monument – a bucket of rocks

God wants you and I to remember significant times in our lives.  Times where we’ve captured moments and turned them into timeless memories.  In the OT book of Joshua, God instructed Joshua to build a monument upon crossing the Jordan river to remind the Israelites of God’s faithfulness and what God had done for them.  a physical reminder of a huge truth in their past.  Here is how it went down:

“When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe.  Tell them, ‘take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan.  Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you camp tonight”… {joshua said} In the future your children will ask you, “What do these stones mean?” Then you can tell them, “They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.”  These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

When I was in High School I had a teacher who had a little boy.  He and his little boy would collect rocks from significant times in their lives: camping, fishing, hiking, baseball games, questions, etc… and write the date and a key word to remember the circumstances on them.  Then they would collect all of these stones in a glass jar.  once a month they would dump all the rocks out and pick a couple and remember the significance of that stone in time.  What a great way to capture time.

“These stones will stand as a memorial…”

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raising a “beloved” son

I read this in “the way of the wild heart” and it stuck out to me.  

“Actions speak louder than words.  I love being with you.  You are my delight.  I’ll set aside my own agenda to be with you doing something you love.  I love who you are, love what you love.  You get special time with me.  This is how we raise beloved sons.”

because of this… Chuck E. Cheese’s has become one of my new favorite hang-outs.  Not because I love it… but because my almost 3 year old son, Nicholas, loves it.  

So here is to a life-sized mouse, ping-pong ball popcorn, water gun races, ski ball, short arm basketball, and spending quality time with my son.  

school supplies needed…

I was just meandering around the mall last night with my 3 year old Nic and I stumbled upon about 30 of these signs by Old Navy.  3 years ago when OSM started schools supplied, this wasn’t that big of a deal.  Now it is. 

osm opening night recap

here are some pics from opening night that our team member Gretchen took… they are awesome:

        

it was an awesome night.  We started with an epic video about how time is running out to do something significant with your life for God.  Then the band led us into worship, we played a crazy game where we asked two blindfolded students to drink blended drinks with “mystery” ingredients as a competition, and the band led us some more.  The night was capped off with a talk about how God has given us time to do things that matter, but he has not given us time to waste.  Next week in OSM we will go further with this idea and answer the question, “How can you make every moment count?”

 

***OSM SPOILER FOR NEXT WEEK***

If you liked these pics… we just might have more for you to see at OSM! 🙂

about 8 year olds and kissing lifeguards…

what do “Squints” from the movie “the sandlot” and Josiah from the Bible have in common?  They were both young boys who knew how to capture a moment and make it count.  Here is what squints did:

and here is what Josiah did:

“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath.  ² He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.”  2 kings 22:1-2

Josiah spent 31 years of his life capturing moment after moment.  If you get the chance, read the rest of 2 kings 22… Josiah accomplished more for God in the 31 years he was king of Judah than most of the other kings did in their whole life.  

The point?  We need to learn to seize opportunities and make every moment count.  

Have a great Monday!

disclaimer: sorry about the swearword in the video clip… I don’t know how to edit video. 🙂

wild boys and wild hearts

SO I’m embarking on the journey that is the book “The Way of the Wild Heart” again.  I’ve read it like 2 times, and every time I read it I am challenged deeper and deeper about who I am as a man and what kind of sons I want to raise.  I guess Jonathon inspired me to read it again.  So here’s to shirtless summer days, (just the boys, of course) fishing, grunting, baseball, and becoming initiated men.

a rant about wasting time with ice

okay… so now that you’re wondering, “what the heck is this going to be about?”  I feel like I’ve got you in a good place.  I’ve recently been going over my summer in my journal.  I’ve been trying to think back over the things I’ve done, where I’ve been, what I’ve spent my time on.  At Bigstuf Camp this summer, we all were challenged about the time we have and the time we spend.  So I took that challenge right after I got back from my vacation and evaluated how I spent my summer.  There were a lot of awesome things… but one thing was for sure: the more I wrote down, the more I realized how much time I waste.  I won’t go into any details here… but you would be SHOCKED!  I’ve recently realized that time is like ice… when it’s gone it’s gone.  I was drinking a delicious coke from burger king the other day and I left about 1/3 of it and the ice just sitting in the cupholder in my car.  A few hours later, after getting back in my car to drive home from work, I looked down and remembered that I had 1/3 of a coke left. SWEET!!  what a great surprise after a long afternoon at work.  BTW, for all you math nerds out there, here is a VERY VALUABLE equation to add to your brain: steaming hot car + 1/3 cup of coke & ice + 3 hours = NASTY!!!  The ice was gone and all I had was lukewarm, nasty coke water.  I poured it out my window as I drove.  I didn’t even think the birds should have to have their taste buds suffer.  ice eventually melts.  Time eventually gets used up.  And once they’re gone… they’re gone.  But here is the kicker… We get to choose how we use our time.  I used to say, “_______ wasted my time.”  I have come to realize that the thing cannot waste time… it is a thing.  There is no way that it can beat you over the head, drag you in front of it, and demand that you waste time with it.  YOU & I waste time with that thing.  WE CHOOSE to waste time.  WE CHOOSE to waste the one thing that we can never get back.  WE CHOOSE to waste one of the most valuable gifts that God has given us.  And get this, even if we think we are using our time for beneficial things… we still might WASTE the time God has given us.  Don’t buy in?  Check Luke 12:16-20.  It is possible to spend our entire lives on something that does not matter and that is a waste.  Time matters.  What you do with your time matters.  CHOOSE WISELY.