Soakin' Up Life . . . at a 100 MPH!

Christmas morning is a special time all across our nation.  It's always been a special time for me.  But last night - Christmas Eve - as I was rocking Joshua to sleep a Christmas never became as special as this one. I've celebrated Christmas as a son, brother, grandson, nephew, God-father, uncle, cousin, and husband.  But I've never woke up on  Christmas Day as a father. . .until now. . .no, right now. . .really. . .I just woke up! Last night it really hit me - because of God's miraculous gift that I was holding, I would wake up this morning for the first time and celebrate Christmas as a dad.  All at once a swell of emotion overwhelmed me.  Here was our miracle, lying in my arms.  Innocent.  Dependent. Loving. In his Christmas pajamas.  And I get to share Christmas with him.  I never thought I would get to share this day with him.   Yet, here it is.  All I could do was praise The Lord and thank Him for this opportunit...

It's one of those things that goes around every year on Facebook.  You know. . .the 30 days of thankfulness for Thanksgiving and some even do it for Christmas.  That's cool.  I do read some of them and they do remind me of some things I'm thankful for. Here's something I'm thankful for. . . God loves me! Now before you start nodding in agreement, let me explain how I got to this conclusion. This will be our fist Christmas as parents.  And that's quite a miracle in itself - to read more on this click here .  I was thinking about the incredible opportunity Cindy & I have to share Christmas with Joshua for the first time and the miracle that it is, and the very first thing that popped into my head was " God loves me! " Then I caught myself and realized that yes, God does love me, but not because He thought Cindy & me worthy to be the receptors of a miracle, but because He sent His only Son to be my Redeemer and Savior.  Isn't that why...

This morning I was putting Joshua down for his morning nap.  He was having a hard time getting to sleep so I turned on a CD he got when he was born called Baby's First Hymns: Instrumental Lullabies .  One of the hymns on it is In the Garden . As I was rocking Joshua this hymn started playing and I found myself singing the chorus. The chorus begins, " And He walks with me, and He talks with me."  And, as usual, I started thinking about those words. I wondered to myself if Jesus was actually walking around with me would He be talking or me?  In other words, if He and I were having a cup of coffee or riding around in my truck would I be talking or Jesus?  I know some of you are already laughing and thinking there's no way Mike's listening.  And to be honest, you may be right.  I would hope I would be the listener, but there's no guarantee. What about you?   If Jesus was sitting across the table from you, would you be listening or talking? ...

Hebrews 11:6  - " And without faith it is impossible to please God. . ." One thing I'm learning as I delve deeper into the Scriptures is that I need to stop and camp out sometimes.  Guess that's what I love about Oswald Chambers.  He has the unique gift of unpacking a verse or part of a verse that makes me think and see deeper into God's Word and into God, Himself. Hebrews 11:6 was one of those for me this morning. The depth of this verse is not easily seen.  I mean, on the surface it's about faith. . .right?  But as Josh White reminded me recently, we Christians often have a vocabulary more robust than our understanding.  We through around words like faith.  We use them in sentences.  We quote verses on or about faith.  But do we stop long enough to get it. . .I mean really understand it?  Because if we did it would change our relationship with God and with the world. The faith the author of Hebrews is referring to is the kind ...

This week has been a very busy for me - solving computer problems (which I like to do), working with network guys, getting Family Talk (our church's news letter) out, check requests, lunch with some great guys, meetings, putting stuff up from our Worship on the Lawn service last Sunday, and several various additional tasks.  It took a toll on me. . .mentally and physically. But this week Joshua and I got to go to Home Depot together.  It was his first trip to yard stuff, tools, washers, and flooring.  It was just like he knew what it was all about.  He scanned the shelves, watched as I checked out tools, and we even played around with some tape measures. . .he likes it when they wind back up into the spool!  I discovered that this was a place we could just hang out together. . .for now.  But it energized me to show him tools, wood, and the like.  Yeah, I know he doesn't get it. . .yet!  But one day he will. . .I hope.  Doesn't really matter. ...

Those of you  who have children can probably answer this question for me.   What is it about babies that causes us to change our speech habits?   Before Joshua I thought I spoke pretty well.  Now I find myself talking all crazy-like.  Mostly I'm finding myself adding a "y" at the end of words, if they don't already have one, and saying them twice. For example, when it's  time for Joshua to wake up in the mornings I'll  walk in and say something like, " Joshua, it's time to wakey, wakey! " Or, after he downs an ounce or two of formula I might say, " OK, let's burpy, burpy! " What?!  Where did that come from?!  What's up with that!!!!! I know I have some strange sayings, but it wasn't anything like this before we had Joshua! Parents, did having children change the way you talk?  If so, how?  What did you start saying differently after your children were born? Gotta goey, goey!! (OK, I just made this one up. . .see!) ...

Ok. . .yeah. . .it's another one of those late night/early morning questions that hit me, so I thought I would get your input. If you  were to give someone two books that helped shape your relationship with God, what would they be? Don't include the Bible.  I think that the Bible is the primary resource for shaping our relationship with God and should be our normative guide for daily living.  Every Christ follower ought to have that as their first go-to resource.  I'm thinking more in the line of something that helped you  understand God on a whole new level. They may have helped you see His nature or character from a new perspective and that drew you closer to Him.  It could something that deepened your relationship with Him. They could be books that have inspired, challenged, motivated, or broke you.  They could be books that are from well-known authors or maybe a little-known book that's not on everyone's top-ten list. I know it may be hard t...

Well, Joshua is just over two weeks old now.  And already Cindy and I have  made some observations about him. He looks like Cindy, but has my long and lean body, monkey toes (his big toe looks like a thumb), and big hands. He's a freakishly slow eater.  He's so slow he falls asleep while he's eating - Must have got that one from Cindy, definitely not me. He's impatient - I'll take that one. He loves to sleep and is hard to wake up - Yep, he's his mother's son. He has an incredible temper - Doesn't help that Cindy has German on her side and I have Cherokee Indian and Irish on mine.  This is going to be fun.  God definitely has a sense of humor. He doesn't like change.  Just changing clothes, or even a diaper, sends him into orbit - I know, Cindy, right? He's a snuggler - Takes after both of us. He doesn't like to be bound up.  Likes to be swaddled, but wants his hands and arms free - O Baby, can I can relate. I'm sure there...

Several years ago I wrote about the importance facial hair plays in becoming a student pastor. You can read it here . In short, I stated that I could never be a student pastor because of my inability to grow facial hair, therefore, forfeiting the needed goatee, soul patch, etc. I was rethinking the facial hair thing the other morning. As some of you know, it's the kind of thing that goes through you mind during a 4 am feeding. . .then again, maybe not, and I'm just weird. ANYWAY. . .I was wondering if, now that I have an offspring, would it be more appropriate for me to grow a 'stache, soul patch, or whatever I can? Like, something would be better than nothing kind of thing. Think about it, look at all the pics of "good" fathers we see. They all possess that really cool morning shadow. Right? Me, not so much. Truthfully, not at all. Then I thought, what will I do when the time comes to teach Joshua to shave? I'm not a great example. What am I ...

After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” - Nehemiah 4:14 Today, my eye was drawn to this verse.  It could have been that it's already underlined in my Bible.  It could have been because it's an incredible "locker room speech."  Then, it could also be because of Nehemiah's reminder to the people, and to me, that the LORD is great and awesome.  To tell you the truth, It's probably all the above. Regardless of why I was drawn back to this verse, the more I read it and pondered its parts, the more it just sounded like great advice for men, especially dads. As we get closer to holding Joshua, our son, in our own hands, I am becoming very much aware of my responsibilities as a father and a husband.  For some of you, this has been a reality f...

How do you respond to people who oppose your ideas or plans?   You know what I mean.  How do you respond when the children don't cooperate and you've got a thousand things to get done. . .TODAY!?  What do you do when you've made plans and your spouse throws a monkey wrench in the middle of them. . .whether they're right or not?  What's your natural instinct when you have an idea and your co-workers shoot it down, even though in your heart, you know it's the right idea? How do you respond to people who oppose your ideas or plans? I was thinking about that very question when I read Nehemiah 4 this morning.  As the curtains draw back and we enter the scene we find Nehemiah on a God-Sized, God-Blessed Mission (GSGBM).  He's leading the Israelites in the strategic process of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem.  In verse one we discover the already established opposition working overtime.  Then, in verse seven we see the opposition bega...

I'm reading and teaching through Nehemiah for the umpteenth time. It's one of those books in the Bible that really speaks to me. This week I've been hanging out in chapter 2 . GOD didn't just give Nehemiah an assignment - rebuild the wall and gates around Jerusalem, GOD have him a GOD-Sized, GOD-Blessed Mission (GSGBM).   (You would think I work for the government the way I throw around abbreviations, eh? Yeah, I'm skilled like that.)   Can you imagine being responsible for that assignment? In verses 8 & 18 Nehmiah, " And because the gracious hand of my God was on me , the king granted my requests. " And, " I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. "  " God's gracious hand was on me ". . . This seems to be a theme in Nehemiah's life as he pursued his GSGBM from GOD. I do believe that some Christ-followers have GSGBMs!  I really do.  They're the ones who are feedin...

Most mornings I try to get up pretty early. This allows me time to spend with God - reading His Word, praying, writing, etc. One of the first things I do is get a fire going in the fireplace. Of course, that takes all of 2 seconds with a flip of a switch. Then I sit down with a cup of coffee and begin my time with the Father. Sometime after I get up Dot the Cat comes down to get a bite to eat and sit in front of the fire. For some reason it mesmerizes her. She will sit and stare at the flames for quite a long time. She won't move. She won't be distracted. She'll just sit and stare. Eventually, she'll lay down and get comfortable. Like she's doing right now. I wonder if I couldn't learn something from Dot the Cat about my time with the LORD? I began to think about that this morning. I began to think about the last time I just sat down with God and was mesmerized by Him? When was the last time I just sat in His presence. . .no expectations, no pr...

As I wrote in my last  post, this year I'm accepting and extending the challenge to be relationally closer to God this time last year than I've ever been before.  While I've had seasons in my life when I've really sensed my relationship with God was pretty good, it's not been something that I've been able to keep up over an extended period of time. Don't get me wrong.  It's not like I was running away from God or anything like that.  But, life gets in the way - job, family, bills, circumstances. . .know what I mean?  And when that happens my inclination is to take control - I think I've mentioned several times that I'm a control freak, haven't I?  And when I'm in control, God is not.  And when He's not in control our relationship suffers. Sooooo. . .as I was saying. . .I want to change that this year. Here's a couple of changes I'm making starting today : Write more - writing and posting on my blog really helps me g...

It's the 3 rd day of 2013. Many people have made New Year's resolutions or set some goals for the year. Did you know the most common one is lose weight? As Americans, that should probably be at the top of everyone's list. . .I digress.  You may not be a goal-setter or a resolution-maker.  I tend to be, it helps me focus. This past weekend Keith preached a really good message on Leave-Go-Bless . You can watch it here . Leave-Go-Bless has become the marching orders of Greater Gresham as we move towards becoming a mission training center where people learn to take the gospel across the street, across the city, and across the world. Using Paul's letter to the Philippians ( Phil 3:12-14 ) he made a couple of statements that have really stuck with me: What was the hardest thing for you in 2012? What was the best thing for you in 2012? What if one of my goals 2013 was one year from now I was walking closer to Jesus than I ever had in my life? If we are going to...

Holy Moly!  This has been an amazing week!!!!!  And I'm whooped! It's been an Ahhh-Mazing week for Cindy and me!!!! Wellllll. . .except for the nausea that's crept into the pregnancy. . .not a fan, for sure.  But the excitement of finding out she's pregnant has taken it's toll on me emotionally and physically. At times I'm still a tearful mess.  At other times I'm so elated, I can't wipe the grin off my face!  Then I'm overwhelmed by the fact that WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!! Then there's the rest of life that doesn't stop.  Grocery store.  Work.  Friends.  Ironing.  Lunch prep.  Dinner.  Dishes.  Meetings.  Upgrades.  You know the drill. Put all that with the emotional roller coaster I've been on  since Tuesday morning and I'm ready for the weekend, B-A-B-Y!!! But, it's all good!  Right?!  I mean, for me, it's all worth it to be able to experience the goodness and blessings of an incredible GO...

Miracles happen to other people.  They happen to people who work hard and believe in themselves. . .like the the 1980 US Hockey team that not only upset the Russians, but went on to win the gold medal (Oh, mom & dad, I wasn't really sick, sorry for skipping church). Or those who happen to be in the right place at the right time or make the right decisions and the right time. . .like when a guy like Sully Sullenberger landed a plane-load of passengers on the Hudson River after a flock of geese flew into the plan after take off. Or whatever.  I think you get my drift. Yeah,  miracles happen to other people. Not any more!   Cindy and I have own little miracle!   That's right. . .a 8 1/2 week old baby!!!! You may not think that's much of a miracle.  And under normal circumstances you would be right.  But our story isn't normal.  Here's the skinny. . . I had been diagnosed by two doctors, using two different tests that confirmed that I ...

Whew!  Finally. . .college football is here.  It's probably my favorite sport and favorite time of the year.  And week one is in the books.  Here are a couple of my observations: Week 1 is a throw away week - Big teams overpower little teams.  Yes, I know the money's good and smaller schools like playing the bigger schools because of the money they make.  But, c'mon!!!!  Not only do big schools risk injuring key players, how demoralizing is it when a team scores 84 points on you?! (Seek Oklahoma State v. Savannah State)  And Savannah St didn't score ONE point.  Or Florida State-69 v. Murray State-3.  There were others.  The only redeeming value for a small school team is the hope that it can'/won't get any worse.  They can only go up from here.  How would you like to go back to the locker room knowing their last string is better than your first or second strings?  Given, there's always a chance of an upset. ...

We've been discussing what it means a looks like to be a Disciple-Making Disciple in our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship) - one who not just knows more about GOD, but is personally involved in helping others become followers of Jesus Christ. Last night I asked our ABF the following questions: What's the greatest lesson GOD has taught you this year?  How has that lesson affected your relationship with GOD and with others? What has helped you the most in your spiritual growth (i.e., Bible Study - personal or group, other Christians, Spiritual Disciplines - Prayer, Personal time with GOD, Memorizing Scripture)? What's your greatest struggle right now? What would you do with or say to a new believer to help them in their spiritual journey? At then end of the night we read 2 Timothy 2:2 - You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses.  Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. (NLT...

Have you ever just sat and talked with GOD?  Not to Him, but with Him?  Think about what I'm saying.  I'm not talking about your laundry list of needs and desires.  I'm speaking to the interaction between GOD and you.  I'm referring to the give and take. . .the speaking and listening. . .the honesty of dialogue between GOD and you. That's what I'm doing this morning.  It's just GOD, me, and a cup of coffee and we're hanging out this morning.  Usually, I have my Bible, journal, music, etc.  But not this morning. . .at least not now.  It's just GOD and me.  OK, I do have some music playing - Matt Redman 's 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) .  No pen.  No paper.  No Bible.  No commentaries or devotionals.  Just GOD and me.  Just His heart and mine.  Just talking and listening. Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in style, or words, or phrases, or worrying about whether I am saying it correctly or not, that I ...