Near Misses

7:AM the alarm goes off. Hit the snooze? Get out of bed? Sure is warm under these covers. Look to my left and Amy, my beloved bride, is still fast asleep. (3:20a.m. feedings will do that with a 12 month old.) Gotta get going. Too much to do today to stay and snuggle in bed. Yeah...I said snuggle.

My pace begins to pick up because I don't want to be late. I begin to systematically get ready to go. Pick out clothes...check. Shower...check. Brush teeth...check. (Isn't it weird that I brushed my teeth last night and my breath stinks this morning?) Pack up my back pack...check. Wallet, keys, phone...check, check, check. Start car...check. One moment to check out the scores on SportCenter. (Hmmmm...wonder if LeBron is out for a couple games. Wish I could dunk a basketball like that.) Grab my coffee cup and out the door.

Getting into my warmed up car with my heated leather seats is awesome. Gotta jet. Want to make it to Caribou before the one outlet is taken to plug in the laptop. Frantic pace. Get to the light at GlenEste Withamsville Road and 32 and sit in the turn lane. Man this light is long. Oh...there we go...green arrow. Go lady in the Ford Freestyle go!!! Quit looking down. Just drive. Just about to blow my horn and send her on her way...a transport ambulance runs the red light doing at least 60MPH. No lights on or anything. My heart begins to race as I think about had I blown my horn would that person in front of me been hit? Would I have been hit? Would I have been killed? Would they have? I didn't kiss the baby this morning. I barely kissed my wife goodbye. I didn't tell her I loved her. I didn't...I didn't...I didn't...

Near misses...

Passions

I recently got the new Phil Wickham album. This has to be one of the most substantial album I have heard as far as depth of lyrics go. Why is it that some songs resonate and some don't. I have seen Phil in concert and the one thing that comes to mind when I hear him is that passion that comes through from the stage. It's not just because he is putting on a show...it is the fact that the lyrics that he is sings are from the heart.

Do we do anything from the heart anymore? Do we just go through the mundane of the day and think that that is enough? I recently posted on my twitter account that it is time to stop living in complacency. Living as if there is no tomorrow would make people see how valuable life can really be. But what does it take? How can we use our passions in life.

For those that don't know, I have the absolute privilege of coaching at my alma mater New Richmond, and had the opportunity to coach against three of the greatest kids I have come to know from my youth group. I was torn by my desire to win and my desire to see them play to their full potential. I am passionate about seeing them succeed as well as the boys on my team. My passions as a coach aren't much different then they are as a minister. I desire is to see these young men grow up and be men of honor and integrity. That means we win with character and integrity and we lose in the same manner. My passions for these young men make me want to be a better person, coach, husband, father and student minister.

What are your passions? Are you lining up with the desires that God has for you? Think about that today.

What's going on?

Did you see Serena Williams completely blow up at the US Open? Follow that up with the Senator of South Carolina calling the President of the United States a liar and then Carlson picking a fight with Jorge Posada in the Yankees/Blue Jays game. Why are we so fired up lately. I am watching people just absolutely blow up at each other in a condo association board meeting and I am kinda shocked. When did we start to lose our cool? Or have we always been like this. What Williams said to the line judge at the US Open is just reprehensible. It's a shame there were kids there watching this icon in action. Then in the post-match interview, she blew it off and said she was known for her competitive spirit. Catch this...THAT'S NOT A COMPETITIVE SPIRIT IT'S JUST PLAIN CARELESS AND UNKIND!!! Why do we put up with it? Why do we think it's okay for Senator Joe Wilson from South Carolina to publicly call our President a liar in that forum. Despite how you feel about the president that just wrong. Civilized: adequate in courtesy and politeness. We have just lost our minds.

Mom used to always says, "Treat others how you wanna be treated." Jesus put it like this in Luke 10..."He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." Not real different than what momma said. Can we get back to the basics. This is what Jesus boiled it all down to...can we?

Better stop and listen

I can remember my Grandpa saying people are more important then production. I never really believed that. I always thought that you have to have something to show for your work at the end of the day. Never had time for interruptions. I can remember though we'd be busy burning brush or cutting grass and my grandpa would stop whenever there was an opportunity to have a conversations with someone. Grandpa had a friend named Dave that would walk down and we would have a long discussions with him about next to nothing. Like what the doctor said about his ingrown toenail or how to get groceries at a better cost. Dave always had something to say. He and grandpa would talk about he war, the depression and the changes that the area has seen. I am not sure why I would sit there and get agitated. There was a wealth of knowledge and stories that both of those guys would say. I found out today at an impromptu lunch at a coffee house in NR all kinds of information from an awesome group of men talking about sports. Both were writers for a local paper and it was awesome hearing them both talk. It is important to stop and listen when people are around you that can truly share their hearts and knowledge. So next time you have the opportunity just grab a cup of coffee and enjoy yourself!!!

Muddy Road

Recently I was honored to be asked to speak at my good friends camp for Jr. High students in the Catskill mountains of New York. It was an absolute blast. From getting to know the staff to having great conversations with the kids, I was made to feel like I was at home. The entire week was awesome despite the rains and some hiccups trying to get home.

One of the cool things I got do do was watch the students have their "mud wars". It basically consisted of all the students jumping in this big mud pit. It was crazy to see them just come alive. It took a while for them to get heavily involved in the mud, but eventually they dove in full throttle. Kids were throwing mud on kids...some were belly flopping in the mud pit...others were just swimming in it. It truly reminded me of what we as believers are supposed to be doing.

There are times where we just need to jump right in and truly immerse ourselves in the mission that God has called us to be a part of. We need to be sold out when we share our faith. We need to be on the forefront of social issues, not with our political platforms and our desire to get our guy elected, but with our desire to make sure that we are putting all we can into reaching those that are hurting and need the love of Christ.

Mud...the mire...the muck...lets dive in!!!

how big are queen sheets?

So I went to a internet search engine to find the size of queen bed sheets. Which doesn't sound like a big deal, but you wouldn't believe the ordeal that I had trying to find that specific information. It was funny. You should have seen all the places that have positioned themselves to the top of those search engines so that you see their websites first. Target, Wal-Mart, Sheets Emporium. It didn't matter. They weren't even truly trying to answer my questions. They were trying to sell me sheets. I just wanted to know the size. After pointing and clicking I was able to find the size on a page that just so happened to be answering some different persons random question.

I think it funny. We get so inundated with things around us that we lose sight on what we set out to do in the beginning. Scripture says in James, that we are like a man that looks in a mirror, walks away, and forgets what he looks like when we know what is expected us of and yet we don't do it. My goal was to find my answer to the size of some bed sheets. So I looked all over the place getting side tracked often. I had to remind myself of what I was doing. What are we doing? What are we supposed to be doing? I don't want to see God work in my life and just walk away and forget it. That's just my prayer.

Just food for thought.

12 hours in 4 days...

It's funny, I know I talk about my daughter a lot, but I have spent a lot of time with her lately. Most of that taking place around 2:AM-4:30AM. You see she just can't sleep for some reason. My wife, such a wonderful mommy, has tried to go with many different solutions, but to no avail. Everyone and their mother has an idea about what we should do which just complicates things. If you are 100% certain that she will sleep then bring on the ideas...if not, please don't confuse the issue!!! (That's sleep deprivation talking.)

Despite the sleep deprivation I fall in love with her a little more every night. She has a this thing she does when I go in to put in the pacifier in her mouth at night, she will grab on to me with her hands and feet. She kinda wraps herself around my arm like a koala bear. She just wants to hold on to me and know that I am there for her. She wants me to comfort her. In my arms, to her, is the safest place to be. I love that feeling.

In a very small way, I get to experience what God gets to experience when we are right where we need to be with God. Resting in his arms. Psalm 4:8 says, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." I love that...I love knowing that despite my fear, I can rest in the Lord and in his loving arms. It is the place where I feel the safest. When I need rest...he is there. When I am scared...he is there. When I am in need of encouragement...he is there.

Grab onto God like a koala bear. With all that you have hold tight in all things.