Friday, January 28, 2011

"Things That Make Me Cry"

Pain!
Yep, just being a man, doesn't lessen pain...
or as the kids may have said once or more...
the ouchies.

Onions!
They really do.

Something Extremely Funny!
If you something funny brings
you to the point of tears... It's
the adult version of a child
laughing until they pee their pants.

Heat!
This might be more aligned with pain
than I am willing to admit, but I can't
stand it. It brings me to tears some times.

Inspirational Stories!
They move me. Inspire me.
Bring me to tears.

Joy!
Overwhelming emotions of joy
bring tears, good tears.

Children!
Yes they do.
Now, mine are only 8, 6, 4 & 2,
but I shed tears with them,
over them,
because of them
& for them.

Unexpected God Moments!
UGM!
How He works, in the most
smallest of ways to bring
glory to His Kingship...
Elements of Joy for sure.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

"Semper Ubi, Sub Ubi"

"Always wear, underwear."

Well, not literally... more like "Always where, under where?"

I guess it could get lost in translation.

Funny thing is, it's probably the only
Latin that I remember from High School...
many moons ago.

Lost in Translation... example --

"The old Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan 'finger-lickin’ good'
came out as 'eat your fingers off.' in Chinese. Whoops"

Lost in Translation.

Think about it.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

"Twitter"

I tweet. It's from my computer, but I do it.
I love throwing out there randomness
in 140 words/characters or less.

I also enjoy reading those I "follow".
Most of the time I find some golden
nuggets. Some times, not so much.

But I do wonder if Twitter has taken
what mom used to call "nothing nice
to say" to a whole new level.

Case in point. Jay Cutler, Bears QB
leaves the NFC Championship game
with a knee injury. Doesn't return.
Bears lose.

Oh, how the Twitter lines light up.
Players from other NFL teams
calling him out for being "soft" or
"a quitter."

Fans blasting him with phrases
and verbage that would make mom
blush.

It's really a shame.

I'm not Cutler fan. Never have been.
Think he's a little to full of himself.
My opinion... just to give you my
thoughts about him.

But fans or other NFL players or
anybody who uses their 140 characters
to blast a man for being (and this is mild)
soft... well, throwing stones with
social media is weak... and rather
pathetic.

Cowardly comes to mind.

Twitter can be a cool way to communicate.
It could be used to help others.
It could be used to lift others up.
It could be used to get information to others quickly.
It could be used to make others smile.
It could be used to just sigh a little.

But it also has given the haters a
way to spread their pathetic speak
from a distance.

I say the next time you want to call
out a guy for being a quitter, you show
up to the stadium and do it face to face.
Because hiding behind your blackberry
on twitter is rather... well... soft.

Monday, January 17, 2011

"Sun Power"

I'm not sure why I am amazed at this every winter.
It's hovering around 20 degrees today. Cold.
Freezing cold you may call it.

Yet, today, it is clear skies and sunny.
Still, Cold.

And as cold as it is, I see evidence of the
power of the sun... yep, some snow is
melting. 20 degrees... yet, the snow
is melting in some places because of the
warmth of the sun... the power of the sun.

Not sure why this amazes me as much as it
does, but it almost illogical to my way of
thinking.

Cold, snow... it shouldn't be melting.

The Power of the sun... penetrating
the cold... melting the snow...

Amazing!

Friday, January 14, 2011

"Anxious"

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:13 NIV

Anxious: –adjective 1. full of mental distress or uneasiness
because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous

Is it the doctors appointment I have today?

Or could it be the upcoming slug fest to be held a Heinz Field in 32 hours?

Maybe it's the four days home alone with the children while my bride
is in California?

Or could it be just that fact she'll be going to California?

It might be the desire that we have put behind all of us a nagging illness. Maybe?

Or it just might be something that I really can't pinpoint at this moment.

I really can't explain this uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.
I wish I could. I really do.

I don't feel particularly anxious, but the symptoms are certainly there.

"Don't be anxious about anything..."

Easier for all of us to hear, agree with, acknowledge, even totally agree with...
but putting it into practice... well, that's hard to do.

What to do?

Pray... you know, that trite and obvious answer.

"Yeah, sure, I know it."

But why do I run from it?

You know, while I'm on my feet, it's easy to run from anything. (well, attempt to anyway.)

But if I'm on my knees...

Have you ever tried to run away from something on your knees?
From a turtle, sure, it works.
From almost anything else on this earth, impossible.
From God?

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

"Arizona"

I cannot even begin to psychologically dissect
anything involved with what happened Saturday
in Tuscon, AZ. I can't. Not special education
to help, no special knowledge to help, no
special insight to make sense of any of it.

In fact, any thought process in trying to
"make sense" of any of it, by even experts,
will never clarify the event in any way
shape or form in my feeble mind.

But as it rattles around in my weak mind,
one thing continues to spring forward:
When an individual has absolutely no
regard to the sanctity of life, evil things
happen.

No one in the history of the world has
loved others enough to kill others.

If you truly love your neighbor, not once
in the history, does that love turn
to murder. It can't.

Some may have killed under the umbrella
of love... but it wasn't the love for those
they killed for which they killed.

It makes no sense.

Or maybe I'm too simple.

I guess this may need repeating:

If I speak in the tongues
of men or of angels, but do not have love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom
all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a
faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13 (NIV)

Friday, January 7, 2011

"A Life Worth Saving"

A man risked his life by swimming through the treacherous riptide to save a youngster being swept out to sea.

After the child recovered from the harrowing experience, he said to the man, "Thank you for saving my life.

The man looked into the little boy's eyes and said, "That's okay, kid. Just make sure your life was worth saving."

Monday, January 3, 2011

"Back To School"

Well, the holiday season is officially over.
Today, it was back to getting up at 7am
to get the kids ready for school... back to
annoying alarm clocks... back to making
breakfast... the Disney channel... and
watching out the door to see if the bus
will be early, on time or a few minutes
late.

Usually, the after holiday period of
January is a blah blah kind of time
for me. I usually feel that the time
with the entire family at home for
almost two weeks went too fast, that
I didn't do enough quality things with
the kids, spend enough time alone
with my wonderful wife.

Sure, the Steelers remaining alive
in the playoffs as long as possible
usually helps cushion the blow.
But at some point that usually
ends (thankfully not so short the
past few years) and the blah
blahs come back.

But I think this year is going to be
different. I'm not sure if that's due
to the fact that the holidays never
really took root or that I am just
ready to move into 2011 and get
to the task of seeking the wonderful
and trying things God will set before
me this year.

It's a new year... yada yada yada.
But should it really be any different
than say 12.31.10? or 8.15.10? or
3.12.10? or even 5.25.07?

Sure, I am different (hopefully for
the better) than I was at those
points in my life. But God remains
the same.

The same awesome God who created
all things in 6 days... who parted the
Red Sea... who obliterated the walls
of Jericho with a trumpet blast...
who protected David in the wilderness...
who raised Jesus from the dead...

He's not different. He's the same.
Thank Him that He is.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

"1st of 1/1/11"

I resolve for this year, 2011...

to take one day at a time...
one moment at at time.

Plan accordingly for a future,
but never live in a moment that
may never come.

Love unconditionally.

Discipline justly.

Strain to hear God's whispers.

Give more sacrificially.

Do or do not, there is no try.