Kingdom Hearts

Well, the eventful weekend was great.  I am going to spend the day recuperating.  I’m exhausted.  After spending Wednesday and Thursday in Longview, taking care of business and preparing for our move (renting storage, getting a post office box, opening bank account, etc), on Friday we went to Dallas to meet the family.  We stayed at a beautiful facility called Willowood Ranch in Bells, TX, which is right outside of Sherman.  You can see more pictures of the facility here. It is the perfect place for a weekend full of wedding events. There is a ranch house, where we stayed.  There is also a chapel and reception hall where the wedding and reception took place.  It was so much fun to spend the weekend out there with family and friends that I haven’t seen in so many years.  And then on Sunday we came back to Longview and spent all day Monday continuing to get things done in preparation for our move, which will be in about 2 short weeks from now.  I had forgotten how much work it is to move.  I am looking forward to getting all of this done.  We haven’t even started packing the house here in La Grange yet.

So that was our weekend in a nutshell.  It was extremely busy and hectic, but a lot of fun.  So, back to the main event of the weekend–Megan’s wedding.

Megan was stunning!  It was as beautiful and happy as I have ever seen my little sister.  And I am so proud of her and couldn’t be happier with her choice as a soul mate.  Matt is a great man who I know will love, cherish, and take care of Megan and I am looking forward to enjoying him as my brother-in-law.  It was a lot of fun (not to mention an honor) to get to officiate her wedding.

It was so good getting to spend the weekend with some friends of the family that I have not spent a lot of time with in recent years.  I had forgotten how much I missed them and enjoyed being around them, but at the same time was also reminded how awesome it will be to one day be reunited in Heaven with my loved ones.

Another thing that struck me through all of this was how happy Matt and Megan were.  They were absolutely “giddy,” almost to the point of being cheesy.  Even when doing their vows, Megan was so stoked she got tickled a couple of times, which really was great.  Of course, stumbling over one of the lines of the vows was classic Megan…and provided a great laugh for everyone.  Megan being Megan is part of what made the wedding so great and I think every one knew that at some point she would manage to put a “touch of Megan” on her wedding.  It really was great.  And I am glad she is who she is.

So looking at Matt and Megan and their happiness, I can’t help but wonder, “what happens to that?”  I mean, what is it about a marriage that causes that happiness and excitement and “giddyness” to fade away?  Is it time?  It is it the monotony of every day life?  Is it age?  Is it that we just begin at some point to take each other for granted?  I don’t know, really.   I suppose it can be a combination of all of these and more.  I remember how excited Cody and I were when we got married.  Sometimes we still enjoy that excitement, sometimes I think we get too caught up in the rigorous circumstances of life that we forget how blessed we are. 

My sister and her husband taught me something this weekend.  When I told them during the ceremony to remember how they feel right now and try to never lose it, I think I also presented a challenge to myself, and to everyone of us who were present and married.  When Paul discussed Christ’s relationship to the church in Ephesians 5, the effects of Jesus’ love for the church are continuous.  He continues to this day to love, cherish, and protect His church.  And hopefully the church continues to love and honor Him.  May it never stop!  And may the happiness and love in our marriages never cease.  May the desire to renew our commitments often to one another be steadfast.

So once again, I congratulate you Matt & Megan, and I thank you for your realness, love for eachother, and example set forth.  Keep on doing it! Don’t change a thing

I love you both!

According to a poll that came out about 4 years ago (I wish I still had the source—sorry), here are the top 10 complaints by women regarding their husbands:

1. Often selfish and inconsiderate
2. Unsuccessful in business–not bringing in enough money
3. Not always honest
4. Complains too much (focuses more on what is negative)
5. Only showing affection/romance when he wants sex
6. Lack of communication and sharing how he feels
7. Too harsh on the children
8. Overly-sensitive (too thin-skinned)
9. Lack of quality time spent with the children
10. Not doing things to help out around the house (bills, cleaning, cooking, etc)

I wrote this a few months back when my wife had to leave town for a couple of days and I kept the boys by myself. They taught me a great lesson.

Yesterday was an interesting day at the office. First, I am by myself with the boys this week, as my wife needed to go to East Texas to get the house ready for her dad. While in Iraq he had a stroke, and has been in a hospital in Germany for the past week. Well, he returned home Monday evening and Cody went to go help her mom tend to him for a couple of days. She should be back today or tomorrow. My father in law is expected to make a full recovery and right now his plans are to return to Iraq in about 3 weeks. He is doing well but please pray for him.

In any event, I mention this because the boys are with me this week. It makes for an interesting day at the office as they are running and playing all throughout the church building while I study in my office. The biggest challenge is keeping them out of the baptistry.

Well yesterday, a young woman, twenty three years of age, came by the church building and wanted some counseling. I invited her in and we sat in the auditorium and talked for a considerable amount of time. This young woman’s world is absolutely falling apart. She is sick and because of her sickness, her fiance left her. Her parents are divorcing, which cannot be easy for any twenty-three year old, much less for one who is experiencing a separation of her own. Her sister is strung out on drugs. And she has no money and insisted on me not giving her any. In addition to all of this, she does not like her job and wants to move to Austin to get a better job but her father absolutely forbids it, even though she is an adult. A lot of this, of course, has to do with her culture. So as I sat and listened to her, she was sobbing quite heavily.

I have experienced moments like this, but this time was a bit different. My kids were running around the auditorium and foyer, playing and laughing while all of this was happening. I tried to get them to go elsewhere and play but it was to no avail. Finally, my youngest, a 3-year old, came up to her and gave her a hug and patted her on the back and asked if she will be okay. He had never even seen this woman before. He had no idea who she was and he did not particularly care. As I sat there in awe, she burst out with laughter and told me that I will never know what that meant to her. I’m sure Chase will not either, but it sure made his daddy proud. He helped this young lady in a way that I could not.

After she left, I went to ask the boys if they were ready to go get some lunch and Aaron, my oldest, a 5-year old, was teary-eyed himself. I asked him what was wrong and he said he was sad because that girl was sad. Again, I was awe-struck. I have two precious boys that have tremenous hearts of compassion. May I do my best to instill in them the drive to keep it.

But while the temptation exists for me to point out my children as unique in that regard, I really don’t think they are. They are indeed special, and I couldn’t be more proud of them. But I believe for the most part, all children have hearts of gold and the type of compassion for which all of us should strive.

In Matthew 18:3-5, our Lord stated, “I assure you, unless, you are converted and become like chldren, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child–this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.”

I am grateful for children in this world. They truly are a blessing. And I am especially thankful that God has given me two of them to raise, witness, and learn from each and every day.

One of my all-time favorite childhood memories is watching old Jerry Lewis movies with my mom and laughing hysterically. It usually would get to the point where we were likely laughing harder at one another than we were at the actual movie itself. Well, I found this on youtube. It is a scene from the movie, The Patsy. It is definitely my favorite Jerry Lewis scene. As I was watching it, Aaron and Chase began watching it with me and even they were laughing at it. It was at that point that I knew I had to post this. Mom, I know you will remember it. I hope everyone can enjoy this and get a laugh out of it! It brought back great memories for me.

*This was written in June of this year, the day after I returned from taking the youth group here in La Grange to camp.

Camp is always a great time. For my 9th consecutive year, it was good to get out of the world in which I am currently caught up and have the opportunity to grow closer to God and renew my relationship with His Son. It is also a fun time to rekindle acquaintances with brethren I do not get to see all year round. However, although camp was wonderful, I must admit that it is good to be back home too. Especially as I get older there just doesn’t seem be a bed quite like the one I inhabit each night in the comfort of my own home.

Speaking of home, while at camp this past week, something dawned on me and it hit me like the proverbial “ton of bricks.” I missed my family. I missed being around them. I missed my wife’s sweet and beautiful smile. I missed laughing with her. I missed hugging her. I missed telling her that I love her. I even missed her exasperated “sigh” when I often need her to do something for me. I missed my kids’ laughter. I missed their tender little voices that tell me they love me. It was an intense longing and yearning. It was a deep pining. It was a craving, a hunger, a genuine desire to be with and to hold those who mean more to me than anything else in this present day world. As I sat there on this particular evening, pondering this, and became teary-eyed, I realized that it is my relationship with them that allows for this. As each day passes, I grow closer and closer to these ones who are so dear to me. At least I strive to anyway. If not for my relationship with them, my desire to be with them at that particular moment would not have been so intense. Currently my wife and kids are in Wisconsin visiting family and will not be back until the latter part of June. There is little doubt that the length of my absence from them contributed greatly to my intense feelings that particular evening.

So as this was going through my mind, it made me think how our relationship with Jesus should be similar. If we are not pining to one day come home and be with Jesus, then perhaps our relationship with Him (and with this world) is worth re-evaluating. As for me, I pray (and certainly ask for your prayers) that as I personally live my life on this temporary earth, like the Apostle Paul demonstrated in Philippians 1:23, I will forever long and yearn to one day be with Christ. I hope that I will never cease to look forward in happy anticipation to one day joining Him in glory, always keeping my eyes fixed on Him (Hebrews 12:1-2) with a deep hunger and sense of craving. I pray that I never lose sight of what awaits me in that place Jesus has gone to prepare for me (John 14:1-6) as I strive to enjoy life in His Kingdom (Matthew 5-7) and complete the beautiful journey and race set before me today (I Corinthians 9:21-24).

The truth of the matter is that the closer we grow to Christ and the more we get to know Him, the greater our desire will be in spending an eternity with Him. The more familiar we grow to His ways, the more intense our hunger will be to experience them for an eternity. Think about it. We are told that Jesus’ blood cleanses our sins when we walk in the light with Him (I John 1:7).

Thank God for the realization that this world is not my home! I do not know all of the details about how an eternity with God will be apart from this world, the only home we have ever known. Who does? In fact, I am quite convinced that it is not intended for us to know every detail about Heaven. But I do know enough, from what the Bible reveals to us about that grand abode as a place of rest and refuge from earthly hardship (Hebrews 4:1-10), to know that I want to be there one day. May my service in His kingdom forever be a source of remembrance to me, that as I certainly look forward to being reunited with my family when they return home from Wisconsin, I undoubtedly have something far more glorious and exciting for which to look forward in one day being united with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for an eternity.

I have wanted to do this for a long time. Now I am finally doing it. WooHoo! I am not really sure what has taken so long. I guess it was mainly because I realize this takes some time and I wasn’t confident that I would have that time to spare. I don’t know if I have the time to do it as much as I would like, but I figured since I write for our church bulletin and a weekly column for the local newspaper here in La Grange, I should have plenty to post on here. At least, it should provide a start. Of course, I also plan to post other things that I find amusing, funny, or worth mentioning.

In addition, I will write (and provide pictures) about events that are going on with our family. I’m still trying to completely figure this out, so bear with me. I am certain this site will get better as I figure out more what all I can do on here.

So, I have three main purposes in creating this blog: (1) to try and encourage all of us as we strive to maintain New Testament Christianity in today’s world, (2) to provide a means of communication with those of you who mean so much to me. And (3) so you can keep up with what is happening with me, Cody, and the boys. Truly I am blessed, and I am excited about sharing with you what is happening in our lives.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions. I plan to begin with posting articles I have written already throughout this past year while I get the hang of this.

Peace,
Jason