We got into this discussion last week in Sunday School, and as God would have it, I've just been reading Genesis the last few days anyway.
Then, as if to drive the point home further, my two oldest children came home Sunday and spent the entire afternoon fighting. As slugfests go, this one was pretty much one-sided -- Melody, by both accounts, was the aggressor. When I got to the bottom of it (as I normally do of course), the spark that started the fire was Coby agreeing to go outside and play with his little sister then promptly changing his mind, presumably to watch TV or bang out some Guitar Hero.
That set Melody off, and the end result was a pretty good pounding on her older brother. Coby, to his credit, decided to not retaliate other than to come tell me what had just happened. His shirt was off, so I could see the evidence there on his chest.
Long story short, Melody was to be grounded from the trampoline for a few days. To my knowledge she hasn't touched the trampoline, but I haven't been around much so who knows?
The little episode, along with the recent studies in Genesis, got me to thinking -- have siblings been going at each other since the dawn of time???
It started with Cain and Abel, and they didn't build up to it gradually. Cain, of course, got in trouble with God when he whacked his younger brother due to jealousy. But read more in Genesis -- Ishmael and his mom got kicked out of Abraham's house, just for picking on Isaac! That's a war that's still going on today over there, unfortunately.
Then, there's Esau and Jacob. In some ways I feel for poor Esau. His birthright got flat-out jacked by his pipsqueak, momma's boy little brother, and then Rachel and Jacob pulled the wool over Isaac's eyes, literally, when they took Esau's rightful blessing.
But whose fault was it, really? Had Esau not given in to the temptation of hunger, and not sold his rightful place in the family for a bowl of stew, well, Jacob would have been still just the little twin runt. Were you really starving, Esau? C'mon. And was Jacob's soup that good? With all that hunting you did, you'd think you might have a piece of jerky or something to tide you over...
We do that a lot in our own lives, though. We are famished spiritually, or we just gotta have that new toy or outfit, or we'll die -- no matter the cost. The temptation is just too great to settle for a bowl of hot stew, with a full meal most likely sometime in the near future if we could just wait. How might history have changed if God didn't see fit to allow Jacob to steal the birthright?
God has a thing for the second-born. It's all throughout the Bible. Joseph was his favorite even though he had nearly a dozen older brothers. David, of course, was just a shepherd boy whose older brothers didn't want him hanging around their army buddies. And so on and so on...
I love both my sisters. I know that at any time I can pick up the phone or visit them and they're there for me. But we had our knock-down-drag-outs growing up, mostly because they couldn't live with the fact I was the heir to the throne (now that's funny).
But reading Genesis, well, God kind of has me looking over my shoulder a little bit because I'm the firstborn. My advice to Coby now, judging by the beating he took Sunday from his little sister, is to do the same.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
I'd Like To Thank...
On top of the Longhorns' national title victory Monday night in the Fiesta Bowl (and yes, in my book, that was the official national championship game since the one being played in Miami tonight is an absolute farce), I got to witness a display of class, character and courage in the postgame celebration.
UT quarterback Colt McCoy, the rightful Heisman Trophy winner (don't get me started), accepted the MVP trophy of the Fiesta Bowl by first giving praise and credit to "his Lord and Saviour," Jesus. What an awesome statement and one that makes Colt, in my book, a national champion in every sense of the words.
But while enjoying Colt's acknowledgement for the source of his success, I was left to wonder the following -- would he have stood in front of a microphone and said the same things if the 'Horns - gasp - had lost?
Now that's not to say I doubt Colt McCoy's faith or his sincerity in any way. It's just that he's the latest athlete to stand up on a stage and give credit and glory to God for the blessings of a winning performance. By all accounts, Colt's a fantastic young man who, apparently, has been born again. That's awesome.
In fact, his nemesis, OU quarterback Sam Bradford, pretty much said the same things back in December when he stole the Heisman from Colt. I'm sure Bradford is a likeable guy and I don't doubt his sincerity either, but in mostly good-natured fun, I don't like the colors he wears. Nothing personal, but a stinkin', thievin' Sooner is still a stinkin', thievin' Sooner.
But I can't remember one time where an athlete, in any sport, stood before the world following a tough loss and gave credit to the Lord. The Bible says we are to praise Him in all things, and that of course includes winning and losing. True winners in any aspect of life understand that losses are a part of life. Read the Book of Job, or even Genesis, with Abraham, for that matter. Tough times build tough people.
I try not to doubt anyone who stands before a TV camera and displays faith. Not for me to judge. Terrell Owens does it all the time, and I still believe it's genuine despite everything else that surrounds that particular athlete.
But we must remember, all of us, that we should continue to be thankful and give praise following the losses. Not just the wins. It's extremely difficult to do, but I find myself failing nearly 100 percent of the time in that regard.
Praise him following the wins and the blessings, for sure. But also remember, the God of the mountain is also the God in the valley, and we should give thanks for the adversity that comes from losing something -- whether its just a game or not.
UT quarterback Colt McCoy, the rightful Heisman Trophy winner (don't get me started), accepted the MVP trophy of the Fiesta Bowl by first giving praise and credit to "his Lord and Saviour," Jesus. What an awesome statement and one that makes Colt, in my book, a national champion in every sense of the words.
But while enjoying Colt's acknowledgement for the source of his success, I was left to wonder the following -- would he have stood in front of a microphone and said the same things if the 'Horns - gasp - had lost?
Now that's not to say I doubt Colt McCoy's faith or his sincerity in any way. It's just that he's the latest athlete to stand up on a stage and give credit and glory to God for the blessings of a winning performance. By all accounts, Colt's a fantastic young man who, apparently, has been born again. That's awesome.
In fact, his nemesis, OU quarterback Sam Bradford, pretty much said the same things back in December when he stole the Heisman from Colt. I'm sure Bradford is a likeable guy and I don't doubt his sincerity either, but in mostly good-natured fun, I don't like the colors he wears. Nothing personal, but a stinkin', thievin' Sooner is still a stinkin', thievin' Sooner.
But I can't remember one time where an athlete, in any sport, stood before the world following a tough loss and gave credit to the Lord. The Bible says we are to praise Him in all things, and that of course includes winning and losing. True winners in any aspect of life understand that losses are a part of life. Read the Book of Job, or even Genesis, with Abraham, for that matter. Tough times build tough people.
I try not to doubt anyone who stands before a TV camera and displays faith. Not for me to judge. Terrell Owens does it all the time, and I still believe it's genuine despite everything else that surrounds that particular athlete.
But we must remember, all of us, that we should continue to be thankful and give praise following the losses. Not just the wins. It's extremely difficult to do, but I find myself failing nearly 100 percent of the time in that regard.
Praise him following the wins and the blessings, for sure. But also remember, the God of the mountain is also the God in the valley, and we should give thanks for the adversity that comes from losing something -- whether its just a game or not.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A New Day In The 'Ville
I took the holidays off from a lot of things the last couple of weeks, including blogging. But I'm back and rarin' to roar in 2009.
A lot of things have happened since the last post. Christmas was one thing of course, as well as a round of bowl games on TV and more Cowboys disappointment. New Year's Day is somewhat anticlimactic now, so I was pretty much ready to get back to work by the time Jan. 1 rolled around.
I might as well go ahead and release this little bit of news we found out over the holidays. It's been trickling around for the last couple of weeks and I'll go ahead and put the rumor to bed so to speak -- we are expecting again. Number four is due to arrive the first week of August or so.
I boldly predicted following Abby's birth two years ago that she was our third and our last. So you can imagine the shock of finding out that indeed Jeannie was carrying our fourth child. We found out ourselves about 10 days before Christmas, and a trip to the doctor a couple of days later confirmed it.
I must admit it was a kick in the gut. Not that I don't or won't love this child with all my heart, because I will. It's just that, well, this particular news just doesn't fit my plan, you know? Three kids is enough nowadays, really. Especially for a guy who's about to hit 40 and a wife who had no desire to endure another nine months of pregnancy.
Yes, I know how pregnancy happens. Birth control is quite expensive nowadays, and we threw everything but the kitchen sink at prevention I guess short of abstinence and surgery, which we looked into but just couldn't pull off financially.
But the shock of the news kind of wears off gradually, more and more with each passing day. I find myself getting ready for the fourth child now, although somewhat slowly than the previous three. By the due date I will be anxiously waiting for and ready to love and raise this one too as best as I can as its father.
God has shown me over the last month a lot of things. Going back to that not fitting into a plan thing, that's pretty much how He works in our lives. Our plans are not His plans, after all. Our thoughts are not His thoughts. There is a reason why this little one growing inside Jeannie's womb is there. He or she wasn't planned in a traditional sense of expecting, but with each passing day we are becoming more excited and more expectant.
I finally came to the consideration -- and it's very humbling -- that we are expecting again because God chose us to be this child's parents. It's sometimes as simple as that. To be honest I wasn't all that fired up about considering a third child, long before Abby was actually concieved. That can be readily observed by the nine-year layoff between Melody and Abigail Grace.
But Abby is the apple of our eyes, just like our older children are. They all have their own little special niche in our hearts as their parents, and I would not trade any one of them for all the gold in the world. They are as much a part of my life as the breath I take every day. Number Four will be also, and to a certain extent, already is.
God chose Jeannie and I to be parents. It's a little different take on our adventure into parenthood, which started nearly 12 years ago with Coby. The previous three we pretty much asked God for, and He gave. This one, He gave on His own, for whatever reason. And we are happy and honored to be given that responsibility, and the chance to love and cherish another precious child.
So the next seven months or so will be filled with all the usual things. We are a high-risk pregnancy because of age, but none of that matters to us because God is in control no matter what our age. Heck, Sarah had her first child, Isaac, when she was nearly 100 and he turned out okay in Genesis. 40 and 37 is child's play.
Thank you, God, for Your confidence and the honor of Your gift.
A lot of things have happened since the last post. Christmas was one thing of course, as well as a round of bowl games on TV and more Cowboys disappointment. New Year's Day is somewhat anticlimactic now, so I was pretty much ready to get back to work by the time Jan. 1 rolled around.
I might as well go ahead and release this little bit of news we found out over the holidays. It's been trickling around for the last couple of weeks and I'll go ahead and put the rumor to bed so to speak -- we are expecting again. Number four is due to arrive the first week of August or so.
I boldly predicted following Abby's birth two years ago that she was our third and our last. So you can imagine the shock of finding out that indeed Jeannie was carrying our fourth child. We found out ourselves about 10 days before Christmas, and a trip to the doctor a couple of days later confirmed it.
I must admit it was a kick in the gut. Not that I don't or won't love this child with all my heart, because I will. It's just that, well, this particular news just doesn't fit my plan, you know? Three kids is enough nowadays, really. Especially for a guy who's about to hit 40 and a wife who had no desire to endure another nine months of pregnancy.
Yes, I know how pregnancy happens. Birth control is quite expensive nowadays, and we threw everything but the kitchen sink at prevention I guess short of abstinence and surgery, which we looked into but just couldn't pull off financially.
But the shock of the news kind of wears off gradually, more and more with each passing day. I find myself getting ready for the fourth child now, although somewhat slowly than the previous three. By the due date I will be anxiously waiting for and ready to love and raise this one too as best as I can as its father.
God has shown me over the last month a lot of things. Going back to that not fitting into a plan thing, that's pretty much how He works in our lives. Our plans are not His plans, after all. Our thoughts are not His thoughts. There is a reason why this little one growing inside Jeannie's womb is there. He or she wasn't planned in a traditional sense of expecting, but with each passing day we are becoming more excited and more expectant.
I finally came to the consideration -- and it's very humbling -- that we are expecting again because God chose us to be this child's parents. It's sometimes as simple as that. To be honest I wasn't all that fired up about considering a third child, long before Abby was actually concieved. That can be readily observed by the nine-year layoff between Melody and Abigail Grace.
But Abby is the apple of our eyes, just like our older children are. They all have their own little special niche in our hearts as their parents, and I would not trade any one of them for all the gold in the world. They are as much a part of my life as the breath I take every day. Number Four will be also, and to a certain extent, already is.
God chose Jeannie and I to be parents. It's a little different take on our adventure into parenthood, which started nearly 12 years ago with Coby. The previous three we pretty much asked God for, and He gave. This one, He gave on His own, for whatever reason. And we are happy and honored to be given that responsibility, and the chance to love and cherish another precious child.
So the next seven months or so will be filled with all the usual things. We are a high-risk pregnancy because of age, but none of that matters to us because God is in control no matter what our age. Heck, Sarah had her first child, Isaac, when she was nearly 100 and he turned out okay in Genesis. 40 and 37 is child's play.
Thank you, God, for Your confidence and the honor of Your gift.
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