Not so Gracious

I was disappointed when I went to an online dictionary with the word gracious. The thing that disappointed me was there wasn't a definition that said "full of grace." As a matter of fact, the word grace didn't appear anywhere in the definition of gracious. Not full of grace, not having grace, not even from grace. Apparently you don't need to have grace to be gracious.

So what is up with "grace?"

I just finished reading the book What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancy. I have to say that sadly I agree with most of Yancy's commentary about the rampant ungrace among Christians today. If you are a Christian or a non-believer that has been treated badly or judged by me or one of my fellow believers, I can only ask for your grace and forgiveness--even though you may not have received that from us.

The book is a real eye opener to the value that God has given to us. In spite of the fact that we are so unworthy of His attention and love, He has chosen to love us anyway. Even though we are mean and self centered, He forgives us, loves us--and we still are self centered! We only think of the grace that has been given to us and rarely make the effort to bestow grace freely on others. Yancy reminds us that when we show grace to others, it demonstrates our love for God.

My favorite quote from the book is:
"There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.
There is nothing we can do to make God love us less."

God's love for us is completely unconditional. One might ask, "If I can't do anything to make God love me less, then why wouldn't I just do whatever I want? Right or wrong, God will love me the same. Right?"

The short answer is--That's right. The problem is that it's the wrong question. We don't do the right thing to change how God loves us; we do the right thing to show how we love God. If you don't love God, then I guess it doesn't matter if you try to obey Him. However, Jesus tells us, "If you love me, you will obey me."

Now the question is--Do we have a problem with obedience or is it a problem of love? Perhaps we have so undervalued the grace of God that we haven't taken the time to study His commands and so we don't know what we are to obey. I'd have to say that's a pretty weak excuse--and a love problem. For myself, I'm going to have to start being more gracious. Hopefully that will help me to demonstrate that I love my God and will help others to see that my God loves them.

John

By the way, if you feel like wasting away the better part of an hour, you can go here to hear my sermon from last Sunday.

Procrastinating Again (Still)

Well it doesn't seem like it's been a whole week since I've posted, but I was reminded at lunch today that it had been a while. Even when I'm not posting daily (which is most of the time), I am keeping up with my reading.

Last Saturday I went to a meeting of the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers. It is an organization of writers that are Christians. I was pleased to find members that have published books, members that have had magazine articles published and members that would like to be published. The group is organized to help writers achieve those goals. There are poets, fiction writers, and more that are willing to share their experiences and expertise with the novices like me. I hope to attend more of their meetings and perhaps get back to the idea of writing a book. In the future, I think that Hannah would enjoy the group and will invite her to come with me.

Sunday morning I taught a class at Hopedale during the Sunday School hour then made the 35 mile drive to Branson to preach at a friend's church--Cross Creek Community Church. They do podcast Pastor Chris' sermons so if they put Sunday morning's message up, I'll let you know.

I have several things that are on my mind to write about but I am too lazy (or at least unmotivated) to do the proper research to make a good post. I think I'll just procrastinate until I either do the research or I no longer feel like posting about those things.

Speaking of procrastination, I will invite you to check out the long awaited but still under construction site of the Fellowship of Missouri Baptist Evangelists. Kudos to Ron Howard for putting an end to our mutual bad habit of procrastinating and getting this project taken care of.

Later,
John

A Refreshing Interview

Today I had the opportunity to talk to a young couple about their future wedding plans. The meeting provided an opportunity for us to get to know each other as it was our first meeting. They were looking for a minister to perform the ceremony and were referred to our church which referred them to me.

To date, I've only done one wedding ceremony. I don't know how much that will matter to them. After talking and having lunch, I would be honored to be a part of their wedding day. They are high school sweethearts that have waited until graduating from college to get married. They appear to be very community minded and seem to have priorities in order. They have already started some pre-marital counseling (which is great because I wouldn't be qualified to help them). The bride will continue with post-graduate work while the groom gets busy making a living and helping to keep his new wife in school. All-in-all, they seem like a great match.

I called the groom from the only ceremony that I've performed. I don't know if referrals or recommendations for weddings are appropriate or not, but I figured that it couldn't hurt. That was a fun wedding and Key West provided some interesting stories, as well (not to mention some great Key Lime pie, too--right, Chad?) Tom and Jill are still doing well and have two beautiful little boys. Unfortunately, they are raising them to be Atlanta Braves' fans. In spite of that, they are still one of my favorite couples! (I'm working for that good recommendation--can you tell?)

The young lady reminded me of Chris a little--the organizer, take charge person, strong personality, great smile, friendly and energetic, smart and on top of all of that--pretty, too. The young man will have his hands full...and ought to enjoy every moment of it (well almost every moment).

Some days you get to have those moments or incidents that really pick you up for the rest of the day. My hour with this young couple was one of those. Young love is a very beautiful thing. It reminds me that I need to be more attentive to my own marriage; that Chris would enjoy the attentions and spontaneous acts of love that young guys do for their girls. It's probably overstated that the wedding is just a moment and the marriage is a lifetime, but it is so true. It appears that this young couple is planning for both to be quite memorable.

I don't know if they will stop by and read this or not. In any case, I'm grateful for the wonderful day that they helped to make!

John

Sure beats blogging about politics!

Just Wondering

Today is September 11.

John McCain has been talking about victory in Iraq. Barrack Obama has been saying that we need to get our troops out of Iraq. President Bush is saying that the Iraqis are now becoming able to police their own state and we can begin to make troop withdrawals. He is also claiming a victory for our troops and our country.

Here's my question: What victory are they talking about? The guy responsible for masterminding the horrible attack on America; the man responsible for killing thousands of innocent Americans; the guy that we were supposed to be going after...that guy is still free! The mere thought that anybody can claim victory in Iraq just verifies that the President's "War on Terror" had little to do with capturing Osama bin Laden and everything to do with settling a score for daddy.

Is the world a better place without Saddam Hussein? Absolutely.
Is Iraq a better place for its citizens? I believe so.
Are the fighting men and women of our Armed Forces heroes to the Iraqis and to the Americans? You'd better believe it!

But victory? I don't think that we can call it a victory until we've accomplished what the American People believed our mission in the Middle East to be: Find and capture Osama bin Laden.

As I write this there are 4 months, 12 days and 7+ hours until President Bush is no longer the President. You can go here to find out how much time is left as you are reading. He should be ashamed of the Presidential legacy that he leaves behind. He should be ashamed for deceiving (lying to) the American people. He should be ashamed that domestic conditions have deteriorated to the present conditions. He should be ashamed that he has the second lowest approval rating in our country's history (maybe he'll manage the lowest before it's all over...that'll be something to be proud of!). He should be ashamed that he had the world's finest and bravest fighting force at his disposal and he didn't satisfy the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans by going after and bringing to justice the person responsible.

I don't know if you support McCain or Obama. Do yourself a favor...support the United States. Research the candidates--and vote.

Bilbo always says, "Don't let anybody do your thinking for you." He's been doing a lot of thinking lately. Check out the platform for his new Republicratic Party.

Sorry for the rant.

John

The Economy of Raising Kids

I found this while going through old files and e-mails. I know that many of you can relate. I'm not sure how old the "study" is that came up with the dollar figure, but I don't think that it really matters. Feel free to share or direct others to this page.

The Price of Raising Children

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year
* $741.38 a month
* $171.08 a week
* That's a mere $24.24 a day
* Just over a dollar an hour

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last
* Glimpses of God every day
* Giggles under the covers every night
* More love than your heart can hold
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites...
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint
* carve pumpkins
* play hide-and-seek
* catch lightning bugs
* never stop believing in Santa Claus

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh
* watching Saturday morning cartoons
* going to Disney movies
* wishing on stars
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay on Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof
* taking the training wheels off a bike
* removing a splinter
* filling a wading pool
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:
* first step
* first word
* first date
* first time behind the wheel

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, So one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren.

John

Failure

I've often wondered...If a man (or woman) writes a book on how to be a failure and doesn't sell any copies, is he a success?









Then I saw this book at an airport bookstore.
I wonder if he's selling many books.

John

Political Humor

If you can't stand the campaigning that will be going on for the next couple of months then perhaps you can enjoy the satire and comic relief that the candidates provide for those that exploit the insanity in favor of laughter.

My blogging friend at The Main Bang (that's the name for the leading edge of a radar sweep, Mike--not a rapper's primary girlfriend) found a couple of funny videos. Go to his blog, stop drinking whatever you don't want spewing from your nose and watch these.

The first is for my Sicilian friend and the second (worth the 10 minutes) is for anybody that is wondering what kind of change McCain is going to bring to Washington. Both are hilarious; both from The Daily Show.

John

I'm Back

Well I've been catching up on all of your blogs. Three+ days with no computer has left me feeling a little bit out of touch. While there certainly was some down time that I could have used for a quick internet fix, it seemed that it would be in poor taste to bring the laptop along on an anniversary weekend. And there was a keyboard and high speed access from our room in the Luxor, anyways--at $14.00 per day. Ever wonder why you can go to a Holiday Inn Express or Super 8 and get free high speed access, but at the nicer, more expensive hotels it costs you?

Neither Chris nor I are gamblers so the casinos are a mere distraction from everything else that is going on around the clock in Vegas. It was 105 degrees (F) daily (that's 40.5 C). If you've ever been to Vegas, you know that we did a lot of walking. The Luxor is at one end of the Strip so at least we didn't have to decide which way to go when we headed out, we just had to decide how far.

We enjoyed the shark reef at Mandalay Bay, the lion habitat at MGM Grand, and the fountains at the Bellagio. We walked through the shops in the Venetian and also at Caesars Palace, strolled through New York, New York (the best City in Las Vegas), and had a Nathan's Dog for lunch. We took a cab to Fremont Street on Saturday night and enjoyed the Fremont Experience. Oh, and we ate! What we ate probably could have fed a small family; what we spent on food would probably feed a family for a year in many countries. The money that is spent in that city is mind numbing. So even though we don't gamble, Las Vegas still managed to empty our pockets and we returned home broke! (but heavier!)

I saw a bit of Biden's interview on Meet the Press--thought that he did a good job with some tough questions but answered most questions like a seasoned politician. More on politics in another post.

Tonight will be for relaxing, tomorrow for catching up on the lawn, the horses, the laundry, yada yada yada, blah blah blah.

John

Maverick

When I think of "Maverick" I think of the old James Garner television series and the Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster movie.

The term "maverick" is actually from a cattleman that didn't brand his cattle. At round-up time, a count was made to determine how many cattle each ranch had and the unbranded ones belonged to Maverick. So an unbranded cow was considered to be a Maverick cow. Later it came to mean a wild cow (still one without a brand). Cowboys would round up these wild cattle to get a start on their own herds and start their own ranches.

In using the term to describe McCain and Palin, I think that it is being misused. At one time it may have fit John McCain quite well. But any Senator that says he voted with the Bush Administration 90% of the time is definitely wearing the Republican brand. As for the young Governor of Alaska, I don't know if she is a "maverick" or not. I'll say this for her--she's definitely a politician!

She has been telling about changing the political culture in DC by putting an end to earmark spending and pet projects for states. She has repeatedly said that she told Congress "no thanks" when it came to building the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. That's not exactly the truth. True--they didn't build the bridge. But it gives you the impression that Alaska didn't accept the money for it or at least they gave it back. Not the case. Alaska kept the money and used it for other projects. Seems that earmarks are a good thing when money is coming your way and a bad thing when Congress wants to waste it somewhere else.

Sounds like Governor Palin will be a perfect fit in Washington. She already has the "Say what they want to hear/Do what you want to do" thing down pretty well.

I've seen this image on a couple of different sights.
Maybe she'll be like Diana Prince on Wonder Woman. Except Diana Prince lost the glasses when she put on the babe outfit and Wonder Woman didn't need a big gun. She had her Golden Lasso and bullet proof gold bracelets. (It's kind of creepin' me out that I remember this stuff!)

Washington may never be the same!

John

Stuff and Nonesense

Well the Republican National Convention is in full swing with Vice President Nominee Sarah Palin making her address Wednesday night. Mayor Rudy also did a fine job of painting the bleak picture of an America under the leadership of Sen. Obama. Tomorrow we'll hear what Sen. McCain has to say.

I say that it's too bad that we can't take the best qualities of both candidates along with the best of their running mates and make a new composite candidate for the office. How about all of the technology and genetic engineering that is at our disposal. Surely we could convince the far right that it's the best for our country--a person with the morals of a religious radical and the economic sense of a fiscal conservative to go along with the eloquence and energy of that other guy.

Actually, I not convinced of the fiscal conservative part. One speaker said that McCain would have a balanced budget by 2013. If I recall correctly, the current Republican Administration (along with a republican Congress) was handed a balanced budget from the Clinton Administration. Somehow I doubt that this Republican Senator has the fortitude to actually balance the budget. When was the last time that a Republican President had a balanced budget anyway? Okay, the Congress was Republican controlled in the Clinton Administration. Maybe what we need is one party to control the Congress and one the White House...no that's what we have now--not working. Time to try something different.

Once again I am incredibly disappointed in our choices. I guess the really qualified people want no part of the politics that goes with the office. I give McCain the nod on military issues but doubt that Obama is going to give away our National Security the way the Republicans would have you believe. I just can't see another four years of the wasteful spending that we've had in this Administration's eight years. All of a sudden the Republicans are interested in alternate fuel sources. Why? Because the Democrats have made it an issue. Today the Republicans are talking about new jobs and incentives for businesses. They've done absolutely nothing to stem the tide of jobs leaving our country for overseas or south to Mexico. The only time we hear any talk is when votes are on the line. Once the elections are over it's business as usual. They've managed to con me out of my vote too many times. I don't believe them--at all. I don't believe that they have any idea of what family values are. I don't believe them when they say that they are pro-life or that they are compassionate about our nation's poor, sick or homeless. I do believe that it's ALL about the money. I seriously doubt that the Dems will be much different. But I know that the Republicans have lost my respect, my trust and my vote.

By the way, here's an interesting link. Some people think that God has no sense of humor. This was made before Sen. Obama's speech in an outdoor arena in Denver. The irony of Gustav hitting at the beginning of the RNC and messing with their schedule makes me laugh.

************

This weekend the National Standing Committees and the Executive Officers of The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) will be heading to Miami to see how much rain Hanna will drop on Florida. By the end of the week, all of the convention delegates and others will be there to meet Ike! I know. It doesn't make any sense to schedule a convention in Miami during hurricane season. Well the convention was schedule for the spring in a new facility. Unfortunately, the facility wasn't ready so it was moved to the fall. Now it still isn't ready and NATCA has had to scramble to make things work for hotels, meeting sites, parties, etc. A hurricane is going to be a minor thing after all of the other hoops that have been jumped through!

Meanwhile, Chris and I will be heading for fair weather in Las Vegas. Friday marks the 27th Anniversary of one of the few really smart things that I've done in my life. I used to show the kids our wedding picture and tell them that the picture was taken on the happiest day of their mom's life--until she said that they've all been downhill since then!

Later,
John