For the two guys who read my blog....

I was listening to a podcast this afternoon and the host interviewed Brett and Kate McKay who are the founders of a webzine for men. They were sick of the silly magazines in bookstores that were supposed to be for men, but only encouraged them to be lustful and temporal, so they created this website:

http://www.artofmanliness.com

Check it out! 

The Tyranny of the Urgent

N. O. Two letters that don't like to make an appearance in my vocabulary very often. Such a small word, yet it can change much. Just what is it about that word that makes it so hard to speak?
I've always been the one who is quick to say "yes" to almost everything asked of me. Some would say that was selflessness. But I know it for it's real face. It is pride. You may think that a bit harsh, but it's true. The root of my inability to politely decline things is due to the fact that I want to be well-liked by people. I don't want them to think ill of me, so I automatically say yes.
Soon the amounts of little yeses add up to a big pile of things that consume my time and keep me from some of the necessary and more important things in life. This is what I've heard referred to as the "tyranny of the urgent." These little requests pop up everywhere and they need to be done a.s.a.p. So they take the place of those things that you know you should be doing. 
There is a song by Sara Groves that helps me remember to say "no" sometimes. Here are some of the lyrics:

There's always just one more thing

There's always another task

There's always "I just have one more small favor to ask."

And everything is important

 And everything is now

I wonder what would really happen if I stopped somehow

"I'll be there in a minute"

"I've just a few places to go."

You wake up a few years later and your kids are grown

And everything is urgent 

And everything is not

At the end of your life your relationships are all you've got

And love to me is when you put down that one more thing

And say "I've got something better to do"

And love to me is when you walk out on that one more thing and say

"Nothing will come between me and you"

Not even one thing

I'm not saying that we should always say "no." What I am saying is we should carefully weigh our yeses in light of eternity. Will this one more thing I'm doing count for eternity, for God's kingdom, for building up a person in Christ, for developing a relationship that will be glorifying to God? There are times when I am spending hours on end working on a project for someone or something that I deem important, yet at the same time neglecting to take time to answer a small question from my brother or a light request from my parents. That is tyranny!

We could all stand to say "no" to some of the things we are asked to do and say "yes" to those things which are important- most importantly your relationship with the Lord. If He is getting pushed on the back burner, you know something has got to change. Cry out for wisdom and direction, and God will give it to you (James 1:4). 
I've heard it said that it is better to do a little well, than a lot of things merely satisfactory. "No" gives us this opportunity. This doesn't mean that we should stop doing things for others. Just make sure you have the time, it is not encroaching on your family and that it is done with the right motives.

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

~ Ephesians 5:15-16

On the run, just for fun

One night, last winter, Ali and Josh came over...

We decided to have some good, ol' fashioned fun...

... which turned into...

"Amanda... run!"

Oh life is always entertaining when Ali is around! : )

Innocent of Evil

Have you ever been teased because you didn't know a famous movie star when someone mentioned him or her? Or have people accused you of being uncultured because you weren't familiar with a certain song or musical group? Has someone called you naive because you hadn't a clue about some popular word or phrase? 

The Bible tells us that we are to excel in what is good and be simple concerning evil. (Romans 16:19) That is not a concept widely encouraged, even in Christian circles. "We need to understand these philosophies and ideas and terms and watch these movies and listen to these songs and read these books or we won't be able to witness to people." Where does the Bible tell us to immerse ourselves in the world so that we can lead people to Christ? I've never come across that verse. On the contrary, we are to be "in the world, but not of the world." If we ingest these worldly ideas, we will soon find that we are fighting weeds that started with seeds of doubt planted by these doctrines. Instead we must delve into truth. We must consume our mind with good things (Philippians 4:8) and then we will know how to answer. You don't combat lies with more lies, you combat lies with truth. If you continue to fill yourself up with vain philosophies and worldly doctrines you will be giving up time to devote yourself to truth.

So, to all those who have been called "innocent," "sheltered," and "naive." Good for you! Continue to fill your mind with pure, good and noble thoughts. In the end God won't be saying, "I wish you had watched this movie filled with filth so that you could have been a better witness." He'll say, "Well done, good an faithful servant. You trusted me to give you the answers to these questions and controversies."

Life With Puppy: The First Evening

After getting much cute little snowball of joy, I headed back over to Lori and Tyler's to enjoy some spaghetti and John Wayne.

She was so cute! Everyone loved her. The boys played on the floor with her and she was excellent with them. Then, she so sweetly ventured to a corner and fell asleep on someone's shoes. Angelic. Peaceful. O bliss!

And then.... she woke up! Proceeded to go to the bathroom several times on Lori's floor, tried to satiate her chewing desires on someone's shoe and kept knocking a guest's drink on the floor and gravitating toward that area of the room to lick it up for the rest of the night. 

Crash. Bang. Boom. Welcome to the "real world" of puppyhood! 

After much apologizing, I brought her home and down into my room. 

Hmmm... How am I gonna do this? I thought. I grabbed a blanket off of our futon and scrunched it all up on the floor next to the head of my bed.

Great. This is fine. She'll just sleep here and it'll all be good.

HA! I spend the next half hour getting up out of bed and putting her back on her blanket. By about 12 pm, she had fallen asleep and I pulled the toothpicks out of my eyes so I could shut them.

2 am Whimper, whimper, whimper. Scuffle. Dripping sound. OH NO! I shot out of bed like a new mom. Picked up my wet pup and brought her outside. 

2:15 am Back in bed holding Nettie down on her blanket until she falls asleep.

3:30 am Whimper. No way! This time I promptly scoop her up and bring her outside.

3:45 am Back in bed, scratching Nettie's head to keep her on her blanket. She finally falls asleep. 

4:30 am Whine, whimper, whine. OK, here I go again. Up, outside, back in bed. "Now Nettie. Be a good girl and lay in your bed. You really shouldn't have to go potty anymore. It's just not possible you have that little bladder capacity! Please, O please, let me sleep. Lay down and don't get up again until I say so!" (When you lose a REM cycle worth of sleep, you start to go a little crazy)

4:45 am Nettie is finally asleep and I proceed to do the same. 

7:00 am Wake up. Eyes feel the way a dog's must when they stick their head out a car window. Dog... Wait? Do I smell something....

The Vital Institution

With today’s important vote on marriage in Maine, I thought it only appropriate to write down a few of my collective thoughts on this sacred institution and the importance of it’s impact on our world.

In our day and age, people are delaying marriage. “I want to live my life first, then settle down and start a family” is what they say, as if marriage is sort of a second choice. People in my generation don’t want to be “strapped down” to any one person, so they play the dating game for fun and frivolity. I think this is a direct assault on marriage and I also think it is a result of the lack of understanding of marriage in the youth of America. They see it as something to benefit or not benefit themselves; a gain mentality or even an upgrade in status. I must confess in my own life, these have been my views as well. It was something I was going to do eventually, but my interest in the here and now always took precedence.

The lack of understanding and motivation in generation X is directly effecting the families in the church. There are lots of scattered singles (not that singleness is a bad thing) who are living individual lives and this thought of the independent, fun lifestyle and prolonged adolescence pervades the church universal. It may sound like I’m being harsh, but just think about all of those thirty something year old men who play on their xboxes constantly. And we wonder why the church is weak.

I know many single women and a few single men who are very purposeful with the time they the Lord has given them in this season. They are just as important to the church. But the issue is the waning marriages. This institution that is supposed to be a sacred example of Christ and the Church is being pummelled and demeaned by the world’s non-chalant view of it. Live-in couples substitute for strong, life-long marriages. Divorces, remarriages and more divorces skyrocket in statistics. And the worst of all is that these things are happening within the church in nearly the same percentages as the world. We are letting the world influence the church far too much. It is no wonder that people are trying to re-define it!

Marriage began in the Garden of Eden between man and woman. Any other form of marriage is wrong. Adam and Eve were man and wife for life. If God had intended that Adam be partnered for life with another man, He would have established that from the beginning. If He thought that animals were enough for Adam, He wouldn’t have created Eve. Foundations. One man and one woman for life. These are the leaders and nurturers of the next group of men and women. The family is so necessary to God’s Kingdom and if a marriage is rocky or frail, the family will suffer. A good marriage that is centered on Christ is the force of the family.

So, what can we do to protect and encourage and strengthen godly matrimony specifically as single young men or young women? Praying fervently for the marriages in your sphere is a huge support! God uses the fervent prayers of His children, so don’t neglect this! Vote pro-family in today’s election. You may be called “homophobic” or “prejudiced” or even “hateful” by voting “Yes on 1,” but by the Lord, you will be considered a “good and faithful servant.” Invest in the marriages around you by encouraging women who are striving to be godly, submissive and house-building wives (Proverbs 14:1) if you are young ladies. Encourage and exhort men who are striving to be servant-leaders in their families, if you are young men. Offer to watch the children of the couples around you so that they can go out on a date and spend some alone time together. And, when the Lord brings the right person along for you, marry well!

The last one may seem out of your reach, ladies, but while you’re waiting for your Isaac, don’t get distracted by the “frogs” that try to trap you and you will be doing your part to have a godly marriage someday!

God is good. Rest assured that nothing will happen that He does not allow and His plans for His glory and the good of His people will always prevail! (Romans 8:28-29)

Lord, We Interrupt This Prayer For.....