Sunday was Cody's actual Birthday. We had his last game of the fall season in Tustin. His stat sheet reads:
Well tonight we celebrated Cody's 7th birthday. His menu choice was chicken tacos, chocolate fondue for dessert & then hang time with opening his presents. I can't believe he is 7 already...so much life has happened in hi 7 years and it is only beginning.
He has gone from my little 1st born kid who laid on my chest being 3 days old home from the hospital as i watch college football to my 7 year old who lays on my chest & we both yell while watching college football.
He adds a lot to my life, teaches me a ton, keeps me humble & allows me to be a title in life that brings a tear to my eye, he calls me "Dad"
His brother got him Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mom & Dad got him NERF Velcro Dart Tag System
He also scored a pair of binoculars from a friend for hiking & hunting
Halloween isn't a holiday we get excited for [we save our $$ to spend on the consumerism & decoration of Christmas] however this Halloween was the 1st year where the boys were super excited about dressing up.
We did do some pumpkin carving
Kim was excited to help Cody look the whole part of Jack Sparrow with some cool make-up effects.
I loved seeing Cole in his Bumblebee outfit from Transformers!
We had our neice with us so the 5 of us hit the community in search of Candy!
I LOVE the to read Abraham Heschel. Love it! Can't get enough but can't take too much at certain times. It is deep, profound, humorous & heartbreaking...it makes my soul move.
His short bio is:
Scholar, writer, author & a theologian. He taught at Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
He lived 1907-1972, still waiting to read more about his understanding of who Jesus is. His writings are better than most pastors, theologians of any evangelical stance I have ever read on the Old Testament!!
Some excerpts to quote him before i begin my humble, human thoughts
The surest way to suppress our ability to understand the meaning of God and importance of Worship is to take things for granted. Indifference to the sublime wonder of the living is the root of sin. Modern man fell into the trap of believing that everything can be explained.....I have always been a curious type of person as well as spiritual mystic, but curiosity and wonder can be chasms apart. Wonder sits back in awe, curiosity just asks odd questions. Being a spiritual mystic in me leaves a sense of being ok not having answers to spiritual happenings.
To the prophets of old wonder is a FROM OF THINKING. It is not the beginning of knowledge but an act that goes beyond knowledge; it does not come to an end when knowledge is acquired; it is an attitude that never ceases.....
As civilizations advances, the sense of wonder declines. Such decline is an alarming symptom of our state of mind. Mankind will not perish for want of information's; but only for want of appreciation....
This is one of the goals of the Jewish way of living; to experience commonplace deeds as spiritual adventures, to feel the hidden love and wisdom in all things.
Man is the messenger who has forgotten the messageHe writes that in context of saying we, mankind, have forgotten the message that our lives are a journey scripted for us for God to move in & through. We have forgotten, pushed thoughts aside, gotten to busy with to much to do for us to actually want, experience or even have a faint whispering of the divine in our lives.
The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living. What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder
Our church did a Fall Festival on Sunday. It was crazy mad fun! I co-taught the Sunday Service with Doug as we did a message on Parenting. It was lighthearted, fun, enjoyable & the afternoon was a hit.
We had In N Out roll in here with their burger truck. Tons of games, prizes & student ministry rocked out the Sugar Shack of Sno-Cones & Cotton candy.
The OC REGISTER COVERED THE EVENT which was cool too!
The dialogue along with the first video is an amazing. The congruent dialogue & implications, emphasis & rhythm in how he speaks is luring within the context of the illusion he is performing.
I just say WOW, THAT TAKES RISK to do
Today i read this link & this link because i was bored while a video was downloading.
This got my gears a turnin~
Basically some old fossil was found that had a tail. They assumed that it was a 'link' for humans. They wrote a book about it. Made a cable TV program about it. All while this was going on scientist were doing their job at studying it. After studying they announced this is so far from the human-ape possible connection.
Cracks me up. The public is super quick to grab a 'far fetched idea' & push it into peoples living rooms. However when the dead sea scrolls went public in helping prove that the scriptures we have are accurate the scientific world kinda dragged its heels.
My kid loves science. At 7 he is already desiring to know the "WHY" of the scientific side of life. We already have begun discussing creation, dinosaurs, faith, reason & the unknown.
I know i need to help my kid realize that humans didn't come from monkeys, that we are divinely created, the world is Gods masterpiece. But i also know that Science has its place in our world that is guided by faith. Sometimes that place is being able to say, "it is a good thought, but we will never really know".
I think that is where faith & science/reason are different. Scientific world cannot answer "we just don't know" the logic behind science is finding an answer through testing, hypothesizing & logical reasoning based on known facts. Faith says "God has it all in control". I know there are some very real questions i have about life, creation, science & unknowns I DESPERATELY want answers for, but they are not critical for my belief in Jesus Christ.
I hope the same for my kids.
I hope the same for high school students who are curious & faced with challenges about science, faith & everything in between in their life.
Over the weekend i got the chance to do a wedding. My wife got some AMAZING pictures which you can check out on Facebook.
However pictures are not the reason for this post---Love is.
I enjoy weddings. There is something very deep, meaningful, spiritual, sacred in a wedding. Or at least there should be.
I know we live in a society that has diminished the views of marital commitment & standards. Many people have a hard time dealing with a higher standard on relationships, marriage, intimacy & friendship as lifelong partners. It can be 'easier' to just ditch the relationship or sweep issues under the rug.
I can say statements like that cause my wife & I in 9 years of marriage have had to deal with some stuff that has been messy, painful & hard to face. It would've been easier to push it under a rug & move on but it wouldn't have been the best for our marriage, family or even our own well being.
I value the request of a couple to me to marry them. We spend a significant amount of time together before the wedding. We talk openly, honestly & with a high standard on what marriage is, can be & just offer a ton of encouragement to the couple to tell them we want them to succeed so we are in this with them. When i stand with a couple on the day of their wedding i want them to appreciate the HEAVINESS of what it means to say "I sacrifice everything for you" when they get married. Marriage truly is one of the most scary, risky, vulnerable & yet life impacting things you can ever do in this world. To look another human in the eyes & say for the rest of my days "YOU MATTER MORE THAN ME".
I wonder how many kids would grow up with intact families if people meant that?
I wonder how much money would be saved in divorces if people meant that?
I wonder how healthier our communities would be if sacrifice matter more than selfishness?
I wonder how many tears wouldn't be shed in pain but more in joy if people meant that?
I wonder how much more we could model Christ's love to the world if we actually took the words of Christ & the scriptures literally?
Love is sacrifice & Love is worth it. Marriage is worth it!
Congrats Michelle & Justin...thanks for letting me be a part of your day!!
Posts
All Comments
