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"There is a place where hero's never die..." This was a quote I just saw on a commercial, and it had great movie hero's flashing on the screen like Bruce Willis from Die Hard, Val Kilmer in Batman, Toby McGuire (sp?) in Spiderman, Mel Gibson in Lethal weapon, and.... Ron Burgandy? That is either a mistake on the commercial maker's part or just pure brilliance.

Something about coming home

Doesn't matter where I go, and it doesn't matter how long I am gone. There is something mysterious to me about coming home.

They say that "home is where the heart is" and yet when I come home from being away it feels as though the "heart is where you home is." It seems like a huge piece of you, your identity even, is left in your homeland, awaiting your return and you subconsciously awaiting the reuniting of it.

I feel sorry for folks who feel as though they have no home, because this is such a wonderful feeling to have.

Maybe I over romanticize all of this, but I think there is something to it.

Ethics of the Kingdom

A mother asks Jesus for a request; "Make room for my sons on your right and on your left when the reign of your kingdom comes." Not knowing what she was asking of him, Jesus must have seen this as a perfect time to teach about the Ethics of His Kingdom.

Speaking of kings and rulers, Jesus uses an example of those in position of power and those standing in servitude. He says this; "You know that the rulers of this world lord it over their people; and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different...." Then he tells them that this kind of different is not just a little variation of the normal, but quite the opposite of "how things work here."

Sometimes I wish that God would give us a pep talk each day to help us remember that living for this kind of King requires a different set of ethics.

So here are a couple of Kingdom Ethics I feel we forget about (or at least I do) most days. This would be the pep talk I envision Jesus giving me each day:

-"You know that in this world money has a supreme reign and supreme grip on humanity, but among you it will be quite different. Your money is not yours, it never was. The earth and everything in it is mine. These are gifts I have given to you, but demand that you take them with unclenched fists. Be about joyful generosity. Remember that you serve me and not money, you can not serve both, choose."

-"You know that in this world people store up in their vats all kinds of materials for the future in order to guarantee safety, but among you it will be quite different. Some will give all they have for My cause. Some will give their only car away to another who needs it more. Some will sell their house in order to build My house. Some will choose a life that does not grant them the security of old age pension, for Me. Again, whom do you serve? If it is Me, this is a life long call.

-"You know that in this world extreme poverty and those living in it are generally ignored, but among you it will be quite different. You are not to care only for your affairs, but also be interested in the affairs of your neighbour. Pay close attention to the least in this world, and be sure to offer clothing to those who are naked, drink to those who thirst, food for those who hunger, dignity to those without any. For whatever you do to the least of these, you have done to Me."

-"You know that in this world the lusts of the flesh take precedence over sound judgement and truth, but among you it will be quite different. There is never a temptation that you can not flee from. The flesh is weak, but My Spirit is willing. What you do with your body, and what you do with anther's body is important, so be careful. I have created human beings beautiful but remember that they are also my children. Respect My creation."

-"You know that in this world tolerance promises itself as the highest form of flattery, but among you it will be quite different. You are speakers and livers of truth. You are to fear Me, not man. If you believe in Me, you also are to believe My words. Sometimes what I teach will sound like pure foolishness to those around you. Speak it and live it anyway. I alone have the words of life."

-"You know that in this world many are obsessed with clothes and appearance, but among you it will be quite different. You are to live today and not worry about tomorrow. You are to remember that the body and the garments you adorn it with are not eternal. Spend you money and time on things of eternal worth. You are to address the state of your heart with the same fervor the world addresses the state of their wardrobe and appearance. I am the Lord your God, I will give you all that you need if you seek Me first this day."

-"You know that in this world those who follow Me will be criticized, looked down upon, and persecuted, but among you it will be quite different. Do not repay evil for evil. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. I will be with you through all of this."

"Go, therefore into the world, and proclaim a new Ethic for living."

Well well well

It's 2010, and it's the start of a brand new decade, and my wife said to me "you should start blogging again," and I'm a good husband and listen to my wife, and this is a good run-on sentence to start back into the blogging world again slowly and sporatically.

Who says there are no second chances and new beginnings.

Final blog from me....

No I'm not dying, and no I'm not planning on it anytime soon. I am, however, going to cease writing on this blog...

It's been a real good time, for the last year and a bit writing thoughts, funny stories, sad stories, current events, basically having the freedom to write whatever you want in whatever style or format you want (I would have quit this blog thing the first day if these posts had to be done in Turabian format).

I have been reading this book by Richard Foster called "Freedom of Simplicity" and I have been challenged, overwhelmingly at times, by the reminder in it to be simple people. Not simplistic, but simple.

The other day I was reading it, and Foster was talking about how to practice simplicity, inwardly. This means not so much the stripping away of your material possessions or things that busy your schedule.... not yet at least. Simplicity starts inwardly, it starts with your soul, your center, whatever you want to call it, entering (or sometimes being barged in by) the presence of God.

Once there, I think some of the outward things, some things like your clothes, food, all your possessions, the things that Jesus warns about not putting first in our lives.... Those things start to loose their grip on our us.

Richard Foster challenges his readers to categorize (this can be hard) the things done in your day into four sections;

1. Absolutely essential
2. Important but not essential
3. Helpful but not necessary
4. Trivial

My mind was flooded with all the things that I do in a day.... Eating breakfast at the sals-essential....reading my emails-important but not essential.......reading a little each day-absolutely essential........watching CSI for more than 3 hours in one day-seems important, but really trivial

My fall is looking more busy than it has ever been. I am feeling a little bit like my good friend who prays not that God would fulfill his life's dreams, but that God would help him make it through this day alive.

Blogging is a little bit twofold for me. It's like Richard Fosters number three above (Helpful but not necessary), and this is how I break it down.

For me to post a blog is not really necessary. I realized I get excited about writing just as much if I write in my private journal. I realized I blog mainly because I just really want people to like me. I want people to think I'm smart, that I'm funny, that I actually have something important to say. It's one of my ways of making sure I get people's vote to stay on the lifeboat (if you're not sure what I'm talking about there, refer to Donald Miller's "Searching for God knows what" - lifeboat theory)....

I realized that people don't need to hear what I say. It is not essential. They do, however, need to hear what God says, essential.... I need to hear what God says. I know that many folks will say, "God speaks through his people," to which I would say, "God speaks through the bible," to which I (and I would gander to say many others) don't look into near enough.... and I would even go as far to say that God speaks mainly through people who are in the Word, not those who don't read it.

So for me, posting a blog is actually not that important.

Reading other people's blogs, on the other hand, is kind of helpful. I enjoy gaining insights beyond the scope of Cody Anderson. I enjoy reading and being interested in others' lives. God loves them just as much as he does me, so why wouldn't I be just as interested in their writings, their lives, as I am in seeing how many people commented on my "brilliant" post.

I found it interesting that this is my 121st post, which immediately reminded me of Psalm 121, where is says "I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from you the maker of heaven and of earth." My hope this fall, is to be a little more simple. For me, not worrying about keeping up my blog is a simple, good step in my journey. My hope is that the time I would spend blogging, would be used to start reading more of a book that is absolutely essential to my vitality as a follower of Jesus Christ.

I'm not trying to over-spiritualize blogging here, I'm just cutting something out of my life, and that's o.k.

So long and farewell blog world.

Almost done

Summer is nearly over, and I think I am ready for it. It's not like I have a thing against nice weather or anything ridiculous like that, I just have a thing against running around frantically from place to place (so it seems) over a few months.

I've felt like Dana and I have had such a full summer. It's been good, it's just been really full. I guess part of what wears people down about that is all the travelling involved in going different places; a wedding here, a visit there, a drive over there, a camping trip somewhere.

Fall always is like a fresh start to me. It sometimes feels more like a New Year than January 1st does. It's back to routine, back to school for some, back to the daily work grind for others. That's an o.k. thing though.

Routine and random vacationing can balance each other out. When one gets a little bit too much, incorporate the other.

Fall will be good, but I'm sure before long we'll need some spontaneous random vacation or something of the sort to bring us back to the center.

MD

So for the last few days I've been having slight dizziness, and I have not really been sure why. It started when I was doing some simple tasks, but was moving in a lot of directions as if I were on some ride. I immediately felt like you do after you get off of a merry-go-round, and had to stop what I was doing. But the dizziness kept on for three days.

I don't know about you, but when something is wrong and you don't know what it is, you always expect the worst. I found myself on webMD (which is kind of entertaining to browse through) which asks your symptoms and gives you possible diagnosis's (can that word be pluralized..is "pluralized" a word?).

Anyway, on this website if you type in your symptom as "dizziness" it gives you like 300 different things that could (key word) be wrong with you. Everything from the common cold to glaucoma to panic attacks to anemia to....well you name it.

I figured I'd better go to a walk in clinic to see which one of these I actually had.......

Turns out I really don't know what I have, or the doctor doesn't know what I have, but "take 1 gravol per day until the dizziness goes away."

I'm glad I'm free of glaucoma.

Funny how we can blow things wayyyyyy out of proportion when we don't actually know the facts, isn't it?