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]

Here in Ohio we have trash stalkers, at least that is what I call them. Trash stalkers are people who spend their evenings/nights stealthily cruising through neighborhoods on the eve of trash day in hopes of finding treasure in someone else’s curbside junk. On more than one occasion, I have personally spoken to one of these stalkers because there must be an unwritten rule that if they get caught digging through your trash, they must ask for permission to assume ownership of it. They typically say something like, “Is it okay with you if I take this?” Since I have an insatiable desire for sarcasm, I am tempted to respond by saying, “No you can’t. That tricycle with only one wheel is going to be used for a lawn ornament.” In reality though, I usually panic when they stop at my house thinking that I possibly chucked something of unrecognizable value or maybe the mirror I am tossing out contains an original copy of the Declaration of Independence behind the glass. I really do not want to end up in national headlines as the idiot who threw away thousands of dollars in his trash because he was blind to an item’s true value.

After spending more than a decade investing in the lives of others, I’m convinced that many people are guilty of throwing away things which they no longer view as valuable, even though it still holds great value; although, I do realize that some repair may be needed to restore full value to certain things. Most of the time, something which was once valuable only became trash because of improper care.

One day Jesus encounters a man who works for the IRS and asks him to change occupations. Instead of cheating people out of their hard earned money by collecting a little extra for himself, Jesus asks this man named Levi (Matthew) to work for Him. Without hesitation Levi closes his office, abandons everything he owns, and follows Jesus (Luke 5:27-28). This is a dramatic life change. After his early retirement from tax collecting, Levi holds a party in his home in honor of Jesus (his new boss) where the who’s who of losers and local outcasts attend alongside Jesus’ disciples (Luke 5:29). The people answering the door at Levi’s house obviously didn’t get the memo about sticking to the guest list because somehow the stuck-up religious people crashed the party accusing Jesus and His disciples of eating and drinking with losers (Luke 5:30). The so-called religious leaders thought that if Jesus and His followers were representing God, they should be a tad more discreet about the company they kept; after all, the scribes (interpreters of the Old Testament law) and Pharisees (group of people consumed with external rules) would never be caught dead befriending such outcasts.

When Jesus got word that the partypoopers had busted up the celebration, He immediately defended Himself and His disciples’ associations saying, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. I have come not to call those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent” (Luke 5:31 NLT). Jesus’ defense here is simple. Rather than waste His time catering to people who thought they had God all figured out, He would instead spend His days offering hope and life to those who needed it most.

A lot of religious people are more concerned about who they can stay away from rather than being concerned about who needs Jesus.

“The locals are pretty nice around here,” I thought as the tall, elderly man standing at the door awaited our family to enter the store. I smiled and he spoke to me right before allowing us to pass through the entrance. At first I could not understand what he said because he was a “low talker.” No puffy shirt, though (only Seinfeld fans will understand)! “Excuse me,” my wife responded. “Don’t you know how to use the left hand turn lane?” the man inquired. His words made no sense and I must have looked confused so he provided further details of my supposed infraction. “I was turning in here right behind you, but you cut me off,” he continued. My wife quickly spoke up, “We’re not from around here. We’re just visiting from out of town.” Her answer did not seem to satisfy him so he mumbled something else and walked into the store. Now I know why he waited at the door for us. He wasn’t interested in welcoming us, but in making sure we were aware of the “code of conduct” in his town. Maybe I did do something wrong, but he saw my license plate. He knew I wasn’t familiar with his town.

I wonder how many people will visit churches this weekend and feel the same way?

As a side note, I figured that he may have also been an embittered Michigan football fan who was still nursing some wounds from Ohio State kicking their rear-ends this season. Just sayin…

What was I writing one year ago? Click here to read Trapped in a Room with a Fly

I was waiting patiently in the closet directly outside of the bathroom in the house where I grew up. The only audible noises were the sounds of me breathing and someone occupying the bathroom. Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open leaving me with a brief window of time to attack the person exiting. Not wanting to miss the perfect chance, I sprung from the closet and screamed as loud as I knew how finding myself face to face with the occupant…my dad. Uncharacteristically, a look of fear came across his face as he jumped back two or three steps before he realized that his “attacker” was none other than his eldest son, me. There was really nothing to fear about my five foot four, ninety-nine pound body frame, but the element of surprise was enough to scare the fear of God into him. In a house with three teenage sons, my mom and dad were constantly dealing with the cool factor and part of being cool was having the ability to scare the mess out of each other. Hiding in closets, under beds, and in dark rooms to find our next victim was common place in our home; however, scaring dad was next to impossible…until my great victory. I began laughing uncontrollably and pointing my finger in his face while gloating about the look of fear on his face. Instead of laughing along, he simply looked at me and said, “It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, it may not be next week, but I WILL get you back” and then he walked away. My laughing immediately turned to panic because I knew that my dad never lies. I spent the next few days watching my back and living in constant fear until I eventually thought he had forgotten. He hadn’t.

Since I was a teenager working at our local grocery store, my boss usually scheduled me to work the closing shift which landed me home around 11:00pm or after. I stepped out of my rockin’, red Chevy Beretta and made my way to the front door of our house, but as I fumbled for my keys to unlock the door, I heard a slight rustling in the bushes. Before I could reach for my mace (just kidding), a giant man came pouncing out of the bushes screaming “Rooooooooooooooooooar!” Without thinking, I jumped off the porch and began running (in mid-air) toward the street screaming like a little girl, that is, until I heard my dad laughing uncontrollably.

Expect your actions toward others to be repeated on you also.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you… (Matthew 7:12). When Jesus spoke these words, He was revealing the importance of treating others the way you want to be treated. Want love? Show love. Want respect? Show respect. Want attention? Show attention.

So, if you feel as if everyone is treating you badly, you might want to change the way you are treating them.

What was I writing almost a year ago? Find out by clicking here.
Click here to read last week’s most visited blog post.

I cried. I admit that it’s been a while since I’ve let the tears flow, but I just could not hold them back. What was it that caused this grown man cry? Kris Allen winning American Idol provoked emotions in me which I had not felt in some time. Before I continue, I know what you’re thinking…what a wimp! Yeah, you’re right. I would be a wimp, but I am lying. I didn’t cry when Kris Allen won American Idol, but I did shed a few tears when I was in the shower the other day and shampoo got in my eyes. I’m not even sure how it occurred, considering I wash my hair every day, but I must have haphazardly slapped the shampoo on my hair causing it to seep into my eyes. Oh my word! I forgot how much it hurts to get that stuff in your eyes. For a brief second I thought about rushing to the emergency care center near our house so they could flush my eyes out with something, anything…but I figured they would just laugh at my expense. For the rest of the day my eyes were stinging and watering, but the irritation eventually subsided. Who in the world invented such potent shampoo and shouldn’t there be a massive warning label plastered on the front saying, “WARNING: May Burn Eyes Out of Head!”?

A little later in the day I remembered an incident last year when we had run out of the “tear free” shampoo for the kids and I had to make them use “big boy and big girl” shampoo. I thought my presentation about the shampoo being something big kids would use would convince them to use it. I was right. Inevitably, they both got shampoo in their eyes and made a big drama out of it. I remember saying to each of them, “It doesn’t hurt that bad. Quit being a baby!”

I find it very easy to judge someone whenever I haven’t experienced what they’re experiencing or when I’ve forgotten how it feels to be in their predicament. Saying things such as, “Forget about it” or “Get over it” or “Just move on” or “You’re acting immature” are unfair statements, especially when you haven’t attempted to identify with their feelings. A good rule to remember is this: If you can empathize (know by experience), share your story; if you can only sympathize (know by knowledge), keep your mouth shut and just listen.

What was I writing one year ago? Click here to read an old-school post.

Or, see what you’ve missed this week.
Monday – No Hamster Dance for Us!
Tuesday – The Intruder in Our House

Today I was driving home for lunch on a four lane road when all of a sudden I encountered one of those “slow left hand lane drivers” who refuses to use the right hand lane, otherwise known as the “lane for slow drivers.” I quickly discovered that I needed to pass this guy by using the right lane, although I believe my driver’s ed handbook says that is improper. Don’t get me wrong, I was not going that fast…this guy was just going a little under the legal speed limit. As I shifted into the right lane and got closer to his car, I noticed this guy’s front windshield wascracked. It wasn’t just cracked; it was cracked, meaning I was surprised he could drive with a windshield in that condition. Maybe that explains why he was driving so slowly.

I felt slightly guilty for being upset with this guy’s turtle-like driving. I assumed he was driving like this just to annoy people like me, instead of realizing he was just having problems seeing clearly and maybe needed a little understanding from the other drivers on the road.

Love is patient, love is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Today I went to my kids’ school for a parent/teacher conference which is held a couple times a year. This conference is where parents sit down one-on-one with the teacher and hear about the progress or lack of progress with little Billy or Sally. For some reason, I am always a little nervous about this occasional meeting. I especially start sweating it when the parents in the meeting prior to mine walk out crying or worse yet, cursing. Neither of these things happened today, but I only added that for dramatic purposes. First, I sat down with my daughter’s teacher and listened as she informed me that Lexi was a humble, quiet leader and loves to help others. Next, I went to see Ty’s teacher and the first thing she said was, “You can tell that your son really loves you.” I already knew that because while I was waiting, I read “A Special Tribute” written by Ty H. and plastered on the wall outside his classroom. Ty’s special tribute was written about his dad, that’s me in case you are wondering, and he said some really nice stuff – stuff that made me want to get all emotional. By the way, Ty received glowing reports from his teacher.I’ve got to say that I was one proud dad. My kids are not perfect, but they are great kids and I need to let them know that more often. Although I am always proud of them, I need to make sure I verbalize it.Don’t assume a person knows you are proud of them. Speak up and let them know.

After coming out of the store this afternoon, I stepped into my car and noticed something on the floorboard. I reached to down to pick up what appeared to be a very small object which looked as if it had been crushed under someone’s foot. As my eyes focused closer on the item and my thumb and index finger moved nearer to it, I finally realized what it was…someone’s used cigarette butt. My first thought was, “I told Leah to quit smoking in my car!” Obviously that was a joke. Those of you who know Leah realize she only smokes cigars. Kidding again. Since no one in my family smokes, I wondered how someone else’s butt had found its’ way into my car. No pun intended…maybe a little. I was slightly puzzled for just a second and then it hit me – the cigarette butt must have attached itself to the bottom of my shoe and then detached itself when I stepped onto the floorboard of my car. I cringed as I picked up this object previously pursed around someone’s, hopefully sanitary, lips and flicked it back to the ground from whence it came. I quickly pumped the “gigantor” hand sanitizer located in my car which I furiously use after coming in contact with disgusting things and people who look a little dirty. I wonder what Jesus did when he came in contact with people who were dirty, downtrodden, and desperately hopeless?

When He [Jesus] had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed (Matthew 8:1-3).

Jesus was never partial and was always willing to extend a touch or a look of compassion toward those who were the least in society. The church has to get this right. I believe James said it best when writing, “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor” – well, doesn’t this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives? …Love your neighbor as yourself. But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing a sin, for you are guilty of breaking that law” (James 2:1-4, 8b-9).