Steve's Random Thoughts » Family Stuff

Disciple of Jesus Christ

Steve — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 07:25:54 +0000

Years ago, in a land far away, in my childhood home, stuck to the refrigerator with one or two magnets was this poem. Well, it might not be a poem, but it is good. I don’t know who put it there but I remembered it, or at least the major idea of it. And almost 30 years later I hear that same poem thingy on Moody radio. I googled enough of the words to find the whole thing on a web site and I reprint it here hopefully with permission or at least forgiveness. I wish I had come up with it but I think Dr. Bob Moorehead did.
I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.
And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..” (Romans 1:16)

Got Life?

Steve — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:46:53 +0000

There are different levels of life that are more valuable and worthy of protection. For example, I value my children above a coyote. If a coyote attacked my kids I would kill it to protect my kids. Only weirdos would have a problem with that. But at what level of importance are things placed? It’s called the circle of life. Lions eat other animals which eat the grass which grows better where an animal has died and fertilized the ground. I consider myself pro-life. But only to a point. We just had a baby born to our family. (Yes, Mom. More pictures will be coming.) At 8 pounds and 12 ounces she is definitely alive. She was also alive before she was born. Any mother-to-be who has felt her baby kick her can tell you that. It is inconceivable to me that anyone could kill an unborn baby because it is not wanted. Babies can feel pain before they are born. Nebraska passed a law protecting pre-born babies based on this fact. We know that dogs and cats feel pain. My otherwise very quiet cat lets me know very loudly when I accidentally step on its tail. For some reason it likes to get in my way going down the steps but then stop right in front of me. It could be considered wrong, unethical, or immoral to intentionally hurt a mammal. But what about a mosquito? Is it wrong to hurt them? What about trees? Can we cut them down for firewood? The tree is alive. But it is not of the same type of life. A fish is alive, as is a cow. I eat them both and I never stop to wonder if they would rather live than be my lunch. The bird in my attic is annoying me. Can I remove it without fear of some government agency throwing me in jail for harming an animal? This country has really got some issues mixed up. The balance of nature should be respected but not worshiped. Some life is worth protecting while other life is not. My baby had fingerprints at 8 weeks of age. She is far more important to me than any animal. So I was wondering, where do things belong on the value chart of life. As you can see below I put humans first. See if you agree with the rest.

Humans
pets
plants grown for human consumption
animals grown for human consumption
mammals
fish and birds
insects
plants
algae
Congressman

Christmas Letter from Christ

Steve — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:57:29 +0000

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival; although, I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Now, having said that let Me go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can and may remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching that explains who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks are. If you have forgot that one, look at John 15:1-8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing Barack complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile it could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day they’d close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them (and I suspect you don’t) buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Marines, the Salvation Army or some other charity and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

P.S. Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those you love and, remember, I LOVE YOU.

Thankful Heart – Petra

Steve — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:24:36 +0000

My daughter Sarah-Joy is almost two years old. She had an accident at a playground last week that gave her a small fracture in her leg. Yesterday she got a cast on her right leg that she is not happy about, but at least it’s pink. As I observed some of the other people in the hospital and how much worse their situation is than ours I thought of this song by Petra. Even though I could list some things in life that are not perfect, the list of things I am thankful for would be much longer.

Our kids are (usually) healthy and well behaved. My wife and I have been married twelve years and still love each other. And we have a peace that is undescribable because we know the Prince of Peace.

If you have a thankful heart, even that too is a gift from God. If you don’t have a thankful heart yet, it’s not too late. Listen to this song and think about all the good that God has brought into your life.

Competition

Steve — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:08:41 +0000

Competition.mp3

It’s it amazing how we try to out-do one another? Whether it is friendly but emotional competition on a sports field or not so friendly political discussions we try to look better than someone else.

What makes us do that? Why do we have to be better than someone else? Jesus said that if you want to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven you must become servant of all. So why do we try to impress people with our abilities? Why do we strive to be number one?

We hold on to some things tightly and value them dearly. Like a reputation. Once damaged, a reputation is not easily fixed. One unkind word leads to another and whether true or not the impact on a person can be life changing. The thing about a reputation though, it is like a shadow. It can show you only a limited impression of a person. It doesn’t show you who that person really is. It is just an outline. And it can be changed based on the source of the light.

How else do we try to out-do one another? Do we give out awards based on achievements? Do we follow people around with cameras because their lives are more interesting than ours? Do we tend to think more highly of ourselves if we are more important or successful than others? Again, what would Jesus say about that?

Still, it is human nature that brings out competition. To some degree animals do fight to be the head of the herd, but they don’t hold conferences to teach self discipline or better hunting maneuvers. Only humans tend to value being number one to that degree. Whether we actually are number one or not doesn’t really matter. What does matter is: are we the best we can be? Are we contributing to our family, our church, society, and the world as much as we can while keeping everything in balance?

All the above came from perhaps too much caffeine too early in the morning. Consider it a bonus. Here’s the story that began all this. I was washing two of our kids in the bathtub. As they were playing, trying to be better than one another, Caleb said, “I know karate.” Hannah said, “Well, I know adult karate.” Caleb said, “I know God karate.” (Gee, how can you beat that?) Hannah said, “I know all kinds of karate.”

I didn’t have to teach them competition. It’s human nature. It’s too funny when it is little kids acting this way. At some point I hope they mature to the point where they will care more about helping each other than being better than one another. I have heard it said that you don’t really know how good a parent you were until you see how your grandkids turn out. I’ve got a long wait.

Ravenna – Rootstown Auto Body Shop

Steve — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:30:45 +0000

If you live in the Ravenna or Rootstown area of Ohio and you need an auto body shop please take note of this.

We were running low on food in the house so I went to Giant Eagle to get something for dinner. This was around 6:15 PM or so. I got about 100 feet away from my drive way and the car made a horrible noise and I came to an abrupt stop. I new it was not an engine problem; I figured my right front tire blew out. As I looked at the car from the front I noticed something disturbing. The left tire was pointing left. The right tire was pointing right. This doesn’t usually happen.

The bracket that keeps the tires properly aligned had rusted through. As I looked at it I figured it was a simple job to weld a new bracket in place and replace a small part or two. I also figured if I took it to a dealer or just about anywhere they would say I needed $500 – $800 of work on it.

As Murphy’s Law predicted, my AAA membership ran out last month and I didn’t renew it. Oops. Fortunately my father-in-law let me use his. As the tow truck was approaching, a car pulls up with two guys who look very interested in the situation. They check out my car and within a few minutes it was being towed to Morgan’s Auto Service & Gas Tank. Shane, the owner, had been one of the two men who stopped. (What are the odds of that?) After talking with him briefly I completely trusted his judgment. He said (what I thought) that a simple bracket (that he custom made) could be welded in place to fix the problem.

This was around 6:45. Just before 10:00 PM the same night I got my car back. The work looks great, my car runs, I am very happy. $150 well spent. Shane’s business card says “Quality Service At A Fair Price”. I completely agree.

Morgan’s Auto Service & Gas Tank 330-297-6890

A special thank you to his family who lets him work late.

As Lisa and I got ready for bed, we found this in the living room. (Cute, Caleb.)

The Fourth of July

Steve — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:34:51 +0000

To all American military personnel and their families: Thank you for making and keeping this the best nation to live in.

Happy Birthday America!

Even Google gets into the spirit!

Virtual Hamster

Steve — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:52:09 +0000

When my brother was little he had a couple of hamsters name cardamom and cinnamon. Hamsters are interesting creatures. They take the natural resources around them and build homes for themselves. They build tunnels and places to hide using the material around them. Kind of like my kids. A kid can be a virtual hamster. We have a pile of laundry that they have turned into a hide out. They can crawl around inside it and play all kinds of things. There is a secret door, an opening covered with a blanket. There is another door on the other side. I’m not sure if that is a secret or not. I’m not told everything. But as Robert Frost says, “Something there is, that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down.” We want the wall of laundry down. We are running out of clean clothes around here so the laundry fort must come down, one load at a time. But our kids are creatures of habit. Once the natural resources are replenished the virtual hamsters will again rebuild their habitat. They will scurry around in their little home and hide from their natural predator, the tickle monster. So should you have hamsters or kids? Kids eat a lot more. But they are a lot more fun. If they want a wheel to run on, well, I’m drawing the line there.

Stop and smell the broccoli

Steve — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:10:56 +0000

Sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses. Or sometimes, listen to your kids. It can be great therapy. Tonight at Giant Eagle, our local grocery store, I had Caleb (5) and Hannah (3) with me. Hannah wanted to walk this time instead of riding in the cart. Caleb pushed the cart. He usually does. Hannah said, “What is next?” I said broccoli. “Oh, good, I love broccoli. Broccoli, broccoli, broccoli . . .” Their cheerfulness could be heard half way across the store. I didn’t mind tonight. That place needed some cheering up. Everything in life is exciting from their point of view. With each new aisle we entered they joyfully announce the number. “We’re in aisle 5!” “We’re in aisle 7!” It was just such a happy time for them to be walking through the grocery store and enjoying life. Pointing to everything, “Are we out of this?” “Are we out of that?” Yes get one of those. No, we don’t need that. “Are we out of this?” And on it went. At times I wish I were five years old and completely oblivious to the world around me except that which I can see from our house. What a different world it was back when I was five. If I could go back to that time I would. I would live more fully in the moment. I would do more things. I would push myself more and have more experiences. I would make more friends. I would hit my brother less; well, maybe. And when I turned 16 I would have borrowed as much money as I could and invested in Microsoft.

PS Once we got home, Hannah would not eat the broccoli.

Orris Pictures

Steve — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:28:13 +0000

I like the wordpress theme on my blog. It lets me have several pictures at the top and at the right that go through a random rotation. If you haven’t noticed this yet, simply refresh this page. One or both of the pictures will change. (Or click on “Home”, “Steve’s Random Thoughts”, or any other link – like the archives.) I will keep adding more pictures as I have time. It keeps things slightly more interesting than having the same picture every time you come back. Which, of course, I hope you do. Keep coming back. My brain occasionally comes up with something worth reading and I don’t want you to miss it.