Jennifer and I took a much needed break. We traveled to Virginia to tour some historic sites. We celebrated her birthday and our 20th Anniversary, though our anniversary isn’t until June. But mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed the time away.
As often happens when we get away, we talked a lot about our kids, David and Kate who were staying with their grandparents. We called them each day, or they called us. Sometimes they called several times. They wanted to know what we were doing and especially wanted to know when we were coming home. Though we enjoy our time away together, we miss our kids just as they miss us. Being away from work and the demands of home, and at the same time being renewed in our relationship are all things we have tried to do throughout our years of marriage.
I’ve discovered in our times away that I come home refreshed and renewed. I also come home with a new understanding or perspective about myself. We all need to get away. Jesus got away. The gospels tell us that on a few occasions he went away by himself—to pray, to reflect, to gain perspective. If Jesus took the time to get away, and Jesus is our model for living well, then it stands to reason we should learn from him and take the time to get away as well.
I hope you take the time to get away to be renewed in your life, your relationships and your walk with God.
Blessings,
Tommy
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Holy Week
Holy Week begins tomorrow. Every year it seems to creep up on us and we seem to face it a little unprepared. The least we could say is we long to experience it fully but aren’t quite sure how to approach it. That’s the case for me this year. Since Easter Sunday is earlier than usual, my spiritual clock doesn’t quite seem to be on cue. So what will we, what will I do with Holy Week?
I’ll begin by being more decidedly a participant in worship on Sunday rather than a worship leader as is usually the case. As a participant in worship I plan to be more in touch and in tune with what God is doing in my life during that hour. Being out of my usual spot on Sunday always awakens my senses to the presence and the voice of God in my life. I hope that the senses of worship will ignite a flame that continues to burn through this very special week. I am reminded of the words of John who spoke of Jesus as “ the light of the world.”
Perhaps my senses will also be more acutely aware of the new life bursting forth in creation. I want to notice the buds on the trees, the lilies bursting forth from the ground. I saw a bright red cardinal on our deck this afternoon. Yes, I’m excited about the prospects of spring—not only in creation but in my spiritual life as well.
It will be my hope as well through this Holy Week that I will take in all that Jesus experienced that last week. To reflect upon the triumphal entry, the meal with his disciples in the upper room, the prayer in the garden, the betrayal by a friend, the trial before Pilate, the walk to Golgotha, the crucifixion, and the silence of Saturday all serve to enhance the experience of Easter. It’s easy to give in to the temptation to get to the joy of Easter and certainly we want to be there. But there is a deeper experience God has for us if we take the time to journey through all that happens in the life of Christ that week.
All in all, I look forward to this week and the hope, peace, and renewal it brings to my life. And, having taken the journey through Holy Week, Easter will dawn with new hope and new life.
That’s the reflection from my corner.
Tommy
I’ll begin by being more decidedly a participant in worship on Sunday rather than a worship leader as is usually the case. As a participant in worship I plan to be more in touch and in tune with what God is doing in my life during that hour. Being out of my usual spot on Sunday always awakens my senses to the presence and the voice of God in my life. I hope that the senses of worship will ignite a flame that continues to burn through this very special week. I am reminded of the words of John who spoke of Jesus as “ the light of the world.”
Perhaps my senses will also be more acutely aware of the new life bursting forth in creation. I want to notice the buds on the trees, the lilies bursting forth from the ground. I saw a bright red cardinal on our deck this afternoon. Yes, I’m excited about the prospects of spring—not only in creation but in my spiritual life as well.
It will be my hope as well through this Holy Week that I will take in all that Jesus experienced that last week. To reflect upon the triumphal entry, the meal with his disciples in the upper room, the prayer in the garden, the betrayal by a friend, the trial before Pilate, the walk to Golgotha, the crucifixion, and the silence of Saturday all serve to enhance the experience of Easter. It’s easy to give in to the temptation to get to the joy of Easter and certainly we want to be there. But there is a deeper experience God has for us if we take the time to journey through all that happens in the life of Christ that week.
All in all, I look forward to this week and the hope, peace, and renewal it brings to my life. And, having taken the journey through Holy Week, Easter will dawn with new hope and new life.
That’s the reflection from my corner.
Tommy
Friday, January 18, 2008
Happy Birthday!!
Our son, David, turns 12 today. Twelve. It doesn’t matter how I spell it, it seems hardly possible. He’s nearly as tall as me and almost wears the same size shoe. I believe he may just turn out to be taller than his mother and I.
Twelve. I remember being twelve. I remember the friends I had and the things we did at school. I remember dreaming about what my life would be like and adding bits and pieces to that dream over time. I remember not worrying about things. I don’t remember Playstations, Nintendos, Ipods, flat screen TVs, satellite TV or cable. I do remember a big snow and sunny days.
Twelve! It’s only one year from being a teenager, four years until a driver’s license, six years until graduation. Twelve! It sounds different than one or five or even ten.
I wander what my father thought when I turned twelve. If he were still living, I would ask him what advice he could give to the father of a twelve year old. And maybe one day my son will seek me out for the same advice.
Maybe twelve is about dreams—my dreams for my son, his dreams for himself, and God’s dream for both of us. In that perspective, twelve sounds pretty good!
So, on this special day in my son’s life, and his parents life as well, I’ll remember that day twelve years ago when I got to see him and hold him for the first time. I’ll recall the many special memories we have made together as a family and the joy he has added to my life. I’ll give thanks to God for the gift he is and I’ll say a prayer that he will become the person God created him to be.
One thing is for sure. I never grow tired of being his Dad, and I never grow tired of hearing him call me Dad!
Happy 12th Birthday, David!
Love,
Dad
Twelve. I remember being twelve. I remember the friends I had and the things we did at school. I remember dreaming about what my life would be like and adding bits and pieces to that dream over time. I remember not worrying about things. I don’t remember Playstations, Nintendos, Ipods, flat screen TVs, satellite TV or cable. I do remember a big snow and sunny days.
Twelve! It’s only one year from being a teenager, four years until a driver’s license, six years until graduation. Twelve! It sounds different than one or five or even ten.
I wander what my father thought when I turned twelve. If he were still living, I would ask him what advice he could give to the father of a twelve year old. And maybe one day my son will seek me out for the same advice.
Maybe twelve is about dreams—my dreams for my son, his dreams for himself, and God’s dream for both of us. In that perspective, twelve sounds pretty good!
So, on this special day in my son’s life, and his parents life as well, I’ll remember that day twelve years ago when I got to see him and hold him for the first time. I’ll recall the many special memories we have made together as a family and the joy he has added to my life. I’ll give thanks to God for the gift he is and I’ll say a prayer that he will become the person God created him to be.
One thing is for sure. I never grow tired of being his Dad, and I never grow tired of hearing him call me Dad!
Happy 12th Birthday, David!
Love,
Dad
Saturday, December 29, 2007
New Year's Hopes
I’ve never been one to make New Year’s Resolutions—those verbal or written commitments that give some sense of power to that which seems most on our mind at the end of the year. Whether it is a resolution to lose weight, spend more time with family, take better care of ourselves, spend time in prayer, or to take time off each week they seem to be well intentioned without having much else behind them.
It seems so easy to verbally acknowledge something we want to do rather than to follow through. That may be the challenge—following through with what we said we would do. “Follow-through” is after all the difference many times whether in resolutions or one’s golf swing. The “follow-through” is significant.
So in New Year’s resolutions we find ourselves perfecting the “follow-through.” I prefer to make a list of “hopes” for the coming year--my list of things or activities I hope to accomplish. Perhaps that let’s me off the hook if my “follow-through” isn’t what it needs to be. With that said, and that being my qualifier or dis-qualifier, let me share a list of my “hopes” for 2008.
I hope to take better care of myself. Taking days off, exercising, and eating better are some of the elements that come into play here. I enjoy exercise, especially after it’s done—perhaps this year I can be more committed to getting to the exercise. Taking days off, in my profession, is sometimes easier said than done but not the less important. I hope to put my new golf clubs—a Christmas gift—to use on those days off. The golf lesson—another Christmas gift—may help me to make those occasional golf games more enjoyable. I will not bother with talking about eating—I enjoy it too much!
My second hope is to spend more time writing. This blog is one step in that direction. Notice I didn’t say how much more time I want to spend writing—just more. It shouldn’t be hard to mark this one off as being successful at the end of 2008.
Another hope, I don’t want to say final hope, is to relax more. Relax really takes on several meanings. On one hand, to use the terminology of my children who seem to have a hipper vocabulary than their dad, by relax I mean “chill out”—don’t take life so seriously. It seems in my ministry I am always dealing with the serious. It is helpful to find time to “chill out.”
On the other hand, relax means to observe the “Sabbath.” Not simply going to church on Sunday but “Sabbath” as in “on the 7th day God rested.” So rest.
All in all, not too bad a list of hopes. How will it all turn out? I suspect some days good and some days bad. Maybe it is, after all, in the “follow-through.”
Happy New Years!!
Tommy
I’ve never been one to make New Year’s Resolutions—those verbal or written commitments that give some sense of power to that which seems most on our mind at the end of the year. Whether it is a resolution to lose weight, spend more time with family, take better care of ourselves, spend time in prayer, or to take time off each week they seem to be well intentioned without having much else behind them.
It seems so easy to verbally acknowledge something we want to do rather than to follow through. That may be the challenge—following through with what we said we would do. “Follow-through” is after all the difference many times whether in resolutions or one’s golf swing. The “follow-through” is significant.
So in New Year’s resolutions we find ourselves perfecting the “follow-through.” I prefer to make a list of “hopes” for the coming year--my list of things or activities I hope to accomplish. Perhaps that let’s me off the hook if my “follow-through” isn’t what it needs to be. With that said, and that being my qualifier or dis-qualifier, let me share a list of my “hopes” for 2008.
I hope to take better care of myself. Taking days off, exercising, and eating better are some of the elements that come into play here. I enjoy exercise, especially after it’s done—perhaps this year I can be more committed to getting to the exercise. Taking days off, in my profession, is sometimes easier said than done but not the less important. I hope to put my new golf clubs—a Christmas gift—to use on those days off. The golf lesson—another Christmas gift—may help me to make those occasional golf games more enjoyable. I will not bother with talking about eating—I enjoy it too much!
My second hope is to spend more time writing. This blog is one step in that direction. Notice I didn’t say how much more time I want to spend writing—just more. It shouldn’t be hard to mark this one off as being successful at the end of 2008.
Another hope, I don’t want to say final hope, is to relax more. Relax really takes on several meanings. On one hand, to use the terminology of my children who seem to have a hipper vocabulary than their dad, by relax I mean “chill out”—don’t take life so seriously. It seems in my ministry I am always dealing with the serious. It is helpful to find time to “chill out.”
On the other hand, relax means to observe the “Sabbath.” Not simply going to church on Sunday but “Sabbath” as in “on the 7th day God rested.” So rest.
All in all, not too bad a list of hopes. How will it all turn out? I suspect some days good and some days bad. Maybe it is, after all, in the “follow-through.”
Happy New Years!!
Tommy
Friday, December 7, 2007
Learning to Laugh
This week I was e-mailed some funny Christmas websites. This one in particular involved pasting a face, yours and/or your family members on the animated body of one of Santa's elves. The images then proceeded to dance to a Christmas tune. It was quite the thing to see.
So I gave it a try. I found pictures of all my family, pasted our faces on the elves and sent it on to family and friends. My kids and my wife thought it was hilarious. I can't keep from laughing each time I see it.
It's good to laugh--at ourselves, at life, at the humorous circumstances all around us. Too often as adults we become too serious to take the time to laugh. When my children were infants and we placed them in one of those wonderful bouncy seats, they would belly laugh as our cocker spaniel ran in front of them. I'll never forget those laughs and the joy that they brought to me.
In the same way, I realize that laughter really does make me feel better about life and about myself. So in the midst of what is for me a very busy season in the life of the church, I pledge to find the occassion and the opportunity to laugh and allow my life and myself to be enriched by it.
That's the corner reflection.
Tommy
So I gave it a try. I found pictures of all my family, pasted our faces on the elves and sent it on to family and friends. My kids and my wife thought it was hilarious. I can't keep from laughing each time I see it.
It's good to laugh--at ourselves, at life, at the humorous circumstances all around us. Too often as adults we become too serious to take the time to laugh. When my children were infants and we placed them in one of those wonderful bouncy seats, they would belly laugh as our cocker spaniel ran in front of them. I'll never forget those laughs and the joy that they brought to me.
In the same way, I realize that laughter really does make me feel better about life and about myself. So in the midst of what is for me a very busy season in the life of the church, I pledge to find the occassion and the opportunity to laugh and allow my life and myself to be enriched by it.
That's the corner reflection.
Tommy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)