If there is any place in my life that I can certainly point towards as edging towards vice is my love of gadgets. Of all the “things” that can be “loved,” I love gadgets the most. This has been a life-long affair, and I would be too embarrassed to tell the level of priority that gadgets maintain in my financial picture. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) The passage above is in a longer section dealing with “living” well, according to God’s heart. There are two things that impact me today as I read that. First, I...
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Week 6 – The Pure in Heart Wow. I totally forgot I was writing this series! Must be the fact that 40 is closing in, hahaha. My bride, Angel loves a clean house. Well, I do too, but we tend to think of a clean house quite differently. For me, if company comes over and it looks clean, well then it’s clean. But that is not good enough for Angel. Not only does what we “see” have to be clean, but she labors pretty intensely on making sure what’s “not seen” is also clean. You know, stuff like lifting the couch into the air so she can vacuum underneath it. Making sure the clothes are actually folded within the dresser drawers. Making sure the spot on the back of the toilet, up against the wall, where no one but my dogs can actually see, gets pine-sol’d. Sometimes I drive...
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Please, indulge me – directly below this text should be a media player (or a link to an MP3 file). Please play it as you read. More on this song in the body of the post below. I have always been a person of many projects, sometimes so many that several never get done (my 65′ ford truck restore, the skirting on the shed, the half-written songs in my notebook). I never thought of myself as a “busy” person, but I learned from a conversation with a Christian counselor friend that I was wrong (grin). I thought recreation was my remedy to the busyness, but it can be just busyness in another form. I realized that I am somewhat of a control freak. I use my OCD as a an excuse to let this appetite for control flourish. Being busy is my way of controlling my life. Being a...
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Here’s this week’s “friday.folio,” a hat-tip to some of the things I’ve read the past week that surprised / encouraged / challenged me. 1. “Shut Up and Listen” is a post by Brad Lomenick. It is a message urging “perspective” for young leaders. Am I still one? ha ha ha ha! I don’t know if I still qualify, but I sure took the message to heart. 2. “Touring Whine Country” is a guest post by Jason Stasyszen’s wife, Andrea. Notice the word in the title is “whine” not “wine.” Andrea’s mother’s heart comes through with a message we all need to hear from time to time – maybe now? You decide. 3. “To Those Who Quit the Church” is a post by Jason Stasyszen. When I first saw the title, I said to myself, “Oh no – not another Anne Rice blog post!” But, trust me, this is not...
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I’m fourteen years old. My life is in turmoil – divorced parents, foster care, physical abuse. I am an angry boy. I have a short fuse, but that is just an excuse.  I walk the school halls hoping someone will look at me wrong so that I have an excuse to let my rage loose. Sometimes, my friends literally hold me back. Fast forward 20-some years. I’m in  a fast food restaurant, and place an order. The clerk, who is quite a bit younger than I, and a lot smaller, recites the order – but there is an error. So, I say, “Sir, that last item wasn’t right, I would like a chicken sandwich.” “That’s not what you said.” “Oh, OK. Would you mind changing it to a chicken sa…” “You’re saying I’m lying?!” he screamed. “Oh no, I figured I must have mis-spoken, in which case, I’m sorry....
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