Sunday Celebration

Yesterday, June 29, we decided to visit our old church and watch as they performed their annual Summer Freedom Celebration. The First Baptist Church of Springdale AR has hosted a number of absolutely incredible services and events in the past, ranging from past patriotic celebrations honoring war veterans and our nation's independence to the life of Jesus, complete with live animals and large background sets to it's (arguably) most famous productions of the Living Christmas Tree.

In years past, when we attended that church, I was involved in some of these productions, doing anything from singing in the choir to narrating a script to even portraying the disciple Peter. However, yesterday, my family and I were just visitors and we were really looking forward to seeing this service.

I think that whenever you leave a place where you'd really served for a few years and then you go back for a visit, there's always a sense of apprehension. Are people going to be friendly or cold to us? Will we feel welcome or shunned? Will we even enjoy the service and most importantly, is this the right thing to do?

Well, our questions were quickly answered as we walked in and found our seats. The music and presentation were just fantastic! The old saying goes "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" was never more apparent for me like it was yesterday morning. The choir and band were full of life, energy and purpose. The portrayals of the soldiers from our country's history were solemn and respectful.

The interview of an actual Marine who'd just returned from duty was so moving and uplifting, it brought the entire room to it's feet in thunderous applause.

I think I lost count of how many times we gave standing ovations yesterday. Regardless of the times though, they were all well-deserved. Not so much for the choir & orchestra but for the men & women who were honored for their time of service in the armed forces.

Past & present members of all branches of the military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and the Marines) were all recognized in song and in video tribute, enough so that it brought many a tear to the eyes of audience members.

Through it all, I could really feel the presence of God there as well as a real spirit of respect & honor for those who'd paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

I really got a lot out of that performance and even more out of Pastor Floyd's brief yet poignant message about the state of America.

Like it or not, we are a nation who's moral fabric and the very ideals we were founded on are being eroded away by a carniverous cancer. A disease that seeks to tear down any and all value on the sanctity of human life and common decency. How utterly tragic it is to see the values and principles that our founding fathers established become mocked, torn down, bastardized and ingrained with a level of depravity few could truly imagine.

Our great country is indeed at a crossroads and unfortunately with the upcoming elections very soon upon us, I truly believe many of the freedoms and blessings we've lived under for generations are going to be stricken from us, plunging us further into a wasteland of immorality.
The sad thing is...I believe we've done it to ourselves while turning our backs on the very One who bestowed His blessing on us in the first place.

Pastor Floyd mentioned how we, as believers, need to engage in a radical commitment to prayer in hopes that God Almighty would somehow intervene as only He can. We need to start this commitment this very day and put our hopes & trust on Him, believing that Jesus can still offer this sinful, sick and divided nation an eternal cure of salvation.

It's got to be more than just lip service too.

We've got to start living that life and acting on that belief. It's time to start showing how deep our faith is in Him, trusting the Lord at all times and seeking His will for our lives.

The time for "it's all about ME" needs to end. It's time to put our focus on real JOY, not some temporary, fleeting pleasure.

As my daughter pointed out yesterday on our way out to the car, real JOY comes when we focus on:

J - Jesus
O - Others
Y - You (or us)

Out of the mouths of babes, huh?

The rest of the day was truly one of great relaxation and togetherness. We spent almost 3 hours out by the athletic club's pool, during which time I burned half my stomach by not effectively applying sunscreen evenly over my entire torso. I hate it when my ADD comes back into play. Now, instead of hoping for a nice even tan, I can expect in a couple of days to look like a marshmallow someone left on a stick in the fire about 20 seconds too long.

Nice.

We ended the day by driving up to the Church at Pinnacle Hills and watching their incredible fireworks display. We got up there about 10 minutes before they started shooting them off, just enough time to find a spot to set up 4 lawn chairs and swat a few hundred skeeters away. After about 20 to 25 minutes of non-stop fireworks excitement, we folded up our chairs and made a bee-line to the truck, hoping to beat the throng of people racing to their vehicles.

I guess my wife's urgent prodding and me running like a pack-mule made a difference because from the time the last firework went off to the time we were back on the interstate, it was only about 10 minutes.

In all seriousness, I hope this holiday season as we all take some time off and celebrate with family & friends, let's be sure to remember those men & women who are still on the front lines tonight.

The ones who continue to fight a battle that may never see it's end.

The heroes who willingly remain in the trenches and bunkers, who amidst the bombs & explosions and who remain surrounded by death, can still hear the faint strains of their children's voices and laughter.

The ones who will never make it back to see those children, to hold their beloved spouses and finally return to a place called "home".

Let us never forget their sacrifice.

Back Home Again

Today was the day we were all waiting for...it was the day Kaitlyn came home from being at camp all week. She'd been away at a church camp called New Life Ranch and while we were able to send her packages, letters and emails, she wasn't able to respond or call us unless it was an emergency. As a result, we would look at the NLR website at their picture page to see if we could spot her. Fortunately for our nerves, we did see her a few times and she always looked happy and very active.

Speaking of being active, I spent the week repainting her room 4 different colors. I did this as a "welcome home" surprise for Kate, fairly certain she'd like what I did but still a little nervous. I think when I got done with everything late last night, I was as excited as I am on Christmas Eve to see her reaction to it when we brought her home today.

Last night, after the paint had dried and had been put away, Jennifer and I began to dig into Kaitlyn's old clothes and her dreaded closet. It took us nearly 3 hours of combined efforts to get through it all but it is well worth it to see a much cleaner, dare I say...happier room.

I know Mommy & Daddy are happier and that's the most important, right? Ha!

Here are a few pics of the new room and me & Kaitlyn standing in it. Oh yeah...she really liked it. In fact, we got video of her trying to scream in excitement but she's so hoarse this morning, it was more of a raspy gasp than a typical girly blood-curdling scream.

Be sure you wear your sunglasses before viewing the room pix.

Karate Kid

Our daughter is off this whole week at a church camp and we hope she's having a great time. We don't have any way to contact her to just say "hi" but we've sent her letters, packages and emails that are all funneled to her cabin. However, with her being gone, that means Jake is here by himself looking for things to do.

So, on Monday, I took him over to the local Karate for Kids gym and signed him up for 6 weeks of lessons. He is so thrilled to be doing this and it's been so cool to watch him go. His instructor is very good with all the kids and really connects with them on kinda their level.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well Jacob listened to the instructors and how he seemed to be able to catch on to what they were saying. I was a little nervous that in the midst of it all, my son would suddenly blurt out how he wanted to be the new Power Ranger and learn how to beat up the bad guys.

Thankfully, that revelation never took place although after practice, I did hear a few other boys whisper something similar to this to their mothers. Guess I'm not the only one.

Today, the instructor took a huge water cannon and shot it at the kids' feet, making them jump off the ground and practicing their form. I don't know who had more fun...the kids being able to jump and avoid getting wet or the teacher being able to douse the kids.

We also learned that about 3 of Jake's good buddies are also taking karate this summer, 2 of which are going to this very gym. I imagine they'll all be strutting the hallways of first grade this fall with a new found "confidence" about them.

Watch out Mr. Miagi.

In all seriousness, Jennifer's dad, Fred, would've absolutely loved to have seen Jake in a karate gi, bowing and grunting as he taught Jennifer to do all those years ago back on the farm.

We miss you, Fred.

God's Love For Us

Back in January, my family and I felt the leading from the Lord to look for a new church home. While it was a bit sad to leave some of our friends in Springdale, we had been feeling for quite some time that our "connections" with some of them just weren't as strong as they should or used to be. Plus, we wanted to make sure our kids would be able to have some outside friendships with some kids who they not only went to church with but also went to school with. There were a number of other reasons and I'm not going to go into any boring details now but we are really enjoying our new church home. It's called Fellowship Bible Church and it's a non-denominational church, comprised of numerous congregations from all of NWA. People from Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and all of NWA are represented very well and we're making those "connections" we'd been looking for.

In fact, the principals and about 5-6 teachers from our childrens' elementary school also attend Fellowship so that has become a source of comfort for us too.

Maybe later on, I'll share the Mountain Home/Fellowship connection to our family as well. It's really quite remarkable.

This past Sunday, on Father's Day, one of the preachers, Sam Hannon, spoke about the love of God and how it applies to all of us.

Quick note...Sam and his wife Amy are part of this Mountain Home connection I mentioned. Amy was a cheerleader with Jennifer on the Bomber cheer squad back in the day and I used to work with Amy's mom at the Mountain Home radio station when I was in high school. There are a lot more of these weird connections but that'll be another blog.

Anyway, Sam was teaching about God's love. It's always an incredible thing to stop and really digest His grace and mercy for us all. To me, it all comes back to His enormous, never-ending love for me and for you. To really try and comprehend the enormity of this is not possible by human terms but to even try and cram it into our finite minds is quite boggling.

I often have to remind myself of how God loves me and there is nothing I can do to make Him love me any less or love me any more. That's not to say we can't disappoint our Heavenly Father but as with any good parent, He loves even in our disobedience. Sam had a great point where he mentioned a game he plays with his kids. He's said to them before, especially after one of them has scored 3 goals in a soccer game "Do you know how much more I love you for scoring those goals?"

He said their eyes light up and they say "a whole bunch, right?"

"Nope" he replies. "I love you just as much right now after you have scored those goals as I would if you had never gotten off the bench today."

God is the same way. He loves us...ALL of us...so much that He saw through our unworthiness to send Christ to die for us. John 3:16, as simple and as easy to spout off as it is, is quite simply one of the most profound (if not THE most profound) thing we could ever recite.

Back to Sam's points about God's love and how we can remind ourselves of it daily.

1. God loves us like a Father. 1 John 3:1 reminds us that we are called "children of God". I've mentioned in the past of how a good friend of mine gave an incredible metaphor of us, as little children, crawling up into the lap of our Heavenly Father and allowing His mighty arms to cradle us, protecting us from whatever seeks to do us harm. This image has stuck with me as if I'd actually seen it or experienced it in person. God IS our Heavenly Father and we can always come to Him with anything.

2. God's love is unending. Read Psalm 100:5. The entire book of Psalms is filled with such praise and adoration for God, much of it proclaiming His love for us and how awesome it really is. Just to think of something so supernatural that we can bask in for all time...what a wondrous thought.

3. God's love seeks the best for us. Matthew 7:9-11 says that if our kids were to come to us with a need, we wouldn't even dream of giving them something completely opposite that would cause certain harm to them. Jesus said "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

4. God's love is sanctified. Sanctified here means "made holy, consecrated." Romans 5:8 and 1 John 3:16 remind us that while we were lost in our sins, Jesus loved us enough even then to lay down His life...willingly I might add...for all mankind.

5. God's love sets protective boundaries. John 15:10-11 tells us (paraphrased here) that if we obey God's commands for our lives, we will remain in His love. It's like when a parent tells a child not to go into the street. We're setting up those boundaries for them because we love them and want them to be safe, remaining with us where we are. It's not a conditional statement.

6. God's love is not performance based. Mark 1:11 is the verse where God spoke from heaven as Christ was being baptized. The Bible says that as Jesus was being brought up out of the water, "...He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are My beloved Son; I take delight in You!"

Can you just imagine the God of all gods, the Creator of the universe speaking such a thing about you for all to hear?

"This is Jim and He is MY son. I take delight in him!"

Wow. Talk about an air-tight defense team, huh? God Himself said He loves me and I please Him with what I do. This has been such an encouragement for me personally, especially during those times when the enemy whispers in my ear "hey...you didn't get up at 6am to have a quiet time with God this morning. He's gonna be very angry with you and probably bring all kinds of plagues and locusts against you, you lazy bum!"

Yeah, trust me. I've heard this before and a lot worse.

And yet...whenever I pause and allow God's Holy Spirit to speak to me, it does 2 things. First off, it shuts up the demonic voices that seek to discourage me and second, it revives me with the one true hope that His love for us NEVER changes.

I hope that wherever you are today, whatever situation life is dealing you at this moment, you'll remind yourself that the love of God extends from heaven all the to where you are right now. Allow Him to show you that love and fill you with the peace, comfort and joy He wants to give.

Father's Day

Today is Father's Day and it's been quite a full one. We've been pounded for a few weeks now with rain and thunderstorms, although it's been nothing like the scenario being played out in Iowa. I have a great buddy who's up in the Cedar Rapids area and I'm praying that he is OK.

We just got back from Nashville on Friday night after visiting my sister and her family plus my mom and her husband for a few quick days. While the weather was a bit muggier than it is here in Arkansas (at this point anyway), it was great to see everyone and especially make that connection to my one year old nephew Brady. This kid has got hair as red as fire and a big, toothy grin embedded in full, chubby cheeks that just make your heart melt. With his goo-gooing and gaa-gaaing and whatever else he speaks in his nonsensical way, it's no wonder we got along so well.

Anyway, after a full week of travel, we immediately began to prepare for Kaitlyn to leave us (today of all days) for a week of church camp. Needless to say, it was with somewhat nervous and heavy hearts we all packed up the car again and drove an hour away from home to drop her off.

One of the things we took a little bit of solace in was knowing a few of the girls from her church and a few of her friends from 4th grade were also going. So, we weren't too worried about her hooking up with the other girls and having a great time.

Well, that's just me being a naive dad.

I got to see first hand just how catty and tactless a lot of kids are becoming in this day & age when one of the girls Kaitlyn knows from here basically dressed her down and said in as snotty of a voice as she could muster "you're in the OTHER cabin, not our's" and then huffed away.

Of course, this child said this in front of a few of the other Fayetteville spoiled brats who just happened to be standing in front of their empty-headed mothers who were too busy gabbing amongst themselves to even notice (or worse...even care) their daughters were being such twits. It was all I could do to not give the child a "right good whipping" but since she isn't my kid, I thought better of it.

You know...that's just one of many things wrong with the kids of today. Parents either refuse to discipline their own kids and raise them with manners & morals or they just expect someone else to do it. I don't know how many bratty children I see who are in desperate need of some "tough love" but yet remain wild and unrefined. I'm told from my wife that girls are just a bit more catty & snotty than boys are, although I've had my run-ins growing up with punk bullies who thought it'd be a load of fun to harass the superintendent's kid. If it's true about the younger females, I hope we can put aside our immediate desire to squash anyone who mistreats our child and instead teach our own kids how to forgive them and remain somewhat compassionate through it all.

That's a word I'd bet most of those kids have never either heard or been taught.

Compassion.

Well, on with the recap.

As we got home tonight, we noticed a lot of dark storm clouds beginning to form overhead. We turned on the TV and saw that the very place where Kaitlyn and the other 400+ campers were staying was in the direct line of a pretty intense thunderstorm that COULD produce damaging winds, hail the size of golf balls and possibly tornadoes.

Nothing like having your guilt and fear assuaged by Mother Nature sending her fury down on a church camp full of wet, scared kids, eh?

I was able to find a number to the camp and make contact with one of the counselors. He reassured me that the kids were all fine, accounted for and safely tucked away inside some of the buildings. I told him we were just concerned but we'd continue to pray for their safety throughout the night. He thanked me for my prayers and assured me he'd call if anything more severe happened.

Amazing how calm he sounded on the phone, considering I probably wasn't the only "Chicken Little" parent calling to enquire about their child.

So, here I am, winding down another Father's Day with one of my flock away at a soggy church camp, the other one sleeping where my wife should be and my wife sleeping upstairs where the boy should be.

Ahh well, at least I can sleep tonight knowing my family is safe and more importantly that my God is watching over us all.

I pray if you're reading this that wherever you are and whatever you are going through, you take a moment to just stop and realize how much God loves YOU. We had an incredible message today at church that I'll try to go into more detail about tomorrow but it was all about God's love for us. It was such a powerful reminder and I'm excited to share it with you.

Have a good night and I hope you're able to stay dry & warm wherever you are.

Hurry home Kaitlyn. Daddy & Mommy miss you a whole bunch...and believe it or not, so does Jake.