Fathers

So, if you have read the explanation of my blog, or read a few of my blogs (Gotta Do It, Legend) you know that I take fatherhood seriously and understand that it comes with a great amount of responsibility.

This was brought to light even more for me recently while reading Genesis. Chapter 15:7 says

He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."

He says, "I brought YOU..." However, in Genesis 11:31, it is stated that Terah, Abrahams father, took him and his grandson and daughter in law from Ur of the Chaldeans into Canaan. He didn't call Abraham out, he called his father out. From the rest of his life, it is quite obvious that God definitely wanted Abraham out of the the land of the Chaldeans, and used his father to do so.

So, the logical understanding is that God used Abraham's father to move Abraham into the land that God wanted him in for his future destiny. As far as we know, according to Joshua 24:2, Terah didn't worship God. However, God needed Abraham's father in order to carry out His plans in Abraham's life. Guess it's pretty clear that God intends fathers to be the instrument of His will in children's life.

So, what are you doing in your childrens life to bring about God's purposes. Or, better yet, how are you planning to to bring about God's purposes in your future children's lives? If an unbelieving father can be used to mold his children's lives, you can be too.

God, nature and Ronald Reagan

I just finished reading one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Job 38 and 39 when God tells Job "brace yourself like a man, I will speak to you and you will answer" God then proceeds to "lay the wood" on Job. He goes on and on about his amazing power and speaks rather sarcastically to Job about the fact that he doesn't compare to God's wisdom and power. At the very end of chapter 38 and all of 39, he shifts gears and becomes rather compassionate and passionate. The object of his compassion however, is nature. Several times in chapter 38 he makes birth references when talking about nature. It's as if His creation is his offspring and in chapter 39, he is quite proud of his offspring. He begins talking about taking care of lion cubs and young ravens in their hunger, then he talks about the mountain goat. These few verses have always been very tender to me. He makes it known that His presence is present at the birth of a baby mountain goat in the deep crags of a mountain. That he knows the due date and counts down the months like an expecting Father. I've always been humbled by the fact that he loves me even more than that mountain goat which receives so much of his attention.

He then goes on to brag about the independence of the donkey, the strength and stubborness of the ox, the speed of the ostrich, the bravery of the horse and the superiority of the eagle. God is quite proud of his creation. I think it's important to him that we take care of it. In chapter 31:38-40, Job says that if he had indeed neglected the care of the earth, then he would be deserving of his "punishment". Often times we tend to forget about the beauty of his creation and the fact that he is proud of it and wants us to enjoy it.

I've been reading "The Reagan Diaries" and was moved by an entry he posted on one particular Sunday. He was feeling guilty that he was unable to attend church due to the security problems posed after being shot. He and Nancy spent the day horeseback riding in the woods at Camp David and his entry read: "I hope God realizes how much I feel that I am in a temple when I'm in his beautiful forest and countryside"

I have to think this statement by Reagan put a smile on God's face. After all, what parent doesn't enjoy a compliment about his offspring?

When was the last time you enjoyed God's nature? Let me know about the experience and what you most enjoyed about it.

Gotta do it!!

Well, part of a 150 year plan to leave a legacy for your famiy is sticking around long enough to see it happen. I regret to say that I'm currently only 10 pounds away from my all time high of 260 pounds. That's right, I'm at 250. I need to get back down to the 225 I weighed a year ago after losing 40 pounds. Unfortunately, I can eat relatively healthy and mantain my 250 weight. I must be a little more disciplined with my diet, but most important need to get off my butt and run daily. So, it is my goal to get up in the mornings and run. I'm hoping to be able to force myself through a mile tomorrow. I know a mile isn't much but part of this will be uphill and I've got to start somewhere. So, I'll post a picture here of myself currently and will blog on the 15th and end of each month with an update. A little "atta boy" and encouragement would help along the way although I need to be a self motivator on this thing and make it happen. So here I am Sunday at my daughter's birthday party (the same daughter I need to stick around long enough for to see her kids.)

My Princess is two

I can't believe it, my baby Princess Peanut, Alyssa is turning two tomorrow. I'm not a big fan of her getting older at all, but I will be carrying on a second generation tradition tomorrow. My dad used to take me (and my brothers) out to breakfast on the morning of our birthday. I have always done that with my kids as well and will be going to McDonalds tomorrow with my little two year old princess for some pancakes and lovin'. Since she's only two, we won't be having a heart to heart but we will be building memories.

Two Weeks Old




First Year Birthday

Couple days ago

what if???

That's the big question, what if I hadn't won the bracket pool at work? The loser was going to have to wear a moustache (porn-stache as we called it) for a week at work as we serviced our customers and dealt with high finance, all the while trying to be taken seriously. So, if I hadn't won, this is how bad it would have looked.

Seriously, would you entrust your life savings to this? ??? Didn't think so, good thing I didn't lose (thank you memphis)

FFFIIIINNNAAALLLYYY!!!!!!!!!

Today, was, according to the weather man, going to be a beautiful day and my wonderful wife said "Are you going to ride the motorcycle to work?"

I have to admit, my ride to my mens meeting, Mens Fraternity: The Quest For Authentic Manhood, was a little chilly as it was in the upper 30's, but it was beautiful by 8 when I left my small group to go to work and it was fantastic riding the rest of the day.

The only bummer is that my Grandmother, Nanoo, wasn't here to ride with me like she was last year, that's right 86 year old biker mama.

yep, in a dress!

Horton Hears a Who and The Intimate Friendship of God

On Sunday, I took the family to see Dr. Seuss' HORTON HEARS A WHO. It was a really cute movie and the kids all liked it. Alyssa kept calling Horton the elephant a "poppie"



















which was also very cute.

The movie also had quite an element of theology to it, although I couldn't agree with it wholeheartedly. The mayor of Whoville was discovered floating adrift without any hope of rescue until discovered by Horton, the goofy elephant. The movie then goes on to show Horton and the mayor having a personal relationship in which the mayor could speak to Horton any time he wanted. In fact, oftentimes the mayor was very much the high priest standing in the gap for the town and speaking to Horton for help and rescue. (Maybe I'm stretching it here, but I couldn't help but wonder if the genius of Dr. Seuss wasn't trying to make a statement.)

Anyhow, what I didn't agree with was the fact that Horton, representing God, didn't know what was going on in the lives of the Whovillers. He couldn't see them because He was too big and they were too small and insignificant. He couldn't be intimitately involved with their lives and therefore became the genie in the bottle to respond to every request brought by the mayor. However, there was something quite endearing in the way Horton went out of his way to take care of these little people... that he couldn't even see...on a little speck of dust... on a cloverleaf...in the middle of the jungle . In fact, I didn't even come to appreciate how cool that was until I was reading Job 29 this morning during breakfast and I saw the beauty of it. Job was lamenting and longing for the months gone by in which, in verse 2, he states "when God's intimate friendship blessed my house"

The Hebrew word for friendship is COWD, which means "the company of a person-intimacy" and it comes from a root word meaning "be alert and sleepless-on the watchout".

I'm sure we've all had friendships in which we feel completely safe and can be vulnerable, but there is no friendship that creates safety and comfort like that of God's intimate friendship. As the man of my house I desire to bring my family the enjoyment of the days in which "God watches over me, his lamp shining on my head and by his light we walk through darkness! When God's intimate friendship blesses my house and the Almighty is with me and my children are all around me." Job 29:2-5

So WHOever you are out there in Whoville, begin to experience God's intimate friendship which will bless your house.