I Didn't Know It!

Both the boys are talking pretty good now. Joseph can say whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and often does. (Like when he saw a man with an eye-patch and asked me, out loud, "Daddy, is he a pirate?") And Jacob? At just shy of 2 years old, he knows just enough words to get himself in trouble. He can repeat anything he hears, and often does.

And that's when Daddy gets in trouble!

It's funny how much the kiddos hear when they're NOT listening, isn't it? I may call them in from playing ten times to finally get a response, but all I have to do is say one wrong word and it will come back to haunt me. Not that I cuss like a sailor, or even cuss at all anymore, but I do say things I don't want them to hear. And believe me...those phrases come out at just the precise moment that they are listening!

I have to watch my back for my own kids.

It kind of reminds me of Jacob in the Old Testament, when he said "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." Surely the kids were listening, but I did not know it. Surely someone heard me talk behind their back, but I did not know it. Surely God is in EVERY place (work, home, school, church), but I do not always know it! At least I don't always act like it...

Remember this as you go through your day: Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, however you say it, "Surely the Lord is in this place..." Do you know it?

What if we knew the time?

...Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father...

--John 13:1

What if we knew what time it was? What if we knew that we had only one more day, week, or month left on earth before we returned to the Father? What if we knew this would be the last impression we would make on this earth?

Sean knew the time. The doctors told him it would be risky, that surgery would be costly, time-consuming, and quite possibly even ineffective. The cancer had spread far beyond any hope of treatment and, if ridden, would soon appear elsewhere in Sean's ragged body. While we never know the exact date, Sean knew the time was near.

You can read ABOUT my associate and friend Sean Barnes in recent Huntsville Times articles, or you can read posts made BY him on the web (www.CarePages.com). I encourage you to google him, look him up and see what he had to say. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.

For those who may not want to look it up, let me tell you what Sean did. After hearing the bad news, after talking to his wife, mother, and friends, and after accepting the reality that his time on earth was almost done, Sean did what any sensible man would do...Sean went to Disney World!

Sean was a good man, a loving husband, a joker, and a friend. Sean will be remembered not by the cancer that ravaged his body, but by the laughter that came from his heart. Sean will be known not by his early passing, but by his not letting life pass him by. Sean will be known not for a depressing 4-year battle with cancer, but for a wonderful 30-plus years of excitement.

Sean knew the time and did what was best - he counted his blessings and made the most of them.

Goodbye, Sean. See you on the other side...

--PA

Storm Chasers

Heather and I were doing our evening ritual of "flipping," killing time until our eyes get heavy, when we stumbled across one of those "storm chaser" shows. You know the type: A crazy man in an old two-tone Ford Econoline van carries a very shaky Blair witch camera to film tornadoes, hurricanes, or other wild storms across the flat lands of Kansas. Auntie 'Em may not fly by in these shows, but we do see some strange Unidentified Flying Objects, for sure! (Remember the cow scenes in 'Twister?')

I wonder, what makes a person crazy enough to actually pursue a storm? When the rest of us are running from the winds, what makes someone chase after them? And what do they think they will do if they actually catch the storm? What possesses a person to put himself in danger just to lay eyes on a killer?

Then again, don't we sometimes catch ourselves doing the same thing: Chasing storms? Whether it's an irritated customer, disgruntled coworker, or upset spouse, why can't we let enough alone? We know there's a storm brewing, we've seen similar storms and the resulting melee, and we know we should simply run, but we still chase it. What's up with that anyway?

Take some advice from a dummy: Bite the bullet. Cut your losses. Choose your battles and let her (or him) every now and then. The storm will fade when it has enough open space to wear itself down. Make it a point NOT to chase the storm this week - your spouse will appreciate it!

--PA

Dad, the Christian Servant

"So He got up...girded a towel about his waist..

and began to wash His disciples' feet."

- John 13:4-5, paraphrased

I don't know exactly what I expected, but it surely wasn't this. Maybe I expected to be placed on a pedestal, although neither he nor He ever was. Maybe I expected life ever-after to be smooth-sailing, although neither was his nor His. Or maybe, with a hint of spite, I expected to immediately gain an earthly inheritance to rule over my enemies, although neither he nor He ever did.

Either way, it wasn't what I expected. But I am thankful for it even more so, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You see, my father taught this son the example of THE Son of THE Father. My father taught me to serve, just like God taught Christ to serve.

To recap, it went something like this: My heart pounded, my mind raced, and my feet began to move down the aisle. I was met up front by Tommy Dozier, the song leader whom I had idolized. Tommy spoke to me briefly and, after determining that it was time for my baptism, asked who I would like to dunk me. The choices were the visiting revivalist, the pulpit minister, or one of the deacons. Dad was a deacon, and I chose Dad to perform the honors. (I'm sure he was both honored and humbled, as I will be when my own children accept Christ.)

Dad and I made our way to the baptistry, where we changed clothes and walked into the water together. He asked a question, I made the confession, then he dunked me. After an "I'm proud of you moment," we dried off, returned to our blue jeans, and proceeded to set tables for a church-wide fellowship. (Not for me, I might add, although my sinister little mind might have expected it...)

It was then, leaving my own baptism "ceremony" to carry tables for the church, that God taught me what being a Christian really is. Being a Christian is being a servant, just as Christ was. Setting up tables and serving communion, taking out garbage and filtering out trash, hearing confessions and biting tongues, washing dirty feet and changing empty lives. Serving.

To be a Christian is to be like Christ, to be like Christ is to be a servant, and to be a servant is to be like Dad. Thanks Dad, for being a servant. Thanks Dad, for teaching me to serve. And thanks God, for giving me such a Dad!

Oh God, that I will never cease to serve you!

--PA

God is great, God is good...

"God is Great, God is Good

Let us thank Him for our food..."

"God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our closet, dresser, clothes, windows, beds, Jacob's, Mommies, Lovie's, ..."

Before you make fun, let me explain...this was my son's prayer tonight. Some may say he's just stalling (which he probably was), and some may say he's just being cute (which he always is), but I say he's just being thankful for the little things.

Closets, dressers, clothes...just a few of the little things us grown-up's take for granted. Windows and beds, when some have slept on bare floors with no outside views at all. Brothers and mothers, when some have never known the like. And Lovie's...teddy bears...when some children have no toys at all. Little things...

Oh to be a child again! What it must be like to appreciate and thank God for the "little things." Too bad we grown-ups are too busy to be thankful for the little things. We're too busy begging God for extra time, more patience, and higher salaries to thank Him for the little things. We're too hungry for a feast to enjoy the crumbs. And sometimes we're too busy feeling neglected to notice God's gentle kiss. Oh, if we could only see the little things!

Flowers and rainbows, sweet tea and lemonade, hugs and pats, closets and dressers...all "little things" that go unnoticed. Do yourself a favor today and thank God for the "little things!"

--PA