The day I Almost Became a Criminal.....

There are brief moments in life that change our how perspective and outlook on life. We all share brief moments that just sticks with you forever that change our moral compass in life. These are life changing moments that are really insignificant to the rest of the world. It happened to me on bike day. It was bike day at my daughter’s daycare. We were a struggling young broke family. When I say our family was broke, I mean counting out change to buy food broke. We had a dose of reality that children were way more expensive than we figured. My wife was trying hard to raise two kids, our daughter and myself, and times were tough. Our marriage, our relationship with God, our finances, our sanity, everything was stretched passed the limit. Every aspect of life was at the breaking point. To top it off it was bike day. I got an old bike that our daughter’s grandmother had bought her at a yard sale and we headed off to school. Abby arrived at school with the excitement of a four year old on bike day. With this old used, too little, scratched, beat up bike in one hand, and Abby holding on to the other, we head into to school. We opened up the first door and there in the entry way were lined up beautiful shinny new bikes. Pretty bikes, princesses, Disney bikes, all types of shinny new bikes as my daughter’s face lit up like the fourth of July. She looked at the others bike and then looked at hers as I sat it down besides the others. She did not say a single word, but I stood there and watched as excitement, awe, enthusiasm all drained from her face. She looked again at the others bikes and then back at hers. She then paused and looked up at me, with those beautiful eyes, and said, “Its OK Daddy, I love you.”

My world with those words came crashing down. No father felt as low as I did at that exact moment. I kissed her bye and left. She be-bopped on in and joined her class. Instead of driving to work I drove to Target. I sat in my truck, tears rolling down my face waiting for the store to open. I was devising my plan on how I could steal my baby girl a bike. That transformation on her face was etched into my conscious. As I waited for the store to open, I kept looking at the clock, the store was suppose to open at 9:00 it was already ten after and the store was not open yet. As I pondered why the store was not open yet, I recalled her words. Simple words all fathers hear from their toddlers. “Daddy I love you.” She loved me, not a new bike. She loved me despite my ability to get her a material possession that others had. God granted me the serenity to see that I possessed the most precious gift of all. I had a daughter who adored me, who looked to me for protection, guidance, understanding, love, self image, and security. She looked to me for how to navigate in the world, and I was about to steal her a bike? She didn't need a new bike, she needed a new father. Call it a mystery, call it God’s intervention, call it coincidence, but I thank God for whatever reason Target did not open on time that morning. I left a different person. I left with my cup overflowing.

In the familiar song of David, Psalm 23, we are reminded that God anoints our heads with oil. It is a phrase we hear but I am not sure we all know the true depths of its meaning. God told Moses to make special oil and anoint specific things with the oil. The oil was to be used sparingly. When the items were anointed with the oil, they became holy. The ordinary becomes holy. It means they are set apart from the rest. It is call kadosh, in Hebrew by anointing with oil takes something plain and ordinary and makes it Holy. Those who are anointed with oil become an offering to God. This Holy thing becomes an offering to be used by God. God chose in Jesus Christ to anoint us, you and I, make us Holy and to be used to glorify God. Anointing with oil also had another purpose as a healing agent. It was used to remove the dangerous influences on us in our life, those things that are harmful or cause disease. Oil was used for medicinal purposes to heal us. God heals us, sets us apart, and makes our lives Holy.

You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Our cup overflows, the vessels of our lives can not hold all the blessings God has in store for us. It is superabundance. God is able to do more than we can ever ask for or think of. God will accomplish more with us than we could ever imagine. God’s grace, mercy, a life with God will never run out. We have an unlimited supply of God’s blessing only if we desire to drink. The more we drink he more we want, and the closer we get to a right relationship with God. The more right relationship with God, the more we want.

Want does that mean for my life? I thought this was about stewardship. It is. Stewardship begins we realize we are anointed by God, by the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are set apart from others to connect people to love of Jesus Christ.  When we acknowledge our anointing, we become like no other person, no other father, mother, grandparent, child, old adult, young adult, Elder, deacon, whatever we are in life. Even with all our flaws, frailties, uncertainties, pain, and anxiety. We realize we can do more than we have ever imagined. We might be at the lowest point in our lives and realize what’s truly important. Not in the moment but in the longevity of our lives. We may realize what we are to others is more important than our current situation. We may hear the words of one who loves us, say I love you Daddy. We may realize God anoints our head with oil, and yes, our cup is overflowing.

Fat Daddy Ministries: Life's Scale

Fat Daddy Ministries: Life's Scale: There are defining moments in our life when we have to make a conscious decision on what to keep and what to hold on to. Dr. Fred Cradd...

Life's Scale

There are defining moments in our life when we have to make a conscious decision on what to keep and what to hold on to.

Dr. Fred Craddock tells a story of one of his schoolmates who spent many years ministering in China. He was under house arrest and the soldiers came one day and told him that he could return to America. The family was celebrating.

The soldiers said, "You can take 200 pounds with you." They had been there for years! Two hundred pounds! They got the scales and they started the family arguments-two children, wife, and husband. Must have this vase...Well, this is a new typewriter...What about my books?...What about our toys?

They weighed everything and took it off, weighed it and took it off, until at last they had it right on the dot: two hundred pounds. The soldiers asked if they were ready to go and they said, "Yes." "Did you weigh everything?" They said, "Yes!"

"Did you weigh the kids?" "No," we did not. "You will have to weigh the kids."

In the blink of an eye, typewriter, vase, books, all became trash. Trash. It happens. Treasures become trash when we have to weigh everything and we can't keep it all.

When the values in our life begin to shift, things of greater worth begin to surface. We've all had to trash things that were once of great value. We have tearfully and reluctantly taken things off the scale in some defining moment-cherished ideas and plans, crumbling relationships, pride of mind and body, financial gain. There are things tangible and intangible that has to go when life calls on us to "weigh your kids."

Socks & Underwear: Unexpected Gift

Unexpected Gifts

When we think of Christmas one of the first things that come to our minds is gift giving. Selecting the perfect gift for the person we love, our family members or coworkers can be a daunting task during this time of festive cheer. Gift giving is a skill and art. To select the perfect gift that warms their heart and is meaningful is no easy task. Some of us are better than others. It is said that 2/3 of the gifts husbands purchase for their wives are actually gifts they want. It’s really for them. Then there are the expectations of receiving a gift. While Michael Jordan shoes have been replaced by LeBron James, Atria replaced by Xbox, and board games like Battleship and Monopoly have been replaced by Candy Crush on IPads, we have all sat with wonder and anticipation of what is wrapped waiting our revealing. Then there are those gifts that are wrapped just like all the rest, with the same bows and glittering wrapping paper that when opened reveal to us socks and underwear. They are not the exciting gifts we want but they are those gifts we need. While we contain our disappointment as to not alert the giver, we struggle to be polite.

This Advent let us all focus on the gift Christ is to all humanity. We can acknowledge that Christ was not the gift the people wanted, but the gift we all need. When the Son of God entered into this world, in reality, not many people even noticed. When Christ was born it basically went unnoticed. There were a few shepherds, an angel or two, Mary and Joseph, and some animals and the rest of the world was unfazed. As we read about the birth of Jesus, the wrapping paper doesn't look too impressive. If this was God’s gift to all humanity shouldn't there be better details. When the Son of the God who created the universe in born into this world, when the creator enters his creation, after 400 years of God being silent, there should have been a grand exciting elaborate entrance, right? But instead when the Messiah arrives, this unexpected gift goes unnoticed. Why? Because the arrival of the Son of God was not what the people expected but was exactly what we need. In the details of Christ’s birth we find that this unexpected gift is exactly what we need today. In each detail we find that this unexpected gift is the perfect practical gift we have been waiting for. It might not be what we want, but Christ is the perfect practical gift for all humanity. This Sunday we kick off our new sermon series Socks & Underwear. We will begin to post the videos as well as the manuscript on here.  I hope you can join us as we will discover how this unexpected gift is like Socks & Underwear: Jesus may not be want we want in a Savior but he is everything we desperately need. Be kind to each other.

Peace, Love, and Happiness

Tommy 

Abby Texas Christian University Bound......

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Do You Feel Powerful?

Summer time brings about one of my favorite season in ministry with that being Vacation Bible School. I love VBS. I loved it as a child, I love it as an adult, and I love it as a minister. Children, songs, snacks, decorations, activates, the energy and excitement all crescendos and equals fun. It is a time when all generations involved sort of take off the formalities of faith and just have fun together. We get to tell and experience the stories of the Bible and the stories of our faith with a renewed energy and perspective. We get to come together with future generations to reveal to them in stories, songs, and activities, the character and characteristics of God

As I got to speak to the children, the catch phrase was “God is strong.” Whenever I said God is strong all the children and adults would stand up, flex, and give me muscle arms and shout, “God is strong!” The literatures of our faith, the ancient stories of our religion are filled with descriptions about the power of God. David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion, three guys and a furnace, are all stories about a powerful God. Strength is something that always characterized the followers of God. Each character that followed God all shared the same boldness, strength, and confidence. It made me ponder the question of how many people today, outside of VBS would use the adjective “powerful” when they think about God?

How many people who follow God would view themselves as powerful? While some ministers tread on egotistic power or success, and may display a powerful arrogance, for me, most times I feel the total opposite. I think of so many times where I have been sacred. When I know God wants me to do something, say something, take action, and I talk myself out of it. I know God is call-ing me and I rationalized myself out of following God because I am scared. I read volumes of stories about strong, fearless, conquerors for God and I want to be like that but many times I am frozen in my own insecurities. I compare myself to others, their gifts, their talents, and I drift down the river of “I’m not that good.” I want to be powerful but not in the way our society wants power. I want to stand confident, powerful, and courageous in God and with an unquestionable faith of what He can do through me. I desire to be like those characters from VBS who display the Spirit of God living inside them. I want to navigate through life with the Spirit of a living God that has the power to bring back life to the living. I want to be reminded of just whom I worship each week, the powerful Creator who de-sires and wants only the very best for me. I want to turn those insecurities into power. I want to live each day like its VBS. Maybe it’s time we all begin to lessen our fears and listening once again about the power of our God.

Peace, Love and Happiness:

Tommy

Reflections and Reactions to the Verdict

While being a husband, father, and reverend I have been asked by many my reaction to the recent verdict in the Zimmerman trail. My intent is not to inflame, hurt, or debate but only to open up my own perspective to enlightenment and change. My only initiative is that we can move forward in a different course of action and dialogue that truly listens to each other and not only a diatribe of our own views.

The verdict: Four African American and two Caucasian competent women listened to the evidence presented by both parties and applied all evidence to the law as instructed by the judge. When they received the evidence presented to them, after they evaluated it and applied to the law as it was written. They acquitted a Hispanic male.  While the verdict is not one many people had wanted I can’t not seem to find injustice in the legal process itself. While the “stand your ground law” is flawed, the jury did not allow their own emotions, race or gender to sway their decision. While many people may be upset with the outcome, those six women had a very difficult task and should be commended, not condemned, for their civil service.  It is not a flawed justice system or an illegal injustice just because the outcome did not justify our own needs or agenda.

While there will be ongoing debate about the actual facts of what happened that night, the truth remains no one except Martin, Zimmerman and God know exactly what happened. We cannot begin to project what was the intent of the heart of Zimmerman or Martin. Martin could have been running for his life as a scared child or he could have been disrespectful thug out to beat up a “white ass cracker”.  Zimmerman could have been out to hunt down and kill someone he perceived as a thug criminal or he could have truly feared for his life. People can speculate all they want but no one can possibly know the intent of either parties actions. All we know is the results of the actions. The result was a young precious life was cut short because of fear.

I see the problem is bigger than one verdict and one trail. For me I see the problem is fear.  Our society has produced an environment where fear has created one armed person to volunteer to patrol the streets out of fear someone might take something or harm someone else. One young man is fighting for his life out of fear of the first man. We live in a society where hundreds of young people have died on the streets of Chicago, Detroit, Miami, and Memphis and many other cities since this one death occurred. I am not at all trying not to say the Martin family is not hurting or his death was not a tragedy. Just that it is repeated daily, with other families hurting that don’t have media or political attention. No parent should have to bury their child. When it because the norm, we have failed miserably as a society. Sadly enough in many places in our nation it has already become the norm.

So how do we combat this fear? I'm not sure but I don’t pretend it will be easy or comfortable. I do believe Jesus had the right answer that is by love. Love is easy to say but hard to do. We must be open and willing to love everyone. Those like us and those we deem strangers. We must begin to view everyone as a child of God. Every life lost is not a loss of one specific race, religion, political view but a lost to us as a society. We need to understand that when we begin to love like Jesus teaches us to love, then we automatically becomes less fearful of one another. Laws can be fixed that is the easiest part, laws we already have in place can be enforced, but if we look at the reason why a teenage boy would rather risk jail and carry a gun just so he can feel safe.  We must begin to address the fear that is ruining us and dividing us as a society that proclaims freedom, opportunity, and unity.

We need to begin to realize each of us place a self-imposed value system of who we feel God should punish and that God should give a second chance too and we call it justice. The simple fact is we only use the injustice card when we don’t get the outcome we wanted. The trail may or may not have had the outcome you think was justice, however if we don’t attempt  to love and address this fear we all know deep down is there, we have failed all generations to come. Will it be uncomfortable? Yes. Will it take great effort? you bet. Will we hear things we might not want to hear? Of course. But we only react because we don’t approve of the verdict then we have failed all children.  If we can do that, look beyond a verdict and into the future of all children then maybe we all can find some redemption in this tragedy. I think we all can agree that we would all like less fear in our life for our children to feel safe and secure.  My prayer is that each of us can view the stranger in the dark not as a treat, not as something to be feared, but as a precious child of God.