Garbage Can Lids and Snarling Wolves

My town recently went to the big, plastic, flip-top garbage cans for the garbage truck with the mechanized arm. This is great for a number of reasons. The cans are larger and sturdier than the ones you can buy at the store. This one will hold a weeks worth of trash plus whatever junk I pull out of the garage. The hinged lid means I don't have to go searching for the lid after every thunderstorm. The truck comes down the road instead of the back alley, so now I don't have to traipse across the back yard in the torrential downpour to take the trash out. Most importantly it frees up the old metal trash cans and allows them to be used in a more vital roll...shields. If you've got a stick and a garbage can lid, you're all set for a fun afternoon. Growing up we had the big, stupid, plastic ones but my grandparents had two metal ones with lids. The best thing was, my grandfather had a cinder block pit where he burned trash so the cans were usually empty and the lids were fair game! Boy did my brother and I stink at blocking with those shields.

Garbage can lids are not very effective shields. For a shield to be effective it has to fit the situation. A small round shield works great for hand to hand combat between two lone fighters, but wouldn't do so good deflecting a flight of arrows. By the same token a larger, knee to shoulder shield works great against arrows but could hinder a fighter in a gladiator bout. Certain shields were designed for certain things and to use them successfully you have to use them the way they were intended to be used. To use them any other way, or to use a garbage can lid instead, can lead to dire consequences. Grab your Bible and turn to John chapter 10.

Following the Blind Man Through the Gate

What are you scared of? I'm not talking about the normal laundry list of little things; I'm asking about the things that greatly unnerve you. What makes your heart race and your stomach turn over? This may sound weird, but the open sea scares me more than just a little. I'm not talking about being on a boat and sipping lemonade on the deck. I'm talking about IN the open water. There's no bottom in sight, much less touch. Your vision underwater is measured in feet instead of miles. You're at the mercy of whatever comes along...and you can't even see it coming. We went to a 3D movie a few weeks back and the camera zoomed in on a ship out in the ocean. Because of the angle and the 3D effect, it felt like you were swimming in the ocean toward the ship. I didn't like it. At all. Not one bit. What's funny is, I would love to get in a shark cage and watch a Great White shark go nuts except for the vast nothingness. I don't think I could handle it streaking out of the darkness going 40 miles an hour. Give me a half of a mile to watch it come and I think I would be all right…as all right as you could be with a cage keeping a shark away.

To be honest, it's really the unexpected surprise that terrifies me. I'm pretty sure that most of this is because of my severe near sightedness. I always joke that if they change the "E" at the top of the chart, I'd never know. Not being able to see can be a scary thing. For me, it's about power. Some of you ladies just rolled your eyes, but it's true. Not that I have to be more powerful than anyone else, I don't want anyone to have power over me! I want to be in control, and to lose my vision is to lose some of that control. Just like the murky water, I want to be able to see what is around me. I know these two topics seem completely unrelated, but it will all come together. We're still looking at the "I Am's" of Jesus but first I want to look at the story of a blind man. (pun intended)

This Little Light of Mine

Have you ever been wrong and didn't realize it? Have you ever been wrong and completely aware of it? Sometimes we find ourselves where we aren't supposed to be, other times we head across the line knowingly. Regardless of how you arrived there, when your wrong doing is made known...what is your reaction? My kids have a cycle that they go through without fail. First up is "Huh?" If I pretend like I don't know what your talking about, it will fool you. This is very close to the toddler that hides by closing his eyes. Next up is, "Not Me!" When they are "made aware" of the wrong doing that took place, they looked shocked at the notion of anyone doing something so heinous and deny any involvement. Most of the time this is followed closely by, "It was HIM!" Looking shocked and innocent didn't work, so now we need to misdirect the attention onto someone else. My youngest has actually blamed his brother for using the bathroom in his Pull-Up! After this comes the back track. Once they discover that the scrutiny hasn't shifted, they go back to "Not Me!", but this time it is accompanied by nervous twitches. They won't look at me, they can't stand still, or they can't stop moving their hands. They know they are running out of options and they are starting to get worried. Finally we get to the last evasion in the series, "Silence." Deep down they know they are caught, but they can't own up to it. All it takes is one more push though, because they've reached the end of the road and they know it. They stand at the brink and look over the edge into the fog shrouded crevasse. They have no idea what is coming next and it is terrifying. Deep down they know they did wrong and they know they deserve punishment.

Since my three little ones are all preschoolers, their punishment is very shallow except in the most extreme cases. 99% of the time it is a little pop on the hand accompanied by the usual parental guilt/love. But that's only if they willingly confess at some point along this route. If they persevere all the way to the final step of silence, then the punishment gets more "severe" and I try to explain that to them. "You're getting your hand popped for throwing the metal trivet across the room for the hundredth time. You're not getting any dessert because you lied to me." (My grandmother HATES the word lie. "Call it telling a story!" Nope...they lied!) Now the waterworks start. "But I don't want my hand popped!" "I'm sorry, but you know that we don't throw the metal trivet across the room." But soon, they get over the physical punishment. It didn't really hurt, it just stung a little. I also try to deflect them after a few minutes so they don't cry through supper. But when the food is eaten, and it's time for dessert...and they don't get any...the fireworks are epic! They'll look over at their siblings eating a piece of cake or a cookie and will come unhinged. It's almost like those old cartoons where the tears actually fly out of the eye. I calmly remind them, "I gave you a chance to tell me the truth and you didn't do it. Since you lied to me, you don't get dessert. I'm sorry." Then they just sit and wallow in their loss. Here's my point, we adults aren't much different when it comes to our own choices. We know something is wrong, but that's not enough to keep us from doing it. The Bible alludes to this numerous times as our "flesh". As we are, we cannot keep from doing wrong. It takes something more than us. Today we'll be looking at Jesus' next "I Am" statement, and  the events that lead up to it.

Giraffe Begins With "J" and God is a Crutch

My four year old daughter is a very adamant little girl. We were driving to get something to eat a few weeks ago and I was using the time to help them practice sounding out words and matching letters. I'll ask the three of them, "What starts with M?" My three year-old son has no interest beyond whatever truck or construction vehicle he can see out his window to the point that we are constantly interrupted with, "Dere's another ba-hoe, Dad!" My four year old son enjoys the "game" but he's not near as quick as his know-it-all twin sister. She immediately starts hollering out words. "M-M-M-Mouse!! Daddy, mouse starts with M." And I am quite sure I've caught a haughty look or two being shot at her brother. She's so bad, I'll tell her to not answer and I can hear her doing it under her breath!

So we start with A and work our way through. C always gives us problems, but Sesame Street has taught them that C makes two different sounds, so its not too big of a hiccup. D is easy, but they occasionally confuse the long E and the short I sounds. F goes off without a hitch, and I expected G to be easy too. Boy, was I wrong! "What starts with G?" I was expecting a quick answer from the honor student behind me, but she was quiet...as was her brother. I looked in the mirror and I could see her staring out the window frantically searching for a "G" word. Like any good parent, I offer suggestions, "What about g-g-goat? Or g-g-goose?" "Yes Daddy, those start with G!" What's funny was, the tone she used was pure, "Good job, Daddy!" So then I made my mistake, "What about giraffe?" This little girl cut her eyes at me in the mirror and used the teenage "your stupid" tone, "J-J-Jiraffe starts with J, Daddy!" I calmly instruct her that giraffe does indeed start with the letter G. This was like poking a hornet's nest. She fought me on this for at least five minutes before I convinced her that G can make two sounds just like C can. She was so sure of what she knew that she couldn't get passed it to the truth. We've taken a few weeks and studied how God describes himself, now I want to move to the seven "I AM" phrases Jesus uses to describe who He is and what His mission is.  

Surrender the Flag

I have put together a puzzle or two in my life. I don't think I ever actually start one, but I always stop and help someone else with theirs. I can still remember my parents rules if we were working on a puzzle together. "Always start with the edges! Corners first!" Now let's be honest, if there are a thousand puzzle pieces on a table and all of them are the size of a toddlers fingernail then finding the four corners can take a while! 

My three preschoolers and I were visiting at my parent's house recently, and I watched as my mom tried to enforce these same rules with my kids. I made sure my snickers weren't audible. My three year old would lose interest rather quickly and just leave. My 4 year old daughter understood perfectly, but you can't tell her anything right now. She has to do it her way. While she is very analytical and does well with the puzzles, its slow progress because she has to use trial and error instead of your help. 

On the other side of the table, I could see my four year old son's confusion at the concept of flat sides and corners. He's used to the pieces you slide around on the wooden frame until they accidentally pop in place. Once my mom helped him with the outside pieces, he decided he would do the rest of the 30 piece Spiderman puzzle on his own...without help. Saying that to his sister, as nosy and bosssy as she is, is like throwing gasoline on a fire.  When he says, "Don't help me", she automatically starts creeping over next to him. As soon as he looks down she starts instructing him as to how he should be doing it. "I said leave me ALONE!" Once I make her leave the table completely I watch my son put his puzzle together with his Mammaw (who is "not" helping). She hands him a piece to "try". Now my mom and I could both see that the piece needed to be turned just a little. My son lays it down and starts beating it with his fist, trying to force it in. I think my mom picked the puzzles up for a few years.

Since we're talking about puzzles (most likely against your will), have you ever watched someone work on a puzzle? It is the dullest thing...EVER! Why? They are doing it too slow.That piece doesn't go there. You're doing it the wrong way. Bottom line, it's because we aren't in control.

1x1x1=1

Have you ever tried to explain something to a preschooler? With four kids, I have tons of stories of them trying to understand something that is way beyond their little minds. Some of the time they are hysterical, other times their questions have a ring of simple truth, but sometimes they can't hope to understand. Right now they are going through one of these times. My oldest son is 8 years old and right now he and my wife are in Bethesda, MD going through the beginning stages of a bone marrow transplant. They left June 1 and are hoping to be back around the first part of October if everything goes well. My other three children are 4, 4, and 3. They look at their dad and say, "I miss momma..." or "I miss my brother...".Because of the distance and because of the risk to their brother, they won't get to see them for at least three months and that's only if he is doing well enough for them to visit. As a father I understand all of this. I can see that this is necessary and that good will come out of it, but they can't. I've tried my best to explain to them that their mom and brother will be back, but that it will be a long time. The hardest time for them, and for me, is when I have to leave them some place. Whether it's daycare, babysitter, or grandparents, they don't want me to leave. My four year old son is the strong type. He gives me a hug and then walk resigned into the daycare. He'll stand at each window and wave to me as I walk to the van. He doesn't cry, but he doesn't smile either, he simply  accepts that I will be back. His four year old sister gives me a hug and is gone though I can tell by her eyes that she doesn't like this any better than her brothers; she seems to adapt the fastest to all this. My little one is not as big as his siblings. "But I miss you dad", is all he'll say as he clings to my neck , or leg, or hides behind me. So we hug and talk and give lots of kisses. I try to remind all of them that I will be back, it's just for a little while. I remind them of the things they do understand to help them accept the things they can't. Yes, I'm tearing up as I write this, but emotion is not why I began with this. There are some things about God that we cannot understand, we just have to accept them. One of those things is the idea of the Trinity.

Mood Rings and Offshore Phone Calls

Do you remember mood rings? I never had one, but I had a few friends who did. The basic premise is that our body temperature changes depending on how we are feeling. The crystals in the ring are extremely sensitive to heat changes with different colors representing a higher or lower body temp. There is some correlation between stress and body temperature, so there might be some truth to the mood ring. I wish my wife had worn a mood ring before we started dating. If she had, I might have had a clue that she was interested. By her account, she waited for me to ask her out for over a year. She's even told me how irritated she would get when I would go out on dates with another girl during that year. Deep down I still believe she should have said something. Maybe she could have passed one of those notes from the third grade during Sunday School...(Circle yes or no if you'll be my boyfriend). Maybe not, I probably would have fallen off my chair if that would have happened. I bring all this up to say that I had no clue what was in this young lady's heart. God, however knows the hearts of all men. 

Fire Detectors and Fish Prayers

I have the privilege to work with some fantastic preschool teachers and aides. They love kids and do a good job teaching them, much better than I would do. There is very little for me to do except stay out of the way of their well-run school program. However, sometimes things happen to mess up our carefully made plans and you just have to go with it. Last month our school had a visit from the fire marshal. Apparently the building that was put up in the late 50's was never inspected for educational purposes. Now, we are working to resolve all matters with the State Fire Marshal, but it's been hysterical in the mean time...mostly because I don't have to do it. The main problem we are facing is that there is no fire alarm system in the building. We have smoke detectors, but not a building wide fire alarm system that an educational building in Louisiana is required to have. To compensate for this while we install one, someone has to do a visual check of each room in the building (I stopped counting at 18) and then call it in to the office that there is no fire...every thirty minutes. I know it's mean, but I actually snickered out loud when the fire marshall was sitting in my office telling me this. For the most part I'm a "by the book" person, so I typed up a form and organized our aides into a temporary fire watch team (I almost got little fake badges). It took about two weeks for the aides to get it straight, because they still had classroom duties to attend to. They eventually had to work out a rotating schedule because they could only be in one place at a time. The aides were limited by space and time. God, however, is not.

Tracking Hurricanes

Growing up in South Louisiana, you learn things you don't necessarily learn everywhere else. Some of it is practical experience, like what size alligator you can hit with your car and it not do damage. How fast a water moccasin can swim in flood waters. What is a  nutria exactly?(Google it; so nasty!) One of the things you learn in school is how to track hurricanes on a tracking map. Now, I was lucky that I've never experienced a major hurricane, but like you, I have seen the devastation that a hurricane can do. In the last few months, the US has seen out breaks of tornadoes that have done massive damage to people and property.  When viewing the aftermath of one of these storms, I would dare say it is impossible to not be awed at the power of wind.

The last few weeks we've been exploring God's character. We've looked at the attributes that make Him who He is, but we won't have a complete picture of who God is until we look at His capabilities.

Jif Peanut Butter and God's Love

 As I've mentioned in previous posts, I can be a little picky when it comes to food. Aside from textures and food mixtures, recipes are very important. Some dishes have specific ways they should be made. Cornbread should be made with bacon grease, not sugar. Muffins are made with sugar. Brand names also fall under this category. JIF peanut butter is the best there is (the first spoonful is the best!). Regardless of what my wife (or my secretary) says, Bryan wieners are the only appropriate choice for a hot dog. And if your going to eat American cheese slices...it has to be Kraft. There are more, but you get the idea. Before you start rolling your eyes, stop and think about your own peculiarities. All joking aside, what things do you not like to compromise on? It may not be food related, but there are things in your life that you consider unalterable. If object x is missing characteristic y, then it couldn't conceivably be object x. The last six weeks we've been looking at God's personal attributes piece by piece. Today I want to look at them as a whole. I want to show you how God's love is one of those things that has no substitute.First let's review the main verse we've been using, Exodus 34:6-7.

You're GROUNDED!!

Has anyone else ever had to suspend a punishment? Come on parents, be honest. I've discovered that when I punish in the heat of the moment, I often go too far. However, when I send my wife to her room to think about what she's done...just kidding sweetheart! When I send my child to his or her room, most of the time it gives me a second to put it all into perspective. I'll remember that they are only four. I acknowledge that they had no clue that what they were doing was wrong. At the very least, the punishment will better fit the crime and the "criminal" and hopefully they'll know that their Dad loves them and only punishes to help them learn. God says that He is just. The guilty are punished, with no excuses or loop holes available.

What's Your Golden Calf?

Because of my job working with our church's Preschool/Kindergarten and the age of my children I have a lot of interaction with kids, especially preschoolers. In my professional opinion, kids are hysterical! There always seems to be something going on at home or at school. I find myself chuckling and rolling my eyes at children on a daily basis.  For instance, my three year old son has discovered super heroes and has decided that he is "hooper hero" himself ("s" is not an important consonant to a three year old). For his birthday we had a cape made for him and now he runs around the yard singing, "Da da DAH!" while killing scary monsters. My other three are just as funny... and just as weird.

Besides being humorous, my children have taught me a lot. This especially goes for spiritual stuff. How do you explain crucifixion to a three year old? I realized something hadn't translated right when he exclaimed, "They killed baby Jesus!?!" Most importantly, they've taught me about forgiveness.  Punishment comes easy for most parents, but forgiveness can be a little harder. I know my kids are still young, but I've never refused to forgive them. My problem with forgiveness was in letting my kids know I forgave them. Let's be honest, adults often have problems rationalizing that people still like us when we hurt them. It's hard to look someone in the eye when you've caused them pain. Sometimes the friendship ends because we can't bear to be reminded of our failures. A preschooler in trouble deserves to be there. An elementary age kid ought to be brought up short and punished. A teenager needs to have their life flipped upside down. They need this so they will learn. However, the most important thing they need to learn is that they are loved and can be forgiven...no matter what.

"I Do!"

I remember the day I got married. There are probably nicer ways to phrase it, but that seems the most accurate. Once you say the words, "I do", and then sign that paper...you've got it. I'm not saying marriage is a bad thing (I happen to think it's wonderful). I am saying that it is something that is not casual or insignificant. When you get married, you really do get "hitched". You are attached to this person for the rest of your life. Not only that, but there were promises that you agreed to that must be fulfilled.  "I promise to love and cherish you. I promise to support you and care for you no matter what. Even if you get burned to a crisp, lose all of your limbs, and develop chronic intestinal issues I will stay with you." Here's an aside that can be rather dangerous, but will serve the illustration well later. My wife and I have had the conversation that I think every couple has had, "Would you still love me if...?". Now guys get tired of this line of questioning. We probably feel it is a slight against our character or that our promise at the wedding wasn't good enough. The problem is we don't understand what she is really asking. If we had a translator it would sound something like this, "I've met a lot of bad guys. I've met guys that were only interested in my physical attributes. I've dated guys that loved me as long as I pleased them. I've known guys who only cared about what they could get out of a relationship...they used me and then threw me away when they were done. Are you like those guys? Do you really love me?"

God Is Not the Orkin Man

I absolutely refuse to throw-up! I know that's an odd and slightly disgusting way to start a blog post, but it is the truth. My wife has actually used the phrase, "If you throw up you'll probably feel better." My normal response is to pick up my fever soaked brow, glare at her and say between clenched teeth, "I refuse to throw up!" By my recollection, I was in second grade the last time I did. My mom had taken me to the doctor, and I had to go to the restroom. To put it politely, it took a while for me to eat pepperoni pizza again. My mom probably doesn't remember this, but for some reason it sticks in my mind. The reason I bring this up is because of the misconception I had as a child that somehow the pizza caused the sickness. There are any number of things that could have caused me to become sick, but the meal I had two hours before was most likely not the culprit. Our perception of reality is often just as important as what actually happened. If any of you have kids then I'm sure you've heard the "They did it on purpose!" cry. To a four year old, or a thirteen year old for that matter, the accidental bump of a sibling was not only on purpose, but done with the evil intention to maim them and/or possibly kill them. My four year old twins are quite often proof of this. Adults may chuckle at this picture, but we're not much different. How often have we been offended by the casual remark of a family member, friend, or acquaintance and then fumed at home for days about it. Sometimes we go so far as to let misunderstandings change life long friendships, our career, even our families.

"Get Off the Road!"

Have you ever been caught in traffic? Have you ever been driving along, minding your own business, and gotten cut off by some maniac? What was your response in either of these situations? I'm sure you were just simply grateful that you weren't hurt and prayed for the individual that was driving so recklessly. Or maybe you sat on the interstate thankful that you weren't the one that was in the wreck causing this pile up. One of my favorite road rage phrases often uttered by a family member of mine is, "It's the long skinny one on the right!" To be perfectly honest, road rage is a common problem in our day and age. I would dare say most people do not empathize with anyone else on the road unless we happen upon a bad wreck. Something about being behind the wheel of car distances us from other people. Maybe it's because we only see that big SUV, or that speedy convertible. Maybe the insulation from the noise and the feel of the outside world erases everything from our perception but our own timetables. Whatever the reason it seems that the prevailing attitude on the road is, "No one is more important than me." 

Dog Doo and Pepé Le Pew

Last time we explored this fact; to completely understand God is impossible. While this is true, God has revealed Himself to us in ways we can understand. We may have to take some of his explanations on faith, but God hasn't kept Himself completely hidden from us. In Exodus 34:6-7 God actually describes himself to Moses, 

"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'"

In these next few posts I want to look at these character traits of God; who He is by His own words. But today I want to look at all these together and combine them into one idea; holiness.

Holmes and the Ant

I love knowing stuff. My mind has no problem remembering strange minutia and facts that are often of little value. Along with that, I love puzzles, but only puzzles I can figure out. Nothing is more infuriating to me than to get stuck on some kind of logic problem or mental trick and having to admit defeat. I guess it is in my genes to want to figure everything out. If that's not possible, I want to at least have more figured out than the next guy. I know it's not the healthiest attitude, but at least I'm aware of it.

I bring all this up to tie it in with one of my favorite fictional characters as a teenager. Sherlock Holmes was always interesting to read. I loved how he could take a seemingly trivial item or observation and turn it around to solve a major case, or at least make a break in it. Most of these were simple deductions that he would make concerning a scuff on a shoe and a stain on a sole. As long as the knowledge flowed in an understandable manner I was OK. However, it used to infuriate me when he would make leaps that weren't in the story line. I would get uninterested quick. Not because it wasn't explained at some point, but because I wanted to be in "the know". Does this sound like you?

Buffet

I was a picky eater as a kid...okay, I'm still a picky eater but not near as bad. My  two biggest problems were, and are, the textures of food and foods being mixed together. I like the peas and carrots, and I can stomach the corn but don't mix them together! Because of these aversions I used to love it when we would go to a buffet style restaraunt. I could get whatever I wanted as long as I sampled from each of the food groups. I would load up on mashed potatoes and the pudding that was always by the salad. Throw some ham and green beans on the side and I was doing great; no vegetable soup and especially no creamed beef (it's hard to even type that). Now, as a kid, you can claim ignorance of nutritional needs but as an adult you know what your body needs. There are foods that don't help our body. There are some foods you should never eat even though those often taste the best. This brings us to the second hurdle most people face when presented with Jesus and we'll call it "The Buffet".

Sunscreen

The first chasm that invariably stands in the way of belief in God and His son Jesus is the one that we'll name "Reality". A person hears the message of God, possibly even takes a few steps toward Him, but finds himself facing...*dramatic music*... "Reality". What is Real? If you were to ask 100 people on the street, or in markets across the world, their response would be that something is real if you can touch it, see it, or possibly hear it. Then they'll think about it and add smell and taste. Our views on what is real and fake revolve around our 5 senses.

There is a way that seems right...

I'm sorry, but if there is truth there is also falsehood. Many people in our world would certainly disagree with me. Society, especially that found in the U.S., chooses to believe that each person can decide for themselves what is right and wrong as long as it does not encroach on choices made by anyone else. Some even believe this to be a modern development, a crowning achievement of our forward thinking society. This is not the case. Mankind has found ways to justify its actions throughout history. Interestingly, when you step back a few hundred years all the justifications look a lot like, "I did it because I wanted to." In this blog, I desire to show you the Truth of God that is found in Jesus Christ.