Friday, October 26, 2012

What Not To Do!

I am so impressed by people who are good with their hands. You know, these people can fix their car, finish their basement, build furniture, fix appliances, etc. Unfortunately not all of us are gifted in the same way.

We moved into our home in June. By the end of September, I noticed that some of the branches of our tree were touching the side of our house and the roof. We can't have that! I jumped into action, got the ladder out of the garage, the handsaw to cut the branches, and then this...

You might notice the knuckle of one finger is bigger than the rest. As I was sawing, I didn't see a branch behind the one I was cutting and basically punched the tree (All of the "handy people" can stop laughing now).

If you need someone to send out a Birthday Blessing at 7:20 I can do it. If you want to book an interview for an event at your church, I can do that too. If you want me to help you out with home repairs...keep your first aid kit close by.

Friday, October 12, 2012

It's amazing how little you know after a lifetime of learning

Two verses have been stuck in my head lately: Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." and... Matthew 18:3 "And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." The verse in Matthew has always intrigued me. We are supposed to become like little children? We have a little guy running around our house who will be two in December.
He is a child that is learning everything. He is learning how to eat, talk, run, play, share, pray, behave, and I could go on forever. Childhood is for learning so we can become the adults God wants us to be. So why, after a lifetime of learning, are we supposed to change and become like a child again? That's when I took the advice of Psalm 119 and started to meditate on Matthew 18:3. It sounds like a deep, theological study session. But in fact, I have just been thinking a lot. For what it's worth, here is what I came up with: 1) Children are not afraid to ask for what they need/want. Yeah, that's right, I said want. Keep in mind, they don't always get what they want, because sometimes as parents we know that something better is in store for them. 2) Children cry. They will cry passionately for a few seconds, get all of their sadness and frustrations out of the way, and move on quickly. They don't get bitter and bury their feelings deep inside. 3) When in need, children always look to mom and dad for help. When they're hungry, thirsty, hurt, confused, uncomfortable, they turn to mom and dad first. Does that describe your relationship with God? Do you always ask for what you need/want? More importantly, do you accept his decision? Do you share how you're feeling with God? Do you let it all out or keep it bottled up inside and let bitterness get ahold of you? When in need, who do you go to first? Your heavenly Father? This is certainly not meant to provoke guilt or shame. Maybe God is just trying to simplify life a little bit for us.