Where trees provided shade and the grass was the only blanket you needed. When I talk to my daughter I don't detect the same level of wonder as she interact with the world. Maybe it is the difference between boys and girls. I remember sweeping adventures that went from one end of one neighborhood to the far end of another.

We had tales about the old homes in our neighborhood. From the story of old man Barry who had killed his brother to assume his familes property to the old boarded up house that was packed full of boxes of money. Then there were the old things we would find in the woods In between the neighborhoods. We would regularly find old cars in the woods and think how did they got there.

These paths were the wormholes to distant lands. Pushing through the undergrowth was emerging through a portal to elsewhen or otherplace. I guess I was just an imaginative kid. I don't know.

In my life God used this sense of awe and wonder to draw me in. As I look back over my life I see how he had set eternity in my heart. How His very creation pointed to something beyond the conventional. Even in my very hidebound mind I see that he was placing in me eyes that were always looking for the miraculous.

1. Lower Your Voice and Speak Slowly

2. Typically, the raised voice and rapid speech are telltale signs that we are out of control — that super-heated emotion is taking over. In those frames of mind, we usually come across as angry, hostile, controlling, but not in charge even of ourselves and our own emotions. A cool, calm low voice sends the message that we are not only in control, but that we have something of significance to offer the stressful situation.2. Say You Care

3. Conflict arises when needs are not being met or when wants and desires are at cross-purposes. The underlying message is that the offending party “really doesn’t care.”  One is not concerned about how the other feels. It’s “My way or the highway.” “He/she never considers what I would like to do.” “He and I never seem to be on the same page. He always gets his way!” The conclusion drawn from such statements is that the other doesn’t care. Conflict is moderated when there is affirmation that one is truly loved and cared for.3. Communicate Commitment

What problems did they face?  Among a variety of religious authorities espousing different teachings, how were they to know who was right?  How were men and women to be put right with God?  How could Christians in the midst of a pagan culture live lives truly pleasing to God?

Only one way, answered Paul, through Jesus Christ!  His answer holds true for us as well.  The details of our struggle have changed since those days, but the principles are timeless.

Using speaking excerpts from D. A. Carson here is a great look at what it means to be imitators.  H/T to Tim Chalies for posting this to his A-La Carte on 04 April.

1. Decline of African American Theology - Thabiti A.
2. The Faithful Preacher - Thabiti A.
3. Pastor - Eugene Petersen
4. The Explict Gospel - Matt Chandler
5. Legend of Zelda and Theology
6. The Art of Neighboring - Dave Runyon, Jay Patnak
7. The 4-hour Body - Tim Ferris
8. The 4-hour Chef - Tim Ferris
9. Think and Grow Rich - Napolean Hill
10. Don't Waste Your Life - John Piper
11. The Meaning of Marriage - Tim Keller
12. Decision Making and the Will of God - Gary Friesen
13. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
14. The Yellow Submarine - Beatles
15. Going Public - David and Kelli Pritchard
16. The Hobbit - J. R. Tolkien
17. Thru The Bible - J. Vernon McGee
18. How Christians Should Relate to Government - Wayne Grudem
19. The Essays of Francis Bacon - Francis Bacon
20. The Selected Works of Jonathan Edwards - Jonathan Edwards
21. Family Worship - Joel Beeke
22. How To Be Black - Baratunde Thurston
23. Brothers, We Are Not Professionals - John Piper
24. Never Walk Away - Crawford Loritts
25. Excellence - Andreas Kostenberger
26. The Holiness of God - R.C. Sproul
27. Westminster Shorter Catechism
28. This Momentary Marriage - John Piper
29. Bloodlines - John Piper
30. What He Must Be If He Wants To Marry My Daughter - Voddie Bachman
31. Why Men Hate Going To Church - David Murrow
32. Church Diversity - Scott Williams
33. APE: How To Publish A Book - Guy Kawasaki34. Good News of Great Joy - John Piper
34. The Magician's Nephew - C. S. Lewis
35. Stop Stealing Dreams - Seth Godin
36. The Republic - Plato
37. Tribes - Seth Godin
38. The Power of Story
39. 31 Days to Building a Better Blog - Darren Rowse
40. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
41. Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
42. DC - Trinity
43. Marvel 1602 Happy 2012

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Time is a valuable asset that attracts many robbers.Today is May 31. The last day of the year for me. I know, I know. I can hear you saying, "You do know that there are 6 more months left in the year right?" While that is true on your calendar, MY calendar reads differently. A lot of this, looking back on it, has to do with the fact that I am/was incredibly egotistical as a kid. The year for me starts in the month of June for 2 reasons that are important to me.

1. June is my Birth Month My birthday is in June and so, for me, that makes June a special month. It is why I have always counted June as the beginning of my year. Now I keep up appearances for the rest of the world but my internal calender says today is the end of year.

 2. Summer Begins in June As most kids will agree Summer is the best time of the year. It is what we wait. It is what we dream about. Time to just be, do whatever we want, sleep as long as we like, play ALL day. To a kid, at least to this kid, Summer is the pinnacle of the year. Winter is great with snow and Christmastime but nothing beats the heat and excitement of Summer. Colorful leaves and Thanksgiving are refreshing but hitting the pool or a beach in Summer is the best. Spings renewal has got nothing on the revival of our baseball team. Summer, Summer Summertime FTW!

The Point When I started this post I had a point but I am not sure if I still do. As I look at the close of my year and look towards a new one I wonder if I used my moments to their fullest potential? How much time was left on the table? The answer to that is none. That is the difference between time and every other asset. You will spend, waste, or invest your time. It cannot be stored. It cannot be saved. You can't generate any more of it. When it is gone, it is gone. For those of you using the regular calendar you have 6 more months in your year. What are you going to do with it? Each new day is a gift you might not get another one so you better use this one. What plans/projects/milestones can you complete?
Like the quote above says there are many who want you use your gift of time. They will steal it if you are not diligent in how you use it. Choose this day...

*Remember the Days Might be Longer but Time is Short *

"We’re so young. We’re so young. We’re twenty-two years old. We have so much time." - Marina KeeganThis quote was taken from an essay written by a graduating student from Yale. She died in a car accident last weekend. She was 22. How will you use the time that you have been given in a way that will have a lasting impact?

 -God's Man

  _  "FACE-TO-FACE conversation unfolds slowly. It teaches patience. When we communicate on our digital devices, we learn different habits. As we ramp up the volume and velocity of online connections, we start to expect faster answers. To get these, we ask one another simpler questions; we dumb down our communications, even on the most important matters. It is as though we have all put ourselves on cable news. Shakespeare might have said, “We are consum’d with that which we were nourish’d by.”

    And we use conversation with others to learn to converse with ourselves. So our flight from conversation can mean diminished chances to learn skills of self-reflection. These days, social media continually asks us what’s “on our mind,” but we have little motivation to say something truly self-reflective. Self-reflection in conversation requires trust. It’s hard to do anything with 3,000 Facebook friends except connect."

...

    "We think constant connection will make us feel less lonely. The opposite is true. If we are unable to be alone, we are far more likely to be lonely. If we don’t teach our children to be alone, they will know only how to be lonely. "

...

    "I spend the summers at a cottage on Cape Cod, and for decades I walked the same dunes that Thoreau once walked. Not too long ago, people walked with their heads up, looking at the water, the sky, the sand and at one another, talking. Now they often walk with their heads down, typing. Even when they are with friends, partners, children, everyone is on their own devices."_ We are more than our friends list.  Our follower count does not define us.  How do you build genuine connections? How do you encourage this in your children?

-God's Man

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;mbe merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me,mdo not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:1-14 NIV84) -Always chasing His Glory

Right now I am listening to the princesses in their praise dance class. I say listening instead of watching because the door to the studio is closed too keep the people who walk by can't see them in their leotards. I told my bride, the queen, that dance class was her thing and that I would not be taking them. I wanted them in martial arts or swim class. I knew better though. Secretly I love seeing my girls do new things. I love seeing them grow through new experiences.

So I shared on the FaceBooks that I was taking them to dance class. One of my friends commented that I was a great dad.
I have never been good with compliments. Not that I don't like them. Recognition is great! I just don't feel comfortable be called a great Dad. For me what I do for and with my kids is what I am supposed to be doing. Recognition is for when you go above and beyond. Great is when you have done something extra. That is my opinion though.
The other side of this is that I enjoy being a Dad. I don't think that I am a great Dad. I think that being a Dad is Great!
Being a Dad is a Great
Being a Dad is a Great Responsibility
Being a Dad is a Great Joy

-Always chasing His Glory

But can mortal man behold him? The eagle with his eyes before he can gaze upon the unclouded sun. Who then can gaze upon the visage of that God whose shadow illumines the sun, who covers himself with light, as with a garment? Nevertheless the pure in heart shall see God. They shall see him in all of his works of nature, providence, and grace. They see him alike in the minute insect, and huge elephant; in the sagacious mocking bird and the stupid ostrich. They see him sprinkling the earth with flowers, and gilding the firmament with stars! They see him walking with Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, in the fiery furnace, and sitting with Daniel in the lion's den. They see him while a babe in the manger, and a man quelling the raging sea amid the howling storm! They see him amid the lightnings and thunders of Sinai and amid the tears, the groans, and blood of Calvary! - Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne (1811-1893) This is taken from An Address to the Negroes in the State of New York by Jupiter Hammon (1711-1806?)
The Bible is the word of God and tells you what you must do to please God; it tells you how you may escape misery and be happy forever.If you see most people neglect the Bible, and many that can read never look into it, let it not harden you and make you think lightly of it and that it is a book of no worth. All those who are really good love the Bible and meditate on it day and night. In the Bible, God has told us everything we should know in order to be happy here and hereafter. The Bible is the mind and will of God to men. Anyabwile looks at 5 periods within history:

1. Early Slavery Through Abolition Era (1600-1865)
2. Reconstruction, "Jim Crow" Segregation, Great Migration and the "New Negro" Movement (1865-1929)3. Depression and World War II (1930-1949)4. Civil Rights Era (1950-1979)5. End of Century, Postmodern Era (1980-present)
   Just the few chapters have been enlightening for me. I am looking forward to finishing these books.

-God's Man

 This is part 1 of my notes from my last sermon, Sharing Your Lane.  This was part of the I Believe In You Series at my church.  You can watch the video here.

I never wanted to be that guy but you know how things go.You put something off...You hem and haw...Before you know it the year is over and you say, "Well the new year is coming so I am going to make this a top priority after Jan 1st...There is nothing wrong with that...  Lots of folks make resolutions.  I have made them.  I am sure you have as well.For me I never wanted to be make this resolution.  The dreaded join the gym resolution.  The resolution by itself is no big deal.  I think being fit is important, my stomach not withstanding,  biblical even.  That is why I was the fat guy running the triathlon last year and again this year.The issue is joining a gym at the beginning of the year is sooooo cliche.  So cliche in fact that the folks at the gym have terms, depending on the gym, for the influx of new people they receive at the beginning of the year.  If you have never experienced the gym parking lot at the beginning of the year it is a site to see.  It rivals any pre-Christmas mall lot.Anyway... To keep this on track...  There I was at the gym the day after New Years.  I had decided to swim and was doing my laps in the pool.  It was an easy swim.  I wasn't pushing myself even though there were some determined swimmers around me.  I was comfortable...  I was even a little bored.Well with all the newbies, me included at this gym, there were people coming in to swim and soon the lanes were starting to double up.  I was safe though, for some reason, until the dreaded question came.Can I share your lane?  Of course, I said.Reasons For "Sharing Your Lane"Last week Pastor Paul shared how important it is think generation-ally.  That we need t be looking at those who will come after us.He mentioned the importance of a Supporting Environment...He talked about Raising Expectations...He even mentioned the importance of Keeping It Real...God has a Multi-generational Vision and so should we.  If you don't believe me than take a look at the genealogies.  Genesis, Matthew, Numbers...And don't just think about "your" generations.  There are many lines that will be represented in God's Family.This passage comes at the end of an exchange between Jesus and a Father who was seeking Healing for his Son.  Verse 22 reads,       “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But IF YOU CAN do anything, take pity on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22 NIV84)The Flagship Scripture for this series is taken from Mark 9:23       “If you can?", Jesus replied,  "Everything is possible for one who believes.”Today's message is talking about our Attitude in how we walk together with each other.Why do we have to do this?  I am walking with Christ so Why do I need to walk with any of ya'll?  The perfect answer to this is because it is what Christ did.  That should get the yes and Amen and we should close it out.  I know however that we sometimes need something more.Back to the pool.  When I was swimming alone I was going at an easy pace.  It wasn't always straight.  Wasn't always clean.  The first thing that sharing your lane does is IMPROVE YOUR FORM.Proverbs make this clear in chapter 27 verse 17,  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17 NIV84)I had to straighten up when someone was going through the lane with me.  I didn't want to collide and neither did he.The next thing is that my slow pace evaporated.  I no longer wanted to just get my laps in.  I wanted to meet him at the middle of the lane.  I wanted us to be on the same pace.  1 Corinthians 9 talks about running your race to win.  You can't do that without someone else lining up next to you at the starting line.  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV84)The last thing that I will mention about sharing your lane is that it automatically creates relationship.  Being in the water with someone that close immediately creates rapport.  That got me thinking about this verse from Amos 3:3, "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" (Amos 3:3 NIV84)  There is a serious agreement that is struck when you begin to share your lane with some one.

When I think about these things I wonder about how life must have been for our early family. Let's take a look in the book of Genesis, in chapter 5, we see the line of Adam stretching to Noah. Adam lived for 930 years and during his lifetime he was able to see 9 generations of his descendants. Can you imagine? Nine generations were able to sit and listen as Adam would tell them about walking with God in the cool of the day. I am sure that he was able to recall with vividness the splendor of the garden, the first time he saw Eve, and the Glory of God. I am sure he would remember the confusion that came after the fall, the sadness of being apart from God, the hope that came from God's promise. Each generation was able to hear the first hand accounts of the man who knew God.

Sadly we do not have the benefit of being able to talk with our ancestors 9 generations prior but I thought I would share this story that I found today. Let me introduce you to Walter Breuning.

Walter was 114 years old when he died on Thursday. His earliest memories are from stories that his grandfather told him about the CIVIL WAR. Here are some nuggets from the story of his life as told on theBlaze.com

Here‘s the world’s oldest man’s secret to a long life:

• Embrace change, even when the change slaps you in the face. (”Every change is good.”)> * Eat two meals a day (”That’s all you need.”) > * Work as long as you can (”That money’s going to come in handy.”)> * Help others (”The more you do for others, the better shape you’re in.”)> * Accept death. (“We’re going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you’re born to die...”)Read the story and come back and let me know what you took away from it.

Have a Good Weekend
God's Man