to cost us..... lol - or not? Ha!)

Garrett's 1st time water skiing

Garrett got up on skis a couple of days ago! He's tried a couple of times, and it was awesome to watch him figure out how to get up & stay up!

I was probably more pumped than he was, but it was really cool. A special thanks goes out to Matt & Lyndy, our friends who constantly invite us to share their boat & dock - Lyndy spent a couple of hours in the water teaching Garrett to ski while Matt was pulling him.

We've been looking for a boat for a couple of months, and I'm guessing that at some point in the near future I'll own one. As Lyndy said - "I think that we just bought Lynn a boat."

A boat - way too much $$. Memories - priceless!

thoughts on parenting young kids

Every once in awhile as a parent you wake up and realize that what you're doing as a parent isn't working. We seem to have these moments every 3 or 4 months, then we have to figure out where we got off course.

I believe that parenting should be deliberate. Just as God had a plan during creation, we must have a plan for our families if we are to succeed. I'm writing this primarily for my benefit to serve as a reminder. It's taken several weeks to compile all of this, and there's several areas where I'm not doing as good of a job as I should.

Following are a few of the principles that Lisa & I are attempting to implement in our home.....

First, and most important, is the principle that we are here for more than to just "live" or "get by" - we are here for the express purpose of serving Christ. This is the foundation that we are trying to instill in our boys every day. "Stuff" is nice, but "stuff" eventually fades. Only one thing brings eternal reward - service to Him. It is paramount that my boys see Christ modeled in our home.

Next, decide while your children are young that you are the parent, and they are the kids. You are the boss, and your job is to train your kids. You can't do that if they are running the house! You have tough decisions to make and implement, and the earlier that your establish your authority the more effective you will be. If you never assume your parental role you will never have your child's respect, and you will not have a peaceful home.

Third, get on the same page concerning your parenting techniques and goals! Support each other, and know what the other parent is doing, thinking. It is imperative that you show a united, consistent front to your kids. He finds security in your unity - even if he's upset about a decision for a moment, the security that you provide will impact him for his entire life.

Dad, take the lead! You are given the responsibility to lead your family. This means that you must lead in both the good and bad times, through the easy and the difficult. Be your kid's biggest cheerleader. Take the lead in instruction and correction. Take the lead by becoming a servant-leader - you have a tremendous opportunity to teach your child by example! Don't sit on the sidelines - get in the game!

Next, figure out what makes your child tick. How does your child know that you love him? What do you do that makes your child feel loved? Be careful - this isn't what you think makes your child know they are loved - it's what your child recognizes that you do that makes him feel loved. This principle has changed our family's dynamics. As I mentioned earlier, parents are required to make tough decisions, and if your child doesn't know that they are loved they aren't going to be able to positively respond to your instruction or correction. I recommend The Five Love Languages for Children by Gary Chapman. Fill your child up with love, and they will be able to respond to your instruction. Become a student of what makes your child tick.

Big G recognizes that he is loved by words of encouragement - Lisa & I had to recognize that verbal criticism, even sometimes what we intended to be instruction, was tearing him apart. He needs to hear us affirm him, and know that we support him. He doesn't need inflated or false praise which he recognizes as fake, but he does need to know through our words that we love him.

Little G's love language is physical touch. He needs frequent hugs, frequent pats on the shoulder or head, needs me to pick him up and wrestle with him. Lisa and I had a difficult lesson to learn with Grayson in that he interpreted a pop on the hand or bottom as "mom and dad don't love me". We learned that he primarily needs positive reinforcement with lots of lovin' for his instruction and correction. More on this at the end.....

The preceding 5 items are so critical that I'll make the following statement: if your child has persistent behavioral, emotional, or obedience issues you need to examine the first 5 items as they relate to your family. I am convinced that many of the issues (but not all) that kids have stem from a lack of implementation of our God-given parental role in our families.

My job is not to make sure that my boys are happy. It's just not. I have made, and continue to make, decisions that my boys don't necessarily like. Don't mistake this for not desiring that my boys be happy - it's just not my job to provide everything and do everything to make sure that they think that they are happy. We've made a conscience decision to not go buy our kids the latest or greatest of just about anything. All of their desires and wants are not met. If I give them everything that they want as soon as they want it, how will they learn self-constraint from a culture that is driven by instant gratification? They must be prepared for the reality that their status in life will not start out at the same level as that of their parents.

My next thought coincides with the last: I must teach, by example, self control. Emotions are tough to control, and this lesson is best taught to young children. We systematically taught Big G, and are now teaching Little G, self control. When they're small, it's easy - when they pitch a fit, instruct them to go to their room, sit in a chair and fold their hands quietly until they have control of themselves. Verbally let them know that you love them, but that the loss of self control isn't acceptable. As our boys have gotten older, we now take away favorite things and privileges when necessary. This is a difficult lesson to teach because it is a difficult lesson to learn - I fail regularly. They must, however, learn this lesson, or life will be difficult. The longer that you wait to start this instruction, the more difficult it will be.

Teach them that every action has a reaction, and that their actions, both positive and negative, have consequences. We don't regularly reward good behavior, although we do frequently try to verbally point out and affirm it. We attempt to base the boy's privileges on the level of responsibility that they are displaying, and good behavior and honesty earns trust - and we verbally affirm this. We do attempt to always present the consequences of bad behavior as a choice that our child made. That way, I'm not the bad guy, and they learn that they can control many consequences simply by making the right decisions.

Make the consequences match the action. Don't over-react to bad behavior, don't set unrealistic behavior goals, and don't loose it when your child makes a mistake. Don't take away everything they own for a minor infraction. They're human just like you.

Make your home a refuge. Your child needs a place where they are loved no matter what. They need a place where they can experience success and failure, and learn from both. It's hard to watch your kid set himself up for failure, but it's a necessary part of learning. Failure breeds success, and they need the opportunity to learn to not give up. You can't do everything for them - you're hurting them if you do.

Be patient and kind. Your child needs a voice of reason during their storms. They need you to remain level-headed and calm in strife and difficult situations, and if you can maintain your composure, they will learn to do the same. This is easy to say, but difficult to implement....

On to discipline.... We have several people in our lives who imply every time that we see them that we don't spank our boys enough. They will never read this, but I'm going to address it. Honestly, spanking is the last resort in our home, used only after multiple options have failed. Spanking means a couple of firmly-placed swats to the seat of instruction, and should never be done in anger. I know a whole lot about growing up in an environment where spanking was the first and usually only option, and it's not a pleasant experience. A child's behavior sometimes mandates spanking, and you as their parent recognize these situations. I encourage you to be cautious, especially if your child's love language is physical touch.

Be ready to change. My role as a dad is changing for my oldest son - I already find myself acting as an advisor to him in certain situations. He's growing up, and he must possess the ability to make decisions. I'm still his dad, and I'm still responsible for him, but the capacity in which I serve is starting to change.

Know when to ask for help, and be open to listen to advice. You don't have the answer for everything. It's important to have people in your life who will allow you can say "I don't know what to do, can you help?" And there are children who need more help than you can give. If your child has displayed long-term emotional or behavioral issues, or an inability to control himself - and you've adapted your parenting techniques, you're unified in your approach, you've been consistent, you're speaking your child's love language, and you've exhausted your resources - you may need to consider seeking professional help for you child. I want to reiterate that some kids truly need help, and you know in your heart if your kid falls into this category. If this is your child, your family, and you've done everything you know to do - seek assistance. You can alter your child's life, and give your family peace.

Finally, be a "big picture" parent. A big picture parent realizes that the end goal is more important than the child's current behavior. Big picture parenting realizes that your child will leave your home one day, and it's your responsibility to raise a mature, productive member of society and servant of Christ. Focus on the big picture!

I could write much more, but since this post is already much more than a "post", I'll stop. Parenting is sometimes hard, but I want to encourage you to hang in there. Make the tough decisions because you love your kids, and because you're handicapping them if you don't. Follow through, be consistent, HAVE FUN, show them that they are loved in the way that they recognize it. Pray, pray, pray...

a bike for Christmas

How do you teach your children the meaning of giving? We've struggled with how to help our kids understand that there's more to life than "getting", and that the latest, greatest, newest "toy" isn't free. We've asked them to contribute small monetary amounts for different family projects, or maybe they have to go with us while we put in extra time at church or the occasional community service, but how do we show them what a gift or time can mean to someone in need?

This story is about my oldest son, Garrett, and a choice that he made this past Christmas.

We knew that we were going to buy both he and his brother a bike for Christmas. Garrett had beat his bike to pieces, and Grayson outgrew his months earlier.

We pick a "family" cause to give to every Christmas. Usually that consists of us giving an anonymous gift to someone, and the boys are usually asked to pitch in a little bit of their own money.

Garrett's 9 years old, and we felt that it was time for him to understand that there are children in our own area who don't have a ton of presents under the tree, and that there's more to Christmas than "getting".

We bought most of the boy's presents (way more than we should have!), and determined who we would give to this year, but we were really struggling with how to show Garrett what Christmas is really about. We decided to give him an option for his biggest Christmas present - we told him that both he and Grayson would be receiving a bike, but that we wanted him to consider deferring his bike until spring so that we could give a larger "family" gift to someone who needed it. I told him that his mom & I were not going to buy gifts for each other this Christmas - finances have been tighter at our house too.

We let him know that it was his choice - and that we would love and support him no matter what his decision was. We also let him know that regardless of his choice, his younger brother (age 5) would receive a bike on Christmas morning.

Some might think that we were unfair to Garrett. Honestly, he really struggled with the decision. It took him 3 days to decide that he wanted his bike for Christmas. I told him that I understood, and that he would receive a bike on Christmas morning.

He was miserable. Really miserable.

About 2 hours later he came back and said that he had changed his mind. He wasn't very sure about changing his mind, and I told him to wait until the next morning and we would decide what he wanted to do.

The next morning he knew what he wanted to do, and had no hesitation. A few days later I swore him to secrecy on who the gift was for and we went to purchase the gift cards. I watched him walk up to the person (who hopefully didn't know who he was), hand them a card and say "Merry Christmas", and then walk away.

I could tell by the look on his face that he understood what Christmas, what giving, is really about. He got it.

We learned a couple of days later that the need was greater than we realized, and I hope that we were a blessing to someone in need.

It was hard not to go ahead and buy him an awesome bike for Christmas - I wanted to find the best bike around for him, but felt that doing so would have devalued the lesson that he learned.

It's April now, and we just bought the bike. He wanted an orange Mongoose mountain bike (wonder if Tennessee orange is starting to run through his veins?). I would have bought him any bike he wanted. We spent an entire Saturday looking for that bike. I would have spent 2 Saturdays, whatever it took, to find that bike.

I am so proud of my son. He made a difficult choice and learned a valuable lesson. I still choke up (read "get teary eyed" - ha!) when I think about how hard it was for him to choose to defer his biggest Christmas present.

But he got it.

A Gift from 1890

I was recently given a Bible that belonged to my great-great grandfather, given to him by his father. In the front cover is written:

"A present made to Elias I. Kennedy, April the 8, AD 1890, by his father, Jas (James) L. Kennedy, with a hope that he will read and obey the teaching of this Holy Bible, for in it we may learn the way of Life."

It's probably a "church" Bible, but you can tell that it was used. The cover is worn, and the binding edges are torn. I'm sure that some of it is due to it's age, but it's been in storage for years, and is in good condition.

I think that it's pretty cool.

I have a tendency to look forward most of the time. I've kept a journal (albeit occasionally) for several years specifically for the purpose of giving my boys something to look back at some point in the undetermined future. It has some things about my life, challenges, and successes; but it mainly has stuff about our family's life, and what I'm learning everyday. It's written in the present tense to both of the boys, and someday when they read it I hope that they'll feel that I'm right there with them.

I also have a stack of Bibles, a couple of which are well-worn. My current Bible is starting to fall apart, but I can't talk myself into getting a new one. I decided a couple of years ago that I was going to mark it up with the passages, sermons, and lessons that I've learned, and it's special to me.

The book of Judges teaches us that we are all leaving a legacy. Let's witness three generation of Israelites....

The first generation followed one of the greatest leaders in world history. They witnessed as Moses called down the 10 plagues against the Egyptians, walked across the Rea Sea on dry ground. They saw God provide water and manna, quail and sustenance. And then as the 1st generation passed away, the 2nd generation was lead by mighty Joshua - they saw the power of God as they conquered Jericho and then the land of Canaan. After Joshua's death, "another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done in Israel," and "then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of he Lord..."

One generation!!

We are charged to continually be writing into our kid's lives. This is an everyday process, and they are watching every move that we make. For the most part, we parents instill our child's beliefs and values, and our actions speak much louder than our words.

Back to my Bible - I hope that someday, again at an undetermined time, one of my boys will be able to carefully open it up and be blessed. I hope that they see a man whose life was blessed and full - but also a man who was constantly growing.

I hope they think it's cool.

But more than that, I hope that they have a relationship with the God who is the center of my Bible.

Psalms 78:4 "We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done."

everyone needs a grandma....

I went to visit my grandma today. Since we moved to Tennessee a few years ago I don't have the opportunity to see her very often, but when we visit Arkansas, I try to see her every day.

I love my grandma. She was the person in my life who allowed me to be me when I was growing up - no questions, no expectations. Just love. It seems like she was often a little cross with most of my cousins, but I never really remember her ever being that way with me, although I'm sure that she was occasionally.

The dogwoods are blooming here, and I'm reminded that spring was special because every year she and I would spend a Saturday in April driving to the Missouri line looking at dogwood trees. When I was 11 or 12 she let me drive the entire trip - every boy's dream. I don't know what she was thinking...

In March she and my grandpa celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary. An amazing achievement in today's world.

She didn't know who I was today. It's been this way for several years now, and you would think that I would get used to it, but I haven't. She now lives in the distant past, the 1920's, 30's, & 40's, and asks for her daddy. Parkinson's has taken her mind and body, and moments of mental clarity are rare.

Now that I'm a parent I understand that grandparents provide a balance of wisdom and patience that parents usually aren't able to demonstrate. They've been there, done that, and realize that many of the things that we parents believe are so important probably really aren't.

I think that my grandma tried to counter my strict childhood home. I don't think that my parents ever realized that she tried to do so. I'm really grateful that she took the time to be involved in her grandson's life.

On one of my visits last fall was having a good day. I could tell by the look on her face that she recognized my voice when I said hi, and I tried to talk to her a little bit before she slipped back into the past.

I'm concerned about the fact that my kids don't have a grandma close by to balance out our parenting, to provide guidance and love. They don't get the opportunity to spend the night at grandma's, or go fishing with grandpa. I wonder what experiences my kids are missing out on, how their grandparents could be impacting their lives if distance and circumstances were a little different.

It's too late to tell her this, but... thanks, grandma.

"my path has changed"

"Thank you Father for Your forgiveness, mercy, and love. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and my path has changed."

~author unknown

It's amazing how two sentences can so capture the essence of what Christ does in the heart of the believer.

"my path has changed."

No explanation given or needed. Just a simple statement. A declaration of faith, and it's evident results.

I don't know who wrote this simple statement, other than they are a member of my church. As I read it tonight, I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, shout, jump, or run laps around the little room that I was in, so I did a little bit of everything.

Not bad for a life-long stoic Baptist, huh?

Each week as I go into my church's prayer room I expect to meet God. It is a quiet place, a refuge, an anticipated place of peace in my busy life. In the stillness of that moment I find my Savior, the one who cares about each detail, each burden, and each moment of joy that is shared there. I leave there blessed, renewed, burdened, and convicted. I almost always leave knowing that I have reached the throne room of God.

"Thank you Father for Your forgiveness, mercy, and love. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and my path has changed."

Enough said.

I don't wanna be superdad....

Do you ever see the "perfect" family - they live in the perfect house, drive the perfect cars, have perfect kids, perfect clothes, perfect hair, perfect lives.

They drive me nuts! We can't seem to pull that off, no matter how hard we try!

I grew up in a "southern" home, and as any good southerner knows, a southern home must be perfect. The house be perfect, the kids must be perfect, everything has to be perfect.

Honestly, my personality pushes me to be the superdad with the perfect family. It's who I am. Reality, though, has taught me that being a superdad is both exhausting and impossible, and that the "perfect" family probably isn't so perfect after all.

My kids will occasionally lie, fight, say a bad word, yell, scream, disobey, and be disrespectful. They're not perfect. Our house isn't perfect, our cars have dents, and our life is sometimes screwed up.

I'm not superdad.

As a dad, I want to hear my kids laugh, know when they cry, and recognize when they need help. I want to provide for their needs and some of their wants. I desire that my home be a refuge, a place where they have the freedom to experience success and also failure, and reap the consequences of both. I want to teach them to be responsible for their actions, because someday soon they will bear full responsibility for them. I desire that my home be a place of laughter, a place where my boys want to be. I want to provide leadership that is consistent, loving, and patient. More than all of the above, I want our home to show my boys Christ.

Sometimes, all of the above describes our home. Sometimes, though, none of the above describes our home. Many times my wife displays all of the above, and I display none. I'm not superdad....

As I age (read - get old! Ha!) my priorities are changing. I'm learning that I don't have to be superdad. I'm learning that my years with my boys are much shorter than I realized, and that I don't have very long to impart my values, my beliefs, my God.

I'm learning that I just want to be "dad".

a King and a Servant

Can you image the queen of England scrubbing toilets? Or the President of the United States mucking out horse stalls? How about Donald Trump scrubbing his penthouse floors?

Servanthood isn't something that most of us aspire to. As kids, we didn't dream about performing menial tasks our entire life. We dreamed about being kings, queens, princesses, rich, famous....

Most of us aren't content with our status in life - we love our job, hate our job; love our house, hate our house; love our spouse - ha! just seeing if you are paying attention. But you get the idea. We always want more, bigger, better - myself included.

I read a story recently about a servant whose goal was to clean feet. Feet!

I hate feet. I can't describe how much I hate feet. Ask my wife, or especially my boys. Feet are disgusting - do not touch me with your feet!

Back to our dreams of how life should be... Sometimes during an especially difficult day, I tell the Lord that He must have gotten my life mixed up with someone else's, that there has to be more. He has reminded me on several occasions that I'm right - there is more, but I'm not listening, not following the playbook.

Alrighty, then! Show me the money! I'm moving on up to the east side!

Then, as only He can, He reminds me that my "more" may not His "more". You see, that "servant" was a King - Jesus - washing His disciples feet. So I ask, can you picture a King with a towel wrapped around His waist and a bowl of water in front of Him, washing feet?

I can't image myself washing feet. Yes, I serve, and most of you do too, but I serve on my terms, according to my plans, usually within my comfort zones.

Jesus very simply wants us to serve others - on His terms, according to His plans, and within His comfort zones.

John 13:1-17; Philippians 2:3

through His eyes....

My little man, Grayson, has been struggling in school recently with his perception of how he's progressing. No - he didn't describe it this way, but this is my interpretation of what was going on in his head. He was acting as though everyone was "against" him, when in truth, he has devoted parents and 2 wonderful teachers. And when I say struggling, I mean that he was being a little monster towards his teachers and classmates, which is always a wonderful thing to hear. lol.

After much prayer, and several conversations with Grayson's teachers, Lisa & I realized that we had to change his perception of school. I'll finish this thought a little later....

We have an ongoing joke around our home - that I'm OCD, and Lisa's a hoarder. Garrett's like his mom, and Grayson's like me. Fortunately, we seem to balance each other out, and have a peaceful home.

If you've ever dealt with a compulsive disorder such as OCD or hoarding, or struggled with anxiety, depression, or a host of related issues, one of the things that you were probably told is that you had to change your perspective, how you "see" things vs. how things really are.

Christians are challenged to match their life's perspective to His perspective - to obtain a Biblical worldview. We are commanded to filter everything through His eyes, and to continually become more like Him.

Back to Grayson.... I constantly remind myself to see things through his 5-year-old eyes. It's hard to be in "parent" mode and do so. I'm constantly reminded that to reach him, to change his perspective, I must get down on his level.

I do mean to physically get down on my knees and see the world through his eyes, and to listen to what he is saying about his world. Only when I understand his world can I help him change his perception to match reality.

I picture my Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom and patience, doing the same for me. You see, my perspective is marred by the world's viewpoints, by my hurts and frustrations. My thoughts are not His thoughts - but they should be. He is reaching out through His Word and through the Holy Spirit into our lives - He knows our perspective, but He desires that we know His.

By the way, my little man is doing much better....

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways..." Isaiah 55:8