I am a broken man...

image from exileinternational.org

We waste so much. Why do we spend so much time arguing about politics, destroying relationships, drowning in debt, collecting and consuming?

What is really important to you? Think about it... what ultimately matters in your life?  Is it worth the breathe you expel arguing about who has the best energy policy, or which economic theories will pull us out of this recession?  Was it worth the strain in your marriage, and the fear in your kids hearts, to try to yell louder and prove you were the one that was right?  Is it really worth that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when your bills are past due to have that new...

In this country, we live opulent, sheltered, spoiled lives while in other parts of the world people die from drinking the only water they could find, not knowing that it was full of parasites and bacteria.  Think about this when you dump out your filtered, bottled water because it was too warm.   Elsewhere in the world you children, maybe six or seven years old, are forced to join armies and fight against their own families.  Some are killed to show others not to even think about betraying the leaders.  While this is going on, in other parts of the world, even younger children, are being forced into slavery and raped.

How do we fix this broken world?

First, we have to fix our own brokenness.
This only comes from a personal relationship with Christ.
C.S. Lewis said it like this, "the Christian life is simply a process of having your natural self changed into a Christ self, and that this process goes on very far inside".

It starts with you.  I cannot love the way Christ loves me.  But only through Christ's love for me can I begin to love others.  My view of the world must change.

w/ audio from C.S. Lewis

The Age of Awareness, Prayer Warriors, and Cleaning Your Room

So what do these all have to do with each other???  Read on if you at all curious, because I will show you how these all fit together.

I have never really bought into the whole Age of Awareness stuff that some religions push.  There is no magic age when kids understand God.  I don't even think it is always an big powerful moment when all of a sudden you get it.  Some times it is much more subtle... and much more beautiful.

For some time now Dylan, my oldest son, has been interested in Bible stories and "Jesus" music.  He really seems to understand a lot more than you would think.  Jodi and I even had to console his crying one day because he was so moved by the way one of his kids worship songs made him feel.  It was one of the most amazing and beautiful things I have ever experienced in my life.

Then, this morning as I was about to head out for work, I heard Dyl talking in his room.  I went in and he was in bed.  I asked him, as he looked up at me, if he was talking in his sleep.  Which he has been known to do...  He said, "No, I was praying."
"About what?"
"About watching TV and cleaning my room."

See, I have been asking him to pick up his room for a few days now, and told him last night that he really needed to pick it up today.  I have also been talking to him more about prayer.

Dylan is an aspiring Prayer Warrior.  (Now I do not use that term lightly. I think it is a term that is thrown around far too often.)  Dylan always reminds us to pray at dinner, and almost always is the one who offers the prayer.  He also is always ready to pray over boo boos or if some one is sick or seeds we plant in our garden.  And the amazing thing is that from his true child like faith he believes knows, that his requests will be and are answered.

He is an amazing blessing to everyone that knows him.

I love you Dyl!

Gratitude and Kindness

This cartoon is based in reality and I though it seemed like a good time to talk about gratitude and kindness
We seem to live in a world where far too often we react like the boy in the cartoon when some one is unexpectedly kind to us.  And if we don't react exactly like the boy in the cartoon we might try to shrug off the kind act or we accept it hesitantly wondering what strings are attached.  This same line of thinking makes us less likely to be kind and does the same for people who were kind to us and the whole thing snowballs into a world where we don't reach out to one another in love.

So the next time someone is kind to you, please graciously accept it at face value.  And then try to be kind to someone else.  I think you'll like the results.

Are commercials making you hate your life?

Donald Miller, a writer that I really like, is starting a blog series about Commercialism and Faith.  The first post is now up and I would take a look.  I will probably be writing some posts as commentary and additions as I feel lead.  But I would click over to Donald Miller's Blog and read for yourself now.

Losing Sight

From time to time I go to an old staple of mine for inspiration.  Maybe it's more often than from time to time.  I was looking through some lyrics to day of a band i really like.  The song is Losing Sight on the Shadows Are Security album by the band As I Lay Dying.  Now if you are not into heavier rock, please don't write this off.  You may never be into the music, but read these lyrics.

How could we lose sight of what matters most?
Trying to love what cannot love us back.
All we have is not worth living for
If we do not know when to let go.

What is this life, that we cling to it so tight
Afraid that it will take from us these fading sentiments?

Can we die to live another day?

How true is this... We do often lose sight of the most important things in life due to things that seem important.  We end up wrapped up in work but neglect our friends and family.  Our jobs will never love us back.  We some times get so into things and stuff when that is all they are.  Inanimate objects that cannot love us or benefit from us loving them, no matter how hard we try.  Worse yet, we sometimes spend all of our energy on these things that will never love us only to be short tempered and mean to people that love us and want us to love them more than anything in this world.  I often find my self apologizing to my wife and kids for bringing the stress of work home with me.

If this is how we treat the most important people here on earth how do you think God feels when he takes a back seat?  Sometimes he barely even makes it on the bus with us...

So to quote the song one last time... "How could we lose sight of what matters most?"

Three Hundred and Sixty Four More...

If I had three hundred and sixty four more Valentine's Days a year,
that would not be enough.
If I had three hundred and sixty four more Valentine's Days,
I still could never let you know how much you mean to me.
If I had three hundred and sixty four more Valentine's Days,
I would spend every one with you.

If I had three hundred and sixty four more Valentine's Days a year,
I would spend every one trying to let you know how much I love you.
I would tell you all of the wonderful things that you do
that let me know that you care.
I would tell you all of the things that you do that let me know that I'm loved.
And in turn I would try as I might to put into words
all of this love in my heart.

If I had three hundred and sixty four more Valentine's Days a year,
I still would not have enough.
If I had three hundred and sixty four more Valentine's Days,
I would not yet have enough time in a year.
If I had three hundred and sixty four more Valentine's Days,
I would still need year upon year to let you know how much you mean to me.


I love you Jodi!

Sad Sad World

I just read an article about a 30 year old women, who was mentally handicapped, that was tortured and killed by people that she called her friends.  The consequences of living in a broken world are having to learn of things like this and then trying to make sense of senseless acts like this.  How can people fall so far into darkness from where we are intended to live.  My heart breaks for the countless friends and family of Jennifer and it also breaks for the souls of the people that decided to do these terrible things.  Forgiveness does not come easy to souls like these, at least not from man.
Please pray with me for all that are associated with these horrific events.