Election Day

Vote.

Do it now.

Yes, you.

Judged?

Have you ever been judged unfairly by someone in the church? This message may help.

Quote of the Day

I just started following Max Lucado on Twitter. He posted this gem the other day that I just now read.

Failures are not fatal. Death is not final. Life is not futile.

Gonna chew on that awhile, but my first reaction to this is that it speaks directly to fear. We're afraid to fail, so we do not risk. We're afraid of death, so we do not accept the gift. We're afraid of a meaningless life, and let that fear cripple us - which is destructive, as Bruce blogged about awhile back.

We. Is. Me.

Trust, Control and being a Dad

A constant factor of being a parent is understanding your kids maturity level enough to be able to discern the amount of independence you grant them. For example, an 18 month-old who's just started walking certainly isn't mature enough to realize the danger of walking across the street without guidance, but a 6-year-old likely is. That stuff is pretty easy to figure out for most parents, we simply call it common sense.

As kids get older, though, the level of discernment needed is greater, AND we have to be letting go of our own desires for our kids; the control. That's a little harder.

It's been said that if you have the power to destroy something, you have control over it. Thinking about that for a minute in human relationships, the power to destroy is given by trust. As we divulge more and more intimate details of ourselves to another, we're also extending more trust. Reciprocal trust is relationship, and the control is cancelled out by mutual maturity.

As a parent, we start out the complete trust of our kids. As they grow, we have to reciprocate that trust depending on their maturity level. We yearn to turn our kids free, to see them succeed, flourish, stumble, learn, grow... but they won't get there unless we do this job well, unless we give them the tools and the freedom to make their own choices, and let them suffer the consequences of their choices so they can learn - and ultimately learn to own their own lives. Lots of cultural and sociological pressure is against that, though.

All that said brings me to today's challenge as a Dad. Today, I got an email from my son's school that he has neglected to turn in several assignments. It's been explained to him in the past, and enforced, that his time is his to own. We will help him organize his time and schedule IF he asks for it, but ultimately, it's his responsibility to decide what to do with his time. We've set the expectation that he will do his work and should he fail to do his work, he will suffer the consequences of losing that freedom. So, I informed him tonight that he's lost his freedom for Halloween - a night he's been looking forward to for weeks. I took away trust, and exerted control.

Damn, that was hard.

Help a friend in need

My friend Ken Verheecke is a full-time musician who travels to churches all over America playing concerts and selling his CDs. He's got a huge heart for people and is a fantastic musician.

This past weekend he was driving to a gig in Cody, WY when the engine blew on his car. He drives a Toyota Corolla, nothing fancy. The repair costs are astronomical ($8600 for a new engine from Toyota, and so far the cheapest used engine they've been able to find will run $5900).

As you can imagine, that kind of money is hard to come by, especially given the economic circumstances of our time and the high cost of fuel.

That said, I'm inviting you all to check out Ken's site at http://kvmusic.net and prayerfully consider giving to his ministry. Prayers for this situation are, of course, also needed.

BTW, he doesn't know I'm posting this around the internet. I believe in his calling and believe God will take care of this need once people are aware.

Thanks, friends.