Wasting Our Lives

We only have one life–one precious time frame in which to live.  Whether long or short, our lives are often lived in a state of dullness.  What we feel is truly important in life changes. 

At one point, basketball was important to me.  I played it, read about it, and dreamed about being a great NBA superstar.

At another point, various girlfriends (I didn’t have many of them, really) where vitally important.  Until those realationships ended–leaving me feeling foolish.

Other things were important at others times:  school, writing, business, children, being right…all these things had my highest attention.

All the while, the really important thing was staring at me from the pages of Scripture.  Paul summarized it best in the book of Phillippians:  “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Jesus–His example and His words–that is the key to a life of purpose.  Being dead to my selfish desires and my deluded imaginings of what is important and being alive to what Jesus places importance on. 

Love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, being blessed to be a blessing, reaching out to show the love of God in tangible ways.  A life focused upward to Him in praise and outward to Him by my actions toward others.  That is what can satisfy a person hungry for a life of purpose. 

My hopes and dreams have slowly changed (and are slowly changing) from being centered on materialistic desires for a better future for just me and mine to being centered on knowing Christ and making Him known in as many ways as I possibly can.

I don’t want to waste any more of my life.  I hope you’re with me.

Dang Baby

This commercial is the reason I often call Mary Hope “the dang baby.”  Check it out:  http://youtube.com/watch?v=I7EVwIdrEyk

George Carlin’s Death

I did not watch George Carlin’s stand-up routines.  I did not know him.  We had very little in common.  But I still am saddened at his death.

Apparently, he had very little use for God.  I am hopeful that he accepted God’s gracious gift of salvation before his passing.  He was loved by his Creator, whether he knew it or not. 

I am not only grieved about his death, I am also grieved at the response of many of my fellow Christians.  Reading statements like, “Good riddance” and “In his act he mocked God–I wonder if he’ll tell God a few jokes before he goes to Hell” makes me understand even more why many reject Christianity.  As Ghandi said, “I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” 

Regardless of Carlin’s faith or lack thereof, he was still a human being that God loved.  Because of that, I mourn his passing and pray for his family. 

May God have mercy on those who believe it is their responsiblity to condemn anyone else to Hell.

Circle G Ranch

Over the past few months, as I’ve traveled down Thorngrove Pike, I have noticed a place called Circle G Ranch.  What caught my eye as I zoomed past were the zebras and emu that have been out in their field.  Of course, my kids have gone crazy with glee each time as well.  They get excited over seeing lady bugs–imagine how they react when spotting a zebra.

Out in front of the ranch is a sign advertising the hours of operation with the website www.ridecamels.com listed.  I found out that it is a drive through zoo and much more with one-hour camel safaris and other fun activities.  So Kristy and I thought that we should take the kids.

We did that this afternoon and I am glad to say we had a fantastic time. 

When we turned down the gravel driveway, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  After all, the only animals we could see were a few zebras and some emu.  We drove up to a little building and spoke with Christy Michael who co-owns the place with her husband Matt.  She gave us the rules (no getting out of your vehicle, don’t feed the donkeys, that type of thing) and we picked up some feed in little plactic tubs and began our adventure. 

As soon as we drove through the gate, several emu (sort of like small ostriches) made their way toward us.  I held a tub of feed out and they began to feast.  It was quite amusing seeing/hearing my children laugh and seeing the crazed look in the emu’s eyes.  They really are beautiful creatures, though somewhat crosseyed at times.

Then the zebras began approaching.  While they did not come close enough to eat from the tubs, we did toss some their way that they ate.  I’ve never seen zebras so up close before. 

As we drove on across their 3 miles of gravelled road we were able to get up close and personal with ostriches, pigs, donkeys, goats, bufallo, deer, antelope, camels, and several other animals whose names I don’t know.

After the drive, we spoke with Christy and Matt.  I was impressed by their dedication to their animals and their desire to share their passion with others.  They are also very busy people.  In addition to their ranch, they also run the camel rides at the Knoxville Zoo.  Also, many of their animals are featured in live nativity scenes at 3 Dixie Stampede locations (Pigeon Forge, Branson, MO, and Myrtle Beach) as well as the Living Christmas Tree event that Sevier Heights Baptist Church holds at the Thompson Boling Arena.

The kids and I then enjoyed riding one of their camels named Raider.  I think I was more scared than the kids were.

If you live in or around Knox County and are looking for an inexpensive adventure close to home, check out Circle G Ranch.  Find out more about them at their website www.ridecamels.com or call 865-932-0070.

A Constant Beat

Confession time:  I was a band geek.

There, I said it.  It is true.  I could change the phrase to “I am a band geek,” because once a band geek, always a band geek.  Whichever.  What is true is true–there is no use in hiding it. 

Until my senior year I played the mellophone (sort of like a bloated trumpet) in the marching band and the french horn in the concert band.  Sadly, I quit band my senior year due to a scheduling conflict and because I was heavily involved in basketball.  But I do have good memories.

I remember the trips to and from the games on the band bus.  I remember Mr. Coker’s uptightness and the way Mr. Thomas always hit himself in the stomach to prove a point about his superior lung capacity.  Most of all I remember the sounds. 

Of all the sounds I remember, though, one stands out above the rest.  As we marched from the band room to the field at home games, or from the bus to the field at away games, the snare drum kept us line. 

With about 60 people marching, it was important for us to stay together.  The snare drum was instrumental in doing just that.  Every time our left foots hit the ground the drum would sound–tat, tat, tat.  This kept us going at a steady clip.  If the director wanted us to go faster, he would tell the drummer to speed up–and we would all fall in line. 

I was thinking about this the other day as I pondered a trait that I highly admired–the trait of consistency.  There are plenty of people who get excited about something and start out great, only to fizz out when it gets difficult or boring.  It is much more difficult to be passionate and consistent.

In my mind, more followers of Christ need to be like the snare drum that I so fondly remember.  Constant–helping others stay in line.  The snare drum never demanded that we shape up and follow the beat–it just provided a steady beat for us to march to.  If we wan’t to stay in rhythm, we could.  If not, we did not have to.

A consistent life following the Savior should not demand all others do the same–it should just give others a pattern to follow. 

I thank God for those who helped me be consistent and I must strive to be the same for others who may be following my path.  It’s not an easy job, but I believe it to be a rewarding one.  Join me in doing what we can to be consistent.  The are those who need a beat to walk to.

Thoughts of a Young Father

I’m 30 years old.  In days gone by, I wouldn’t have considered that to be “young.”  Now that I think much more clearly, I realize that 30 is still young. 

I’m also a father.  Not just a regular father; I’m a father with 5 children under the age of seven. 

I don’t aim to speak for all young fathers, just myself.  In trying to juggle my responsibilities to my God, my family, my church, and whatever other responsibilities I hold, I think that I have learned a valuable lesson of being a young father.

It can be summed up in one brief, memorable quote that I have been pondering on for a while now:  “The days are long, but the years are short.”

Being a father of young children means that there are often headaches throughout the day.  This is often accompanied by the longing to see my children mature a little quicker.  Sometimes words come out of my mouth that express this longing.  When that happens, invariably there is a older parent with grown children who will say: “Don’t wish for them to grow up too quickly.  You’ll miss these days when they are grown.”

I know that they are right.  My children still see me as a low-level superhero.  They express excitement each day at seeing me and they long for my attention.  They want to hug and kiss me and often will spontaneously say “I love you.” 

I know that, eventually, this will change.  They will need me less, want to be aroud me less, and will shrink from having much physical contact with me.

I get exhausted at times from striving to meet their needs–hence the days are often long.  However, I know that they won’t always have such a desire to be near me and I will miss this when it is gone—therefore the years are short.

There really is no choice.  I must fight the urge to wish them older and enjoy them at the age they are while I can.  It won’t last forever–and I only get one chance.  Making the best of each day and in every circumstance, I will do what I can to savor the moments that will soon fade away. 

My children need me to become who they were made to be and I need them for the exact same reason.

Adopted vs. Biological

Mary Hope is 5 weeks old.  Wow!  This seems impossible. 

So far, everything has been pretty good.  She had some trouble at first with an infection, but that is fine now.  Then, she was spitting up a lot and it seemed like her stomach was hurting quite a bit, so the doctor changed her formula to one of the most expensive kinds available.  I don’t mind this, as long as her little tummy doesn’t hurt as much. 

There is one thing, though, that has caused me a little aggravation and I really wasn’t expecting it.  I have been asked, and in some cases told about, how much different I must feel toward Mary Hope than I do toward our other 4 children, who are all adopted.

Due to all of this kind of talk, I have dwelt on it a little bit and come to a conclusion–for me, there is no difference.  The way we got Mary Hope (from the womb) is of course different than how we got the other children (from DCS) and that is about the only difference for me.

You may think that I am not being completely honest with myself and that, surely, I must feel about Mary Hope a little bit differently than rest.  To be honest, I don’t care how others think I should feel about this issue-my feelings are my feelings.  I love all my children the same. 

However, I am enjoying Mary Hope as a baby more than I did the last 3 babies.  Maybe it’s because I’ve matured some and can take time to “stop and smell the roses.”  I think the main difference is that the last 3 were all babies at the same time and I didn’t have the ability to spend a whole lot of time holding any of them due to constantly changing diapers.

So, if you want to know whether it feels any different to have a biological child vs. an adopted one–here is one person who says that there is no difference at all.

I’m a blessed man.

Obama, McCain, or Jesus

This political season seems to have been going on longer and been more intense than any other in history.  Some are strongly for Obama, others strongly for McCain, and still others vehemently opposed to either one or the other.  Christians are not immune to getting caught up in the debate over who should be the next President of the United States.

Therein lies a problem.  Not that Christians should stay out the voting booth–it is a privilege to vote regardless of one’s faith.  It is just that if we allow ourselves to become engulfed in the debate of who is the better candidate, we are likely to lose sight of the fact that we already have a King.

Who the next President will be is important, of course.  But this importance pales in comparison to the fact that the Kingdom we should be most concerned with is not of the world.  It is the Kingdom of God and Jesus is the ruler. 

What happens to the message of the gospel if we spend our time arguing over who should be the “king” of this worldly kingdom instead of pointing people to the King of Kings?  I believe it hurts the cause of Christ and the good news gets lost in the shuffle.

Let me be clear–Christians should exercise their freedom to vote (or not vote) for whomever they would like.  However, we should remain convinced that the most important Kingdom is not the kingdom of the USA, but the Kingdom of God.  We should never allow presidential politics to dominate our thoughts or our words because doing so is a slap in the face of the One who is truly our King.