Watching God Work

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the details of life that you felt like you were drowning? I've had that experience many times over my 40+ years of life.

Usually it comes completely unexpectedly. I have everything scheduled out just fine. The calendar is set, the task list is extensive but achievable, and the clock is ticking. Then it happens. The curve ball is thrown when I was expecting the fast ball.

Someone who is scheduled to _______ can't make it.
The computer equipment died, so we can't _______.
There's not enough time.
We ran out of money.
The beat goes on...

Ministry (starting with my marriage and children) has exposed me to countless situations like this over the past 18+ years. The details of the situations change, but the type of situation does not:

I have a plan.
A curve ball is thrown.
The plan does not work.

You'd think after all this time that I would have gotten better at hitting "curve balls," but I haven't. In my earlier years I used to try this strategy. I tried to work harder, work faster, or work smarter. I tried to adjust to the circumstances quickly so I could hit one out of the park. It never worked. I might have gotten an infield single, but usually I would just foul it off.

Now my strategy has changed dramatically. I put in a pinch-hitter. He has a great batting record (the stats say it's 1.000). He's never surprised by a curve ball...or a spider...or a change-up. He always knocks it out of the park. The best part is...I get to watch.

The next time you find yourself drowning in the details of life or you recognize that a curve ball is messing up your game, why not try a different strategy. Stop swinging. You'll only wear yourself out and you'll probably just foul it off anyway. Let Him get in the batter's box and enjoy the show. Have you ever watched Him hit one out of the park? I'm telling ya, it's a site to see...

A "Garden Walk" Experience

 (Actually written July 9th - I don't know how to back-date these things yet.)

Traci and I had a few hours today to take a break from our normal routine, so we went to the beach.  It's one of our favorite places to go and just enjoy God's creation and let go of the task list.  As we sat in our chairs, looked out over the water, felt the breeze, and watched the waves rolling in, I was struck by the contrast between two of His creatures.

The first was a pack of birds.  They walked around the beach seeming to just be enjoying the day.  Nothing really bothered them until a child decided to throw a shovel full of sand over his shoulder and almost hit them with it.  I watched one of the birds gliding effortlessly while the breeze lifted it up.  Flapping was an unnecessary movement as the gusts of wind provided the necessary movement and a properly positioned wing provided the necessary lift.  It was a beautiful sight to see.  I almost envied those creatures who can lift themselves above the ground to survey all of His Creation without the aid of additional contraptions.

The second was a little girl named "Biaka." (sp?)  It was an interesting name I found out because I asked her mom.  (I thought I heard her mom call her "Becca.")  Anyway, her mom informed me that she was two years old.  I know enough about children now that I probably could have guessed.  The tell-tale sign was the mom -vs- child standoff that took place near the water's edge.  Mom wanted to show her little girl how to build a sand castle using one of the several plastic buckets they had to play with.  Daughter was not interested in building a sand castle at that moment.  She had already learned that she could fill her plastic bucket with water, carry it up the beach about 10 yards, then dump it in just the right spot waiting to receive the bucket of water.  Mom would say something like, "Come here.  Let me show you."  Daughter would say, "No! Water." then walk down the beach to fill her bucket again.

It made me think... How many times does God try to provide me everything I need (like the breeze to keep me cool), and I end up wanting something other than what He gave me (like wings to fly)?  How many times does He try to show me something I've never experienced before (like building a sand castle) and I tell Him, "No!" because I'm so busy doing this incredibly important job I figured out how to do?

Walking with God really is much easier than I make it.  All I need to do is thank Him for what He gives me, tend and care for it, and listen to what He's trying to teach me.  I think that's what I'm going to start doing.  Oh, wait a minute.  I've got something important to do first...

Grading on the Curve

My oldest daughter, Becca, is graduating from High School this year.  Besides all the normal fanfare that other high-school students (and parents) go through, our daughter has the added benefit of being home schooled.  This means Traci and I get to grade all her work and create her college transcripts.  I would love to tell you that I've been diligently grading all her work every week over the past four years, but that would be lying and this blog is about transparency.

Rather than do what "good teachers" would do, I've spot-checked her work throughout the past 4 years as she was doing the work.  When she had questions, I stopped to answer them to keep her on track.  Other than that, her teacher has really been her well-written text books, dvds with teachers, and computerized curriculum.  She really has had to learn how to be a self-starter, and it's payed off.  She's a responsible young lady with a good head on her shoulders...and she really wants to walk with God in every area of her life.  Yeah, I'm a little proud of her. :-)

College transcripts, however, are taking a bit of work...grading work.  I'm pounding through the piles of papers my daughter has produced over the past 4 years and filling in the "gaps" between my spot-checking.  Wow, I've asked her to do a lot!  As I grade these papers, though, I find myself becoming a bit philosophical about the whole thing.

I remember how much we used to worry about grades when I was in high school.  My parents (like most) used it as a barometer of "success" in school.  Colleges use these grades as a predictor of future potential in their schools.  We would work hard for them.  Some students would even cheat to get good grades.  (I tried once in grade school, got caught, and never tried again.  Man, this transparency thing is harder than I thought!)  Some teachers would even "grade on a curve" to allow a greater percentage of their class to pass their course.  Everything seemed to fall in line behind the all-important grade.

Here's the question that keeps rolling over in my mind:  What are we grading?  Battles over the public school system continue to take place across the nation as our test scores in comparison to other nations remain low.  Are we testing the right things, though?  At the heart of this question lies the question no one really wants to ask.  We are teaching our children to work hard and achieve - climb the ladder if you will.  But is the ladder leaning up against the right wall?


Proverbs 22:6  Says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (NIV)  The assumption here is that we know the way they should go.  Do the politicians?  Do the school boards?  Do the teachers?  Do we?

I resolved myself long ago to the fact that I fall short in life in so many ways.  The only hope I have for my children is to teach them how to listen to the only perfect Father they will ever have.  I even show them that I learn from Him as well...every day.

As Becca gets ready to go out into the world, I don't worry about whether she will succeed or not.  I know she will.  Perhaps she won't see things the way the world see's things.  She may not even "score high" on the world standardized tests.  That's fine with me.  She's gaining wisdom from the right place - from someone who knows "the way she should go": the one who made the world.

My First Post

I must admit that I've never really understood this blog-thing. Actually, I've avoided it like the plague. It always seemed a bit self-aggrandizing to me...thinking that anyone would be interested in what I think or have to say. I've read blogs on about every topic out there - from politics to religion - from someone's favorite cat to the technical details on reprogramming a piece of electronic equipment. I've been grateful for the people who take the time to share their thoughts, but I've never really thought it a good use of my time...until now.

People, as is often the case, have changed my mind. I'm not too proud to admit that. Throughout my life, I find that a little dose of humility often brings me to the place God wanted me all along anyway. People have helped me see these blogs (and specifically my writing one) in a different light. Here's what I've learned...

1) I Need to Practice what I Preach - Anyone who's been around me for awhile knows that I have a heart's desire to help people find and experience what I call "A Garden Walk." I suspect I'll have many posts on the subject over time. The bottom line, though, is that Adam and Eve give us the only perfect, God-designed picture for humanity before we walked away from Him. Adam and Eve were in the garden of eden before the fall - naked and unashamed. I call this "transparent and unashamed" when I'm teaching on the subject. The bottom line is this: they had nothing hidden and nothing to hide. That's what I strive for as well. Blogging adds another level of transparency to my life for anyone to see. It's not about whether someone will actually care to read this or not. It's about my willingness to share it.

2) My Mind is a Mess - I just got done teaching about "bad boxes" and "good boxes" on our weekend services at church. (You'll get a chance to learn more about that lesson and the church in future posts, I'm guessing.) I joked about how nobody wants to see what's going on inside my mind because it's such a mess. What I've learned over the past 6+ years, though, is that they do. I'm not exactly sure why, but people don't often come up to me to thank me for my excellent Biblical Exegesis of a specific passage of Scripture. They do CONSISTENTLY thank me for being honest about my process - my "mess" if you will. I'm told that I don't look down on people or make them feel "less than" me because of my honesty about what I face in life and how I face it. In other words, sharing my "mess" is not a bad thing.

3) The Process is Detailed - During the same series on boxes (no, really it will make sense some day), I finished up by reminding us all that the "process is good." I was trying to encourage people not to get down when they're not perfect today. Becoming "Holy" as "He is Holy" is a process for all of us. After teaching the series, though, I realized that I'm barely scratching the surface of that process. I've helped people see that it exists and how it can work, but I haven't gotten into the details of applying this process to my life. There's simply not enough time in a Weekend Service to share all the details. In a blog, though, I can be transparent about my process and anyone who wants to see it is welcome to watch. Perhaps it can be a gift to someone.

4) It Helps Me - This last reason didn't really come from anyone else. It's more of a self-revelation. These blogs will help me work through life. I'm more of an extrovert. I'm not sure what you think that means, but I think that means that I process information better out loud. It helps me think when I can discuss a topic with someone. I'm realizing even now as I type this that the blogging process is very similar to "talking it out" with another person - even if no other person ever reads it. This is going to help me work through the things in my mind.

Well, there you have it. Transparent and unashamed...being honest about my mess...letting the details be seen...helping me process. That's what I expect will happen in my blog posts. I hope and pray that it will be a blessing to someone. I guess God already answered that prayer with a resounding, "yes." It's helping me.

Thank you, Lord.

Me