Buildings and camps

The normal part of this week ends today - as normal parts of any weeks go, and tomorrow our family is going to Junior High Camp. There is so much to do here that it is hard to leave. Life (and church) will go on quite well without me I’m sure.

This weekend Brazos Pointe will start meeting in our new location. We still have to pass an inspection from the city to occupy the building so it would be cool if you could pray that way.

The sound system still needs to be put in place, the bathrooms still need to be put back together, and a door has to be replaced. But the right people are leading the charge (not me) and working on all that is left so I think it will come together.

It has been good to work on this building. Through the work I have been able to get closer to people I barely knew and closer to people I know well already. I wonder what we will all do when the work is finished.

No blogging for a couple of days while were at camp. I’ll be back to the blogsphere sometime next week. I hope you all get to see some fireworks with the people you love.

Be real …

To run again ...

Before I speak I have this nervous pent up energy that needs to be released. Usually that energy gets released during a morning run but morning runs haven’t been possible because of a trashed ankle. (I know ... I'm such a whiner)

Yesterday morning before church I helped set-up and then came home to clean up. My ankle has been swollen but hasn’t hurt so as I passed through the den I heard the treadmill calling my name. “Tommy run on me – you know you NEED it.” So I did. I ran a mile, at an easy pace. It was heaven. Even though it was short and slow it felt good to move again. I’ve been lifting weights and riding my bike some but its just not the same as running.

This morning I put on my headphones and turned on King’s X loud for a few easy miles. I ended up running three at good pace. Man I love to run.

Music, music, I hear music … music over my head.

Comfort from friends, prayer, my wife and the Bible

I officiated a funeral on Friday. Funerals are never easy but this one was emotionally draining mainly because it was an untimely death and I didn’t know quite a few of the people who attended. Some Brazos Pointe folks were there and they told me as they walked in the door that they were praying for me. One of our church leaders, Mark, gave the eulogy. Mark's wife Jennifer handled much of the details. Andrea encouraged me through the whole week. The prayers, being able to have Mark be a part of the funeral, Jennifer's help and Andrea’s presence were all huge comforts to me.

To top it off Andrea and I are speaking on the subject of sex (Mr and Mrs. Wondeful) this weekend in church.

Early in the week I ran across a verse from the Bible referenced in a book I am reading. It was an additional comfort for me throughout the week. The verse is Psalm 16:8. I posted it previously but here it is again:

I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

God always provides what I need right on time.

This week ...

This is one of those weeks - A week where there is more to do than I could possibly accomplish.

This week I have to do some things that are far beyond my abilities. I have to do some things that give me moments of panic when I let my mind dwell on them too long. I have to do some things that require God to show up, because if I try to do them on my own it could get really ugly.

When I get too confident in my own abilities I am shown how much I need The Creator. And that my friends is a good thing.

I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16:8

Chipotle

Andrea and I went to Tomball Texas to my friend Danny’s church called The Way. I preached for him while he was out of town. It was a really good experience.

Afterwards we ate at Chipotle. It is a burrito place with most excellent food. Try it and get a burrito with carnitas (free-range pork). We need a Chipotle here in Lake Jackson. I know it will never happen but I can always dream huh?

Ankle update ... as if you care

My ankle is still fried and I haven’t run since June 9. It is still swollen and hurts a little to walk but is slowly improving. I haven’t been off of it enough to let it heal properly so I'm sure it is my fault that it seems to be taking so long to get better.

I realize that this situation is nothing compared to the real pain others experience but it has been a good teacher. The slow down has improved my relationship with Andrea. I have read more in the mornings during the time I used to run and my time alone with God has improved.

Should I stop running then? Absolutely not. But there are other areas of my life I cannot neglect when I resume running.

To rid myself of some of this pent up energy, next week I will start riding my bike for exercise and lift some weights. Hopefully I will soon get back to the primal joy I get when running.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, he speaks to us in our conscience, but he shouts at us in our pain.”

- C. S. Lewis

Time: the creation gift

I am reading Eugene Peterson’s book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. In it he talks of how God has given us the creation gift of time. I often think of time as a hindrance rather than a gift - a limiting factor. When I was a kid time stopped the fun. “Tommy come in for supper” stopped the play. Time was a limit for finishing a test. Time moved slow as I waited for the last thirty minutes of school to end.

Today time is what speeds away as I work towards a deadline. Time is something I have little of and it all seems to pass so fast. I think, someday I will step out of time and into eternity where I will no longer have to be a slave to time, as I exist in the presence of God.

Peterson says my view of time is skewed and as I think about it, I agree. Time is available to me, to exist within and enjoy creation, to enjoy God and others, to play with my kids, to swim at the beach, to work and be productive, to live life in all its fullness. Time is a gift.

Peterson goes on to say that of the “many desecrations of creation, the profanation of time ranks near the top … The most conspicuous evidences of this desecration are hurry and procrastination: Hurry turns away from the gift of time in a compulsive grabbing of abstractions that it can posses and control. Procrastination is distracted from the gift of time in a lazy inattentiveness to the life of obedience and adoration….”

Wow. I abuse the gift through hurry and procrastination. Time is a gift. How can I live in the “fullness of time”?

Tough decisions and fun at the beach

Yesterday morning Andrea and I had to make a decision that was not popular with our kids. The nature of the decision isn’t important here but the difficulty with which it was made is, I think. As we thought through this decision, we could have made our kids (and others) instantly happy by saying yes, but there was a life lesson involved and because of that we had to say no. I want my kids to love me, but more than being a popular dad I want Tori, Jakeb and Anna to grow up and live life well.

I am proud of how both Tori and Jakeb reacted. Anna did not react because the situation really didn’t involve her. As I watch my kids grow sometimes I worry, but ultimately in situations like yesterday I watch them react in mature ways and I know that they will be okay.

After lunch Jakeb and I went to the beach and rode body boards for a couple of hours. We had a great time. I forgot how much I enjoy the salt water, and sunshine. And to top it off, I was experiencing it all with my son. We rode waves and played hard. Even though we put on spf 30 sunscreen we both have the hue of Bob the tomato. Two hours in the sun yesterday provided for a painful experience today. It’s all good …

Country Music

I'm not a fan of country music. People who know me know as much. In fact as I write I'm listening to the new Cold Play (X&Y). So I thought this was an excellent post by Scott Williams and decided to rip it off to post here. Here is a link to it on Scott's blog ... link

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i love country music too

Two men, sentenced to die in the electric chair on the same day, were led down to the room in which they would meet their maker. The priest had given them last rites, the formal speech had been given by the warden, and a final prayer had been said among the participants.

The warden, turning to the first man, solemnly asked, "Son, do you have a last request?"To which the man replied, "Yes sir, I do. I love country music. Could you please play Garth Brooks for me one last time?"

"Certainly," replied the warden.

He turned to the other man and asked, "Well, what about you, son? What is your final request?""Please," said the condemned man, "kill me first."

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I know this is a dangerous post, being from Texas with Texas readers. I just ask that you be nice to one another in the comments. It's just a joke ...

My ankle is toast

This morning I ran with Jakeb. It’s the first time we’ve run together in weeks. So we decided to go for two easy miles and then I was going to run two on my own.

Less than a quarter of a mile from the house we were into a light jog and talking about how fast to run. As I stepped up onto a curb my foot hit some loose rocks and I went down in a heap. My ankle twisted and all of a sudden I was staring up at the sky. I popped up, not wanting passersby to see me lying on the ground because I was more worried about my pride than my ankle. As soon as I stood up I went back to the ground. I think it weirded Jakeb out because he has never seen me in as much pain as I was this morning. I hobbled back home and took an ibuprofen and put ice on my ankle.

Now I have a right ankle as big as a baseball. This is becoming a common occurrence. About twice a year I do something to twist my ankle while running. It’s getting old. I am not a very good at being at rest. I do not like being motionless. I WANT TO MOVE!

"Be still, and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10

I guess I don’t have much of a choice now do I? I sound bitter and maybe I am … a little. But I want to run.

Ordination Council

The ordination council went really well today. I went into it a little nervous but more than feeling examined, I felt really encouraged. I am thankful for people who are farther along in their journey who are willing to invest themselves in me and Andrea. I am a fortunate guy.

The basics and more

At the end of July Brazos Pointe Fellowship is going to ordain me as a preacher/pastor. Ordination is the church’s confirmation that I am called by God to do what I do. In some faith traditions one must be ordained before performing some of the duties of the church such as baptism and communion or the Lord’s Supper. For me it is a “setting apart” to ministry.

Today I am going before an ordination council that will question me on the essentials of the Christian faith and make sure I believe what I should believe and do not have any errant theology. So, this morning I sat down and reviewed some of the basics of the faith. What I believe about God. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What I believe about the Bible, about salvation, and about the church.

All of these concepts can be boiled down to basic elements that characterize my faith. But trying to make a short summary of what are such rich multifaceted ideas seems negligent. There is so much more to be said and so much more to be explored. Statements of faith don’t answer all of the questions, as some would believe. Statements of faith that answer questions just lead to a whole new set of questions. Questions about how go to a deeper into what I desire to live and know and believe about God.

Sometimes people ask questions just for knowledge sake. I am guilty of that myself. But I want to get to the point where I ask questions so that I can live. Live what I believe. To be an ordinary guy in an ordinary world living an extraordinary way of life – the Way of Jesus.

Kids and camps

Basketball has never been my game. In fact I stink at it. My son Jakeb though is pretty good. He already routinely beats me at "H-O-R-S-E". He has been at basketball camp this week and has had a great time. You can read more about it here --->link

My daughter Tori is musical and she has been at percussion camp this week. I am amazed that I have a daughter in High School. Watching her play yesterday made me realize how close to being grown up she really is. I am proud of the woman (man it stings to write that word) that she is becoming.

Because Tori was at band camp and Jakeb was at basketball camp, my mom took our six-year-old Anna for the week to Mimi camp. At Mimi camp Anna gets whatever she wants and does whatever she wants. She has boundaries of course but those boundaries are broader that the ones she has at home. She was going to be home on Thursday; then on Friday, but last night she informed us she was staying until Saturday and would be home in time for church Saturday night.

I've got good kids. They've got good grandparents. And I am blessed with the best wife and co-parent in the world. Life is good.

Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.

I don't want to be a haole

My time alone with God is fairly consistent. It is a habit. But consistency does not always mean it is earth shattering. In fact lately it has had a rhythm; kind of a routine – like brushing my teeth and taking a shower and getting dressed and going to work. It has been gray rather than being vibrantly colorful. My goal in meeting with God is to experience the transcendent. To exist in His presence.

I finished the book Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle. It has been a great book and I’ve taken it slow, as one would eat a rich meal, one small bite at a time to make it last and savor the flavor. In it I found an insight into my time alone with God.

L’Engle writes of speaking at University of Hawaii:

In my commonplace book I’ve copied down the words of a Hawaiian Christian, Mother Alice Koholusuna:

"Before the missionaries came, my people used to sit outside their temples for a long time meditating and preparing themselves before entering. Then they would virtually creep to the altar to offer their petition and afterwards would again sit a long time outside, this time to “breathe life” into their prayers. The Christians, when they came, just got up, uttered a few sentences, said Amen, and were done. For that reason my people called the haoles, “without breath,” or those who failed to breathe life into their prayers."

I am afraid I have been a haole. I have been “without breath”.

It's interesting to me that both breath and spirit are used interchangeably in the Bible - as "ruah" in the Old Testament and as "pneuma" in the New Testament. To be “without breath” could be that I am not connecting with the spiritual.

This morning as I ran I paid close attention to my breath, how the act of breathing was to inhale and take in God and to exhale and eliminate the poison inside of me.

I don’t want to be a haole. I don’t want to be without breath.

the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7