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When the storm comes

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I love storms! One of my favorite things to do is simply sit on the back patio or in the garage as I watch the storm clouds roll in. There is something amazing about the way the clouds move through the sky as a perfectly calm, sunny day can turn into a lightning and thunder filled moment overnight.

As I was watching a storm roll in the other night, I couldn’t help but reflect on how life can often be full of storms. The type of storms that aren’t so fun to watch.

There is something to know about storms, they are not a matter of “if” they come, but “when.” This happens in both nature and our own personal life. Just like the beautiful islands of Hawaii are not freed from tropical storms and hurricanes, neither are we.

While out at sea, the disciples of Jesus were caught in a storm. I love this story, because there are two separate responses taking place.

The Bible describes the situation as a “great storm.”

The disciples responded with panic and urgency.

Jesus, meanwhile, was sleeping. The disciples were so afraid that they woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” I love how they are telling Jesus what is happening! Meanwhile, Jesus responds by saying, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

I have found that when storms come, I often react more like the disciples than Jesus. I freak out and try to take control of the situation!

However, I need to often be reminded that God is in control. That even when the storm is bad, God is there in control.

Right as the disciples thought they were about to perish, Jesus calmed the sea and brought peace to the situation.

How can we trust God more in the storms of our lives?

SEE MATTHEW 8 – Jesus calms the storm

6:1 a rhythm for work & rest

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Where has the time gone!? It has been a month since my last post. This was an intentional effort to set forth a time of rest for my family. It was a time where we could finish up loose ends in order to spend time more together. It was a month where we said “no” to things in order to say “yes” to family time.

In this crazy, busy, and hectic world, our success is measured by our busyness rather than the quality of our relationships. We fill our calendars with endless events and activities only to make quick appearances in order to get to the next event. The days, weeks, and months fly by and we reflect back only to wonder what we did.

Arguably one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our day is Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla, and Solar City. This is a man who has changed the automobile industry, the space industry, and even impacted our electric grid. It is hard to talk to a millennial who does not respect Musk and all that he has accomplished. However, this has not come without a cost. In an interview in September 2015, Musk admitted that within a twelve year period, he only attempted to take a vacation one time.

I have found this to be a continual struggle for me as well. Not necessarily struggling to find time for a vacation, but struggling with the idea of rest. When I look at an empty day on the calendar, a sense of disappointment sets in. I feel like I did not do enough, or I that I am letting someone down. I feel as if my pride is being shot. My mind continually thinks, “There must be something I can do other than simply rest!”

However, the Bible makes it clear that there are times when God wants us to rest.

Leviticus 23:3 says, “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.”

From the beginning of creation (Genesis 1-2), God established this rhythm of rest. He did so by creating the world in six days only to take the seventh day for rest (Genesis 2:1-3).

Even Jesus would find times for rest. Immediately following the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus dismissed the crowd, placed the disciples on a boat, and went to a mountain alone to pray (Mark 6:45-46).

If the God of the universe found time to rest, then it must be important.

Over the coming years I want to challenge myself to uphold this rhythm of rest. Rest does not mean sitting idle, but a time of calmness and peace. It is a time to enjoy the family around us, and is especially a  time to be refreshed by our Heavenly Father.

How can we establish rhythms of rest? For me, it is following the 6:1 pattern.

6 days of work, 1 day of rest.

6 weeks of hard work, 1 week of reprieve.

6 months of focused work, 1 month filled with extra family time.

By no means am I perfect at this, but it is something worth striving for! Will you join me?

“Poopie” Moments

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Anyone who has ever had a kid or even been around a kid knows there is something that comes with every child. With each cute face, baby cuddle, and little precious “coo” comes another experience, poopie diapers. In the first six weeks of fatherhood, I have been spit up on (or into my mouth), pooped on (even over all the walls and carpet), and directly peed on. No matter what I have tried to do to prevent these moments from happening, they never seem to stop.

Each time, there are two responses I can choose. Often, the first instinct is to get frustrated. The other, and often more difficult, is to simply laugh and smile with the little man.

With each mess comes one more thing, a beautiful big smile from my son. He doesn’t care that there is a mess on the floor, in my face, or all over him. Instead of choosing to cry or get upset, he simply laughs with a great big smile.

“Poopie” moments like these don’t only seem to happen with little babies, but also with life in general.  These are the moments when a friend turns his or her back on you, you and your spouse get into a hurtful argument, or you get unexpected news that rocks your world.

How we respond to these moments can also be a reflection of our faith and trust in God. Part of me believes Jacob, my son, simply laughs the situation off because he knows dad is there. He knows I will clean him up and put him back together even cleaner than he was before. We have a God who seems to act in the same way with us, but only better.

 

One of my favorite stories is that of Joseph (See Genesis chapters 37-50). In this story he is betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a well, and sold as a slave. As if that was not enough, he is then later unfairly put in prison. Joseph quickly went from being his father’s favored child to a very, very “poopie” situation.

However, there is so much God does in this story. Joseph ends up being a high ruler in Egypt. He is then able to save his family from a terrible famine and is reunited with his father Jacob. The story is full of “poopie” situations that God took and turned around to make them something amazing!

Upon reflecting on all that happened, Joseph said…

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis 50:20, NLT

When the poop flies our way in life, it is important to remember stories like these. When everything seems to be a mess, we have an opportunity to act in one of two ways. The first choice is to get frustrated and mad. The other choice is to simply smile and laugh like a little child. We can smile and laugh knowing we have a Heavenly Father looking out for our good.

Reflections on a new Father’s Day experience

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On March 20, 2015 my life forever changed. That morning I received a phone call no one wants to receive. Hearing my mother try to get a few words out amongst the tears was all I needed to know that life was suddenly different. That Friday morning I lost my best friend, mentor, coach, motivator, and father. It was in a blink of an eye, in a moment, that my dad went home to be with our Heavenly Father.

The journey God has placed me on since that day has been one of putting pieces back together (for posts to come). It has been a journey that has caused me to lean heavily on the promises we receive from God through his Word. Verses such as Psalm 34:18 and 1 John 5:13 have served as sources of encouragement and hope.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (ESV)

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13 (ESV)

No thing or person can ever replace my dad, but God has given me gifts along the way to encourage and lift me up. He has blessed me in some immeasurable ways.

The greatest blessings came on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 10:35 PM in a hospital delivery room. It was on that day and at that time, my son Jacob entered the world and took his very first breath with a loud and last crying. To be honest the cry hasn’t seemed to go away, but the love I have for him only grows deeper every day.

This Father’s Day marked a moment where he and I could go pay tribute to the grandfather he will not meet in this world. It was a moment in time where I could feel the passing of the torch from one generation to another. A moment where I could begin to take all my dad instilled in me and pass it on to him.

In this moment I whispered the words my dad spoke to me over and over again growing up…

“Son, I am so proud of you.”

These words were ones that drew my dad and I close. They were words that let me know he loved me. They were words that gave me strength. Through the years my dad would tell me these simple words. If I spent an entire game chewing sunflower seeds on the bench or achieved great success, he would simply say, “I am so proud of you.”

If there is a simple gift we can give our children, it is for them to know we are proud of them. This is something I pray I can make sure Jacob knows throughout his life. From the moments when he poops all over me to the times when he does something remarkable, I want him to always know he has a proud father.

There was another element I wanted my son to witness this Father’s Day. That was the experience of watching his father praise the Lord Jesus Christ.

My dad was never a  Biblical scholar. He never had the cleanest mouth or best actions. However, he was a man who had a deep love and passion for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He knew that no matter what, God was there for him.

This Father’s Day and for all those to come, my prayer is that Jacob will see a dad who loves a Father even greater than his earthly father. My dad was my best friend, mentor, coach, motivator, and father; but he was not my heavenly Father.

I love how Proverbs 22:6 explains, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

What is it that we would want our children to know? What could I tell my son that lets him know the love God has for him?

What my dad told me over and over again was simple.

“Son, I love you, but you have a God who loves you more than I ever can.”

My prayer is for my son Jacob to know the love God has for him. That each and every day he will see his dad living for a God who is so much greater than anything or anyone in this world. The opportunity is there, will I seize it? I sure hope so.

Today marked a special day. It was my first Father’s Day as a dad, my second Father’s Day without my dad, but also the beginning of an amazing new journey. A time where I can now seize the opportunity to teach and love my son the way my dad did. I can take a hold of opportunities God gives me to show my son how great his Heavenly Father is.

Today had moments of tears, but it was also full of so much praise!

Picture Perfect

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10359022_10202325456398858_3510011890253746843_oWhat is “picture perfect?”

I believe everyone to some degree wants to have a “picture perfect” life. We all want to achieve success, feel good, and enjoy the time God has given us in this world. We want to be able to establish lasting relationships and have successful careers.

Since the time of Plato and other early philosophers, humanity has striven to achieve “the good life.” In striving for it, we have also tried to show it off.

Kings built palaces to show their might and power. Celebrities have fancy cars, expensive clothes and nice homes. Parents have bought the latest and greatest gadgets and toys for their kids. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are filled with pictures of our families, captured at just the right moment to show everything as just right.

Even our phones now have a feature where we can take rapid photos, so we can capture just the perfect smile or look.

In and of themselves these things are not bad, but why do we strive for them? Why do we seek to look good to everyone around us?

I believe it is because we as humans want to be known. We want others to see the good things in our lives. We want things to be “picture perfect.”

As a young follower of Jesus, I believed having faith in him would lead to a happy and fulfilling life. I was told that Jesus was all I needed.

To me this meant following Jesus would save me from the bullies at school. It would allow for me to date the right girls. It would bring me happiness in this world that seems to be full of so many challenges. As a young follower, I thought following Jesus would mean I would be protected from the heartbreak of this world.

The reality is that following Jesus doesn’t lead to a “picture perfect” life here on this earth, but often times the exact opposite.

When talking with his disciples, Jesus did not promise them a “picture perfect” life. Although, I am sure that’s what they could have dreamed of, it was not a promise they were given. Instead Jesus told them,

“In this world you will have many trials and sorrows.” John 16:33 (NLT)

Could you imagine hearing this? Just reading it makes me shutter. It makes me fearful.

As my journey with Jesus, has progressed, I have found this to be so true. My life has been full of loss, grief, pain, and hardship. It has been filled with broken hearts, disappointment, bad news, and feelings of abandonment.

The journey I have been on has been full of challenges, but also so many celebrations. Immediately after telling his disciples they would face many trials, Jesus said these powerful words…

“But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NLT)

Yes, this world is not a perfect world. It is not “picture perfect.” But we do have a picture perfect God. We have a God that is there for us even when it seems no one else is.

He is there as we mourn. He is there when we cry. He is there when we feel completely alone.

This blog is simply a place to tell a story. It is to tell the story of how God has shown up. How he has been there for me, even when I wanted to give up. Even when my life was not so “picture perfect.”

In the posts to come, we will talk about prayer, Scripture, and community. We will talk about how God has helped me get through the loss of friends, the passing of my father, struggles with the local church, and the many challenges that come with simply journeying through the thing we call life.

We will look at how God is right by our side even when things aren’t always “picture perfect.”