Love Like That

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.”
-Paul (from Ephesians 5:1, 2 MSG)

Mostly what God does is love you. That’s astounding if you stop to consider the possibilities. God could feel disappointed, impatient, judgmental, angry, displaced, usurped, overlooked, unappreciated, or even forgotten. But God mostly feels love. Astounding really.

And God could direct that love towards large-scale catastrophes, world-wide dilemmas, over-arching circumstances or wide-spread conundrums. And He does, but… What God mostly does is love You. Astounding really.

His love was not cautious but extravagant. The very nature of extravagance is of something that draws attention to itself. If it draws no attention, it isn’t extravagant. And all things extravagant draw emotions from those observing the extravagance. Causing either praise or condemnation is at the very heart of extravagance in any area of life. Christ’s love for you is extravagant. “Watch what God does, and then you do it.” Your love for others should be extravagant; it should draw attention to itself and evoke emotions in others.

“Love like that.”

Beginning Again

It’s been one year and five days since my last blog post. It’s time to blog again, I feel. We’ll see how it goes. It’s hard for me to commit to something as pressing as a wordpress blog. It goes against my nature, I guess. So this go-round I’m going to try to say more with less words. Although, so far that plan is not going so well in this opening post. It took me 71 words to tell you I’m simplifying and, yes, I wasted the time to count the words.

Focus, Gary.

At Disney World Last Week

Here’s a joke that Ralph Warren sent me this morning:

There was a small town nestled in a valley that was powered by a dam. One day, the dam broke and flooded the valley. Naturally, everyone headed for higher ground. Once they all arrived, they began scanning the area for people or animals who needed help.

After a few hours of looking, it seemed that they were all safe, but then they could see a little straw hat bobbing downstream about 50 yards and then bobbing back upstream 50 yards. It then moved to the side and bobbed downstream and then back upstream and it kept repeating this.

Nobody could figure out why the hat was behaving so strangely. After they pondered this for awhile, a young boy recalled his granddad saying that come hell or high water, he was going to get the lawn mowed.

I think this is me and us. We make our plans of what to do and expect God to fit into them. Please God, give me a year of not doing that. It doesn’t seem to me that God’s intent is to show us what to do. It’s not even God’s intent to show us exactly what He plans to do. His intent is to show us who He is; to show us who we should be. Figure out who you are in Christ and what to do becomes much more clear.

God, help me stop planning what to do. Help me plan who to be.

Weary Rest

My lovely wife forwards thoughts to me from time to time. This morning was one of those times. She says my life looks tiring to her at times with schedules I keep and hours that I invest. She said this devotional thought made her think of me. She’s a good wife. My life is tiring sometimes but I have no complaints. The hours of work and worry are achieving eternal purposes. I feel confident in that. The risks and investments come from a deep unsettled feeling that I have about this world we live in. And although I’m tired at times, I’m always overjoyed and humbled to be a part of God’s rescue plans for people.

The thoughts Michelle sent me today were from Morning & Evening by Charles Spurgeon:

January 18, 2011

There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.    -Hebrews 4:9

How different will be the state of the believer in heaven from what it is here! Here he is born to toil and suffer weariness, but in the land of the immortal, fatigue is never known. Anxious to serve his Master, he finds his strength unequal to his zeal; his constant cry is, “Help me to serve You, O my God.” If he be thoroughly active, he will have much labor; not too much for his will, but more than enough for his power, so that he will cry out, “I am not wearied of the labor, but I am wearied in it.” Ah, Christian, the hot day of weariness does not last forever. The sun is nearing the horizon; it shall rise again with a brighter day than you have ever seen upon a land where they serve God day and night, and yet rest from their labors. Here rest is but partial; there it is perfect. Here the Christian is always unsettled; he feels that he has not yet attained. There all are at rest; they have attained the summit of the mountain; they have ascended to the bosom of their God. Higher they cannot go.

Ah, toil-worn laborer, only think of when you shall rest forever! Can you conceive it? It is a rest eternal; a rest that “remains.” Here my best joys bear “mortal” on their brow. My fair flowers fade; my dainty cups are drained to dregs; my sweetest birds fall before Death’s arrows; my most pleasant days are shadowed into nights; and the flood tides of my bliss subside into ebbs of sorrow. But there everything is immortal. The harp remains in tune, the crown unfading, the eye undimmed, the voice unfaltering, the heart unwavering; and the immortal being is wholly absorbed in infinite delight. Happy day when mortality shall be swallowed up of life, and the Eternal Sabbath shall begin!

Conversations in Spear-World ~ geography & food

Setting: Collin watching a show on the Travel Channel about spicy food in New Mexico.

Background info: My hometown is Paoli. Michelle’s hometown is Oolitic, which is about 25 miles north of Paoli here in southern Indiana.

Collin:  “Mommy, is Paoli closer to Mexico or is Oolitic closer to Mexico?”

Michelle:  “Paoli is closer to Mexico.”

Collin:  “That’s probably why daddy likes hotter food than you do.”

Conversations in Spear-World ~ memory verses

Michelle:   “Collin, what was your memory verse tonight in Bible class?”

Collin:   “We love because He first loved us.”

Michelle:   “Good, Collin. Was your verse the same, Elsa?”

Elsa:   “No, mine different.”

Michelle:   “Oh, what was your verse, Elsa?”

Elsa:   “Jesus listened to His teacher.”

Collin:   “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in the Bible before.”

Elsa:   “Yes it is, Collin. My teacher told me so.”

Collin:   “I’ll have to look that one up.”

Family vs Work: 3 Functional Principles of Intentionality

 

 

at the Louisville Zoo last summer with Nikki

Nikki Arnold needed some thoughts for an observation paper assigned in her Lifespan Development class at Lipscomb. She asked for my thoughts on the subject of balancing family and work. I needed to write my thoughts down to organize them. This are my thoughts as I sent them to Nikki. I thought they could possibly be helpful to others.  

I think an important thing that makes for good parenting when considering work as a major factor is intentionality. The normal work week for my job is manageable but the extra events and circumstances are what could threaten my family. Because of that, those are the types of work/family balancing issues that I’ll talk about. I think there are 3 ways to be intentional when balancing work and family in this way.

The first way to be intentional is to decide upon which principles will you make the decisions of work and family. My guiding principle is that God has gifted me with my children and charged me with their development in a way that I am specifically responsible for the care of their souls. While God has also blessed me with talents and abilities with which to perform work, I don’t think he micro-managed the exact job I have or related events I attend. So while children are a specific, soul-possessing gift from God, my job is really just a generic gift. Therefore I know where my first allegiance must fall: with my children and family. This is not to say that family/children always and automatically win the battle of time or circumstance. But it is to say that I hold every decision on investment of time and energy up to this first principle of specific responsibility.

The second way to be intentional is determine the amount of expected influence. I don’t mean this to sound overly-calculated and cold, but I am a critical thinker by nature. Because of that, when two events or circumstances conflict with one another, I try to decide which to choose based on the amount of influence I expect the circumstance will produce. For example, if I’m asked to be away for a weekend to speak at a youth event out of town, I weigh the amount of influence I think I can have on those teens. If I think it’s an important subject to speak on or an influential event to attend, then I’ll choose to be away from my family for that weekend. If I’m asked to be away from my family but I determine that my presence will not be of much influence, then I’ll decline in order to have the time for family. The basis of this principle is to never make a decision based on ego, self-promotion or personal amusement.

The third principle for me is reinvestment. If I’m planning to be gone for a weekend, I’ll try to spend extra time before and after the event with my family. If I take away some family time for extra work or events, I try to take time back away from work to give back to my family. A terrible mistake any parent can make is to assume that your family should have to continually sacrifice to your job. As a working parent, you must find ways to make your job sacrifice back to your family.

Have a Generous Day

Pappy and Collin walking a trail together at Spring Mill State Park

Yesterday was Easter and much of the world celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus. Although we really celebrate the resurrection each week, we do it in a more focused way on Easter. This reminds me of the new life being created in me and around me each day. Our worship at our church family was also made special because we had Baby Dedication to celebrate new life. We had 11 babies born this year in our church family and we asked God’s blessings on them yesterday. It was a good day.

At the end of worship, a little boy from our church walked up to me. He’s been known as a fairly rambunctious kid in the past but he seems to be calmer and kinder lately. He’s about 9 and usually has hair that looks just a tad disheveled, which gives him that cute, devious appearance. For the past month after worship on Sunday mornings, he’s asked me what he can do to help. I’ve given him a small task each week and have been impressed with his dedication to doing the task well. Yesterday, I asked him to carry the communion tray lids back to the kitchen in the rear of our Family Life Center. He had to make two trips to get them all. When he came back to report in, he said, “I wonder when I’m gonna start getting paid for all this work?”

I’ve chuckled several times about this innocent, childhood comment. But it’s also made me wonder how often we are childish in our expectations. How often do we help others with the intent of really helping ourselves? I’m not accusing you of always having this as a primary, conscious motivation but, if you’re like me, it’s often lurking around as at least a part of my intent. And now I’m wondering when the last situation occurred when I helped someone who was truly of no consequence in my life; a situation where I wouldn’t be noticed doing good and where the person could do absolutely no good back to me.

To add to my thoughts, I found that my friend Kim had written on a subject really close to this on her blog this morning. And she included this quote for meditation:

A truly generous man is he that always gives, whether it be much or little, before he is asked. ~Orchot Tsadiqim

Give this some thought today and find a truly generous thing to do. Just one will do for today. Then another tomorrow. It’ll add up.

Wise Guys (and Girl!)

Geocaching / Hiking at Martin State Forest near the Fire Tower

But yesterday was favorite day of the week so far. Three wise people in my life said things worth recording here in the blog. All of the statements have to do with pondering what’s really important in life. They cause me to ask myself if I’m focusing on temporary things or longer-lasting things. These pieces of wisdom get to the heart of what’s important so don’t miss what’s really being said or asked. I won’t interpret them for you. Ponder and apply as you see fit.

Amanda Brinkman

I had breakfast with Amanda yesterday morning. She’s an impressive young lady with a great mind and focus on helping others. We talked about many important things. The thing that stuck with me was Amanda saying she’d been trying to evaluate how happy she was and what happiness means. She said, “I know I’m happy in the temporary things but I’m thinking more about what happiness means out over time.”

Bryan Edwards

I got to hang out with Bryan and Jake Parsley yesterday evening before youth group. We talked about many issues and ideas in life. Bryan and Jake tend to make people think so I wasn’t surprised at this. Bryan has been challenging my brain for years! He’s very focused on keeping his friendships healthy and is good at investing in people. This trait will be a blessing to people as he follows his plan to be a doctor. As we talked about the new universal health care developments and how they will affect his future profession, he said something insightful and self-aware. Bryan said of the law, “No one called me from Washington to ask my opinion. There must be a reason for that.”

Collin Spear

Collin is special. You’ve probably heard me say that before. I think he’s actually a combination of Luke Burris and Jake Parsley. He’s an intelligent, thoughtful, anxious, engaging, energetic, bright little boy who’s pretty sure he usually has a better plan than you have. Yesterday on our hike at Martin State Forest, Collin fell in the creek and got too muddy to ride home in his clothes. So he stripped down to his underwear and strapped into his car seat. On the way back to Mitchell, we pulled into the tiny town of Huron to get gas at their one gas station. Since Collin is a 1st grader and a good reader now, he loves to read signs. He looked up at the door into the gas station and said, “Look at that sign. It says ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service’ but I think I’d care more about pants.”

Daily Thanks – 3/23/2010

Today I’m thankful that….

• I’m home for a few days this week enjoying spring break with my family.
• We took a day trip to Clarksville to do some geocachng and visit Bass Pro Shop. Matthew, Kortni and Owen met us there. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00 p.m., the bass pro people do a fishing demonstration in the huge fish tank and then feed the fish. It’s worth going to see. Elsa made me hold her “in case one of the fishies are hurt being caught and I be scared.”
• We all went out for dinner at Famous Dave’s, which proved to be a surprisingly easy place at which to eat fairly healthy according to my WW points. Make sure to use the Devil Spit sauce while there. It’s not really all that hot but it’s tasty.
• Our three kids are good travelers; even Baby Jude hardly fussed in the car.
• I’ve been pricing subcompact pistols to add one to my small collection and made my purchase today: Ruger LCP .380 from Harder’s Gun Shop in Shoals. I drove over tonight after checking prices at several places. Harder’s had the best price by far.
• I’ve started Collin on his gun safety training and he’s very serious about it. He’s using his airsoft gun to practice unloading by removing the clip and clearing the chamber. It’s kinda cute and, at the same time, it’s a little scary since his airsoft gun is made to look exactly like a 9mm. In fact, it fits perfectly into my 9mm’s holster.
• We watched The Princess and the Frog several times the past few days since we rented it from Redbox. At the risk of sounding like a 4-year-old girl or a 40-year-old creepster, I’ll say I think it’s the best movie Disney has turned out in a while. It had great characters and even better music. The score captures the wide range of music that makes up New Orleans culture and history.
• God has blessed me with a wife that makes me laugh, think and be glad I’m married.

Join me in Daily Thanks by leaving your thanks in the comment box below or start a Daily Thanks list of your own!

Been Rich All My Life

Join the Silver Belles, a group of five former Harlem showgirls now aged 84 to 96, as they continue to entertain in this documentary by Heather MacDonald. From dancing together in the hottest venues such as the Cotton Club to performing with world-renowned bandleaders Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, the gallivanting gals were the toast of the town during the 1930s; in 1985, they renounced retirement and reunited to grace the stage once again.

I’ll give this documentary 3 out of 5 stars. Netflix guessed that I’d rate it at 4.2 stars so they missed by a bit. Michelle fell asleep half way through it. I’m not sure whether she slept through it  from boredom or from being a busy mother of 3 children. Either way, it wasn’t engaging enough to keep her awake. Michelle did make one good observation before she dozed off. She said it’s neat to watch these older ladies enjoying the world in new, exciting ways and seeing it with fresh eyes. It really may be worth watching just for that perspective.

“Seventy years later, sassy as they ever were,” says the movie’s website. On the website, click the story link to read more about the Silver Bells. Here’s an excerpt.

The film is lively and humor-filled, sparkling with the verve and candor of these inspiring women. We follow them from their rehearsals at the Cotton Club, to their shows — and over the bumps in between. They perform to standing ovations at concert halls around the city, working with dancers some 60 years younger.  We enjoy their weekly rehearsals, their love of their craft, the music, and the laughter and arguments of a friendship that has continued for over 70 years. 

This documentary is worth renting on Netflix but probably isn’t worth purchasing. All in all, it was a neat story of staying young and enjoying the final season of life, which is a good lesson for all of us.