Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Crawling Through The Window For a Fish Sandwich

Here we go again- I agree that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Here's a news story about a guy at a McDonalds in New York that crawled through the drive up window because they were not making his filet-o-fish fast enough. You can read the story here.

Pretty amazing if you think about it. The type of athleticism that it would require to be able to crawl out of the window of your car, and into a drive up window is actually quite impressive. I don't think I would have an easy time even crawling out of my car window, but to make the transition through the drive up window- quite athletic.

I wonder what that guy was thinking- first off what was his thinking ordering a fish sandwich at 430am? Secondly, what would it take to bring someone to get so angry that they would be willing to do this, and finally, I wonder what he thought after his anger subsided and he was left with scrapes on his belly, a warrant out for his arrest, and his measly fish sandwich.

We've all done it- got so angry that we made an utter and complete fool of ourselves. It usually over something trivial or pointless. I'm yet to get angry at a purse snatcher or belligerent parishioner. My over the top outbursts of anger are usually about something my kids did, or some mistake I made. Its rarely anything anyone else would be upset about.

Here's what I think probably happened though- that guy was probably upset long before he got to that window. Before he even woke up that morning that dude had probably been angry for a really long time, about alot of things. I'm sure he didn't wake up that morning and think that he was going to go off on the McDonalds worker who didn't make his sandwich fast enough.

Here's the nugget for the day- don't jump through a drive up window if they are late on your order. Also, pay attention to how angry you are about things before you blow up. Spend some time in prayer and talk to God about the things that you are angry about and let it out before you blow up on someone.

The last thing you want to do is "lose it" at the wrong time and end up getting some jail time.

Here's a great verse- Ephesians 4:26 "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. That's a great verse to remind us that we do get angry at times, but when we do, don't sin in that time. Make a conscious choice to not 'lose it' and learn to live another day.

Don't go through a window. Don't lose it. You can wait a bit longer for that fish sandwich.

Be blessed
matt

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Why Holy Week Shouldn't Be That Big of A Deal

Its 'Holy Week' this week if you didn't know. Its a week that most Christians around the world spend the week reflecting on the life of Jesus Christ. The week ends with Good Friday Service and Easter on Sunday.

Its a good thing but I'm not sure if its such a big deal.

Stick with me on this- hear me out.

I'm all for holidays, but I think they can sometimes ruin the reason the holiday exists.

Take Valentines day for example, I think Its a bunch of hooey. Why do I think its a bunch of hooey? Because whenever you have a holiday that has some sort of large significance centered on one day, it sends the message that it is only about that one day.

I love my wife every day. I do nice things for her all the time. I buy her stuff when I can. She gets chocolates whenever she wants. I don't need a specific day to tell me to love my wife. I need to do it every day.

That's my frustration with 'Holy Week'. Shouldn't every week be holy? Shouldn't we spend each week reflecting on the story of the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ? That's the whole point of being a Christian. Understanding the story of Easter.

I love this verse- 1 Corinthians 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

What does that verse mean to me? Without knowing who Jesus Christ is, and the significance of his resurrection, everything else is quite pointless. We shouldn't set aside one week to reflect on it, we should be reflecting on it every week. Every day in fact.

Here's the nugget for the day- after you've finished reading this fantastic blog today, I want to encourage you to take 3 minutes and reflect on what the death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus means in your life. You're probably at home, or in some office. I know a few of you read this on your phones. Just take 3 mins and reflect on what it means. How it changes your outlook on life and how it impacts your relationship with God.

Now do that every day and watch what happens.

Be blessed
matt

Friday, March 26, 2010

Have You Ever Met a Crazy Person?

I'm a pastor. Most of you know this by now. Because of this vocation, I find my self in situations that most people would not find themselves on a regular basis. That's the nature of the vocation. Pastors are called to minister to people in their most dire times, sometimes in circumstances that are not the norm, or at least not the norm as some would understand it.

Because of my vocation, I was at a in-patient behavioral health facility yesterday. Meaning, a mental health hospital. I'm not sure if you've ever been to one before, but yesterday wasn't my first time. I was a mental health counselor in the Army, so it wasn't that new to me, except yesterday was a bunch of civilians, not Army soldiers.

I had lunch there yesterday, and I was able to sit and watch the people that were there. All ages represented. All races represented. All socio-economic statuses represented. There was just a huge cross section of humanity there yesterday as far as I could tell.

As I was sitting there eating lunch and watching the other people, I couldn't help but think- most people would think that people who were in a hospital for reasons associated with their mind would look or act crazy.

Here's the interesting part- they all looked normal. They looked like people I knew, or had seen before. It wasn't like one flew over the coo-coo's nest, it was like being in a checkout line at the local supermarket. It was just full of people.

There is a stigma attached to people who have 'mental issues' and I don't really think its fair. We go and see someone in the hospital for being stupid on a camping trip and they break their leg and we think nothing of it. But if you have someone you know who has to go to the hospital because of something associated with the brain, and the perception of that person is totally different.

Mental illness is real. It affects a lot of people and is serious stuff. When we minimize it or talk down about it, we are condemning people who are truly in crisis that are in need of professional help. We should be supportive of them and realize that given certain circumstances, any of us, or our loved ones could end up in the same place.

What's the nugget for today? Don't be judgmental about people that are in need of behavioral health support. There may be interpersonal or medical conditions that are causing it that you may not know or understand. Yes, God can heal them or us of any condition, but when we pass judgement on these people, we run the risk of disenfranchising them from the grace of God because we have decided that they are 'crazy'.

Jesus ministered to people with conditions of the mind. Paul stated that we could transform ourselves by the renewing of our mind. Be a person who keeps a strong focus on the Lord, his love and his grace. Extend that same level of grace to those who are in a situation that necessitates support from professional mental health services. They are people just like you and me.

Be blessed
matt

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Chugging Down Some Cough Syrup

Have you ever had a cough? Sure. We all have at one time or another. Its an annoyance from which there is usually little relief. Cough drops, cough syrup, cold remedies. They all do a little, but they don't solve the problem, they just minimize the symptoms while you're dealing with the sickness going away.

My son has been a bit sick lately. Not really bad, just a nagging cough that wont go away. Its been going on for about a week. I think he got what I got last month. It lasted about 3 weeks. Not fun.

He coughs most of the day. Not a really bad cough, but enough that its a bit uncomfortable for the little dude.

The other night, we was laying in bed, and coughing, so I got up to give him a bit of cough syrup to help him sleep through the cough.

For the record- he doesn't like cough syrup. He hates the taste. Every time I try to give it to him, he shakes his head, closes his lips and shakes his head 'no'.

As a parent, this is quite frustrating. I'm standing there, at night, at the side of his bed arguing with him about taking 1 teaspoon of some medicine that is going to make him feel better. But he doesn't care. He hates the way that it tastes, therefore, he doesn't want to take it. No way no how.

I am always trying to convince him that even though he may not like the way that it tastes, it is the best thing for him. It will make him feel better.

We're all kind of like that in some way or another. Usually there is a small thing about us that we don't want to have to face that if we did, would change our lives completely. If we would just accept that it is going to be painful, or uncomfortable for just a short time, and realize that it is the best thing for us, we would be great.

But we fight it. We resist it. We try everything we can to not take that bit of medicine that we know is the best for us.

Is there something small that is uncomfortable for you that you have to face or accept to be able to move on? To get better? Understand this- sometimes we have to go through a little bit of pain to experience a lot of relief. If we're not willing to accept it and go through it, we will never get the victory.

Here's a great prayer for today- "God, help me to accept and go through whatever bit of tiny pain I need to, so I can grow in you and experience your victory in Jesus name, Amen".

I think when we allow ourselves a little pain it can translate into big victories, if we will let it.

Be blessed
matt

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Free Band-Aids and Open Heart Surgery! Thank You?

If you read my blog, you're on the Internet. If you're on the Internet you see the news- Obamacare is upon us. After a year of wrestling and wrangling it appears as if the health care reform that President Obama and Congress has been working on will be signed into law today.

Let me make this clear before I even begin to share my two cents today- I'm not sure on which side of the issue I stand. Therefore- please read thoroughly before attacking this post. Comments are surely welcome today, as this is an issue that affects every last American.

I am a Christian. I love God and people and do my best to try and live by the Bible. When stack ranking the things of importance in my life, my relationship with Jesus is on the top. Family comes in second, and everything else is, well, everything else. When I look at this health care bill, I still look at it through that paradigm. I understand that's a limited paradigm, but that's how I live my life. As simple as possible.

The arguments as I see them from both sides are quite simple. The people for it say it helps people and the economy. The people against it say it hurts people and the economy.

Here's what I know- not much. Its a 2700 page bill that costs about a trillion dollars that will provide insurance to about 35 million Americans. That's about 31 thousand dollars for each person insured.

Do we all need insurance? Should we all have to pay for it? Is it a right, or is it a privilege? As with most big things, do the ends justify the means?

For example- The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us about 974B- close to a trillion dollars. Which trillion would be better spent, war? Or Health care?

If you're looking for answers in today's blog I'm not sure if you're going to find them. But here's a great passage of scripture that could help.

Luke 20:20-25.Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"

"Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

There are two owners of my money- God and the government. I have money because God has blessed me with it, but those bills are owned by the US Government. When it comes to my finances there are a few things I must keep in mind.

1. Can I still worship God freely?
2. Will my family still eat?

If I can answer those two questions yes, then whatever else is, is. I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of every last thing on this earth. I can't control taxes or laws. I must live under their control.

So what do I do? Keep the main things the main things. Obamacare is what it is. If I like it or not is irrelevant. I'm going to be affected by it if I like it or not, so I should remember what the main priorities are in my life and keep on moving forward.

Be blessed today. Keep some perspective.

matt

Friday, March 19, 2010

Don't Be a Snail Eater

I have, well, actually the family has goldfish. You may remember the blog I wrote a while back about the new fish tank. The new tank is working well, I still haven't had to clean it, but I think that day is fast approaching.

The fish are doing well, and over the past few months, I added a new species to to the tank- snails. Yep, you can buy a snail at the store for about a dollar and they are supposed to crawl their way around the tank, and keep the sides clean.

I'm all about convenience, so I bought two of them. If they can keep the tank cleaner, I'm all for it.

Of the first two that we bought, one died, or so I thought. I bought a replacement that died, and now the third one is dead also. They are not just dead. They are gone. Their shells are now empty.

I'm not the quickest guy, but I think I figured it out. The goldfish have been eating the snails. Those cute little golden fish that are supposed to be nice have been carnivorous piranhas that have ruined my small little ecosystem.

Do goldfish eat snails regularly? Apparently yes. I didn't know that. I thought they would live together in harmony.

In Victory Blog fashion, I was trying to think what theological implications that this has. What does it mean?

We attack things that are different?

We eat what we shouldn't?

We shouldn't eat snails?

Then it occurred to me. I am a human. I am not a fish. I did not evolve from them. I was created. It got me thinking- those fish are just following their impulses. They're fish. That's what they do. They see something move and try to eat it.

Fish are stupid. I am not. I can make decisions that fish do not.

Here's a great verse- Romans 6:16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

Yes, that verse isn't about fish eating snails, but it made me think- those fish are slave to their desires- that's why they ate the snails. As a human, I can easily become a slave to a desire that I have, that may not be the ideal that God has for my life (sin).

I can make the decisions on what I choose to do or not do that line up with the word of God. I don't have to be a slave to my desires. I can be a slave to righteous (correct) living.

Is there a desire that you are allowing to control you? Are you a slave to it? Be set free in Jesus name and become a slave to righteousness!

You don't have to be a snail eater.

Be blessed
matt

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Dealing With Difficult People

We have all had difficult people in our lives. As I'm sitting here writing this, I'm thinking that I may have been the difficult person in someones life. Its possible. Difficult people are those whom you may know quite well, or may merely be an acquaintance. But they make your life difficult. Uncomfortable. Painful.

The most difficult people are those whom have some element of control in your life. A boss, a team member, a family member. Its those people that you have to interact with, not those people that you can kindly distance yourself from.

I have a friend who has had a difficult person in their life for a few years. The relationship didn't start out difficult, but overtime it became quite difficult. They were friends, and partnered up in a business venture, that at the time seemed like a wonderful thing to do. What could go wrong?

It went quite wrong in fact. This partner turned out to be a self-serving individual that made it their personal mission to make my friends life a living you know what. It came to the point where this partner was suing my friend in court to have them removed from the company, questioning their integrity, and defaming their character in an attempt to destroy their life.

I've never been in a situation like that before, but it doesn't sound fun.

What did my friend do? Counter sue? Raise a ruckus? Nope. My friend prayed. Prayed that God would move in the situation. That this persons heart could be changed, that the relationship would be restored, and then finally, if that were not possible, for God to remove the person from the business.

Seem insurmountable odds that this person would change their ways, but here's what happened- they resigned their position in the company. It was amazing.

I can't go into too many details, because of who and what is involved, but understand this- people who are part owners in companies do not resign their positions. It just doesn't happen.

Here's what does happen though- God answers prayer. My friend was praying for God to move, and He sure did in this case. The best part? My friend was able to act in a way that honored God, and her own convictions. They didn't have to sue, defend or attack. They simply prayed for God to move in the situation, and the person resigned and their life immediately got better.

Here's the nugget for the day- when things are difficult in your life do you try and make them better on your own strength, or do you allow the Lord to work on your behalf? I love this verse- Psalm 143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.

The Psalms have a bunch of verses about God defending enemies. Allow Him to do the work for you today. Ask Him to change the heart of those difficult people. Pray that he will move in the situation and believe that things will improve.

Watch what happens.

Blessings
matt

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

What If They Outlawed Donuts?

If you know me, you know I love donuts. I never met a fritter I didn't like. Come to think of it, except for filled donuts, there isn't many donuts I don't like. I love them all.

You may find it hard to believe, but I don't actually eat that many donuts. That is, I don't eat alot of donuts on successive days. I may eat a few of them in one sitting, but I dont go and get donuts that often. Maybe only once a week, or every other week depending.

Why don't I eat them every day? Because I know if I did, I would become a large man who resembles the donuts that I desire. I realize that the daily consumption of donuts would increase my caloric intake to the point of me gaining weight, and probably clogging my arteries.

Donuts are not healthy. Donuts are not good for you. Donuts have close to zero nutritional value.

But man, are they good.

I found this article about the Sony chairman talking about healthy food in theatres you can read it here. In the article he says that he wants to reduce the buttery popcorn at movies to "fight obesity in America".

Seriously? That's why we're overweight? Its all that popcorn?

I go to the movies about 2 times a year and maybe I'll get some popcorn. Why? because I know that popcorn with tons of butter is bad for me. Therefore, I don't eat it every day.

Here's my rant today- It frustrates me when the government tries to legislate healthy living. Part of the freedom that we are allowed in America is the freedom to choose. Sometimes those choices are not the best for us, but we are entitled to them.

If I want to have a donut, I can have one by golly. What if they start to legislate caffeine? Then you would really see an uproar.

Here's my point- you can't force someone to do something just because you feel as though it would be best for them. People must weigh the options, and the facts and then choose what is right for them. Yes, they may choose the wrong thing, but that wrong thing may have consequences for which they will pay for. You can't legislate what people will eat.

What's next, bacon?

I believe in free-will (sorry my Calvinist friends). I believe that God has created this world in such a way that we have the ability to choose what we will do or not do. Those choices have impact on our lives, either positive or negative. Blessings or curses. If we make wrong choices, we may be effected negatively by them, but we do them knowing what those are.

What's the nugget? Make good choices today. Make choices that you know will help you not hurt you. Make choices that you know will honor God and bless your life. The choices that you make today, dictate the future of your tomorrow. Make sure that you can live with the choices you make, no matter how big or small.

Be blessed
matt

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Does Your Spouse Love You More Than The Dog?

Once again, I've found and interesting article to blog about. According to this article, a third of Americans admit to missing their dog more than their spouse. It also says that 9 out of 10 Americans believe that the dog is more excited to see them after a hard day at work, than their spouse. You can read the article here

Sound familiar? I can understand that part about the dog being more excited to see me when I get home from work. Crystal doesn't run down the stairs and jump up and down when I get home. Yes, I usually get a kiss and a hug and a salutation, but as far as excitement level, Ranger wins every time. Then again, he gets just as excited when I go to get the mail and come back. He's a nut.

The most interesting statistic is that a third of people miss their dog more then their spouse. That tells me that two thirds of people have some sort of marital issue that they are not discussing. To have that many people who don't miss their spouse, to me, is troubling. Is their that many people that can't wait to get away from the love of their life?

I love my dog, he's a great hairy ball of fun, but he's a DOG. Some people are way too attached to their pets. I used to know someone who every time they had dinner they would make a plate of the same food for their dog so the dog could eat with the family. Yes, they are nice and fun and loving and all that, but at the end of the day, its just an animal, its not a real person.

Here's what I think is going on- loving a dog is safe. Dogs will take whatever you dish out and still keep loving you. You can ignore a dog and they will come back to you. You can talk to another dog and they wont get mad. Dogs provide unconditional affection. But, its still a dog.

Safe or not, you were created to interact with humans. God created you for community with other people. He never intended you to live your life isolated from other people. I can understand that people get hurt emotionally by other people, but that doesn't mean that you love your dog more than your spouse.

Taking emotional steps in relationships are hard, but they pay huge dividends. Don't spend your life hiding behind the affection of an animal because you're too afraid to tell your loved ones how you feel. Be willing to be a bit vulnerable and honest about you feel about the relationship.

Perhaps if we were a bit more honest about how we felt in our relationships those people wouldn't miss their dogs more than their spouses.

Be blessed
matt

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Garbage Truck Outside My Window

If you've been reading this blog long enough you know the struggles of the neighborhood I live in. The way my house is situated my back yard looks out over an arterial. Its not a main road, but it is a road with a broken yellow stripe down the middle. During the summer you can hear kids peeling out with their cars, or emergency vehicles driving past. It can create a bit of noise now and then.

Our trash day is Thursday mornings and for some reason, on Thursday mornings, the trash truck parks directly behind our house. Actually, the truck parks directly behind my bedroom window, which my head is right next to. Every Thursday morning. For the past 6 years I've lived in the house. The big diesel trash truck parks idling about 40 feet from sleeping head on Thursday mornings.

Sometimes he shows up at 6am. Sometimes its 650am. I assume that he has a commercial portion of his route that he completes earlier in the day, and then takes a break before starting his residential route at 7am. Its like clockwork that he leaves at 7am. I hear the air brake depress and him drive away at 7, that's how I know.

When this happens, and I get woke up early on Thursdays (I usually rise at 7). I must tell you. I get quite upset. Maybe upset is not the word. Maybe angry is better. Depending on what time I get to bed on Wednesday, it sometimes borderlines on furious. I absolutely despise getting woken up before I want to get up.

Do you know what I've done to rectify this problem of 6 years? Ab-so-lute-ly nothing. OK, one time I wrote an anonymous email to Allied Waste, but short of that, nothing.

As I was sitting here this morning writing the blog, and thinking about why I haven't done anything about it came to me. The days that I get up and get upset about the truck, my anger only lasts for a short period of time. For some reason, the anger at 620 isn't the same later in the day or the next day. Maybe the 40 mins less of sleep isn't that big of a deal. Perhaps I'm making a big deal out of nothing and the problem is me and not the trash truck. The guy is not being malicious, he's just doing his job.

I'm not sure if you ever get upset about dumb stuff, but I find that in my life the stuff that I get most upset about is stuff that I can't control. Traffic, people, circumstance, whatever. The times that I learn to frame those instances correctly in light of the grand plan of everything, I get less angry.

I believe in God. I believe as I have given my life to Jesus that I have asked him to make me a better person so that I can become more like Him. That means that He can use whatever he wants to teach me whatever I need to learn. Painfully, that may even include a trash truck outside my window every Thursday for the rest of my life.

Is there something that you have that is annoying in your life? Maybe God is using it to teach you something about you. Perhaps you can learn how to be less impatient, more loving, more forgiving.

Usually the stuff that annoys us most is really not that big of a deal.

Blessings
matt

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Best Roller Skater In The World

Yesterday was my daughters birthday. She turned 7, and she wanted to go roller skating at the Auburn Skate Connection. I'm not sure the last time you saw some 7 year old roller skate, but it can be quite amusing.

My daughter had been roller skating only one time, so she was a bit nervous about having a skating party if all the other kids had been skating a lot more. As most kids do, she took and inventory of who had skated, and how many times they had. She had one friend that had been once, a couple that had been a few, and one friend who said she had been skating four times.

Faith was a little concerned about the four-time skater. In her mind, that's Olympic material. Here's what I think was going on- the last thing that you want at your birthday is to be the person who is doing the worst. You want to be the best, or just blend in with the others. In the first grade mind, this was a cause for concern.

We end up at the skate rink and it was clear, this four time skater was no pro. Seriously, it appeared as if it was the first time she had ever even seen skates, which is far from the 'four time skater' that she was claiming.

The night went well, we sent the kids home from the rink full of cake and root beer with a goodie bag in hand. On the drive home, the wife tells me that she talked to 'four time skater''s mom and she said this was that little girls first time skating experience.

Hmmm. Interesting. It appeared as if we had someone in our midst that was caught in a wee stretching of the truth.

It made me think- to what benefit is it to this young child to lie to her friends about something that she had never done. Then it occurred to me- its the same thing a lot of people do when they are in a situation when they don't know something. They try and cover it up. For some reason, they don't like other people to know that they don't know something.

I'm sure you've done it. I've done it. There have been recent times when a bunch of guys are standing around looking under the hood of a car and I just nod and agree like I know what they are talking about. The reality is that I know next to nothing about it.

Here's the deal- we all have areas of knowledge that we know next to nothing about. When we are not up front and honest about these areas, we run the risk of not learning or acquiring new knowledge because people think we know.

The nugget? Be honest with others when you don't know something- you may learn something. It may be something spiritual, or intellectual, if you don't know- ask someone and maybe you'll learn something. Don't spend your life trying to 'fake the funk' you could end up missing out on some great knowledge.

Like how to skate.

Blessings
matt

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Global Warming- Farce or Fear?

In addition to inventing the Internet, I'm sure that most people have heard of the work that Al Gore has done in regards to Global Warming. Some people have called it groundbreaking. Some have called it junk science. Groundbreaking or junk, he got a Noble Peace Prize for it.

There's a pretty big debate that swirls around regarding global warming. There is some that say if we don't do something about it, we're all going to die, and then there is some that say its not real.

When it really gets tricky is when you start to talk to people about it when they are Christian people. "Good stewards of the earth" they say. "God will sustain the earth" say others. Its really enough to make your head spin.

Here's what I say about global warming- I have done exactly zero direct research in regards to global warming. Meaning, I'm not a scientist. Sure, I can read articles, and scan the Internet for whatever some hack job posted this week, but I'm no expert. What I learn about Global Warming comes from the media and other people and when I make statements about it, it can only be because I trust those 'experts' that they have the right data to support their claims.

I think its really easy to spend your life regurgitating other people's thoughts and ideas and try to come off as an informed person. I also think its easy to become over inflated in your own mind in how smart you think you are, just because someone else claims to figure something out and you jump on their bandwagon. I didn't study with Einstein. I didn't discover E=Mc2. I can learn it, which makes me a student, but it doesn't make me an expert.

Here's my point- when it comes to Global Warming, unless you're wearing a white lab coat and doing research, everything you hear you must accept by faith. That's the truth. You can say whoever said whatever, but unless you were actually there in the lab, you have to accept it by faith.

So what to do? live by faith in God! If I had the choice between trusting some researcher guy and trusting God, I'm going to trust God. His word says that He will never leave me or forsake me. His word says that He will take care of me. His word says that I will live eternally. So I don't worry about it. I recycle. I do what I can when I can, but I don't worry about it. If the world warms, cools, blows up or stays, God knows where I'm at, and what I need and He can sustain it all.

I try to focus more on heaven, less on earth. Cause there is a place that is eternal, that is overly warm, and I don't want to go there.

Blessings
matt

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

I Did The Most Amazing Thing Last Night

I brush my teeth every night. Last night was no different, I brushed my teeth. What happened while I was brushing my teeth was what was different.

Let me give you a little bit of the back story. I have a little bit of sensitivity on my teeth, and someone recommended me to try a new toothpaste, so I did. I'm trying this new toothpaste called Crest ProHealth. Its got about every last thing you could want in a toothpaste. Short of it actually brushing your teeth for you, it does everything. Plaque, gingivitis, whitener, sensitivity, fresh breath. Its awesome.

I was reading the directions after I got the new tube. Don't ask me why, I just did. I know, who reads the back of a tube of toothpaste. I do, that's who. As I was reading, I noticed that the recommended amount of paste to use was one inch. One inch? I came to the realization that I was using far less toothpaste than I needed to. So what did I do? I increased the amount of paste!

Here's the amazing part. Last night, as I had put this full inch of paste on my brush, and was about to commence brushing, the toothpaste began to fall off my brush. It all happened so fast, but as I noticed the paste beginning to fall off the brush, I quickly re-maneuvered position of the brush, caught the glob of paste, and saved it from certain death in the wash basin.

I have to tell you I was quite pleased with myself.

As I stood there brushing my teeth, I looked in the mirror and thought, man, that was simply amazing how I re-caught that paste. It was almost like in one of those Ninja movies where the guy catches the cup of coffee as it falls off the desk, and no coffee spills out. I had reflexes like a Jungle cat, and I was king of the world. It was difficult to continue brushing because I was so overtaken by my skills. It was amazing.

Okay, I might be embellishing a bit, but here's the point- we all do small amazing things every day. Things that no one sees that only we see. Small little victories that help others or save the day. The seemingly benign actions that avoid danger, save time, or improve something. They are the little things we do that no one notices but ourself.

What's the nugget? It important that we notice these things throughout the day. The small actions that we do that may or may not impact the world around us. Why is it important? Because when we do that, we remember that we're the pinnacle of God's creation. We're the crown jewel.

See, some people go around all day beating themselves up when the reality is that we were made in the image of God. He made us with special abilities and skills that the other creatures don't have.

Remember that today. Notice those times that you do something out of the ordinary and thank God that he made you so special. Remember that you're a fearfully and wonderfully made creation of the most high God.

Be blessed today
matt

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Don't be Known As a Hi-Jacker

I don't necessarily love flying on planes. I love going on planes, because I know that they are taking me somewhere fun, but the actual process of being on the plane I don't love. I've got to be honest, even before 9-11 I always wondered about hi-jackings on planes.

I think it started. when I was a kid. When I was about 5 they had that group of hostages from a hijacked plane that had been in captivity for quite a while. I remember watching it on TV. From then on, I always thought about that when I was on a plane.

Little did I know that usually planes aren't hi-jacked flying from SeaTac to Spokane (Minus D.B. Cooper) or LAX. Either way, I've never been on a hi-jacked plan, and I would really rather not ever be.

Hi-jackers take control over a plane and re chart its course for their own selfish means. They don't care who is affected, or what happens. They demand to have their way, and threaten people to get it.

Here's what we're talking about today- there are people out there (possibly you) who constantly hi-jack conversations. You know what I mean, its when you call or come up to talk to someone about something and they take control over the conversation and make it about them. You may come up and want to talk about an issue, and they turn it around to talk about their issue.

I'd like to offer some free advice. If you do this to people, stop it. Let the person who initiated the conversation get what they need out of it. Maybe you'll get yours, but maybe not. That's okay. You may become more aware of this happening, but you cannot control what other people do. You can control what you do.

Hi-jacking a plane or a conversation is not nice. Don't do it. Learn to pay attention to when a person calls you, or approaches you and be aware that they may need their emotional cup filled. It comes back to one of my favorite bible verses that says "be slow to speak and quick to listen".

This a hard process to learn, but as we do, we will be more fruitful in our relationships, and our lives.

Be blessed
matt