Getting up for school in the mornings is a very difficult task in the Kinney household. Nobody wants to get up. The kids want to stay in bed, I want to stay in bed and my wife, Haley, she definitely wants to stay in bed. So from the time we all get up till we make the mad dash down our street to the school, the house is a toothpaste flying, clothes slinging, crying and yelling good time.
One particular morning, I go in to wake up the boys. Sam, our second grader, is usually the easiest one to get up, but this morning, he was like a rock. I am talking about the poke him and see if he moves type of still. After seeing him stir just a little, I reached into my dad's bag-o-tricks to get him to rise and shine. I shook him (not too hard so don't freak out). I rolled him. I kissed him (which he hates because I haven't brushed my teeth yet). I even told him that a bunch of girls were coming and were going to see him in his underwear. I threatened him and yelled at him but nothing seemed to work. Then I used the scariest move of all. The one only reserved for the ultimate last resort. I told him, "If you don't get up, I am going to get your mother in here and she is going to whip your tail." This made him roll over and say back to me without missing a beat, "You are going to send a woman in here to do your man job?" After dragging him out of the bed and chasing him all the way to the shower, I began to think about the statement. Why was I willing to pawn off my job as a parent when I was perfectly capable of doing it myself?
We all have been caught up in the trap of pawning off the job that God has called US to do. He has given us a task and the ability to complete it but we often feel inadequate, afraid and indifferent to the calling in our lives. This is nothing new to God. From Moses' speech issues to Gideon throwing out fleeces to Peter's denial, people throughout scripture have backed out, made excuses and tried to weasel their way out of God's design for their lives.
It is time God's people began to stop getting someone else to do the ministry and get out there and be the church He has called us to be. I am glad to have learned this lesson, even if it came from sleepy seven year old. Now the only problem is, how to get these guys up. I think I will try burning the breakfast and letting the fire alarm go off like my mom used to do to me.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Hurry Up Charlie
Pretty soon Haley and I will be the proud parents of yet another boy. As the time is coming closer and closer, we are super pumped and cannot wait for little Charlie (news flash if you didn't know the name we have chosen yet) to get here. As I stood in the doctor's office and watched him on the sonogram, I couldn't help but want to hold him right then.
But enough about me, after all I'm not the one carrying the little man-child, Haley is. I'm not the one gaining the weight, Haley is (and she looks beautiful by the way). And I am definitely not going to go through the pain of labor to see this kid come into the world, yep, you guessed it, Haley is. I asked her to tell me what I should say when people ask me how she is doing. She simply tells me to tell them that "she is ready". Every mom knows what that means.
It is hard not to be anxious in a time like this because our excitement level is at an 11. As a matter of fact, we have been hinting for weeks to get our doctor, Mandy, to go ahead and let's go after him. She simply explains to us that some things are going to need to wait.
Philippians 4:6 tells us to be "anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God". People who are anxious have a desire to replace their current time and situation with a future time and a future result. For example, we might like to jump forward in time to when we have that promotion, or that special someone is finally in our lives. We want to skip the process and go straight to the victory.
What we fail to understand though is that God has a purpose for the process. We see growth in the groundwork and maturity in the mundane. And just as a baby needs time to develop in the womb, God gives us time to allow things to develop in our lives as well.
So what do we do? In everything, bring it to God with prayer and thanksgiving. Prayer to recognize your need, and thanksgiving to praise God for His ability. No matter how big or how small, when you bring it to God, you put Him not only in the process, you give Him control.
Look what happens when we do that. Verse 7 goes on to say "and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (NKJV) That means that when we bring everything to God, His peace takes over. Where our understanding gives out, His begins to (and I love this) guard our hearts and minds.
The bottom line is that no matter what you are facing right now, give it to God. He will give you peace, understanding and guard you from anything you might be worried about. So for now we will just have to wait. Charlie's time will come soon enough. I guess then we will be anxious for him to get out of diapers.
But enough about me, after all I'm not the one carrying the little man-child, Haley is. I'm not the one gaining the weight, Haley is (and she looks beautiful by the way). And I am definitely not going to go through the pain of labor to see this kid come into the world, yep, you guessed it, Haley is. I asked her to tell me what I should say when people ask me how she is doing. She simply tells me to tell them that "she is ready". Every mom knows what that means.
It is hard not to be anxious in a time like this because our excitement level is at an 11. As a matter of fact, we have been hinting for weeks to get our doctor, Mandy, to go ahead and let's go after him. She simply explains to us that some things are going to need to wait.
Philippians 4:6 tells us to be "anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God". People who are anxious have a desire to replace their current time and situation with a future time and a future result. For example, we might like to jump forward in time to when we have that promotion, or that special someone is finally in our lives. We want to skip the process and go straight to the victory.
What we fail to understand though is that God has a purpose for the process. We see growth in the groundwork and maturity in the mundane. And just as a baby needs time to develop in the womb, God gives us time to allow things to develop in our lives as well.
So what do we do? In everything, bring it to God with prayer and thanksgiving. Prayer to recognize your need, and thanksgiving to praise God for His ability. No matter how big or how small, when you bring it to God, you put Him not only in the process, you give Him control.
Look what happens when we do that. Verse 7 goes on to say "and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (NKJV) That means that when we bring everything to God, His peace takes over. Where our understanding gives out, His begins to (and I love this) guard our hearts and minds.
The bottom line is that no matter what you are facing right now, give it to God. He will give you peace, understanding and guard you from anything you might be worried about. So for now we will just have to wait. Charlie's time will come soon enough. I guess then we will be anxious for him to get out of diapers.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Launch
In 1995 I had the opportunity to be a councilor at a retreat for PK's (pastors kids). The weekend was my first experience in the lives of young men and women who were in essence the objects of their home churches affections. I thought to myself "what a life, everyone must love these guys and think the world of them". Through the weekend though I quickly found out that life was sometimes difficult to say the least. All eyes were constantly on them. The term used during the weekend was "life is a fishbowl". So as I thought about a title for this blog, I thought about my (and my families) life and how it is like a fishbowl. As pastors, we are looked upon by our church, friends, family and community. This is life as we know it. My boys Jackson (10) and Samuel (7) and the baby on the way (another boy. which is another story for another time) did not choose to be in this fishbowl as Haley and I did, but they are there none the less. Some would find this troubling to be this exposed, but I have come to embrace the calling. What a platform to live life and be an example to so many people. They have seen me succeed (which I have done a few times), but also fail (which I have done a few times as well). People have seen me do really cool things for the glory of God, but have also seen me very human. Hopefully, people can realize that pastors and their families are just like everyone else. Through this blog, I hope to share some of the experiences and insights of a typical pastor's life. So here it is "Life in the Fishbowl". I hope you enjoy it.
Just keep swimming
jotty
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