Thursday, February 28, 2013

Ralphing on the Roadside

Last night was awful.  My dinner just didn't agree with me.  I'm not sure what it was or why it bothered my stomach so much, but while driving home I had to pull over and relive my dinner all over again... in reverse.

I know of three types of people in this life.  There are people, we'll call them Type-1, who fight vomiting with all their might and can suppress the urge almost indefinitely.  Type-2 are those who lack any control and lose their lunch at the sight of a drop of blood from a paper cut.  Then there are those, Type-3, who realize that their body is trying to eliminate something that's not good for it.

These same people often react to life in the same way, when trouble or conflict arises.  Imagine, if you will, three landlords and their tenants.  

In our first situation the tenants have painted the walls black, let the bathroom mold over, have put holes in the floor, and never let their pets (which they aren't supposed to have in the first place) outside to do their business.  A Type-1 personality will continue to fight with the tenant.  Over and over again the waves of gut wrenching frustration overwhelm and hurt the landlord.  The tenant doesn't really care at all and continues be however they see fit.  Years later, the tenant finally decides to leave on their own.

Our second landlord is intolerable of any sort of infraction.  The tenant had their cousin stay over for the weekend?  Well the cousin didn't pay to live there!  The tenant cooked curry and the kitchen now smells like, well... curry?  This landlord isn't going to put up with that sort of noxious olfactory offense!  The Type-2 will kick out these tenants (and so many others over the years) ad nauseum (pardon the pun).

Our final situation involves landlord Type-3.  Their tenant has failed to pay rent for 3 months.  The landlord has tried reasoning with the tenant, but the new 60" T.V. and trip to Hawaii they were talking about, has the landlord convinced that they need to go.  Eviction notice served!

So, when you are struggling with an issue in life, maybe you need to examine your options.  You can fight through the pain.  You can purge every bit of pain from your life and never get to experience the benefits of long lasting relationships.  Or you can choose your battles wisely and eliminate the problems that are really hurting you while learning to work through minor/insignificant issues.

What in your life, right now, might you be able to apply this principle?  Is it time for you to pull over and yodel your groceries?  Would it behoove you to take a break and bark at the ants?  Would it help to hurl your hold-ups on the roadside?

Pray that God will give you wisdom and consider purging your problems.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

What is Love?

When you hear the words, "What is love?", what is the first thing that comes to mind?

If you're anything like me, you have a nostalgic moment hearing that awesome 90's groove in your head and can't help but start bobbing your head in an unnatural fashion like Will Ferrell in "A Night at the Roxbury".

What is love,
Baby, don't hurt me,
Don't hurt me,
No more.

Let's take a little bit closer look at this though.  Love is normally (and especially on Valentine's Day) associated with good things like romance, flowers, chocolates, cute poems, and fancy dinners.  And when we were all kids we were told stories about princesses and heroes who fell in love and lived happily ever after.

Here's the problem though, that isn't how real life works.  We all know it too.  We keep hurting the people we love.  We can't help it.  When we live in close quarters with other people opinions will differ and disagreements will arise.  And to be frank, we are all selfish.

Ouch!  The truth hurts.

Yep, we live in a J.G. Wentworth society and we want what we want, and we want it now.

So here's my advice to all of the guys and gals out there who have a special someone (or would like to have a special someone) in their life.  Stop being so selfish.  When you stop focusing on yourself you "won't hurt them, won't hurt them, no more."

Ok, here's a real example of how things sometimes happen in my house:

Amanda and I often do the dishes together, she usually washes and I dry.  But, drying is much faster than washing, and after a long day I'm tired (and a bit lazy) and so I want to sit on the couch and wait for some clean dishes to build up before I go and dry them.  My wife on the other hand would love to talk about how our days went.  So instead of sitting on my backside watching Firefly for the umpteenth time on Netflix, I could go into the kitchen, connect with my wife, and make her happier than a cat rolling in catnip.

Challenge to you all, think of one way you can be less selfish to your loved one this Valentine's Day and post a comment letting us know what you're doing to not only make this day special, but to make your relationship a better one for the long haul.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Raising Support

Amanda and I are still in transition into this whole Shiloh thing.  Potential move in dates have come and gone (I'm hoping for maybe April now).  Seasons have changed.  But one thing that hasn't changed is that I really look forward to the day that I can be working at the camp full time, but right now, our financial support just isn't there.  We are still about $700 shy each month from our first financial goal.  Until we reach that first goal I still have to be working part time at the local hardware store to make ends meet.

So this is an official request.  If you are financially capable of supporting us and Shiloh Bible Camp in our mission to be a place of peace for kids, teens, and adults who live in a world full of chaos please do so.  If you can spare $10 a month, that would be awesome.  If you could spare $20 a month, that would make a great impact.  If you can find more than that, I will give you a huge hug the next time I see you!  At the same time I'll say that if you can only spare $1 each month, I would still be grateful. (Please note that all donations are fully tax deductible.)

Lastly, please support Amanda and I in your prayers.  Pray that not only will our financial needs be met, but that we will stay healthy (we have no health insurance right now), that we will be happy, and that we will be used for God's glory, not our own.

A copy of our donation form can be printed here.  If for some reason it doesn't work please e-mail us.

Lastly, if you are looking for more information about Shiloh, the work being done there, or you'd like to come by Shiloh for a visit or to help out, please let us know as well.

God Bless!