new page design

Thoughts on the new design? I liked the color scheme on the previous but totally didn’t like the widgets on the bottom.

Let me know your thoughts yo!

Post Christmas Thoughts

Those who know me know that I love Christmas and look forward to it each year. Each year I try to challenge our family (and myself) to live out the meaning of Christmas throughout the year as it symbolizes hope, giving, and sacrifice, all things we should be doing. B/c I love this time of year so much, I also go thru post-Christmas blues when it’s all done. This year has been somewhat different b/c Isaiah wakes up every day excited to play with his new gifts so that makes me happy as a parent.

As I look forward to the next few days, it’s time for more reflection and goal-setting.

• 30 – I’m turning 30 on Friday, wow, that’s just crazy.
• Resolutions – I usually don’t set or publish my resolutions or goals and think most ppl tend to fail when they set unrealistic goals.
• Balance – this year I fully intend to add more balance to my life: physical, family, mental, all aspects I plan on having more balance in my life.
• January 5, 2009 – Fiesta Bowl - OSU vs Texas – I’m jacked
• HD – finally agreed to get HD again after a 2 year hiatus from it.

ALL people have value

Please follow the link to read a story of two high school football teams. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373  I’ll set a quick backdrop for you. One team was winless 0-8 while the other was 7-2. Needless to say the better team won. The importance of this game though was that the losing team was a group of teenagers serving prison sentences for robbery, drug charges, etc – yet the coach of the other team decided to schedule this team and for this week he wanted to send this message to the inmates - YOU HAVE VALUE & WE WON’T GIVE UP ON YOU.

So the coach requested half the parents on his own team to cheer for the visitors, even half the cheerleaders cheered for the opposing team.

Here are some of the quotes from the coaches and players.

“Here’s the message I want you to send:” Hogan wrote. “You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth.”

“We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games,” says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years. “You can see it in their eyes. They’re lookin’ at us like we’re criminals. But these people, they were yellin’ for us! By our names!” 

The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, “You’ll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You’ll never, ever know.”  

Maybe a moment like this will have provided these kids hope. As we celebrate Christmas, let’s be reminded that there is hope in this world, and it started in a manger with a  baby, where hope came to us.

Barack Obama & Rick Warren

Twice now in the last  8 months or so, those two names can be included offically in the same sentence. If you haven’t heard yet, let me make the official announcement. President-Elect Obama has chosen Pastor Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Author) to pray over the inauguration come January 2009.

Immediately, groups are absolutely livid with Obama’s choice as this indicates he’s narrow-minded and now closed off from a liberal and gay advocacy. That’s right, he’s ticked off those on the far left who supported his presidency.

I’ve yet to hear a response from conservatives and evangelicals and whether they approve or disprove of Warren’s acceptance of the position in praying that night. I hope the attitude is positive for Warren and Obama as it indicates to me a few things:

• Obama’s willingness to allow diversity at the table even if Warren’s policy views are vastly different
• That there can be common ground between extreme groups if we’re willing to sit down, listen respectfully and try.
• Warren has followed now in the footsteps of the legend Billy Graham in praying for and over our presidents. This isn’t to be taken lightly.
• Obama understands the above significance of having a person who places high regard on prayer to actually pray over him & he was aware of the potential backlash but chose Warren anyway. This tells me he’s willing to let leaders pray over him.

I hope the diversity and willingness to listen to each other continues. As leaders, I hope we’re encouraged by Warren’s acceptance and hope we’re challenged to pray frequently for Obama as he enters executive leadership over our country.

Seeing the good

Last night while eating dinner at one of my favorite local places, Roosters, a sports show was on espn. One guy was talking, Woody Paige who always places a quote on a small chalkboard behind his head. Last night’s quote was this:

“Noone remembers when you do good…

Noone forgets when you do wrong”

Wow is this completely true or what? Even when broken down on a practical relationship level, people, friends, family can accumulate years of trust and make one wrong decision and will forever be remembered for that mistake, great or small.

Today may you be challenged to see the good in people and to see that one or a few bad mistakes do not define a person.

10 days

It’s been 10 days since I last posted and Christmas will be here in only 10 days.

May you be challenged & encouraged to not get caught up in the commercialism & consumerism of the holiday, rather to get caught up in the hope & love that comes from this holy day.

For many times are somewhat tough and finances tightening, yet once a year we get reminded of the true meaning of life. May you come to experience the true meaning of life this year which first came around 2,000 years ago with a baby in a manger.

The economy & the radical message of Christ

Reports out today is that the U.S. lost 533,000 jobs in November alone, the biggest, or worst job-loss in 35 years. The unemployment rate rose to 6.7 nationally, locally where I work, it’s over 10% and is the number one (or worst) in the state of Ohio.

Make no mistake about it, there are many credible reasons for our country’s and the global economic slide. Personally, I think it’s a combination of many factors, one being the normal ebb and flow of a capitalistic society in conjunction with a prophetic correction of greedy consumerism. Or perhaps it could be one, the other, both, or neither I suppose.

Let me also say that it’s sad to know that people, lives, and families are losing their financial well-being. And it’s easy to say that Americans are more blessed than anywhere in the world, which I agree with 100% but I do’nt want to dismiss the human element just b/c I haven’t lost my job. I’m thankful I hold a job that appears safe, the same as my wife. While my office deals directly with people who have lost their jobs, I’ve yet to have a genuine friend lose theirs. So it’s scary, it’s sad, and I pray for these people.

That said, America has been amazingly blessed for whatever reason, our founding principles & faith, our innovativeness, our quest for personal and corporate freedoms. I hate saying stuff like this b/c it seems so disingenuine, but even the poorest of our country is rich compared to other countries. That said, we should do everything to end poverty and help the innocent poor in our country, and abroad. America is blessed financially and we have so much to be thankful for even in the midst of economic downturns and crisis.

As Christians, this is our chance. For so long, we’ve talked about our blessings and favor for being a part of a rich family. This is a chance to take our radical message of hope to our brothers and sisters, to our communities, to our neighbors losing their jobs. This isn’t the time to say look what I have b/c we might lose our possessions and wealth too; but we will not lose hope, we will not lose faith, and we should always walk in the love of Christ.

If ever there were a time in America to see the redemptive work of the resurrected Christ, this is it. People are losing hope and losing their grips on their dreams. I encourage us to demonstrate the real hope of Christ who lets us partake in his dreams. When Paul encourages us that we can do all things in Christ, he’s referring to the various circumstances in life, when he’s been poor & hungry, and when he’s been fat & happy. Not only can we do all and appreciate our circumstances knowing where our hope comes from, but we can & must spread that hope b/c it’s real and it’s lasting.

You are what you eat?

We’ve all heard it said that you are who you hang out with. You end up becoming more like your friends than they become of you, or so they say. Of course if this is 100% accurate, nobody really knows who they are. Anyway, while I agree with this and think it’s sound advice I do think it can be overstated and taken out of context. If I were to look at the biblical account of Jesus, I could argue that Jesus was a sinner & tax-collector who despised religious leaders.

 

Now wait you say, Jesus had a reason to hang out with the marginalized people in his day. You’re right, I agree he offered a new way of living, of bringing hope, and accepting those on the outside looking in. At the same time, I think Jesus walked the perfect line of love & truth and I also think that Jesus probably enjoyed the friendships he created over time with various outsiders.

 

If one were to look at my friends, they could come up with many different characterizations of me based on those friendships. On one side some could isolate one group of friends and say I only enjoy the company of insiders or Christians who take their faith very seriously. And that assessment would be partially accurate. Others could argue that my friends enjoy our present culture, drink, and cuss and that I enjoy their company. And that assessment would be partially accurate.

 

Now putting the entire picture together, yes I have friends outside the Christian faith-walls and I have many friends inside those walls. I appreciate and need them both. And let me add to it, I enjoy all their company, even if it means going to my buddy’s house that smokes, or hearing a bad joke from time to time. I am not endorsing bad jokes but it’s a reminder of many things. It’s okay.

 

As Johnny eloquently noted recently, “we’re just like everyone else, we have just experienced that one moment of grace and those around us may not have made that decision and are just outside that moment.”

 

Until all my friends have joined me on this side of grace, I choose to enjoy their company, listen to their music, and hear their bad language because one day, I promise you one day, they will return the favor. Perhaps one day, my lifestyle will rub off on them?

Thanksgiving Weekend

Who gets sick on Thanksgiving and doesn’t get to eat turkey? That’s the question I asked my wife a few times this weekend and the unfortunate answer was ME. What a bummer. I caught some stomach bug Wednesday and let it go sometime Friday night or Saturday, meaning I didn’t get to partake of any turkey, what a major let-down that was. However, I’m back in full-swing now after still enjoying the weekend off with the family as we decorated the inside of the house and the rain prevented us from finishing the outside which should be finished this week.

Picture below is what I want to see early & often, SNOW. When it comes to snow, I’m still a kid, I love it and lots of it. I wanna see it piled over cars and 7-8 feet drifts so we can make igloos and go sledding. We had a “blizzard” last year with about 2 feet of snow but b/c it occurred in March, it melted pretty quickly, but was fun while it lasted.