Recently I ran across The Jubilee Project. I do not know the whole story about what they are doing but they have made some great “short movies” or videos about marriage.
Here are two of my favorites:

Blind Devotion –

Co-Pilots –

There are several others on Youtube. I look forward to watching more in the future.

The library at Ozark Christian College used to have a regular program to remove old books and tapes from their shelves each spring. They would then take those old books and sell them or even give some things away in a room off of the library in an effort to make more space. I attended one of those sales my freshman year at OCC and before I walked out of the library I noticed a box of sermon tapes setting against the wall with my favorite word written above it, “Free.” I went and dug through the box reading titles that were of no interest to me and seeing speakers that held no appeal I was becoming discouraged. Then I read a title that sparked my interest. It was a sermon entitled “The Sermon and The Text” and was given by a guy named Fred Craddock. I remember my preaching professor mentioning his name as a good speaker and as a new preacher myself I was interested in anything that would help me prepare a sermon. With the cost being right, I stuck the audio tape in my sack and went to my dorm room. It took me a couple of months before I put it in the cassette player to listen to this simple sermon, but “wow.” To that point in my life it was one of the top 5 greatest things I had ever heard.

From that day on I began reading all of Fred Craddock’s book, listening to every sermon or lecture on tape and even driving to hear him in person. A friend and I actually wrote the college he taught at and tried to set up a meeting in person, but his schedule was always full. Over time he became the single greatest influence in my preaching life. Still 25 years after picking up that first tape I listen to his sermons on a monthly basis. I have actually memorized some of his sermons by heart. In fact, one summer in England I was helping a missionary by passing out fliers door to door for upcoming events. I literally spent 8 hours a day walking and to amuse myself I would repeat his sermons and stories while I walked. Like a writer aspiring to be like Dickinson, Poe or Twain I had hoped to someday preach like Craddock.

Last Friday I posted one of my favorite Craddock stories. Little did I know that 800 miles away the Lord was calling Dr. Craddock home. He passed away at the age of 86 after a long life of preaching and teaching. Although I only met him in person one time his shadow is cast over every sermon I preach. He was a mentor through his teaching and writing and helped to mold almost every word I say each week, at least the way I say it. I thank God for Fred Craddock and his life and ministry.

You can go to YouTube and listen to a couple of his sermons for free. You can find a few downloads online. I can even loan you a tape or CD. However it happens, if you ever get a chance to listen to a Fred Craddock sermon or lesson be sure you do not miss that opportunity. You will be glad you did and who knows, it might change your life like it changed mine.

Thanks Dr. Craddock.

6209 days ago I became a parent for the first time. That is 887 weeks of being excited, scared, confused, worried, hopeful, proud, angry, sad, happy and every other emotion that God created in the human heart. I am my son’s biggest fan and his greatest critic. I used to feel sick to my stomach before I had to be in the spot light and now I am sick for him each and every time he performs. He turned my world upside down.

Before my son was born my wife used to babysit for kids in the Church. The sad result was that she thought I would be a terrible parent. I didn’t seem to care about the kids or connect with them in anyway. In fact, I couldn’t wait to get the little monsters out of my house. One time I even tried to be nurturing and got a cute little puppy. A few months later it was hit by a car and that was the end of the experiment. I looked doomed to spend my life as a grumpy old man with no soft side.

Then my son was born. It took over 20 hours of labor and he came into the world with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck while the doctor pulled him out with what looked like salad tongs. The moment he came into the world my heart was transformed. God has been remaking my heart and he has used my children to help in that process.

Hopefully those of you who are parents know what I mean.

So today I want to thank God for children. More than that, I want to thank God today for my oldest son.

A favorite story from Dr. Fred Craddock –

“I remember in an airport in Kansas City years ago, waiting for a plane, I fell into conversation with a fellow from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He was in this country completing a study on the influence of the conversation between doctors and nurses with the patient in surgery who is under anesthesia. His view was, in fact, that he had established it beyond all doubt. He found that if the doctors and nurses were negative and grumpy, then the patient in post-operative conditions was depressed and pessimistic. If the doctors and nurses were upbeat, happy, merry, and cheerful, then the patient in post-operative care was euphoric and optimistic and proceeded to recover quickly.

The time came when I had to catch my plane. I thanked him for the conversation, and he said, ‘Why, are you a doctor?’

I said, ‘Oh, no, I’m a preacher… But if it’ll work in surgery, it’ll work in sanctuary.’

So when I go somewhere to speak, and people are asleep, it doesn’t bother me, because I know that several days later they may get a little Christian twitch. They won’t know what caused it, but I’ll know.”

I was watching an episode of my favorite TV show American Pickers and I saw an exchange that got me thinking. A lady opened a storage area that she had not been in for years. Her, Mike and Frank were looking through all the piles of stuff inside and they found a picture of her great-grandfather. She said she had never seen a picture of him before and was greatly pleased at the finding. They held the picture up for the camera and it was a picture of him sitting at the head of the table in a board room of his business. She made a comment about it being the only picture she knew existed of her great-grandfather.

I couple this experience with a comment my wife made last night. We were lying together in our living room and she asked the boys to take a picture of us since so few pictures of us together exist. She was right, if you flip through our photo album there are very few pictures of either of us and especially together. The pictures of me usually include a large fish or one of the animals I have hunted down and shot through the years.

These two experiences have me thinking about a single question, “What pictures would I want my great-grandchildren to find of me in the future?” If only a couple of pictures of me are in existence, what would I want future generations to learn about me through those pictures. I have come up with a short list of pictures I want to be found in:

1. A picture of me serving the Lord. I would like my great-grandchildren to see that I was a preacher. I would especially like them to see me serving outside of the pulpit. Maybe that is leading a small group, visiting a member, or just helping clean up. I want future generations to know that I served the Lord to the best of my ability. This was the biggest defining characteristic in my life.

2. A picture of me with my wife. I want future generations to know that I was married and I loved the woman I married. They need to know that it was not easy for either of us to stay together but we stuck it out and fell more in love through the years.

3. A picture of me with my children. I hope my relatives know that I loved my family. While I was a preacher I did not neglect my family but loved them the best I could love them. Maybe this would be a picture of me playing with them or standing with them after a game or just sitting on the couch together.

4. A picture of me with my parents. My parents have been the single biggest influence in my life and I want other people to know that they were the ones who molded and shaped me. I love them and hope their quiet influence is not lost with the years.

5. A picture of me genuinely smiling. My life has been greatly blessed in every way. I have a great Church, incredible parents, a beautiful wife and wonderful children. I have activities I enjoy and have no real reason to complain. I want others to know that I have had a great life and God was the source of all that I have been given.

This is a short list but I am happy with it. If I die and only these 5 pictures of my life existed, that would be enough. It would communicate who I am and what my life is all about.

What pictures do you have of yourself? What pictures do you want of yourself?

Maybe today could be the day to take a new picture of what really matters to you.

I was sitting here thinking about what to write. My kids are home because of the snow day and I am working at my house. The power of the internet makes it possible for me to work almost anywhere. With the snow outside here in Adrian travel has been limited four times in the last two weeks and my family is getting a little cabin fever. So I thought for today I would share a few little ways me (and my family) use a snow day.

1. Internet, internet, internet. I have been reading blogs, writing blogs, catching up on all my emails and doing research on future Church stuff. I enjoy taking the time to research every idea about every possible thing.

2. Read. I have a pile of magazines that I am slowly working through. I have everything from Christian leadership magazines to hunting and fishing to the Christian Standard. I also have several books that I need to catch up on. I started one on manhood that looks to be enlightening.

3. Family Time. I really enjoy spending time with my wife and my boys. I have had the opportunity to eat with them, talk with them, and watch movies with them.

4. Paperwork. It’s tax season. I am buying a house. I have dozens of other pieces of paperwork that have been piling up. I hate it, I hate it – but it has to get done.

5. Relax. I think sometimes God allows snow days to remind us to slow down. Taking a day off every now and then is important for both your physical and spiritual health. I am thankful for everyday, especially snow days.

I am sure none of this is news to you. This is just how I am spending my snow days. Hopefully this will be the last for a while as I am ready to get back into my routine. I am sure you are too.

I have read several more good blogs lately. I want to share them with you and I hope you enjoy reading

1. Here is the original blog post about “Aging with Zeal.” This is about J.I. Packer’s latest book that I used this as an illustration for my “Up” sermon.

2. Here is a great post about Fallen Pastors and the lessons they teach all of us.

3. If you don’t read Mark Merrill’s blog you are missing out on some great family material. Here are two examples:
– 10 Ways to Push Your Spouse Away
– How to Respond to Hurtful Words in Front of your Kids

4. This is a long story but you have to read about David Murray’s Worst Honeymoon Ever.

5. Here is a great little reminder that God Doesn’t Do Hollywood Endings

6. Chris Elrod is a pastor at an inner city Church in Florida. This story entitled “Then I Noticed Her Shoes” is about some girls and is touching but also an important reminder of the needs of others.

This is my final week as a youth basketball coach. I coached a 7th grade “B” team in Alaska for 3 years and now I have coached a 6th grade “B” team for 1 year in Missouri. With this year, my youngest son will move into Jr. High and then High School and I see no need for coaches in these areas in our school. So most likely this is my final week of coaching ever. I can honestly say that I am not overly sad about the prospect of becoming a parent who only watches without coaching, but it has me reflecting on the experience. Through the years the kids have taught me about life, made me smile, made me angry, made me laugh and overall it has been a good experience.

Here are just a couple of simple lessons the kids have taught me through the years.

1. Sports are fun. I am not sure when sports became about wins and losses, about scholarships and trophies, but I wish it hadn’t happened. When you coach a “B” team most of the kids are just happy to be on a team. Man invented sports to do something enjoyable in their spare time. Dads – loosen up and enjoy yourself and let your kids enjoy it. (I am preaching to myself too.) Sports should be a fun experience for everyone.

2. Celebrate the small things. This year we lost a game 52-6. I was angry at the decisions of the other coach who I think has some issues, but that is his problem. Anyway, when my boys scored each basket they celebrated like they had just won the game. I find myself so happy just to see a good pass or a nice rebound or even a simple act of sportsmanship. I think this should be true in every arena of life.

3. Kids are sponges. Young people learn from how we coach, how we talk, what makes us angry, and how we do everything. I notice teams take on the personality of their coaches. It is scary … at least to me. I would say that young boys are especially impressionable. Many of the boys I coach have no father figure and a coach is an important part of their life. Honestly, all men in their life have influence. We should never take this lightly.

4. Remember the good, forget the bad. After each game the boys come up and talk to me about that one play or that one shot they made. They forget the turnovers, mistakes and misses. They remember the good and easily forget the bad. I wish several adults could learn that lesson.

5. You can learn anything, if you want to. Many of the boys I have coached through the years have never played basketball before that year. If they listen and try they will get better. I am amazed at how much some of the boys pick up throughout the course of a season. The improvement can be dramatic. I think this applies to any of us, even in our faith, that if we make a regular effort to learn we can grow in any area.

Those are just a few life lessons my teams have taught me. If you have ever worked with kids I am sure you have your list. This is mine and this week as I close the book on my coaching I thank God for all the kids have taught me.

I sit here looking out my office window at the 5 or 6 inches of snow we received in Adrian Missouri over the weekend. It stopped us from having our regular Church meeting yesterday and caused the cancellation of almost every event my family had planned for the weekend. It reminded me of the story about the snow flake that said, “Alone I can do nothing, but if we all stick together we can accomplish anything.” Well, these little flakes stuck together and stopped our town cold.

But as I look out my window at a sea of white I am reminded of something else. While living in Alaska my primary source of heat was wood. I had to cut, split and stack piles and piles of wood. The side yard at my house was an ugly pile of wood to be cut, bark and sticks where it had been split and a pile of wood ready to burn. It was always a mess to look at from the big picture windows of my home. Then it would snow. It would immediately be transformed into this beautiful pile of white and brown that made a tapestry of winter landscape. I tried to take pictures to capture it (like above) but I am not a very good photographer. I can tell you that I loved how my ugly side yard would instantly become beautiful when the white of snow was added.

That reminds me of a line in Isaiah chapter 1. There is a prediction that the people of God are going to turn away from Him, but if they turn back, something beautiful will happen.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)

When people turn to God and accept forgiveness through Jesus, the ugly mess of their lives will become as white as snow. I love that image … even though I hate this snow.