Walk Humbly. Live Loudly.

            I want to be a man of prayer.  Too many times have I heard the phrase, “I’ll be praying for you” or “I’ll make sure to keep you in my prayers.”  Unfortunately, the phrase has been uttered from my mouth way too many times.  The problem with the phrase is that it isn’t true in most cases.  I may not end up praying for the person!             I think this goes for a lot of people today. These phrases have been used in place of a simple, “I hope you feel better” or “I’m sorry to hear about that.”  People now say they are going to pray for someone, but are they really doing it?!             I have been convicted of this more times than not as of late.  It is time to change this.  Whether it be praying for the person right then and there or writing down the prayer request in a journal, I need to change this often empty promise.             I can remember a time when I kept a small prayer journal with me at all times and I would write different requests in it as I would hea

            I’m sitting here on a firm hospital couch staring over at my wife.  She is passed out from the events that have taken place over the last 24 hours.  She has been in excruciating pain due to fluid on her hip.  Although the morphine has helped, it has left her with a migraine.  I honestly can’t imagine how people cope with grave illnesses to loved ones.  I can barely stand seeing Bri like this let alone having to fight cancer or some other extreme medical issue. Through tears and frustration, my wife has continued to stay strong.  As a matter of fact, the only thing she has been concerned about is the medical bills that this hospital stay will cause on our finances.  It amazes me that through the pain, this is her only worry.  Although this is not my main concern, I would be lying if I said I  didn't  dwell on them too.  Late last night prior to falling asleep by her side I was thinking through it all.  As I lay there, I began to think of how much we had in the bank;

            As most people know, I have been given the “gift” of gab.  Most days I am able to keep it in check, but there are times that my mouth runs and my brain tries desperately to catch up.  There have been a few times in recent weeks that my mouth has gotten the best of me.  Because of this, I find myself having to apologize and picking up the pieces of the disaster my words have caused.             I spent some time today reflecting on these situations.  Not just recently, but also the situations from my past.  I started to play the typical game of “I should have said this” or “I should have done that.”  Then I think what kind of outcome it could have led to.  Perhaps that person would still be talking to me if I would have reacted differently.  Maybe I could have avoided that fight with my wife if I had responded this way.  I think you get the gist.             In doses, this is good.  It’s always good to learn from our mistakes.  But for me, it has quickly turned into neg

           Growing up and until recently, I have always considered myself a pretty self-LESS person.  Even before I became a Christian during my Middle school years, I always found joy in helping and serving others.  It was second nature to me.  I can remember on many occasions I would just give away some of my stuff to others.  I went on a mission’s trip to Brazil one time and gave away my own socks, shirts, and other misc. stuff.  Even when it came to tithing I would put $20 in an envelope and my parents would put it in the offering bucket.  To me, that  wasn't  enough.  So when the bucket would pass, I would sometimes throw in a few extra dollars from my “fun” money. I don’t mean to sound arrogant or brag in any way by telling you this.  I am trying to simply paint a picture of my younger self.  Unfortunately, this type of thinking and lifestyle has changed over the years.  I know it  wasn't  an immediate change but rather a gradual shift ever since I graduated college.

            I love sarcasm!  Almost any conversation I am a part of, I will incorporate sarcasm.  I’m always the first to point out the sarcastic tones and phrases of the Bible as well.  Like in Job 38 when God answers Job about all the awful things that have happened to him, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell me, if you have understanding.”  God himself asks a rhetorical, sarcastic question to Job.  My favorite writer and person in the Bible is Paul.  Just read through Galatians and you will see what I mean.  He  doesn't  shy away from sarcasm.             It  wasn't  until just recently that I realized that it’s not wise to try and be the “funny” and “sarcastic” guy ALL the time.  Even looking at the examples above, it appears that God and Paul were acting sarcastically to convey a point to fellow believers or showing their frustration about something.  Over the past five years of marriage, my wife has taught me many things; how to properly fold

            I tend to find myself daydreaming often.  It is something that I have always done.  I blame it on my ADD at times but I know that deep down I just like to imagine the “what if.”  For instance, I’ll find myself hearing music on the radio and think, man I wish I could play the piano or guitar like that or even sing like that person.  Even watching TV or movies I think, “I could act out that part better than that guy” or “I could write a better sequel or season finale than that.”             This  doesn't  seem too harmful does it?  You’re right, it’s not that bad.  But these are small examples of me trying to compare myself to other people.  What if I take it a step further?  After thinking about it more, I found that I do tend to compare my life to others around me.  It could be a friend or family member.  I look at people in my life that have the money to go on trips all the time, buy things I want, or do other things that I wish I could do.  It  doesn't  take lo

Anyone close to me knows my love for the old TV show, Friends.  For the longest time and still in a few circles people refer to me as Chandler.  Anyways, there is this one scene in Friends where Ross is telling his student of a girlfriend his nicknames for kids in his class; Sleepy Sleeperson, Smelly von Brownshirt, and Cutie McPretty (yes it is a gift and a curse being able to remember that, it is my “special power” I guess.)  Then a colleague of Ross’s sees him from a distance and calls to him.  Ross, knowing that he shouldn’t be dating a student, pushes her into an alley.  Later on as he describes the events to his friends he describes the other professor as Judgey von Holierthanthou. Although that particular situation is not the focus of this post, I really like the name “Judgey von Holierthanthou.”  I feel that it sums up how many people feel about Christians in general.  And maybe it’s not just Christians; obviously we ALL can be pretty “judgey” and critical of others.  Of cou

I’ll be honest folks; over the years I never really paid attention to blogs that people would post on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere.  I would just glance over it and read the next small snippet on my wall.  For that, I want to apologize for all those who blog.  It wasn't until recently that I found joy in writing in my spare time.  I never thought about blogging per say, but more short stories and things of that nature.  Then as I was reading a few blogs the other day, I decided that I would give it a try.  With the permission and encouragement I have received from my wife, I would like to use this forum to tell my story and a little bit of Bri’s as we navigate through our life. For my first post, I would like to focus on something God has been seriously convicting me of lately.  As most of you know, I am a pretty open book.  I normally tell people how I am feeling and what I am thinking for the most part.  I enjoy being liked and hate making enemies; but that’s a topic for a