Find Your Target

I started playing baseball at age 8, and was a pretty good player. Unfortunately, by the time I was 10, I was average with the rest of the guys my age. One of my problems was sometimes I wouldn’t think quick enough to make a play. When I was 10 and playing second base in a game, a high pop fly was hit to me. As it streaked a mile into the sky and then started arcing down towards me, I remember thinking, “Don’t drop it. Don’t drop it. Don’t drop it…” over and over as it was coming down. Yes! I caught it. I was really proud of myself. Everyone was yelling praises at me. My coach was jumping up and down yelling how great I was. I'll probably get a trophy for such an incredible catch ...Oh wait, they weren't yelling praises at me, they were yelling, "Throw it!." The runner on first wasn’t exactly the best player either because he had started to run instead of stay on base and wait to see if I caught it. My coach was yelling, “Throw it to first base and get him out!” That's when I looked and saw the back of the runner and thought, “Oh yeah! I can get a double play!” One problem. The runner was in between me and the first baseman. What I was supposed to do was take a quick step to my right so I could see the first baseman and throw. But I panicked! With everyone yelling “Throw it!” I just stared at the back of the runner and threw the ball. Yup, you guessed it, I hit the runner in the back. That’ll teach him to not get in MY way. How embarrassing. What’s that saying? “Pride cometh before the fall? Yeah, that’s the one :/ I just needed to stay calm, take a step, focus on my target, and throw.

You’re going to have many situations in your life that will make you panic (Psalm 55:5, “Fear and panic overpower me, terror overwhelms me.”). Just remember: stay calm, take a step, and focus on your target (Psalm 145:5, “I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor, and your amazing deeds.”). Once you do this, the Lord will help you see the issue is smaller than you thought, and there is a way around it.

Love Ya,

Dad

Mind the Gap

We had a great trip to London several years ago as you remember. We enjoyed riding the tube and listening to “Mind the Gap.” Chelsea enjoyed riding the tube so much she went for an extra ride J That was one of the worst times as a parent that your Mom and I went through as we tried to find her.

I still remember it really well. It was during rush hour in London, so the tube was crowded. When the tube stopped at Victoria Station we prepared to get off. There we people waiting to get on, but they waited for us to get off. It took us a little longer because of the luggage we had. I remember Chelsea and I being the last ones to get off when the bell rang signaling for departure. A man who had been waiting for us to get off heard the bell and suddenly jumped on, blocking Chelsea from getting off. I thought she was right behind me, but when I turned around the doors were closing and she had a sad, confused look on her face. We started to panic, but I figured I would be Super Dad and stick my arm in the door as it closed, stop them from closing, grab Chelsea, and swoop her to safety …ta da, Super Dad to the rescue! Unfortunately, by the time I thought of this the doors had closed …wa wa wa (I also found out later that the doors might have closed on my arm and started to drag me). Then your Mom had a great idea and started shouted “Hit the button! Hit the button!” Great idea! Hit the button on the side of the train that would stop the train and open the doors. Again, I thought I would hit the button, stop the car, open the doors, grab Chelsea, and swoop her to safety …ta da, Super Dad to the rescue! I turned quickly to the car as it began to pull away and what to my horror do I see? Well, I didn’t see a button to hit that’s for sure. I yelled “Where’s the button!” Your Mom yelled “I don’t know. There’s got to be a button!” But there was no button. I watched in horror as the car pulled away and you looked at us with astonishment and helplessness. I turned to your Mom and she said “Call her on her cell phone.” Another great idea! I’ll call her on her cell phone, calm her down, tell her to wait for me at the next stop, I’ll ride to the next stop, get off, and embrace her with a big, protective hug, and bring her back to the family …ta da, Super Dad to the rescue! About that time Chandler informs us that the battery on Chelsea’s phone is dead, and we discovered none of us had a cell signal down in the tube. This was getting worse by the second. We decided that I would get on the next train and ride down the line to see if I could find her, and the rest of the family would go up top to find a worker to help us. I thought to myself, I’ll ride to the next platform, Chelsea will be standing there, I’ll get off, give her a big, protective hug, and bring her back to the family …ta da, Super Dad to the rescue! I got to the next stop and Chelsea wasn’t there. I didn’t know if she had gotten off or stayed on the train to ride on down the line. What do I do? I had failed as Super Dad, it was out of my control (Jer. 10:23, “Lord, we know that people do not control their own destiny. It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them.”). I decided to get off and find help. I went up top and found a friendly worker who started calling down the line. In the mean time the rest of the family had also found a friendly worker who started calling down the line, and also created an announcement for Chelsea to go find a worker. Since I was up top I now had a cell signal, so your Mom was able to call me and we told each other what we were doing and who was helping us. I kept trying to push them out, but the worst thoughts of someone grabbing and kidnapping Chelsea kept coming into my mind. It was one of the worst moments in my life. Thank goodness we have the Lord to help us. I prayed several times for her return, as did your Mom (Psalm 55:17, “Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.”). I was standing talking to the lady and man helping me, when I heard screaming on the phone. For a second I didn’t know what was happening and I feared the worst. After a few seconds your Mom started shouting to me that they had found Chelsea! I was flooded with relief and praise to the Lord.

In the end, I hadn’t really done anything to get Chelsea back (NOT Super Dad). It was Chandler who turned around at just the right moment and saw Chelsea walking by. She would have missed the family if he had not seen her. On the train, a really nice lady saw what happened and told Chelsea she could get off at the next stop, walk to the other side of the platform, and take the next train back to Victoria Station. The Lord can put people in our lives to help us. Chelsea never cried or panicked, but just did what the lady said and got back to us.

“God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” He answered our prayers knowing that Chelsea was fine the whole time, and that He was watching over her.

He also taught me that sometimes things are out of my control. I can’t hold onto you three and protect you for the rest of my life. I have to let go sometime and trust Him and you (Phil. 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”). I realized this when it was time for Chelsea to go off to college for the first time. I realize again as Chandler is at college and Chelsea gets ready to leave to study abroad. I’m sad, but I’m sad for me not for you because I know the Lord will take care of you and be watching over you, and I trust all of you.

There will be times in your life that you have no control, and don’t know what to do, you may even be in despair over the situation. The Lord is in control and will answer your prayers, just bring the situation to Him.

Love Ya,
Dad

It's Chandler's Turn

In two days we leave to take Chandler to college. It’s going to be really hard for us and we’ll miss him immensely, but Chandler is getting ready to start the next chapter of his life, The Pursuit of Higher Knowledge, or as you know it the fun college years J.

I wanted to give him something to mark the occasion and hopefully help him remember us back home missing him. A Dad is always wanting to give things to his children, whether it’s love, food, gifts, time, a stern lecture (ha, ha), or knowledge. Second to love, one of the things a Dad wants most to give his children that they can have forever is wisdom. That’s one of the reasons I started these devotionals. Solomon did it when he wrote Proverbs (Prov. 5:1, “My child, be attentive to my wisdom, pay close attention to my understanding,”). Knowledge is different from wisdom. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you don’t have the wisdom to use that knowledge wisely then it does you no good. The Bible mentions wisdom 65 more times than knowledge …hmmm, I wonder why. It’s kind of like in the movie “Aladdin” when Jafar wants to be and becomes the most powerful genie in the world, but Aladdin reminds him that he has all the cosmic power in the universe, but a itty, bitty living space, and Jafar is confined to the lamp …for 10,000 years …bummer.

Prov. 22:6, "Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." This is not just about your spiritual walk, but also how you should live and treat others …it’s about wisdom and integrity. I want to give wisdom to Chandler as he embarks on his college career, to Chelsea as she travels abroad to study, and to Madison as she becomes a self-sufficient driver (and only child at home). I hope you will allow The Lord to bless each of you through me and your mother as we all travel down these roads together.

Psalm 127:3-4, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the children born in one’s youth. (NIV)

Love Ya (And will miss Ya),

Dad

The Beach

Pastor Miller taught about “drifting” in our faith. That made me think about the ocean current, which led me to thinking of the beach, which lead me to thinking about our family vacation last summer at the beach, which lead me to thinking about the undercurrent just offshore ...whew, that was a lot of thinking. Your Mom and I loved watching you play/swim in the water, but we warned you about the undercurrent carrying you off. We said that you would not notice it until you looked up and saw you were farther down the beach from us. Sometimes you would not look up and did not notice how far away you were, so we would call your name to get your attention and show you how far you had drifted away. A lot of times you were surprised by how far you had drifted away from us. Sometimes there were more dangers involved with the drifting, such as an idiot with a fishing pole and a really large hook right next to us. During these times we watched you more closely so you would not experience what it was like to be a hooked fish.

Sin is like the undercurrent. Sometimes you play around with it and it carries you away from The Lord. Sometimes we “look up” and notice how far away we are, and we pray and repent (Heb. 2:1, “Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”). But sometimes we do not “look up” and we get far away (1Tim. 5:24, “The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later.”). There is no staying in one spot when you are in the current. So if you are not moving closer, you ARE moving away (James 4:8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners…”).Thankfully The Lord is always watching us (Psalm 37:18, “The Lord watches over the innocent day by day…”) and paying attention to the “undercurrent,” and when it starts to carry us away He gets our attention to show us that we have drifted away. Hopefully we hear Him trying to get our attention …before we drift into the really large hook or get swept away.

Love Ya,

Dad