Tag: life

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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“keep it simple”

Posted on by Fireproof

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…” Matthew 25:35. The righteous reply with a simple question, when?  Matthew 25: 40, “When you did this for the least of these, you did it unto me.”  Bam!  Pretty straightforward and blunt.  

Today I want to share with you a proud Dad moment.  A little over a week ago I was taking our 4 kids to Walmart to get Valentine’s stuff for Lindsey.  In my mind it would be simple, let them each pick a card and a gift that they each thought she’d love.  Amongst all the screaming ideas in the car, I was in my own little world oblivious to what was going on around me, just hoping not to spend an hour there.  Eli on the other hand was fully alert and that included noticing the man standing outside the store with the simple sign that said, “Hungry, will you help me with food?”  At that moment instead of thinking about his mom’s valentines,  his focus shifted toward that man; let’s say obsessing over it.  “Dad, can I buy that guy some food?  I have my own wallet.”  He exclaimed with joy taking over.  “Bud, you don’t have to pay, I can, but yes we can get him some things.”  He looked at me for a few moments like staring into my soul, “Dad, I said I have my wallet and this is something I want to do.”  Who am I to argue with that, like him saying, don’t steal my blessing dad.  

After about 10 minutes picking out flowers, cards and gifts for Linds, Eli again was laser focused.  He had time to think about what he wanted.  Chicken Poppers, Reese’s and a bottle of water.  Perfect, covering all the major food groups in our home.  Silas also had to throw in 2 apples for good measure.  Normally to get our kids out of Walmart is like a pulling teeth, an hour long ordeal after looking at toys.  Not that day, they were running to the checkout worried the man was no longer going to be there.  “Dad, dad, there he is,” all four kids screamed including the twins.  As I pull up to him, Eli jumps into the front seat so both he and Silas have a window they can reach out.  “Hey sir, hey sir we have stuff for you!”  The excitement in their faces and the joy in the man made it all worth it.  As they explained to him that they bought it with their own money, I swear it looked like the guys eyes were tearing up.  

Driving away from that moment Silas had one of his deep thoughts like normal.  “Dad, is that how we live Jesus?  Like is that what you mean when you say we can live out the Bible?”  Absolutely, the simplicity of a child’s mind.  They get it.  To be honest though, how many of us as adults would overthink it.  We’d see the sign asking for help then start thinking about the guys story wondering if he deserves it?  Is he really hungry or just trying to get my money?  How many other people already gave him food?  The list of excuses could go on and on.  

To a child it was as simple as “dad he is holding up a sign saying I am hungry, can we feed him?”

I know I learned something that day.  Maybe we overcomplicate the Gospels at times when Jesus is being pretty straightforward and blunt.  What if at times we started thinking like a child, going here is the need, how can we meet it.  Hope this challenges your thinking, and makes you laugh.