I hate weeds.

So nothing can be more annoying than weeds. I had been doing a pretty decent job in the war against them for the first year in our house, but the last few months they have counter-attacked with vengeance. They are sprouting up everywhere in my yard. As I looked throughout the cul-de-sac I realized I am not the only one suffering from this problem. So today Trenton, Bobby, and I went to Home Depot to buy some weed killer. I was looking for something so strong that it would not only kill the weeds but make them suffer while dying. Unfortunately, all they had was traditional weed killer. So I bought a whole bunch and then drove back home. Bobby took a nap when we got home, and Trenton and I went out for more war on the weeds. I completely saturated every single weed in my front yard, and then refilled the weed killer and sprayed them all again. I was out in the yard for a couple of hours spraying those stupid weeds. So now I wait. I have already checked and they look like they are starting to wilt so hopefully by tomorrow I will see some real progress on their death. The crappy thing is knowing that even if they all die - it will be like 2 weeks before they wage war against me again. Frick.

God's greatest miracle is a life transformed

"...When we've met God...face-to-face, all of the arguments and evidence for His existence - though still perfectly valid - take a secondary role. They now become confirmatory for what God Himself has shown us in a supernatural way through the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. It's no exaggeration to say that knowing God personally and seeing Him change lives are the greatest miracles of all. Based on how God has transformed my life, my attitudes, my relationships, my motivations, my marriage, and my priorities through His very real ongoing presence in my life, I realized at that moment that miracles like manna from Heaven, the virgin birth, and the Resurrection - well, in the end, they're child's play for a God like that." [Williams Lane Craig & Lee Strobel]

We are about to begin a new sermon series on being a witness/missionary for God to our JH & HS students. As I contemplate different ways in which we can get our students to understand how to tell others of their relationship with Christ, I cannot help but think that what people need to see is a transformed life not some fancy theory or "proof" of God. After all - taking a look at the sun beating down on the Superstition Mountains yesterday casting them in a glow against the backdrop of the cloud cover clearly showed enough evidence for God. People don't need to see evidence - they need to see transformation. If I am to share Christ with others - they need to see that something is different about my life. The key will be how do I communicate that to the students? How do I get them to truly understand that principle? Another way to look at it, is am I showing the students that my life is transformed? Preaching a sermon is a waste of time and energy, if they can't see beyond the mere words to a life that is based upon the saving graces of God. I can honestly say the greatest miracle of God has been His impact upon my life. I just hope others see that miracle at work in me.

The Danger of a Zipper

So on Wednesday mornings I have the privilege of watching the boys while my wife is at work. I never know what to expect because it seems that when 3 boys are left alone, something is always bound to happen. Well this morning was cruising along just fine when I went to dress the boys after breakfast. Sawyer ("Bobby") was done in no-time. Then I came Trenton. So I let him pick out a shirt and then I picked out a pair of jeans for him to wear. He attempted to argue that the jeans were too big but I knew they were the right size. Well when I put the jeans on they fit just right so I zipped up the zipper and that's when things fell apart. Trenton yelps out an "ow" - and then gives me this pissed off face. So I ask what's wrong, and he tells me that I "zipped his penis" and it hurt. So then he looks at me and asks if he can "hit my penis" in some sort of eye-for-eye revenge tactic. I tell him no and run away because I know in his little mind he is already planning to make me pay for the zipper incident. Boys. I am so glad I have boys.

A Different World?

"If you were God, how would you have designed the world differently? As you remove suffering or evil and tinker with people's free will, think through the consequences that would result. How would people form character in your utopia? Would they be motivated to seek God in the midst of their pleasures? If you supernaturally intervened to eliminate evil, where would you draw the line - to prevent murder? Child abuse? Theft? Slander? Evil thoughts that may prompt evil actions? At what point are people turned into puppets who lack free will and therefore cannot truly express love?" [Lee Strobel]

As I read and ponder the questions that Lee Strobel wrote, I cannot help but think of the moment in Bruce Almighty where Jim Carrey's character asks God, "How do you make so many people love you without affecting free will?" Which Morgan Freeman (playing God) responds with, "Heh, welcome to my world, son. If you come up with an answer to that one, let me know." I cannot imagine how hard it must be to be God, particularly in regards to the free will problem. I struggle so much with this issue because I feel like even if humans were just robots at least suffering/pain/sorrow/misery/sadness would be nullified. Yet I know how great it feels when my boys run to me when I get home from work. I know how great it feels to have Trenton ask me for a hug and kiss at bedtime. I know how great it feels to have my wife close to me and give me repeated assurances of her love for me. I cannot imagine losing all of that (and so much more!) simply to remove suffering & sorrow in this world. In the end I must sit back and thank God that I am just Landon and He gets to be God. His job seems so hard and heartbreaking. I don't know if and what I would change if I could change how the world was/is formed. In the end I guess I just have to trust that God knew/knows exactly what He was/is doing.

Starbucks Saved My Life

So I came across this story and found it intriguing. Of course I think the life lesson learned by Mr. Gill was more about living like a regular joe instead of some fancy-pants executive; but I could not help but like the title. I think personal transformation stories are my favorite stories. It makes me wonder what type of transformation I, myself, need to go through. I cannot help but think that these trying times in America are here for a reason. I don't think God delights in people struggling financially but I do think He desires us to completely depend upon Him. Perhaps the only way to do that in America is to strip us of the one thing that we truly worship: money. I know I need to learn to live on less. I know I don't want my kids growing up thinking that they get anything and everything they want. Yet, I remain in a position of hypocrisy because while I speak out against greed and selfishness...I know my insides are full of both. If "Starbucks" can transform this dude, I wonder what God can truly do with me if I ever get the balls to let Him.

The Day the Music Died

I can't remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride,

But something touched me deep inside

The day the music died.

2:37 left...

What a heart-breaker for the Arizona Cardinals. I think they outplayed Pittsburgh but in the end they couldn't come up with one last play. What a throw & catch by Big Ben and Santonio Holmes to win the game though.

I think the biggest disappointment has to be the penalties and Kurt Warner's awful throw to end the first half. The Cards should have been up 14-10 or at the very least tied 10-10, and instead they go into Halftime because of a poor throw and the inability to run down a large fat Steeler. Even worse than that though was the penalties throughout the game. 11 for 106 yards. That is terrible.

Is the "curse" over for the Cardinals? Will they get back to this point? Who knows. It was a good run this year but unfortunately as my friend's No Fear t-shirt taught me in 7th grade - "second place is the first loser."