Connect @ Grace

I’m a sports junkie.  If it weren’t for sports I’d probably have been just fine never having satelite tv.  Yesterday was the NBA draft, where teams pick up college players and international players who decide that professional basketball is their next step.  The NBA has a policy that you cannot go straight to the NBA out of high school, that they put in place a few years ago.  So now, a lot of players are heading off to college for 1 year and then making the step to the NBA.  One player in the draft this year was a guy, who, didn’t want to go to college for a year, so he decided to go and play professionally in Italy for a year instead.  Yesterday, this guy, who never set foot in a college classroom was drafted, along with many other one year of college and done players, ahead of anyone who spent 4 years and got their degree (ex. Tyler Hansboro – North Carolina).

Today, on the sports radio station I frequent one of the hosts talked about how that was success in his eyes.  Nothing to do with this idea that the players who were drafted later got degrees.  And it made me think…we have a messed up view of success.  And this doesn’t just show up in the NBA.  It shows up everywhere.

One of the places that I’m hugely passionate about here is, how do we define success for our families?  Is success allowing our kids to experience things that we never got to experience as a child?  Is success just getting them off to college (and the best one at that) so that they can get a great education and a really well-paying job?  Is success that they fit-in at school?  What is success for our families?

I’m reading a book by called Think Orange.  It’s about how do we combine the influence that the church has, and the family has to raise up Spiritual Champions.  In it, the author, Reggie Joiner, a parent and ministry leader, talks about what he defines as success and his priorities for his home.

I have read hundreds of books, attended dozens of conferences, and had thousands of hours of conversations with parents smarter than I am, yet I am still amazed at how quickly I can lose perspective.  I recentlly sat down to summarize for myself what I want to remember, just so I could stay focused.  I’m not suggesting this is a comprehensive list; it is just my list:

• What matters more than anything is that my kids have an authentic relationship with God.
• All my children need to know I will never stop pursuing them or fighting for a right relationship with them.
• My personal relationship with God and my wife affects them more than I realize.
• A mother and father are not the only adult influences my children need.

(Think Orange, Reggie Joiner, ppg. 43-44)

As I think about how I raise Caleb and the one about to be born, I really want to keep these things in perspective.  If I do I know my kids will be successful.

-Pastor Jonathon Mitchell

I have a new pet peeve. My old one (which I still hold too) is someone reaching over to honk the horn while I’m driving. My new one is cell phones. The ringing part of it in the middle of a meeting, event, church service or just having a personal conversation is bad enough. But the panic stricken response of getting to it before the caller goes to voice mail is about more than I can take. The rushing out of the room, putting ME on hold when I’m standing right in front of them or worse, answering right in the middle of what’s going on totally oblivious to their immediate environment is, in my opinion, the height of disrespect and lack of common courtesy. A study by Hewlett-Packard found that 62% of the adult population is addicted to cell-phone technology (can’t imagine what the teenage numbers would be). I believe it. It’s been my experience that nothing pre-empts the cell phone. The entire world comes to a screeching halt when Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile makes its presence known. Ok, enough about me. I was just thinking: If God were on the other end would we be so quick to pick up? If you were in the middle of your own life’s agenda and the ring tone indicated God on the line would you rush out of the room, put everyone else on hold and answer regardless of your present activities or surroundings? We live in a wonderful world of technology where texts, tweets, IM and Facebook make it virtually impossible to be disconnected from those we love. But when it comes to ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,’ (1 Samuel 3:9), how convenient does voice mail suddenly become? Just wondering.

I’ve seen a lot of blood lately.

With two young boys in our home now and the warmer weather allowing for the kind of fast and furious outdoor adventures that seems to plow through the veins of boys – I’ve been seeing some blood.  Trees and sticks turn into towers to climb and weapons to weld, pretty soon you have blood.  A swing is not a relaxing seat from which to gently sway, but a rocket launcher pad from which to propel your body through the air.  Upon landing – you have blood.  Even the grass is not a carpet for an afternoon stroll but a wrestling mat for two boys to tackle their dad.  After one elbow to the nose, you have blood. 

Luckily I’m not the type to get faint or sick at the sight of blood.  I pretty much have taken it in stride.  But it is interesting how whether or not there is blood is the primary way of figuring out whether the injury is serious or not.  A.J. will crash on the drive way, land on his knees, and immediately pop up to access that damage.  If there is no blood – he’s good.   Even if his knees turn red and swell up a bit he figures no blood – no damage – no big deal.  But if he bleeds, man is that if totally different story!

At the mere sight of blood on his knees, he loses the ability to walk.  Apparently if you walk all your skin will fall off your leg and all of your blood will surely pour out of your body.  Blood means you must cry and it must be hard and loud.  Apparently that will stop the bleeding.  And of course ANY amount of blood needs a bandage.  There is absolutely no negotiation on this point.  Blood?  Yes.  Bandage?  Yes.

Blood simply means it is serious. 

I was hanging out with Jesus early this morning and prayed something about the blood of Christ.  I don’t quite remember exactly what, but the blood part caught my attention.   I started thinking about the blood of Christ but not in some grand, theologically, fancy Scripture word type of thinking, but in little boy type thinking.

Jesus bled.  It is serious.  Sin, my sin is serious and caused the Son of God to bleed.  He bled from the crown of thorns on His head, from His back (and probably all over) from the beatings by the Roman soldiers, from the spikes in His feet and wrists.  But He didn’t cry.  He embraced it for the ones He came to save.  He didn’t get a bandage; he got burial garments.  And He rendered those garments empty when He left the tomb alive and victorious!   

May we never be casual with the blood of Christ.  Jesus bled.  It is serious.

Holly

Prayer list or prayer lottery?
I’m a student of prayer and I have the books to prove it. Lest you think I’m boasting, the reason I have so many books is because I want to be a great pray-er, but I’m not. I think I keep looking for that magic insight into prayer that will turn me into this amazing pray-er. I haven’t given up, but sometimes I despair that I will ever really get it. I know I need to pray in faith, believing. So many times when I pray I feel like I’m just tossing it up to God hoping that I’ll win the prayer lottery. Doesn’t that sound awful? Part of my problem is the fact that most of the time there is this gap between when I pray for something and when it is answered. Sometimes by the time it’s answered, I’ve forgotten that I’ve prayed about it.
I was reminded of this the other day when I was enjoying a fun shopping trip with my daughter-in-law. She is an amazing woman who has a passion for God, loves my son and our family. I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter-in-law. Then I remembered how long I prayed for her, even before I knew her. I was praying for my son and his future wife for years (he got married at the age of 31). There were times when I thought things looked pretty bleak, like my prayers were hitting the ceiling and bouncing back. But God…came shinning through and gave an amazing gift.
So what have I learned? One thing I know is that I need to keep a list of prayers and answers. When I need faith to believe, I need to be able to get out that list and be reminded of all that God has done in response to prayer in my life. Another thing I need to do is to get more specific in my prayers. I need to stop praying in vague generalities; I need to ask specifically and look specifically for the answer (like I’m really expecting God to respond). I also need to continue to grow in my understanding of God and His will through the study of His Word. I need to meditate on His character, so I will take Him at His word. So when you see me, ask me how my list is coming. We’ll see if anyone reads this blog. 
Jan