First Few Days of Summer

Summer has begun for most people. This will actually be the first summer since I was a child that I really (as of now) do not have anything major planned (work, church camps). I am not sure how I feel about this so the first thing I do is volunteer to get my wife's cousin's house ready to sell. This is what my background is in and it's kind of like riding a bike, shaky at first but then growing in confidence as the project continued. Right now I am taking a break with some painting ahead. I am watching the Hatfields and McCoys on the History channel and drinking a cup of coffee. Right now, in this moment, life is good. I really couldn't ask for much more. But then I think about the future, say July or August, when I have no clue what I will be doing. It could be anything; painting, teaching, delivering, selling, cleaning, serving. 

There are few things I am sure of: pb & j sandwiches must contain grape jelly, the best times with friends aren't planned, air conditioning is a miracle, and God will provide.

The first few things have some truth to them (albeit my own), but the last is definitely one that I put alot of stock in. I learned this discipline from my father, who is still living it today. When I talk to him, it is often of God's provision. He is a self-made man, working for himself and occasionally employing others to help him. I also learned all I know about fixing things from him as well.

My father taught me a great lesson as a child; Don't worry about where "it" is going to come from, but be faithful in what you are called to do, and God will provide. 

Matthew 6:25-34 could be said to be a life verse for my father. Take time to read it, study it, absorb it, and then live it. Sometimes it is the simple man not the eccentric theologian that can capture the truth of God's word for his life and live that out.

OUT OF SCHOOL, OUT OF WORK

There are only a few things that I have gotten good at. Reading, and looking for jobs. Maybe God has decided that I need to learn job hunting skills because for the second year in a row, I am job hunting. Personally, I'm pretty alright with it. God is going to take care of me and my family. This I do not doubt. This I have never really doubted. But it is during the process of finding a job that I start scratching my head wondering, "God, how is this going to work out?" There is one thing I know for sure; I cannot know how it will turn out, just that I've got to remain faithful during this time, seeking Him and seeking opportunities.

REAL MEN, REAL MARRIAGE

          I have not read this... yet. I have heard much hype about this series preached by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. Driscoll is one of the pastors that I have followed over the years. He is entertaining, hilarious, and the real important key is he delivers the Word with passion and clarity. This newest work of his has aroused in me a desire to challenge men to a new standard.
          Recently I've noticed a culture in which adolescent males (Driscoll calls boys who can shave) are celebrated for their carefree ways. I just don't get it. Maybe when I read Scripture that's not the picture I get. Maybe when I read Scripture I see Paul talking about putting away childish things. I see Proverbs talking about working hard, seeking a good wife, and avoiding sexual immorality. If you find the time, follow this link for the Real Marriage Video and just see what Mark Driscoll has to say. He is solid, and he preaches Jesus.

Playing Catch Up

I can already tell that, although I love writing, this blog will not be like a weekly newspaper. I have ups and downs with writing. Some days I can sit and write, the words pouring from my mind to my hand to the paper with no effort or thought from myself. There are others where I cannot even attempt to form words. That being said, the past month has been sort of a dry spell as far as blogging goes. The last post was about family and what true family actually is.

          Since it has been a month from my last post, there are so many things I could write about. I only want to focus on one thing. This is a principle that is very common to the Christian faith but so many find it either too hard, too confusing, or too worrisome to attempt. I am talking about spending time in the Word. The idea is overdone, been overcomplicated, and severely understated. Time reading scripture cannot be replaced. There are some nights I don't want to, some nights I can't wait to, and some nights I just fall asleep. But when I do spend that time, I find that God reveals things new and fresh. Verses and passages I have read a thousand times before given a fresh perspective. 

          Recently, I have been spending my time going through the book of Mark, trying to track the life of Jesus and become reacquainted with the gospels. This has been a great time. I have really enjoyed reading each word, thinking on its meaning, and trying to understand more and more of who Jesus is, and what he did while he was here on Earth. 

          Most people are intimidated by the Bible. It's old, it's big, and it's got alot of words. My technique? I read a story, or read a passage, and then think about what it's saying. What does this mean? What were they actually doing? What was Jesus' intent? And then I write down my thoughts. I've laughed out loud before when I've gone back to old journals and read some of what I used to think. Please, don't be scared of reading the bible for yourself. If you are going to listen to authors, preachers, speakers, that's cool. I love to hear what they have to say as well. But you've gotta realize that they have the same Holy Spirit as you do (took this from my pastor's wife) and while they may creatively relate the truths of Scripture, if you are faithful to reading and studying, then those same truths can be revealed to you. 

          Enduring Understanding. The same Holy Spirit who reveals great truths to Billy Graham, Francis Chan, David Platt, Judah Smith, and John Stockstill (my pastor),will most certainly reveal those same things to you; if you will be consistent and concerned with the truth of the word.

Do you see the resemblance?

          Saturday was a good day at the Anderson house. We hung out at the house and just chilled out. Very atypical from how normal days off are spent. One thing we did do was look up our family's history. I started with mine on my father's side because it was the easiest to trace. It took a while, but I wound up at the guy in the picture, Pushmataha. He was once the chief of the Choctaw nation and a liaison for the Choctaws to the United States government. Technically, his son-in-law is my g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g- grandfather. His wife being Running Deer, Pushamtaha's daughter. All that to say, I'm about 1/264th Choctaw. Does that count?
          Sara and I went back and forth, finding little tidbits of information about one another's families. I could spend days on this stuff, right? It is very interesting to know where you come from.
          Today I witnessed many awesome things. 1) Six Derby cars built by men and women rolled down a hill successfully 2) Saw my first greased pig catching, 3) Ate (almost) 2 pies without my hands, 4) Watching CrossPointe staff get dunked, and last but I think most important 5) Spending time with my family.
          I am not only talking about my literal family here, my parents and in-laws were present at the event today. No, I am speaking of the family at CrossPointe Community Church. This church has been a part of my life for 5 years and in that 5 years  I have formed more deep and meaningful relationships than I have in my whole life. I think that may be why Paul spoke to the Jews about disregarding geneaologies. They also used them to validate their status, but when you spend all of your time chasing down those links, then what time are you spending with those people around you, you know, the ones with a pulse.
         Family is blood, you call those relatives. Family is also those who will pray for you, laugh with and at you, walk alongside you, support you, call you out, straighten you out. Although the guy in the picture is "family", I have never felt more at home than I feel when I am with my family from CrossPointe.

Enduring Understanding: Don't think you are without family when there is a whole family surrounding you (I hope), a family that Christ has given you.

          On my drive home today I thought, "It would be so simple to just learn all of the time. Even if it were one new thing a week, learning could be perpetual." My personal goal is to try to learn a new thing; whether that be facts, how to do something, or study Scripture that I have never studied or revisit a favorite.
          Imagine how productive we would all be, in our happy little lives, in our quaint little jobs, just learning to our heart's content. Then I realized something else. There is enough junk available now that is non-productive, time wasting entertainment so as to stop learning in its tracks. Literally to take the spirit of learning and have it "sleeping with the fish". And that's exactly what I do. A few weeks ago, a couple came and spent two nights at our house because of a wedding they came to town for. They introduced me and Sara to DrawSomething: the ultimate time waster. And I'm addicted.
          There are so many things that I want to know: why mailboxes are numbered the way they are, from where certain words originate, why exactly Jesus wrote in parables, along with a few other inquiries. But it is things like this that trap me in thoughtless, repetitive, brain junk food. I'm not actually learning anything, except how to cheat at a drawing game by writing words.
          What else could I be doing? Breaking a passage down, praying for a friend, calling a family member, giving my wife attention, playing with my son, talking to a neighbor. I'm not denouncing entertainment, I enjoy relaxing and having brain breaks, but my generation lives and breathes the easy, here-and-now mentality that brings us Facebook fad games that devour our time and possibly some brain cells.

Enduring Understanding: Colossians 3:17 "and whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus..." Motivation to engage this life deeper than the shallow puddles of thought we so often find ourselves wading in.

What's Good For You, Might Be Good For Me

          Lessons are a thing we cannot avoid if we as humans want to grow and learn. Initially, we must face lessons of how to roll over, crawl, and walk; then on to what we can and cannot touch (stove, electrical outlet, etc); further exemplified by decisions we begin to make on our own as children, teens, young adults, and then into full-fledged adulthood. 

          Most often for me, the hardest lessons to learn in life are about my own imperfections. The character flaws that you don't see, so therefore you don't have. How does Jesus put it, "Don't try to pluck out the splinter in your brother's eye when you have a plank sticking out of your own." The flaws that I see most in other people are in fact my very own flaws. The fact that I recognize it says that I readily know what my problems are; yet I only seek to remedy them by proxy, in other people. 

          Sure buddy, I can fix that problem for you. Step by step, here is what Jim must do in order to get right. I've always got the solution to everyone else's flaws, but mine mysteriously go away when the investigative eye is directed at me. 

          The next time I start getting aggravated at people, I might need to step back and see if I'm not just recognizing that behavior because it is in me. Do I rage when something isn't going smoothly? Do I share information about people that may or may not be my business? Is it really my place to put everyone else out on Front Street but keep my life off the shelf?

Enduring Understanding: Often we find ourselves picking out other's flaws when in fact we may be only recognizing our own.