an albino what???

last night, we took a tour of the Christmas lights of Franklin and Brentwood with some friends. While on the journey Missy shouts, "DEER!" we were driving 40 miles an hour down the road and the tolley driver slammed on the brakes as we all turned to hear her exclaim, "It's WHITE!! WOW, an ALBINO deer!" we actually saw an albino deer last night as we drove. this just goes to show, unless you're looking out the window a the road as you pass by, you never know what you're missing!

what i love about my life

as a parent, some times in life, you just know that things are good. that was Sunday for us. we got to go to our first ever Titan's game with d and e. they had a blast, and even though they cheered for the winning Chargers, we still had a blast. then to top it off, e had his big performance at church...his first ever solo! he had a blast and so did we.

fun holiday insights

what are YOU thankful for this Christmas? amazing how age gives us a little perspective. sad to say, but i think i'm getting officially older! more to come on that, but for right now, it's very clear to me that the more cynical and disturbed i get, the more i realize it's just because i lose sight of what i once held dear (the stuff) and am learning more about the true things to hold dear (the love, the family, and LIFE)...i know it sounds cheesier than canned cheese, but it's true. shocking but true...

just when you thought it was safe...

i can see it now. someone drives by this church and is listening to the radio. they think to themselves, you know what i wish? i wish there was a church that just "got it" culturally. i would love to find that. then they see this sign and stop their car and immediately rush to the doors of the church and bolt inside. they run to find someone there to explain to them what it means to drop their sin...because of this sign.

or, maybe they look at this sign as they drive by and spill their $5 sbux nonfat-mocha-with a hint of peppermint-decaf-frappacino in their lap as they drive by.

or, maybe the kid who told his grandpa to put this on the sign stops breathing when he finds out his grandpa actually did it!

or, maybe someone thought this would be a good idea.

or, maybe someone thought, you know what, those sinners listen to that sinner music. what reference could we make using their devil-beat sinner music that would make them want to come to church?

or maybe this is just one more example of the church forgetting what it's about...

and we wonder why people outside the church have absolutely NO PLANS on EVER coming in!!

why i love my life!

if only i had the time to sit and watch this every day. to see Lane ride his horse, Aladdin, during horseback riding therapy is something that is just fun! he laughs, he stretches, and he is "in the zone" of having fun. it's his thing, and i'm glad he has it.

what makes me that happy?

Matthew 26:50

"And Jesus said to him (JUDAS), "Friend, do what you have come for." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him"

here's the whole thought of this. maybe i'm going to be labeled a heretic, and maybe i'm going to get kicked out of the church, but i have to ask a question here. why in the world did Jesus refer to Judas as "FRIEND" here?

was it a common greeting and Jesus was saying "What's Up Homey?" to his disciple...i think the answer is no!

was it because Jesus was hoping to change Judas' mind and convince Judas not to betray Him?...i think the answer is no!

was it because Jesus didn't want the other disciples to beat the living snot out of Judas because he was going to betray Jesus?...i think the answer is no!

was it because Jesus knew that this was God's plan and somewhat like God the Father, Judas was choosing to give up his Saviour so the world could experience Salvation?...i think the answer is...well i don't know!

was it because Jesus was showing Judas that even though Judas was stabbing Jesus in the back (sort of), Jesus was still the same and hadn't changed...kind of saying, "even though I might not be who you want Me to be, I'm still God and I'm not going to kill you scum bag."...i don't know, could be, but that is kind of weird to think that Jesus would be looking directly into Judas' eyes when He said it.

regardless, Judas still couldn't take what he did. he still went and hung himself. he still couldn't live with himself after that. the other disciples weren't too quick with forgiveness either. they labeled him as a thief and he is constantly referred to as the betrayer or the one who betrayed Jesus...not a great or even good legacy to have.

could it possibly be that Jesus was simply looking into Judas' eyes and calling him friend? even though Jesus knew what Judas was about to do, was it possible that Jesus still considered Judas a friend? obviously Jesus knew the outcome when He picked Judas as one of the original 12 didn't He?

was Judas set up? did Jesus pick him so he could be the blame or did he pick him because he was the only one who could shoulder the burden?

regardless of how you look at it, you have to understand that the actual word Jesus used in this gospel of Matthew is FRIEND. a mate. Jesus referred to Judas as friend in the most intense moment in history up to that time!

so, then, how does that make Matthew 11:19 sound now? is he REALLY a friend to those of us who don't meet the criteria? ...i have to say the answer is YES!

then what makes me any better than a Judas today?

what about you?

just a thought...

fun things to do to blow people's minds!

so this Christmas you want to be different? try these simple but mind-blowing things...

1. pay for the person behind you in line (tell them Merry Christmas as you walk away or have the drive-thru person do it!)
2. let someone else have the parking spot at the mall...and you walk an extra 50 feet
3. take your kids to visit with someone in a retirement home for Christmas
4. pull out old pictures of you and your spouse, then show them to your kids and pass down your oral history...this WILL blow their minds...
5. don't be afraid to say, "Merry Christmas," this year
6. smile
7. invite someone to have dinner or coffee with you...and just talk

i think the biggest thing i have to remember in all of this is that we don't have to shove Jesus down anyone's throat. i don't have to be the Holy Spirit either. i have to let Jesus be truly alive in MY life, so others can see it and experience what He has done for me.

i also have to remember that one day my kids really will want to know all of those goofy stories about me...because they want to KNOW ME!!