Nonsensical Ramblings of Mark

And so it goes. I am in a half-day today to make up for the half day I took off to wrestle with the hot water heater. There is absolutely no one here (that I can hear anyway) but it is only 7:43 am right now. I am sure people will trickle in as the day goes on, but I could be wrong. We’ll see how dedicated we are. My wife got me a book called The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey. It is a good book. Not as earth-shattering as Schaeffer’s The God Who is There or even Lewis’ Miracles but a good book in its own right. In it Yancey says something that is mightily true. He says that the only force in the universe that can conquer a heart is love. In fact, when God chose to demolish the separation that existed between us and Him since the third chapter of Genesis, He chose an act of love that is unrivaled in its breadth and unparalleled in its sheer weight. Sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins is the greatest act of mercy and love that the world has ever seen. That act conquer...

Well, we have hot water again and it feels good. We got a good hot water heater and I asked a friend to help me with running the gas line. We half-installed it ourselves (we hooked up the gas) and had a plumber run the water lines to and from the tank. All in all I think we spent about $415. That is good considering the lowest quote I got for a professional install was $545. And that was for a cheaper water heater. We upgraded the gas line and the shut-off valve for the gas and water too. All in all I am satisfied with the job we did. If it happens again I will be installing flexible lines for the water to and from the tank. I think I can do that and still be in code. I’ll have to check it out. All that to say that this situation threw me for more of a loop than I wanted it too. As I grow in the Lord and understand His provision in my life I am truly amazed. From jobs to houses to cars to food – everything I need and a lot of what I want has been given to me by Him. And I wring my hand...

“That’s the thing about life. It’s just every day stuff.” Jean Piccolo “Then we could be heroes, just for one day.”   David Bowie No one I regularly come into contact with (save my wife) has any idea who Jean Piccolo is, but when she said this it rang true in my heart and I measure my life against it. How well to I apply God’s principles to my day-to-day life? Am I handling the ordinary things with the wisdom that is born out of the fear of Him? Or am I living a practical atheism that opposes the Spirit’s work in my life? I take exception to the phrase that is often uttered as heroes brave their demise or comfort to aid people in need “This is what America [or insert country of choice here] is all about.” It is often heard in the wake of a natural or man-made disaster.  David Bowie lends his voice to sing about the heroes that are there for the day. We need heroes and saviors – no question about it. If my life is on the line (and it was) I need someone (or Someone) t...

It feels good when others compliment us. Simple words like, “What a nice family you have.” or “Thank you for helping out during Game Time.” go such a long way in making us feel good. They also give us some indication of where our gifts are. For example, if we consistently teach a class and get no positive feedback whatsoever concerning our performance, maybe there is some indication that we should be pursuing another ministry. I say maybe because positive comments (and commentators) can be so fickle at times. It is important that we share the positive impact people have had on us as they serve and minister to us. Our comments may even be part of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives to determine their giftedness. On the other hand, what if the comments do not come our way? What if the people that we desire to say something to us never respond to our offerings of service? Once we have determined what our giftedness is, these lack of comments should not deter us. As long as we have ...

I can feel it. This is when I have to be very careful. One of the kids was up last night (ok, the whole night) coughing and crying. Needless to say, my wife and I got very little sleep. Sleep is one of my idols and I get very easily upset/bent out of shape/frustrated when I do not have enough sleep. I tend to treat people badly and get grumpy to the point of being rude. OK, now that the truth is out I need a plan of action: Pray! God wants me to have a good attitude and I need Him to grant the desire of my heart. Relentlessly focus on others today. Make an extra effort to make sure other people’s needs are met before mine. I should be doing this every day, but some days it comes a tad more naturally. Ask “Is there anything I can do?” so much that it gets to the border of being annoying. Make sure the kids are mine tonight. I don’t care how much of a bummer work may be, I need to make sure I am the primary parent tonight. Know that any misbehavior is probably born out of the lack of sle...

I am not the same person I used to be. I live on a different street than I did two years ago and drive a different car. In fact I have been through two cars. We decorated our house differently for Christmas this year and got a nice Christmas tree from a different Christmas tree farm than last year. We didn’t hang the glass icicles on the tree this year because the kids like to look at the tree a little too closely. We will change that when they get older. We are going over to my in-laws’ house on Christmas day for the first time in, I think, forever, but maybe just since the kids were born. I am doing something different at work this year than I had been in my previous years here. I have a new boss too. So far, since I have been here, I have had 6 bosses (in eight years). Gas prices have been going down recently. It was $3.49 a gallon over the labor day holiday weekend. It is down to $2.36 right now. I upped the deductions on my paycheck so I will be getting more back throughout the ye...

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 So many conflicts in our lives have more to do with how things were said rather than what was said. The wounding words, the wounds that do not heal, usually have little to do with doctrine, outlook, or any such truth claim. Rather, the wounds have more to do with how those truth claims were presented by the person laying hold of them. People can respect the fact that I believe in absolute truth. It does not take long to convince people that there is such a thing. They even can stand the fact that I think the version of the truth presented in the Bible explains our universe. What they can’t stand (and should not tolerate) is the tone I use sometimes to present that truth to them. As the husband to my spouse and the father to my sons I manage my family. There are certain things we bend on and certain things we do not negotiate. When the non-negotiable portions of our lives become sources of conflict, it is up ...