Father by Forbearance
I have a great dad. Not only has he been a rock when many things have been shifting in my life, but he has also put up with a lot from me over the years: from crazy schedules to lack of motivation, mild rebellion to outright disinterest in life, he’s been there for me a lot. The more I consider, the more I realize that I never really felt stranded or forgotten throughout my younger years. When I was living at home, I always knew it was a safe place; there wasn’t much that could touch me there and he worked hard to make sure we had a stable environment to grow through.

Beyond just safety, my dad put in overtime hours just to help feed my interests. If I showed a passion for something, he would do anything he could to make that come to life so I could explore it. Perhaps this meant extra trips to a hobby store to let me buy model rocket components, sacrificing part of his work-week to take a gun-related instructional class, selling something of his so we could fund a more expensive hobby, the list goes on. I may never know all the things he did for me, but I consider that the mark of someone who truly loves and cares for those he has been entrusted with. I’m sure he still does these things even though I live several states away.

Dad: Thank you for being there, for providing, for making me work hard.

Father by Friendship
The second father-figure in my life lives about 10 minutes from me. This is a blessing I cannot put a price on; he’s an incredible man of God, one of my best friends and one who mentors me even when he doesn’t realize it. The relationship I have with this man has evolved over the years as I grow closer to him and his family, and I thank God on a regular basis for the way his influence has affected me.

This is one of those strange things in life that you can’t really put your finger on, though you know it is both existent and crucial for your survival. God has always taken care of me wherever I went, but He allows me to spend time with this group that I might be blessed and encouraged as I grow in Him. I’m so very thankful for the leadership and wise counsel I see modeled right in front of me on a daily basis; the effects of which stretch further than anyone else will ever know.

Kevin: Thank you for the advice, the patience, the trust.

Father by Faith
I’ve met a lot of people that have never met their fathers, never seen them face-to-face. Maybe this is you, perhaps you’re one who doesn’t even want to. While I consider that a complete tragedy in relation to human fathers, I have no words for what this must feel like to my third and final Father.

Though I’ve never “seen” Him personally, there is no stronger bond in my life than the one we share. He’s been there through everything I’ve gone through, sat next to me while I cried a thousand times, laughed with me as I enjoyed the blessings He gave me. He was still standing there as I embraced darkness in high-school, patiently (and I envision: painfully) waiting until I was done running with things that took me away from Him.

It means more than I can ever hope to describe, this tie to “Father of mine.” Either way, I’m going to try expressing my wonder for the rest of my life; even so I won’t be able to come close. There’s just no way to say thank you for all He has done for me, no words that do His works justice. All I can say is that without Him I would not be here writing this today.

God: Thank you for…everything. I can’t wait to see you face-to-face.

Happy Father’s Day!

This passage states that Job’s three friends ceased to answer him. It wasn’t that they didn’t love him, and we know this is true because of previous chapters. They had been going back and forth for a long time; what they came to realize, was that he no longer had the ability to learn from sources besides himself.

When we defend our position to the end (Job 35:16) it leaves no room for outside involvement. They can’t even argue with us, because we have things so worked out. That’s the point, right? Make sure there can be no case against us. Eliminate all chances of wrong on our part. Claim to have done our best.

Even if we are completely right in what we say, we are never justified in saying it. Only God can acquit one of wrong (Mark 2:7) and it is better for others to praise us, rather than ourselves. (Proverbs 27:2) By taking a position of defense, there are times when even our closest friends are warded from our side. In effort to prove our innocence, we actually cast support away.

The danger here is two-fold:

- Our friends will pull away, unable to be close to us as they desire. I have been on both sides of this, and neither is conducive to a working relationship . Relationships have to be built on trust; spending time second-guessing doesn’t help strengthen the bond between two individuals.

- We are left to fight battles on our own, which reduces our ability to win. (Leviticus 26:8) By casting off the support of others, we isolate ourselves. This can be a frightening thing for a caring person to watch, but imagine how it would feel to be the one left standing there!

I believe it is very important to examine areas of our lives for this trap. It starts small, but can quickly take hold of your communication and influence others around you. I must admit: there was a time when I was not sure my closest friends would stand and fight for me. This belief, having nothing to do with their own actions, almost cost me one of the most influential situations of my life. Please take time to see if you are doing this; don’t fight the battles alone!

———-

Sunlight spilled through the stained-glass window set high into the stone wall. Hundreds of tiny facets bent rays of light into a rainbow of color that cascaded to the stone floor below. The cathedral was a beautiful sight, and the rows of silk that swirled around the open space seemed to contain the splendor. A small gathering of people near the front of the room sat in total silence, none wishing to disturb the events proceeding before them. This was truly a wonderful day that none would forget.

Dozens of flowers were held by all three brides at the altar; their grip was firm and anxious, full of excitement as they absorbed every detail. Folds of beautiful cloth caressed their slender frames; the three men standing near them were as statues, through close observation would many glances cast at their respective females. Their own attire was crisp and tight on their broad shoulders, forming strong pillars for their brides to lean upon. No one would have noticed if the building were to collapse around them; each was staring intently at the leader of their group as he spoke words of encouragement to them.

“Three couples, three unions, three new adventures about to begin.”

As the ceremony drew to a close, each pair stood apart and spoke to one another in private. The vows they took were sacred and unyielding against anything life would bring; these were life-long commitments, and none took it lightly. A small cheer erupted from the onlookers as each couple turned to face them. Having sealed their bonds with the public profession of love, the celebration festivities would begin!

The camp was a center of joyful commotion that night. Fires danced in their circles as the family turned circles around the fire. Smiles and warm embraces were shared as the group told stories, exchanged gifts, and enjoyed a bountiful feast. Togetherness was a tangible presence that evening; nothing outside the ring of tents could disturb this group.

As the moon rose high into the sky, each of the newlyweds packed their gear and wished the others a fond farewell. They rode over the hills in different directions; each intent on spending time with one another in camps of their own.

Those at the main camp watched the riders depart, staring into the night until only shadows remained. They moved back to the fire and sat there for several hours; stories of times past twisted to form a tight net that bound them close together. At times, one or two of the figures would leave the circle for a short while, to return after they had taken a moment to reflect on the events of the evening.

* * *

One of the younger females was slowly approaching, her head tilted sideways as if to see around the edge of the young man’s shoulders. As she drew close, he turned and smiled half-heartedly in her direction. She returned the smile, then extended her hands to reveal a small item. It was something they had found on an old desk some years back, and to that day had continued to provide entertainment for them from time to time. The only problem was that it broke rather frequently, as was the case once again.

He reached for the item and started to work, his hands moving quickly over the surface of the object. After a few moments he handed it back to her and waited. The item began to shine in her hand, then abruptly sprang to life and glowed a brilliant rainbow of colors. Her eyes lit up and she held on tight; the little widget had a way of escaping.

Turning to run back up the hill, she expressed her gratitude in a cheery shout over her shoulder. He heard her present the item and the elated responses of the group. This usually made him grin, but tonight it did not. He could find no peace in being helpful today; somehow the very life of his actions had drained away. It seemed a hopeless situation, one that nobody else even perceived as abnormal.

To him the distinction was clear – could it be any more obvious? Not to him, perhaps, but most certainly to the others, as he was allowing himself to realize for the first time. All party members felt as though they lost out now and then. To someone like him, the success of the others was as if it were his own; this weighed heavily at times and he needed a break, but pausing for too long often led to discouragement. It was his job to respond correctly, not dictate what was brought before him.

He sighed and slowly stood, shaking both the dust and sour mood from his figure. With a final glance toward the campfire, he turned and begin his trek into the night. A lengthy walk lie ahead of him, and he could not afford to carry any extra baggage born by grief or regret.

Had this situation occurred only a short time ago, he would have kept walking; the feelings he had for the group had been thrown to and fro since then. Some days it seemed as though it would never get better, but he still hoped it would. The young man slowed slightly as thoughts ran through his mind: he knew if he walked away that light would fade completely; he may never see the outline of his form on the ground, perhaps the fire would never again chance to shine at his back. So many routes away from here would only turn to lead him back one day…why not just stay?

The young man shook his head, laughing softly at his plight and turning back toward the light. He’d travel with this group until it really was time to go elsewhere. It wasn’t long before he saw the outlines of his companions, heard their joyful exclamations at the sight of him. As he re-entered the camp, his tired features stayed behind in the shadows and lay behind him for good.

One crucial aspect to sharing God’s Word is constancy. We have a responsibility to share what has been revealed to us in its entirety. It does not require anything but a heartfelt desire to share our greatest news with those nearest us.

In Acts 8, we see a picture of the early church under fire. Saul goes to great lengths to tear down what Jesus built. This pressure on believers led them to flee his wrath, yet in verse 4 we find that they continued to spread their news to all people. This group was likely not ordained, nor did they have churches to attend when they fled. As a matter of fact, it is implied that they did not seek audiences at all, but instead spoke their message wherever they were.

This certainly shows their willingness, desire, and need to spread what was inside of them. (Luke 6:45) When someone decides to speak, they do it as a radiation from the source instead of a concentration around it. In a sense, they don’t “preach” their message from a place of comfort; it is freely given to any who will listen.  This emphasizes that we have a responsibility to share what we know because we posses it, and the early church modeled the universal responsibility Jesus charged us with.

When persecution hits a group, it is generally believed that those holding the big stick are the victors. What we see throughout history is a different story: persecution often spreads things further than the original effort! After taking great steps to disperse the core followers of Christ, it was believed that they would stop speaking of Him. When we look at the results we find the opposite to be true. (Paul himself verifies it: Philippians 1:12-13)

No book has ever been under the same pressure as the Bible. No message has been so widely spoken as the Word of God. No figure has been given the attention that Jesus Christ can claim. These facts, confronted by eons of suppression, can only be a testament to how God chose to work through our efforts to squelch His message. As a matter of fact, we find that the range of persecution extended the range of Christianity.

As Saul attempted to stamp out the followers of Christ, he actually made it more accessible. One of the precipitating actions to this change was when they stoned Stephen. After killing him, Saul drove the Christians out; forcing them to be solitary or with few ties back to the rest of the body. This only encouraged their speech, however, and we can almost state that the blood of Stephen was literally watering the roots of the early church.

I believe it is the responsibility of the church to spread the news of Christ. This means that we don’t have to do anything fancy, get incredibly emotional, or engage in passionate discussion to make a difference. All we have to do is decide to share what we have with someone else. When we choose to do good, it influences our heart; in that moment it becomes impossible for our message or movement to rendered useless. Wherever we are, we have a job to do. Are we?

Starting from today, it’s easy to glance back and see a long line of footprints winding through 2009. It was an interesting year; one with many “firsts” actually. It would be impossible to list all of the new paths and directions, but here are a few:

On the Move
I lived in Nebraska for 23 years before moving to Springfield, Missouri last September. The change has been amazing in more ways than one, and I’m excited to see what happens next.

Hackintosh
For my next trick: I’m typing this on a Dell netbook running Mac software. It was a bit frustrating to get working, but has had very rewarding results! It’s amazing how well Snow Leopard runs on such a tiny device…definitely nice to get things in one location smaller than my Bible.

Intentional Reading
While I’ve always loved to read, this year I made a more conscious effort to re-literate myself. I figured there are plenty of opportunities if you look for them; I ended up finding time for an average of roughly 4 books per month. Not a bad start…

Polyphasic Sleep
I attempted this feat while living with a few friends early in the year. My efforts met with mixed results, but it was a very interesting experience! Go look it up sometime…it’s pretty incredible.

Got a Job
I have been freelancing for years, seldom working at an actual location for any period of time. This has served me well, but when I got down here the projects seemed to freeze. I decided to go full-time at a local business fixing and building websites. I’ve never had formal instruction in this area, but so far it’s going rather well.

Devorak
I risked a new keyboard layout over the summer; I really liked what I found, but also saw that it was something I need to keep working on. I never took typing, but it was probably a lot of fun to watch me try to figure out the new configuration.

That sums up some of 2009. There are many more things I could write about, but I’d like to keep this fairly short. Rather than list things I’m “going to do” in the coming year, I’d like to ponder 2009 and suggest improvements:

Writing
This is my favorite one to think about: putting pen to paper. I was writing regularly through a good portion of 2009, but near the end of the year the stories never really left my notebooks. I’m not going to make any promises – why speak for tomorrow when today isn’t over? – but this is near the top of my list of “things to keep doing” in 2010.

Studying
I’ve made it a point to not list what I’m studying online, whether that includes history, Bible topics, or new languages. That said, I think there’s a lot we can learn when we study things together, so I may try to expound on a few topics later this year.

Working
I like where I work, though the hours and schedules are a bit interesting. Having freedom over my work schedule is amazing, don’t get me wrong, I just find myself wanting to do more than coding all day long. I’m not sure what it needs quite yet, but I think it’s safe to say I’ll soon find a way to re-order some commitments and work hours to allow for other projects.

Training
No details here just yet. I want to actively offer more of what I know to others, however that looks. I’m no Einstein, but I do have a gift of figuring things out; seems like I really ought to be archiving more of those efforts!

Reading
While 48 books is a nice number, I made the decision to focus on that too late in the year. Starting now, however, I know I can attain a better number; I’m going to use 5 books per month as a starting point (60 for the year) and see what happens. This will keep me on my toes, but it’s always worth making time to read more. (Note: I may have something new to share on this very soon…check back if the idea of reading en-mass appeals to you!)

That’s all for now! Be safe and have a great holiday today – I’ll swing by later with a tray of cookies.

Since the first week of November, I’ve been wondering about Thanksgiving. Why do we take one day and offer thanks, how should it differ from the rest of the year, are we actually focusing on more than food, etc. I narrowed it down to three questions and one statement – I’ll keep it short!

- Am I thankful for anything?
- Why am I thankful for those things?
- How am I showing thanks?

The last one is the most practical when we think about Thanksgiving day. One of the most sincere ways to show thanks is by surrendering something we care about. For me, this means being willing to give up something I like for the betterment of something else. It might be something simple: performing an act of service, or being willing to listen when I’d like to speak. Sometimes it may require more sacrifice: giving more than just what I can spare, or dying to myself out of dedication to something else.

I know this was a bit shorter than most of my ponderings, but I found it interesting to examine nonetheless. So often we’re asked to “remember to be thankful” but never really pushed to think about what or why that is. Try to define if/why/how you’re thankful for things sometime; don’t settle for easy answers, really think it out and make it personal.

“If we, out of humble appreciation, dedicate ourselves to responsibility with the things we have, we will never require what we have not.” –Baird Metternich

Have a very happy Thanksgiving day!

A lone figure emerged from one of the structures, her short light hair fluttering slightly in the breeze. She moved to the rock where her best friend sat guard; his countenance changed even before she approached, the sound of her footsteps reaching his ears and bringing a smile to his tired face. She ran her hands through his hair and maneuvered onto the rock next to him, leaning into his waiting arms. The male kissed her forehead softly and pulled his spouse-to-be closer to his chest. Neither one moved for what felt like hours; when the noise of a tent opening made them stir, however, the sun was still only half-visible on the edge of their view.

They turned to see another female party member exiting her tent. Reaching into the structure once more, she retrieved her cloak and gathered it around herself as she stepped into the sunlight; it glistened as though thousands of tiny diamonds were sewn into the purple fabric. She approached the tent where her best friend slept and playfully shook the support rods. After a few moments she heard a brief commotion inside, then the groggy dark-skinned face of her companion appeared from within the folds of the canvas. His face brightened immediately when he saw her; still holding the book he had been reading, he rose and embraced the woman he had grown to love more than anything in the world. The two of them advanced toward the rock where their friends sat, and soon all four of them were talking and laughing together.

What truly defines a journey, and how does one qualify an adventure? Stories of struggles and victories wound between the four friends, each couple with a unique story to tell about how they had met. Somehow the very ties that once entangled them now bound them together; though some might call their pasts perilous at best, it was the hardship and struggle of a situation that made it truly become a journey. Adventure is defined not in steps taken, but in the trail they form behind us.

The eldest of the group rose from where he had been sitting in his tent; his hair was disheveled from a restless night, and after taking a swig from his canteen he smiled and looked over at his companions. Each one was different, yet they were blessed to tread the same ground time and time again. Many battles had hardened this group but they could still laugh and cajole as family. It was a mystery which he wasn’t sure he wanted to find the meaning to. Every day he found new reasons to continue, each bond becoming closer through new challenges. His thoughts began to drift to members of the party far away; though the distance between them was lessening, it felt as though the gap would never completely close. So many things had to be said at their next meeting, too much had gone unnoticed or masked by silence over the years.

A small rock interrupted his thoughts; the object sailed harmlessly over his shoulder and his head snapped up to see where it had come from. The second female stood a short distance away, hands planted on her hips in feigned impatience. She grinned and motioned for him to start packing up the camp, and as he looked past her he saw his companions doing the same. He playfully waved her off as he moved to strike his tent. The smile that crossed his face was genuine, though it would not survive the onslaught of memories that promised to haunt him soon. It was a new day, however, and perhaps it would finally bring about the unfulfilled promises of so many prior…