do you know what i struggle with?
connecting. connecting with people. i used to be able to connect with people. and was good at it. i could laugh, talk, entertain, enjoyed meeting new people, etc. you know connect. i could go deep, i could stay shallow. i could connect.
i can't anymore. am i too busy? selfish? tired? too old? uninteresting?
who knows?
it's too important though, to stop trying to connect with people. we need each other.
I write here in hopes of one day Elizabeth Anne, and hopefully her siblings will oneday read this and better know their Dad. That being said, here are some random thoughts going through dear ole dad's mind:
I can never quite seem to find what I'm looking for.
I love to read and just ordered three more books from amazon.com
Jack Johnson is currently my favorite singer and Lauran bought me his new CD.
I spent today with Elizabeth Anne, took her to see the ducks. When they flew towards the bread I gave them, she laughed so hard she had gas! I wish I had a video camera with me.
I am going to drive my car unitl it has over 200K miles on it. It's green and I can't stand green cars. But, it's paid for so I'll take it.
I get anxious sometimes that I won't be able to provide for my family.
Next weekend is Basic Weekend at Frazer. I am spending the weekend with the 11th grade boys youth group and am already dreading the no sleep factor.
I bought Lauran flowers today.
Day care is so expensive and we may have to find a new one.
Your grandmother - Anne - can make some really good chili. It has been my last three meals.
I HAVE to get in shape and start working out.
I have discovered that I am a very patient person. This helps at work. I don't have a temper either. That also helps.
Good friendships are hard to find and very hard to keep, but important and worth nurturing.
Lauran is passionate about dancing. I am trying to find something that I am just as passionate about.
If I had to money to blow - I'd have a Porshe 911 convertible.
I love my family - every last one of them.
I think consistency and endurance is an important trait. Like running a marathon. It works in investing, business, fitness, relationships, parenting, and worship. It's hard though, cause we so desperately want to sprint to the finish line.
I really do believe in God and Christ as my savior. When you study the Bible, it's hard not to. I think it's important to take time to read the Bible. I like the NIV, NLT, or Message versions. It's important to pray too.
I'd like to be famous, but I think I would hate it after a while.
The world is so violent now. It's getting worse every year.
That's all for now.
Oh yeah, I am soo sick of Bama losing to Auburn. This year, we are going to start our own streak.
Sorry I haven't posted in a while - just felt like taking a break. I am back now and will post regularly..
6 Things I am excited about:
1) Elizabeth Anne's personality is starting to show.
2) My 2 year anniversary - I am planning the whole thing and it's gonna be a big surprise.
3) The new changes happening within the youth dept at my church.
4) New friendships.
5) The summer soccer team I am going to play on.
6) College Football starts in 2 months.
It's the little things that make life good.
Lot's of things happening over the next two months. Here are some predictions:
Colts win by 2.
Elizabeth Anne, my guess is 6 lbs, 9 oz.
Mommy and Daddy - under 4 hrs of sleep a day on average.
"Grandma" Parsons delivers 4 dinners - enough to feed 30.
Saban winds up with a top 15 recruiting class, full of defensive players.
Bama wins the SEC West in hoops with a 8-8 SEC record.
Daddy (that's me) gets peed on, pooped on, and thrown up on over 8 times.
Chase barks and wakes up Elizabeth Anne over 2 times a day.
Over 1000 tears of joy and prayers sent for my sweet wife and baby girl. : )
PLACE YOUR BETS NOW!
I read this post on Seth Godin's Blog:
The article in the Times didn't set out to say something vitally important about marketing, but it did. In starting off a profile it says,
"For the past couple of years Jun Kaneko, the ceramic artist..."
It didn't say "a ceramic artist." No. It said, "the ceramic artist".
The entire tone of the piece changes. It's so much better to be a 'the' not an 'a'.
Which are you?
I don't think it's a trivial distinction. In fact, I'd argue that it's worth an enormous amount of your time and your budget to focus on becoming the.
After reading this, it made me think about something I heard John Maxwell say. He said, "People stand in line for above average." He was talking about developing your strengths. Spend 80% of your time working on your strengths.
Let's say you are weak in something or not gifted at something - rank that as a 4. (below average)
Then rank something that you feel you are good at or gifted at - rank that as a 7. (above average)
Now - your odds are pretty good that you can get that 7 to a 10 if you work on it. However, no matter how hard you work on your "ungiftedness", you will never be able to get it above a 7.
People stand in line for 10s. Find out your strengths - spend time working on them, and become a "the"!
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
What a great verse! Isn't it great to know that God loves us? Delights over us?
So, I'm reading my Bible this morning in Luke 5:27-32 where Jesus goes to a party held in his honor. Evidently the guys throwing the party weren't all that reputable. In fact, this is what the church "leaders" said, "Why do you eat and drink with such scum?" Jesus, then explained to them that he is simply spending time with "sick people who need a doctor", and doesn't really care to waste time with "people who think they are already good enough."
I thought about this for a while. What type of person does the church call "scum" these days? The poor, the homeless, the addicts? How about those with alternative lifestyles? How about those who party a little more than we are comfortable with?
Have we created a bubble around ourselves so we only have to spend time with people who are just like us?
The cool thing about Jesus, is that he doesn't see people like we do. He doesn't see the consistent churchgoer any different than the "scum" of the earth. They both need Jesus to die for them.
So, I think we should try to look past the exterior and simply love others the same way Jesus loves us. The way I see it, that means hanging out with "scum" on occasion. Most likely we'll learn more about love, life, and true community than we would hanging out with those who are already good enough anyway..
Just a thought...and something I am working on too. : )
