May 2012
1 post
Experience a Must
If you’ve ever looked for a job, you’ve heard the phrase, “Experience a must.”
Employers know, experience is invaluable. Education is valuable too, but sometimes it can be replaced by “equivalent experience”.
To prove the value of experience, let me ask a few rhetorical questions.
If you are a mom with a newborn baby who won’t sleep, are you going...
April 2011
1 post
I'm on the Phone. Speak Up.
My wife and I have an arrangement. I drop off my daughter at school, on my way to work. My wife picks her up in the afternoon. It works pretty well.
Each morning, I take my first grader to school and notice ever more familiar faces of parents and children we walk past, on our way to her classroom. There are about a dozen or more parents that I see each week as we walk past each other on our way...
March 2011
1 post
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.”
– Oscar Wilde
December 2010
1 post
How to Become High-Capacity
I have brother, a business partner, and a daughter who are all very high-capacity people. Meaning, they can do a lot of stuff, with endless energy to pursue their activities. It is amazing to see how some people can just do more. When other people get tired or worn out, high-capacity people keep going.
To make sure we are on the same page of what a high-capacity person looks like, let me start...
September 2010
1 post
Fixer Upper
People like to fix things.
People like to watch other people fix things (as evidenced by HGTV).
People like to fix other people.
But people don’t like to be fixed.
I was driving home with my wife from dinner the other night and we started judging Christians for being so judgmental. Okay, we weren’t judging, we were “observing”.
Regardless of our own...
August 2010
3 posts
I Have a Stylist...Do You?
I was feeling a little embarrased the other day when a male friend of mine from church said, “Oh man, don’t say that” in response to my comment that my wife picked out my pants.
To be clear, he is a good friend, and was mostly joking (although he probably thinks I am sissy for letting my wife pick my clothes).
Nonetheless, it got me thinking about the following...
The Truth About Marketing
Many companies have a marketing department. Most of the time it’s called the “Sales and Marketing” department. That correlation makes sense. After all marketing drives sales, right?
But sometimes, I think that the two departments should be split up.
Why? Because Sales and Marketing are two totally different things.
A salesman and a marketing man are attempting to do two...
Are you a "Republangelical"?
I have noticed an increasing trend as the “Christian Right” and evangelical movement in America has become increasingly political.
It all started with a “good” idea; to get Christians more involved in polictics to help reverse some of the immoral laws and agendas of the “liberals”.
But what have Christians sacrificed in their attempt to gain political...
Does This Offend You?
Some people might call these videos sacrilegious and harmful.
Others might call them just a funny joke
Benny Hinn
Farting Preacher
What would you say?
Do these videos offend you or make you laugh?
Why?
July 2010
12 posts
Do you "Hear" God?
I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about life. Particularly, we were discussing times in his life when he thought he heard God on a particular issue only to later find out that maybe he was wrong about that all along.
We started pulling past experiences from both our lives as examples of times when we were sure we heard God about something specific and...
Ice Ice Baby
While visiting my brother-in-law in Cleveland, my wife and I attended the church of one of his friends (and now our friend too :-). From the description they gave me I ascertained that the church would be one of those super hip church plants where everyone wore ripped jeans and graphic tees and abondanded traditional church lexicon for an equally confusing, cool church lexicon. (For example, using...
“A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of...”
– George Bernard Shaw
Does 'Slow and Steady' Really Win the Race?
Confession: I am terribly impatient. I struggle with being consistent. I much prefer to live my life in “spurts’ of energy and effort. I often miss out on, over do, or generally misalign the opportunities in my life
I am the Hare…
But sometimes I wonder, does slow and steady really win the race?
I have known many “slow and steady” people who often missed...
What I have learned from being Absent
This summer my wife and I decided that it would be good for her and our three children to visit her mother in Minnesota for the summer. Her mother and step-father are both employed by the Minnesota public education system and thus, have summers off.
It made sense, why have them stay here in the heat while I worked, when they could be having fun in a great summer climate. I have flexibility to...
Oxen Eat Grass
As you might be able to tell from my post on Tuesday, I have been reading the Psalms. A few days ago I was reading Psalm 106 and a funny verse stuck out.
It says, “They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image. Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of an ox that eats grass.”
I actually laughed out loud. It just struck me as funny that the Psalmist pointed out that...
“The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped...”
– Sir Richard Francis Burton
Love the Precepts
Disclaimer: When I use the word “law” in this post I am not referring to the literal Law of Moses, but rather the more loosely defined Laws of God. That is why I, like the Psalmist, interchange other words such as precepts, decrees, and statutes; to show that we don’t need to get hung up on theology about being free from the “law” but rather that there are principles...
What I've Learned from Mormons
I have known several Mormons quite well. I know their families, their habits, and their testimony.
I completely disagree with their beliefs about God as they relate to anything taught by Joseph Smith. This opposition to their beliefs has led to many a healthy conversation and debate. But I can’t escape the many wonderful things about Mormons that we would do well to emulate.
It is not...
The Irony in Mocking
When I was in Junior High School corduroys were not to be worn and were thoroughly mocked. Just two years later, in High School, corduroys were quite in fashion and I found myself owning several pairs.
When I was in High School and College tight pants, for men, were simply not allowed. No one wore tight pants. Now, much to my chagrin, you can hardly find a young man wearing anything but...
“The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong...”
– Samuel Johnson
June 2010
17 posts
Do You Expect Too Much From God?
Disclaimer: I believe God wants to and does help people out of their predicaments and problems in profound and gracious ways.
Admittedly, the title of this post is a bit contrary to a previous post of mine and a general conviction I have about 1) God being able to provide victory in all things and 2) God giving us way more than we deserve.
However, I do believe that there are two juxtaposed...
Summer Vacation
What is your favorite place to go or memory you have of a summer vacation?
I am taking suggestions.
American's Fat Appetites
I was watching the previews before seeing Iron Man 2 (NOT the must see movie of the summer) with a stomach full from sushi enjoyed across the street from the theater (I was trying to limit my walking distance from chair to seat) and a large blue Icee in my hand. I was going to get a “small” because I was full, but I just had to get the “value” of the large.
Then a...
What I've Learned from my Dogs
I had so much fun thinking about what I’ve learned from my kids that I have decided to take a look at all the things around me and ponder what I have learned.
Due to the fact that my wife and kids are visiting family out of state. I have had the great pleasure (note the sarcasm) of being home alone with our dogs. We have a neurotic Boston Terrier and a gluttonous French Bulldog. They are...
“Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.”
– Gilbert K. Chesterton
“Explain it as we may, a martial strain will urge a man into the front rank of...”
– Henry Tuckerman - He knew that passion is better inspiration than reason
Upside Down World
As a child I would image what it would be like if the world got flipped upside down. I would picture walking around on the ceiling of my house, fighing the slants of the arched ceiling and stepping over the upper (or in this reality, lower) door jam just to get through the doorway. How difficult it would be to reach the bottom cupcoards, now distantly nestled up near the “floor”.
I...
Question
What is it that motivates you?
Are Christians Weird?
I was watching 19 kids and Counting, noticing the long denim dresses, the consistently collared shirts, the plain hair and the common language.
I remember thinking, “Man, these Duggers are WEIRD.”
But you know what, I can’t help but like ‘em. The boys are respectful but tough. The girls are sweet and responsible. The mom is hard working but ever patient. The dad is...
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the...”
– C.S. Lewis
Your Theology Stinks!
Who, in the church, doesn’t like a good theological debate? I for one have entered into, won, and lost several debates surrounding theology. In Bible College, at my father’s home on Sunday afternoons, and in many other situations, I have argued, mostly to no avail, the merits of a particular theological position. The problem is, I can’t think of one time when I really got my...
Questions
At my Kinship last week, we were reflecting as the season was drawing to an end and I asked the question; what has God taught you over the last year. I was amazed about how we were all edified and encouraged by the testimonies of everyone in the room. It turns out, that God was actually working powerfully in all our lives. Who could have guessed? :-)
So my questions to you are…
What has...
No Regrets
We often hear in our culture how people want to live their lives with now regrets. I too am opposed to regrets. But many times, people saying that we want to live our lives with no regrets is really a clever way of saying that it is okay to be reckless. The irony is that mentallity is exactly the kind of thinking that leads to regret!
Example - Bachelor parties
Unfortunately, it is customary...
Forgive - Don't Ever Forget
We have all heard the adage, “Forgive and forget”. It’s a nice thought but as with many sayings it might be a tad simplistic. First of all, can you ever really forget? You can (and should) act as though you have forgotten but our minds are often a steel trap. To hold on to a grudge or to only partially forgive is simply not right. Many people say they won’t forget but what...
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike...”
– Mohandas Gandhi —- Sad but often true
I'm Okay with That
I will admit it, I am a cream and sugar guy. Some guys like to order coffee “black” right before sending a slightly condescending glance as if to say, “I’m a die hard, a real man, an aficionado.” Well I am not. But I am okay with that. Some may need various forms of assurance that they are indeed manly. I don’t. For two years I slept, unashamed, in a pink...
May 2010
9 posts
Thank You!
For all the wives, children, mothers, daughters, family, and friends of loved ones lost in battle, thank you for the sacrifice of you loved ones.
Thank you to all the fallen who gave the ultimate price for our protection.
Thank you to God who imbues men with courage and resolve to protect the masses.
Wisdom from Kids
Here are a few things I have been learning from my kids recently:
If one is good, “10,000” is better
You can join two or more numbers to make new numbers. Example: “Ten-Fifty” can be the age of a make believe son
The above principle also applies to words. Example: “Strongest-bestest” is a great adjective to describe something really cool.
They have really...
“A free America… means just this: individual freedom for all, rich or poor,...”
– Frank Lloyd Wright
You Deserve It!
Over the past few years we, as consumers, hear more and more that we deserve… pick you noun or adjective: happiness, a Mercedes, a new home, peace of mind, a vacation, and on and on. Entitlement has become a debilitating phenomena in our culture. We truly are the “me” generation. I deserve it, I want it, and I gotta have it are mantras of the MTV generation. This disease...
Hobbits and Tooth Decay
Frodo leaned back under the root of the tree, his face turning pale and empty as his heart beat just went from racing to almost stopped. He was frozen in fear contemplating whether or not he should put on the ring of power. The Nosgould steps off his horse, leans over the exposed root of the tree, almost falling right into Frodo’s lap when suddenly…
My whole body tenses up and I...
God doesn't really answer prayers
Many people, both Christians and not, don’t believe that God really answers prayers. Many like the notion that there is a God who can answer prayers, but whether or not he actually does answer prayers remains a dubious thought in the mind of many Christians.
I believe the problem exists from lack of experience and lack of paying attention. It takes time and reflection to look back at all...
April 2010
2 posts
Whose disciple are you?
It seems that many times, in adoration of leadership, many people miss the point that it is not the pastor or leader who is to be followed or worshipped. When Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission in Matthew 28 he said, “Therefore go and make disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”...
Stay at the Table
Don’t walk away from conflict in relationships.
If I have learned one thing about forming Godly relationships, it is that we should not give up. We need to stay at the table.
Here is what I mean by that.
Imagine you are enjoying some fellowship over a meal with friends or family. Someone says something that is construed as offensive or abrasive. There is always someone who wants to get up...
March 2010
8 posts
God needs to be your CEO
I want to be transparent with you. Sometimes I hijack my day, week, month, even years and impose my own agenda. I want control. I need to feel important and I do that by establishing myself as a ‘leader’. This can be very bad because I am putting my own desires ahead of what God desires for me.
I have seen many leaders (including myself; regrettebly, often) get all worked up and fret...