Leah and I had a long day yesterday, but we got a lot accomplished…yard mowed (me), garage cleaned out (me), rearranging living room (both of us), and cleaning out Lexi’s room (Leah).  At the end of the day we sat down to watch TV and turned on a show we had never seen before called, Hoarding: Buried Alive.  According to wikipedia, hoarding is “a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to acquire (and failure to use or discard) a significant amount of possessions, even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary.”  We could not stop watching the stories of these people whose lives had been ruined by their years of accumulating things.  While watching the show, I kept wondering why these people just didn’t clean up their house and move on with life, but with each story there was a significant or series of significant events which contributed to their hoarding behavior.  One lady shared how she had been raised by an very mean aunt who, at one point, took everything the girl owned and burned it in a barrel and made her watch.  This past experience caused her to cling tightly to the things she owned in the present.

Watching this show last night reminded me that our past experiences shape the person we become.  Although our past does not necessarily excuse our future actions, it does help explain why we do what we do.  Allow me to take this one step further.  I believe it is also important that we remain patient when a person struggles with behavior foreign to us.  Even though I do not struggle with hoarding, I am not better than the person who does struggle with it…I’ve got my own problems.

Those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ must learn to be patient with those who are in the process of changing because change is a lifelong process, not an overnight sensation.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFoFHVZ8_ro&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

Like a good little nerd, I was reading the cover story in the October issue of National Geographic magazine. The article, simply entitled Redwoods: Super Trees, speaks about the value and beauty of redwood trees, which have the potential to be the tallest trees on earth. Although the article addresses issues such as saving the trees and other conservation efforts, the author also writes about a unique process in the forest between the older trees and the second generation trees called release. The writer, Joel K. Bourne, Jr., describes this phenomenon for the reader by saying, “With their high tolerance for shade and ability to sprout, some redwoods can sit almost dormant in the shade of their elders for decades. Yet as soon as a dominant tree falls or is cut down, breaking the canopy and allowing new light to enter the forest, the suppressed redwood springs up with new growth” (October 2009 issue, p. 38).

As soon as I read this statement I paused and re-read it again; it was one of those moments in which I felt as if God was providing a spiritual application to an earthly illustration. In my lifetime I have seen many “elders” and “dominant” leaders pass off the scene which has opened up the forest to many of the “suppressed” (I don’t mean this in a negative way) leaders. For many years, some of you have stood strong in the shadow of an elder who provided shade and protection, but now it is time for you to step into the light and “spring up with new growth.”

I believe Paul wrote some similar advice to those “suppressed” leaders who were getting ready to assume the place of their elders, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you (1 Timothy 4:12-16, NLT).

Are you ready to step into the light?

My eyes burst open and I quickly looked at the alarm clock on my nightstand; although I cannot remember the exact time, I’m certain the clock revealed that it was well after midnight. The sound of the front door opening had been enough to thrust me out of sleep and into ninja mode (whatever that is). Most people would have sprung out of bed, but not me. Still half asleep and lying in bed, I slapped both of my arms down on either side of me as if to brace myself for what was about to happen. Listening more intently to the sounds coming from downstairs, I then heard the pitter-patter of my dog’s paws walking through the hallway. “Great,” I thought. “The thieves had broken into my house and were now taking my dog captive. They must have muzzled her, though, because I never heard her bark.” As all these thoughts were running through my mind, I glanced over in order to see if my wife was hearing what I was hearing; however, she was not there. I then became extremely alarmed because I would normally send her downstairs to check out any unfamiliar noises. Who was going to do it now? Gradually, I came to my senses and realized that the reason my wife was not in bed was due to the fact that she was letting the dog out to use the bathroom.

The mind has a tendency to play tricks on a person, especially those who are absorbed with guilt. The wisdom writer reminds his readers of this truth when he says, “the wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions” (Proverbs 28:1). Hidden sin and unresolved conflict can result in a person living their life in fear of getting caught, even when no one else may know what they have done. A guilty conscience tends to have a misconstrued view of reality, while the clear conscience can experience a life of freedom. I think I’d rather spend my days being bold as a lion instead of feeling as if I am being chased by them. How about you?

Since both of my kids have learned to ride their bikes this summer, I have been in search of a bike for myself so I can ride with them. In the meantime, I have been riding an electric scooter that requires me to push with one of my feet because the battery alone is not powerful enough to go up hills, even small ones. I’m pretty sure…let me rephrase that…I’m confident that a thirty-five year old man looks ridiculous riding a scooter; in fact, I caught a few people who saw me riding the scooter and ran inside their house in order to bring other family members outside to see the old guy on the scooter. Maybe I need to join the circus. I really didn’t care what everyone else thought about me because my kids thought I was really cool; of course, they don’t know any better, yet. After riding for a while, two middle school boys passed by us riding their bikes and looking at me they said, “Nice scooter. I wish I had one like that!” They rode away laughing. In the back of my mind I was thinking, “Listen, you little boys whose voices haven’t changed and whose armpits haven’t grown one hair yet. I’ll run over you with this scooter…if I can catch up with you!” For some reason, I allowed their snide comment to bother me.

It’s astounding how quickly we can be negatively affected by the comments of people who don’t really know us, barely know us, or don’t care about us. A judgmental word in passing, a controversial comment on your blog, an anonymous letter, or a criticizing e-mail can cause a person to re-examine his choices or even lose hope.

The voice which speaks only in passing is a voice which should be passed by.

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My front yard was starting to look like a jungle so I figured it was time to bust out the old push mower, even though it had not been a week since I last mowed. I filled it with some gas, pulled the cord, and began cutting stripes into the front yard when suddenly something fell from the sky and hit me in the head and then in the back. Great! Over-sized drops of rain were falling at unusual speeds making each drop feel like it was piercing through my skin. I didn’t want to leave my grass half finished (what would the neighbors think?) so I continued on in the rain (which eventually stopped) until the job was completed.

Far too many people run for cover when the rain begins to fall leaving things half finished. It may be time for you to, once again, pull the cord and finish what you started.

Learning to ride her bike this summer was one of the big accomplishments for my seven year old daughter, Lexi. She began with riding around in the driveway and eventually moved to the streets of our neighborhood…with our supervision, of course. A couple days ago, both her and my son went riding together on the next street over from us, but I could still see them from the backyard of our house. Lexi was enjoying her leisurely ride until a very poofy white dog, who was not on a leash, came running after her. Lexi is not scared of that much, but loose dogs (big or small) freak her out! Instead of pedaling faster to escape the pursuing canine, she abandoned her bike and began to run as fast as her little feet would carry her; however, it wasn’t fast enough. By this time in the chase, all I could hear was Lexi screaming and crying as the dog closed in on her and finally backed her into a place without an escape route. About this time, the owner of the dog showed up and saved the day but Lexi was not impressed with his neglect to keep his dog on a leash. Needless to say, she was pretty shaken up.

As Lexi gets older, I hope she learns the importance of staying on the bike because sometimes running isn’t the best way of escape.

Shaking my head was the only way I could indicate to the Spanish speaking man that I did not understand what he was attempting to communicate. He continued pointing to a few words written on the bottom of a souvenir I had purchased just one day earlier at the local market in Lima, Peru. I had decided to pack this over-sized and fragile desk ornament of Machu Picchu in my carry on bag instead of putting it in my checked baggage, which would certainly risk sudden destruction by infamous bag handlers. One of the students traveling with our group returned to the security area at the Lima airport because he noticed that I needed a little help translating. While this was happening, another bag checker appeared with an empty water bottle (and a mask so she would not catch the swine flu from the visiting Americans), so I figured all of us working together would be able to break through the communication barriers. Without notice, the airport security bag checker began unwrapping the pre-packaged souvenir to expose a hidden cork which was not visible to me when I purchased it. By this time a huge crowd, including many of the students from our high school ministry, had gathered to see what was happening to their fearless leader and I was beginning to form my own opinions of what was about to take place. The male bag checker popped the cork and began pouring the, yet to be identified, liquid substance into the empty bottle held by the female airport security attendant.

After the unidentified liquid had been emptied into the bottle, one of our adult leaders asked to sniff the bottle and he confirmed my fear – I had inadvertently purchased a souvenir filled with vodka. I really had no intention of purchasing alcohol, even though the word on the street is that I was attempting to smuggle an “illegal substance” into the USA!

Moral of the Story: Oh, there are so many running through my head right now so I’m going to ask you to provide the moral. Leave a comment below to help me (and others) avoid making this mistake in the future!

Following the church service on Sunday we met a new couple at our church for lunch at Panera, one of my favorite places to eat. After a great meal and some nice conversation, my son informed my wife that he had to use the bathroom, so she told him just to go ahead. He is at the age where he can go to a public bathroom by himself as long as we are nearby. He left and all of us continued to talk until my wife felt as if my son was taking a little longer than normal in the restroom so she sent me to check on him. I quickly excused myself and made my way to the back of the restaurant where the single stall/single urinal men’s room was located. Walking directly in front of me was another gentleman who also entered the restroom and occupied the only urinal, so as a matter of elimination I assumed my son was using the only stall. Unfortunately, the only way to get my son’s attention was to call out his name (which is Ty) but as I did, this guy standing at the urinal thought I was talking to him. Frightened by my voice he not only jumped, but also hurriedly turned his head around probably thinking: a) why are you yelling at me, b) my name is not Ty, c) you are violating the unwritten rules of the men’s room, and d) I’m going to punch you right in the face if you yell at me again. Luckily, Ty responded from the confines of the stall and, I think, the man finally understood that I was just checking on my son.

Have you ever attracted the attention of the wrong person? Sometimes, as in my case, attracting the wrong person’s attention was a total accident resulting from a misuderstanding; however, there are many people who attract the attention of wrong people as a result of character flaws in their own life. Maybe you are a woman who seems to attract the wrong kind of guys or it could be that you are a college student who continually allures the attention of people who bring you down. Maybe you are a church member who attracts the attention of hypocritical and negative people who are also attending your church.

If you are a person who seems to always be surrounded by the wrong type of people, it may be time to take a look inward. The problem may not be the type of people you are attracting, but why they are attracted to you.

Today is my birthday. Don’t worry. If you forgot to send me a gift or leave a cute little message on my facebook page, I’ve already forgiven you. Just don’t expect me to remember you on your birthday!

In case you are wondering, I turned the big three five. Maybe it’s an age thing, but with each passing year I really contemplate what legacy I’ll leave to my family, friends, church, and those who know me best. Since a very young age I have prayed that God would allow me to leave a mark on this world, great or small. Even though I cannot say that I have prayed this every single day of my life, it is the prayer of my heart. This past week I had the unfortunate opportunity to attend the funeral for a very young man (45 years old) who had given more than a decade of his life to take the message of hope to a group of people in Canada. As I listened to others speak about his life, I was pretty certain that the man who passed away had no idea about the far-reaching legacy he had left.

In that moment, I realized that it is often in death that our true legacy is discovered.

What will people say at your funeral?