I have had this one brewing for a couple of days. I was going to get political for a moment but instead have decided to share some reflections on some songs by my favorite group for the moment Third Day. They have been cranked in my car the past couple of days. I'm sure everyone on Hwy 65 thinks I'm nuts as I rock my way to school and home!
This round will focus on their album entitled "Wire". I like the style of music and the lead singer's voice a great deal. But mostly I appreciate and feel ministered to by the lyrical content of their songs. It is typical for Christian bands to focus on self as I guess it is for all of us. I appreciate that Third Day looks at our own inadequacies and then puts the focus on what God has done and how His grace and love is poured out on us even though we are undeserving.
In the song Innocent they really hit on the freedom that comes from grace and forgiveness. It was a pertinent song for me based on my own personal experiences and struggles the past couple of years. Here are the lyrics:
Innocent
It seemed like I had run out of second chances
And they sentenced me to die
And I was just like a dead man walking
I was running out of time
But you came to me and opened my eyes
You gave me a brand new life
I am innocent and I have been set free
I no longer have chains around my feet
And no matter where I go or what they say
I am innocent
Many years have passed since the day that I met you
But your words are still the same
And every time I find myself with joy or sadness
I am calling out your name
‘Cause you came to me and opened my eyes
You gave to me a brand new life
The bold, italicized chorus is what it is all about. Being free enough to live in that grace and forgiveness and not care about what others think or say. I must admit that while I know God has forgiven me for my multitude of shortcomings, I don't always take that to heart. Those chains around my feet keep me from being able to run with these gifts. My own selfishness and pride are the main stumbling blocks to being released from these chains. If we truly believe in this death, resurrection, forgiveness as we confess to in our faith then we are forgiven. No ifs, and or buts. It is done, I can't earn it, can't buy it, can't make it happen. It is, I am, and always will be. What a release, what freedom, what overwhelming joy that should bring!!!!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Gravel Guy
I had a bizarre and interesting day yesterday. I should say I had an interesting night after I left school yesterday. It started with a meeting about unemployment and displaced worker benefits. Not a meeting I ever expected to be invited to. It was interesting and I learned a lot about stuff I never hope to use.
On my trip home I was waved over by an old friend who wanted to chat about some difficult times in their life. So I was standing by the side of Hwy 65 giving a listening ear to a friend who had been estranged for strange reasons the past 2 yrs. Very odd but good to have some healing happen even if it was during a conflicted time for my friend.
Last, my wife called to let me know that Bob Roth had passed away. I consider Bob to be a friend even though we have probably shared all of 12 hours together in our lives. Bob owned a road construction company that was a family company. By some odd twists in life I became a very small part of that family. I will share with you the quickest version I can of how we connected and then spend much more time on why he is worth a blog. During my year off from teaching I took a position for a few months to train as an Investment Advisor in McGregor. Bob was a friend and worked on Dollars for Scholars with my boss. He would come into the office on occasion to discuss business for that organization. One day he needed help emailing pictures of some heavy duty equipment he was selling. So I helped him. He was "amazed" for some reason about my computer skills. Bob looked at me and said I should hire you to do this stuff for me. I jokingly answered back, you can't afford me Bob. Thinking this was all in good fun, I turned away to continue my computer work. When I looked back, Bob was staring at me and said, "How much?". I told him what I needed and he says that's what I was thinking. Well, nothing really came about from that although he was serious at the time. Jump ahead a few months and I'm at the Home Show in Mora and there is Bob and his son Brian. They stop me and tell me they were just talking about me. I ended up doing a few hours of computer work and meetings for them to help them apply for grants in bidding for Government construction jobs.
Bob welcomed me into his family without reservation or judgment at a time when I was feeling quite left out and lonely in the world. There were only a few times we got together but it was always as if I was an integral part of the business and that I belonged to his family. I am quite certain all of his employees felt the same way. I was fortunate to observe this at the Christmas party I was surprisingly invited to be a part of. Bob understood that you expect a lot from yourself and those who you worked with but you also gave a lot to help and support those very same people. If you were a part of this in any small way, you were completely a part of it, no matter how insignificant your role really was.
Bob was critically burned while welding on a fuel tank in his shop at his home. He passed away yesterday. This is as close a family as I have ever observed and I can't imagine the grief they are experiencing. He touched my life in a few short hours and showed me what loyalty is all about. Bob, if you can read this from heaven, I'm saving a grill for you and I'll be looking forward to that Friday supper we never got to have!
On my trip home I was waved over by an old friend who wanted to chat about some difficult times in their life. So I was standing by the side of Hwy 65 giving a listening ear to a friend who had been estranged for strange reasons the past 2 yrs. Very odd but good to have some healing happen even if it was during a conflicted time for my friend.
Last, my wife called to let me know that Bob Roth had passed away. I consider Bob to be a friend even though we have probably shared all of 12 hours together in our lives. Bob owned a road construction company that was a family company. By some odd twists in life I became a very small part of that family. I will share with you the quickest version I can of how we connected and then spend much more time on why he is worth a blog. During my year off from teaching I took a position for a few months to train as an Investment Advisor in McGregor. Bob was a friend and worked on Dollars for Scholars with my boss. He would come into the office on occasion to discuss business for that organization. One day he needed help emailing pictures of some heavy duty equipment he was selling. So I helped him. He was "amazed" for some reason about my computer skills. Bob looked at me and said I should hire you to do this stuff for me. I jokingly answered back, you can't afford me Bob. Thinking this was all in good fun, I turned away to continue my computer work. When I looked back, Bob was staring at me and said, "How much?". I told him what I needed and he says that's what I was thinking. Well, nothing really came about from that although he was serious at the time. Jump ahead a few months and I'm at the Home Show in Mora and there is Bob and his son Brian. They stop me and tell me they were just talking about me. I ended up doing a few hours of computer work and meetings for them to help them apply for grants in bidding for Government construction jobs.
Bob welcomed me into his family without reservation or judgment at a time when I was feeling quite left out and lonely in the world. There were only a few times we got together but it was always as if I was an integral part of the business and that I belonged to his family. I am quite certain all of his employees felt the same way. I was fortunate to observe this at the Christmas party I was surprisingly invited to be a part of. Bob understood that you expect a lot from yourself and those who you worked with but you also gave a lot to help and support those very same people. If you were a part of this in any small way, you were completely a part of it, no matter how insignificant your role really was.
Bob was critically burned while welding on a fuel tank in his shop at his home. He passed away yesterday. This is as close a family as I have ever observed and I can't imagine the grief they are experiencing. He touched my life in a few short hours and showed me what loyalty is all about. Bob, if you can read this from heaven, I'm saving a grill for you and I'll be looking forward to that Friday supper we never got to have!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Horses
This goes back a couple of weeks...but the whole Kentucky Derby thing struck a nerve with me. I was listening to KFAN, an all-sports radio station, on my commute home the day after the Derby and they were discussing the "tragic event" that happened when the horse was put down after breaking a couple of ankles at the end of the race. I am an animal lover but please, a tragic event, a catastrophe, disaster....sad, yes, too bad, okay I'll buy that but any of those other adjectives, I think not. This was being said and discussed as the people in Myanmar (Burma) were dealing with at what at the time was thought to be 10,000 dead from a typhoon. (This number got exponentially larger later on.) Now that is a tragic event, disaster, catastrophe and more. I am a big sports fan and an animal lover but let's have some perspective here. I cannot justify anything happening in sports to be more significant than the events of Myanmar or China or Iraq or the homeless of the world or AIDS crisis or on and on and on and on. Can a sports station discuss these things or can we have that conversation around our Starbucks coffee? Sure we can nothing wrong with that but let's keep our perspective on its real significance. I guess we can add this to the pet peeve list on this blog.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Baseball and People are Interesting Aren't They?
Baseball has long been a favorite of mine. There is something magical about the strategies and thoughts that go into each game that capture you. It has a certain "spirit" to it that cannot be described or defined with words. It transcends the words, moves beyond the game itself. Yes, it is just sports and there are certainly far more important topics to discuss in this world. I don't idolize or worship the sport. I can't say I even lose myself in the game to escape my reality. (In fact, I like my reality and see no need to escape.) I enjoy the game, especially with my friends and relatives who are somewhat passionate about the game. Rachel, my oldest, has become a fan and it is one of those wonderful father/daughter moments when we watch a game together. Nothing really has to be said, we just experience it together.
Not sure why I wrote this but one of my "baseball buds" commented on a blog below and I got thinking about how much I enjoy and look forward to our baseball trips. As time goes on and if this blog goes on, I have a feeling that baseball will be a topic again.
One of the fun parts of sitting in a ball park is people watching. Baseball brings together quite an eclectic group of people. It is quite interesting to watch people run the gamut of intensity and emotion during a game. Some take it as a life and death proposition while others see it as a nice social outing or a chance for a nice tan. (Unless you are in the dome of course.) There are those two extremes and everything in between. I'm sure most of us fit somewhere between but it is fun to see all ages, genders, races, and income levels fall into all these categories.
It is not just at the ball park that people are interesting...we had our Track and Field day on Wednesday this past week at school. My fellow blogger Neerdmans told me it was fascinating to study the parents at this event. He couldn't have been more spot on. You could find the same range of people at this event as you could any baseball game. There were the parents that were just thrilled to have a nice day to be with their child and it ranged all the way to those who thought their children were competing at the Beijing Olympics. Must admit I don't get all of that but interesting to observe. All in all, it was a great, fun day with perfect weather. I'm thankful I had the opportunity to participate in an Oxbow Track and Field Day.
Not sure why I wrote this but one of my "baseball buds" commented on a blog below and I got thinking about how much I enjoy and look forward to our baseball trips. As time goes on and if this blog goes on, I have a feeling that baseball will be a topic again.
One of the fun parts of sitting in a ball park is people watching. Baseball brings together quite an eclectic group of people. It is quite interesting to watch people run the gamut of intensity and emotion during a game. Some take it as a life and death proposition while others see it as a nice social outing or a chance for a nice tan. (Unless you are in the dome of course.) There are those two extremes and everything in between. I'm sure most of us fit somewhere between but it is fun to see all ages, genders, races, and income levels fall into all these categories.
It is not just at the ball park that people are interesting...we had our Track and Field day on Wednesday this past week at school. My fellow blogger Neerdmans told me it was fascinating to study the parents at this event. He couldn't have been more spot on. You could find the same range of people at this event as you could any baseball game. There were the parents that were just thrilled to have a nice day to be with their child and it ranged all the way to those who thought their children were competing at the Beijing Olympics. Must admit I don't get all of that but interesting to observe. All in all, it was a great, fun day with perfect weather. I'm thankful I had the opportunity to participate in an Oxbow Track and Field Day.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Doom & Gloom
Next to the real estate business I used to work with there is a variety store with an owner who has a great heart but the unique ability of always seeing what's wrong with the world. We affectionately nicknamed him Doom & Gloom. More and more there is conversation going on about what is wrong with our families, society, the world, etc. While most of these observations are true in my opinion, I struggle with this pessimistic view of people and life. The part that is intriguing is not the observations but the jump to the conclusion that the U.S., families, the world are a sinking ship. The question then becomes where do we jump. This struggle in my mind is partly because this seems to be an Old Testament mentality. The law, Sodom and Gomorrah, all those tales of God's wrath on the sinful communities of the time are the comparisons that come to mind during these conversations.
The struggle then becomes that this is a New Testament time. What really did the crucifixion and resurrection mean? Are our sins truly forgiven? What does it take for that to be true? How do we celebrate the grace so freely bestowed upon us without it becoming Bonhoeffer's cheap grace? I don't really know the answers to these questions. My faith takes me to a place of hope. (Although, my struggles with the job hunt and self-esteem, etc. may paint a different picture at times.) I do believe that there is far more good in our people, our schools, our society than we recognize. Media folks do a great job of focusing on and making money on the "doom & gloom" news of the world. It doesn't mean that the conversations and actions to change the areas that are not right in our world are wrong. Definitely not, these discussions and plans to ensure that we teach our young people how to live a respectful, responsible life are necessary and pertinent. However, I don't believe that God has left us or our hope behind. Maybe our new legislative policy should be "No family or world left behind!"
The struggle then becomes that this is a New Testament time. What really did the crucifixion and resurrection mean? Are our sins truly forgiven? What does it take for that to be true? How do we celebrate the grace so freely bestowed upon us without it becoming Bonhoeffer's cheap grace? I don't really know the answers to these questions. My faith takes me to a place of hope. (Although, my struggles with the job hunt and self-esteem, etc. may paint a different picture at times.) I do believe that there is far more good in our people, our schools, our society than we recognize. Media folks do a great job of focusing on and making money on the "doom & gloom" news of the world. It doesn't mean that the conversations and actions to change the areas that are not right in our world are wrong. Definitely not, these discussions and plans to ensure that we teach our young people how to live a respectful, responsible life are necessary and pertinent. However, I don't believe that God has left us or our hope behind. Maybe our new legislative policy should be "No family or world left behind!"
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Now I remember
Thanks to Neerdmans and his blog I remember what my random thought was.
There is a line in a Sheryl Crow song that says, "It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you have!" I like where that energy is directed. Being thankful for all that we are given and have as opposed to greedily wanting more as the media ingrains in our minds a thousand times a day. How does this connect to freedom? Isn't being thankful and content with what we have truly a freedom of the soul? Content? Yes, content. I believe there is a difference between contentment and satisfaction. To me contentment is being thankful and grateful for the gifts in life we are given. Being satisfied means we are done, there is nothing more to strive for and I never want to be satisfied. That may be a large fault of mine but I always want to continue to strive to make a difference for at least one person. I wish I was more content more often but I am finally seeing that my not being satisfied is not necessarily a bad thing.
As you can tell, music truly speaks to my soul. It's where I get lost in thought and challenged in ideas. I do enjoy reading but music seems to impact me in a more powerful way.
Hey, I have a dream of a powerful ministry which involves a Christian band. Anybody want to join the dream? I have mediocre singing and music abilities but a good heart!
There is a line in a Sheryl Crow song that says, "It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you have!" I like where that energy is directed. Being thankful for all that we are given and have as opposed to greedily wanting more as the media ingrains in our minds a thousand times a day. How does this connect to freedom? Isn't being thankful and content with what we have truly a freedom of the soul? Content? Yes, content. I believe there is a difference between contentment and satisfaction. To me contentment is being thankful and grateful for the gifts in life we are given. Being satisfied means we are done, there is nothing more to strive for and I never want to be satisfied. That may be a large fault of mine but I always want to continue to strive to make a difference for at least one person. I wish I was more content more often but I am finally seeing that my not being satisfied is not necessarily a bad thing.
As you can tell, music truly speaks to my soul. It's where I get lost in thought and challenged in ideas. I do enjoy reading but music seems to impact me in a more powerful way.
Hey, I have a dream of a powerful ministry which involves a Christian band. Anybody want to join the dream? I have mediocre singing and music abilities but a good heart!
Freedom cont., hypocritically conflicted, other stuff
A couple of thoughts on freedom....
If we are able to freely question and discuss freedom aren't we truly free in the political sense?
There seem to be two freedoms in my last blog, spiritual and political.
On the spiritual freedom, I was listening to Casting Crowns "Lifesong" CD on the way to school today and listened a couple of times to my favorite song on it called "Do you want to be free?" Here's the last few lines of this song:
Do want to be free?
Lift your chains I hold the key
All power of heaven and earth belong to Me
(And the best part the true kicker to all of this. Here is how it ends.)
You are free! You are free!
(Beware, hard driving rock & roll alert!)
There it is...all we need to know..it has already been gifted to us by His sacrifice and resurrection!
I find as I type these blogs I'm real good at talking the talk through these words but I suck at walking it. My term for this is hypocritically conflicted. I understand the right things to say and know to whom my heart belongs but my actions and spoken words don't always follow that path. Is it okay to have discourse on this and yet know you are a hypocrit in action. A constant struggle for sure and yes, I know, it is part of the human condition but it doesn't mean I have to like it. Reminds me of Keith Green song that says, "But nothing last except the grace of God!" Amen
I know I had other brilliant thoughts but they are gone now.
If we are able to freely question and discuss freedom aren't we truly free in the political sense?
There seem to be two freedoms in my last blog, spiritual and political.
On the spiritual freedom, I was listening to Casting Crowns "Lifesong" CD on the way to school today and listened a couple of times to my favorite song on it called "Do you want to be free?" Here's the last few lines of this song:
Do want to be free?
Lift your chains I hold the key
All power of heaven and earth belong to Me
(And the best part the true kicker to all of this. Here is how it ends.)
You are free! You are free!
(Beware, hard driving rock & roll alert!)
There it is...all we need to know..it has already been gifted to us by His sacrifice and resurrection!
I find as I type these blogs I'm real good at talking the talk through these words but I suck at walking it. My term for this is hypocritically conflicted. I understand the right things to say and know to whom my heart belongs but my actions and spoken words don't always follow that path. Is it okay to have discourse on this and yet know you are a hypocrit in action. A constant struggle for sure and yes, I know, it is part of the human condition but it doesn't mean I have to like it. Reminds me of Keith Green song that says, "But nothing last except the grace of God!" Amen
I know I had other brilliant thoughts but they are gone now.
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