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Saturday, September 19, 2009

Got peace?

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock." Isaiah 26: 3,4 (NLT)

Trust: reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence; hope.

Trust is not superficial or easy. It doesn't happen overnight. It comes from a deep relationship and time spent with someone. And trust is a two way street.

You don't, shouldn't even, trust someone that you met last night. You can't really know someone that you may or may not even spend an hour with on the weekend.

So how can we trust God if we really don't know Him?

I've been chewing on this verse this morning and I notice that the "perfect peace" comes from keeping my thoughts on God and trusting Him. I have to act. I have to move toward God.

I've also noticed that perfect peace is a place inside of me and not necessarily me getting what I want.

Monday, September 14, 2009

One Less Toothbrush

This past weekend my wife Chris and I moved our 19 year old son (our youngest) to Tennessee.
The state.

I wish it were a town close to here. But it’s not. It’s over an eight hour drive away. And I miss him already. As a father I have secretly looked forward to the empty nest days. And I think it hit me this summer as we were preparing for Andrew’s move: I miss yesterday more.

As I drive past soccer fields I think back to the days when both my kids played. It was drudgery sometimes, that getting up early on a Saturday morning with much of your day planned out. Not to mention practice a couple times a week. And then there was baseball. Man did we spend lots of time together. Practice several times a week before the season started and then two or three games a week. You learn a lot about each other as a father and son. As I drive past a ball field I have specific memories that stand out for each one. And the great families and friends and kids I met along the way. And more recently the concerts we’ve gone to and even driving to the recreation center to work out and play some hoops. I even miss the thrash metal music emanating from his bedroom.

I miss those days. My dad always told my wife and I to appreciate them. He said they grow up fast. I didn’t get it at the time. And I can give the same advice to other parents. But you have to experience a little separation to really get it, I think. Maybe when they go off to college. Or if they move away.

You look forward to some “down time” on the raising kids thing. And then that time comes. And suddenly you realize they were not yours alone to begin with. They were created by God for His glory and you were just a partner in raising them.

One day every parent will walk into the bathroom and realize what I did today.

There’s one less toothbrush in the holder.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Tennessee and RN life

What a difference a year will make in the life of mi familia.

Today my wife Chris and I leave for Tennessee to move our son Andrew down there. He and some old and new friends are forming a band. They will worship God with their life and their music.

Our daughter Sara just stated her senior year of nursing school at Kent State Stark.

So this time next year Andrew will have recorded and published some music. Sara will be an RN.

Time marches on.