Tag: Habits

In the moment

Posted on by Fireproof

Life has been crazy.  That may be an understatement.  Life has been absolutely chaotic.  For the last month or so it seems that we have been on the run.  Starting at the end of July we had a mission team in town with 85 middle school kids setting up worksites for them, 12 in total around the area.  Imagine with me trying to lead and setup that many worksites where you are trying to teach 12-14 year olds how to use a screw gun, read a tape measure, paint, stain, cut, use a weedwacker and so forth.  Let’s just say there is still cleanup going on from kids not knowing you don’t walk across the floor when you have paint on your shoes.  Oh the joys of leading kids.  Isn’t that part of teaching the next generation though.  Yes some of these projects adults with skill could have done in an hour or so, but are we teaching the young anything if we do it all ourselves?  Projects in our home are the same way as our 4 year old twins want to help me work on the shed.  Silas, I am proud to say actually has gotten the hang of reading a tape measure, cutting with a chop saw and using a trim nailer.  (With supervision of course.)  How many adults can say they’ve never done that before.  

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Anyway, back to the thought of life being chaotic.  After mission team we had our annual camping trip to Cowan’s Gap.  All 6 of us packed into our trailer, my in-laws and my parents all camped beside each other enjoying God’s creation.  Man talk about a week.  A day at Hershey Park, biking the battlefields at Gettysburg, fishing every chance we got.  A moment that i will never forget included Eli catching a maybe 3 inch fish and singing “I am the champion,” until he realized how small it truly was.  At that moment we all just stood on the deck cracking up as we made him take a picture with his “prized catch.

Then last weekend my dad and I got to take the boys to the NASCAR race.  It has become our yearly tradition to finish off the summer by taking the boys to the race.  A final weekend spent with just them.  The truth is the race is just he excuse to have that time with them.  To hear about the things they are learning, the memories from the summer, and also picking on them asking what girls they have been kissing lately.  Moments.  Memories.  Times to be cherished while they are still at the age they want to hang out with their dad.  Maybe this is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he speaks of life abundantly, living life to the full.  Being in the moment?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10 NIV

Does it mean a lot more hours at work, and late nights after getting back to everyday life?  Absolutely.  Did I at times during those trips catch myself about everything else i needed to do when getting back.  Yes, it happened at times.  I am still human and my mind wanders, but God has been working on my heart this summer on not taking things to seriously and learning to truly be engulfed in each moment.  Embracing the times and the little snippets I might have to share with my kids the “Father’s Love.” 

This past weekend I caught myself in one of those hours of just being present.  After a long day at work I got to take the kids to a block party our at Salix Bethel Church.  They had a bubble machine setup on one end of the property and inflatable water slides on the other.  For the kids that meant cover your body in bubbles and then run back to the slides using the bubbles to fly down at full speed.  (Take a moment now to remember the joy of being a kid when nothing else mattered).  Eli during that time made it his goal to give me a big bear hug every time he ran by thinking it hilarious to see how wet he could get me.  You know what happened during that hour.  I laughed, I smiled, and I just took it all in.  I forgot about everything else.  Life to the full.

I say that to you today in hope that maybe just for a moment you would take a moment with your kids or grandkids to just be present.  Put your phone down, turn off the tv, and just laugh.  Maybe you don’t have kids in your life anymore, think back to when you were a kid ripping around on your bike, or flying down a slip and slide.  All of us need moments of joy, memories.  What if today you went outside and caught yourself letting your guard down, forgetting about all your stress for a moment.  One of my greatest memories happened when I was about 10 years old.  It was over 90 degrees out and my dad’s a/c in his car went out.  That day he was driving home from Wheeling West Virginia for work and dripping in sweat.  I will never forget him pulling in the drive, climbing out in his suit and tie and just jumping in our small inflatable pool with us and just laughing away.  Is that what you need to do today?  

Just to give you a thought in closing can you imagine Jesus doing that kind of thing when he talks about let the children come to me.  He needed a break from all the noise and chaos?  A moment to just laugh.  Maybe that is even what He did when he went to the mountain by himself to pray, just embraced being in the presence of the father,  telling Dad jokes.  Sometimes we need to loosen up.  Can you imagine God one day looking at you and going, “Why so serious?”  

Matthew 19: 14Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

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“I FORGOT”

Posted on by Fireproof

“Back up,” I say once again starting to raise my voice.  Honestly, next to I love you, those 2 words have to be the most quoted words in our home.  Our kids as soon as they turn the tv on are glued right up to it.  It is like a competition of who can be closest.  Followed by Lindsey going, “Eli, what am I about to say?”  With a shrug of the shoulders and the slow backwards walk he remarks, “I Forgot.”  No kidding this has to happen around 10 times a day with all 4 of our kids.  I can’t just pick on one of them for this story.  It is now at the point that we have downloaded an app onto our phones to act as a remote.  Without even saying a word after the third time telling them we just turn it off and take television away for a half hour.  Every so often we will get some  kickback which then turns into, “what are we going to have to do to make you remember” or “How many times must I tell you?”   To give you a glimpse into SIlas personality usually within 5 minutes will come over showing some remorse, looking up at me, saying, “I don’t know why, I just can’t remember Dad, I just forget.”  Maybe it isn’t TV that is an issue in your home, but how about brushing their teeth or feeding the pets. To all parents out there, you are not alone in having forgetful kids. The truth is even as adults we forget things way more than we’d like to admit.  

In writing this I have been completely convicted.  It is almost as if as I was writing God was showing me in real time how much I forget.  Linds gave me a list of 3 things to pick up at Walmart, even asking if I needed her to write it down.  Nope I think I got it babe, only 3 things.  Milk, Turkey Breast, toothpaste.  So here I am, start talking to someone of course, and totally forget the toothpaste.   After about 20 minutes of wandering and trying to remember I break down and call her, “Honey, what was it again?”  Then later that week we are at church listening to the announcements, thinking about certain things we should join in.  You think by the end of service I had any memory left of what it was, not a chance.  (Now get off my case, you know we all forget announcements at church).  See what I am saying though, we are all forgetful people.  

I bring all that up because I used to look at the story of the Israelites when God gave them the 10 commandments and wonder how they could be so dumb.  Literally these are the people who witnessed God part the Red Sea, send the plagues, provide quail and manna daily, lead them by a pillar of fire, and the list goes on.  Of all people you would think they would be grounded in their faith.  Now Moses comes off the mountain, declares the commandments, and they reply, “Whatever you say Lord we will do.”  Seems pretty straightforward until Moses goes back up the mountain.  How quickly the people forget, they couldn’t even remember command 1, “No other Gods before me.”  Instead they went to Aaron and asked him to create for them a god.  “WHAAAAAT?”  How quickly they forget!  

It becomes a theme throughout all of Scripture and humankind even to this day.  God moves, works, does miracles, answers prayers, and yet how quickly we forget.   When things aren’t going our way, we question if He is there.  When His answers aren’t coming fast enough to our prayers, we wonder if He hears us.  When we have a few rough days at work or look in the mirror too long we question if He still loves us, and I could go on and on.  

I would challenge you today, take a moment, and write down all that God has done for you.  Post it somewhere in your home as a reminder, like tying a string around your finger.  Remembering things, the ways that God has moved is something that is taught throughout the Bible.  In the Old Testament Joshua taught the people to set up monuments, David would write songs, while others would share them by word of mouth.  In the New Testament beyond those 3 things Jesus teaches us that in taking communion we are remembering His death, burial and resurrection leading to us having life.  Retrain your mind to remember and celebrate all that God has done for you and who He is in your life.  

“When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?’ you’ll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.’”“

Joshua 4:6-7 MSG

“Remember this day.”  Exodus 13:3

”And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”“

Luke 22:19

Imitation

Posted on by Fireproof

Follow Me as I follow Christ.  1 Corinthians 11:1

Imitate:  Take or follow as a model.

You want to know some of the habits and traits that you have?  You want to know how other people see the things you are doing?  Then have a child.  You truly never understand some of the quirks that you have until you see your son start to act the same way and do the same things.  In some ways this is awesome, but then other times you want to scream and say to them, “Where did you learn that?  Did Mommy teach you that?”

The more you watch these habits though, the more you realize you are the one who is guilty of these actions your son is now imitating.  In the same sense though it can be an unbelievable thing when you see your son picking up on things you do that make you as a dad super proud.

Linds and I have always been ones to stop and pray before we eat.  We gather around the island in the kitchen with Eli up in his highchair.   So here we are grabbing hands, closing our eyes, and thanking God for the food before us.  After a few weeks of this we begin to notice Eli starting to do the same thing.  He is about 8 months old, grabbing our hands and closing his eyes.  Now at this age, he is at the point where he will get up in his highchair, look at us and say, “PWAY” as he closes his eyes and folds his hands.  We didn’t teach him that, he caught it from us.

Another example is with Linds cleaning up the house.  Eli loves being like mommy, go into the closet and get the Swiffer out himself as Linds gets the vacuum out.  He sees her cleaning and he wants to help, to the point he has his own cleaning tools.

Sometimes, this can be incredible to watch and makes you extremely proud. Other times, it can drive you nuts to be completely honest.  Last week, I was trying to paint in the hall.  So here I am, on the stepladder, trying to reach the high spots.  As I’m up there, I start hear a dripping behind me.  My first thought was we must have a water leak so I start searching for it.  Nothing, thank goodness.  Then I look down and see Eli smiling away, a second paintbrush in his hand with brown paint up to the handle.  He is shaking it up and down making a painting motion as paint flung all over the hallway, down the front of him, through his hair and all over the floor.  I wanted to get mad but all I could do was laugh, because he just imitating his daddy.  So I called for Linds and she came in helping me get him cleaned up.  We learned the valuable lesson to keep things such as paintbrushes high and out of his reach.

One of the craziest ways I have seen Eli imitate Lindsey and I is in our words.  We have a 100 lb lab/st. bernard mix puppy (or bear to many) and he has to be one of the neediest dogs ever.  I swear it is nonstop whining and crying, wanting in and out.  There are times when Eli will be crying, Bomber wants out and all you can do is mumble something at him telling him in a subtle way to go sit down and hush up.  The next thing you know Eli is saying the same exact thing, “hush, hush.”  He hears our words and then starts repeating them, like we have our own little parrot in the room.  What words are we teaching him?

It has truly been a lesson for me though in being an example for him in my faith.  If I want to see him become a man of prayer, I have to be that example of a man who prays myself.  If I want to see him learn to read Scripture, I better be reading it myself.  If I want to see Eli learn to be a man who cares for others, who gives, who leads, and the list goes on, I better be ready to allow him to see my example.  Like the old saying goes, “more is caught than taught.”

I can only imagine Eli saying to me one day, “Well dad, I don’t see you doing those things.” How convicting would that be for you?  I know my heart would break.  I want to be that example for my child. How about you?

Now when we are at the church, during worship, I will holding Eli in my arms and he will raise his hands over his head.  What a moment for a dad, he may not be able to sing yet or know the words, but he has seen his daddy and mommy in worship raising their hands.

cross

I believe that is exactly what Paul is talking about here is this passage, saying to the Corinthians, look at my example.  Follow me as I follow.  I can only imagine the Corinthian people looking at him and saying, “but Paul we don’t see that example in you.”  He had to live what he taught himself.

We live in a culture now though where we use the excuse or the line, “do as I say, not as I do.”  It doesn’t work that way with kids.  They learn what they see.  They do as you do.  Good and bad.

One final thought though, is for someone to imitate you they have to spend time with you.  For you to imitate Christ, you have to spend time with Him.  You want your kids to learn to spend time with Christ, you have to learn what that means yourself and set that example.  Imitation comes from being around someone, watching them, and doing as they do.

I can only wait and see the things that Eli picks up on from Linds and I’s example.  I hope and pray most of what he does will be good traits but I know along the way we will fail at times, so please take a moment and pray for us as we try and be an example for him and for others.  While you’re at it, pray for the example you ‘re being.