We are so blessed

Last night, some friends came over and brought Julia a Christmas gift and she absolutely loved it. She was so excited. It was a tracing table for drawing. Those drawings blanket our living room. She was so precious trying to help put it together. After our friends left around 8:30 she stayed up until nearly 11:00 tracing one object onto a piece of paper. We now have a living room floor blanketed with at least 50 pieces of paper, each with one drawing on them. From whales lo lady bugs, she must have traced everything that came with this tracing table.
The day before that, we were leaving our neighborhood to go to Beaumont and got a call from a kid in our youth group trying to find our house. So, we met him at one of the entrances to our neighborhood. He came bringing gifts from two families to our daughters. These two families have been doing this since we've been at MoSt. One doesn't even have a child in the youth group. They just love us. Julia was so excited. There was wrapping paper all over that van. She played with those things the whole way to Beaumont. They are now part of a little city she has created.
This weekend I was once again reminded of how blessed my family is. We feel so loved by those in our church family. I don't know how people exist without relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. They have been with us through some difficult moments as well as the fun ones like this weekend. Thank you and we love you.

A fender bender lesson

I need to be careful what I ask for from God because he might just grant me my request. Yesterday morning in my prayer time I had asked God to show me some things about myself during the day, to expose those parts of my life that aren't like him. Well, later that morning my wife was involved in a fender bender behind SJM hospital. The driver of the other vehicle, a lady in her 40s was quite rude. Well, Deana called me at work and asked me to meet her at the hospital while the SJM security officers and police officer sorted out the wreck. During the ordeal, the other lady came up to my wife and started trying to lecture her about slowing down cause she might have hit a pedestrian or hurt her baby. That brought out the worst in me and I began to criticize the lady back. I spent the rest of the day quietly fuming over how that lady treated my bride. In fact, I had a hard time sleeping. So, after praying earlier this morning I looked back at my prayer journal (I usually record my prayers to see how God moves in my life over periods of time), and reviewed my prayer realizing that the Lord had shown me something about who I am, and quite honestly I'm not proud.

They say that it is in times of stress that a person's character is revealed. How one handles himself speaks a lot about who he is. Well, if that's the case I my actions, attitude and emotions spoke volumes yesterday. There is so much that God needs to work on in my life. It's easy for me to be kind and loving to those who love me. But it's totally different when it's some stranger verbally assaulting my bride. I wish I could only be more like Christ. I learned a lot about myself yesterday. I'm thankful that God is not completed with the work he has begun in me. My desire is to be conformed more and more into his image.

Finding Nemo

Remember the movie finding Nemo? I feel like I'm living it. I recently purchased some new tropical fish for my daughter's aquarium. She also picked out a frog. The next night, we noticed that her frog was missing. Apparently Iwas more concerned about this than she was because she decided to go to bed. I was a little concerned, but figured it was hiding under a rock. About thirty minutes later I'm in bed watching the late news and reading and I hear my wife say "Chad. Frog. Living room." At first I thought she was messin' with me. Then she said the same thing. "Chad. Frog, In here." I walk into the lving room and look at the floor next to our entertainment center and find this fuzz-coated pink frog. It had hopped down the hall, around the corner into the living room to our french door leading outside. I promptly picked the frog up and put it back into the aquarium. I have since sealed the top of the tank.

Feeding others

This past Tuesday our church family handed out food to over 400 families. It was an amazing opportunity. While many of us celebrate this time of year showering loved ones with gifts and eating Christmas meals others are simply trying to stay alive, fins shelter or food. Each year as we pass out food, I'm sobered to this reality. Although I truly am thankful and filled with joy, my heart does hurt for others. I'm reminded that I'm called to have compassion on the poor and hungry. So, I pray that I can use what resources I have to act as Jesus would and follow his lead.

Food handout today

Today our church family is going to dsitribute food to several hundred people. Last year we fed approximately 350 families from the Baytown, LaPote, Channelview area. Thisyear I expect at least that many, if not more. It has become something I have taken for granted rather than having viewedit as an opportunity. There is no greater opoprtunity for us as God's people to be his hands and feet than on this day. So many people with real physical needs will be at our doors. We have such an opportunity to meet people exactly where they are and at the same time offer some hope. I'm so reminded of how Jesus always met the need of the moment. But he didn't leave it there. He seemed to always use that physical need to reach out and meet a much deeper, more personal spiritual need. I pray that today, God will open my eyes to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I pray that he will grant me the courage to reach beyond the immediate need and offer something more real, more eternal than a couple of sacks of groceries. I pray that His will is done through this day and lives are touched in real, meaningful ways.

Being sharpened

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend, a mentor so-to-speak. It's always a great experience to eat, talk and pray. I leave our lunches a better man, better minister, better husband, better father, better disciple. We talk about all kinds of stuff from listening to God and youth ministry to music. What I like most is that I can be totally honest without fear while at the same time fully expect an honest, from the heart response. Those kinds of relationships are rare. They are gems. The Proverb says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" I'm thankful for those relationships that sharpen me, that challenge and encourage me to live more like Christ.

Two blind men

"What do you want me to do for you?" - Matthew 20:32
Such an odd question given the obvious condition of the two blind men along the road that day. Jesus, on his final journey to Jerusalem, looks these two men in the eye and asks them this basic question. Must of us, if we were there, would have been tempted to say something like, "duh..what you think..." But Matthew's story teaches us a valuable lesson. Most of us would rush to take caere of the problem. How many times are we quick to offer a solution to someone's problems. As sincere as we can be, we often rush to solve the problem or ease the pain without taking the time to truly listen and understand. However, Jesus takes the time to listen and allow them to express their hearts. Sometimes I think that's all people want. We don't want everyone to solve all of our problems. Instead, we want someone to understand. I think that when we know someone understands, we are more receptive to their help.
Anyways, this is basically a lesson I plan on sharing some day soon with others and didn't want to forget it, so I'm posting it here. Feel free to give me you thoughts