I read this quote in a book by an author I am not sure I want to announce. He is definitely not Christian, but he is funny. This is one of my favorite lines of his:
“I’m thinking of parceling off portions of my brain,” I once told her. “I’m not talking about having anything surgically removed, I’d just like to divide it into lots and lease it out so that people could say, ‘I’ve got a house in Raleigh, a cottage in Myrtle Beach, and a little hideaway inside a visionary’s head’”
Last night I watched the Superbowl just like much of the world. I am always saddened to watch the game when my Packers are not in it, but I watch anyway. I must admit that when I do not have a team I am cheering for, I do want to see a good game.
Well, last night’s first half was pretty boring. It looked like the Ravens were going to win big. Then the second half started and the Ravens ran a kickoff back for a touchdown and I thought the game was over. Unbelievably, not to long into the second half the lights of the stadium went out. I can’t remember ever seeing anything like it before. I imagine someone lost their job over that mistake. I hope not, but it was a major event and power loss was not in the plan. During the time that the lights were coming back on the players relaxed and did stretches. Then after a 30 minute or more delay the lights were completely restored and the game resumed.
Then this interesting thing happened; the 49ers came to life. They looked loose and started scoring. For those of you who watch football you know that the Ravens still won by 3, but they were outplayed for the final part of the game.
It made me think about how many people I know need someone to throw out the lights on their life. Maybe it is their marriage, their parenting, their business life or maybe just the whole thing. Things are falling apart and nothing good seems to be happening. They need to throw out the lights and take time to regroup.
What makes it so hard for us to step back and take a break? Is it because we are so busy? Is it because we think we can’t do it? Whatever the reason I needed to remind myself that when things are going crazy – throw out the lights, regroup and go back out again with renewed energy and strength. In the end I may not win but at least it will be fun to watch
I had the privilege to spending some time with my youngest son alone last night. He is quite a character, but I was reminded of a story from him when he was about 4 years old.
On night my wife and I were looking through photo albums. She has made a personal photo album for each one of our sons and a family one for all of us to share. This day she was looking through Gage’s personal album that dates back to Michelle being pregnant with him. The album has baby pictures, birthdays and every big event. As she flipped through the pages Gage asked a question. Now you need to understand that the first couple years were not taken on the digital camera and have had no altering like I can do now with my Picasa program. So he asked, “Why were my eyes so red? Was it because I was always angry?”
I had a friend in college who used to say, “Some things in life are like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you get tired, you quit when the gorilla gets tired.”
Happy Friday Morning
While there is definitely a lot of bad stuff on the internet, there is also some really good and thought-provoking material. Today I ran across three interesting posts that stretched my thinking.
1. Brian Jones wrote about Church Hopping and Shopping
2. Justin Davis wrote about the Lies of Pornography
3. The People of the Second Chance talked about Dan Marino’s Failures
Lots of good stuff – Be sure and read some of it.
I enjoyed this blog post by Carlos Whittaker over at Ragamuffin Soul for fathers and parents
Every year is full of ways to mark you life. We start with New Years Day and then we have a birthday and finally for many of us we have some sort of anniversary. These are simple ways that we remind ourselves that another year has passed. These markers serve us in two ways.
First, they give us an opportunity to reflect on the past year. It always amazes me how much has happened in just 12 months. For me in just the past year alone; my dad survived a heart attack, my son started high school and played varsity sports, I had to start wearing bi-focals and a couple friends had babies. I am reflecting just thinking about it.
Second, these markers give us an opportunity to make plans and dreams for the next year. It also amazes me how much I can accomplish in just 12 months if put my mind to it. For me, I want to develop this blog further and get back to writing on a regular basis. I want to share the gospel with at least 6 people this year. I want to read through the Bible again. I could go on and on.
Today is a marker day for me and I am reflecting on life. Last years successes are behind me now … and so are my failures. Today and this next year is full of potential. Lord, guide me and forgive me and let me be grateful for another year.
If you believe in Second Chances through Jesus then you will like this website.
They have lots of info and a great Blog. Today is “Second Chance Monday”
Jonah 3:1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time (NIV)
Proverbs 24:16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. (NIV)
Luke 6:35 (b) Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (NIV)
Luke 15:1-2 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (NIV)
I make my living as a preacher. Every week I have the opportunity to speak in a public setting for God and the people. It is a job I take very seriously. I spend hours in study and prayer, thinking through every angle and attack of my arguments. I plan and prepare until the moment of delivery arrives.
With all that said, I openly admit to the numerous mistakes I have made. I once said that John Wesley preached a sermon in which a man confronted him after the sermon. Following that I meant to say, “he was a general who had seen war in the world.” What I said instead was, “he was a general who had seen World War 2.” After the words came out of my mouth I knew I was wrong. Actually I was over a hundred years off. Another time, I was talking about the Ephesians who worshipped “the Goddess Diana.” What I said was really that they worshipped “the princess Diana.” I was a couple thousand years off this time. One time I referred to the tax document at the end of the year as your WD-40. I could go on and on. I never say things that are huge violations in the doctrines of scripture, but sometimes people in illustrations end up a thousand years out-of-place and filing oil instead of tax documents.
All that is to simply declare that I am human. I make mistakes. Not only in my life but even in my speaking. But this is what gets me. Never do people in movies or on TV make mistakes. Never. All their words are polished and their actions graceful, unless of course for comedic purposes. DVD’s that offer outtakes fascinate me. Many of them were funnier than the movie. But why don’t they include those? Every life in every place has some mistakes, blunders, missteps and slips of the tongue. Yet they take the privilege of editing those out. I don’t get that privilege.
What if all of life was like that? We had the ability to edit out everything we didn’t like. Would that make life more interesting or more boring? I believe part of the joy in life is the mistakes! One of the greatest signs of the grace of God in our lives is our ability to laugh at the blunders.
Second Chance Pastor 