I have.

Two times in the past year. Both times God was trying to get my attention.

Six months ago I stormed out of a meeting after submitting my verbal resignation. I was tired… frustrated… trapped. I drove away from the church resolute in my abrupt announcement.

I ran out of gas 1 mile down the road. Forced to call a friend who happened to be in that meeting.

I had no interest in talking but God wasn’t interested in what I wanted. He positioned me to face the issue. Metaphorically you could say I was out of gas. God was just standing by with the right person in position to help when I was willing to deal with it.

Fast forward 6 months. Thursday.

I ran out of gas on the interstate.

Sat for an hour waiting for roadside assistance. Except this time, I was prepared for it. Open to it. I knew it was God forcing me to stop my world and focus my attention on Him.

So I did. I prayed. I listened. Prayed some more. Listened some more.

Would love to say that I received a revelation. An epiphany. A hiccup. Something profound.

Really… I just felt His presence. Peace. Joy. (As I sat in my car with 70+ mile/hour semi’s passing by!)

Sad that it requires running my car out of gas to get my attention, but thankful that He is patient with me until I figure it out.

Is your dummy light flashing!

My son, Connor (20 months), is sick. Spent the evening at the ER last night. It appears he has asthma (like his older brother). A bacterial infection that lead to chest congestion triggered asthmatic symptoms yesterday. Thankfully our experience with Keegan (8 years) has taught us the signs.

We took him to the hospital last night. X-rays revealed a small spot of pneumonia on his right lung. Thankfully his asthmatic reaction led us to the hospital which brought about X-rays to discover pneumonia in it’s early stages. We’re grateful for the doctor’s cautious, “let’s be certain” approach.

Connor is doing better today. Actually up and running around like a toddler should.

So, I’m sharing this with my community of friends so you will surround us in prayers. Pray for his recovery. That we slow down our world and allow him time to heal.

Thanks for praying.

Reading Earl Crep’s book, Off-Road Disciplines. Great read. Makes you think.

In one section, Crep’s asks some great questions for a ministry to determine “…how closely we are identifying with Christ, co-laboring with Him, being sent by Him just as He has been sent by the Father.” Here are a few that jumped out at me…

• How many spiritual conversations have we had this month with unchurched (marginalized) people?
• What would our ministry look like if the pre-Christian community had a representative with veto power on our board of directors?
• What would we say to a poor person who asked us what we have done to help the marginalized since our last meeting?

I heard someone say one time that we tend to build ministry around our personal preferences. Applying questions like these can keep us from designing ministry that fits our preferences but pursue ministry that draws us to those whom God still seeks to bring into His kingdom.

I’ve been thinking more about a few encounters I blogged about the other day.

You’ve seen him. Weathered, beaten down, tired, alone. Standing at an intersection with a cardboard sign.

“Homeless. Hungry. God Bless”

Want to know the thoughts that run through my head?

“He’ll just blow it on liquor.”

That’s how I justify my selfishness. Sounds good. As if I’m protecting him. Saving him from himself.

How noble of me.

Here’s the truth. His actions don’t determine mine. I have no control over what he does. That’s between him and God.

When given the chance, I can influence. When the opportunity arises, I can lead him to a right decision.

But he’s the one to make the choice. I have to leave that process in God’s hands.

I have to do what the Spirit prompts me to do. Rather than justifying my inaction with assumptions of his.

Does this happen to you? What do you do?

Thought this was fitting to celebrate the moment. Enjoy!

In light of the recent 10 Commandments for motorists, Sam Luce posted the 10 Commandments of Online Safety for Kids.  Good tips!

…we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15 

We parents love this verse.  We memorize it.  Write in on our Christmas cards.  Ornately carve it out of wood and hang over the doorway of our homes.

But to what effect?  Many of us regurgitate it, yet few of us live it.

It’s like an abandoned stake driven into the ground by well intentioned parents ill-equipped to stand by it.

In truth, we are well equipped.  We just don’t know it.

Raising our kids to be followers of Jesus is no easy task.  And there’s no magic formula.  No combination of verses to memorize, recite or pray.  No way to manipulate the text.

Don’t get me wrong.  Pray.  Pray God’s Word.  Quit trying to say something original and just say what He says in His Word and let the sheer power of it do it’s work!

“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  Isaiah 55:11

Talk about Him.  Actively.  Daily.  What He has done, is doing and will do in you, for you and to you. 

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”  Deut. 6:6-8

But beware of your expectations of the process.  I pray my kids will love Jesus.  Live for Jesus.  Make their lives all about Jesus. 

But how God chooses to bring that about in them is up to Him.  I have to entrust the process to Him. 

The toughest thing in the world to do…

She twirls… her skirt spins.

Hands on her hips, she looks coyly over her shoulder.

She thinks to herself, “Do you see me? Do you think I’m pretty?”

Acknowledger her. Let her know she’s beautiful. Smart. Important. Unique. Perfect.

Dad! She needs to hear it. She will go to great lengths to hear it from you. If she doesn’t, she’ll spend the rest of her life seeking it from others. Don’t let some 13 year old boy be the first one to open the door for her… to ask her on a date… to tell her she is loved. Let it be from you first. Set the bar high.

• you paid the Barista an extra $4 to buy coffee for the next patron?
• you paid for the meals for the car behind you in the drive-thru?
• your small group (i.e. bible study group, peeps, those with whom you ‘hang’) had a garage sale, took all the proceeds, loaded it onto a Visa check card, stood at the local gas pump and bought people gas?
• you pulled your dilapidated fence down and didn’t replace it?

What if we became radically generous?  What if…

doesn’t seem that large

for a house

until you find your toddler holding his own diaper

Wonder where he’s been…