Drinking from a fire hydrant

This week, for whatever reason, I have been consuming massive amounts of information. Podcasts. Live church streams. Articles. Blogs. Books. It’s like I am information starved. I don’t know what it is but I have been like Pacman eating the white dots. What gives? Am I digital glutton? Crazy. My add to favorites section is bloated.

Men’s Prayer

As usual, early morning prayer was so good. It’s such a calming time. I can focus on God. I can clear my head. I can get new information. I can close everything off and spend some uninterrupted time with my Creator! I really love men’s prayer on Friday mornings. Truth is, there are times when getting up is difficult. Yesterday, I left the house at 7:30 am and didn’t get home until 10:00 pm. And I was pretty wiped out. But it was worth getting up and spending extra time with God. My daily devotions and quiet time are good. But this extra hour is fabulous.

Pivotal Prayers

I continue to read this book called Pivotal Prayers. I really believe prayer and communion with Christ is what keeps off the junk. Depression. Frustration. Anxiety. Anger. Disillusion. Apathy. Isn’t it tough to really encounter Christ in prayer and be worse off than before the encounter? I think so. We all know situations aren’t immediately resolved after prayer. But our resolve immediately affects the situation.

New World Sun

I have to admit I didnt like this band at first when I heard them on tour with the Newsboys. But they have grown on me. I am downloading the album now. The vote from the family on whether they like them is

Son - Yes
Daughter - No
Me - Yes
Wife - Haven’t asked yet.

Thanks for nothing Starbucks

I bought a very overpriced beverage at Starbucks. Hoping the free wi-fi thing had kicked, I plunked down to log in. Nope. I had to use the pizza place’s free wifi from next door. Seriously. How much is wifi a month? Seriously.

Prayer

I am reading a book called Pivotal Praying by John Hull and Tim Elmore. Chapter 8 starts out with this prayer, which is definitely one I needed to pray today—

“I’m tired of waiting for results. Help me to see what you are up to. Do you want me to do something different from what I am asking? Do you want to change me or stretch me in some way? Help me to trust you with the results. You lead. I’ll keep following. Amen.”

Gunky

I heard in several places that the keyboard is one of the dirtiest pieces of equipment on the planet. So I cleaned mine today. Here is a tech guide if you need help figuring out how to do it. Not recommended for laptop keyboards though.

 

http://www.thetechzone.com/?m=show&id=431&page=1

Social networking can’t

…give you a hug when you are feeling frustrated

…visit you in the hospital and bring you flowers

…help you change a flat tire or help you move

…meet you for breakfast, look in your eyes, and see the passion you have about your vision

…shake your hand

…go to the baseball game and eat dollar night hotdogs

…celebrate your kids marriage with you

…type this post by itself without any fingers or voice

Seriously, social networking can’t and should not replace the human elements. People are holing up in their homes and diving off into electroville. Come out folks. Experience life with someone in person today.

Google Calendar

OK. I know I am a bit late to the party. But I am starting to dig Google Calendar. The SMS messaging reminder aspect is a neat feature. And it’s ability to conjoin other calendars is pretty nifty. I really feel my reason for being on the earth is to find a way to live without Microsoft of Apple products. And web based apps are becoming more norm these days. There is also an open source replacement for word, excel, and powerpoint. I might at some point. Right now though I am still goofing around with Google apps.

Discipline

A man or woman that doesn’t discipline their kids is simply offloading responsibilities. It’s kind of interesting really. I can remember doing youth ministry for 12 years. I could normally tell the kids that got inconsistent and inadequate discipline. I could pick them out of my youth group and any other youth group I might be hanging around with.

I suppose by most standards, we are pretty strict in our household. But we have a ton of conversations. I make sure that I talk out the issues with my kids. I don’t want to simply punish them. I want to mold them and shape them and help them think and process critically. I want them to understand why the actions or words were poor, what the outcome was, what the outcome could have been, and how they can be better prepared for the next time.

I think consistency and forewarning are good ways to discipline. And if you lay out guidelines and consequences, you should follow it up. Kids know if you are soft. They know if you aren’t going to follow through. And if you aren’t going to follow through, then you aren’t a person of your word.

I preached at a parents meeting about 7 years ago. And here is what I said that continues to remind me to stay close to my kids in discipline and instruction and encouragement - “we can’t expect the children’s ministry and youth department to do in one hour a week what wasn’t done in eight years.” Still holds true today don’t ya think? It’s not too late. Be consistent. Be true to your word. Talk. Have the conversations. If you aren’t talking to your kids about what you want them to change, they may not change then. You have the opportunity to shape an amazing person.