So my wife is pregnant with our 3rd little baby! We already have two little girls and they're rocking my world. I never dreamed I would do so many pony tails...even the little "bam bam" ones on my 15 month old! Anyhow, my wife was battling some morning sickness this evening, so I thought I'd try to put both the girls down by myself.
Well, I got their teeth brushed, their milk ready and their dolls in hand. I started with the youngest and asked my 3 year old to stay out in the living room with mommy. She laid on the couch with mommy and I was off to the nursery with the little one. The kiddos sleep in different rooms, but we keep all the clothes in the nursery.
So I finished with little girl and came to get big girl from mommy. I started to put her pajamas on and quickly realized that the pajama bottoms were left in the nursery. Well, if you have little ones, you pretty much know the shrieking that you are in for if you return the room before they have fallen asleep. But I had a plan...
I left her top on and remembered there was a pair of green bottoms in the laundry room. So, I grabbed them, got her dressed, said our prayers, and then put her down for the night...fast forward 10 minutes.
I hear crying from her room along with my name thrown in a few times. Not a usual happenstance, so I thought I should check on her. I walk in and she's standing up, right in front of the door looking up at me. I say, "what's the deal?" She looks down in great disappointment and then looks back at me and says... "Papi, my pajamas don't match." She was heartbroken...
This is not uncommon for my daughter...she is a creature of habit and there are certain things that must be in place for her to go to bed. They are small things, but oh so necessary. So it got me thinking...
How do we respond when things aren't ideal...when our pajamas don't match? Do we stand there crying and whining because our world has been interrupted? Are we immobilized until things return to "normal?" Am I really any different than my 3 year old?
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Is God Better Than Sex?
Love to know your thoughts on this video. Piper knocks it out of the ballpark and pretty much nails our culture. If there's any question that he may be missing the mark a little bit, just go look at all the comments under the video on YouTube.
Chew on This...
Wow! This is a terribly convicting quote, but one that really resonates with me right now. Seems that even Scotland in the 1800’s struggled with some of the same issues we face here in wonderful Suburbia of 2007. Pastor Robert Murray M’Cheyne says:
I am concerned for the poor, but more for you. I know not what Christ will say to you in the great day…I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians, because they don not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh my friends! Enjoy your money; make the most of it; give none away; enjoy it quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.
Ouch…
In the same breath…I received a poster from John Piper this week to promote his book Don’t Waste Your Life. All it said in big bold letters was “GOD SAVE US FROM THE AMERICAN DREAM.”
Thoughts on all this?
Monday, August 06, 2007
Howl at the Moon!
So recently I went to San Antonio for vacation with my family. My wife and I cruised up to stay a night there, not realizing that you should probably have a hotel reservation if you’re driving up there on a Saturday. We did end up finding a place to stay…in Austin.
Anyhow, we ate on the Riverwalk…as everyone should when visiting. Afterwards, we began our quest for a place we could sit and relax for the rest of the night. After spending an incredible night at Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans 6 years ago, we have longed to see another great dueling piano show.
So we swung by Pat O’Briens on the Riverwalk to see if they had the show. They did…but oh, so not New Orleans. Then Mel saw an ad for a place called Howl at the Moon. We went to the tourist center (across from the Alamo) to find out more about this other dueling piano show. They ended up telling us where it was and gave us free tickets if we went before 10 p.m.
Well, it was good we got there before 10 because we were able to actually get a chair! That placed filled up in no time and the show was on. From Jesse’s Girl (for my wife) to Piano Man (for me), we spent the night singing some of our favorite tunes along with about 200 other patrons. These musicians were pretty stinking amazing!
Upon leaving, we realized just how popular this place was. When we arrived, we walked right in and to our seat…as we exited, there was a line of about 100 people that wrapped around the block. Wow.
So, this little story serves to preface my point…we saw all kinds of worship that night! Now most of the worship was directed to inappropriate places, but it was worship indeed.
The people worshiped the boos that made their pain go away. They worshiped the song. There was worship directed towards the various military branches of our armed forces (not that I don’t value what they do…please don’t misunderstand me here). Some worshiped sports teams and colleges. Others worshiped half dressed women who could “shake it.”
Everyone was captivated by something…myself included. I was captivated by the sheer musicianship of these people onstage, wondering why they don’t use it for the kingdom.
Why do we settle? Why are we so prone to worship things that have no eternal value and end up leaving us wanting more? Why are we more captivated by people than we are by the person of Jesus Christ?
CS Lewis says it with even more eloquence and conviction:
"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
Anyhow, we ate on the Riverwalk…as everyone should when visiting. Afterwards, we began our quest for a place we could sit and relax for the rest of the night. After spending an incredible night at Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans 6 years ago, we have longed to see another great dueling piano show.
So we swung by Pat O’Briens on the Riverwalk to see if they had the show. They did…but oh, so not New Orleans. Then Mel saw an ad for a place called Howl at the Moon. We went to the tourist center (across from the Alamo) to find out more about this other dueling piano show. They ended up telling us where it was and gave us free tickets if we went before 10 p.m.
Well, it was good we got there before 10 because we were able to actually get a chair! That placed filled up in no time and the show was on. From Jesse’s Girl (for my wife) to Piano Man (for me), we spent the night singing some of our favorite tunes along with about 200 other patrons. These musicians were pretty stinking amazing!
Upon leaving, we realized just how popular this place was. When we arrived, we walked right in and to our seat…as we exited, there was a line of about 100 people that wrapped around the block. Wow.
So, this little story serves to preface my point…we saw all kinds of worship that night! Now most of the worship was directed to inappropriate places, but it was worship indeed.
The people worshiped the boos that made their pain go away. They worshiped the song. There was worship directed towards the various military branches of our armed forces (not that I don’t value what they do…please don’t misunderstand me here). Some worshiped sports teams and colleges. Others worshiped half dressed women who could “shake it.”
Everyone was captivated by something…myself included. I was captivated by the sheer musicianship of these people onstage, wondering why they don’t use it for the kingdom.
Why do we settle? Why are we so prone to worship things that have no eternal value and end up leaving us wanting more? Why are we more captivated by people than we are by the person of Jesus Christ?
CS Lewis says it with even more eloquence and conviction:
"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Randomness...
My wife recently did this on her blog and she has lovingly tagged me to make an entry on mine. I’m sure these statements will revolutionize your thinking and will most likely cause you to visit my blog regularly for more of this good stuff!
10 Random Things About Me
1. If something falls on the floor in my house (i.e. kids toy), I am very prone to pick it up with my feet rather than waste all that energy on bending over to pick it up with my hands.
2. If no one was watching, I would drink a whole can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk in one sitting.
3. When I watch Seinfeld episodes, I don’t laugh. Really…I don’t know why. It’s just not funny to me.
4. When I watch Friends episodes for the 100th time, I laugh just as hard as I did the first time.
5. I sometimes still think that a check for a very large amount will just show up in my mailbox. I sort through it expectantly, but have yet to receive one.
6. When I was a kid, I used to watch MTV religiously waiting for Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video to come on. I would get really ticked off when they would instead play Weird Al’s “Eat It.”
7. Since 9/11, I check the news about 20 times a day. CNN is my homepage.
8. Since 9/11, I think twice before I go somewhere without my cell phone.
9. I think JC Penny’s and Target sell some of the coolest clothes for guys.
10. I think Chick-Fil-A has trumped every other fast food chain on milkshakes…and the word “handspun” just makes it taste better for some reason.
10 Random Things About Me
1. If something falls on the floor in my house (i.e. kids toy), I am very prone to pick it up with my feet rather than waste all that energy on bending over to pick it up with my hands.
2. If no one was watching, I would drink a whole can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk in one sitting.
3. When I watch Seinfeld episodes, I don’t laugh. Really…I don’t know why. It’s just not funny to me.
4. When I watch Friends episodes for the 100th time, I laugh just as hard as I did the first time.
5. I sometimes still think that a check for a very large amount will just show up in my mailbox. I sort through it expectantly, but have yet to receive one.
6. When I was a kid, I used to watch MTV religiously waiting for Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video to come on. I would get really ticked off when they would instead play Weird Al’s “Eat It.”
7. Since 9/11, I check the news about 20 times a day. CNN is my homepage.
8. Since 9/11, I think twice before I go somewhere without my cell phone.
9. I think JC Penny’s and Target sell some of the coolest clothes for guys.
10. I think Chick-Fil-A has trumped every other fast food chain on milkshakes…and the word “handspun” just makes it taste better for some reason.
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