Penelope

You have 9 months to prepare. To set up, to paint, to consider how your life will be different. And you will never be fully ready.

Penelope True Cannon arrived on the 6th at 5:58am weighing 7 lbs 8 oz. She is beautiful.

We try and quantify how God blesses us by speaking in worldly terms. We talk about jobs, money, food, etc.

Penelope reminds me that God blesses us with life. With every breath.

She reminds me to trust in Him.

She reminds me that I am not in control, and that is a good thing.

She reminds me of how the Father loves us, loves me.

We didn't know this right away when we first started to like the name Penelope, but Penelope means Faithful. We actually thought that we were going to name her True, as Ness felt that God had really put a verse on her heart:

Revelation 19:11 (New International Version)
11I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.

God is good. He is faithful and true.

He is jealous for me

God is good.

I can't ever forget that. While we toil away down here (or so we think), all He desires is for us to know Him, and to be with Him. He gave everything for us.

Sometimes, we do things to be cool. So the world looks at us and doesn't see stereo-typical crazy Christians, but people just like them who also are Christians. Sometimes, this is a good thing. In the right situation, this allows people to enter into conversation and relationships that some followers of Christ could not. Other times, looking like the world can be twisted. With its temptations, it can draw out sin that we have held on to. It can lead us to rebel against Christ. It also demonstrates that we don't fully understand that Christ wants us to live the full, new lives he has for us. We end up rejoining the world instead of reaching the world. I know that I have fallen into this trap before.

Sometimes, we put on a face for the world. We love others out of responsibility, guilt, shame, or agenda. We don't give grace freely to the body. We judge others secretly and rank them below ourselves. We measure each other by what we do (good and bad). We do things out of duty. Inside we are wasting away. I do this all of the time.

The Spirit really spoke to me about these things today. Today I was frustrated by people acting like the world while I put on my holier than thou face.

Christ calls us to be radically different. To lay down our lives and pick up our cross. So when the world see us, they see Christ. They see love, grace, forgiveness. They see hope.

That sounds like something that I want to be about.

Red Sox

Time for a break from other subjects to talk about something important: baseball. Here is how the Sox are looking this year:


Starters:
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH David Ortiz
1B Kevin Youkilis
RF Jason Bay
LF JD Drew
3B Mike Lowell
C Jason Varitek
SS Jed Lowrie



Bench:
C George Kottaras
OF Rocco Baldelli
OF/1B Chris Carter or Jeff Bailey (whoever wins the position battle)
Utilitiy Nick Green


Starters:
R Josh Beckett
R Daisuke Matsuzaka
L Jon Lester
R Tim Wakefield
R Brad Penny



Bullpen:
R Ramon Ramirez
R Justin Masterson
L Hideki Okajima
R Takashi Saito
L Javier Lopez
R Manny Delcarmen
R Jonathon Papelbon

Injuries:
SS Julio Lugo
OF/1B Mark Kotsay
P John Smoltz

Impact AAA players:
P Clay Buchholz
P Daniel Bard
P Michael Bowden
1B Lars Anderson

Lugo will probably be the starter when he returns from the DL, which will push Nick Green to the minors. Once Kotsay is back, Carter or Bailey will be sent down. I'm not sure what happens when Smoltz is ready. Maybe someone will be injured. Or there will be a trade. There should be some talent available due to the economy. Maybe Roy Halladay or a catcher of the future. Maybe Hanley Ramirez (probably not with the new stadium deal).

At any rate, I am ready for baseball to start.

I am also ready for Ness to have this baby. Let's see what comes first.

What about 14 and 16?

March is strange this year. In 5 days we get Friday the 13th, the Ides of March, and St Patrick's Day. Meanwhile, we totally ignore March 14th and 16th.

I have an analogy for our sin that involves a 3 year old using Lego's. Just something rolling around in my brain. I tried to explain it to Ness. She liked it better when I used poop sandcastles as the analogy.

Ness is doing a talk tonight about how powerful Jesus is. In her talk, she brought up Mr. Rogers as an example of how we think of Jesus as weak. I think Mr. Rogers was strong. There I said it.

Why does Ohio State get to play in Dayton when they are an 8 seed? Oh, I know. They have a rep that sits on the board of the selection committee. I hate Ohio State. Not so fast Michigan fans. I didn't say that I like you either.

McDonald's taste great. Until about 5 minutes after I eat it.

Everyone is sick. We have all been infected. Don't they make a vacuum that can just suck all of the snot out of my sinuses and lungs?

West

Yesterday, Kate Cook picked up West to bring him to Ness' bible study (Ness met them there after BNI). Kate was playing some Misty Edwards. After hearing the song, West asked Kate who is coming. Kate told him that Jesus is coming. West then told Kate that Jesus was in his heart and had his whole heart.

That is my prayer for West. That he would know Jesus and that Christ would have his whole heart. I know that he is only 3.5 right now and he doesn't fully understand who Jesus is. He told me the other day that Jesus needs to come out of his heart so he can eat. But my hope is that he sees and hears how Ness and I live, how we talk about Jesus, and by some miracle sees Christ.

What would you do with $1000

If I gave you $1000 dollars to spend how you please, what would you do with it? Here are some things I thought of:

1. Buy a new guitar
2. Buy a new Red Sox jersey
3. Take Ness out shopping and on a great date
4. Buy U2 tickets
5. Treat the team to dinner

All of these things seem great. They aren't evil. But the purpose of this practice is to look at my focus. Why wouldn't I give it away? I can send two kids to camp with that money. I could support a starving child in a third world country. You get the idea.
Last night, Scott challenged our campaigners to look at how we spend our money. On the way home, Ness and I came up with the $1000 question. It has been interesting thinking about how it is all about me and my money. I just realize that all I do is want, want, want. I am a stinking consumer. How do I stop? How do I pay bills and give it all away?
I know a lot of people going through the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class. And I feel that it will be really good for a lot of people. I know that I have debt that could use some organizing. The problem I have is that I keep hearing people talk about what they are going to do after they are out of debt. These include: buying a new house, finishing a room in the house, going on vacation and other assorted things. Once again, these are not bad things. But if we work so hard to be debt free, shouldn't we start giving like crazy when we have an abundance? Shouldn't we be giving like crazy now? And I am not saying that these people don't give. I am just concerned about how we are so wrapped up in this stuff. And I am as guilty as the rest. Even more so.
I guess there is a reason that Jesus talks so much about money. It is maddening. So let's pray that the Kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. Where our currency is grace and love, shelled out in large doses.

House

Someone wants to walk through my house and judge it tonight. If they deem it worthy, they may offer me thousands of dollars for it. If not, it will be clean for the residents. I think God is doing some amazing things right now. Maybe one of those things is selling the house. It would be cool. I think that this reflects our faith in many ways.

Sometimes, this is my picture of God: I clean the mess up as best I can and smile politely when God walks through my home. Unfortunately, he knows about the hole behind the picture, where the cat peed and all the spots that I spilled paint. He is not interested in buying the home. He knows how messed up it is.

Fortunately, that is not how God sees things. He walks through my mess and tells me that he wants to help me sort through it. He walks into the basement and smiles as he describes what a great room this is going to be when he is done working on it. He teaches me how to drywall and even shows up early the next morning to help me. Sometimes he even tells me to go teach someone else how to drywall. He pays the mortgage in full with his Son's blood. He fills the rooms with his Spirit. He takes up residence.

Obviously, this idea of my life being a home is stolen from My Heart, Christ's Home. But as I was thinking about how good I needed the house to look tonight, I really needed to remind myself that all I need is to trust that He will sell this house when He wants. It is also a great reminder that I need to submit to his work in me.