I was amazed today with a comment a close colleague of mine made today on an observation. I was relaying to him the story of a rather heated discussion I had with one of our executives.
Let me put in a side note, I have been feeling a bit of anxiety and contention lately. So much so that this colleague, and others that know me, have begun coming to my desk when they need a good devil's advocate to practice presenting a proposal, or a better understanding of an issue that they are contending...in other words, right now at least, they know I will help them wrestle with their ideas, topic is not an issue.
Needless to say, my story about arguing with one of our executives did not surprise my colleague.
Here's the argument in a nutshell. This executive had asked me how something could be done better, being an engineer, everything can always be done better. But then this executive asked me to figure out how to fix a problem we are having by giving me instructions on a method he wanted me to investigate and figure out how to implement his method to fix the problem. A month later (the request was made during a monthly meeting) I reported that there were fundamental obstacles in the way and I was not finding a way to implement his method. I told him that I did not think implementing his method was possible. His response was that I should return the following month with more action than having "just thought about it." I snapped. I told this executive that his instructions for me were to find a way to implement his method, HOW, not IF it could be implemented. I was making it clear that he had specifically asked for me to find out HOW to implement his method, not IF it could be implemented. I then made it clear that I was still struggling with the IF portion of the problem because I was not finding a clear answer to even IF his method was possible let alone, HOW. Thus my results were incomplete because I was not there to report IF his method could be implemented, I was asked to show HOW his method could be implemented. Since I had not found a clear resolution to IF it was even possible, I had not and was not prepared to answer HOW. (I know this is repetitive, but I wanted it to be very clear that I was dissecting his request.)
As I relayed this story to my colleague he began to smile in amazement. I have told this same colleague stories about the way our son is very literal and how we have to be careful about the way we word things because he will interpret them at face value. (We once used the "Because I said so" parental phrase for the reason why he couldn't go outside. He promptly said, "SO" and headed outside. If saying the word "so" was the key to going out or staying in, then ...) I have also told him about how we have to be very clear and make certain that our words, face, and body all express the same message or our son will be confused by the overall message conveyed. My colleague shook his head and said, "Wow, I have listened to the way you argue over the last year. And it just dawned on me. You practice this every single day with your son, and you don't even know it. What a blessing. You have trained yourselves to dissect a statement in order to make sure that it is very clear and concise, you have trained yourselves to make sure the entire message is clear in your posture, words, tone, facial expression...everything. You practice this every single day. What a blessing you have."
This observation opened my eyes to why I may be feeling a bit more contentious lately than I have in the past. My wife observed that I am by nature, the way God designed me, contentious. I agree, I like to argue. I am an engineer and a wrestler, a very contentious combination. I actually felt it a compliment when my colleague and friend once commented that he appreciated the fact that I would help him argue through issues. My willingness to argue the opposite side of an issue helps him get a better handle on where the cracks are in his thoughts an proposals, which helps him make a better argument when it really counts. Anyhow, my son is nearly 11 years old, he is fighting for a little more independence, just as any typical child of his age does. But my son is not typical, he is autistic. Which means that I am having to contend with him in his literal world of "what happens if I...?" even more than normal. Which happens to sharpen that edge even more than a typical parent. Unfortunately for the executive above and some of my other co-workers, it also means that I am quick to dissect and contend with them as well.
I found it interesting that my colleague would find this to be a blessing. In essence, he envies that I can argue a point so clearly and concisely. But I sense that I am growing weary of it, and yet I have so many more teen years to go of sharpening the edge to such fineness. Anyone else out there ever experience the same thing?
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Health Reform Bill
I don't like it. Have a tough time accepting it. And fear the precedence it and the process by which it was created and passed has set for what is to come. President Obama and his party have just proved that nothing can stand in their way of passing any kind of legislation they want to pass. Republicans should simply go home, for the party of "We won, you lost, get over it" has just proven that any debate is no debate. Anything passed by the majority party in the next few months has the legs to last for at least the next three years. It is a good wager to guess that such a majority will not be held by another party come November, without such a majority legislation not found in favor of Obama and his party is doomed to die by veto, regardless of its merits. By the end of three years we as a nation will become addicted to whatever scraps the legislature chooses to hand to us and eliminating country killing legislation will not be possible. This nation has realized that its vote can be purchased by the candidate that offers them the most government handouts. But what happens when there are more people living on handouts than there are people that can afford to provide the means by which the government affords the handouts?
What really gets me on health care reform? The writing is on the wall. The legislation does not have to directly take control of health care in order to eventually do so. Insurance companies must comply to the national standard established under this legislation. If they do not or cannot comply to the national standard then they cannot offer an insurance product. If you are carrying a health insurance policy that gets eliminated because your carrier cannot afford the burden of the national standard, then you need to find a new carrier. Since carriers cannot deny you coverage, the burden will become heavier on the firms that survive, until the Federal Government changes the standard. Once all carriers are overwhelmed by the national standard it will be obvious that only the Federal Government itself is able to meet the national standard, especially since it rights the rules. The burden of this legislation will have us begging for what was so heavily debated and left out of this legislation, nationalized health care. Until then, one of the requirements of the national standard right now is that carriers must provide coverage for immunizations. This is a misguided step that will soon prove itself out, it assumes that parents are avoiding immunizations because of the cost. Once this is proven untrue, then the national standard can be changed to make carriers more proactive at strongly encouraging their clients to immunize or else. Or else can result in a rightful and just dropping of coverage. At which point, if you do not acquire new insurance coverage, then you can be fined when you file your taxes for failing to prove that you have health insurance. Once again, enter stage left, the national option. But you must comply to the national standard to qualify for the national option coverage. No compliance, then you cannot prove you are covered and must pay a fine each year when you file your taxes.
Now, I use immunizations as an example because I am familiar with this issue, but what is to stop this legislation from affecting any area of choice?
What really gets me on health care reform? The writing is on the wall. The legislation does not have to directly take control of health care in order to eventually do so. Insurance companies must comply to the national standard established under this legislation. If they do not or cannot comply to the national standard then they cannot offer an insurance product. If you are carrying a health insurance policy that gets eliminated because your carrier cannot afford the burden of the national standard, then you need to find a new carrier. Since carriers cannot deny you coverage, the burden will become heavier on the firms that survive, until the Federal Government changes the standard. Once all carriers are overwhelmed by the national standard it will be obvious that only the Federal Government itself is able to meet the national standard, especially since it rights the rules. The burden of this legislation will have us begging for what was so heavily debated and left out of this legislation, nationalized health care. Until then, one of the requirements of the national standard right now is that carriers must provide coverage for immunizations. This is a misguided step that will soon prove itself out, it assumes that parents are avoiding immunizations because of the cost. Once this is proven untrue, then the national standard can be changed to make carriers more proactive at strongly encouraging their clients to immunize or else. Or else can result in a rightful and just dropping of coverage. At which point, if you do not acquire new insurance coverage, then you can be fined when you file your taxes for failing to prove that you have health insurance. Once again, enter stage left, the national option. But you must comply to the national standard to qualify for the national option coverage. No compliance, then you cannot prove you are covered and must pay a fine each year when you file your taxes.
Now, I use immunizations as an example because I am familiar with this issue, but what is to stop this legislation from affecting any area of choice?
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Equally Yoked
You might have to go back and read "I Am an Ox" to get some of this.
http://haslemhome.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-am-ox.html
I am awake rather early this Sunday morning. Awake and can't sleep because I have some thoughts spinning around in my head that I can't seem to shake. Honestly, this is an opportunity ( the chance and reason to sit down and write something new and old) I have been praying and waiting for, just wondering why God would wake me this early in the morning, and not let me sleep. Yet, I am awake none the less. So...
Quite a few relationships, especially the guy/girl kind within the Christian world, are measured against the principal of equally yoked. "You two shouldn't be dating, you're not equally yoked..." generally means that one of the two primary people in the relationship are not Christian, or not walking a very straight Christian life. When we see such a relationship transpiring, we Christians like to toss in our two cents and piece of advice. Yet, I often feel that the words of wisdom are given without ever having questioned "Why?" and "Why is it there?" In other words, "Why would God give us a principal such as, equally yoked? and how does it apply in my life?" ( My son's favorite question is, "Why not, what happens if I....?") I personally feel, if we can find the answer to this question, and we understand the consequences involved, then we at least know what we were getting into when we chose to violate a principal God has placed before us. And I also like the Ox analogy, there is so much buried within it that we can find and apply to understanding our own lives.
So, equally yoked...
First, lets take a look back at a yoke, its purpose, and how it applies to our lives. A yoke is used to direct a beast of burden. More specifically, it controls the head by weighing down the neck. A very powerful and stubborn animal can be easily directed with slight tugs and pulls to the reigns that are attached to a yoke. And believe me, we are very powerful and stubborn animals. We humans are probably the smartest idiots and most stubborn and willing creatures. If a yoke is used to direct an animals path, what is our yoke? What is used to direct our path? Keep in mind, we ARE beasts of burden, we don't get to decide if we are yoked or not. Just, who's yoke will we carry, who is pulling at our reigns? And the simple truth of the matter is, there are only two masters in this world. Who's yoke are you carrying? The answer is simple to find. What motivates your actions and attitudes? "Only three things remain, faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love." If you don't recognize this phrase, and if you don't understand its meaning, I can tell you who your master is. I can't tell you what your yoke is, because that master has a wide variety of yokes to weigh us down and direct our path. If you do recognize this phrase, and you understand it meaning, then I can tell you who your master is as well. And I can tell you what your yoke is...its LOVE. Love motivates your actions, and is used to help direct your path. ( side note: "He will make your path straight...and he shall direct your path...all common phrases. Apply them to being an Ox with a yoke, and your path becomes the furrows of a field. Are your furrows straight and narrow and directed by Him?)
If our yoke is love, then what are all of these other burdens that we think we carry each and every day? For an ox, the yoke is not what makes his work difficult. It is not what he labors against. It is the conditions of the field that makes things easy or hard. A field full of rocks and roots and deep set clay will make pulling a plow very laborious and difficult to tread through. Holes and hard stumps can make us turn an ankle or stumble and fall. A good master walks before his animals, clearing out rocks and debris, stopping them when a stump is in the way, and helping them pull when the soil becomes hard to pull thru. A not so kind master will become angered and forceful when their animal stumbles or falls and will drive animals into the ground before they will lend a hand.
So, if our yoke is love, and the difficulties and joys of life are the conditions of the soil in our field. What is our field? And that one is easy, Life. Imagine that each furrow you make is a day in you life. Got a boss that is hard to work with? That's a root in the ground that you will come across each and every day, but take heart, roots don't last forever. A day will come when the furrow you are plowing won't hit that root any more. And also take heart that God knew that root was there, He planted the tree that put it there. Even if your not carrying His yoke, He still planted the tree that put it there, and He knew you would come across it. Experiencing a time of joy and ease? Thats some nice fresh soil that is sweet and soft and easy to plow. It can be found in almost any field, reserve your strength and enjoy the patch. Gain strength in it, because, just as the root won't last forever, easy soil is only for a time as well. And yes, God knew you would come across it also. He went before you and picked out the rocks, pulled the weeds, watered it a little, and broke up the crusted top. He knew you would need it. And yes, He did this for you even if it is not His yoke you are carrying.
So, if life is the field we plow, joy and sorrow are the conditions of the soil, what does it mean to be equally yoked, and why is it important? Once again, the answer to these questions will prepare us for what is to come. At least we know what we are getting into. First and foremost, if we are equally yoked, then we have the same master. If Christ is our master, then He has only one type of yoke. If Christ is not our master, then it is possible that we can be given the same type of yoke. (Though chances of this are slim) This makes plowing a field a whole lot easier. Can you imagine a team of oxen plowing a field where two separate masters are directing the path. One ox has a kind gentle master directing its path, making it straight and preparing the way before it. While the other ox has a slave driver, screaming and demanding compliance. The first ox will begin to feel the weight of its team mate as the second ox begins to slow and drag under the burden of its yoke and master. The rest of the field will become very difficult regardless of the soil conditions, and the first ox will have to work much harder to finish row after row. While the second ox will begin to falter under the weight of its yoke and the relentless drive of its master. Even though the second ox may pride itself in the amount of weight it is capable of barring, it will see the lite and easy burden of the first ox and begin to feel jealous, and begin to tire. Both are points of friction that can cause damage. The first ox may feel strained and tired by having to not only pull the plow thru a field, but may also feel the burden of pulling its partner thru the field as well. The second ox may become strained and tired of the burden it has to bare along with the plowing and the driving master. Both become tired before the field is finished.
Now there is a second principal in the understanding of being equally yoked. The yoke is one means of balancing out a team of oxen. But the size and strength of the oxen being joined is another means of balancing out a team. Imagine a strong mature ox and a young immature ox being joined together. The older ox may tire early from having to carry the load of the weaker ox. The weaker ox may tire early from trying to keep up with the stronger one. And yet, both oxen can have the same master and the same type of yoke, but still be unequally yoked. Once again, this can lead to a condition where both oxen tire early from trying counter the imbalance. And yet, in both conditions the field must still be plowed.
(side note: how can two people share the same field if the field is "my" life? Remember, once two lives are joined together, they become one life. "And the two shall become one." The joys and sorrows experienced by one are shared with the other. This is also why trying to make two fields out of what has become one field is very very difficult. How do you do it?)
And now the daunting condition. Unlike oxen in a pen, we get to choose if and with whom we become teamed up with. Our master may present to us partners that are best candidates, but we still get to choose. Does your partner and mate have another master, and now you are beginning to tire because your partner is exasperated? You chose them, of all that were presented to you, you picked one from another pen. If Christ is your master, then he is still with you, walking before you, preparing the way and directing your path, and he will even help you pull the plow. But He can't direct the path of your partner. At the end of each furrow and during the row, He might step over and give them a rub, and a quiet whisper, but He isn't pulling on their reigns...yet. Is your partner stronger and more mature, and you are struggling to keep up? Are you the stronger one and now you feel that you are pulling more than your mate? You knew what you were getting into before you picked them, or you chose not to measure them up and see how equal they were. Either way, you are now a team, your fields have been formed into one.
Not a team yet, but wondering if you want to be? Do you share the same master? Are your yokes of equal size and weight, are you of an equal size and weight to each other (this has little or nothing to do with physical size and weight. How equal are you in human and spiritual maturity?) If all things be equal and you enjoy each others company, then plowing your field will be easier. If there is an imbalance, just know, plowing a field is already labor intensive, even when Christ is your master and love is your yoke. Don't think for one second that having an imbalance will make things easier. But the real question is, are you prepared to work even harder? And don't forget, when that day comes, you were asked this question and said, " yes."
(side note: Though I can't see all of the rows I have plowed in my life, the fun part is knowing that my master was dropping seeds into them as we plowed the next one. Over time, those seeds have started to grow. Sometimes I get to munch on the fruit that grows from the plants of those seeds. Most of the time, I can't see very far beyond the wall of plants growing a few rows over. But its nice to know that something is growing in the rows I, and for sometime now...we, got to help plow.)
http://haslemhome.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-am-ox.html
I am awake rather early this Sunday morning. Awake and can't sleep because I have some thoughts spinning around in my head that I can't seem to shake. Honestly, this is an opportunity ( the chance and reason to sit down and write something new and old) I have been praying and waiting for, just wondering why God would wake me this early in the morning, and not let me sleep. Yet, I am awake none the less. So...
Quite a few relationships, especially the guy/girl kind within the Christian world, are measured against the principal of equally yoked. "You two shouldn't be dating, you're not equally yoked..." generally means that one of the two primary people in the relationship are not Christian, or not walking a very straight Christian life. When we see such a relationship transpiring, we Christians like to toss in our two cents and piece of advice. Yet, I often feel that the words of wisdom are given without ever having questioned "Why?" and "Why is it there?" In other words, "Why would God give us a principal such as, equally yoked? and how does it apply in my life?" ( My son's favorite question is, "Why not, what happens if I....?") I personally feel, if we can find the answer to this question, and we understand the consequences involved, then we at least know what we were getting into when we chose to violate a principal God has placed before us. And I also like the Ox analogy, there is so much buried within it that we can find and apply to understanding our own lives.
So, equally yoked...
First, lets take a look back at a yoke, its purpose, and how it applies to our lives. A yoke is used to direct a beast of burden. More specifically, it controls the head by weighing down the neck. A very powerful and stubborn animal can be easily directed with slight tugs and pulls to the reigns that are attached to a yoke. And believe me, we are very powerful and stubborn animals. We humans are probably the smartest idiots and most stubborn and willing creatures. If a yoke is used to direct an animals path, what is our yoke? What is used to direct our path? Keep in mind, we ARE beasts of burden, we don't get to decide if we are yoked or not. Just, who's yoke will we carry, who is pulling at our reigns? And the simple truth of the matter is, there are only two masters in this world. Who's yoke are you carrying? The answer is simple to find. What motivates your actions and attitudes? "Only three things remain, faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love." If you don't recognize this phrase, and if you don't understand its meaning, I can tell you who your master is. I can't tell you what your yoke is, because that master has a wide variety of yokes to weigh us down and direct our path. If you do recognize this phrase, and you understand it meaning, then I can tell you who your master is as well. And I can tell you what your yoke is...its LOVE. Love motivates your actions, and is used to help direct your path. ( side note: "He will make your path straight...and he shall direct your path...all common phrases. Apply them to being an Ox with a yoke, and your path becomes the furrows of a field. Are your furrows straight and narrow and directed by Him?)
If our yoke is love, then what are all of these other burdens that we think we carry each and every day? For an ox, the yoke is not what makes his work difficult. It is not what he labors against. It is the conditions of the field that makes things easy or hard. A field full of rocks and roots and deep set clay will make pulling a plow very laborious and difficult to tread through. Holes and hard stumps can make us turn an ankle or stumble and fall. A good master walks before his animals, clearing out rocks and debris, stopping them when a stump is in the way, and helping them pull when the soil becomes hard to pull thru. A not so kind master will become angered and forceful when their animal stumbles or falls and will drive animals into the ground before they will lend a hand.
So, if our yoke is love, and the difficulties and joys of life are the conditions of the soil in our field. What is our field? And that one is easy, Life. Imagine that each furrow you make is a day in you life. Got a boss that is hard to work with? That's a root in the ground that you will come across each and every day, but take heart, roots don't last forever. A day will come when the furrow you are plowing won't hit that root any more. And also take heart that God knew that root was there, He planted the tree that put it there. Even if your not carrying His yoke, He still planted the tree that put it there, and He knew you would come across it. Experiencing a time of joy and ease? Thats some nice fresh soil that is sweet and soft and easy to plow. It can be found in almost any field, reserve your strength and enjoy the patch. Gain strength in it, because, just as the root won't last forever, easy soil is only for a time as well. And yes, God knew you would come across it also. He went before you and picked out the rocks, pulled the weeds, watered it a little, and broke up the crusted top. He knew you would need it. And yes, He did this for you even if it is not His yoke you are carrying.
So, if life is the field we plow, joy and sorrow are the conditions of the soil, what does it mean to be equally yoked, and why is it important? Once again, the answer to these questions will prepare us for what is to come. At least we know what we are getting into. First and foremost, if we are equally yoked, then we have the same master. If Christ is our master, then He has only one type of yoke. If Christ is not our master, then it is possible that we can be given the same type of yoke. (Though chances of this are slim) This makes plowing a field a whole lot easier. Can you imagine a team of oxen plowing a field where two separate masters are directing the path. One ox has a kind gentle master directing its path, making it straight and preparing the way before it. While the other ox has a slave driver, screaming and demanding compliance. The first ox will begin to feel the weight of its team mate as the second ox begins to slow and drag under the burden of its yoke and master. The rest of the field will become very difficult regardless of the soil conditions, and the first ox will have to work much harder to finish row after row. While the second ox will begin to falter under the weight of its yoke and the relentless drive of its master. Even though the second ox may pride itself in the amount of weight it is capable of barring, it will see the lite and easy burden of the first ox and begin to feel jealous, and begin to tire. Both are points of friction that can cause damage. The first ox may feel strained and tired by having to not only pull the plow thru a field, but may also feel the burden of pulling its partner thru the field as well. The second ox may become strained and tired of the burden it has to bare along with the plowing and the driving master. Both become tired before the field is finished.
Now there is a second principal in the understanding of being equally yoked. The yoke is one means of balancing out a team of oxen. But the size and strength of the oxen being joined is another means of balancing out a team. Imagine a strong mature ox and a young immature ox being joined together. The older ox may tire early from having to carry the load of the weaker ox. The weaker ox may tire early from trying to keep up with the stronger one. And yet, both oxen can have the same master and the same type of yoke, but still be unequally yoked. Once again, this can lead to a condition where both oxen tire early from trying counter the imbalance. And yet, in both conditions the field must still be plowed.
(side note: how can two people share the same field if the field is "my" life? Remember, once two lives are joined together, they become one life. "And the two shall become one." The joys and sorrows experienced by one are shared with the other. This is also why trying to make two fields out of what has become one field is very very difficult. How do you do it?)
And now the daunting condition. Unlike oxen in a pen, we get to choose if and with whom we become teamed up with. Our master may present to us partners that are best candidates, but we still get to choose. Does your partner and mate have another master, and now you are beginning to tire because your partner is exasperated? You chose them, of all that were presented to you, you picked one from another pen. If Christ is your master, then he is still with you, walking before you, preparing the way and directing your path, and he will even help you pull the plow. But He can't direct the path of your partner. At the end of each furrow and during the row, He might step over and give them a rub, and a quiet whisper, but He isn't pulling on their reigns...yet. Is your partner stronger and more mature, and you are struggling to keep up? Are you the stronger one and now you feel that you are pulling more than your mate? You knew what you were getting into before you picked them, or you chose not to measure them up and see how equal they were. Either way, you are now a team, your fields have been formed into one.
Not a team yet, but wondering if you want to be? Do you share the same master? Are your yokes of equal size and weight, are you of an equal size and weight to each other (this has little or nothing to do with physical size and weight. How equal are you in human and spiritual maturity?) If all things be equal and you enjoy each others company, then plowing your field will be easier. If there is an imbalance, just know, plowing a field is already labor intensive, even when Christ is your master and love is your yoke. Don't think for one second that having an imbalance will make things easier. But the real question is, are you prepared to work even harder? And don't forget, when that day comes, you were asked this question and said, " yes."
(side note: Though I can't see all of the rows I have plowed in my life, the fun part is knowing that my master was dropping seeds into them as we plowed the next one. Over time, those seeds have started to grow. Sometimes I get to munch on the fruit that grows from the plants of those seeds. Most of the time, I can't see very far beyond the wall of plants growing a few rows over. But its nice to know that something is growing in the rows I, and for sometime now...we, got to help plow.)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
What God does for good
I have a story to tell. It goes backwards and forwards and drapes all over the place, and to me, it is incredible.
This story is triggered by an occurrence that happened today and many years ago. Today, I sent off an e-mail of congratulations to a supplier who's "out of office" auto reply had declared that she was not in the office due to maternity leave. I hadn't known she was expecting so I thought I would leave her a note to come back to the office to, "Maternity Leave? I had no idea! congrats!"
A little over a half hour later I got a reply from her that I had not anticipated. Apparently she had forgotten that she had turned on the auto reply at her office. More importantly she had forgotten what she had put in her auto reply.... Her son had complications at birth and lived for 3 days before God called him back home. That was back in August, she had yet to return to work and my e-mail was the first note she had gotten in awhile by someone not knowing the end of the little guys story.
If we stop a story like this right now, stop reading, stop listening, stop anticipating how God works for the good in all who love Him, then we miss so much of the story.
Many years ago, my wife and I sat before a Dr. who told us that we had better chances of winning the lottery than we had at having a child. This was after my wife had miscarried, tubal pregnancy that diminished our chances. Along with various other complications, the Dr. was spot on, our chances of winning the lottery were better than having a child, and we don't play. But the Dr. wasn't aware of something that we weren't aware of either, the author of our story wasn't and isn't done writing.
After absorbing the blow of such news, my wife and I looked into adoption. I'll tell that story some other day, this isn't an adoption story. This is a chain of events that you can't predict and will never see coming story.
Follow along, roughly the same time that doctor was telling us the likely hood of us having kids were slim to none, a troubled woman was making a decision she would pay heavy consequences for later on. While a doctor was telling us no chance, this woman was telling another man, other than her husband, that he would get a chance. While a doctor was telling us the odds of planting a seed, one was being planted in someone else.
Wise counsel interceded in the woman's life and told her that her best chances of healing her marriage were to not have a reminder of her infidelity crawling around. God interceded and told her that aborting the child within her was out of the question. God interceded in our lives and told us, "you are not my own but I adopted you into my family, now, I have another for you to adopt." The guiding hand of God brought a troubled woman trying to heal her marriage and an empty armed couple together. And our oldest son was born and became the first child in our family.
Here is where I jump off the page a little and go to another thought, but don't worry, I'll get back to this story, because it is all one big story anyways.
Last weekend I took my oldest son to the Nike Youth Sports Day event at the Nike Campus. It is a day dedicated to children and adults that are rather unique in the way God created them. My son got to participate in the swimming event. Yep, he got to swim in the Nike soft-water-open-your-eyes-under-the-water-because-its-so-clean-I-wonder-if-Michael-Phelps-swam-in-here pool. The south side of the pool is floor to ceiling glass walls that reveal one of the campus lawns. Very green fields where employees and others play and practice their soccer and running skills while developing the next best thing. This day the lawn was covered with over a hundred participants trying their hand, foot, and head, at soccer drills and lawn bowling. As I sat in the balcony of the aquatics center I couldn't help but take in the view of both the pool and all of its participants, the field, and then what I couldn't see going on over at the running track and indoor/outdoor basketball courts. (Yep, all events going on that day, a couple hundred participants in all) I couldn't help but be touched by a thought from the Lord. Every single one of those participants, staff, volunteers, were individually created, designed, by Him. Every single one of them. That means that each of the individual participants were purposefully created by Him to be what and who they are, every single one of them. Have you got the point that I am trying to say every single one of them. Each individual person that walks this earth was not randomly thrown together in a people factory in heaven, but individually and pain stakingly scrutinized and put together by the master artist and creator himself.
Another digression. I am going to admit something that will elicit more than one negative reaction, I like Harry Potter. There, I said it, I feel so relieved. The part that amazes me is how intricate and creative the author is. She has created a world and set of characters that have captured the eyes and minds of many readers. She has woven a tale that is deep and broad and very magical. (Yep that was put there on purpose) Ms. Rowlings has created a great set of novels over the past few years. I got hooked on her novels over semester breaks while going thru school. Her books could pull me from between the towers of boxes at the JC Penney warehouse for an hour each night, and push me into the halls of Hogwarts... Ok, I also like Ted Dekker, another incredibly intricate writer that weaves tales thru many of his books and into others. Both authors have created worlds and tales that envelope their readers. And this only in the course of a few years, maybe a decade. Whatever the timeframe, it is minor in comparison to the timeclock of eternity.
Regression, back to Nike. If two authors can create a cast of characters and new worlds of magic and mystery in the short time of a few years, imagine what the creator of the universe can weave together in the timeframe of eternity. Can you imagine the cast and plot upon plot? This is the thought that God stroked into my story as I stood there watching my son swim and others bobb around in the pool. Too many people look at that gathering on the Nike campus as the culmination of genetic randomness run amuck. I saw it as a gathering of some of the most incredible creations God could intricately craft together and unveil at the precise exact moment He wished for them to come onto the scene. See, its not the color or lack there of that makes an incredible masterpiece, its the way those colors are put together. Its not the notes that make a symphony, but the way they are combined to form a crescendo of sound and harmony that makes them incredible. We are God's masterpiece, each and every one of us is a precisely planned stroke, perfectly picked note, and exact set of words that He wants in his story. This is what we are.
Now, what author worth reading would create a cast of characters and not have a story for them to be inserted into? The author of our story is no different. A troubled woman made a decision, a troubled couple sought solace, and a child was born. And two families were brought together by an author who knows the whole play line by line. Had we stopped the story at the bad decision we would all have to ask, what is God thinking, why does He allow this? If we stopped at the news of the impossible we would have to ask, how could God do such a thing? But we keep reading, in anticipation that He has a bigger story to tell.
When our son was nine months old, we won the lottery. No we are not one of the rich and wealthy that got lucky trying our hand at such things. We have yet to buy a ticket. Nope, I was called up to the front atrium of the warehouse one afternoon to hear my wife tell me, "guess what?" And son number two entered stage left. He was nine months old when our luck struck again, "guess what?" And our daughter entered the scene stage right. During this time, unbeknownst to me, my supervisor at the warehouse was struggling with her news. One of those chances of winning the lottery announcements. Sometimes its hard to turn the page when that news hits. She knew of our plight to adopt after having received similar news. I didn't quite understand her reaction when I showed her the picture of the sonogram of the second baby (first to be born) in my wife's tummy. It wasn't until later when my wife bumped into her at a hospital that we came to understand that her knowing our story encouraged her thru the news in her story. (She now has two of her own.) Once again, had we stopped reading, we would have had to say hurray!, followed by another, "really God, really?why?" But we read on.
When our oldest was not quite three, another doctor told us that he was autistic. Is this where we stop reading? Or is this the part where the plot starts to thicken and things really start to get interesting? Up to this point my wife and I joked that the child that was supposed to be a mixed race baby that no one wanted ended up being a perfect blue eyed handsome little boy. Perfect. Was now autistic. How did our perfect little bundle become autistic? And I was troubled, God asked me, "I created him just for you, every stroke of hair and blush of his cheeks are for you, how is he anything less than perfect now that you know that he is a unique creation inspired after a millenia of thought and contemplation? You are right, he is not perfect, he is more than perfect. He is mine. Now take good care of each of them for they are all mine. And I am trusting you to show him my love until he is able to see it himself."
Right now, the supplier contact I spoke of earlier is wondering, really? Really God? why? why God? And her heart might want to close the book. You may have a similar story, and are also asking, really God? How could you? And all I can say is, don't stop reading, not yet, you haven't got to the good part, it's going to knock your socks off its so good. You see, the passage doesn't say that God only makes good things, it says that he makes all things good.
He penned together the story of a woman with child to add flavor to ours. He penned our story together to add encouragement to another. He added autism to my sons story to add a touch of grace and flavor and life to so many other stories. What is he writing in your story right now? Is it the end of a page, the end of a chapter, the end of the first book, or nearing the end of a series? Do you really know the answer to that question or will you let Him decide when its your turn to meet the author live and in person? Until then, every word, every stroke, every detail is on purpose.
This story is triggered by an occurrence that happened today and many years ago. Today, I sent off an e-mail of congratulations to a supplier who's "out of office" auto reply had declared that she was not in the office due to maternity leave. I hadn't known she was expecting so I thought I would leave her a note to come back to the office to, "Maternity Leave? I had no idea! congrats!"
A little over a half hour later I got a reply from her that I had not anticipated. Apparently she had forgotten that she had turned on the auto reply at her office. More importantly she had forgotten what she had put in her auto reply.... Her son had complications at birth and lived for 3 days before God called him back home. That was back in August, she had yet to return to work and my e-mail was the first note she had gotten in awhile by someone not knowing the end of the little guys story.
If we stop a story like this right now, stop reading, stop listening, stop anticipating how God works for the good in all who love Him, then we miss so much of the story.
Many years ago, my wife and I sat before a Dr. who told us that we had better chances of winning the lottery than we had at having a child. This was after my wife had miscarried, tubal pregnancy that diminished our chances. Along with various other complications, the Dr. was spot on, our chances of winning the lottery were better than having a child, and we don't play. But the Dr. wasn't aware of something that we weren't aware of either, the author of our story wasn't and isn't done writing.
After absorbing the blow of such news, my wife and I looked into adoption. I'll tell that story some other day, this isn't an adoption story. This is a chain of events that you can't predict and will never see coming story.
Follow along, roughly the same time that doctor was telling us the likely hood of us having kids were slim to none, a troubled woman was making a decision she would pay heavy consequences for later on. While a doctor was telling us no chance, this woman was telling another man, other than her husband, that he would get a chance. While a doctor was telling us the odds of planting a seed, one was being planted in someone else.
Wise counsel interceded in the woman's life and told her that her best chances of healing her marriage were to not have a reminder of her infidelity crawling around. God interceded and told her that aborting the child within her was out of the question. God interceded in our lives and told us, "you are not my own but I adopted you into my family, now, I have another for you to adopt." The guiding hand of God brought a troubled woman trying to heal her marriage and an empty armed couple together. And our oldest son was born and became the first child in our family.
Here is where I jump off the page a little and go to another thought, but don't worry, I'll get back to this story, because it is all one big story anyways.
Last weekend I took my oldest son to the Nike Youth Sports Day event at the Nike Campus. It is a day dedicated to children and adults that are rather unique in the way God created them. My son got to participate in the swimming event. Yep, he got to swim in the Nike soft-water-open-your-eyes-under-the-water-because-its-so-clean-I-wonder-if-Michael-Phelps-swam-in-here pool. The south side of the pool is floor to ceiling glass walls that reveal one of the campus lawns. Very green fields where employees and others play and practice their soccer and running skills while developing the next best thing. This day the lawn was covered with over a hundred participants trying their hand, foot, and head, at soccer drills and lawn bowling. As I sat in the balcony of the aquatics center I couldn't help but take in the view of both the pool and all of its participants, the field, and then what I couldn't see going on over at the running track and indoor/outdoor basketball courts. (Yep, all events going on that day, a couple hundred participants in all) I couldn't help but be touched by a thought from the Lord. Every single one of those participants, staff, volunteers, were individually created, designed, by Him. Every single one of them. That means that each of the individual participants were purposefully created by Him to be what and who they are, every single one of them. Have you got the point that I am trying to say every single one of them. Each individual person that walks this earth was not randomly thrown together in a people factory in heaven, but individually and pain stakingly scrutinized and put together by the master artist and creator himself.
Another digression. I am going to admit something that will elicit more than one negative reaction, I like Harry Potter. There, I said it, I feel so relieved. The part that amazes me is how intricate and creative the author is. She has created a world and set of characters that have captured the eyes and minds of many readers. She has woven a tale that is deep and broad and very magical. (Yep that was put there on purpose) Ms. Rowlings has created a great set of novels over the past few years. I got hooked on her novels over semester breaks while going thru school. Her books could pull me from between the towers of boxes at the JC Penney warehouse for an hour each night, and push me into the halls of Hogwarts... Ok, I also like Ted Dekker, another incredibly intricate writer that weaves tales thru many of his books and into others. Both authors have created worlds and tales that envelope their readers. And this only in the course of a few years, maybe a decade. Whatever the timeframe, it is minor in comparison to the timeclock of eternity.
Regression, back to Nike. If two authors can create a cast of characters and new worlds of magic and mystery in the short time of a few years, imagine what the creator of the universe can weave together in the timeframe of eternity. Can you imagine the cast and plot upon plot? This is the thought that God stroked into my story as I stood there watching my son swim and others bobb around in the pool. Too many people look at that gathering on the Nike campus as the culmination of genetic randomness run amuck. I saw it as a gathering of some of the most incredible creations God could intricately craft together and unveil at the precise exact moment He wished for them to come onto the scene. See, its not the color or lack there of that makes an incredible masterpiece, its the way those colors are put together. Its not the notes that make a symphony, but the way they are combined to form a crescendo of sound and harmony that makes them incredible. We are God's masterpiece, each and every one of us is a precisely planned stroke, perfectly picked note, and exact set of words that He wants in his story. This is what we are.
Now, what author worth reading would create a cast of characters and not have a story for them to be inserted into? The author of our story is no different. A troubled woman made a decision, a troubled couple sought solace, and a child was born. And two families were brought together by an author who knows the whole play line by line. Had we stopped the story at the bad decision we would all have to ask, what is God thinking, why does He allow this? If we stopped at the news of the impossible we would have to ask, how could God do such a thing? But we keep reading, in anticipation that He has a bigger story to tell.
When our son was nine months old, we won the lottery. No we are not one of the rich and wealthy that got lucky trying our hand at such things. We have yet to buy a ticket. Nope, I was called up to the front atrium of the warehouse one afternoon to hear my wife tell me, "guess what?" And son number two entered stage left. He was nine months old when our luck struck again, "guess what?" And our daughter entered the scene stage right. During this time, unbeknownst to me, my supervisor at the warehouse was struggling with her news. One of those chances of winning the lottery announcements. Sometimes its hard to turn the page when that news hits. She knew of our plight to adopt after having received similar news. I didn't quite understand her reaction when I showed her the picture of the sonogram of the second baby (first to be born) in my wife's tummy. It wasn't until later when my wife bumped into her at a hospital that we came to understand that her knowing our story encouraged her thru the news in her story. (She now has two of her own.) Once again, had we stopped reading, we would have had to say hurray!, followed by another, "really God, really?why?" But we read on.
When our oldest was not quite three, another doctor told us that he was autistic. Is this where we stop reading? Or is this the part where the plot starts to thicken and things really start to get interesting? Up to this point my wife and I joked that the child that was supposed to be a mixed race baby that no one wanted ended up being a perfect blue eyed handsome little boy. Perfect. Was now autistic. How did our perfect little bundle become autistic? And I was troubled, God asked me, "I created him just for you, every stroke of hair and blush of his cheeks are for you, how is he anything less than perfect now that you know that he is a unique creation inspired after a millenia of thought and contemplation? You are right, he is not perfect, he is more than perfect. He is mine. Now take good care of each of them for they are all mine. And I am trusting you to show him my love until he is able to see it himself."
Right now, the supplier contact I spoke of earlier is wondering, really? Really God? why? why God? And her heart might want to close the book. You may have a similar story, and are also asking, really God? How could you? And all I can say is, don't stop reading, not yet, you haven't got to the good part, it's going to knock your socks off its so good. You see, the passage doesn't say that God only makes good things, it says that he makes all things good.
He penned together the story of a woman with child to add flavor to ours. He penned our story together to add encouragement to another. He added autism to my sons story to add a touch of grace and flavor and life to so many other stories. What is he writing in your story right now? Is it the end of a page, the end of a chapter, the end of the first book, or nearing the end of a series? Do you really know the answer to that question or will you let Him decide when its your turn to meet the author live and in person? Until then, every word, every stroke, every detail is on purpose.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A Special Night at the Zoo
Last night was a night set aside for families throughout the Portland area to visit the Oregon Zoo for free. My middle son Noah anticipated the night for almost two weeks, ever since we got the invitation in the mail. The regular parking lot at the zoo was so packed that they had to have a shuttle running every 5 minutes from a nearby Nazarene Church parking lot 2 miles away.
One special point about this one free night is that its, well, at night. In the evening at least. normally the zoo closes around 5pm, so the crew can get out and get all of the animals fed. But last night the zoo opened up from 4-8pm. And the train and special exhibits were also free. They had large size animals that the kids could run up and hug and take pictures with as well. Plus a soda and bag of popcorn for everyone in the family, free as well. (We didn't get the popcorn and soda because Ti can't have either and we didn't want to leave him out.. It was after all his night) Oh yah, the most important part of the night is that all families in attendance had to have a child with...special needs. The way the zoo crew sees it, trying to get around the home and life are hard enough, the zoo should be a fun place to be.
The cool part about going to the zoo in the evening is that all of the animals start to wake up and come alive around that time. Its feeding time, the weather cools down, and they just got up from a good afternoon nap and are ready to play.
Early on in the stroll around the grounds I leaned in to my wife's ear and commented, "remember, every single one of these families has a child with special needs. They are all used to a child freaking out. So... we can lay off of Ti tonight and let him be amongst HIS peers." As silly as this may sound, it was really quite a releif to comprehend.
As we wandered into a cave where the penguins and sea lions can be seen from underwater, a rather large child wiggled his way out of his parents hands and went running up a ramp squealing. In any other setting the mother of the child would have been frustrated and slightly embarrased, yep, that was her kid, running off, freaking out, nothing normal about him. But on this particular night, she started screaming, "stop him, please, stop him!" Thing was, there were another five families coming down the ramp that knew exactly how this gal felt, and stepped in the way. He didn't get too far this night.
The line for the train was about 45 minutes. It was the typical attraction line, winding back and forth upon itself between fence posts and canvas strapping. The zoo has 3 trains that run in succession every 15 minutes. Each train holds roughly 80 to 100 people. I enjoyed the train ride, the scenery and all were ok, overgrown lush ferns covering the ground was the typical view for most of the ride. But I enjoyed the ride because my youngest, Lucas, took the time to nestle his head in the bend of my draping arm so he could stick it out the window and feel the gentle rushing wind wisk by his face. It was a quiet restful peace that is so fleeting in the time we have.
Since Ti can't have the regular faring at the zoo for snacking,...popcorn, soda, caramel apples, and the like...we packed a sack dinner. After strolling through the animal cages and riding one of the zoo trains, we were hungry. We wandered our way to a sprawling grassy amphitheater where they have special shows. We claimed one of the deep and wide stair steps as our picnic bench and sat down to enjoyed the breeze with sandwiches and chips.
As my family sat there munching away, I took the moment to look around at all of the families that were there enjoying the evening. So many families, so many people, all there at the zoo enjoying the evening because at least one of their children was something other than normal. Downs, Blind, deaf, armless, legless, limbless, autistic, ...and the list goes on. I couldn't help but think of the time in the Bible when the disciples asked Jesus, "who sinned, this man or his parents? That he should end up this way..." The event didn't come to me because of what the disciples thought, but because of what our Lord said and did in response. Here on the grassy knoll and strolling the grounds were hundreds of families smiling and laughing and showing excitement in such pure true honest enjoyment, because of a child in their life that doesn't fit the mold. "Neither, this man is here that the works of God might be displayed in his life." This man is here because God....not a mistake, not broken, not wrong, not.....but because God made him.
On the way back to the parking lot on the shuttle Karen struck up a conversation with another mom. Ciciley actually struck up the conversation, she wanted to know if the lady's son was autism. "Yes, he is." Karen carried on from there. The son was the youngest in the family, going on 11. The mom mentioned that she had 2 teenage daughters as well. She shared a quick note about how a teacher recently complimented the tender hearts and maturity of her daughters. And how her family was so impacted by the fact that the youngest was "on the spectrum." She acknowledged that her daughters would not be the way they are if their son was not part of the picture. Karen pointed at our two middle kiddos and said," I know!."
Well....its late...and I have to get to bed, but I'm not done with this one yet...my mind is still working it over a little. But I what I really want to say is, God doesn't make mistakes, none, nadda, zilch, zero, never, never has, never will, is completely and totally incapable of screwing up, even just a little. This is fundimental and needs to be completely understood. Once it is fully embraced, ...every single one of those families at the zoo last night, including my own, are part of our Lord God's mighty and awesome plan, even and especially the ones who gave them a reason to be there last night. So, since it is impossible for God to make a mistake, and everything he does is on purpose, why did he decide to create these special children? I have some ideas, how about you?
One special point about this one free night is that its, well, at night. In the evening at least. normally the zoo closes around 5pm, so the crew can get out and get all of the animals fed. But last night the zoo opened up from 4-8pm. And the train and special exhibits were also free. They had large size animals that the kids could run up and hug and take pictures with as well. Plus a soda and bag of popcorn for everyone in the family, free as well. (We didn't get the popcorn and soda because Ti can't have either and we didn't want to leave him out.. It was after all his night) Oh yah, the most important part of the night is that all families in attendance had to have a child with...special needs. The way the zoo crew sees it, trying to get around the home and life are hard enough, the zoo should be a fun place to be.
The cool part about going to the zoo in the evening is that all of the animals start to wake up and come alive around that time. Its feeding time, the weather cools down, and they just got up from a good afternoon nap and are ready to play.
Early on in the stroll around the grounds I leaned in to my wife's ear and commented, "remember, every single one of these families has a child with special needs. They are all used to a child freaking out. So... we can lay off of Ti tonight and let him be amongst HIS peers." As silly as this may sound, it was really quite a releif to comprehend.
As we wandered into a cave where the penguins and sea lions can be seen from underwater, a rather large child wiggled his way out of his parents hands and went running up a ramp squealing. In any other setting the mother of the child would have been frustrated and slightly embarrased, yep, that was her kid, running off, freaking out, nothing normal about him. But on this particular night, she started screaming, "stop him, please, stop him!" Thing was, there were another five families coming down the ramp that knew exactly how this gal felt, and stepped in the way. He didn't get too far this night.
The line for the train was about 45 minutes. It was the typical attraction line, winding back and forth upon itself between fence posts and canvas strapping. The zoo has 3 trains that run in succession every 15 minutes. Each train holds roughly 80 to 100 people. I enjoyed the train ride, the scenery and all were ok, overgrown lush ferns covering the ground was the typical view for most of the ride. But I enjoyed the ride because my youngest, Lucas, took the time to nestle his head in the bend of my draping arm so he could stick it out the window and feel the gentle rushing wind wisk by his face. It was a quiet restful peace that is so fleeting in the time we have.
Since Ti can't have the regular faring at the zoo for snacking,...popcorn, soda, caramel apples, and the like...we packed a sack dinner. After strolling through the animal cages and riding one of the zoo trains, we were hungry. We wandered our way to a sprawling grassy amphitheater where they have special shows. We claimed one of the deep and wide stair steps as our picnic bench and sat down to enjoyed the breeze with sandwiches and chips.
As my family sat there munching away, I took the moment to look around at all of the families that were there enjoying the evening. So many families, so many people, all there at the zoo enjoying the evening because at least one of their children was something other than normal. Downs, Blind, deaf, armless, legless, limbless, autistic, ...and the list goes on. I couldn't help but think of the time in the Bible when the disciples asked Jesus, "who sinned, this man or his parents? That he should end up this way..." The event didn't come to me because of what the disciples thought, but because of what our Lord said and did in response. Here on the grassy knoll and strolling the grounds were hundreds of families smiling and laughing and showing excitement in such pure true honest enjoyment, because of a child in their life that doesn't fit the mold. "Neither, this man is here that the works of God might be displayed in his life." This man is here because God....not a mistake, not broken, not wrong, not.....but because God made him.
On the way back to the parking lot on the shuttle Karen struck up a conversation with another mom. Ciciley actually struck up the conversation, she wanted to know if the lady's son was autism. "Yes, he is." Karen carried on from there. The son was the youngest in the family, going on 11. The mom mentioned that she had 2 teenage daughters as well. She shared a quick note about how a teacher recently complimented the tender hearts and maturity of her daughters. And how her family was so impacted by the fact that the youngest was "on the spectrum." She acknowledged that her daughters would not be the way they are if their son was not part of the picture. Karen pointed at our two middle kiddos and said," I know!."
Well....its late...and I have to get to bed, but I'm not done with this one yet...my mind is still working it over a little. But I what I really want to say is, God doesn't make mistakes, none, nadda, zilch, zero, never, never has, never will, is completely and totally incapable of screwing up, even just a little. This is fundimental and needs to be completely understood. Once it is fully embraced, ...every single one of those families at the zoo last night, including my own, are part of our Lord God's mighty and awesome plan, even and especially the ones who gave them a reason to be there last night. So, since it is impossible for God to make a mistake, and everything he does is on purpose, why did he decide to create these special children? I have some ideas, how about you?
Monday, July 27, 2009
Treasure Hunting
Those who know me know all to well that I like to shop at Goodwill. There are 6 of them that I have frequented in our county, one that I have gone to once in downtown Portland, and one I just discovered just outside of Salem. Yep, discovered, didn't know it was there but might have to go back to it just to see what it hides inside.
This joy of scanning the shelves didn't come on a whim though, I generally avoided thrift shops while growing up, and really didn't see much in them most of my adult life so far. But all of that changed a few years back. You'll laugh at this but, I meet God in the aisles of our local Goodwills. He and I play a game of Easter Egg hunting within the stacks of books and electronics. I like to see what He has hidden for me to discover.
This game began a few years back when my wife was looking on e-Bay for a Jack Lalane Juicer. We had the goofy idea that getting a juicer would open some new safer tastes for our oldest son. He can't have a lot of the juices on the market becauce most manufacturers HAVE to put some form of gluten or casein in them and that makes him sick to his stomach. Karen spent a couple of weeks getting out bid on each juicer she found. She would set a $60 limit and the juicer would go for $80. One after the other would get grabbed up, and we didn't want to go too high on something that was an unfounded thought. So, after a few weeks of lost bidding wars I awoke on a Saturday morning and declared to my wife that I had had a dream. (The dream was real, I wasn't saying this to add flare to the story) That Friday night I had had a dream that we all went shopping at a Goodwill store in a neighboring town. In the dream I found on the small appliances shelf a Jack Lalane Juicer for $24.65. Karen smiled at me and gave me that look only a wife can give, "That's nice sweetheart (tilt head to one side and silently sigh at the simple minded joke her husband was playing on her.) Yet, after a cup of coffee and a hot shower, we saddled up in the family car and went thrift store shopping. My wife wanted to get some pants for the boys anyways. When we arrived she took the boys and a shopping cart while my daughter and I made a bee line for the small appliances....
It wasn't in a new box but, all of the attachments and even the recipe book were sittin' on the top shelf, $24.95. (Ok, so I was off by $0.30, it was a dream) We grabbed that juicer, hid it behind our backs and sauntered over to the pants fitting session. Karen saw us coming with the look that she knew could mean only one thing. "You didn't?! Are you serious?! You're kidding?!..." and then tears started to come down her cheek as her disbelief was washed away when we revealed that first treasure we had been seeking. Practically brand new and ready to be put to the test. I asked her," which is harder to believe, that we found one, or that I told you I had a dream that we found one?" The answer was really, both.
And thus began the adventure.
A little while later we were struggling with how to help Titus learn how to pedal. We tried big wheels, tricycles, training wheels, he just never seemed to figure out how to get the vehicle to move. Then we saw it. The Lance Armstrong Livestrong Ride cuts thru our town and its outskirts. Beautiful country roads and hills for a bike ride. So, we went out one Sunday morning to cheer the riders on. The kids lined the road holding US Flags shouting, " Good Job, way to go!." To each rider that went by. A little while later a father son combination went riding by on what we found out was a trail-along bike. Watching this father-son combination made both Karen and I both wonder about the possibility. Titus could pedal, shift gears, and everything else while watching a model demonstration right in front of him. Plus, mom or dad riding in front made the bike balance so he could focus on the pedaling. We went to a local bike shop and queried the shop owner about such a bike. He told us a story of a father-daughter combo that got hooked on riding to such a degree that on some evenings the father would come home bushed from the day without energy to go for a ride and the daughter would tell him," don't worry daddy, I'll push you, you just have to steer." Then he told us the price, bare bones base price, $150. Now I know some new bikes can cost more than this, even kids bikes but, this was way more than we anticipated. Our awe and wonder was drenched and soggy. Time for an Easter Egg hunt.
The next weekend we casually went to the local Goodwill. Honestly, I didn't expect to find such a cool treasure, we were just out to scan the aisles. But there it was, practically brand new, no scratches, good grips, good seat, chain was still oily. The only thing missing was the collar for attaching it to the lead bike. God's price tag, $30. The local bike tinkerer had the collar, he never puts price tags on anything so he asked if $12 would do. Ti and I mounted up when we got home, we took a short ride up and down the street while mom and the kids cheered Titus on for his first bike ride. When we pulled up to the curb Ti sweetly proclaimed,"Ok mommy's turn." From his perspective he had been giving me a ride up and down the street. Now that's a way to build confidence.
Now, I do have to admit, I shop at Goodwill a lot. The inventory turns so quick that you never really know what you will find. The chain here in town has a frequent flyer rewards card. You get a 5% discount of anything over $15 and 7% on anything over $100. Plus, you get a point for every dollar spent. 200 points gets you a $10 dollar store credit. In other words, you get a 5% kickback good on a following purchase. I have earned a couple of those store credits over the last few years.
With store credit in hand I ventured into a neighboring towns Goodwill Center. Now remember, the store credit is good for $10. And what should be sitting on the electronics shelf but a BOSE wave radio. No scratches, no tears, and the thing works, loud and very clear. Thrift store electronics, BOSE Wave Radio....marked price? $9. The cost of the shopping to earn the store credit aside, I walked out of the store with a good condition working BOSE Radio....for free, and $1 still left in store credit.
This last year has seen a lot of cut backs at work. The latest round of cost saving measure was to kindly ask all employees to take the equivalent of 1 week off each month. Paid if you had the time accrued, unpaid if you didn't have any time off left. Over the last year most everybody in the plant has exhausted their time off benefit, which meant that the average paycheck saw a 25% reduction. Now, we are a 6 member household, we don't have cable or cell phones. As you can now see, we shop a lot at thrift stores, even for clothing. ( I found a pair of Eddie Bauer jeans for $2, that would get me 13-15 pairs for the price of a new pair) Needless to say, we don't go out to the movies very much. We have an extensive DVD collection though. So how do we economically entertain our family while feeling like we are getting something really special. God had an idea, how about an LCD projector for $15. Coupled with a BOSE radio system with awesome base we have a double feature pizza and movie night every Friday evening. The first is a kids show, Cars, Nemo, Monsters, Buzz n Woody...then the kids go to bed and we watch a more adult level flick. So if you are in the area and up for a show on Friday night, drop on buy, but we can't guarantee we'll save any popcorn.
These are some of our special stories. I twas telling them to a good friend one evening when he just sat there and shook his head,"from the way you tell them...these aren't just good finds, you go shopping like its a treasure hunt don't you?"
Keep in mind, for every 5-6 trips, one of them might hold something. I never now if and what but, I always go in expecting to find something the Lord has hidden for me.
I am now learning how to live life with this same kind of anticipation. I drink my morning coffee wondering what the Lord has hidden in the day for me to find. Imagine yourself and the morning you hide Easter eggs for your kids, can you now imagine how giddy He is while he places little treasures for us to find throughout our day? I can almost see the smile on his face and tears in his eyes when we found the juicer and when he heard our son proclaim," Ok, its your turn."
This joy of scanning the shelves didn't come on a whim though, I generally avoided thrift shops while growing up, and really didn't see much in them most of my adult life so far. But all of that changed a few years back. You'll laugh at this but, I meet God in the aisles of our local Goodwills. He and I play a game of Easter Egg hunting within the stacks of books and electronics. I like to see what He has hidden for me to discover.
This game began a few years back when my wife was looking on e-Bay for a Jack Lalane Juicer. We had the goofy idea that getting a juicer would open some new safer tastes for our oldest son. He can't have a lot of the juices on the market becauce most manufacturers HAVE to put some form of gluten or casein in them and that makes him sick to his stomach. Karen spent a couple of weeks getting out bid on each juicer she found. She would set a $60 limit and the juicer would go for $80. One after the other would get grabbed up, and we didn't want to go too high on something that was an unfounded thought. So, after a few weeks of lost bidding wars I awoke on a Saturday morning and declared to my wife that I had had a dream. (The dream was real, I wasn't saying this to add flare to the story) That Friday night I had had a dream that we all went shopping at a Goodwill store in a neighboring town. In the dream I found on the small appliances shelf a Jack Lalane Juicer for $24.65. Karen smiled at me and gave me that look only a wife can give, "That's nice sweetheart (tilt head to one side and silently sigh at the simple minded joke her husband was playing on her.) Yet, after a cup of coffee and a hot shower, we saddled up in the family car and went thrift store shopping. My wife wanted to get some pants for the boys anyways. When we arrived she took the boys and a shopping cart while my daughter and I made a bee line for the small appliances....
It wasn't in a new box but, all of the attachments and even the recipe book were sittin' on the top shelf, $24.95. (Ok, so I was off by $0.30, it was a dream) We grabbed that juicer, hid it behind our backs and sauntered over to the pants fitting session. Karen saw us coming with the look that she knew could mean only one thing. "You didn't?! Are you serious?! You're kidding?!..." and then tears started to come down her cheek as her disbelief was washed away when we revealed that first treasure we had been seeking. Practically brand new and ready to be put to the test. I asked her," which is harder to believe, that we found one, or that I told you I had a dream that we found one?" The answer was really, both.
And thus began the adventure.
A little while later we were struggling with how to help Titus learn how to pedal. We tried big wheels, tricycles, training wheels, he just never seemed to figure out how to get the vehicle to move. Then we saw it. The Lance Armstrong Livestrong Ride cuts thru our town and its outskirts. Beautiful country roads and hills for a bike ride. So, we went out one Sunday morning to cheer the riders on. The kids lined the road holding US Flags shouting, " Good Job, way to go!." To each rider that went by. A little while later a father son combination went riding by on what we found out was a trail-along bike. Watching this father-son combination made both Karen and I both wonder about the possibility. Titus could pedal, shift gears, and everything else while watching a model demonstration right in front of him. Plus, mom or dad riding in front made the bike balance so he could focus on the pedaling. We went to a local bike shop and queried the shop owner about such a bike. He told us a story of a father-daughter combo that got hooked on riding to such a degree that on some evenings the father would come home bushed from the day without energy to go for a ride and the daughter would tell him," don't worry daddy, I'll push you, you just have to steer." Then he told us the price, bare bones base price, $150. Now I know some new bikes can cost more than this, even kids bikes but, this was way more than we anticipated. Our awe and wonder was drenched and soggy. Time for an Easter Egg hunt.
The next weekend we casually went to the local Goodwill. Honestly, I didn't expect to find such a cool treasure, we were just out to scan the aisles. But there it was, practically brand new, no scratches, good grips, good seat, chain was still oily. The only thing missing was the collar for attaching it to the lead bike. God's price tag, $30. The local bike tinkerer had the collar, he never puts price tags on anything so he asked if $12 would do. Ti and I mounted up when we got home, we took a short ride up and down the street while mom and the kids cheered Titus on for his first bike ride. When we pulled up to the curb Ti sweetly proclaimed,"Ok mommy's turn." From his perspective he had been giving me a ride up and down the street. Now that's a way to build confidence.
Now, I do have to admit, I shop at Goodwill a lot. The inventory turns so quick that you never really know what you will find. The chain here in town has a frequent flyer rewards card. You get a 5% discount of anything over $15 and 7% on anything over $100. Plus, you get a point for every dollar spent. 200 points gets you a $10 dollar store credit. In other words, you get a 5% kickback good on a following purchase. I have earned a couple of those store credits over the last few years.
With store credit in hand I ventured into a neighboring towns Goodwill Center. Now remember, the store credit is good for $10. And what should be sitting on the electronics shelf but a BOSE wave radio. No scratches, no tears, and the thing works, loud and very clear. Thrift store electronics, BOSE Wave Radio....marked price? $9. The cost of the shopping to earn the store credit aside, I walked out of the store with a good condition working BOSE Radio....for free, and $1 still left in store credit.
This last year has seen a lot of cut backs at work. The latest round of cost saving measure was to kindly ask all employees to take the equivalent of 1 week off each month. Paid if you had the time accrued, unpaid if you didn't have any time off left. Over the last year most everybody in the plant has exhausted their time off benefit, which meant that the average paycheck saw a 25% reduction. Now, we are a 6 member household, we don't have cable or cell phones. As you can now see, we shop a lot at thrift stores, even for clothing. ( I found a pair of Eddie Bauer jeans for $2, that would get me 13-15 pairs for the price of a new pair) Needless to say, we don't go out to the movies very much. We have an extensive DVD collection though. So how do we economically entertain our family while feeling like we are getting something really special. God had an idea, how about an LCD projector for $15. Coupled with a BOSE radio system with awesome base we have a double feature pizza and movie night every Friday evening. The first is a kids show, Cars, Nemo, Monsters, Buzz n Woody...then the kids go to bed and we watch a more adult level flick. So if you are in the area and up for a show on Friday night, drop on buy, but we can't guarantee we'll save any popcorn.
These are some of our special stories. I twas telling them to a good friend one evening when he just sat there and shook his head,"from the way you tell them...these aren't just good finds, you go shopping like its a treasure hunt don't you?"
Keep in mind, for every 5-6 trips, one of them might hold something. I never now if and what but, I always go in expecting to find something the Lord has hidden for me.
I am now learning how to live life with this same kind of anticipation. I drink my morning coffee wondering what the Lord has hidden in the day for me to find. Imagine yourself and the morning you hide Easter eggs for your kids, can you now imagine how giddy He is while he places little treasures for us to find throughout our day? I can almost see the smile on his face and tears in his eyes when we found the juicer and when he heard our son proclaim," Ok, its your turn."
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Kids Camp 2009
Well, Ti and I went to Beaverton Foursquare's Kids Camp Again this summer. So, a few stories:
First, the camp had a new feature this year, a 30 or 40 foot long water slide! The first afternoon, Ti and I went to the candy cabin and then went and watched the other kids going down the slide, followed by a short visit to the creek for some shallow water wading. But the next afternoon, Ti told me he wanted to go to the Snack Shack and then the waterslide. I asked him if he wanted to watch the kids again or ride the slide? He told me he wanted to ride the slide. So we sat and watched the other kids while he ate his candy and got him ready for the event. (This is the first ride that he has ever gone down on a water slide) I figured the little guy would make a run down the slide, realize the shock and surprise of the cold water and the wet pool at the bottom and then decide to go somewhere else. Boy was I wrong. He spent the rest of the afternoon running up the hill to get in line so he could go for another ride down the blue monster. Very cool milestone. He did really well standing in line and waiting his turn, only now and then he had to get out of line to come and tell me what he was going to do next, "Dad! Next time I'm going to go dwon on my knees!" (Which really didn't work well but, it was a grand thing for him to actually come over and tell me this.)Bad event, I asked another counselor to watch Titus at dinner time while I ran into the kitchen to make him some "safe" rice spaghetti to go along with the spaghetti everyone else was eating. The counselor seemed to get it and said he would keep an eye on him. When I got back to the table with a plate of spaghetti, the counselor smiled and said he made sure Titus didn't get any spaghetti but, he did give him a peice of garlic bread to tide him over. CRAP! (For those of you who don't know, Titus is on a gluten/cassien free diet. No wheat, no dairy, and any of their derivatives) Yep, Garlic Bread is chock full of butter (dairy) and wheat flour. CRAP! This meant that the evening would be "loopy" and the morning would really suck for him. And...they did. Plus, the next morning I told another counselor, no pancakes but he can eat the sausage. So the counselor made sure he didn't get any sausage. DOUBLE CRAP! (yep, I mouthed the words at church camp, I am in big trouble now) Sometimes the dairy takes a little while to work its magic, Wendsday night during worship...the room was dry and hot, the motions were full of jumping and screaming...and Titus was bent over the chair in front of him working that butter right back out the way it came in. By the time I got him out of the auditorium and into a bathroom, breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch and dinner again, all made their way back up-out- and onto the floor. Poor guy. He looked back at me a little later and said, "I shouldn't have eaten the garlic bread and pancake huh? They made me sick..." Yep little buddy, thems made you sick. But he recovered well and the staff was incredible, all 5 puddles were cleaned up before I had Titus cleaned up and into a new shirt. Good job folks.
One of the worship songs had the lines: I am free to run...(kids echo I am free to run) I am free to dance...(echo) I am free to live for you...(echo) I AM FREE! (ECHO) My son had me crying tears of laughter as he exclaimed as loud as he could, I don't want to run, I WANT TO GO HOME! I don't want to dance, I WANT TO GO HOME!....As the final lines crescendo in repetative "I AM Free!" repeated 4 times...Titus crescendoed with I WANT TO GO HOME! The cool part was, he knew he was making a joke and smiled the whole time he was doing it.
All in all, it was a really good week. The weather was warm and sunny. The food was quite filling. And the activities, worship time, and all else was a joy to be a part of.
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