Little Dude and a Vet

Yesterday I had breakfast with my oldest daughter and my grandson, Alex. What a cool guy. He's 16 months old and mellow, and seems to know the secrets of the universe. I pray he can hang on to that quiet confidence for the rest of his life and not learn from the rest of us to stress on insignificant things. We could all learn a lesson from him.

Later in the day, I was blessed to have lunch with a veteran--on Veteran's Day! And though I've had lunch with him before, and respect him tremendously, it was cool to see the attention he got at Applebees, as well as the free lunch. I'm only glad we got there early, because by the time we left vets were lined up out the door waiting for their free lunch. Kind of sad, though, that we need an occasion to honor those who gave so much to protect our freedoms. Even more sad that we can sit idly by watching our freedoms being taken from us, and not by a foreign enemy, but by our own government. What would our founding father's say?

Maybe they would point me to Alex, and remind me that there are some secrets to the universe that keep everything in perspective. One secret I've learned and will share, just promise not to tell anyone: this is not our home, we're just passing through.

Doing Time

Yesterday I served as a judge at a local elementary school history fair. I figure it is part of my civic duty to volunteer at the schools my children attend (and in this case, the one my wife works at). And, yes, I used the word "duty." If you know me, you know that children are not my thing. I love mine, but few others. I think it's probably because I can't discipline other people's kids, and honestly most kids need more correction. Oh, well.

Being a history or science fair judge is by far the greatest school volunteer work that one can do. On this I have no doubt. Actual contact with children is limited to the potential winners, which means you usually get the cream of the crop. This was true yesterday. As we were interviewing some of the kids, it was amazing to see the vast difference in maturity that can exist at the same grade level. One fourth grader was clear, focused, and articulate, while another could barely express herself or look you in the eye. Is this not the way of the world though?

I find it interesting to see how we develop spiritually. There rarely seems to be a correlation between how long a person has followed Christ with how spiritually developed they are. You would think that the longer one walks with God the more they look like Him. However, in my experience, the friends a person associates with is often a greater influence on spiritual growth than just time. At the history fair, the brightest kids were often grouped together!

I'm thankful this morning to have friends that love me and challenge me to grow. Otherwise, I might just be doing time.

That's My Girl

Yesterday morning I was in my office taking care of some email. I had already had my quiet time, and was starting to crank on a few things before taking the kids to school. My baby girl (who turns 13 in less than a month) walked in.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Steph?"

"I did my Proverbs this morning." She flashed her journal in my direction.

"How was it?" I asked.

"It kinda stung." And with that she opened up and shared her application of God's Word better than most sermons I've ever heard.

That's my girl.

BLTA

Yesterday I met some guys in McKinney for a Bible study. The guys meet weekly, and the location changes from time to time. It's casual, and always enjoyable. Guys show up as their work schedules allow. I make it a few times a month. Right now we are working verse-by-verse through James.

While I'm normally averse to blogging about food, I just have to tell you that they have the best bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avacado sandwich, particularly when ordered with the side of tomato basil soup. It gives me chills even to write about it. Yes, it is THAT good.

Check them out: http://www.spoonscafe.com/

The Proverbs Challenge

Yesterday I challenged my kids to read through and journal the Book of Proverbs during the month of November. Please understand, my kids are great and they love the Lord, but like most teens (and adults, for that matter), faithful Bible reading is a difficulty. Sensing that my days of influence may be waning, I figured I would push them to discover the benefit of daily time in the Word, without it becoming a heavy-handed mandate.

This morning, it was a joy to see them reading their Bibles and journaling about what they read. And yes, my wife and I are taking the challenge as well. Stay tuned.