Commissioned!

Over the course of August, September, and October, I spent a lot of time completing paperwork for my conference. After completing it all, I had to ship it to my registrar. 100's of pages and 150 staples later, it was complete and I could breath.

But, not for long. It was shortly after turning in all of this work that I was informed that things were tight in the North Indiana Conference and they may have to limit the number of people being commissioned. This was a bit nerve-racking. For those of you who don't know the UMC process, commissioning, in a nut-shell means a guaranteed full-time appointment and that Melissa would be able to stay at home with Maggie once we are placed in a church. This, needless to say, would be huge in giving us at least some security going into the future.

On Wednesday I met with the Board of Ordained Ministry for my interviews. The evening, we received the news of our blessing that I will be commissioned on May 31st of this year. What a blessing it is to know that even when we doubt ourselves and worry about our future, God is always encouraging, supporting, and providing. We truly do serve an amazing God.

I told you so.

Well...I hate to be the one to say it. No...that's not true! I love it! I was right! The Colts lost in the playoffs only to end in a disappointing fashion for all those who have been misled into cheering for them. I guess there is little to be said here other than. I told you so. (See previous post entitled "Not a Two Horse Race")

I wasn't the only one who predicted such a feat. (See previous post entitled "The Joy of Parenthood")

It has been a great playoff so far. The Chargers and Patriots are still in the mix. The Colts, Cowboys, and Steelers are all out. All things are looking good. And there is still more football to come.

The Joy of Parenthood

Ah...what a joy it is to see that your child is growing up right. It warms my heart to see such a beautiful and wonderful sight. ;)




What did I tell you? Simply marvelous!!

An Intense Focus

You know...having a daughter is probably the most humbling and amazing circumstance that I have ever had in my life. From day one she has captivated my heart and all of my attention. She is by far the most important person in my life. I always thought after meeting Melissa that I could love no one more than I love her. I don't know if it is that I love Magdalene more (I hate saying that I love any human more than my wife) or if it is just different. I think the safe way to go is to say that I love them differently. In saying that I avoid the false connotation that I do not love Melissa as much as I do. I mean...seriously...I would die for either one of them in the blink of an eye.

There is just something different with Maggie. I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe it is the fact that she is really the amazing result of the love that Melissa and I have. Maybe it is that every time I look at Magdalene...I see her mother. Maybe it is that every time I look at Magdalene and see how happy she is I see how happy we are. Maybe it is that every time I hear her I am breathless and in awe of the miraculous blessing that God has placed in our lives. Maybe...just maybe...when I look in her beautiful eyes I find myself looking at the majesty of God.

Over the past four months, I have learned a lot about God. Most of the time this comes from the emotions and revelations I have when I consider and understand my relationship to her. But over the past couple of weeks, Magdalene has taught me something new. It is not about how God feels about us or how much he loves us. This time it is about how we relate to God. It is a lesson about the relationship from the side of the sinner.

Like always, Maggie has been doing this thing that melts my heart every time. It can happen at pretty much any time. She will stare. She will sit in her mother's lap or in the corner of the couch and stare. The lesson that I found is in what she stares at. She stares at me. I mean right at me. There is no question what she is looking at. She does not blink. She does not turn away. She is intently focused on my face. As if she is trying to see into my soul...she just stares. I have tried on a number of occasions to have a staring contest...but she always wins. She is good.

She just sits there and is intensely focused on her father's face. It makes me think about how we too should be focused on our Father's face. The face is the reflection of one's character and their personality. We do not judge people's personality by their feet or their hands...but rather by their face. Throughout Scripture the face of God is used in a way to signify the presence of God or the character of God. This is not always the case...but sometimes to refer to the face of God is to refer to the presence and character of God.

We do well to intensely focus on our Father. To look into His face is to understand who He is and learn from Him. As Maggie focuses on me, she will also try to mimic the movements of my mouth and the sounds if I exaggerate them for her. She is learning from me because she is focused on me. How often is it that we are in a position to look into the face of God but fail to do so. All we have to do is turn away from whatever it is that is taking our time and turn our heads toward Him. Who knows...maybe we will learn something. Maybe we will become more like Him because we will begin to mimic His character and His personality. Maybe, a mere child can teach us all something about our relationship to our Father and how we should interact with Him. It is not enough to simply glance at our Father. Instead, our focus on our Father should be one of intensity and determination...where we do not blink.

Not a two horse race!

I found it interesting as I was in Indiana over the holiday that the hatred for the New England Patriots is so strong. The Colts' pseudo-fan contingent makes assertions such as..."they are cheaters," or "their coach is a jerk," or "they run the score up on people. That is the only reason Brady broke the record." Ah...the joy I get from hearing such fallacious arguments. It makes me chuckle. For one...it is clear by the way the patriots got to 16-0 that any cheating on their part would be unnecassary and pointless. No cheating would enable them to do what they did. Secondly, get over the fact that Coach B. keeps to himself and does not seem to like shaking hands after a game. Thirdly...Tom Brady just complete what could be considered the single greatest season for a quarterback...ever! This is coming from someone who is a dedicated Dan Marino supporter, who before this year held that honor. Tom Brady's breaking of the TD record was momentous and far greater than the 49 that the QB for Indy threw for in 2004. Which, oddly enough, if you watched that season, one would see that they too "ran the score up" on opponents. So yes, Tom Brady's record is just as "legit" as the QB in Indy's was. Besides, Marino's 48 was a greater accomplishment than 49 in 2004...and there is good support for such a view. Trust me.

It seems that the entire focus in the minds of those who support Indy for now...while they are winning...is on New England. However, we do well to remember that in the AFC playoffs are 6 good teams. All of which could beat anyone else. I would say the weakest is probably the Titans. So, if we toss them out, we are left with the Chargers, the Steelers, the Jags, the Colts, and the Patriots. I would not want to face either of these teams in the playoffs. They are all dangerous...and they can all beat each other. During my trip to Indiana, however, I hear countless people tell me that Indy would go to New England and end their unbeaten streak. For your sake...I hope that the Colts aren't thinking that. Because most likely, they will be playing San Diego first...who beat Indy in the regular season after handing the game to Indy on a silver platter. Apparently Indy did not know how to take it...because they tossed that game away.

It is much too easy to look forward too far. We can look at where we want to be but forget that we have to take ourselves there. We must first have victory "A" before we can ever have victory "B". Maybe it is time that Colt fans stop hating New England. At least stop lying about why you hate them. You don't hate them because they cheat, or because of their attitudes, or because they run the score up. You don't even hate them because they are good. You hate them because they are better. And that stings.