Growing up the eldest son of a family of four was an adventure. I was the experimental child. Mom and Dad experimented all their 'theories' of child rearing on me. And fortunately none of it resulted in any permanent damage. This weekend caused me to revisit those days afresh as we ventured to see our son and his family for their 'dedication' of our their lives to raise up our grandson in a godly home. Otherwise known as a baby dedication service.
The service was special as not only Dodge was dedicated but so was his cousin Landry. It also didn't hurt that Stephen sang a song of dedication that he wrote on the day of Dodge's birth.
Following the service we went back to their home as all my daughter in laws brothers, sisters and in-laws descended for dinner. When the 25 plus adults and kids landed, it reminded me of those weekends at Papa's when all my Dad's 8 siblings (5 married) with my cousins. A noise filled house of adults, kids and grandkids eating, visiting, and playing brought back some joyful memories. It was always great to play in the trees, the hay barn or just out in the front yard.
In the midst of the joy also came the realization that I no longer was one of the cousins, nor was I one of the siblings. I was one of the grandfathers! To quote my daughter, "...when did I get this old?" It's amazing, since I get paid to teach kids to play games!
Final thought: Its great to have family and extended family that you can spend time with. I look forward to the days ahead watching my grandkid(s) grow up, play games and some day prayerfully enter a relationship with God through Christ.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Stay Steady
Over the latter part of the summer my bride and I have been attending a church closer to our home, mainly due to rising gas prices. But also perhaps because of a desire to worship closer to where we live (and my bride works) rather than near where I work, 20 mile commute. As providence (truly, the working of the Holy Spirit) would have it today's message at PCBC was exactly what the two of us needed to hear.
To say the least our emotional and spiritual status have been stretched to the limit over the course of the last month. Without going into great detail suffice it to say, we were almost to the point of just covering up and sleeping in. But God knew what we needed and the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit got us up, urging us to get ready and go despite what our head was telling us. Oh by the way, the prodding was in the form of a forgotten phone reminder to get up at 6 a.m. this morning and walk.
Today's message was a continuation of the series on Parables. Today's text, Luke 18:1-8, "The Persistent Widow" (NIV). Or as I've often referred to it, "God's Gift of Nag."
If you're not familiar with the story, it is told by Jesus to his followers to show them the importance of continuous persistent prayer. The New Living Translation records it this way:
Note the character of the Judge. He had no fear of God and didn't really care about people either. His motivation for the position was the money.
The widow had intestinal fortitude. Despite repeatedly having the Judge turn a deaf ear, she kept returning time and time again. Her persistence wore him out and he gave her the justice she was requesting.
While at the time of the trials its not very pleasant, but the end result is worth the journey. The development of perseverance! For as a follower of Christ persevering in the faith until Christ's return or our ascension is what we must be about.
Today's message reminded us of the Hope that we have in Christ Jesus. His gift freely given. It reminded me not to become so wrapped up in the now that I loose perspective of the big picture. And finally it reminded me that especially in times of failure and despair our interdependence upon Christ is paramount for perseverance to be properly developed.
Jesus' invitation to persistently pursue Christ's glory and justice is a must for me in the days ahead. I learned today that my life must be so intertwined and interdependent on Christ that, "I ooze Him."
To say the least our emotional and spiritual status have been stretched to the limit over the course of the last month. Without going into great detail suffice it to say, we were almost to the point of just covering up and sleeping in. But God knew what we needed and the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit got us up, urging us to get ready and go despite what our head was telling us. Oh by the way, the prodding was in the form of a forgotten phone reminder to get up at 6 a.m. this morning and walk.
Today's message was a continuation of the series on Parables. Today's text, Luke 18:1-8, "The Persistent Widow" (NIV). Or as I've often referred to it, "God's Gift of Nag."
If you're not familiar with the story, it is told by Jesus to his followers to show them the importance of continuous persistent prayer. The New Living Translation records it this way:
2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
Note the character of the Judge. He had no fear of God and didn't really care about people either. His motivation for the position was the money.
The widow had intestinal fortitude. Despite repeatedly having the Judge turn a deaf ear, she kept returning time and time again. Her persistence wore him out and he gave her the justice she was requesting.
"2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1, NIV)
While at the time of the trials its not very pleasant, but the end result is worth the journey. The development of perseverance! For as a follower of Christ persevering in the faith until Christ's return or our ascension is what we must be about.
Today's message reminded us of the Hope that we have in Christ Jesus. His gift freely given. It reminded me not to become so wrapped up in the now that I loose perspective of the big picture. And finally it reminded me that especially in times of failure and despair our interdependence upon Christ is paramount for perseverance to be properly developed.
Jesus' invitation to persistently pursue Christ's glory and justice is a must for me in the days ahead. I learned today that my life must be so intertwined and interdependent on Christ that, "I ooze Him."
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
THSCA Final Passage
The THSCA (Texas High School Coaches Association Clinic) signifies a passage, if you will, marking the end of summer and the coming of football season. The clinic is about strengthening coaching skills, friendships, networks, and personal enrichment. It is a time of celebrating the accomplishment of student athletes and coaches. It is also that final time of relaxation before the beginning of the non-stop pace of coaching.
This years clinic is in San Antonio at the convention center, Alamodome, and St. Mary's Univ. And San Antonio is one my favorite places to visit.
The Riverwalk, the history of Texas' independence and the cultural climate make it an ideal place to finish out the summer. I'm excited because rather than staying in a hotel this trip we found a bed and breakfast. While just as pricey as a hotel, the benefits of parking, breakfast, internet, and being on the Riverwalk made it a great place to stay.
The clinic provided a couple of good days of picking up coaching tips and being with coaching friends. I'm ready to see my grandson now before heading back to DFW and work.
This years clinic is in San Antonio at the convention center, Alamodome, and St. Mary's Univ. And San Antonio is one my favorite places to visit.
The Riverwalk, the history of Texas' independence and the cultural climate make it an ideal place to finish out the summer. I'm excited because rather than staying in a hotel this trip we found a bed and breakfast. While just as pricey as a hotel, the benefits of parking, breakfast, internet, and being on the Riverwalk made it a great place to stay.
The clinic provided a couple of good days of picking up coaching tips and being with coaching friends. I'm ready to see my grandson now before heading back to DFW and work.
Monday, July 21, 2008
On Par
Seven months, that seems to be about par for the amount of time between blogs for me. During the course of the last seven months much has happened. The January blog makes mention of my new grandson, who is now 6 months old and other 2007 happenings. Since the purpose of "Just Living" is journaling about life, I'll take a little time to share where our life currently is.
I applied, enrolled and was accepted to Lamar University's online educational leadership program. My major is administrative leadership and upon successful completion I will be qualified to receive a Texas principal certification. That will involve passing a state test sometime in the spring-early summer of 2009.
During the spring we had some fun with track. We weren't an extremely gifted team, but worked hard every week and had some major successes. Seven-on-seven was great fun as we were able to see our young QBs improve the skills that they worked on during the athletic period off season each week. If some of our lineman will just get a little bigger we should have a rewarding season next year.
One of the highlights of the instructional year was the TAKS results. Fifteen of my 38 algebra 1 students made commended, which helped with the sting of having only an 85% pass rate. One hundred percent of my 7th grade math class passed the TAKS with a 70 or better, so I was pumped for them. I also got to do four weeks of tutoring for at risk 8th graders during the spring and that was rewarding as all but 3 of them passed.
The summer has been hectic. I was invited to teach SSI for the 8th graders making their third attempt at passing the TAKS. I don't know how my 10 did, but I know that each one of them made some great strides in math.
Also, this summer I've been able to spend time online and in person with our grandson. He has grown exponentially. He's almost crawling and has a laugh that will melt your heart. I'm hoping to see him one more time next week.
I applied, enrolled and was accepted to Lamar University's online educational leadership program. My major is administrative leadership and upon successful completion I will be qualified to receive a Texas principal certification. That will involve passing a state test sometime in the spring-early summer of 2009.
During the spring we had some fun with track. We weren't an extremely gifted team, but worked hard every week and had some major successes. Seven-on-seven was great fun as we were able to see our young QBs improve the skills that they worked on during the athletic period off season each week. If some of our lineman will just get a little bigger we should have a rewarding season next year.
One of the highlights of the instructional year was the TAKS results. Fifteen of my 38 algebra 1 students made commended, which helped with the sting of having only an 85% pass rate. One hundred percent of my 7th grade math class passed the TAKS with a 70 or better, so I was pumped for them. I also got to do four weeks of tutoring for at risk 8th graders during the spring and that was rewarding as all but 3 of them passed.
The summer has been hectic. I was invited to teach SSI for the 8th graders making their third attempt at passing the TAKS. I don't know how my 10 did, but I know that each one of them made some great strides in math.
Also, this summer I've been able to spend time online and in person with our grandson. He has grown exponentially. He's almost crawling and has a laugh that will melt your heart. I'm hoping to see him one more time next week.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
"I Share"
In service today Ross shared the following video with us. It is simple, but has the power of the Word embedded in it. I share it with the hope of giving you some insight into my heart.
Happy listening.
Happy listening.
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