Must be football season

I have the honor of coaching both my sons in tackle football this year. What a wonderful experience. They play on different teams but are both doing well. This is the 4th year of tackle for Chase. I remember his 1st year and how he was doing well as a third grader but didn't really like it all that much. Contact is a different kind of animal. Now he has become a dominate offensive and defensive lineman. It has been a fun ride to watch. Peyton has bigger aspirations. He wants to be a quarterback. I told him going in how hard that position is to play and the toughness it takes. He dreams of playing in the NFL like Ben Roethlisberger he says. After one week of contact he was ready to cash in those dreams for anything else. He told Hope he doesn't like tackle all that much. Now understand he is an all out kind of kid. He has been hitting harder than anybody on the team. I think he has hurt others and himself more than any other player in our hamburger drills. Knowing how well he was doing this was a bit of a shock to me. I sat down and talked with him about how your body adjusts and gets used to the contact. I had him talk to his big brother who had bruises all over his arms but didn't even notice the pain that went with them. It got me thinking. How often do we give up on dreams as it got too tough to achieve. Without the supporting cast around us what have we given up on? A better question is what have I given up on? I think it is time for me to revisit some dreams of mine and see what I can come up with.

Mistaken identity

I was at Arby's yesterday with a friend. We ordered and they were running behind on my friends fry order. A few minutes after we had sat down a person brought him his fries. I was taking a bite of my sandwich as my friend said thank you sir. I still hadn't looked up at this person but I would have bet my wife's new van that it was a lady. I said you mean ma'am. My friend then says sorry to this person. After I said those words I looked up and saw to my horror a young man delivering the fries. What do you say at that moment? Sorry I thought you were a woman based on your voice. Then another thought popped into my head. What if it is a woman? Do I insult her? I learned a lesson yesterday. First of all, always look before speaking. It is a good rule of thumb. Secondly, I need to be careful with folks. Here is a young man....I think who could be hurting because of my carelessness. Is it kind of funny? Yes but not to him. How often do I judge someone based on the sound of their voice? By the clothes they wear? By the company they keep? I need to look deeper at a person than just the surface. Point taken.

Greece

Greece. The third world power in the history of the world. Their reign of world domination was just before the coming of Christ. They lasted just over 300 years as the top dog before Rome took over. Their research and development was second to none. They made a blueprint for the first steam engine among other things. Yet they, like all world powers, fell to the next world power. I got to thinking about us. (America) Do I need to worry about the USA? What may happen to our super power status. Should I plunge into the political arena and worry about stupid policies being made? With the now famous phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" I will try and answer. If Jesus were walking around here today as he was 2000 years ago I say he would be thinking about people not governments. This thought hit me recently and it changed my perspective on the current situation we as Americans find ourselves in. So here is my challenge to myself. Don't worry about the ignorance known as our government. Be about the people living near me. Don't worry about whether my children will know the America I grew up with as far as being a super power. Instead try and make America a place that resembles our future home as believers in Jesus Christ. After all this is but a temporary home for us. Treat it as one.

Self Esteem

Self esteem has not been much of a problem for me in my life. I don't know why that is exactly. I know I'm not the best looking cat on the planet. I'm 37 and gravity is fighting me hard to physically stay in respectable shape. I am smart but there are plenty smarter than I. I came from a good family but not one that didn't have its issues. I have been pondering this issue of self esteem, however, because it seems to be attacking so many people around me. Why do I feel so self assured and others don't? I still don't know the answer to that one but I have gotten a better understanding of what goes on when someone struggles with self esteem. I think childhood plays a huge part in this and that is nothing new to anyone. What I think also plays a part is perception. In American culture sex/sexiness has become super significant. For a woman that is huge. If they don't feel pretty then that hits the self esteem hard. I think that plays a big role today. Not only that but the "housewife" title has been beat to a pulp by media. No longer is it seen as a positive. It is the butt of so many jokes in mainstream America. Couple those and no wonder self esteem in women is down. For men, we wrap so much of ourselves up in what we do for a living it's sad. I can't help but think with the economy hurting means more men are questioning their own abilities. Hence low self esteem. I will continue to explore this topic but thought I would share what I'm thinking for today. Have a good one.

And...action

I do not like manual labor all that much. The good is that you get to see results first hand. The bad is that...well I just don't like it. However, I was asked yesterday to help a fella out in laying carpet in his camper. Now for a guy that doesn't really care for manual labor I am pretty good at it. Having said that usually something stupid happens that prolongs the project when I am involved. I think it has to do with me praying for patience every day. Today, however, I was able to help this guy out and we did a real nice job with no gliches. It feels so much better helping someone out just because than to receive a paycheck for it. Now money is a necessary evil so I can't do it every moment but it sure felt good to do it for the sake of the kingdom. For love or money.....love wins in my heart every time. Well it should anyway and most of the time it does.

Give it up

What am I willing to give up for Christ? An even better question is what am I not willing to give up for Christ? Christ says "go sell all you own and follow me. " Not a big problem for me. As I've lived I find the more junk I have the more junk breaks. (just had to replace a dryer) The hard one for me is would I be bitter if I lost my kids or wife to tragedy? Would I turn my back on God? I'd like to say no I wouldn't turn on God with every degree of certainty in my body. I'd like to be like my grandma who has shown she is a rock in her faith as she has lost two husbands and two children in her life not to mention friends and other family members. Would I stand by God no matter what? I am going to go public and say yes. Now it is your job to hold me to it. I just pray that you never have to.

America

For quite some time we hear some say that we are experiencing God's punishment for the way America has turned its ear from God. What if we aren't experiencing God's punishment but his mercy? He knows that continuing down the path of riches and power will keep us on the path of hell. "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for the rich to get to heaven", Jesus said. Our lack of a dependance on God has allowed us to think we can make it on our own. We typically have all we need on any given day. We don't have to go outside every morning and pick manna off the ground. We have a fridge stocked full of goodies. Maybe the economic slow down is a good thing. Maybe, just maybe we as a county will realize we are ulitmately in control of nothing. If not the country, then at least maybe you and I.