Bradley at 5

I’ve been “out of the loop” for a few days, so I missed mentioning a milestone (how’s that for alliteration). 

Bradley turned 5 last Sunday and I can’t hardly believe it.  With as wild as he is sometimes, it’s a wonder he made it this far.  For those of you who know us well, you know that he is somewhat of a “wild child.” 

Recently, on our first Sunday at our new church, Bradley called one of his teachers a punk.  Sometimes he sounds and acts like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes.  He goes and goes and goes seemingly without an off switch.  He can be calm when watching T.V., and this causes him to not pay attention to anything else.

He loves music and singing.  He does this about 1/2 of his waking hours.  He loves playing with his brothers and sister, but he especially enjoys playing and laughing with Matthew.

After having a hard time with this, I have learned to enjoy Bradley more.  He can be trying at times, but I believe that his hyperactivity will one day be used for God’s glory.

I pray for Bradley, and all my children, daily; that they will follow God and that they will be examples to others. 

I’m glad he made it to 5 and look forward to many more years of watching him become what God made him to be.

Heath Ledger’s Death

I just found out about Heath Ledger’s passing.  There are few details right now, but regardless of what is found out, it is still a sad occurrence.

What I’m wondering is this—How long will it be before some right-wing nut calls his death divine punishment for Ledger playing a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain?  You know it will probably happen, I know it will probably happen, but there is nothing we can do to stop it. 

Unfortunately, there are some who claim to speak for God when, in fact, they should just keep their ignorant, hurtful comments to themselves. 

My prayers go out to Ledger’s family and friends during this trying time.  May they find help and hope in the arms of God.

Goodbye Old Friend

Knowing that I am a pastor, when people see my e-mail address (amos78@comcast.net) they assume that it has something to do with the book of Amos in the Bible.  Although Amos is a fine book, it has nothing to do with my e-mail address.

Instead, we used amos in our e-mail address because that is the name of our beagle Amos.  When I was pastoring my first church (East Sunnyview Baptist Church) there was a man there named Nick Strange who raised and trained beagles.  Apparently, one of his beagles accidentally bred with another one that she was supposed to stay away from.  Born from that litter was a puppy with bow-legs and a big belly. 

Nick asked my wife and I if we wanted a beagle.  I said no and Kristy said yes.  When it comes to my wife wanting animals, I can be something of a pushover.  So we got the beagle.  I got to name him.  I chose “Amos.”

From the very beginning Amos displayed a gentle spirit.  When he looked up at me with those big, dark eyes it seemed as though he knew all about my problems and that he cared deeply.  When I would pat him on the head, he would have a look similar to a smile and I felt that all was right with the world.

Over the last couple of years, Amos began to show signs of wear and tear.  He developed skin problems due to a liver problem.  We tried medicine, but nothing seemed to work.  His condition worsened over the past few months and it was evident that we would have to make the painful decision to put him to sleep.

Kristy took him to the vet today.  Amos died sometime after 1:30 pm.

I’m not what you would consider a big animal lover.  But when you spend a portion of your life with a dog that shows you unconditional love day after day, he becomes much more than an animal—he becomes a friend.

So, goodbye old friend.  You will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

What Do You Lack?

Yesterday morning I preached about the “rich young ruler” from the 10th chapter of Mark.  If you know the story, then you know what happens at the end.  Jesus tells the man that he needs to sell all that he has, give it away, and follow Him.  The man leaves very sorrowfully because he had many possessions and was not willing to give them up.

What we can learn from this is that we must have our priorities in order with our relationship with Jesus being #1.  But there are several things that we can learn about what the rich young ruler did right.

1.  He had the right enthusiasm.  The bible says that he ran to Jesus and cut right to the chase with his question.  How different this is from so many people who claim to be Jesus.  We often live passionless lives and rarely get excited about the our faith. 

2.  He had the right position.  When he made it to Jesus he kneeled down, indicating humility.  When approaching Jesus, we need to remember that He is greater than we are.  We do not know it all, but He does.

3.  He had the right question.  He asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  More than anything else, this is the question that we must get the answer to.

4.  He had the right morals.  He knew the law and had kept it.  So often those of us who follow Jesus shrug our shoulders at our sins.  We need to strive to be holy.

In spite of all this, he made the wrong decision because he was consumed with his possessions.  Jesus, however, makes it clear that it is possible for us all to change and become better. 

His grace is truly amazing.

Jonathan at 4

Jonathan turned 4 years old earlier this week and he is excited about it.  At the mall earlier today, he was going up to strangers and announcing his age as if it were a matter of national importance.

So how is Jonathan as a 4 year old?  This can best be summed up by something that happened during supper tonight.  My father-in-law (Mike) was trying to tell Jonathan something and Jonathan wasn’t paying attention.  Mike asked him “Are you ADHD?” 

Jonathan replied, “No, I’m 4.”

Enough said.

Toward Better Health Again (Part 3)

AAAGGGGHHHH!

I exercised every day and did not lose a single, stinking, pound.  Last Friday I weighed 328 and today I weigh 328. 

What went wrong?  Well, for starters, I made a quick trip to North Carolina last weekend and ate everything in sight.  Also, while I did okay on not eating as much through the day this week, at night I screwed up on a regular basis.  Apparently, no matter how much you exercise, if you eat a bunch you will not lose weight.

Regardless of that, I am not giving up.  I feel better–not getting as winded when walking upstairs, more spring in my step, and more energy in general.  Plus, I am almost to my goal of losing 6 pounds for the month–only 2 more to go with 2 weeks left.

I think I’ll make it.  If only I can lay off of the Swiss Cake Rolls.

After 2 weeks–328 pounds (-4 total, -0 for the week).

Seeing What’s Possible

This past Sunday morning my sermon was about seeing what is possible on our journey.  The example was when Jesus passed by Levi (Matthew) and said “Follow me.” 

Levi was a tax collector.  From our vantage point, that does not seem like too bad of a thing to be.  But to the Jews of Jesus’ day, it was one of the worst professions a person could have. 

Israel was under Roman rule, which was bad enough.  What made it even worse was that some of God’s chosen people had chosen to work for them.  Levi was one of these people.  In the eyes of the common people, he was a collaborator with the pagans who were occupying the promised land.

Jesus, though, didn’t just see how bad Levi was, He saw someone that He loved.  He saw someone that could go on to be something different; something better.  He saw what was possible. 

We need to do the same.  No matter where we are or where we have been, we can be something different; something better.  Often, we get sucked into the lie that the way things are is the way things will always be.  It does not have to be that way.  We can be changed–if we are able to see what is possible.

Death of a Hero

I’m sitting in the computer room in a hotel in Durham, North Carolina.  Tomorrow I have to speak at the graveside funeral of one of my heroes.

My uncle, Glenn Cannon, passed away Wednesday morning.  After waging a war with cancer, it finally won the battle.  But it did not win the war.

One of the best things that I know about being a follower of Jesus is that, no matter what happens to our bodies, nothing can harm our souls.  Cancer wracked his body, but it did not destroy him in the process.  Instead, it released him into the arms of Jesus where he is free from the pain that plagued him these past few years.

Glenn was one of the unfortunate ones who contracted polio as a child back when it was in its heyday.  It left him with a withered arm and an almost unnoticeable limp.  But it did not leave him with a weakened spirit.  He was determined to rise above his circumstances to be the best he could be.

He possessed a particulary gentle and humble spirit.  Even though he could have been bitter about having polio as a child and cancer as an adult, he never complained.  He just kept devoting himself to taking care of others and showing people how much he loved them.

His laugh was robust, his smile was contagious, and his determination was inspiring.  His legacy is one of rising above the challenges of life with faith, hope, and love. 

Although I miss him greatly, my life has been made better by his prescence.  That, I think, is what being a hero is really about.

Toward Better Health–Again (Part 2)

It’s been an up and down kind of week.  On one hand, I’ve done well in finding time to exercise and in drinking water like I need to.  I’ve been going to the exercise facility at work during my lunch break and getting on the elliptical machine for 30-40 minutes.  But on the other hand, I’m finding it hard to stay away from the sweets like I want to.  Curse those chocolate no-bake cookies!

In spite of the up-and-downness, I have managed to lose 4 pounds.  So I am now at 328 pounds.  Not a horrible start, but I can do better. 

I need some healthy snacks to eat instead of junk and I need to learn to like vegetables not drenched in butter.  They say that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”   In my case it is ”a journey of 72 pounds begins with 4.”

After the first week: 328 pounds (-4 for the week, -4 total).  Here’s hoping for an even better 2nd week. 

Finally on Myspace

Resistance was futile.

I held off getting my own myspace page as long as I could.  When others would ask me if I had one yet, I always held my head high and answered with an emphatic “NO!”  But myspace finally sucked me into its vortex, seemingly against my own will.

Kristy was sick all night long and all day, so I stayed home from work in case she needed to go to the doctor and to be with the kids.  I had some free time and thought it was time to join up.  Many teens (and adults) in the church I just left and in the one that I just started communicate using myspace, so I thought I would get on board.

If you want to check it out, you can visit http://www.myspace.com/preachermc. 

And if you don’t have a myspace page yet, go ahead and sign up.  Quit fighting it–you won’t win.