One of the greatest ideas the "Friends" people ever came up with was to send the cast to "London, baby". This was probably the greatest sitcom vacation since the Bradys went to Hawaii. If you remember, the pagan idol found at a construction site by that nosy little Bobby ended up causing Peter to nearly get bitten by a tarantula and led to Greg going "Yard Sale" on some embarrassingly small surf that was obviously not shot on the famous "North Shore".
Anyway, while the Friends are in London, Monica and Chandler get together, Ross says "Rachel" instead of "Emily" and all the while poor Phoebe is stuck at home pregnant with her brother's children. (She was a surrogate for him and his wife for those of you who "don't watch TV". Whatever.) There are also the great scenes of Joey and Chandler as they try to find their way around London, baby. Chandler, who is a little too cool for himself at this time, but soon to find his character totally neutered by his on-screen romance, and is put off by Joey's unbridled enthusiasm for this new town.
He is also embarrassed by Joey's inability to simply look at a map to get his bearings and decide where to go. To overcome his deficiencies, Joey has devised a method by which he lays the map on the ground in the proper orientation to his surroundings. He then will "get in the map" by literally getting in the map...standing smack-dab on his location at the time. By getting in the map, Joey steps himself into what he knows to be true and right and then determines his direction from there.
In my life now, there are a few things about which I don't know which way to go. Fortunately, I have a map. A map with His word...with His direction.
Now I just have to remember to "get in the map"...and stay there.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Turncoat
Last night I was banished to the bonus room (Why do we call it a bonus room? We knew it was there when we bought the house. It's not like we didn't know it was there and we found it later. It's also not like they said "Hey...you buy the house, we'll throw in the room over the garage for free! But, I digress.) to watch the Eagles v. Cowboys game. The TV upstairs only goes up to channel 47 so neither Project Runway, nor John and Kate +8 could we enjoyed in all the 25" glory of the 1989 model Sanyo...so off I went upstairs.
As is typical of me, I was in and out of the ball game all night. Spike was showing the Best of UFC 2007 so it was back and forth. Even though I knew the result of nearly every fight on Spike, I still kept going back to watch. Still, though, my emotional investment was in the football game. I am a huge Cowboys fan and have been for at least 30 years. This is where things get weird for me.
Clark, my youngest son, has been a huge Eagles fan for about the last 7 years. He may or may not watch them play when they are on, but he does love them. He lives and dies with every win and loss....talking of school of the wins and dreading the next school day when they lose because of the eventual torture of having his friends revel in their defeat.
Because of this, for the first time I can ever remember, as the Eagles got the ball twice down by four in the 4th quarter, I found myself rooting for a comeback touchdown. What was I thinking, I thought. (Now that's a circular statement.) Immediately, it came to me. "You are his father. His wishes and desires and enjoyment are more important to you than that blue star. "
The One who gave me this thought also showed me immediately the scripture that shows how much greater a Father He is than me....
Matthew 7:9-11
"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone ? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
I said that every post might not go here...but then again...they might. I hear Him telling me, this is who you are.
As is typical of me, I was in and out of the ball game all night. Spike was showing the Best of UFC 2007 so it was back and forth. Even though I knew the result of nearly every fight on Spike, I still kept going back to watch. Still, though, my emotional investment was in the football game. I am a huge Cowboys fan and have been for at least 30 years. This is where things get weird for me.
Clark, my youngest son, has been a huge Eagles fan for about the last 7 years. He may or may not watch them play when they are on, but he does love them. He lives and dies with every win and loss....talking of school of the wins and dreading the next school day when they lose because of the eventual torture of having his friends revel in their defeat.
Because of this, for the first time I can ever remember, as the Eagles got the ball twice down by four in the 4th quarter, I found myself rooting for a comeback touchdown. What was I thinking, I thought. (Now that's a circular statement.) Immediately, it came to me. "You are his father. His wishes and desires and enjoyment are more important to you than that blue star. "
The One who gave me this thought also showed me immediately the scripture that shows how much greater a Father He is than me....
Matthew 7:9-11
"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone ? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
I said that every post might not go here...but then again...they might. I hear Him telling me, this is who you are.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Check One Off
It's not often as a parent or a husband that the average guy gets to make the dreams of his family come true. This weekend my family was blessed enough to go to New York to see the Yankees play with a stop @ Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to catch an Eagles preseason game. If you know my family well...or maybe not so well...you know that we love the Yankees and that somehow Clark has been in love with the Eagles since he was in elementary school.
The trip was the best and worst of many things. It seemed we spent an eternity in the car, but my guys sat and talked like they never do at home. Our teams were at their home fields...hallowed ground to us all especially w/ Yankee Stadium soon to be no more...but they both lost their games. The hotel was comfortable and provided a nice getaway...but still wasn't home. The subway was the only way the only sensible way to get around, but the last subway car we rode was the only place with "sheep girl" AND the crazy guy randomly warning of the "slavery of 'his people' by BET", bragging about his infinite "energy" that's been building since he "created the world with a word", and threatening to stab with a lavendar mechanical pencil whoever it was that told him to shut up.
The trip was the best and worst of many things. It seemed we spent an eternity in the car, but my guys sat and talked like they never do at home. Our teams were at their home fields...hallowed ground to us all especially w/ Yankee Stadium soon to be no more...but they both lost their games. The hotel was comfortable and provided a nice getaway...but still wasn't home. The subway was the only way the only sensible way to get around, but the last subway car we rode was the only place with "sheep girl" AND the crazy guy randomly warning of the "slavery of 'his people' by BET", bragging about his infinite "energy" that's been building since he "created the world with a word", and threatening to stab with a lavendar mechanical pencil whoever it was that told him to shut up.
Anyway, we were very happy to get to do what we did this weekend. To my sensible side, it seemed like much too far to go and far too much to spend. But sometimes you have to turn a deaf ear to your sensible side. Your sensible side will sometimes leave you with regrets...maybe a few extra dollars they can bury with you...maybe a few less miles on your car...but sometimes with regrets.
I hope coming out of this my boys will always remember this weekend. I hope that Clark will always remember getting to Lincoln Financial Field even if McNabb, Westbrook, Dawkins, or Favre (w/ the Jets) didn't even break a sweat. I hope Mason will tell James III (my grandson someday...there's no rule that the Sr., Jr, and III have to be in consecutive generations) that he got to see Yankee Stadium.
More than that, I hope they see that sometimes you just do things...not because it makes sense....not because it it's convenient....sometimes you do things it's the only chance you have.
This is true, I think, for everything in our lives. It doesn't make sense to stop and help someone sometimes...but that is the only chance you get. It may not be convenient to put your life on hold for someone for a few hours, but it may be the only chance you get to be there for them.
It doesn't have to make sense to be the right thing to do.
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p.s. Don't think that every post will end like this and have some spiritual meaning. I didn't intend for this one to get here...it just did. And that's OK with me.
The First Post
As you can see...this is the first post on my new blog. I am not sure what this is going to be about. Some of it will about my experiences in this thing called life. Some of it will be the strange thoughts that go through my head. For example...why do people..especially at church like to refer to things as "this ______ called _____". I've heard "this GAME called SOFTBALL", "this PLACE called EARTH"...I just said "this THING called LIFE". It's always confused me that people do that...and now here I am doing it.
Anyway, I don't think I have that much to say. At the same time, I feel compelled to say it.
Hope you enjoy.
Anyway, I don't think I have that much to say. At the same time, I feel compelled to say it.
Hope you enjoy.
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