Greatest? Well Ali of course.

"I am the Greatest!"- Muhammad Ali
The Great One- Wayne Gretzky

Who is the greatest person you have ever met?
I guess that can be taken in a lot of different ways can't it? Do I mean athletically? Or the one with the most heart? Or the one who has affected us the most personally? Yes to all the above.

Now, because I said "met," that takes out the answers "Jesus," etc. And yes, I can say that I meet Jesus everyday when I read His word and I talk to him in prayer during the course of the day. But I am talking about actually meeting. In the flesh. Don't take the question to mean that I think it is OK to worship anyone or idolize them. In no way is that the idea behind my question. But even God talked about how special certain people were so it's not out of the question to say there are certain people in our lives that are....whatever. I hesitate to say "greater" or "more special" for apprehension that it may be taken that I believe someone is more worthy of praise than someone else.

Time has a list out now of the top 100 people who shape our world. Now not all those listed shape our world in a "good" way. The comedian who played Borat is actually listed. Aside from their list, here are some people that might come to your mind and mine. Queen Elizabeth? Warren Buffet? (recently donated 31 Billion to charity). Steve Jobs? (Apple fame). Al Gore? (ok, maybe not Al Gore). Tiger Woods?
How about those who are deceased? Mother Theresa? Bob Hope?

I have no real point that I am looking for, just wanted to have your mind thinking.
For me, I guess I didn't actually meet him but I was not too far away physically. That is Billy Graham. Maybe he was on your list when I first asked the question.
Here is something to think about that I find a little sad. When Larry King asked the now recently deceased Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Baker) what she wanted people to remember her for, she said "My eyelashes." Eyelashes. (I do have to add the side note that she did later say in the interview "there is a peace in knowing Jesus Christ is our savior.") Regrettably, I think most of the world will remember her more for the prior than the latter mentioned. Don't you agree?

Please post your thought and comments.

Single dad this week...

Today, my wife left on a CIY trip with our church and will be gone until Saturday. So I have to go this week as a single dad and as much as I am looking forward to time with the kids, I do miss my wife already. In theory, I wouldn't have seen her yet today if she hadn't left but just knowing that tonight she won't be coming in the door is sad. I have been trying to focus on my time with my family and taking better care to protect it. I still fall short on making it quality time as much as I should but I am improving on the quantity aspect to a degree.
As part of my sermon research for Camden County, I found an interesting view from another preacher. It goes like this:
"Don't get caught up thinking you can specialize your time with your kids and say that "this trip" or "next weekend" or "tomorrow night" will be our quality time together. I have heard it said that people will focus on making up for being gone so much by giving their kids "quality time" when they are together. Problem is, you can't really schedule that. True quality time comes at the most unexpected places and times. It's your kid asking you about a childhood memory as you tuck them in bed or your son asking you a sex question as you trim the hedges."

How true it is. The same applies for your marriage. Or even your quiet time with the Lord. You can't plan on having the Holy Spirit move you tomorrow because you will get more into it or by reading a few extra chapters.

Make the most of your time and don't put off quantity because you plan on giving quality. Cause you never know when that time may never come. Did I tell you how much I miss my wife?

All-Star perspective...

Last night I watched the MLB All-Star game but only the last few innings. Since the 1999 All-Star game when Ted Williams was rolled out on the field at Fenway Park, the game hasn't been of interest. As a Red Sox fan, that was THE pinnacle of All-Star game history. I sat there as a 27-year-old man with tears in my eyes watching "the greatest hitter who ever lived" sitting in a wheelchair surrounded by all the games great players (past & present) doting over him as if he were a newborn baby. And it was in Fenway where he called home for 19 seasons.
And I had just been in that same park just 2 months prior watching my last game with my dad. I also remember how I treated my dad. His Alzheimer's was really progressing fast and his aching knees kept him plodding along at a snails pace. And as an excited Sox fan who couldn't wait to get in and see Pedro Martinez pitch for the first time, I was less than loving to my 62 year old dad. After all he was slowing me down. The walk alone from the train to the stadium cost us batting practice and just getting to our seats cost me watching any warm up pitches. My dad wasn't even a baseball fan but he insisted on coming. And I wasn't happy about it. What a jerk. Not him, me. I took what was a memory of a lifetime and made it all about me. I never thought of the pain and struggle my dad had to go through just to go see a ball game with his son. My poor step-mom must have bit her tongue 50 times to stop from telling off this 27-year-old punk whining about how inconvenient this was all becoming. We never attended a sporting event again and he passed away several years later.
Can you tell I regret how I acted? Maybe that has put things like All-Star games in a different light for me. When they get put in perspective to what should really be important it's hard to ever look at them the same.

If you can relate to this and want to share a comment, please feel free to do so. It doesn't require you to fill out anything and can be done anonymously. I do hope this story helps save you from one day making a similar mistake. One thing my dad told me was "learn from the mistakes of others because you don't have time to make them all yourself.'

Here, just take it...

Ever felt like that with something that has caused you stress? As some of you might know, my wife and I are trying to sell a house. We purchased our first house in 2004 about 2 miles from Mandarin Christian School. Around that time we found out we were expecting our third child and my mother (a widow) had moved in with us. This house was now way too small. Then, we learned of something called a "pre-payment penalty." Hey thanks mortgage company. Ouch. So we had to rent it out until that time elapsed. Well the renter moved out and the time to sell is here.

So now we are trying desperately to sell it at a time when there are enough empty homes out there for everyone to own two each. Did I happen to mention that we are paying two mortgages for 5 months? "Savings" account...nice knowing you.
I will be the first to admit that I am not overlooking the fact that I am blessed beyond what I deserve. Who am I to complain when some people are homeless? Or don't have a job to pay a mortgage. All true. Which is another reason I am trying not to stress. We have made it this far by allowing God to fill the needs. And now I think God might be telling us to lower our asking price and just get rid of it. Gulp...here, just take it.

Vacation...Disney style...

My family and I are on vacation right now. My family is sound asleep in their beds in a Disney Resort while I peck away at the keys. One of my two youngest should be the first to stir here in a few minutes as our day is about to begin. At the conclusion, this will mark the longest vacation I have ever taken as an adult (6 days).

On day one, we hung around the resort. Day two was the Magic Kingdom and yesterday was Epcot. Today, we mercifully hope to just hang around the resort pool all day because we are just plain worn out. The goal was to "sleep in" today but a fluke 6:30am wake up noise started my day a little earlier than expected. So I decided to write.

It's a trip like this that become memories for a lifetime. The photos we cherish and the stories we will relay to loved ones the rest of our days. I can't tell you how many times my wife and I these last few days have referenced past trips to these spots. And we hope to create special times for each of our kids that they too will be able to relay to their own kids.

No, these memories can't compare to a birth or a baptism or a wedding. Or even an unexpected special moment shared on a trip to school between you and your child. But these are special memories that we will always store under "summer family vacations." For the kids especially, we are just hoping that this trip is stored under the sub-heading of "special" and not "horrible". I don't know about you but I can think of more than a few in my childhood that fell under that latter heading!

Animal Kingdom and maybe a waterpark await us the rest of the week. And maybe tomorrow, I will get another opportunity to "sleep in." If not, I am still having a blast spending time with my family and making memories of a lifetime.

Preaching update...

For those of you who might be wondering how last Sunday went during my first time preaching a sermon, it was awesome. Now, I can only speak for myself obviously, so I have no idea if the crowd really liked it. There were 40 in attendance and my family and friends came as well. Thanks for the support from my beautiful bride Kellea, mom, Katie, Stan, Matt and those who were unable to attend. I felt the Holy Spirit keep my calm and I felt comfortable with the material so God blessed my first experience.
One small note: When my parents had me, my grandfather was not too thrilled. He basically said, they needed a fourth child like they needed another hole in the head. My grandmother reassured my mom by saying, "Oh, don't listen to him, this child is going to grow up to be a preacher." As far fetched as that has sounded all my life and even if it's the only one I ever lead, for one day at least, my grandmother was right...

Perfection or bust...Father's Day edition

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be a dad. When I came home last night from our Adult Basketball League games, I went in to look at each of them sound asleep in their beds. With out fail, every time I look at them asleep in their bed, I feel that same deep love for them as I did the day I first held them in my arms. Precious is the only word I can use to describe them. I can't think of any thing else I would rather do than to hold them and spend time loving them with all my being. I also tell myself that I need to see them everyday in that same light and with that same mindset. That child who becomes a little monster sometimes is still that same PRECIOUS being I was watching sleep. Yet I tend to deal with her as if she was an entirely different person. But it's not. (I must include that this same point holds true with our spouse. That same picture of grace and beauty that stood beside you on your wedding day, should be loved and cherished the same way today.) And I must continually remind myself to strive for loving and raising them like I am commanded. And before I or anyone else tries to chalk failure up to "life" or being "realistic", I must point out that is not acceptable. For some of you, I hope this next example is all you need to read to get my point. Until I am up in Heaven, I will never be as perfect as Jesus but that in no way let’s me off the hook for trying. Does it?

(If you wish to read the continuation of this, part 2 is below)