A First Time for Everything

I am convinced that God has a peculiar (and at times, warped) sense of humor, allowing me to have particular “experiences” for the first time in the past few weeks:

1. Adina and I (with the boys) were officially “mooned” by a group of young adults in a Chevy Tahoe while driving in our Toyota Sienna. Fortunately, David and Connor were glued to a movie on the DVD player and missed the entire fiasco.
2. I killed my first cockroach over two inches in length. The accuracy of my long-distance shoe throwing still is baffling my mind.
3. We hosted a funeral at our church in Sweetwater, and it was not until after the service that I discovered that my suit pants were unzipped the entire time.
4. While filling a prescription at a nearby pharmacy in Sweetwater, an elderly man (at least 70 years old) walks into the pharmacy wearing bright blue crocs – BRIGHT BLUE CROCS IN SWEETWATER, TEXAS. I could not help but to smile and chuckle.
5. I learned the true meaning of two phrases I had never heard before: “talking to a man about a horse” and “riding a cotton pony.”

Simply "Yes" or "No"

Have you ever noticed that it is difficult for people to make firm commitments? I am becoming more aware (with a heightened sensitivity I suppose) how much people give themselves “an out” when committing their time or energy. And I am no exception – I am the perpetual “options” guy. It is a challenge to give a firm yes or no – “maybe” or “most likely” is so much more comfortable. And it gets worse when married couples use their spouse as their out – the “I need to check with my husband/wife” is the most common mantra. Do not get me wrong; marital harmony in scheduling is a critical component to overall happiness.

All this was sparked by two recent situations in which I was told with confidence that particular individuals could “probably make something happen” only to learn, at the last minute, that they really could not. But the word “probably” was their out – they never really fully committed in the first place. Maybe having an out is a way to lessen the blow if something does arise that prevents involvement. Or maybe having an out is way to ultimately maintain control over our schedule. I think that is it – by fully committing to a particular task or project, we are surrendering control for a period of time. And we innately do not like surrendering control.

I was reading this morning in Matthew 5:33-37 when Jesus was giving his “Sermon on the Mount.” He specifically speaks to notion of making empty promises (oaths) that a person never truly intends to fulfill. In that time, the religious leaders would make such oaths, swearing by heaven, by Jerusalem, or by their own heads. Whatever they swore by gave their promise legitimacy, regardless of whether they planned to keep their promise or not. I think we today have a similar practice: by making partial commitments (with an out) we gain legitimacy. We are recognized as being interested in helping or giving of our time. But with an out, we can uncommit ourselves and still have the appearance of concern or involvement.

Jesus put it clearly, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes,’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

A Downside to Ministry

I am coming to the realization that one of the greatest downsides of ministry is that my day off is Friday. This means that the one day a week I have time to relax, catch up with friends, and disconnect from the office is a day most people still must work. It makes for quiet Friday mornings sitting at Tuscany’s Coffee Shop writing blog postings…

Maybe that is a long way to say I miss my Colorado buds!