I've said it before, (and others have to) "Love is a verb ... and a verb is an action." Too often we say "I love you" but our actions do not follow through. And without God's love being demonstrated through out lives (meaning we can show human love without knowing the true depth of love) we are nothing (1 Cor 13).
Lip service (or saying I love you without backing up the love with our actions) is one of the biggest displays of hypocrisy in society today. Many people see this hypocrisy (or other forms of hypocrisy) in one form or another and then make excuses as to why they can't be a Christian, or why they can't go to church with certain people. Sadly, they have valid arguments, but even more troubling is when someone looses their own soul but blames someone else.
Love is the antonym for hate. Consider this - if you or I are giving "lip service love" only, then are we really demonstrating hatred?
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Trip Home
Christmas was great. Enjoyed the evening with the Dennis's then Chirstmas day we went to Brian and Bridget's. Enjoyed the time there ... good food and got to see more Family. Barbie and Mike were there, David Brown, Eric, our kids (Kelly and I of course), the Rexroth kids, and a couple Barbie sits with. The chefs did an excellent job with all the food. Good thing I'mnot counting calories (although I probably should).
Thankfully that was pretty minor and the only "problem" we had over the holidays. Had a great time with my brother and it was the best traveling our family has done in quite some time. COSI was really cool. Hate that Seth was sick over the week end but we got to do Christmas together. Hope he really enjoys his Penn State chair.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas
I'm sitting here at my brother's computer - it's almost 9 on Christmas morning and no one else is up. I laid in as long as I could - maybe 7:30. We exchanged gifts yesterday, so maybe everyone is wore out from the excitement. Come to think of it, neither one of my boys took a nap yesterday. But I just feel better in the mornings, so I'm up and ... actually thought to blog.
For the trip up here, we packed most of our clothes the night before. Then, I got up around 5:30 to load up the van, and amazingly, we were on the road by 7:40! I was able to drive the entire way, so Kelly and the boys could rest, read, or entertain themselves with a movie. The boys also had their games (Leap Frog & V-Tech). The past year or two the trips to Ohio have been extremely long and/or aggravating. Not this time thank the Lord! Maybe I can convince Kelly to always leave this early - she hates the early morning but she did pretty good this time.
Christmas Eve we opened presents at Eric's house. He got the kids the night before so we were able to spend some time with them. Eric & Kelly started breakfast, I started getting Ericca's kitchen set laid out for assembly. Then we ate and Eric & I put the kitchen set together. The kids had a little time to play, then we ran to the store and then to Annette's. Eric usually does Christmas Eve with the Dennis family so we crashed the party this year. They fed us good and then surprised us with gifts!
I had to order Seth's gift - he is decorating his new room with Penn State and you can't find much in NC or OH with PSU. Since I ordered it late I had it shipped to Eric's and it came while we were at Annette's. I ran over to Eric's twice to see if UPS had delivered yet. It was a blow up chair with the PSU colors and logo. It cam with a small foot pump and several of us worked to get it pumped up. Seth seemed to enjoy the chair - he sat in it the rest of the night. A couple of the kids jumped all over him but Seth handled it very well. We hung out for 8-9 hours, then back to Eric's.
Seth & Ericca went back to their mom's for Christmas day. They will be back tomorrow. We are going to chill at Eric's and then go over to Barbie's house this afternoon. I like not having to run around so much. This is nice. I would like to see if we can catch Uncle Roger before we head back to NC.
Merry Christmas to all my blog followers. I think there are 1.5 of you out there - LOL. Maybe when I get my new phone I'll post more ... maybe.
For the trip up here, we packed most of our clothes the night before. Then, I got up around 5:30 to load up the van, and amazingly, we were on the road by 7:40! I was able to drive the entire way, so Kelly and the boys could rest, read, or entertain themselves with a movie. The boys also had their games (Leap Frog & V-Tech). The past year or two the trips to Ohio have been extremely long and/or aggravating. Not this time thank the Lord! Maybe I can convince Kelly to always leave this early - she hates the early morning but she did pretty good this time.
Christmas Eve we opened presents at Eric's house. He got the kids the night before so we were able to spend some time with them. Eric & Kelly started breakfast, I started getting Ericca's kitchen set laid out for assembly. Then we ate and Eric & I put the kitchen set together. The kids had a little time to play, then we ran to the store and then to Annette's. Eric usually does Christmas Eve with the Dennis family so we crashed the party this year. They fed us good and then surprised us with gifts!
I had to order Seth's gift - he is decorating his new room with Penn State and you can't find much in NC or OH with PSU. Since I ordered it late I had it shipped to Eric's and it came while we were at Annette's. I ran over to Eric's twice to see if UPS had delivered yet. It was a blow up chair with the PSU colors and logo. It cam with a small foot pump and several of us worked to get it pumped up. Seth seemed to enjoy the chair - he sat in it the rest of the night. A couple of the kids jumped all over him but Seth handled it very well. We hung out for 8-9 hours, then back to Eric's.
Seth & Ericca went back to their mom's for Christmas day. They will be back tomorrow. We are going to chill at Eric's and then go over to Barbie's house this afternoon. I like not having to run around so much. This is nice. I would like to see if we can catch Uncle Roger before we head back to NC.
Merry Christmas to all my blog followers. I think there are 1.5 of you out there - LOL. Maybe when I get my new phone I'll post more ... maybe.
Monday, July 27, 2009
What doth the Lord require of thee?
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
There are many creeds, doctrines, and beliefs that bring human reasoning into the question "What doth the Lord require of thee?". First, our human nature typically spins the question to "What doth the Lord require of ________? (fill in the name of someone else). Another spin we typically put on it - figure out what we want to do then find scripture to justify what we want to do. Yet another spin is to do what we want to do then ask "Where can you find thou shalt not ________ (fill in the blank) in the Bible?".
Micah specifically lays out three three things that the Lord requires of us. A requirement is not a suggestion. A requirement is needed, essential, and is a condition for meeting a goal. If heaven is our goal, we are required to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Let's take a look at them individually:
Do Justly
The human tendency - make excuses for our actions, blaming our reaction to other events/people. However, this requirement requires a lot of self examination. No finger pointing is allowed here. The word just means lawful - God's Word is our law and we are to abide by the Word. If someone else breaks the law, we still have to follow the law. If we break the law, we have to correct the problem the lawful or Biblical way. For problem solving, see Joshua 22 & Matthew 18.
Love Mercy
It is way too easy to become self righteous and lift ones self up above others. We put on our "robes of righteousness" and think that our wardrobe gives us judicial authority. With gavel in hand, you can bang on the old sounding block, making a lot of noise and giving out guilty judgments against anyone who doesn't see things the way you do. This is not mercy!
Mercy can be defined as not getting what you deserve. God sent his Son to extend mercy to the lost - you and me. By accepting Jesus, we are accepting the mercy of God on our eternal soul. As true Christians, we are striving to be Christ-like, and should be extending mercy to people even though we may not think they deserve it. A great example in the Bible is Jonah who finally went to Nineveh to preach but then expected God to pass judgment even though the city repented of their sins. God used a gourd to help Jonah see the error of his way.
Walk Humbly
Humility is often missing from the Christian walk and many are led astray because of their own pride. Looking at current conditions in congregations, I sometimes reflect on what might be different if men had humbled themselves and made minor corrections. If the element of humility is missing from your walk with God, then it seems to be impossible to do justly and love mercy.
Webster defines the word humble as expressing a spirit of submission, ranking low in a hierarchy or scale, and not being proud or haughty. Ephesians 5:21 tells us to submit to one another. 1 Peter 5:5 instructs us to be subject one to another.
To help us really grasp the words of Micah, we need to be asking our self this question - What does the Lord require of me?
There are many creeds, doctrines, and beliefs that bring human reasoning into the question "What doth the Lord require of thee?". First, our human nature typically spins the question to "What doth the Lord require of ________? (fill in the name of someone else). Another spin we typically put on it - figure out what we want to do then find scripture to justify what we want to do. Yet another spin is to do what we want to do then ask "Where can you find thou shalt not ________ (fill in the blank) in the Bible?".
Micah specifically lays out three three things that the Lord requires of us. A requirement is not a suggestion. A requirement is needed, essential, and is a condition for meeting a goal. If heaven is our goal, we are required to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Let's take a look at them individually:
Do Justly
The human tendency - make excuses for our actions, blaming our reaction to other events/people. However, this requirement requires a lot of self examination. No finger pointing is allowed here. The word just means lawful - God's Word is our law and we are to abide by the Word. If someone else breaks the law, we still have to follow the law. If we break the law, we have to correct the problem the lawful or Biblical way. For problem solving, see Joshua 22 & Matthew 18.
Love Mercy
It is way too easy to become self righteous and lift ones self up above others. We put on our "robes of righteousness" and think that our wardrobe gives us judicial authority. With gavel in hand, you can bang on the old sounding block, making a lot of noise and giving out guilty judgments against anyone who doesn't see things the way you do. This is not mercy!
Mercy can be defined as not getting what you deserve. God sent his Son to extend mercy to the lost - you and me. By accepting Jesus, we are accepting the mercy of God on our eternal soul. As true Christians, we are striving to be Christ-like, and should be extending mercy to people even though we may not think they deserve it. A great example in the Bible is Jonah who finally went to Nineveh to preach but then expected God to pass judgment even though the city repented of their sins. God used a gourd to help Jonah see the error of his way.
Walk Humbly
Humility is often missing from the Christian walk and many are led astray because of their own pride. Looking at current conditions in congregations, I sometimes reflect on what might be different if men had humbled themselves and made minor corrections. If the element of humility is missing from your walk with God, then it seems to be impossible to do justly and love mercy.
Webster defines the word humble as expressing a spirit of submission, ranking low in a hierarchy or scale, and not being proud or haughty. Ephesians 5:21 tells us to submit to one another. 1 Peter 5:5 instructs us to be subject one to another.
To help us really grasp the words of Micah, we need to be asking our self this question - What does the Lord require of me?
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Took a weekend trip to the New River in WV. Good time, great laughs ... what a blast. You'd have to see the video to beleive it. Peeling out in a rafting boat was not suppose to be so scary or so fun. I'm so glad everyone is safe - I think I was the only one that came out up stream and I couldn't tell if everyone was OK or not. Jump Rock was another experience - I wasn't scared until my feet left the rock. Not being in the water very often leaves me a little skeptical and tense when I do get in the water, especially when your floating down or jumping into a body of water you are not familiar with. But like I said, it was hilarious and a great adventure.
Friday, July 24, 2009
I'm really wanting to get more involved in the Haiti mission. I've been looking into various sources where I could make an impact. The financial needs are great and oversight of such a project is critical. I don't want to throw money into random insanity. I want to make a difference in the lives of the people. I'm not for spending all my time at a convention, as some are already filling that need. My burden is to help the people with their daily needs. I want to support a medical team in the orphanage. If given the opportunity to go back myself, I'd like to use my hands to make a difference in someone's life. Not sure of God's plan for me in this mission, but I'm needing to hear from that still, small voice. It takes a group of people to make everything happen, and unfortunately church groups in America are so splintered that they can work with their own neighbor, let alone an overseas mission. God's plan might be hindered by our failures, but God always finds a way to get the job done. Lord help me to do my part.
After the recent news rants concerning Sgt. James Crowley arresting Henry Louis Gates Jr., I couldn't help but chip in myself. I guess what really stirred me up was President Obama's comments about a subject he failed to look into. What kind of leadership was shown by commenting in this manner? And then to pile on racial comments!
Now the president is the head of the Executive Branch of our government. This branch is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. Sgt. James Crowley was enforcing the laws of the land - from the information that is being reported. So I guess if you are doing your job, you are "acting stupidly" from BHO's point of view. For those of us who still have a job in this economy (thank the Lord I do), are we to slack up so we don't act stupidly? Only if we want to further jeopardize our employment status. What about those who see Obama's policy decisions as "acting stupidly"? Oh - were are not suppose to criticize him.
Let's take a look at the racial element that has been heaped on this subject. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick called this "every black man's nightmare." Obama gave us point #3 - "No. 3 — what I think we know separate and apart from this incident — is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact." I thought he was going to unite the country, not divide it - specifically along racial lines. It is tough enough to try and unify two political parties, and it would seem the President has enough work to do in the occupation he chose to pursue. He holds an elected office which is appointed to serve all Americans. Not just his friends, not just his political party, and definitely not one specific race. Mr Gates is a highly educated man, and possible has endured some racial issues in his life. But that does not appear to be the case. I can't find anyone pointing out specific acts of racism against Mr Crowley.
So why was Mr Gates arrested after showing ID? Based on the reports I've read - it was because of his attitude. I can image any cop of any race being called to a situation not knowing if he/she will be shot at, and trying to maintain a calm composure in spite of the unknown. The officer checks out the scene, finds out it is not a burglary (in this case) and then has to deal with a bad attitude from an innocent person. That would make me upset. I'd guess a lot of people are arrested just because they displayed a bad attitude to the officer. I beleive some officers will actually give you the benefit of the doubt just for cooperating. There have been several times I've been pulled for a speeding violation and the officer either 1) issued a warning, or 2) told me how to take a safe drivers class to keep points off my insurance. I don't think they would have been so understanding if I was bad mouthing them.
In this case, Mr Gates displayed a bad attitude. Cooler heads could have prevailed, but they didn't - and the bad attitude is overlooked by Mr President. Thank you Mr Crowley for doing your job.
Now the president is the head of the Executive Branch of our government. This branch is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. Sgt. James Crowley was enforcing the laws of the land - from the information that is being reported. So I guess if you are doing your job, you are "acting stupidly" from BHO's point of view. For those of us who still have a job in this economy (thank the Lord I do), are we to slack up so we don't act stupidly? Only if we want to further jeopardize our employment status. What about those who see Obama's policy decisions as "acting stupidly"? Oh - were are not suppose to criticize him.
Let's take a look at the racial element that has been heaped on this subject. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick called this "every black man's nightmare." Obama gave us point #3 - "No. 3 — what I think we know separate and apart from this incident — is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact." I thought he was going to unite the country, not divide it - specifically along racial lines. It is tough enough to try and unify two political parties, and it would seem the President has enough work to do in the occupation he chose to pursue. He holds an elected office which is appointed to serve all Americans. Not just his friends, not just his political party, and definitely not one specific race. Mr Gates is a highly educated man, and possible has endured some racial issues in his life. But that does not appear to be the case. I can't find anyone pointing out specific acts of racism against Mr Crowley.
So why was Mr Gates arrested after showing ID? Based on the reports I've read - it was because of his attitude. I can image any cop of any race being called to a situation not knowing if he/she will be shot at, and trying to maintain a calm composure in spite of the unknown. The officer checks out the scene, finds out it is not a burglary (in this case) and then has to deal with a bad attitude from an innocent person. That would make me upset. I'd guess a lot of people are arrested just because they displayed a bad attitude to the officer. I beleive some officers will actually give you the benefit of the doubt just for cooperating. There have been several times I've been pulled for a speeding violation and the officer either 1) issued a warning, or 2) told me how to take a safe drivers class to keep points off my insurance. I don't think they would have been so understanding if I was bad mouthing them.
In this case, Mr Gates displayed a bad attitude. Cooler heads could have prevailed, but they didn't - and the bad attitude is overlooked by Mr President. Thank you Mr Crowley for doing your job.
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