Rick Nier...Woo!

I was fine, I tell you. The day had been somewhat long, but so had the week. Dinner was good, a real meat and potatoes kind of night, which doesn't happen all that often in my house. Don't go telling my wife I said this. She's a wonderful cook and she feeds me in many great ways. But we have these three midgets who live with us. They are very picky eaters. And eating meat and potatoes is not always worth it when it comes with whine. It wasn't the meal. But, all of a sudden, BAM. I didn't feel good. But this couldn't be. I had plans for the next two days. A long list waiting to be done...by me. But morning's sunrise did not bring any better results. I was ill. Though I knew it to only be some silly flu going around, it felt like death was waiting for me. Why does the flu feel like that? I have a better question? Why does it come so quickly and unexpectedly? I've gone outsde with a wet head. I've played in the snow without gloves on. I've danced in...

We do the right thing for the right reason. I've grabbed onto many different catch phrases for differing amounts of time. Perhaps they helped me through a struggle, gave me inspiration, or simply made me laugh. But the quote above goes with me above all others and at all times. We do the right thing for the right reason, regardless of the consequences. I've had difficult conversations, hard days, and trying seasons in life. But whatever decision I have to make should match up with the right thing mantra. It doesn't matter if it makes others sad for a time. It doesn't matter what it costs me. It's the right thing, period. If there's an objective standard, then it doesn't matter how I feel about a person, situation, or experience. I believe Jesus Christ has set the standard and I choose to follow Him, regardless, period, and no questions asked. We do the right thing for the right reason.

Perhaps you'll disagree, but I find demotivators very funny. If I had more cash, there are a few I would buy and put up in my office. One of my favorites pictures a bunch of hands in the middle with text that reads 'Meetings: Because none of us is as dumb as all of us.' Another shows a huge snowball and reads 'Teamwork: A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.' I realize it's not very uplifting, but that is not its purpose. You can find these at www.despair.com. But getting you to buy one for me is not my point. I'm thinking of how often we see one person get really passionate about something. The rest of us will do one of three things. We'll either join him in his excitement, hope that he calms down soon, or just watch and enjoy the show. Some people get passionate and never calm down. These are the people that change their world. But what if we were all to get passionate about something at one time? I'm not ta...

Every once in a while, you have to stop and ask yourself what kind of life it is you want? This morning I ran across this scripture from Philippians 3:10 "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death," It made me stop and wonder. If something is bothering me lately, and there is something, what is it and why? And this verse makes me wonder if the something bothering me is...well...me. Like many people, I have good things and not-so-good in life. That is to be expected. But if I'm feeling down, perhaps it is more amatter of perspective than just a sum total of the not-so-good things piling up in life. Paul sang in jail and I find it hard to find a tune while on the way to work? That doesn't seem right. The thing about this verse is that most of u would be quick to sign up for Christ's power in resurrection. But not as many are interested in sharing His sufferings. Less still...

There is no mistaking what caused that smell when it comes with that noise. What started as a bad cough for my 2-year old quickly became the regurgitation of her supper. I wasn't aware that she merely swallowed hot dog and did not chew it. Did I mention it was hot dog combined with milk she had drank? Did I mention she decided to spew all over my bed? Did I mention it was 2am at the time? So as my wife and I worked together to clean floor, bed, and daughter, I began to think about how my day was going to go. That is, how would my day go that was supposed to begin in 5 hours? It's hard to think redemptive thoughts when you've lost much sleep and you're cleaning chunks of hot dog from your daughter's hair in the middle of the night. In fact, I did not think redemptive thoughts then. But now, despite sleep deprivation, I am. For starters, what was I really going to do with a full night's sleep? The fact is God gives me strength when I am weary. And though she may n...

I haven't done a book review and I'm not sure I'll do much of this kind of things, but... I just read The Circle of Seasons by Kimberlee Conway Ireton. It's basically a beginner's crash course on the Church Liturgical Calendar. Having grown up in churches that do not do much, if anything, with the liturgical year I found it quite interesting. She offers small ways to make each season more meaningful on a family level. I think I enjoyed it because, like many others, I grow tired of the commercialism of Christmas and the Easter Bunny ruling the day when Jesus rose from the dead. So if it's supposed to be all about God, I want to help my kids understand that, even if it means lighting a few different colored candles around the house. Her book had some good ideas, but I'm open to hearing others. What ya got?