We have a light over the kitchen sink that has a lens cover that keeps falling off. Anita tried plastic tak and duct tape, but it kept falling off. She finally told me it was the man’s responsibility to fix broken things, so I took a look. The starter is going out that buzzed and set off vibrations that caused the lens cover to come loose. Thinking that the change would be easy, I tried to replace the starter but couldn’t get it out. So I got my tools out and took the light assembly apart to get a better grip. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get that starter out, so I had to run to Home Depot and get a new light fixture. Of course, nothing matched from the old fixture so it took twice as long to drill new holes, etc.
Change is never easy. It always takes more work and costs more money than just keeping things the same. But today Anita has a light that doesn’t buzz or have a light cover that falls off into her dishwater. It was worth it in the end. Change was good, because if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!
Do you have to change something today? Change is good.
Tags: Change, repair, trouble
Yesterday morning we woke up to a cold house. That’s not just because it was -16 degrees outside, but because our furnace had shut down in the night. It was 56 degrees in the house. So time was of the essence. I scrambled to get dressed and began the troubleshooting list while Anita got the electric heaters and oven going. We have a gas log fireplace but we can’t run it higher than low without setting off the smoke alarm.
Having lived in the house now since 1995 I have learned watching repairmen work on my furnace. So I had a mental checklist of things to check. I’m still not sure which one of the things I tried got it back online, but something worked and its working now.
I think its that way with Christianity. We learn what works here and there with life, and then we make a mental note. The next time something malfunctions in life, we go back and try that again. We can always call the repairman (Jesus), but He expects us to do what we can first. I keep my spiritual troubleshooting list handy because I never know when I’ll need it.
Tags: trouble
What was the number one best thing that happened to you in 2008?
I think there were two best things that happened to me in 2008. First, my father’s deteriorating health brought me closer to him than I’ve ever been since childhood. I gained a great respect for him.
Secondly, my prostate cancer brought me face to face with my mortality and caused me to reevaluate the value of my relationship with my wife.
Both of those best things were the result of trouble in my life. I wonder if there might be a lesson in that for us?
What is the best thing that happened to you in 2008?
Tags: trouble
Over the years as a pastor I’ve seen many people come to Christ when they were in trouble, only to walk away when God delivered them from that trouble. This past year that happened with at least three families I’m aware of. When health or marriage trouble struck in their lives, these three families began attending church and wanted special counseling times with me. I advised them, coached them, referred them, and prayed for them. When the problem went away, so did they.
That’s why I have decided to go public with this personal cancer process. I feel like I need to practice what I preach and be a role model of how a Christian should react when trouble comes. I intend to stay optimistic no matter what and expect good things to come out of bad. And, no matter what, I refuse to distance myself from God or His church (except for the 4-week sabbatical, of course). Expect me to return more committed and wound tighter than ever!
Tags: commitment, faithfulness, trouble
What was the number one best thing that happened in your life in 2008?
I think, for me, there were three really good things that happened last year. First, my father went through a lengthy period of decline that drew me closer to him than I can ever remember being. My respect for him grew tremendously.
Secondly, having to deal with prostate cancer forced me to deal with my own mortality and to rethink the priorities in my life, including the value I attribute to my relationship with my wife.
And thirdly, I stepped aside from some managerial roles in the office by transferring many administrative responsibilities to Pastor Randy Stine. We can both function within the giftings God has given us, and I now have time to develop sermon direction farther ahead and give more attention to my own personal development.
Each of these three changes were not easy, came with suffering, and will bear fruit in the future. And two of three good things came uninvited. I believe God has a plan to transform me into the image of his Son, Jesus.
What was the number one best thing that happened to you in 2008?
Tags: New Year, trouble