Life...4x4 Style

If you really think about it off-roading is a lot like the road of life.  No matter who you are, there are going to be bumps, wash outs, creeks, and of course, the unforeseen obstacles.  The only difference in our enjoyment is our vehicle of choice.  Let's face it, you will have 1000% more fun in a mud truck or an old Jeep than you could ever have in an old beat down Ford Pinto.  So, how do we choose which vehicle we ride?   We first must step back and figure out what kind of a ride we are wanting.

 First, we have the beat down Ford Pinto.  This is a very dependable vehicle...if  broke down and stuck up to the chassis in mud is what you call dependable.  I can personally guarantee you will have a "unforgettable" time!   The Pinto is a vehicle that is not intended to be used on the trails and creek beds.  However, it is a vehicle many people choose to use.  This vehicle not only will leave you out there, but, will also change your perspective.  It will change those rolling hills and flowing creeks to mountains and oceans.  It will take your intentions and leave you with a nagging question of "why did I choose such a foolish ride?"

Secondly, we have an old tractor.  This ride will get the job done but, it is not going to be a very glorious or exciting ride.  It will take you just about as long as the Pinto would except you will get to the end.  Those hills and creeks are no longer mountains and oceans as much as they are just nuisances.  Hill after hill, creek bed after creek bed, these obstacles just keep on coming.  When you get to the end you are worn out and a bit disgusted at how your travels have unfolded.

Lastly,  we have our ever faithful Jeep.  You know the kind, with the 44" super swamper tires, lifted, with heavy duty axles, and a snorkel...just in case.  This vehicle is one that can and will change your perspective.  The hills and creeks are now exciting challenges taunting you to come and conquer.  This vehicle will not just get you to the end, but, will leave you begging for more!  The only question you will have is "what would it take to get to do this all over again?"

Really nice story, right?  How is this supposed to relate to REAL life?  Well, let me tell you.  The vehicle you choose is easily related to the one you choose to follow.  There are a lot of rides out there that would not be so great on the road of life.  However there is that one "sweet ride" that "Jeep" we all look forward to taking for a spin.  Christ is that Jeep.  He is the ever reliable, ever faithful, never stuck, always ready for anything "Jeep".

I know with Christ no hill or creek or "unforeseen obstacle" needs to be feared.  All I need to do is enjoy the ride.  With Christ our perspective changes.  From fear to excitement, from overwhelming to invigorating, from terrifying to thrilling.  It is amazing to see how God works when we let Him.  Just like a decked out Jeep with a skilled driver at the wheel.

Let me encourage you, let God drive...He is amazing!  

The Boogey Man and your bed's invisible force field

I stumbled upon a picture the other day that brought back a flood of memories from my childhood.  The picture was a split screen.  On one side a stick person was lying in bed and it said "safe from all harm."  On the other side it had the same stick man lying in bed but this time his hand is barely hanging off the bed and reads "EXTREME RISK OF BOOGEY MAN ATTACK"

(pardon the artists' misspelling of boogey)

First of all, be honest, how many of you had this fear as a child?  I, for one, did.  Let me tell you why.

One night I was sleeping in my bed.  In my dream I had an "out of body experience" hovering above my bed and watching me sleep.  Suddenly, out of the wall came a herd of GIGANTIC rhinoceros beetles.

These creepy things came marching single file through the air right for my sleeping body.  There was nothing I could do.  Hovering over my motionless body I fought to move my defenseless self or divert these massive creatures.   Unfazed they marched on.  Once the lead beetle reached me there was a split second of relief.  They stopped.  Just as suddenly as they stopped the lead beetle reared back and bit my arm.  My body jerked back to life so violently I woke up.  Relieved I realized it was just a dream.  

As I lay back down to sleep it off I felt a very inconvenient urge.  I needed to pee.  Suddenly the army of marching, biting, gigantic beetles were a thing of the past...the boogey man was now my threat.  The funny thing about boogey men is they are for some reason unable to attack an individual if they are completely on top of their bed.  There must be some kind of scientific explanation for this.  There must be some kind of built in force field provided by the mattress manufacturer.  Being a kid at the time I figured it was like a seat in a car...no one had to tell you it was there...it was always part of the deal. 

To this day I still don't understand the scientific complexities behind the built in mattress force field, but, I make it a point to never test it's effectiveness against boogey men and the occasional space alien...but, that's another story...  

Be safe, keep your hands and feet on TOP of the bed and inside that force field!

Ain't Life Funny Like That

First off let's start off with a question.  Why do you visit a blog?  For inspiration?  For a laugh?  Out of curiosity?  For an answer to a question?  Because you are a creeper?  what brings you back to a blog?  The theme of the particular blogger and his (or her) interests?  Maybe the fact that they are consistently talking about your interests?  Well here is a small confession...I am consistently inconsistent.  In my head is an organic pinball machine where my mind bounces from topic to topic sometimes quite rapidly... Don't laugh, sometimes it hurts.

Anyways, today's post is a funny story about my daughter, her love/hate relationship with swimming, and her role as a mommy to about 15 baby dolls of every race, gender, and level of clothing.  I grew up in Florida and it was unfortunate that every year a child would drown in a pool.   My daughter is 2 and loves the pool, or as she lovingly refers to it, "the big bath."  I don't want my daughter to be another number in some sad statistic.  So, being the proactive firefighter father I am, every time we get into a pool we play a game that was handed down from my dad.  It was a game of great fear and near death experiences...I thought at the time.  The game was quite simple, my dad would hold me under the arms facing him and slowly twirl in a circle, rhythmically bobbing me in the water, and singing "All around the mulberry bush."  The whole song was nothing but a climatic rise to the "pop goes the weasel" at which time my dad would bob me higher in the air and allow me to make a splash on my way down.  The purpose was to get me comfortable with water in my face and allow me to move on to swimming.  The game worked on me and was employed by the YMCA when my dad taught infant survival in the water...that fact does not impress my daughter.  She cries and screams every time (mostly as a show for her mommy, you see, my wife likes to "rescue" the kids from daddy while in the pool).

I know what you are thinking...so far not funny.  Well here is the "punch line."

I came home from work last week and was harassing my wife while she was cooking, as I usually do, when I heard the poorly pieced together lyrics from my past.  Lyrics that wrought fear in my heart.  I quietly sneaked into the living room where I found my daughter holding one of her babies in an ever familiar way, singing a two year old's rendition of "all around the mulberry bush."  After she stumbled her way to the end of the song she threw her arms in the air and kept shouting "POP GOES THE WEASEL!  POP GOES THE WEASEL!"  All of the sudden she stopped, turned her head my way, and and gave me the most mischievous grin that almost whispered " Ain't life funny?"

All I could was smile.

Our ever present flames

Flames.  Each and every day we face flames.  Some are quite evident and some are less observable.  Fire has been used for many years as a tool.  A tool to create, and a tool to destroy.  Sometimes a flame is an end of a phase, and sometimes it is a new beginning.  How we see these flames, many times, depends on our perspective.

Often we only see the negative attributes of the flames.We focus on the charred remains and fail to see the new beginnings lying just underneath.  We are so fixated on the loss we totally miss the hidden blessing.

The old adage "attitude sets altitude" should be our motto.  Let us remember to focus on the new and learn from the old.  Focusing on the past sets up failure in our future and an attitude of loss or defeat only increases the pain.

On this journey let us focus on the blessings that are often overlooked.