Peeing in the tub

So I'm talking with my son Aden last night while he's taking a bath, and we're talking about love. We ask him all the time, "How come I love you so much?" Usually he responds, "Because you love me so much," but recently he's added such answers as, "Because I love you." But last night in our conversation he says, "You love me when I pee in the tub." Let me clarify a couple of things. First, he wasn't saying that I love it when he pees in the tub-- we've made it quite clear that it's quite a disgusting practice one should avoid, one I'm sure many adults even still haven't grasped. He knows it's not something we approve of. Now, if I asked him what love was, he would probably say, "I don't know"-- but he knows that it is positive, that it's warm and rewarding and has something to do with acceptance and approval. But his statement "You love me when I pee in the tub" shows that he has grasped in some sense the unconditional aspect of the love from a parent to a child. And he is definitely not regularly in the habit of relieving himself in the tepid waters of the clawfoot; in fact, last night in the middle of his bath he insisted he be taken out, suds and all, so that he could use the toilet, which in his technical terms is known as "the potty." So in his head he knows he should use the toilet rather than the bathtub as it is one of the rules of what is right in this house (and yours too, I hope). But he has also grasped the fact that sometimes, if he has an accident, that his daddy still loves him.
Now we can never fully understand the love of God-- it is deeper and wider that our minds can comprehend, further than the east is from the west-- but could we put into words what the love of God really entails? And we cannot fully grasp the full import of Christ's death on the cross, that because we have gone against the rules of what is right, God, in His desire to save us, His desire to connect with us, to have relationship with us-- to LOVE us-- He paid the price for that sin which would otherwise separate us from that Love. Maybe, in one aspect, that's what it is to come to God with faith like a child-- to perhaps not really grasp it, but to know that our Father loves us when we pee in the tub.

Have you hugged your God today?

I remember when I was a teenager (oh, 5-6 years ago...) there was a bumper sticker that was very popular that read "Have you hugged your kid today?" and for whatever reason, it came to mind today, and I couldn't help but think that such a reminder is at one time funny and at the same time quite sad. I mean, as a parent, if anything my kids might say to me, "Dude! Get off me!" as I'm always hugging, kissing, tickling, and loving on them. For me and Jolie, the bumper sticker "Have you hugged your kid today?" is as absurd a question as "Have you breathed today?" or "Have you blinked your eyes today?" We know that a relationship, whether husband to wife, parent to child, thrives best with regular, caring interaction and investment. We seldom let a day go by without letting those close to us know we care for them-- it wouldn't seem normal or right. Think about it-- if you had a serious boyfriend or girlfriend, and for an entire day you didn't hear from them with no warning or reason-- what would go through your mind? You would think something was wrong, that he or she was upset, disgruntled, or even wayward. We need and desire the affirmation that daily contact provides. "Have you hugged your kid today?" DUH!

So why is it that we have no qualms so often about not meeting God every day. Doesn't that seem to be the relationship that we can push aside, allow to be crowded out by busyness, schedules, trivial pursuits-- just about anything, in fact, can supersede meeting with the Creator of the universe, the author of our salvation. Yet God says again and again, "If you seek Me, you will find Me," and "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." How do we forego, ignore, put off the love of God for the most insignificant refuse the world has to offer? Are we mad?

Have you hugged your God today?

Who do you know?

Think for a moment about this scripture:

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what He has done?"

If you take a look at our culture, it's unbelievable how many ways we are taught to think about people, situations, success-- you name it-- that run totally against God's heart for our lives. Take how we interact with our friends, family, even those that don't know God, but our in our lives. Too often, we feel that it's not our place to step into their lives, to speak Truth to them, to try to make a difference in their lives when we seem to care more about where their lives are headed than they do. We don't want to offend them. We don't want to lose their friendship. Maybe we just think it's none of our business. But look at the words in these scriptures: "Rescue." "Hold back." These words are words that describe action. These aren't words that say, "Sit back and watch and if they come to their senses, then help them pick up the pieces." I've seen some incredible rescues on TV-- people braving great personal risk to pluck someone out of a stormy ocean or burning building. And we're worried about damaging a friendship? Or someone thinking we're a "Jesus Freak"? Have you ever tried to hold someone back from something? How about just wrestling someone for fun? It takes effort! Recently I was speaking for a high school group, and I invited three of the guys to try and take me to the ground. I put up a good effort, and it was a struggle for them to pull me down (I picked smaller guys-- I'm not crazy!)-- but they eventually did it. And I paid for it the next day! We should know from this scripture that God desires for us to take pains to become involved in the lives of Christians we know that are falling away from God and falling into sin. This isn't about being judgemental. This isn't about poking our nose into someone else's business. It's about really loving someone and really caring about someone enough to realize what this scripture says: They are being led away to death; they are staggering towards slaughter. It's about realizing that God knows what we pay attention to as well as what we ignore. Let's be encouraged to not ignore God's desires.

WHACK!

My son Carter is really taking to his routine of a nap in the afternoon and sleeping through the night-- of course, kids need such a schedule to be well-rested, to develop mentally and physically, and.... give parents some sanity! In most cases he lays down, hugs his blanket, enjoys his binky, and falls asleep. In most cases. Then of course, there are those times that he's wound up, or his timing is off, or maybe he just doesn't want to go to sleep yet-- who knows the reason! He'll be in there talking to himself, pulling some books off the shelf, and eventually go into whining and whimpering. We go in at intervals and lay him down, talk soothingly, stroke his head, and cover him back up. Sometimes this works. But other times it just gets him more worked up and he starts wailing! As you can imagine, this is disruptive to the entire family, especially if our other son is sleeping. It's times like these that the only thing that works is if I go in to his room sternly, grab his thigh, and give it a little whack. Now I'm talking the kind of whack that makes noise more than it hurts-- it's just one, doesn't cause any harm, and it's to get his attention. I'm telling you, this kid has fallen down the steps of our patio without crying-- this definitely doesn't hurt! I cover him up, tell him "no, no- time to sleep" and walk out the door. Every time-- I'm telling you, every time-- he settles down within a minute and goes to sleep. The wanna-be whack is all it takes. Let's be real-- he's in bed; he knows he is supposed to lay there and go to sleep-- kids his age have these things figured out. But for whatever reason his agenda is different.
Hebrews 12:5-11 says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate sons... but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Too often, people have a two-dimensional view of God as a distant blessing factory who is to give us those things we deem as desireable or what we deserve. And our first response is to doubt that God is with us or that God cares for us, and we even get mad at God because we're not having the blessed life we think we should have. How many people do you know that have been upset with God yet are living a lifestyle that does not honor Him? Now, I'm not saying that every negative thing that happens in life is because God is disciplining us. People get sick. People inflict evil on others-- but what I am saying is that the Bible is clear that like a father who loves his child enough to set limits and enforce them, God all the more stands by the parameters He set. See, the world's damaging definition of love is one of permissiveness and indulgence. And we shudder when we see the results of this kind of parenting in the grocery store and malls! Real love is willing to allow temporary discomfort to develop character and righteousness. So sometimes the hardships and pain in our lives has nothing to do with our spiritual condition-- but sometimes it does. The question is, are you humble, honest, and open enough to examine yourself first before you put God on trial? Because sometimes, although we know God's standard, we know what He expects, and we even know that what He requires of us is out of love and for our own good, we don't do as we should. So should we be surprised when sometimes we get a WHACK to get our attention? Or should we be grateful? God is more concerned with our holiness than our happiness-- because He loves us enough to hold us accountable. Any "happiness" that comes from sin is temporary and will come with consequence-- God wants us to avoid that and choose Him. He knows the joy that comes from holiness is eternal. What parent would want less for a son or daughter?

Mac Attack

For those of us devoted to Macs, we endure a lot of grief. To the hard-line PC crowd, they just don't understand why anyone would be foolish enough to buy an Apple! Aren't they in all ways inferior to a PC? According to some PC enthusiasts, when compared to the Mac, a PC processes more quickly, is easier to work with, produces better materials, is compatible with everything (except Macs!), and even SMELLS better. We can share with people, implore people-- try any variety of means to get them to understand our devotion to our Macs-- but often we get a shake of the head in disgust. But that shouldn't dampen a Mac-lover's enthusiasm. Why?

Because most of us who own a Macintosh, however, we know what we have. We just know. We know why we love our Apples. We know why the money is worth it. Our Macs are like friends. They are straightforward, familiar, reliable, personable, and can do just about anything we need to do. They are rarely susceptible to viruses. They have appealing design. Owning a Mac makes you feel, for lack of a better word... gemütlich! You may have to look that one up on dictionary.com-- but the word works! And if those that don't own a Mac, in some ways they just don't get it. Once in a while, the Mac user gets to see a PC-er convert-- for whatever reason, they broke down and bought an iMac, or a Mac-Mini-- or perhaps an iPod infiltrated their defenses and the rest just followed. But for those who I have seen come over to what many would call the "dark side"-- and we share a knowing nod and smile with them... because now they know, too.

Now, I don't want to stretch the metaphor too far, but a lot of the world can look at Christians and wonder why we have decided to follow Christ. Why give your life to this Jesus and step away from so many things the world values, condones, and even celebrates? Don't you give up a lot of your freedom to do what you want because of God's rules? For a lot of people, dealing with God means they may have to face stepping away from much of what has come to define them-- partying, promiscuity, pride, you name it-- and stepping away from the familiar and the habitual and the self-indulgent is too high of a price to give one's life and love to Christ.

But those of us who love Jesus, we know. We just know. We know why we choose Christ. We know the price He paid to save us, to renew us, to know us. We know that what He did for us and is doing in our lives and hearts causes the pull of the world to fade, to become less appealing, to be of less importance because following God is worth any cost. We can share with people, we can implore people-- try any variety of means to get people to understand God's amazing love-- that yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us-- but many people just don't want to see it. Or they refuse to. But that doesn't mean rejection, ridicule, or rebuke should dampen our enthusiasm-- for we know what is at stake. Christians too, get to see converts from the world become become brothers and sisters in Christ. And we can give them a smile, a knowing nod, an embrace-- because now they know, too.

Loitering

When we first moved into our house, at the bottom of the hill of the neighborhood was a Home Depot. Let me tell you, when you become a new homeowner, having a Home Depot about 1/4 of a mile from your house is quite exciting. Shortly after moving in, we noticed that one of the side effects of having a store where a lot of construction workers came in an out was that behind the building off a side street, transient workers would gather in the morning, hoping for a days work. Some would wait there until the afternoon, only to return the next morning, hoping for work. Maybe some were illegals, probably many weren't, but it's highly doubtful any of these men were hired through proper channels; instead, they were more than likely paid under the table, less than minimum wage, for a day's work.

It was a sad day when they closed the Home Depot. I think I mourned for a month, wearing all black and lighting candles for its demise as I know had to trek to Lemon Grove to go to the next nearest store. That was six to seven YEARS ago. Years. Since that time, the building was razed, the land sat unused for a while, a huge community center was built on the other side of the side street, and now an entire other center has been built where Home Depot used to be, including the only store better than having a Home Depot so close: Starbucks.

I was down there this morning, and guess what I saw? In the same area where workers used to gather, they still gather, hoping for work. It is the strangest thing. Home Depot is LONG GONE. People new to the neighborhood, seeing these workers gather, must ask "Why did they choose this corner to wait for work?" My thought is, how long does Home Depot have to be gone before this train pulls out of the station?!?!

Those that have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their life have this promise from 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" What does this mean? It means that the old, destructive habits should be abandoned. The old structures in our lives that worked against the love of God should be razed. Old wounds and scars are to be opened to the healing of the Great Physician. In other words, when the we've truly submitted and given our lives to Christ, we are not to loiter in what once was but move into what now is: a life designed to honor God, walk in the spirit, and grow the kingdom of God. We are no longer tied to what is temporary, unrewarding, and unsure as those workers are day-to-day-- when you've asked Christ to forgive your sins and allowed God into your life, you've stepped into the eternal, rewarding, and dependable position of being a child of God.

If you are mired in something from your past or what the world has to offer, STOP LOITERING! You are missing out on what God has for you!

Ants! Ants! Ants!

ANTS! ANTS! ANTS!
Current mood: amused
Category: Religion and Philosophy

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

When you become a homeowner-- at least one that desires to have a front yard that is not an embarassment to the neighborhood, one of the tedious chores bequethed at the close of escrow is the watering of one's grass and plants. It's really a simple equation: water + plants= a living plant! Normally, I enjoy the task-- I just get to stand there, moving on occasion, and let my mind space out. However, like every job, there is always one or two vexations that diminish one's pleasure. The problem with watering is that invariably at some point I will have ants coursing up my leg-- a very unpleasant sensation at best! So I find myself hosing them off here and there, thinking that's the end of it.

But it never is.

For hours after watering, all of a sudden I will have that creepy feeling on my neck-- you know, the one where you know some freaky bug is crawling on you-- and I will have to slap my neck to end some insect's reign of terror on my nerves... and it's AN ANT!!! I'm thinking, "It's been TWO HOURS! Where has this ant been and what has he been up to?" Regardless of the answer to these plaguing questions, my intial reaction is DEATH TO THE ANT! There is no consideration to its life, no entertaining saving it, no mercy whatsoever. The stray ant is in violation my space and must pay with its life.

This reminds me of 2 Corinthians 10:5 and how it relates to our thoughtlife. As Christians, whenever we find ourselves in sin, seldom have we arrived at that point without first entertaining thoughts of sinning and coming to a decision to disobey God. This scripture uses phrasing that indicates serious action: take every thought captive. In no way is taking anyone or anything captive a docile, mild, or innocuous move: It indicates seizure, force, and sometimes even violence. See, part of surrending your life to Christ and making Him your Lord, is submitting even our very thoughts in obedience. That doesn't mean that Christians give up their right to think; on the contrary, following Christ calls us to think even more! We are to examine and consider our thoughts in the light of a holy, righteous, and pure God. And when we have thoughts that are not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy-- we are to seize them, control them, subdue them, and give them over to Jesus. Evil thoughts should be like those ants. We know they are out there, and we don't know when they are going to show up and start crawling around, but when they do, our actions are to be determined, resolute, and final-- and we must squash those thoughts which dishonor God like a bug!

But how often are we like my two-year-old son when it comes to the ants? When he has been outside with me, he has come across swarming ants that are frantically reacting to my watering and simply stood there watching them. I will find him covered with ants, crawling even in his hair, with the only remedy being a serious blasting with the hose as well as a stern warning to keep away. However, even then he will return to them, pointing and saying, "BUG!" as though there is no danger at all. Are we that way when it comes to how our thoughts can dishonor God? Do we entertain them? Consider them? Allow them to run rampant in our brains, planting the seeds for sin that will threaten our closeness to God and possibly effect our witness for Christ?

My encouragement to you today is to seize those thoughts that you know don't honor God-- like squishing the ants that randomly show up-- so that as Christians we think more and more like Jesus.

Off the deep end

On Thursday nights I try to occasionally stop in and visit our church's high school ministry. Sure, I suppose you could maintain it's part of my job description to check in now and then-- but for me I love to check in with students and I have some great friends there having served in the ministry myself for five years.

One of the neat developments for me is that my eldest son Aden, now five-years-old, has reached an age that he can be a buddie and go on these visitations and errands with me. So recently the two of us found ourselves at a typical night of J-Walk (by typical I mean a fun game, awesome worship, compelling message, tasty grub, and good friends, of course). Aden was captivated by the game, probably wondering why the "big kids" were running like lunatics, screaming and cheering, and desiring to play himself. Being one of those responsible-type parents, I steered him away from the potential of being trampled by scrambling teenagers twice his height and four-to-five times his weight. Call me paranoid, I know, but giants and munchkins don't usually mix.

As the night moved into worship, I assumed this would be a rather innocuous part of the evening for the sensibilities of a five-year-old, not to mention that I love and totally get blessed by J-Walk's worship. The second song is called "You are My Joy" by the David Crowder Band (here's a sample if you haven't heard it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7rqqmgf5L8), which is an incredible song. Now, the song is about being passionately in love with God and the joy of living a life in submission to God's will. However, the lyrics are a little dramatic when one ponders what they are saying spiritually and metaphorically:

"And You set me on fire,
I am burning alive,
with His breath in my lungs,
I am coming undone."

Unfortunately, the five-year-old mind is 100% literal. So, when this song is being sung, Aden turns to me, very distressed and troubled, asking "Why is he setting him on fire???"

Theologically speaking, Aden stepped off into the deep end. So, I tried my best to explain what the song was talking about, that it wasn't really "fire" that would burn you. I suppose my explaination was sufficient or else I would have been bombarded continually for the rest of the evening about why people would set someone on fire at church; thankfully, he didn't bring it up again. Score one for Dad, I guess.

But that had me thinking about how often we seem to think we have God all figured out, that we've put Him in a box and put that box on a shelf. And the God-part of our life is just where we want it: comfortable for us. Unfortunately, that sets Christians up for two distinct dangers: compromise and stagnation.

See, when God becomes just "something we do"-- where we show up semi-regularly to youth group or church, talk to some christian "friends," and that's about it-- we have really displaced Him from the throne of our hearts. Therefore, compromise becomes easy. We start thinking things like "It's not really THAT bad-- a lot of people do a lot worse" or "I just want to have some 'fun'-- what's so wrong about that?" And "all of a sudden" we find ourselves being the christian we never wanted to be: someone who plays the game but doesn't really follow Christ at all. Sure, we can show up and sing the songs-- but it's just a place to go and a song to sing.

Perhaps just as bad is the Christian who thinks he or she has God figured out enough that it's now all about cruise control. You go through the Christian motions with none of the passion. Instead of being "set of fire" and "burning alive"-- you're more like cold embers. Unfortunately, those of us in this state are simply the right temptation away from compromising as well.

But what about those who think that they have it all figured out that there is no God-- that everything we learn in school and see on secular TV fed to us by those that have no interest in presenting a perspective with God in it at all is the truth? Yes, a Christian who thinks he has all the right answers and knows God in every way comes across as arrogant-- but what about someone who believes they know enough about how the universe works, how everything came into existance, and why people act like they do that God can be ruled out of the equation completely? What word would one use to describe this perspective?

So my prayer and encouragement for each of us is that we head over to the deep end, that God isn't in a box or on a shelf, at our will and leisure-- but that we are at His. That our desire is to be set on fire, that we are burning alive with the breath of God in our lungs. God tells us that those who seek Him will find Him. How long do we want to splash around in the shallows? Race you to the deep end.

Who are they kidding?

So I'm in the grocery store, and I see the following products on the shelves.




Now, maybe I'm naive or maybe I'm snotty, but who is buying these products? I can understand Claim Jumper selling their bbq sauce in the store and even El Torito selling their salad dressing as these are amazing products, but what on earth is the rationalization for these two businesses to can/bag their product for retail sale? I have never heard the words "Have you tasted the amazing salsa at Taco Bell? I wish I could have that taste at home!" Besides, on every visit I have about 73 packets of sauce left over if I ever have the insatiable craving for sub-par salsa (see previous blog for top 5 salsas). Now, I have heard rumor that in the Midwest and East Coast Dunkin Donuts coffee is as popular as Starbucks. Hmmm. Not being a coffee drinker myself, I really can't compare quality, but I'm pretty sure that on the West Coast we don't have the same penchant for Dunkin D's brew as we do for the Starbucks Dynasty.

i could weep.

This is truly sad. I went in today to get a $5 pizza, and in the brief time I was waiting to be handed over my pie, I noticed the out of order sign on the pinball machine in the corner. Incredulous, I just had to take a picture as I thought of how many times the word "Caesar" was plastered throughout the lobby. Twice on the machine right next to the sign. On every hat, shirt, and gazillion pizza boxes, crazy bread boxes, and "Caesar wings" bag in the joint. That's not to mention the logos on every sauce proffered. Even the paycheck, which covered the time it took to make the sign, was undoubtedly emblazoned with the words "Little Caesar." Ah well.

let me give you an earful...

Have you noticed some people that wear Bluetooth earpieces like they were jewelry? Regardless of what they are doing-- having dinner, walking through the mall-- there it is, in their ear. The question that occurs to me is, "Do you really get that many calls that you have to be plugged in at all times of the day?" Ironically, the few that I know that I have seen do this are those I think probably get the fewest number of calls-- maybe one a day, yet you would think that a majority of their time must be spent fielding important calls and relaying orders to underlings.

So what jobs or situations would REALLY warrant wearing these all the time, wherever you happen to find yourself? Hmmm. Let me think. Nope, I can't think of any. Now, I could see it if you were driving-- leaving it in would allow you to always be hands free. If you are working in your office answering calls, sure! But strolling in the food court to get Panda for lunch... PLEASE!

top five salsas in san diego

Believe me-- I've put a lot of thought into this because I'm fairly discriminating when it comes to good salsa. If it's too hot, it ruins any other food you eat. If it's too bland, what's the point? Upon pondering and tasting, tasting and pondering, here are the top five salsas, hands down:

#5: Islands Restaurant-- Great salsa, but the food is a rip-off!

#4: La Salsa-- I know, sounds cheesy, but for fast food it's pretty tasty.

#3: Aguilar's-- It's a local hole-in-the-wall Mexican food place-- but man they make a mean salsa.

#2: Wahoo's Fish Tacos-- Much easier to enjoy and frequent now that it's in Mission Valley.

#1: La Salsa Chilena-- I thought I could only get this at a Farmer's Market, but now I see it at Ralphs and Albertsons. Once you try it, nothing else compares. www.lasalsachilena.com