Party Like You Mean It

This recent Thanksgiving I was a little nonplussed to see Facebook posts proclaiming how well people were sticking to their diets. It seemed that some were posting in hopes that they could convince themselves that the dairy free, wheat grass encrusted, free range tofu loaf that they had forced upon themselves and kin was actually edible and sin free to boot.

I think a different tact for celebrations and giving of thanks is in order because of Who we as Christians are thanking. Our God doesn't give us a snake when we ask for a fish and it seems a pattern to follow that we shouldn't offer tofu loaves when celebration calls for turkeys and ham. One wouldn't go to Hawaii and post pictures of a cold storage unit they had spent their holiday in.

Now I'm not calling for wonton gluttony - swerving from that ditch to the other could get one a DUI- but for celebrating in such away that the Pharisees could accuse you of such. They did so of Jesus, as well as calling him a bit of a sot. Which probably comes from other means of celebration. Merry Christmas from the ordinary saint!

Evil Everywhere

Yesterdays news of two major school massacres rocked the hearts of people and parents around the world. The school shooting in Connecticut which, from reports I've heard has left 20 children and 6 adults dead and the school stabbing in China, which left 15 students dead and one adult wounded. These are horrible events that leave good people everywhere in shock. We want to be able to do something. And we ask "Why!?". Let me address the "why?" first and that may, if I'm capable, bolster support and understanding for the "what to do" part. In either case I feel that I may just be preaching to the choir, but the choir didn't get there because they knew all the songs, so I'll continue.

Why do tragic events such as these occur? The answer is more simple than we want to believe and that disbelief is frankly the reason they are becoming more common place. Mankind is evil. We are broken (Romans 3:10-19).
The further a society strays from love and respect for its Creator the further the darkness of our souls goes on display. And contrary to popular belief this starts in the church and leaches outward to secular society. Where there is national/sociatal fault it starts with the church corpus. I hope to delve into this in the future, but not here. In sum, until this world is redeemed depraved individuals will do harm. No law will prevent them, no government can protect us from them. Which leads us to "what to do".

As is normal among people who look to their government for salvation there are cries to remove firearms from those who haven't and won't use them for evil. It is, of course reactionary and straight up foolishness. The murders at the school in Henan, China are proof that man is evil even without firearms. I know that is shocking to some.
First on the "what do we do" list is to understand that evil happens while still in the realm of Gods sovereignty. Better men than me have tried to explain that and I'll leave that to them. I've seen it evidenced in my life and know it to be true.
So evil happens, God is sovereign. Now what? We do what we can to protect ourselves. I know what I say next are simple answers to difficult problems but nobody that has the direct power to make these changes is reading this anyway. And what I'll say generally had already been said by others. Now what I propose we do:We allow teachers to be armed. We don't force them but allow those that wish to arm themselves to do so. We trust our childrens education and minds to them, why not their protection?
We choose to spend our time and money at places that allow us to arm ourselves. The old saw "Gun free zones are a target rich environment" has proven itself true. Either don't give Gun Free Zone stores, malls and theaters your business or don't bother to inform them that you ignore their signs. And this is assuming of course, that you have chosen to arm yourself for your families protection. It is a deeply personal decision that should not be taken lightly. I have no contempt for those who have carefully considered and decided against arming themselves, but only for those who would take that right away. I believe in trusting God and doing my part. That fleshed itself out in having life, health and auto insurance and a Glock 19.

As with anything I say or blog I'd be willing to discuss it further with anybody who asked.

To My Dad

My Dad retired today after 38 years working at Northshore School District. I'm looking forward to him being able to enjoy his time as a grandfather to his two grandchildren and husband to my awesome stepmom, Aletha.

I look back at growing up as his son. Really alot of great memories. I recall building a model plane, a P51 Mustang with him. I remember being especially excited for him to get home every night that week so we could glue more parts together.
The house we lived in in Bothel had a greenbelt through the backyard and Dad built us a tree house and rope swing. Monte and I played for hours on end back there.
By far the greatest memories I have with my Dad involved camping. Yes, the fault lies entirely with my Dad for my love of the outdoors, camping, exploring and that evolved into Jeeping. I don't recall how old I was when we first headed up past Granite Falls in our late 70s Ford Econoline van but our tradition was to stop by the general store and I could pick out a toy from the revolving rack. Plastic cap guns, green army men a truck. They fueled the imagination when we finished building a dam across a creek or caught minnows. Dad could skip a rock across the river using a sling shot, which is pretty much the coolest thing when you're 8 years old. Ha, I even remember my Dad saying "fart" as we were driving down Crooked Mile Road. We couldn't say that at home! That was also the most "vulgar" word I ever heard him speak.Those all were the greatest memories a boy could have with his Dad,and of course many more.

As I got into my teen years, as happens with many young boys, I realized my Dad wasn't the perfect  super hero I always thought he was. He annoyed me and I frustrated him. We butted heads often. I was pugnacious and knew what buttons to push. My teenage arrogance didn't leave much room for mercy. Fortunately for me my Dad had plenty.

At youth group one night when I was 17 our youth pastor, Arnie Guin, spoke about respecting our parents - whether or not we thought they deserved it. Somehow it hit me that I was in the wrong. That night started a slow change in our strained relationship.

The next few years with my Dad are a little foggy in my memory. Things weren't great at home and I moved out when I was 18. Carin and I got married two years later. This caused a huge rift among our families and my Dad and I didn't spend much time together, though he wasn't against our marriage. It was about a year or so later when my mom filed for divorce. Without going into all that involved it freed my Dad and I to spend more time together. Dad wasn't ever much for standing up for himself but the divorce was a wake up call. We both started growing together spiritually and as father and son. There were many times I could tell he was nearly overcome with guilt for his shortcomings as a husband and father. But this is when I really saw the foundation for humility. Dad talked to me not only as a son but as a friend. He listened to me in the same way. I really had the privilege of seeing a broken man become a man of God. When I would get hot headed he calmed me down without talking down to me.
Years after my parents divorce was final Carin and I had a few years of a rocky marriage. Dad and I spent many hours on the phone,he counseling me with the wisdom gained from experience.

I used to be a little upset that Dad didn't teach me how to work on cars or fix things around the house. But, looking at it now, my Dad, at the right time taught me the most important thing. He is teaching me to be a man of God, a husband who loves his wife and a father who can raise a boy into a man. And Dad gives all the credit to God. We, together have been able to experience the mercy of God in the healed relationship of a father and son, the saving of my marriage to Carin, the new relationship of his marriage to Aletha and his discipling me in my new fatherhood. If my relationship with Ethan is even similar to mine and my dads then I will be a success in this life. We give God the glory. I love you Dad. Congratulations on your retirement. You deserve it.

Why I Laugh at All of You

Christians, far and above most people, buy their undergarments pre bunched. That is to say they find ways to be offended and usually about the wrong things. My favorite seasonal offenses are those revolving around the use of " Xmas" and "happy holidays".

We've all heard the old hens cluck at somebody who says "Happy Holidays!" with an admonition to remember the reason for the season. They piously announce that they,as good Christians, only say Merry Christmas.
And this is why I laugh at both of you. I laugh first at the Christian because they should know better. They should know that because we are heirs with Christ we are heirs to the words God created. These are our words and we should know their definitions. Holiday comes from the words "holy day". And if we are worshipping Christ and His entrance into this earth then that may just be a day that is holy (Romans 14:5-6). And IF we know that we should be able to look at each other- with a Christian twinkle and not a dour scowl - and chuckle at the person who uses "Happy Holidays" as an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas.
And that does bring us to the much loathed Xmas. We are often told of how the dirty heathens use an X (scribbled in goats blood, I'm sure) to X Christ out of Christmas. A little history, a little Googlian etymology reveals that the dreaded X is really just an abbreviation in the Greek. For all their writings of mythology and musings of the pen or quill the Greeks still didn't mind the occasional abbreviation. Xmas was the Grecian version of what would today look like Cmas. I for one, wish that they abbreviated abbreviation. That is a long word to describe the shortening of a word.

So I encourage you all to lighten up, spike the eggnog if you need to and know that our God made the words and therefore the definitions. A rose by any other name is still a rose, marriage is still between a man and woman, and the days we choose to honor our Creator are holy.

                Happy Holiday