Hard Truth

Today I learned some hard truths about myself.

1. My driving, though flawless and some might say graceful, generally pisses my wife off. I don't know why she hates it so much, but I'm choosing to believe it is jealousy.

2. I am the gayest person my wife knows. That is saying something. I know a lot of the people she knows...and there are some pretty gay ones.

Oh well, perhaps this is what they call tough love.

The greatest gift

Well another Christmas is almost past and this year was pretty good. For one thing, I didn't get sick this year or even have a headache at any of the three parties I went to today. That is a gift in itself.

Then there was the joy of watching Olivia open presents for the first time. Christmas is one more thing that changes once you have a child.

As far as gifts, there were several nice things of course. There are the gift cards, which are fun, and the always welcome replacement underpants, t-shirts and socks. There were some unexpected gifts like my cool new football and 20 Questions Simpsons Game which are awesome.

I got a slick new sweatshirt I can wear to work now. At least I think I can wear it, since it has the company logo on it.

We also got the movie, Horton Hears a Who and the Ultimate Veggie Tales Silly Songs DVD. Sweet!

My greatest gift, however, didn't come today, but long before.


It wasn't wrapped in festive paper or with ribbons, adorned.


No, my greatest gift of all


didn't come from a gun store, a catalog or mall.


Nonetheless, I feel great and oh so nifty,


that I got this wonderful gift...






an Xbox 360.



What? What did you think I was gonna say? Seriously, I got it like over a month ago. It is awesome! Jess let me get it at Best Buy and I just brought it home and played it for hours. In fact, I think I'm going to go play it right now!

See Thru

It isn't always bad to be invisible. Sometimes you can just sit back and enjoy the chaos of a room full of conversations, people connecting, sharing, and just enjoying each other's company, all the while not really hearing anything they say. The expressions say enough. Their faces, the laughter, their smiles. All of it is great to even glimpse.

I'm generally not a big fan of meetings. I don't like to interject my thoughts into a group discussion. For the most part I am slow to speak and generally more eager to listen and take everything in.

Tonight was still fun though. I felt welcome and comfortable in someone else's home surrounded by coworkers in Christ.

I love teaching and storytelling and the part it plays towards building a foundation for the kids at DV. I love being a part of DV:FX. What a blessing it has been for me to meet so many new and wonderful people. What an encouragement it is, to see their devotion to their work and these children.

It is just so great to step out sometimes and watch God work through hugs, crayons, foam balls and inanimate donkey teeth.

Last One Standing

In 1 Chorinthians 13, we learn about love.  How many times have we heard it, over and over again at weddings?

Love is patient.

Love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love is all of these things, but there is something more important to understand about it.

Love is.

You can't buy it, create it, trade for it, change it or control it.  It is.

When everything else fades away, there left, will be Love.

Sacred

There is a time when reflection turns to distraction of real and meaningful growth. Forgetting that love and grace have released us from our mistakes, the deceiver convinces us to shackle ourselves again with shame and doubt and a pursuit of doing enough to deserve what we could never earn.

How amazing that we could be fooled in so many ways to thinking we are anything less than sacred.

How amazing that we can be deceived into believing that God is anything less than everything He says He is.

A pursuit to better ourselves can never be a journey of things we do. It is an acceptance of what God has already done. It is an acceptance of who we are and whose we are.