My family is a wonderful, living testimony to just how good God really is. I consider the "evolution" of my family, from the time I was born til today. It's pretty amazing that out of my parent's divorcing when I was four, living with my grandparents until I was about 12, and my mom getting remarried to Jabba the Hutt, not to mention all the other details that go with all of that, that I can sit here and say that today, I have a great family. Praise God, I say, because it wasn't possible without Him. I look back on where my family was twenty years ago, and it was dismal. It was out of that heartache, dysfunction, and just plain old pain that I considered killing myself. It was in the midst of all of that crap that I realized that God was real, and that Jesus Christ died for my sins, and my reconciliation and restoration with God. Now, becoming a Christian didn't solve all of life's problems. It didn't end the pain. But God's reaching out to and saving me did change my direction, my focus, and my life. And so almost 20 years later I'm married (almost 11 years!!! :) to Sarah, and we've got three wonderful kids, and it's very good. Not normal. But very good!!! God is good. All the time.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Eagles' Loss
It's a true test of your faith to keep your cool when your favorite team in football is the midst of taking their fans [read: me] on a roller coaster ride. First up, then down, then up, then down... you get the picture. So what's a fan, who also happens to love God with all his heart, mind, strength, and soul to do? So I also just happen to be watching the super bowl with twenty high school and middle school students, as well; and half of them don't seem to be sure that they want to watch the game. That's okay. I love my students. I just don't like it when they think it's okay to block the television just as a play is about to start. But on the day after, I'm over that frustration; for the most part. But it was a real juggling act, keeping my intensity going at the same time trying not to compromise the consistency of my Christian witness [read: integrity vs. hypocrisy] of my faith before my students. On one hand, I had to lovingly holler at several students to sit down, get out of the way, or otherwise, stay out of my view of the game. On the other hand, I had to encourage one student several times not to say stuff, like, "I hope you die!" in reference to Patriots players. Like the Eagles of last night's super bowl, I was probably grossly inconsistent in my application of faith to the situation.
That's what I love about God. He loves me; inconsistencies and all. Not that He excuses my inconsistencies, or, to call it what they really are, my sin. No. But He forgives me. What's His expectation of me? Thanks for asking. He has given me His Holy Spirit, and because of that, He has given me the power to change; the power of repenting has been put within my reach. So I repent. I repent of my overzealousness during the game, whereby I threw napkins at a couple of students for being too loud, or blocking the television on purpose. I repent of my desire to win at the cost of other's dignity or safety. But here's another side of God. He rejoices over things worthy of joy. The game was a good game. The Eagles lost, but they didn't get blown out. For the most part, they played a decent game, and they tried hard. They didn't always play smart, but they played hard. Terrell Owens showed himself to be a courageous player, even racking up an impressive 9 catches for 122 yards [that comes out to an average of 13 yards per catch!]. I rejoiced to see my team score first. I rejoiced to see my team rally to tie the game. I rejoiced to see my team make a come back, and get to the point where all they needed was a field goal to tie. I rejoiced to see Todd Pinkston actually make some great catches, and make some important contributions to the Eagles' effort. I rejoiced to see Greg Lewis make some great catches, too.
The Eagles lost. But I rejoice, because there was stuff to celebrate. God may not care who won last night's super bowl, but He rejoiced because it was a good game.
That's what I love about God. He loves me; inconsistencies and all. Not that He excuses my inconsistencies, or, to call it what they really are, my sin. No. But He forgives me. What's His expectation of me? Thanks for asking. He has given me His Holy Spirit, and because of that, He has given me the power to change; the power of repenting has been put within my reach. So I repent. I repent of my overzealousness during the game, whereby I threw napkins at a couple of students for being too loud, or blocking the television on purpose. I repent of my desire to win at the cost of other's dignity or safety. But here's another side of God. He rejoices over things worthy of joy. The game was a good game. The Eagles lost, but they didn't get blown out. For the most part, they played a decent game, and they tried hard. They didn't always play smart, but they played hard. Terrell Owens showed himself to be a courageous player, even racking up an impressive 9 catches for 122 yards [that comes out to an average of 13 yards per catch!]. I rejoiced to see my team score first. I rejoiced to see my team rally to tie the game. I rejoiced to see my team make a come back, and get to the point where all they needed was a field goal to tie. I rejoiced to see Todd Pinkston actually make some great catches, and make some important contributions to the Eagles' effort. I rejoiced to see Greg Lewis make some great catches, too.
The Eagles lost. But I rejoice, because there was stuff to celebrate. God may not care who won last night's super bowl, but He rejoiced because it was a good game.
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