People Get Mad Over Anything

I have a theory that you can get anybody mad over any little thing. It's not hard, people just like to be upset. So here's something I read today.

George Smathers ran against Claude Pepper in the 50's for Senator of Florida. Now, Smathers knew he had to run down Pepper to win, so he got people all fired up against Pepper by telling all sorts of true statements about him to belittle his character. Here's a few of them:

He let people know Pepper was a "known extrovert."
He said Pepper's sister was a "thespian."
He called Pepper's brother a "practicing homo sapiens."
Said while Pepper was in college he "openly matriculated."
And one more. Smathers said that before Pepper was married he "engaged in celibacy."

The people were upset, and they spoke. Smathers won.

And by the way, if you're actually upset by anything said here, get a dictionary.

T

Hating Serving

Okay, the title may be misleading making you think I hate serving. Well, we all do to a degree. This is from something I read today, Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline":

More than any other single way the grace of humility is worked into our lives is through the Discipline of service... Nothing disciplines the inordate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness. The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service. It strains and pulls for honor and recognition.

After reading that I had to stop and come here. How True! It's one thing to get someone to help volunteer and serve, but man, ask them to do it and tell them no one will ever know about what they did or why? Never happen. For most people the only reason do something good is so others will know they did something good.

It reminds me of Friends where Joey tells Pheobe there's no such thing as an unselfish good deed because even if you do a good deed, you still feel good about it, or better yet, know that you made someone else feel good. Take it a step further. What about feeling good about it because the other person knows you did it for them?

Agree or not, the original statement is true that it's hard to serve and harder to do it in secret. Disagree with that? I have some stuff for you to do then...

"Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. Whoever wants to become the first among you must serve all of you like a slave. In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.” - Jesus from Mark 10:43b - 45

Non-Cancellation

So the other day Lorie was sick and since we drove to work together, I got to come home early. Trying to help Lorie get to sleep we decided to watch afternoon TV, usually really easy to do the job since your only choices are Dr. Phil, Maury, and "Mama's Stories". So we flipped around and for the first time in months Maury Povich was not asking some guy "Are you her baby's daddy?" Instead they were talking about 120 lb. 4-year-olds. Much better.

But we stopped for a second because they were interviewing a dietician who said something that hit me right away. Someone asked if eating a carrot cancels out eating a cookie. Isn't that the stupidest thing you've ever heard? You just ate 5000 calories, but you cancel it out by eating an apple. Ludicrous. The dietician had to explain that no, good does not cancel out bad. Good = good and bad = bad, no matter what.

This is the part that hit me though. How often do we do that in our spiritual lives? I said something I shouldn't have, I'll pray five minutes more to make up for it. I thought something bad about someone, better go say three Hail Mary's. Our spiritual diet is just like our physical diet. Fifteen minutes of Bible reading does not counteract a half hour of kicking puppies (I don't know why I always use kicking puppies as an example for sin, just work with me here). Sin = sin, just like bad food = bad for you. If you want a good physical diet, you simply have to cut out all the bad food and exercise. Likewise, for your spiritual diet, eat good food, cut out the bad, and exercise your spiritual muscles through serving and sharing the Gospel, etc.

Mind you I'm writing this while living in one of the most obese nations on earth... Physically and spiritually...

T

We Think We Know It All

Sorry it's been a while, but I think you'll like this.

So I'm reading the news today, all fine and dandy. I had something else I was going to blog about tonight, but then this hit my eye. It was just too much to pass up.

As we all know, scientists know everything, they tell us that all the time. Even if they don't know their guesses are right. Well, one of the facts they have told us about is there are creatures they have found that are literally millions of years old. They date them and tell us they went extinct oh so long ago. Like this one I read in AOL news today:

"An underwater peak in the Coral Sea was home to a type of shrimp thought to have gone extinct 50 million years ago."

So, it's not really extinct. It's been here all along, we just couldn't find it. And since we couldn't find it, that means it must have died off long, long ago, otherwise, that would make us look a little dumb. Kinda like now.

When will we realize we don't know everything...?

T

So Who's The Good Guy?

It's something I've been thinking about the last few days. Matt (Liz's husband) and I talked a little about it (we have a liking to the same show which got me thinking about it, but again, I'm off topic).

How do good guys know their good guys? It's a valid question. Start small. You play on a soccer team. Your team thinks they deserve to win the game. But the guys on the other team also think they deserve to win the game. To you, you are the good guys, but to the other team they are the good guys.

Get bigger. What political party are you? Republicans think they are the good guys, that they are making all the right decisions and the other political parties are, well not bad, but not as good. But Democrats think they're the good guys, that they are what's best for the country.

Still bigger. Winston Churchill led Britain through World War II. He's a good guy, right? Martin Luther King taught us peace and caring for each other despite the color of our skin, also a good guy. Hey, let's go with Moses, knew God better than any other human being. Good guy. But, Hitler thought he was a good guy. In his mind he was doing what's right. Stalin believed he was doing what was best, in his mind a good guy. Atilla the Hun, Mussolini, Nero, all believed they were the "good guy".

So then how do you know if you're a "good guy"?

It obviously can't be how you feel, because almost everyone who does anything believes they are doing it for some sort of good, no matter how out of whack that "good" is. So you feel like you're a good guy? Good for you. You're equal with Hitler. How do you really know if you're good or not? How do you base your actions to know if they are "good"? Wouldn't you need some sort of role model to aim for, some sort of rule or measuring stick to know what good is, something or someone truly "good" to be able to measure yourself up against?

So who would that be...?

T

Smashing A Wii...

Okay, I just watched this and still don't know how I feel about it. There's just too many variables.

Basic run down. These two guys see that Nintendo's new Wii is coming out. They wait in line, buy one, then take it outside and smash it in front of everyone else waiting. That's basically their lives. Some people applaud them, some hate them. They've done it for most major new pieces of technology (PS3, X360, iPods, etc.). Are they idiots? Here's where it gets interesting.

The first reaction is to say they are idiots. They wasted money on something they weren't going to keep. They wasted time in line (apparently they have no lives) and they take away something from somebody who would appreciate it (they ran out, so of course, people went home without them, while these guys smashed one). It just seems mean. They're tormenting people for no reason.

But then you wonder, is there a reason? Some people say they are trying to show the world how materialistic we've become. A new video game. Oooo. And we wait in line and pay hundreds of dollars for it. Is that our society in a nutshell? I'm guessing other countries feel that way. Plus, you've got the added bonus that they received tons of hatemail before they even did it, showing how people hate for something they really shouldn't even care about. It's not your time or your money, if they waste it, so be it.

But I have a third opinion. They're geniuses. Far and away geniuses. Why? They make a website dedicated to this stuff. They're famous. The story was featured on AOL (how I found out about it). Millions of people know who they are now. And as for the money they spent, they raised it at their website. They had people send in donations for them to buy something to smash. They're website reported that they made slightly more than the Wii cost, but they could be lying about it. They could have made more money waiting in line than you make in a month. Who knows? Then, to see all the emotions they raised over something so trivial. Unbelievable.

So here are my thoughts. Let things go. People who have never met them, never talked to them, never knew why they were doing it, all they knew was someone wanted to smash a video game system so they sent hatemail. Are we really so insecure or love our first amendment so much that if someone does something out of whack with our views we have to curse them for it? Reminds me of "Trading Spouses" tonight. I may talk more about that later...

T

Finally Back For A While

Well, I've been in three states over the last three weekends and this is what I know. My bed is comfy. When I learn more, I'll blog again :)

T

Gone Again

Hey all, I've been back a few days and now I'm out again. Heading to Cincinnati for a youth worker convention. It's fun, not like other conventions, so I should come back happy. Working on getting pumpkin pictures in the pictures site before I go. If they aren't up there, it means I'm still losing the battle, sorry.

See you all next week.

T

Gone

Well, I'm out of here. I'm heading to Louisiana for my buddy David's wedding (congrats Dave!). I'll talk to people when I get back.

For those that keep bugging me, the Ski Retreat forms are online ready for download on the youth website (www.fumcfireandwater.com/forms).

Adios

T

Voting Day

Can I say that I am so relieved that Election Day is finally here. Not that I can vote, we Canadians can't do that in America, but the commercials are finally over! I really don't want to see them every again.

The problem is, with the exception of the occasional Dick Luger commercial, none of them were positive. I really didn't learn who I want to vote for, only who I don't want to vote for. It's the way our society works (Pastor Mike and I talked about it one day), we run everything off fear. So really, I didn't know who was good, just who's stupidity to fear.

Then I started wondering this. Is this how we present God some days? I've heard it all before growing up. Turn or burn. Without God you go to hell. Life is empty without a Savior. And even though those are all true, what about the good aspects of God? His love, how He saved us, redemption, grace, being His children... All wonderful parts of God that we barely even comprehend.

So next time you hear people talking about God, how about we not turn Him into a bad political campaign. God is love, and that love and amazement and glory and everything beautiful in Him is more than enough to talk about until time ends.

Ps. 145:3 - God is magnificent; He can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to His greatness.

T

Edition: Did anyone notice how much Dick Luger won by? Either he is really good, or maybe focusing on what you can do rather than what the other guy can't was a good plan...

A Salty Question

Just something for you to think about that I read today.

Christians are supposed to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). Meaning it should be obvious that we are around. Have you ever tasted meat without salt? Then with salt added?

Okay, next part. I read a statistic today that said that 9 out of 10 Americans say they pray daily and 84 million Americans say they the have made a commitment to follow Christ. That's almost 1/3 of America. Now, if you had a pound of meat, and you add 1/3 of a pound of salt, do you think you would be able to taste it?

How salty are we if that many people are Christians yet we're not supposed to say "Merry Christmas"?

How salty are you?

T

The Pumpkin Patch Is Now Closed!

So here's the news: We are completely out of pumpkins. I mean out. People were buying rotten ones from our pile on the side of the patch. It is done. It is finished. El finito.

So how did we do? Better than last year. Better than the year before. Not quite as good as our first year, but close. All in all, I think we did pretty well.

A big thank you to everyone who helped out this year. There is one more chore. Taking down the patch at 4:00 on Wed. If you can make it, please do.

As for everyone who bought a pumpkin, a huge thank you. Without your support we would not be able to have our mission trips every year for the low costs that we provide.

God is good... All the time...

T

When Did It Become So Hard To Read?

I'm not kidding. People in general don't read. I've known lots of people that barely read at all. But why?

Here's how this got into my head. First, I was waiting for my computer to do something today, so I was reading my Bible, and I thought to myself, "Why don't I read more often?" I love the Bible, I loved what I read, I have all sorts of other books I want to read, but I don't read as often as I should (I type this on a computer while watching TV, how bad is that?)

But here's the other half. There was a study done last year. In general, people lose the love of reading at age 9. NINE! Then, they don't start liking reading again until 17, if they read at all.

Are our imaginations so tainted that we can't see what we read past fifth grade? Are words on a page that much of a chore? Look at history. Up until a hundred years ago, that was the primary form of entertainment. We didn't have TV, video games, computers, and unless you were rich or lived in a city (or both), you were unable to be entertained any other way. All you had was books. And look at some of the great books out there! Way better than the movies that are coming out of Hollywood (most of which are based on books anyway!)

So as you read this, finish by going to read something else. Don't let your brain die! And while you're at it, the Bible ain't that bad...

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. - Joshua 1:8

T

More Pumpkins

Hey all, sorry I've been MIA at my blogging, but there is one thing to add that everyone needs to know :)

699 pumpkins will be arriving at the church on Wed. at 3:00pm. Be there to help unload!

T

Take It With A Grain Of Salt

I like to read, trivia is fun, and I'm always interested in all sorts of weird facts. But then today, I was reading something that reminded me that all information is slanted. Meaning, it all comes from someone's point of view. I was reading about rings and diamonds and the page added a fact that we all know and love.

Experts say that you should spend two months salary on an engagement ring.

That makes sense, right? You've heard that before, of course. Then below that, it said this.

But remember, these experts, it's their job to sell diamond rings.

What a surprise that these "experts" are making up facts to promote their own well-being. So as you read and learn and see plenty of weird and wonderful facts on the internet, always ask this question. Who's saying it and why? It may help determine the validity of the fact :)

T

Home Bible Studies

Isn't it funny how God works things out. It seems like so many times whatever I'm trying to figure out or work with, God sends my Bible reading or other books my way at the right time. So here's how this one works...

I was talking with a few of the people in Home Bible Studies doing the Youth Disciple course, and they were telling me how attendance is dwindling because people don't want to do the reading and homework. Of course, part of what WATER in Fire& Water stands for is Teaching, the studying of God's Word and applying it to our lives. This got me thinking why people don't want to study, why they don't want to learn. Then I read this by Charles Spurgeon. He starts talking about the human body, how merely eating and tasting the food is not enough, the body had to work to digest it.

"It is by digestion that the outward food becomes assimilated with the inner life. Our souls are not nourished merely by listening awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the other part of divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require inwardly digesting to complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting of the truth lies for the most part in meditating upon it. Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God's Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. "

It's not enough to just sit on Sunday and be told something. You have to learn more. You have to be living it. So all of you that are not in a Home Bible Study, maybe it's time to sign up...

Ps. 119:15 - "I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways."

T

Pumpkin Woes

I'll get some pictures up of the patch, I promise.

But one of the reasons I haven't written lately is something else has been on my mind and making me busy. "What is it" you ask? It is the many, many holes in the schedule at the pumpkin patch. Apparently the novelty of working at the patch has worn off. But herein lies the problem. You see, the pumpkin patch is a fundraiser for students who want to go on the mission trips to make money. So the question is, why should I have to work to make you money? The short answer is I don't. The long answer is you should be working! (The biggest hole is from 4-7 each day, a shift that any student can easily work).

To help you see the big picture, I added up Liz and my hours and using the dollar amount from last year, which may change depending on how many pumpkins we sell, but using that number we have collectively worked for almost $140. $140 in 6 days! That's money that could be in your account to pay for your mission trip. To help you see said big picture even more, the last mission trip Sr. High took inside the country (Mexico was a little more expensive), the cost of the trip was $125. Basically, Liz and I have paid for one of you to go on a trip. In less than a week. Imagine what you could do if you were working...

One last thing, again, bigger picture. (Please understand, I'm just trying to help you see why you need to be working at the pumpkin patch for your own trip). For any given missions trip, Liz and I have to sit down, figure out where we can go, book it, do all the financial accounting for it, organize it, make and collect all permission slips, collect all deposits and final balances (which means more accounting including student accounts), get all additional medical paperwork, hand it out and chase people to collect it on time, create and implement training, then spend a week (maybe two) away from our families leading the trips. I'm asking, is it really fair that we work in the pumpkin patch to pay your way too?

Please, parents and students, fill the holes in the pumpkin patch schedule.

T

2811

That's how many pumpkins we're expecting to unload today and put in our pumpkin patch. 2 8 1 1. Lotta pumpkins. If you want one or would even like to help, be there at 4:00 to get first choice :)

T

btw, I've been reading a lot about death lately, I don't know what that means...

National Turkey

Something interesting I read this morning. This is from a letter written by Benjamin Franklin to his daughter:

"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead tree near the river, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing hawk; and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him... The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of America."

Can you see it now? A picture of a turkey on the presidential seal. Nice...

T

One Generation Is All It Takes...

If you're looking for a fun book to read, go to Judges in the Bible. It's like Lord of the Rings with not as many creatures.

Anyway, there's a common thread in the book (not to give it all away for you). Almost every story ends with God using someone to do something amazing, and almost every time the next chapter starts with Israel doing evil in the eyes of the Lord. I've read this book a few times, I like it, and I always wonder why they forget so easily. God does something amazing and a few years later, no one remembers it. Then this morning I saw this verse.

They're talking about Joshua dying, and all the people who were with him when they take over all of the land that is now Israel. Judges 2:10 -> "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers [means "after they had died"], another generation grew up, who neither knew the Lord or what He had done for Israel."

One generation. One age of people. That's all it takes for us to forget God. Don't believe me? Look at America right now. How long did it take us to go from prayer in school to guns in school? 30, 40 years? This generation is quickly becoming the one to forget God. So there's two things to this. One, don't be the generation to forget God. Tell your friends, live for Him, do everything you can so we don't turn our backs on God in one fail swoop.

But the other responsibility is to myself and the parents of this generation. How is it possible that one generation does all these amazing things for God and the next one knows nothing about it? The older generation never told them. Those guys in Judges may have done great things, but they never told their kids who God was. Otherwise, the children would have known what God did through their parents.

So fight for this generation, both from the inside and the outside. Don't let it be the one the forgets who God is and what He has done.

T