Blessing

I've been reading a book that church provided to the congregation the other day: Rich Toward God (I looked for something to link to, but curiously couldn't find one out there in the www). It's a short book, maybe 100 pages. It references the last three words of Luke 12:21, and teaches us the meaning of generosity and not being able to "out give" God.

Here's my little testimony. I get paid every two weeks. This means that twice a year I get a three-paycheck month. It just so happens that October 2010 is one of those months for us and it just so happens that the the third paycheck is coinciding with this study. It also just so happens that we had overspent our budget by about $100 this paycheck, so I was going to have to take from savings to make all things work this time around. Well, it just so happens that the third paycheck is always a little bit more than the normal paycheck amount because things like insurance and dental and not taken out since they are on a 24-paycheck scale. Anyway, all this amounts to an extra $100 than we would normally receive.

All this breaks down to this: God wants to bless, but He has to see action on our part first. I am reminded that it's impossible to out-give God. He created the universe. He Created The Universe. HE CREATED THE UNIVERSE! Sorry, the repeating was a reminder for myself too. If you really believe He created the universe, then isn't it possible to believe he can handle all life's little bumps? In other words, FAITH is the gasoline to the engine that God designed and runs.

Faith in prayer, faith in knowing that He's in control, faith in finances, faith in relationships like marriage and co-workers, etc...

FAITH is believing in the safety net that you don't actually see with your eyes, but you feel with your heart.

Polarizing Event

As an adult, have you ever learned a new definition of a word? When I was in grade school I memorized lots of definitions of words for the test at the end of the week. Now that I'm 'all grown up' it's a rarity that I learn a new definition. Sometimes, on occasion, I'll take the time to look up a word using Google's browser and voila (define: voila) you've got the definition quickly and painlessly. Sometimes after that I'll actually add that new word into my personal vocabulary and use it in a sentence while conversing with someone. It's a proud moment indeed!

Anyway, I had such a moment the other day. I have heard the word polarize thousands of times in the media. I finally looked it up the other day. In the context of politics it means divided. To use it in a sentence one might say that our country is polarized on many important topics.

In Iowa, where I live, it happened. We had a polarizing event; a dividing event. Our government is now recognizing gay marriages legally.

First, I'm a sinner. I always have been and I always will be until I'm united with Him in heaven. I hate my sin. It separates me from God. It adds strife to relationships. It makes working with others difficult. It ruins companies and governments and countries. It causes war and hate and enmity. It leads to corruption. It started awhile ago with a simple apple and continues to snowball. It frustrates even the best of people. Ironically, it's what keeps me coming back to God because I know that sin is bigger than me.

In God's Word, it states that sexual immorality leads to the worst possible outcome (I Corinthians 6:9). The Bible also shows us how it can affect a civilization: Genesis 19. In reading these two passages I feel a sense of sadness because it means that those who that practice this sin either don't know the consequences or they are choosing to ignore them.

I'm bothered by the audacity of our government. On the other hand I know that this decision is really just about paperwork and not about love or relationships. Folks that practice this behavior will go ahead with it regardless whether their government says it's OK to marry. Ultimately what bothers me is that as a society we're one step closer to Sodom and Gomorrah and one step further from God's plan.

Earth Cursed

We were having a discussion in our small group Bible study a couple weeks ago on the topic of the earth and it's death. I made a statement that the earth was slowly dieing because of sin. This was something I felt, but had no proof of this - I couldn't back it up. Since then I've done a bit of research on the topic and this is what I've found.

Genesis 3:17 & 18 God says to Adam: "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you..."

OK so now we have proof of the curse. The 3rd chapter of Genesis is about the fall of man. There are consequences of sin; the most basic being death. You have to realize that God didn't want it this way. Man was supposed to live forever in harmony with God and His creation, but man chose badly and it affected the earth we live on.

Romans 8:20 & 21 states: For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

In other words, everything God created in Genesis is decaying because of man choice.

Romans 5:12 says: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-

This passage reiterates that sin causes death and it states that everyone will die because everyone has sinned.

I realize that all this sounds harsh. It is harsh. There's really no other way it can be. We often use our own perspectives, but take it from God's: He can't be around sin. Sin is darkness; He is light. Sin is imperfect; He is perfect. Because we have sin; it keeps us from Him. But there is a clear path that He has paved that allows us to wash away that sin. I'm sure you're all aware of God's plan of salvation (If not read the Romans Road: Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9-13). So the good news is that He didn't just say, "OK, they sinned, they're dead, goodbye." No, He made a plan and it involved Him coming to us.

To wrap this up, the death of the earth points to our need for salvation. My prayer is that you don't ignore that need.

Handy Man

OK, after two death posts I need to get back on track here and do something lighthearted.

Last Saturday I successfully changed a fuel filter on our car.

Last night I replaced the controller on our boiler.

I'm overjoyed to say that the car is running fine and I our house is warm.

I'm pumped!

The truth: it took me about 3 hours to do the fuel filter and it required about 5 trips in and out of the house to look at the internet for pointers. It took me about 2 days to get the gas smell off of my hands and the grease out from under my fingernails. The dirty nails were strangely rewarding.

The controller was easy because all I had to do was read. Fortunately I can.

Cricetus cricetus

We lost a family member on Sunday night. Don't fret too much - it's a pet; a Chinese hamster to be exact. For Kelsey it was a heartbreaking loss. For Cole it t00k about 5 minutes for it to sink in that she was gone then the emotions came. For Lynnette it was surprising how much pain she felt. For me, well I felt bad for them.

Sunday night was one of those fun evenings where you just feel good as a family unit; like you accomplished a lot that weekend and now it was time to relax and enjoy the family time. We'd had a busy day on Saturday with lots of good activities and successes: Kelsey did well with her Bible Quizing, Lynnette and I went on a date and Cole and I successfully changed the fuel filter on our car (*more on that later). Earlier on Sunday we had an enjoyable time with Lynnette's family at our house with a ridiculously big lunch. It was now time to sit back and take it easy. Then Lynnette found Stephanie curled up in a ball in the bottom of the cage - not moving.

Kelsey is an animal lover. My heart sank at the thought of telling her the news. You see she wants to be a veterinarian (as most girls her age do). She loves horses. We have a cat, one hamster now, a frog and two hermit crabs. She walks our neighbor's dog most every night with a begrudging Cole trailing close behind. Some people just enjoy God's animal kingdom - Kelsey is one of them.

The funeral was held on Monday night in the back yard. It was a cold, rainy night and we had to hury because it was getting dark. Stephanie was in the shoebox with a note from each kid and a toy from Kelsey. We dug a hole, buried her, sang a song and prayed. Tears were shed.

Part of me is happy that the kids' first death experience was a hamster. I know that there will be other losses in their lives and I hope that this somehow will make those easier. The other part of me realizes that death is never easy - even with practice.

Harvey

I was never a huge Paul Harvey fan. That's not to mean that I didn't like him - I think I would have had I really paid attention. I knew who he was, but I didn't follow his work, know his history or even know what he stood for. I was always a bit of a distant admirer; listening whenever I'd hear his voice on the radio as I was rolling through the stations. His voice was recognizable. His "the rest of the story" was always enjoyable and his news was not like today's news. I appreciated the not-too-gloomy, just-the-facts way about which he presented it.

I think what I liked about him was that he had this Billy Graham kinda way about him: conservative values, integrity, honesty and a genuineness. I know he probably meant more to others than to me, but I admired him nonetheless and know that we surely lost a national treasure.

Birthday

Today is my sister Bethany's birthday.

She's 22 years old now. Here's a list of my memories of her; the milestones:

• My first memory of her was not of her at all. I remember mom and dad bringing us kids (Jeremy, Joanna and myself) together for a "family meeting." I was 11.
• I remember coming to the realization that I'd never get my own room - no offense Jeremy.
  
• I remember being at home waiting for mom to bring home the new baby. She slept a lot and really didn't change the house too much (other than a shift in attention).
• I remember the times when she'd stop breathing. These events usually happened from falling off the bed or getting knocked over. It scarred the family severely every time it occurred.
• I remember enjoying being the big brother.
• I remember going off to college. The night before I left I tried to explain how it would be different for both of us. She was 5. I was heartbroken.
• She was in my wedding at age 9.
• She played the violin.
  
• She got her first car.
  
• She graduated from high school.
• She got her first job.
• She got her first apartment.
• She's a woman now.

You know how when you fill out a job application you have to fill out all your previous jobs and the dates you worked them. One of the reasons employers do that is to see if there are any gaps in your employment. Gaps are bad. The same is true in this case. There are gaps. I regret the gaps. The gaps are because we're half a family apart. No problem there - it is just the way it worked out.

I'm proud of you Bethany and I know that with patience and faith God will reward you (Matthew 25:21).

Here's to new milestones and less gaps.