That's right. A blog involving the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, Veggie Tales, and now Handy Manny. What does all this tell me, and what should it tell you?
I NEED TO GET OUT MORE.
But first, a verse from Proverbs: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Prov. 16:18).
It you don't know who I'm talking about, Handy Manny is a show on the Disney Channel. He is a handyman voiced by Wilmer Valderama. He and his talking tools (Pat, Turner, Felipe, Rusty, Turner, Squeeze, Flicker, and Rusty) go around town making repairs, building things, solving problems, and learning lessons along the way. Next door to Manny's repair shop is Lopart's Candy Store, owned by Leonard Lopart. He, and his cat Fluffy are always working on something when Manny goes out on a job. Whenever Manny asks if he needs help, Mr. Lopart refuses. After Manny leaves (and sometimes before), something always happens to him. Mr. Lopart is the comedy relief on the show, it's true. Yet he is a lesson on the human nature and condition.
We all would like to think we are like Manny. We have it all together, we have the tools to do any job, and we rarely get into a situation without panicking. In Manny's world, even when he gets stuck in an elevator, he is calm and collected. He is humble, a good uncle, and a friend to the community of Sheet Rock Hills.
Really, we are more like Mr. Lopart. We always try to do it on our own. We have help right there next to us. Whenever he asks our help, we refuse. Why? We know he can do the job, but we turn him down. We are the result of our own pride, and we allow it to lead to our downfall.
Folks, don't be afraid to ask for help. Our help is right there with us, and He has all the tools to help us succeed. "My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth" Ps. 121:2. The best part of it is, He has given us unlimited access to the tools. All we have to do is ask Him. When pride is out of the way, we succeed in life, and we tend to not find ourselves under a pile on the floor being licked by a cat. "Oh, Fluffy..."
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Touched By An Asparagus
What does thirteen years of Christian retail get you?
Sadly, it gets you jaded. You find yourself numb to many things that should really stir your spirit. It is sad, but it is true. I spent ten years with Veggie Tales videos playing in front of my eyes, but I must admit I rarely paid attention to what they said. Now that I have been relieved from the joy of a paycheck, I have a little more time to stop and smell the, no, not roses...
...um...the tomatoes.
Levi has recently decided he wanted to watch a Veggie Tales video. We have a couple here at home. He watched "God Made You Special," which had the stories of "Dave and the Giant Pickle," "Bob's Vacation," "The Gourds Must Be Crazy," and "A Snoodle's Tale" on it. They have been a positive influence on Levi, and blessed influence on me. Thanks to Jimmy Gourd, Levi now has a "Hankering," and yesterday said he was "famished for pizza." He hasn't started singing "Meet Me in St. Louis," but does know the Muffin Man.
I have been profoundly impacted by "A Snoodle's Tale." The lesson it teaches it that what others say about you can weigh you down, and people can use their words and actions to hurt. Yet they do not define who you are. What matters is the picture God paints of you, and his opinion of who you are is what should matter.
What has brought me to tears has been the song at the end of the show, "My Day," sung by Junior Asparagus. In the first verse, Junior has been a good little vegetable, and sings the chorus:
"And so, it's good to know,
How much you love me.
It's true- the Bible says you do,
You really love me.
Your love was with me all throughout my day."
The second verse features Junior having a hard time behaving. Even with this, he can go back and sing that chorus. We fall short, but God still loves us. His love goes with us. He doesn't like to see us fall, but loves us still, and will forgive us.
The last lines just grab me:
"In my bed so quietly
I think of how much God loves me."
Yeah, it's simple. How often are the simple things the most powerful tools God uses? Also to be asked, how did I miss it all those years? Where was my head all the time these videos were playing? Come whay may, thank you, God, for showing it to me now.
Sadly, it gets you jaded. You find yourself numb to many things that should really stir your spirit. It is sad, but it is true. I spent ten years with Veggie Tales videos playing in front of my eyes, but I must admit I rarely paid attention to what they said. Now that I have been relieved from the joy of a paycheck, I have a little more time to stop and smell the, no, not roses...
...um...the tomatoes.
Levi has recently decided he wanted to watch a Veggie Tales video. We have a couple here at home. He watched "God Made You Special," which had the stories of "Dave and the Giant Pickle," "Bob's Vacation," "The Gourds Must Be Crazy," and "A Snoodle's Tale" on it. They have been a positive influence on Levi, and blessed influence on me. Thanks to Jimmy Gourd, Levi now has a "Hankering," and yesterday said he was "famished for pizza." He hasn't started singing "Meet Me in St. Louis," but does know the Muffin Man.
I have been profoundly impacted by "A Snoodle's Tale." The lesson it teaches it that what others say about you can weigh you down, and people can use their words and actions to hurt. Yet they do not define who you are. What matters is the picture God paints of you, and his opinion of who you are is what should matter.
What has brought me to tears has been the song at the end of the show, "My Day," sung by Junior Asparagus. In the first verse, Junior has been a good little vegetable, and sings the chorus:
"And so, it's good to know,
How much you love me.
It's true- the Bible says you do,
You really love me.
Your love was with me all throughout my day."
The second verse features Junior having a hard time behaving. Even with this, he can go back and sing that chorus. We fall short, but God still loves us. His love goes with us. He doesn't like to see us fall, but loves us still, and will forgive us.
The last lines just grab me:
"In my bed so quietly
I think of how much God loves me."
Yeah, it's simple. How often are the simple things the most powerful tools God uses? Also to be asked, how did I miss it all those years? Where was my head all the time these videos were playing? Come whay may, thank you, God, for showing it to me now.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Regrets, I've Had a Few
It is a famous line from the Sinatra song "My Way." Even though I probably shouldn't, I love that song. (I will be totally truthful, I don't know where this blog will end up, but stay with me- I'll get somewhere.) In my last post, I mentioned the regret of not going to college after graduation, yet the realization that I did the right thing for me. It isn't my biggest regret. Nor is the fact that my developmental years were fairly sheltered, and I missed a lot of socialization my biggest regret.
No, my biggest regret is that I didn't play high school football.
Hibriten High School, my alma mater in Lenoir, NC, now has one of the top football programs in the state. when I went to school there, it, well, wasn't. In fact, my junior year, it boasted the longest losing streak in the state for one week. Hibriten football won 7 games in the four years I was there. Last year, it won 13.
I wanted to be a part of it. After my freshman year, I entered into the weight program, I worked out after school, went to summer workouts, I wanted to be a part of it. The first official day of practice, I did a drill, and my knee popped out of place. Two guys had already quit; I didn't want to join them. Coach Henson yelled at me, "Get up!" As I did, my knee popped back in place, and I kept going. I made that first week, then full hitting practice started.
I wussed out. Doggone it, I wussed out.
I cried after the first few hits, but kept at it. The following Monday, I decided I wasn't going back. My mom, anxious to not have me hurt, welcomed the decision. I was so immature, so sheltered, I just did not keep the commitment that I had said I would keep. Yet I told myself I would work harder and go back the next year. It didn't happen.
Since then, I promised myself internally that I would be one of the biggest supporters of Hibriten football there was. I can't go to all the games, but I keep close tabs. I am proud of all those guys. I am proud of Coach Lewis and Coach Hobbs, who are still there from my days. I am especially proud of my nephew Chase, a senior on the team. I appreciate all the effort that has been done to make this team a program of continued success that never ceases to amaze me.
Internally, I live with this regret. I was not mature enough to take the pressure that went with playing football. I may not have done the team any good, I realize that. Now I do, anyway. I regret being so selfish and letting people down that expected me to keep a commitment I did not make. So Coach (now Rev.) Dula and Coach Moore, wherever you are, I'm sorry I let you down. To me, I'm sorry I let myself down.
To my God, thank you for not giving up on me when I fail. Thank you for helping me to mature, even though I am nowhere near where I want to be in that process. Thank you for Philippians 1:6: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (NASB). Thank you that I can come to You with my regrets, and You give me comfort and peace. This is true of not just trivial regrets. You can bring Him whatever you carry, and He will give you that same comfort. Matthew 11:28 says it all: "Come unto me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (HCSB)."
No, my biggest regret is that I didn't play high school football.
Hibriten High School, my alma mater in Lenoir, NC, now has one of the top football programs in the state. when I went to school there, it, well, wasn't. In fact, my junior year, it boasted the longest losing streak in the state for one week. Hibriten football won 7 games in the four years I was there. Last year, it won 13.
I wanted to be a part of it. After my freshman year, I entered into the weight program, I worked out after school, went to summer workouts, I wanted to be a part of it. The first official day of practice, I did a drill, and my knee popped out of place. Two guys had already quit; I didn't want to join them. Coach Henson yelled at me, "Get up!" As I did, my knee popped back in place, and I kept going. I made that first week, then full hitting practice started.
I wussed out. Doggone it, I wussed out.
I cried after the first few hits, but kept at it. The following Monday, I decided I wasn't going back. My mom, anxious to not have me hurt, welcomed the decision. I was so immature, so sheltered, I just did not keep the commitment that I had said I would keep. Yet I told myself I would work harder and go back the next year. It didn't happen.
Since then, I promised myself internally that I would be one of the biggest supporters of Hibriten football there was. I can't go to all the games, but I keep close tabs. I am proud of all those guys. I am proud of Coach Lewis and Coach Hobbs, who are still there from my days. I am especially proud of my nephew Chase, a senior on the team. I appreciate all the effort that has been done to make this team a program of continued success that never ceases to amaze me.
Internally, I live with this regret. I was not mature enough to take the pressure that went with playing football. I may not have done the team any good, I realize that. Now I do, anyway. I regret being so selfish and letting people down that expected me to keep a commitment I did not make. So Coach (now Rev.) Dula and Coach Moore, wherever you are, I'm sorry I let you down. To me, I'm sorry I let myself down.
To my God, thank you for not giving up on me when I fail. Thank you for helping me to mature, even though I am nowhere near where I want to be in that process. Thank you for Philippians 1:6: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (NASB). Thank you that I can come to You with my regrets, and You give me comfort and peace. This is true of not just trivial regrets. You can bring Him whatever you carry, and He will give you that same comfort. Matthew 11:28 says it all: "Come unto me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (HCSB)."
Monday, August 16, 2010
What I Have in Common with the Scarecrow
I dare say most people have seen The Wizard of Oz. We are familiar with the Scarecrow, the character that longed for a brain. The lesson he learned along his journey with Dorothy and Toto? Beware of green-skinned witches with fire. No, that wasn't it. The lesson he learned was that he was indeed smart, he just hadn't recognized it. He was, in fact, the leader of the pack.
Tuesday starts hopefully the final year of college for me. I have learned many things from going back to school; only a few of them came from the books. I learned that I should have gone back to school a long time ago. At the same time, I have learned that I went back at just the right time. A contradiction, you say? It is, yet it isn't. Let me clarify.
My junior and senior years in high school (1994-95), I received letters from the University of Miami, Michigan, even Oberlin College. (If you have any knowledge of classical music, you would know how STUPID I am for not giving that a second look.) My dream was to be a music teacher, and follow in the footsteps of Mr. Whitener, my favorite teacher. In spite of my guidance counselor's urgings, and the advice of Mr. Carswell, my band director at Hibriten, one of my life's big regrets was that I did not follow up on any of that.
I needed a break from school. I didn't have the drive, the desire, and was simply lazy. It was an opportunity I missed, because I didn't want to take it.
What I did was go to work for a few months in the supermarket I was working in, until I lost my job. Then, I mooched, thinking I would somehow magically be all right. I got part-time jobs, eventually going full-time into Christian retail. It was here I grew in knowledge and skill, working on the side as Music Director in my home church. I met my wife. We had Levi. I enjoyed those moments, and met some great friends. I grew up in the school of hard knocks.
(I did not intend to tell my life's story. I simply wanted to make a point to the faithfulness of God in the life of an ungrateful whelp.)
In 2008, I finally went back to school. I was ready. I appreciate it more. I know that it means more for my future now. Back then, it would have been something to do, and I would have rebelled against it. Now, I am striving, working my tail off, and here it is- the last year for my degree. Tomorrow starts what will be the realization of a dream. I am thankful for the lessons God has taught me in the past fifteen years. I just wish I had learned some of them in 1994. If I only had a brain then.
So yeah, I am a lot like the Scarecrow. Only I can not recite the Pythagorean Theorem.
Tuesday starts hopefully the final year of college for me. I have learned many things from going back to school; only a few of them came from the books. I learned that I should have gone back to school a long time ago. At the same time, I have learned that I went back at just the right time. A contradiction, you say? It is, yet it isn't. Let me clarify.
My junior and senior years in high school (1994-95), I received letters from the University of Miami, Michigan, even Oberlin College. (If you have any knowledge of classical music, you would know how STUPID I am for not giving that a second look.) My dream was to be a music teacher, and follow in the footsteps of Mr. Whitener, my favorite teacher. In spite of my guidance counselor's urgings, and the advice of Mr. Carswell, my band director at Hibriten, one of my life's big regrets was that I did not follow up on any of that.
I needed a break from school. I didn't have the drive, the desire, and was simply lazy. It was an opportunity I missed, because I didn't want to take it.
What I did was go to work for a few months in the supermarket I was working in, until I lost my job. Then, I mooched, thinking I would somehow magically be all right. I got part-time jobs, eventually going full-time into Christian retail. It was here I grew in knowledge and skill, working on the side as Music Director in my home church. I met my wife. We had Levi. I enjoyed those moments, and met some great friends. I grew up in the school of hard knocks.
(I did not intend to tell my life's story. I simply wanted to make a point to the faithfulness of God in the life of an ungrateful whelp.)
In 2008, I finally went back to school. I was ready. I appreciate it more. I know that it means more for my future now. Back then, it would have been something to do, and I would have rebelled against it. Now, I am striving, working my tail off, and here it is- the last year for my degree. Tomorrow starts what will be the realization of a dream. I am thankful for the lessons God has taught me in the past fifteen years. I just wish I had learned some of them in 1994. If I only had a brain then.
So yeah, I am a lot like the Scarecrow. Only I can not recite the Pythagorean Theorem.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Get out there and...
I will not deny it. There is a big part of me that thought that when I was let go from my job in April, I would have had another job by now. I guess that a lot of people that are in the same situation have thought the same thing. What made me different from anyone else? I had experience, I had a record of job stability.
Yet here I sit. I am looking at the usual sites, seeing the latest job to apply for, making sure I am qualified, and applying. I wait one more week for my final year of college to start. I am really BORED. I haven't missed many episodes (and reruns) of The Price is Right and Let's Make a Deal. I also haven't missed many episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba, Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Special Agent Oso..., you get the picture.
Being Mr. Mom is great. I will not deny it. I an getting time with my kids that I would not have otherwise had. I love it. We have a routine, and we have fun. But I'm bored. I check the papers, there is nothing in them. Most everything gets posted online now.
I think, in the meantime, I will check for some ways to volunteer my services to help someone. I'm not losing any weight sitting on the couch. In fact, I think I'm wearing in a little groove. It's not healthy, and it's a waste of my abilities. Plus, I've seen everything, and don't want to see anything else.
Who wants me?
(Consider this a keeping up appearances blog. There will be more substance next time.)
Yet here I sit. I am looking at the usual sites, seeing the latest job to apply for, making sure I am qualified, and applying. I wait one more week for my final year of college to start. I am really BORED. I haven't missed many episodes (and reruns) of The Price is Right and Let's Make a Deal. I also haven't missed many episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba, Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Special Agent Oso..., you get the picture.
Being Mr. Mom is great. I will not deny it. I an getting time with my kids that I would not have otherwise had. I love it. We have a routine, and we have fun. But I'm bored. I check the papers, there is nothing in them. Most everything gets posted online now.
I think, in the meantime, I will check for some ways to volunteer my services to help someone. I'm not losing any weight sitting on the couch. In fact, I think I'm wearing in a little groove. It's not healthy, and it's a waste of my abilities. Plus, I've seen everything, and don't want to see anything else.
Who wants me?
(Consider this a keeping up appearances blog. There will be more substance next time.)
Monday, August 2, 2010
And They Will Know We are Christians by Our...
...snide comments made behind each others backs.
Christians would never insult each other, would they? Would they say something to their neighbor about a friend or acquaintance, out of the knowledge or earshot of that person? Would they?
That is what many of us around here call a "phone ministry."
But you know the old joke, and if Aaron Wilburn doesn't mind, I will use it- it's all okay, as long as you say "Bless his heart." Because that means that you think that, but it is for their own good that you're talking about them. Other people need to know what you perceive their flaws are.
James 3:10 says, "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so." I am guilty of this myself, so if I am calling anyone on the carpet that the color could not be agreed on, it's me.
The modern way of the "phone ministry" is the indirect reference. In your conversation, in your blog, or status updates, it is that "I know a person that..." reference. In other words, I don't want you to know that I actually know this person, even though you may know who it is. But I have an issue, and I want you to know about their flaw. Again, I am a guilty party, and I admit it.
What we need is a little maturity in our lives. Like I said in my last post, I hate confrontation. Yet a little is necessary to grow. If you have an issue with someone, take it to the Lord. Go to that person and air it out. I do not believe that it is possible for everyone to have a perfect, symbiotic, kum-by-yah relationship, nor do I think we should have. What I do think is that if we know where each one stands, we will respect each other more, and it will allow us to grow individually and spiritually. Also, it will grow the church closer to the unity that Christ wants.
And my goodness, our phone conversations will be much more sweeter!
Christians would never insult each other, would they? Would they say something to their neighbor about a friend or acquaintance, out of the knowledge or earshot of that person? Would they?
That is what many of us around here call a "phone ministry."
But you know the old joke, and if Aaron Wilburn doesn't mind, I will use it- it's all okay, as long as you say "Bless his heart." Because that means that you think that, but it is for their own good that you're talking about them. Other people need to know what you perceive their flaws are.
James 3:10 says, "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so." I am guilty of this myself, so if I am calling anyone on the carpet that the color could not be agreed on, it's me.
The modern way of the "phone ministry" is the indirect reference. In your conversation, in your blog, or status updates, it is that "I know a person that..." reference. In other words, I don't want you to know that I actually know this person, even though you may know who it is. But I have an issue, and I want you to know about their flaw. Again, I am a guilty party, and I admit it.
What we need is a little maturity in our lives. Like I said in my last post, I hate confrontation. Yet a little is necessary to grow. If you have an issue with someone, take it to the Lord. Go to that person and air it out. I do not believe that it is possible for everyone to have a perfect, symbiotic, kum-by-yah relationship, nor do I think we should have. What I do think is that if we know where each one stands, we will respect each other more, and it will allow us to grow individually and spiritually. Also, it will grow the church closer to the unity that Christ wants.
And my goodness, our phone conversations will be much more sweeter!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
They Will Know We are Christians By Our...
...absolute hatred for each other.
I recently had an email exchange with a Christian author, speaker, and blogger. I stumbled on a tweet he wrote about conservative radio hosts that are going blind and are deaf that was simply tasteless. I called him on it. He responded to my email with venom, defending his "joke". I responded saying I felt bad for him, to which his response was "LOL. Whatever."
This has bothered me. We were saved by the same blood of Jesus. We will go to the same Heaven when we die. We will not go to a separate Heaven based on our denomination, ideology, or church down the street from the church we broke away from. I do not personally like conflict, but I know that when something is dividing us, it needs to be talked out. If someone has an opinion, you can disagree with it, yes, but you do not have to disrespect it. The only time a separation is essential is if it is in disagreement with the Word of God.
To let our disagreements dissolve into hate is simply unacceptable. We can not live in agreement with a brother, therefore we must insult him. In this, we are truly children, and we live with a deficiency of the knowledge of the Word of God. In John 17, Jesus prayed for the unity of the church. There are 66 books that give us instruction in life, leadership, and how to get where we are going. Yet because we are led by our immaturity, our flesh nature, and not by the Spirit, we are divided against ourselves. This is why we are not as strong to reach the world as we should be.
I recently had an email exchange with a Christian author, speaker, and blogger. I stumbled on a tweet he wrote about conservative radio hosts that are going blind and are deaf that was simply tasteless. I called him on it. He responded to my email with venom, defending his "joke". I responded saying I felt bad for him, to which his response was "LOL. Whatever."
This has bothered me. We were saved by the same blood of Jesus. We will go to the same Heaven when we die. We will not go to a separate Heaven based on our denomination, ideology, or church down the street from the church we broke away from. I do not personally like conflict, but I know that when something is dividing us, it needs to be talked out. If someone has an opinion, you can disagree with it, yes, but you do not have to disrespect it. The only time a separation is essential is if it is in disagreement with the Word of God.
To let our disagreements dissolve into hate is simply unacceptable. We can not live in agreement with a brother, therefore we must insult him. In this, we are truly children, and we live with a deficiency of the knowledge of the Word of God. In John 17, Jesus prayed for the unity of the church. There are 66 books that give us instruction in life, leadership, and how to get where we are going. Yet because we are led by our immaturity, our flesh nature, and not by the Spirit, we are divided against ourselves. This is why we are not as strong to reach the world as we should be.
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