7 People, 5 Days, 1 Van

Otherwise know as family fun on the summer va-cay.

We are off to south Texas. Check the Flickr feed on the sidebar for latest pics of the fam!

Love at the Core

I have been listening to Run Kid Run's new album "Love at the Core" more than just about anything lately. I always know when music connects with me because I willingly seek out time to listen to it.

Although the music itself is nothing groundbreaking, it is phenomenally executed. It's just solid rock with pop and punk influences. It's the kind of stuff that gets stuck in your head for days. This band arose from the ashes of another band, Sidewalk Slam, for anyone who cares about such things. I think I like this stuff better. Click the Bull's Eye target at the bottom and let me know which song you like the best.

But it's not the insanely catchy melodies that keep me coming back to this record. It is the simple, yet touching lyrics penned by the band. The title track is especially close to my heart:

"We want love, love at the core
The cold of the flesh always seems to creep inside of my chest
And I need the pulse of you, God
To fill these veins and touch my heart
So I can start living again
We’ve seen the dark of the night
Sun won’t you come shine some light on our lives


We want love, love at the core
So much more then what we’re living for
We want love , we want love
Love at the core
So much more of this
Life that we’re reaching for
We want love to bind us tonight
Leave behind your own disguise
So love can find you and I"

This is such a wonderful description of what Jesus did for us. It is incomprehensible to imagine the sacrifice. Romans 5:8 says "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us". Amazing. To pay for all of our filth, lies, hate, idolatry, lust, and jealousy, it would take nothing less than "Love at the Core."

Check out the rest of the lyrics for "Love at the Core" and listen to the song on my MySpace page.

Mr. Mom

Do you remember that one? Classic. I love this movie. I have not seen it on TV yet this summer, but I'm looking. I should probably break down and just buy it, but I'm cheap. Favorite line: "My brain is like oatmeal. I yelled at Kenny today for coloring outside the lines! Megan and I are starting to watch the same TV shows, and I'm liking them! I'm losing it."

This summer as my wife finishes up teaching summer school, I can relate to Michael Keaton's character Jack Butler and his plight. It is not that easy staying at home with the kids. They're always. . . around. And they need stuff- food, clothes, playtime, diapers, love, attention. The problems come when they don't get one of the above at the exact second they want it. I got my wife a Mother's Day card that read "I childproofed the house, but they keep getting back in." I don't think the kids got it.

Conversation is definitely one sided. Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy- get me, get me, get me, get me, get me- no, no, no, no, no. But I just pray for patience and wisdom and try to realize that I am touching the future. At least that's what I read on a T shirt.

But truly, deep down, it's great. I am absolutely in love with my three amazing children and wouldn't trade being a dad for anything. It is such an incredible responsibility. I am sad that some dads miss out on really being a father. Sometimes my wife or I will get a comment like "Oh, it's so nice that you are watching the kids." To that I always have to say "Well, not really. I'm not a babysitter. I'm their dad."

Picture courtesy of www.videodetective.com

Styrofoam sin

Ahh, the bi-monthly Saturday ritual- mowing the lawn.

As I was out cutting the grass, a tiny piece of styrofoam caught my eye. Now my lawn is definitely more "Malcolm in the Middle" than "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" but I bent over to pick it up anyway. I noticed another piece a few feet away. Then another, and then another. I realized that I must have shredded a cup underneath the mower without realizing it.

I spent the next minutes grumbling as I picked up the pieces. If I would have just been more careful, I could have simply picked up the little cup before it got chopped up. Instead I found myself bending over to get a squillion little pieces of styrofoam.

But isn't sin just like that? One lie, one lustful thought, one cheat- one little sin can turn into many shredded pieces in our lives just like that. The bible says in James 1:15 that "after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." The more you allow sin to spread and grow, the worse off it is going to be. The more it is left unchecked, the more pieces get strewn about. It is so much easier to stop it before it starts. Don't let the enemy even have a foothold.

Lord, give us all the strength to pick up the little cup before it is shredded all over the landscape of our lives.

Change

The reunion is not as altogether unpleasant as I thought. It is not altogether pleasant though. It's always a little awkward when you haven't seen people in this long. But, it is nice to share a few laughs and catch up with some old friends.

10 years later and here we are. I am glad that so many people have matured. I guess a decade will do that to you. Cliques and groups kind of fade away. You just don't have the time or energy for that anymore. I mean, who keeps a grudge with someone ten years out of high school? I was very surprised at some of the people I talked to. I had some great conversation with a few guys that I almost never talked to in high school. It was cool.

I guess what I'm trying to say is people are people. They mature and grow, but we all have difficulty actually changing. The old adage is definitely true: the more things change, the more things stay the same. And outside of God, people don't truly change. They can't.

The scenery is nice though. . .

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