"Where it began, I can't begin to knowin' but then I know it's growin' strong. Was in the Spring and Spring became the summer who'd have believed you'd come along. Hands, touchin' hands. Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you. Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good. I've been inclined to believe they never would." - Neil Diamond - "Sweet Caroline"
The tune heard at every Red Sox home game in the 8th inning has become a favorite of mine. It's a simple song expressing a simple love, but the kind of love that makes your mind forget what you had or did before you found it. The kind of love that makes time fly and you don't know where your Spring went because it turned into summer and now summer is slowly turning into Fall. The kind of love that gives you the butterflies inside when your hands touch for the first time. The kind of love that makes the ordinary things we do become extraordinary when we are doing them with that person. The kind of love that causes us to sacrifice our own desires to make the one we love better. The kind of love we all desire.
I became a dad November 17, 2008...yes, Abigail Rose is almost 2. I will become a dad to my 2nd baby girl sometime in the next 2 weeks, and her name will be Caroline Day...Sweet Caroline. Sally and I were talking the other day on a family walk and can't remember what life was like when it was just us or when it was just us and Wrigley. What did we do? We starting laughing because soon we will forget what life was like with just us, Wrigley, and Abigail. We haven't forgotten because they were bad times either. We have experienced the kind of love that just makes time fly by...and the good times never seemed so good when we didn't have Wrigley and Abigail and now we'll add Caroline to the mix and life will only continue getting better. Because of that I am getting anxious to get her home. Isn't it funny that even though time seems to be flying by at such a rapid fire pace as soon as we get anxious for something everything halts? And then when it finally arrives time kicks into an even higher gear. Think about it...Christmas Day takes forever to get here and then it's over in an instant. A long awaited vacation will never get here, and when it does it seems too short. And now I wait for Caroline and time is dragging...but as soon as she gets here I'm sure I will wonder where the time went.
I think about the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. I'm sure everyday as the dad looked out over the vast land hoping that would be the day his son returned time slowed down. And finally the day came...and as they celebrated I'm sure the time flew by. You can imagine that good times never seemed so good as they did that day. The love that dad had for his sons (both of them) was astounding. Obviously he longed for the "lost" son to come home and welcomed him with love (it says he was moved with compassion), but we often miss the love he had for his older son...and the older son missed it as well. It says the older son was mad about the celebration being thrown and refused to join in on the good times. The dad pleads with him and responds with "ALL that I have is yours because you have ALWAYS been with me." The dad had a respect for his older son and a pride in his work ethic. There was no longer a difference between his property and the son's property...everything that was his was also the son's. The love he felt for his older son was deep-rooted in the quality time they spent together while the other brother was away. They probably had times of laughter, tears, prayer, triumph, defeat...they had life together and nothing can take that away. Now that the whole family is back together I'm sure it's hard to remember what they did before brother was back, but those times also built a foundation for the prodigal coming back. It prepared the family for that time.
So as we wait for Sweet Caroline (she's not a prodigal...yet...and hopefully won't be) we have to be sensitive to Abigail. We will celebrate the life that is joining us and bring Abigail along in the celebration. She will be an incredible big sister and is ready to see what a "sissy" is I'm sure since we've been talking about it for so long now. And just like our first year of marriage was preparing a foundation to start our family and the next few years with Wrigley were preparing a foundation to have Abigail, we have to believe that the last few years with Abigail have been preparing a foundation for us to welcome Caroline. It started with a Holy Covenant between us and God believing that we would be together and our love would continuously grow for each other until death do us part.
And now as we look out over the vastness of Sally's belly waiting for Caroline to come, we realize that all of this was because two people fell in love...a simple love. The kind of love that makes you forget what you did before you had it, the kind of love that turns something ordinary (a family walk) into something extraordinary because of the quality of time that it was, the kind of love we all desire. I have found that love because of the ONE that loved me and sacrificed His life to make me better. And I am better because of the love that Christ has for me...a better man, a better friend, a better husband, and a better dad. May we continue to spread that love as the foundation of whatever might come next.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Hope Springs Eternal
In Alexander Pope's Essay On Man he wrote that "Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be, blest..." I have heard that saying hundreds of times in my life but never knew where it came from or why it was coined. I just knew it meant baseball season was here and as a Cubs fan, that phrase is the only thing we have most seasons. It also means that April is upon us...Easter, Bluebonnetts in the Texas Hill Country, The Masters (congrats Phil...just in case you read), enough oak pollen to choke an elephant, and another viewing of "Field of Dreams" for me. You can argue all you want, but it is the single greatest baseball movie ever made! Now that that is settled:
Faith is defined in Hebrews (11:1) by "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" or as The Message phrases it: "is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we cannot see." From here I am going to say that hope is what makes life worth living. The word springs refers to water coming from the ground continuously and is used often in the Bible. Jesus will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life as described to the woman at the well in John 4.
So the phrase "hope springs eternal" means that whatever makes life worth living should be something that lasts forever or at least focuses on eternity...living in the Kingdom now...praying "Thy Kingdom Come" and meaning it. Too often we put our hope and prayers in everything else and everything else eventually lets us down, breaks our heart, steals our joy, causes our pain, uses us, takes advantage of us, spits us out, kicks us while we're down, turns their back, mocks us, and can eventually kill our spirit...but only if we let it. Look again at the things "everything else we hope in" does: look familiar. That's because it all happened in the story that gives us something to hope for in this life. Hope does spring eternal. It was springing eternal on the cross and it springs eternal today...if we let it.
Why choose worry and frustration when things don't go your way? Why choose depression when life hurts? Why choose a frown on a rainy day? Why choose anything but the hope we have in Christ? Our faces say it all. Our eyes tell the story. Our lives set the tone.
"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with Him, make us fit for Him - we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand - out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy (hope) such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit" (Romans 5:1-5 The Message)!
Those words shoot adrenaline into my soul! Where are you hoping you might be standing as God sings "well done" over you? This time of uncertainty in my life has developed character I didn't know I had and the length of my transition is giving me that passionate patience (perseverance) Paul talks about in verse 4. Standing around and wondering "why me" is no way to go through life, but living in alert expectancy (hope that springs eternal) for what God has next is what we're called to.
Now back to my original argument about "Field of Dreams" being the greatest baseball movie of all time. Watch the movie, read Romans 5:1-5, and realize that the greatest baseball of movie of all time had nothing at all to do with baseball...it's a story about a man and his relationship with his father. He acted on a hope, a vision, and actually a voice in this case, but in the end also realized that the hopes he thought he had meant nothing...it all came down to "Dad, do you want to have a catch" and restoring his relationship with dad. So again I ask why choose anything but the hope we have in Christ? If you are choosing worry and frustration or placing hope in something else just ask: "Dad, do you want to have a catch" and restore your relationship with the ONE that can bring hope that springs eternal...and that's what Smithson says!
Faith is defined in Hebrews (11:1) by "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" or as The Message phrases it: "is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we cannot see." From here I am going to say that hope is what makes life worth living. The word springs refers to water coming from the ground continuously and is used often in the Bible. Jesus will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life as described to the woman at the well in John 4.
So the phrase "hope springs eternal" means that whatever makes life worth living should be something that lasts forever or at least focuses on eternity...living in the Kingdom now...praying "Thy Kingdom Come" and meaning it. Too often we put our hope and prayers in everything else and everything else eventually lets us down, breaks our heart, steals our joy, causes our pain, uses us, takes advantage of us, spits us out, kicks us while we're down, turns their back, mocks us, and can eventually kill our spirit...but only if we let it. Look again at the things "everything else we hope in" does: look familiar. That's because it all happened in the story that gives us something to hope for in this life. Hope does spring eternal. It was springing eternal on the cross and it springs eternal today...if we let it.
Why choose worry and frustration when things don't go your way? Why choose depression when life hurts? Why choose a frown on a rainy day? Why choose anything but the hope we have in Christ? Our faces say it all. Our eyes tell the story. Our lives set the tone.
"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with Him, make us fit for Him - we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand - out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy (hope) such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit" (Romans 5:1-5 The Message)!
Those words shoot adrenaline into my soul! Where are you hoping you might be standing as God sings "well done" over you? This time of uncertainty in my life has developed character I didn't know I had and the length of my transition is giving me that passionate patience (perseverance) Paul talks about in verse 4. Standing around and wondering "why me" is no way to go through life, but living in alert expectancy (hope that springs eternal) for what God has next is what we're called to.
Now back to my original argument about "Field of Dreams" being the greatest baseball movie of all time. Watch the movie, read Romans 5:1-5, and realize that the greatest baseball of movie of all time had nothing at all to do with baseball...it's a story about a man and his relationship with his father. He acted on a hope, a vision, and actually a voice in this case, but in the end also realized that the hopes he thought he had meant nothing...it all came down to "Dad, do you want to have a catch" and restoring his relationship with dad. So again I ask why choose anything but the hope we have in Christ? If you are choosing worry and frustration or placing hope in something else just ask: "Dad, do you want to have a catch" and restore your relationship with the ONE that can bring hope that springs eternal...and that's what Smithson says!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Transition
I intended to start writing again January 1 like I mentioned in my email back in December. Well, a few things have happened during the transition that have slowed my process, but I intend to get back on a regular schedule and start updating this blog every month. This post is different than how I normally communicate but I felt like this was a good way to begin...so here's what Smithson Says:
The Hebrew Year 5770 started September 19, 2009 and will end September 8, 2010. The actual year started with Rosh Hashana which is a two day (September 19-20) New Year Celebration. The next milestone in the year is Yom Kippur (Judaism's holiest day) which was September 28, 2009 and will be celebrated again September 18, 2010. Another time in the Jewish Calendar I want to brief us on is the Sukkot, or The Festival of Booths or Tabernacles. In 5770 the dates were October 3-9, 2009 and will be celebrated again September 23-29, 2010 in 5771. The Sukkot ends with Simchat Torah which celebrates the love of the Torah.
I realize this all seems rather strange coming from me since I am usually the last person to ever conversate about theology and usually just focus on the love of Christ and leave the debating over communion and baptism to those that want to waste their time debating rather than ministering. Allow me to clear the air just a little. A word was spoken over me about transition not too long ago. In fact, it was specifically about the Hebrew Year 5770 known by the Jewish people as the Year of Transition...the end of one age and the beginning of the next. As I began to look into this for myself some (I'm no expert by any means) alot of things began to come to light and though I do not practice the Jewish faith, I couldn't help but realize I was living in the Year of Transition.
The New Year started September 19-20, 2009. The following Monday (September 21) was the day Sally was let go and the end of an age for us. Not just at Deer Creek Camp, but possibly the end of our time in camp ministry. That's not to say I don't ever want to do camp again, but for now I don't feel like God is pushing me in that direction any longer. Yom Kippur was September 28, 2009 and that just happened to be our first day without a job and a day we definitely sought after God for His Holy Direction. The Sukkot (October 3-9, 2009) is the time when the Jewish people would set up temporary tents to maximize their time in the fields for Harvest. Today, they still build a sukkot to celebrate the time of harvest in Israel. Those were the days I started networking and trying to maximize my time of transition and hope for a harvest (or job in this case)...sending out my resume, doing interviews, creating a list of jobs and places we could live, and wandering through the desert without much direction. That time didn't end with much clarity, but it did end with contentment. By the end of that week I had already been contacted by Inflatable Wonderland, had a meeting with Young Life's Lone Star Region, reached and met with The First Tee of San Antonio, had scheduled an appointment with Young Life's DFW Region, scheduled an interview in Dallas to become a Financial Advisor, made an appointment with SNU admissions department, and been considered for a camp job here in Kerrville. There is no doubt at the end of that week I knew I was in God's Hands...and I loved His Word spoken over me.
Since that time I have celebrated my Year of Transition in many ways. I continue to work at Inflatable Wonderland as the Manager and am truly enjoying the fast-paced lifestyle of being a "mall guy" and dealing with mostly a student staff. While that has been fun, my heart continued to lead me towards Young Life. At the first of the year I was contacted by the DFW Region again and went up for a set of interviews. Since that time, I have been contacted again and hope to be back up there for the final interview and possibly get hired in the next month or so. There is a good chance (not 100% just yet) that Sally, Abigail, Wrigley, and I will be moving to the DFW Metro area this summer...what a transition. If all that were not enough, we are also about 12 weeks pregnant with the second miracle of a child God has chosen to give us. Remember that the Year of Transition ends September 8, 2010 and we are in the next year (5771) and starting the Sukkot September 23 (celebrating the Harvest)...well, our due date is September 23 and we will truly be celebrating the harvest God has given us with child number 2...and that's what Smithson Says!
The Hebrew Year 5770 started September 19, 2009 and will end September 8, 2010. The actual year started with Rosh Hashana which is a two day (September 19-20) New Year Celebration. The next milestone in the year is Yom Kippur (Judaism's holiest day) which was September 28, 2009 and will be celebrated again September 18, 2010. Another time in the Jewish Calendar I want to brief us on is the Sukkot, or The Festival of Booths or Tabernacles. In 5770 the dates were October 3-9, 2009 and will be celebrated again September 23-29, 2010 in 5771. The Sukkot ends with Simchat Torah which celebrates the love of the Torah.
I realize this all seems rather strange coming from me since I am usually the last person to ever conversate about theology and usually just focus on the love of Christ and leave the debating over communion and baptism to those that want to waste their time debating rather than ministering. Allow me to clear the air just a little. A word was spoken over me about transition not too long ago. In fact, it was specifically about the Hebrew Year 5770 known by the Jewish people as the Year of Transition...the end of one age and the beginning of the next. As I began to look into this for myself some (I'm no expert by any means) alot of things began to come to light and though I do not practice the Jewish faith, I couldn't help but realize I was living in the Year of Transition.
The New Year started September 19-20, 2009. The following Monday (September 21) was the day Sally was let go and the end of an age for us. Not just at Deer Creek Camp, but possibly the end of our time in camp ministry. That's not to say I don't ever want to do camp again, but for now I don't feel like God is pushing me in that direction any longer. Yom Kippur was September 28, 2009 and that just happened to be our first day without a job and a day we definitely sought after God for His Holy Direction. The Sukkot (October 3-9, 2009) is the time when the Jewish people would set up temporary tents to maximize their time in the fields for Harvest. Today, they still build a sukkot to celebrate the time of harvest in Israel. Those were the days I started networking and trying to maximize my time of transition and hope for a harvest (or job in this case)...sending out my resume, doing interviews, creating a list of jobs and places we could live, and wandering through the desert without much direction. That time didn't end with much clarity, but it did end with contentment. By the end of that week I had already been contacted by Inflatable Wonderland, had a meeting with Young Life's Lone Star Region, reached and met with The First Tee of San Antonio, had scheduled an appointment with Young Life's DFW Region, scheduled an interview in Dallas to become a Financial Advisor, made an appointment with SNU admissions department, and been considered for a camp job here in Kerrville. There is no doubt at the end of that week I knew I was in God's Hands...and I loved His Word spoken over me.
Since that time I have celebrated my Year of Transition in many ways. I continue to work at Inflatable Wonderland as the Manager and am truly enjoying the fast-paced lifestyle of being a "mall guy" and dealing with mostly a student staff. While that has been fun, my heart continued to lead me towards Young Life. At the first of the year I was contacted by the DFW Region again and went up for a set of interviews. Since that time, I have been contacted again and hope to be back up there for the final interview and possibly get hired in the next month or so. There is a good chance (not 100% just yet) that Sally, Abigail, Wrigley, and I will be moving to the DFW Metro area this summer...what a transition. If all that were not enough, we are also about 12 weeks pregnant with the second miracle of a child God has chosen to give us. Remember that the Year of Transition ends September 8, 2010 and we are in the next year (5771) and starting the Sukkot September 23 (celebrating the Harvest)...well, our due date is September 23 and we will truly be celebrating the harvest God has given us with child number 2...and that's what Smithson Says!
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