Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts

2013 Looking Forward  

Posted by Benjie in , , , ,

As we stand on the brink of a new year, it is time to now think about where we shall go. Should we make plans? There are many who would say we should not presume on God and making plans does that. I say, there are things that we can look forward to without neglecting God in our lives. No resolutions this year, just expectations. And so here are a few of the things I have calendared to see happen in 2013:

  • Following God in the paths that He has chosen for me.
  • Becoming more like Jesus each new day of the new year.
  • Moving forward in the process of adoption - we even have our initial home study visit scheduled within the first week of the new year! 
  • Watching more evidence of growth in the First Baptist Church of Mulberry Grove.
  • Moving forward in the adoption process. We hope to reach the travel point to bring home our new child at some point during 2013 - We ask all of our friends, family, and faithful acquaintances to pray that God will open the right doors at just the right time for this to happen.
  • and finally, one of the big milestones that I plan on seeing this year: 50!
So, I look forward to an excellent year. I pray that yours will be just as eventful.

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2012 A Look Back  

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Now that Christmas is in our rearview mirror for 2012, it is time to look at the wonder that has been this year.


  • The year started on Sunday, so I spent day one of 2012 in worship with my church family. Even better, I had the privilege of helping my youngest child give the first biggest testimony of her faith in Jesus--Baptism (on Day 1!).  
  • We got started in earnest on the process of overseas adoption. Discussions started last Christmas season, and we actually got our applications on the go in early 2012.
  • I was able to accompany a group from World Hope Ministries International (World Hope Bible Institute) and Houston Northwest Church on a mission trip to Kenya in June. Over 300 pastors and church leaders were trained in "Old Testament Survey" and "Biblical Faith" and at the end of our two weeks at two separate locations I witnessed a sea of Kenyans making commitments to Christ even though our outdoor venue was a bit soggy from afternoon rains all week.
  • Our church experienced some exciting times including our normal Spring Revival, Summer Vacation Bible School, and our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight service. December even saw us pay off our Renovation Loan - we will be celebrating on the first Sunday in January at 6:00 p.m. with a ham & bean dinner accompanied by note burning. You're invited to join us if you're in our area and don't have church commitments of your own.
All in all, I must say it's been a really happening year for me, my family and my church family. Next up we'll look forward to the New Year. Hope to see you then.

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Lost Art Challenge  

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Technology, good. Technology, bad.

I like technology. It is good for us, makes things easier and more efficient. The advent of the computer and the Internet has brought about things like spreadsheets that calculate and prepare presentations for us, word processors that check our spelling (beware of over-dependence on spell-check and grammar-check software - some words are missed by spelling checkers because they are words even if we meant another word, and most grammar checking software was written by someone who doesn't really know the rules of proper usage, therefore it will indicate error where there is none and let actual errors get by), e-mail that is faster than the Pony Express, and social networking that helps us re-connect with our past. I personally have reconnected with friends from past days--college, high school, and even as far back a the grade and grammar schools I spent my formative years in. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even be able to issue this challenge if it weren't for technological advances. Technology is a really good thing.

Even so, technology has its draw-backs. Personal connection has been relegated to cyberspace. We no longer FAX (anybody ever really do that anyway?). Instead we email, text (TXT for the younger audience), and Tweet. While these are great ways to communicate on the fly (because technology includes the faster, more efficient transportation available that has decreased the enormity of our globe), they have taken their toll. We have become lazy. Spelling has become a lost skill because we rely on our spelling checker (see above) or depend totally on our smart phones and Twitter which, out of necessity, has taught us to forgo vowels and substitute single letters or combinations of letters (i.e. "C U l8er") to limit the number of keystrokes in our message.

Handwriting itself has become a thing of the past. There are good and bad sides to this, for instance no longer do I write my sermon notes out longhand and consequently I can read them (which my church members may either thank or curse me for). School children are encouraged to learn keyboarding skills rather than learning to write legibly, spell consistently, or construct sentences coherently.

All of this leads to the lost art of letter-writing. While many are still composing communication for memos, email, and blogs (such as this one), we no longer write letters for the sake of communication. So, here's my challenge: choose a friend, an acquaintance, or perhaps engage the assistance of a new friend from your cyber-friends and start a penpal-type relationship with them. Some of my older readers will remember "penpals" from their grade school days. Two correspondents would get acquainted and learn of their different lives via postal communication. We made lasting friendships, learned of different cultures, and kept up with news in foreign (or at least regionally distant) lands. I am going to choose an old acquaintance, write a letter (by hand), explain my challenge, and see if they would like to participate in the experiment with me. Don't be surprised if you receive letter postmarked "Mulberry Grove" from me. If you get the letter, consider writing back (not via email or other electronic means, but with a letter written by hand).



Why, you might ask, am I making such a challenge? Well, I have encouraged my daughter (known here as Puddin' N Pie) to develop the skills required for letter-writing, so I thought I should bone up on those skills myself. If you would like to participate in my little experiment, be sure to leave a comment, and come back occasionally to let me know how your correspondence is progressing. If we start something big, maybe we can save the USPS from reverting back to the days of the Pony Express. What do you say? Want to pick up a pen and some nice stationery and start a trend with me?

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Re-Posting for Posterity  

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I'd like to think that what I write is good worthy of  great literary circles. You know, right up there with C.S. Lewis, Calvin Miller, and Phillip Yancy. It's probably a delusion, but indulge me. I also am aware that even a blind pig finds a nut once in awhile (you may have to ask your friends from Texas about that one). I was scrolling through some past wisdom on Loom & Wheel Words and found this gem originally titled "Always On!" and thought it was worthy of sharing with my audience here. It's not a piece about 9/11, but it might give us some thought on this date that everyone is remembering that tragedy.  So, without further muddying of the waters, I give you "Always On!"


            Ernest J. Gaines makes a statement in his cultural novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. When one of the characters comes home from getting some education—the one who represents the leadership of his people—with the intention of his leading the people as a minister of the gospel, he floors them with the knowledge that he no longer believes in the church. His statement, “Leave the lies to the preachers.”
            As a preacher, I’m not sure that I care for the designation of “liar.” I am also a bit squeamish about being qualified as a hypocrite. But I’m fairly sure that both of these categories have a great deal to do with who I am. Certainly I don’t encourage hypocrisy, nor do I go out of my way to lie in any and all situations. However, I do find myself donning my mask and putting on a suit of diplomacy (the tailor-made version of lying).
            Kevin Leman gives me a great excuse for this in his research-based The Birth Order Book. Since I am the third of four children and the second son, I qualify as a middle child (in spades). Here is the list of typical characteristics of a middle child: “mediator, compromising, diplomatic, avoids conflict, independent, loyal to peers, many friends, a maverick, secretive, unspoiled.” This is a pretty good description of me. In short, I want two things (mainly): people to like me and peaceful co-existence. I want everyone to be happy. Consequently, this leads to a default of being “on” all the time.
            I relate a great deal with Craig Groeschel who confesses in his introduction to Confessions of a Pastor that he plays his part with relative ease. It is so easy to say and hear what people want to fulfill a desire for acceptance that it becomes a game that some of us play. If you’re really good at it you can never turn it off. We play the part for our church—especially those of us who see our livelihood resting in the hands of the people. Tell them what they want to hear without telling them anything really. It’s a politician’s dream to be able to master this skill. We play the part for our families. How many of us really let our guard down even for our spouse?
            I am married to the most wonderful woman in the world. She’s smart, witty, beautiful, and giving. Still sometimes I wonder, “If she really knew all of me, if I came clean about who I am at my core being, would she still want me?” I asked her once why she felt I was good enough to choose. She just smiled and said, “I love you.” I don’t try to hide from her, but at the same time, I don’t know that I’ve ever fully disclosed myself to her. I have a feeling as I open up more to her all the time, she would just love me more.
            In a way, this acceptance she shows toward me is a sampling of what Jesus does. The big difference is that, even though I try to put my game face on for Jesus, He knows. Sometimes my blushing bride knows, too. She doesn’t say anything, she just knows, and she loves me anyway. See? Jesus knows, and He loves me anyway. This is why perhaps Groeschel’s book is so important. It reminds us—Christ followers—that Christ knows us so we don’t have to be ever “on”. Instead, we ought to be genuine because Christ knows. I am working on this hypocrisy thing (from the ancient Greek stage—the hypocrite was the mask worn by the actor to depict the role he was playing). Take off the mask. . . Your friends and family don’t want it, you won’t miss it, and Jesus sees right through it.

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A Fine Review (or Two?)  

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Check out the review of my first two novellas over at Coffeespoons.

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