One thing that I've always thought was fun about summer is trying to find creative ways to 'beat the heat.' As a boy - a special summer treat for me was hitting Dairy Queen late after playing a baseball game. Blizzards always tasted better in dirty, grass stained pants. Or we might hight Tropical Snow before playing around of miniature golf. Or if someone had access to a pool - that was always an effective cooling agent, as well.
Now that I'm an adult the solutions aren't much different. We still go for 1/2 shakes at Sonic after 8 PM. We may snag the occasional snow cone from the city park. We may take a dip in the pool (okay it's more like cannon balls, but you get the point.) Some days I just praise GOD that we have air conditioning and then I pray that my kids won't ask to go play outside!
But it's always nice to have a special treat to help cool you off during those blistering summer months.
As I thought about that today - I realized that GOD has been giving us several special summer treats this year. I had the chance to play golf with a friend of mine for a couple of hours and it was 78ยบ outside. On Tuesday, July 29th, 2014 in the cusps of Global Warming (hehe) it didn't even get into the 80's. How amazing is that?! It's been so nice out lately that my wife and I have to say, "It's too cold to go to the pool - why don't we go to the park instead…" That doesn't happen often.
God will often give you and I relief, too. Not only with beautiful weather in peak heat months - but in the moments when the world is getting darker. When our situations are getting tougher. When our marriages are holding on by a thread and animosity fills our hallways and bedrooms. When the relationships with our children seem to be straining to the point of breaking. God is always there to give us rest, to give us comfort - to give us peace. You see - you are His child and He wants to bless His kids. What (good) parent doesn't want to bless their kids? It's instinctive. But with our Heavenly Father He knows exactly what we need (and when we need it) to help cool off the heated situations in our lives. It may be a text or phone call from an encouraging friend. It may be a picture on Facebook that makes you smile. It may be a song that 'takes you back.' The heat of life can, at times, be more than we can bear and you just need a special treat to bring it all back in perspective.
So while I enjoy a good milk shake, snow cone, or dip in the pool - my Heavenly Father knows how to really spoil me. And I'll take this special summer treat anytime!
"They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the LORD's good gifts - the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone." Jeremiah 31:12 NLT
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Misty at the Waterpark
Each year the Redman Family ventures down to Panama City Beach, FL for a week in July. We stay together, play together, eat together, and do all kinds of fun activities. One of our favorites is when we take the kids to a water park. Now - it's a little over-priced and they charged us for our 2 year old (unlike Holiday World who did not!) - but we always look forward to it each summer. It's a 'pirate theme' which means Fender is automatically enamored with it and if he's enamored with it, his little sister is enamored with it.
This year was different for a couple of reasons. First - it rained on us the first hour and a half we were there. Granted we were already wet at a water park, but it's way more fun when the sun is shining. But the rain definitely added a new dynamic to the day and certainly made it memorable.
And secondly there was a group of 'burn victims' that were enjoying the day as well. I'm not sure about why they were meeting at this water park that day, or who organized the event, but there was enough of them there that everywhere I went there was a different group there. Man, woman, boy, girl, white, or black: all different, but all united by their circumstances. It was so beautiful to see these people unashamed by the scars that life had dealt them. I kept thinking that that's what 'the church' should be like. Real people with real pain and real scars from their pasts gathering together unashamedly to celebrate the life they have in Jesus Christ. The barriers of race and socio-economic separation banished and all united under the banner of forgiveness. Unfortunately - we often don't take down our defenses and truly join each others team. We don't want to accept others with their faults even if our scars are far worse. We often pretend that we have it all together. That our families are perfect, our finances are in good shape, our marriages are solid. We don't wear the scars of disappointment, divorce, abuse on our sleeves for the world to see. We try to appear to be someone we're not. At least I know I often do…
But what I saw later was almost more than I could take without getting 'misty eyed'. As Lucy and Journey and I were headed toward one of the big family rides that you walked up several stories via a ramp or stairs to get to the top I saw 4 from this group. One was a teenage girl, one was a white guy probably in his mid 30's, one was a well-built black fellow in his mid 20's, and the last was a teenager that was in a wheelchair. He had lost one of his feet and had severe burn scars on the other. I saw them at the bottom of this ride and thought to myself, "How sad that boy has to sit here while his group goes up to the top ride this ride." But that's not what happened! The well built black man picked him up out of the wheel chair and put him on his back. (some of you reading are already getting misty aren't you?) We followed the group all the way up. The line wasn't moving too fast, either. We all had to wait several minutes in line. But he never complained. He never rested. And he never asked anyone else to do only what he could do. They were all part of the group and they were in this together. No one was going to be left behind!
I think what got me the most is quickly we often write off those people that are damaged goods. We may feel sorry for them at first and may even make a little effort to encourage them - but we don't stick with it. We aren't willing to bear the weight that they bring to the table. Jesus called His disciples to love each other and the world would know by that love that they were His disciples. The same is asked of us. We are to go through life together - helping each other up the hills and steps of life - even when our feet have been knocked out from under us. We all have scars, we all have hurts, and we all need each other.
This year was different for a couple of reasons. First - it rained on us the first hour and a half we were there. Granted we were already wet at a water park, but it's way more fun when the sun is shining. But the rain definitely added a new dynamic to the day and certainly made it memorable.
And secondly there was a group of 'burn victims' that were enjoying the day as well. I'm not sure about why they were meeting at this water park that day, or who organized the event, but there was enough of them there that everywhere I went there was a different group there. Man, woman, boy, girl, white, or black: all different, but all united by their circumstances. It was so beautiful to see these people unashamed by the scars that life had dealt them. I kept thinking that that's what 'the church' should be like. Real people with real pain and real scars from their pasts gathering together unashamedly to celebrate the life they have in Jesus Christ. The barriers of race and socio-economic separation banished and all united under the banner of forgiveness. Unfortunately - we often don't take down our defenses and truly join each others team. We don't want to accept others with their faults even if our scars are far worse. We often pretend that we have it all together. That our families are perfect, our finances are in good shape, our marriages are solid. We don't wear the scars of disappointment, divorce, abuse on our sleeves for the world to see. We try to appear to be someone we're not. At least I know I often do…
But what I saw later was almost more than I could take without getting 'misty eyed'. As Lucy and Journey and I were headed toward one of the big family rides that you walked up several stories via a ramp or stairs to get to the top I saw 4 from this group. One was a teenage girl, one was a white guy probably in his mid 30's, one was a well-built black fellow in his mid 20's, and the last was a teenager that was in a wheelchair. He had lost one of his feet and had severe burn scars on the other. I saw them at the bottom of this ride and thought to myself, "How sad that boy has to sit here while his group goes up to the top ride this ride." But that's not what happened! The well built black man picked him up out of the wheel chair and put him on his back. (some of you reading are already getting misty aren't you?) We followed the group all the way up. The line wasn't moving too fast, either. We all had to wait several minutes in line. But he never complained. He never rested. And he never asked anyone else to do only what he could do. They were all part of the group and they were in this together. No one was going to be left behind!
I think what got me the most is quickly we often write off those people that are damaged goods. We may feel sorry for them at first and may even make a little effort to encourage them - but we don't stick with it. We aren't willing to bear the weight that they bring to the table. Jesus called His disciples to love each other and the world would know by that love that they were His disciples. The same is asked of us. We are to go through life together - helping each other up the hills and steps of life - even when our feet have been knocked out from under us. We all have scars, we all have hurts, and we all need each other.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Float Like a Butterfly... Sting Like a Bee
Probably like most of you I am not a fan of pain. I don't like stubbing my toe. I don't like getting a paper cut. I don't like getting shots at the doctors office. I don't like getting hit by a baseball traveling at high speeds. I do not like it here. I do not like it there. I do not like pain anywhere.
Today I had a surprising bout with pain. As I was mowing the front yard this afternoon I felt this sharp, searing pain in right above my left heel. Naturally, I swatted back immediately - as my normal response to something attacking me is to attack back. I couldn't see if it was a bee or a wasp, but I could see where it stung me immediately. It started to swell and get red pretty fast. At first I thought I would just immediately start back to mowing and then each step really got tough! I had to bend over and give myself a moment. It really hurt!
As I was kneeling down in my front yard feeling sorry for myself and totally hating whatever stung me - I couldn't help but think about what I've been studying these past few weeks. You see - I'm preaching on Jesus' trial and crucifixion in a couple of weeks at our church and I really examined the medical studies on Jesus' suffering. The pain and affliction He endured during those short hours is (literally) unimaginable. The Romans were such a cruel society and they had perfected the art of torture. And Jesus had to feel so much pain at the hands of Romans soldiers and religious leaders. And He didn't try to respond to them. He didn't try to swat them like the bugs they were to Him. He was silent! And He took that on for me. And for you, too!
After that realization my little bug sting didn't seem so bad. Now granted - it still hurt at the time and it still hurts now. But the way we view a situation effects how we respond. If we always think about our feelings and how things hurt or benefit us - we'll often be disappointed or upset. If we keep our 'attitude of gratitude' and thank God for all things - our perspective will often be a lot more positive and selfless. God has already done WAY MORE good for us than we could ever deserve! So if a little sting comes along the way - remember it could be way worse!
Today I had a surprising bout with pain. As I was mowing the front yard this afternoon I felt this sharp, searing pain in right above my left heel. Naturally, I swatted back immediately - as my normal response to something attacking me is to attack back. I couldn't see if it was a bee or a wasp, but I could see where it stung me immediately. It started to swell and get red pretty fast. At first I thought I would just immediately start back to mowing and then each step really got tough! I had to bend over and give myself a moment. It really hurt!
As I was kneeling down in my front yard feeling sorry for myself and totally hating whatever stung me - I couldn't help but think about what I've been studying these past few weeks. You see - I'm preaching on Jesus' trial and crucifixion in a couple of weeks at our church and I really examined the medical studies on Jesus' suffering. The pain and affliction He endured during those short hours is (literally) unimaginable. The Romans were such a cruel society and they had perfected the art of torture. And Jesus had to feel so much pain at the hands of Romans soldiers and religious leaders. And He didn't try to respond to them. He didn't try to swat them like the bugs they were to Him. He was silent! And He took that on for me. And for you, too!
After that realization my little bug sting didn't seem so bad. Now granted - it still hurt at the time and it still hurts now. But the way we view a situation effects how we respond. If we always think about our feelings and how things hurt or benefit us - we'll often be disappointed or upset. If we keep our 'attitude of gratitude' and thank God for all things - our perspective will often be a lot more positive and selfless. God has already done WAY MORE good for us than we could ever deserve! So if a little sting comes along the way - remember it could be way worse!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
I've Got The Power!
Yesterday our family experienced something we don't very often. Actually - our whole part of town did. We were without power for 3 hours or so. At 3:30 a pretty fierce storm blew in and knocked out power in our neighborhood. At first it was kind of peaceful and quiet. Our kids were taking naps and our house was nice and dark so it was a nice moment at first. But after a little while that peace started to change.
As I was laying in my easy chair with my daughter asleep on my lap I began feeling some moisture in between us. It was sweat. And a lot of it! The a/c not working was finally setting in. Now for my wife this wasn't a big deal. But for my kids and I this is a very big deal. We get hot fast - and when we're united - it gets even worse. I reckon we're not at a super nova - but we're probably approaching that level. But I started to feel bad because we were so inconvenienced for a couple of hours. We even had to leave and go walk around the mall for a little bit until the power came back on. Poor me.
But as we were loading up after we received the text from my MIL that our power was back on I began to think about those that have had it way worse than me when it comes to power loss. Those effected by Hurricane Sandy or Katrina, or folks in other countries all around the world without power and running water. Places where they go days, weeks, months, years, or even a lifetime without the comforts of home that I take for granted every day - except for the 3 hours I spent yesterday in darkness.
For now - I've got the power on. The good money says it will stay on for most periods of my life. And I hope that I can start to be much more appreciative for it now and not take these comforts for granted. After all - every gift from God anyways. Our friend Job tells us in Job 1:21 that God alone gives and He takes away. So tonight He has given me a healthy family, plenty of food, clean water, a/c that's working, and the lights are on. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but may the Name of the LORD be praised.
As I was laying in my easy chair with my daughter asleep on my lap I began feeling some moisture in between us. It was sweat. And a lot of it! The a/c not working was finally setting in. Now for my wife this wasn't a big deal. But for my kids and I this is a very big deal. We get hot fast - and when we're united - it gets even worse. I reckon we're not at a super nova - but we're probably approaching that level. But I started to feel bad because we were so inconvenienced for a couple of hours. We even had to leave and go walk around the mall for a little bit until the power came back on. Poor me.
But as we were loading up after we received the text from my MIL that our power was back on I began to think about those that have had it way worse than me when it comes to power loss. Those effected by Hurricane Sandy or Katrina, or folks in other countries all around the world without power and running water. Places where they go days, weeks, months, years, or even a lifetime without the comforts of home that I take for granted every day - except for the 3 hours I spent yesterday in darkness.
For now - I've got the power on. The good money says it will stay on for most periods of my life. And I hope that I can start to be much more appreciative for it now and not take these comforts for granted. After all - every gift from God anyways. Our friend Job tells us in Job 1:21 that God alone gives and He takes away. So tonight He has given me a healthy family, plenty of food, clean water, a/c that's working, and the lights are on. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but may the Name of the LORD be praised.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Roughing It
Growing up my family was not what you'd call 'outdoorsy'. We didn't hunt. We didn't fish. And we most certainly didn't 'camp.' We would vacation to a state park in Indiana, but it was never in a tent or even in a cabin or camper. It was in a very nice hotel complete with tv, a/c, showers, and a nice restaurant. It also had those cool sucker sticks (that's what I called them, at least) with the stripes that rung across like candy canes. We stopped going there when I was 12 and I think I have 'camped out' maybe 2 times since then in some shape or form.
But I decided that it has been too nice lately (70's most of the week) to spend too much time indoors. So I decided to pitch a tent on the back deck. I am proud to say that it didn't take me an exuberant amount of time - but possibly longer than would allow me to keep my 'man card.' But it got done! We didn't end up sleeping in it, but the kids were ecstatic! We put blankets down. We told stories. We even had a roaring fire courtesy of my iPad app. Today we even had a Tent Pizza Party for lunch. It just seemed like one of those moments that even though I snapped a photo on my phone - I stored so much more in my memory bank.
Anytime God gives us another day - it's a chance to increase our memories. Our experiences. To soak in the joy that is life! And not in small doses, either. Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, that they would have it more abundantly." Being a parent and a husband I have the opportunity to appreciate those moments every day. I know some days I get frustrated and tend to let minute things frustrate me in big ways. But I would much rather let those times roll down my back and keep my eyes focused on the gifts that God has given me.
So maybe we'll try our hand at actually 'roughing it' sometime soon. But for tonight - my soft, bug-free bed is where I'll be.
But I decided that it has been too nice lately (70's most of the week) to spend too much time indoors. So I decided to pitch a tent on the back deck. I am proud to say that it didn't take me an exuberant amount of time - but possibly longer than would allow me to keep my 'man card.' But it got done! We didn't end up sleeping in it, but the kids were ecstatic! We put blankets down. We told stories. We even had a roaring fire courtesy of my iPad app. Today we even had a Tent Pizza Party for lunch. It just seemed like one of those moments that even though I snapped a photo on my phone - I stored so much more in my memory bank.
Anytime God gives us another day - it's a chance to increase our memories. Our experiences. To soak in the joy that is life! And not in small doses, either. Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, that they would have it more abundantly." Being a parent and a husband I have the opportunity to appreciate those moments every day. I know some days I get frustrated and tend to let minute things frustrate me in big ways. But I would much rather let those times roll down my back and keep my eyes focused on the gifts that God has given me.
So maybe we'll try our hand at actually 'roughing it' sometime soon. But for tonight - my soft, bug-free bed is where I'll be.
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