HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM

Mom,

It has been a while since you have passed away from us.  1996 feels like an eternity.  I know that you are in a much better place and would not wish one more moment of pain for you here just to see you again, but I sure do miss you sometimes.  I just wanted to write some thoughts down (and post it for the world to see) and tell you how much you have meant to me.  

I owe you a lot.  I truly believe that the person that I have become today is a direct result of the impact you have had in my life.  I see so much of you in me it is crazy.  Thank you for giving me the ability to let "stuff" roll off my back and let it go.  No matter how bad, you always had a smile.  Thank you for teaching me that others come first, and that love is unconditional no matter what they did to you.  Thank you for the gift of noticing the good in everyone, even when it is hard to find.  But most of all, thank you for your joy.  Even as the last few days were coming, you never stopped believing and when you did understand what was about to happen you just simply smiled and said you would see us again.  The one thing that I will always remember you saying is that "Happiness is not a destination, but a daily way of travel".  That has been a theme for my life.

Lots have happened since those days mom.  I am married now and, oh mom, you would love her.  Haley is so beautiful and funny.  She truly melts my heart each day.  We do everything together.  I wish you could have met her.  If so, she probably would understand better why I am the way I am sometimes.  

I have three boys.  Jackson is a tall beautiful kid (looks just like his mom).  I catch myself looking at him and just am amazed that we are related.  He is a popular kid who really should concentrate on school more that friends but he just loves people.  He loves sports and does real well with them.  It seems like he is dragging us (or really us dragging him) to ballparks and football fields all year round.  We are really proud of him.  Sam, mom, Sam's a mess.  You see the look in his eye and you know that the wheels are turning, you just don't know if its gonna mean we end up in the emergency room (sound familiar?)  He looks just like me (not as fortunate as Jack) and has a lot of the same quirks.  He climbs everything from trees to buildings.  I call him superman.  He is a big time momma's boy and has the most tender heart.  And last but not least, we have a new addition.  This past September, little Charlie came on the scene.  We thought, "We have an 11 year old and an 8 year old, why not throw in a baby".  People said that we were crazy but I cannot imagine life without him.  He has been so much joy to Haley and I and now we truly feel like a complete family.  Jack and Sam are wonderful to him and help so much that it makes things really easy.  The verdict is still out on what kind of kid Charlie will be, but all I know is that I have never in my life seen a baby laugh and smile as much as this kid has.  I mean, every time he wakes up, he's happy.  Maybe a little DNA passed on from his grandma.

Well I had better go.  I have never been able to do this and just felt a little selfish.  I wanted others to know just how I felt about you, and how wonderful you truly were and thought that this was a good way to do it.  You know I miss you all the time.  Happy Mother's Day Mom.

Love, Jotty

Do I Really Sound Like That?

Have you ever heard yourself recorded or through a monitor?  It is so strange to hear your own voice outside of what you hear all the time in your head.  So often, we hear one thing and the rest of the world hears another.  I think many times, we live life that way too.
During one of my first few years as pastor, we had a special guest in town.  My middle son, Sam was still a baby in the nursery so I took that opportunity to hold him for a short time during the end of one of the services because he was acting up.  Our church at that time had a window in which you could still see the service going on but no one could see you, so I stayed in there for a minute and watched as the service started winding down.  The service was going fairly long for us and people slowly were sneaking out.  I knew that an offering still needed to take place and was beginning to get antsy about this guy wrapping it up.  Without even thinking, I simply said very quietly, "I wish he would hurry up".  I didn't think that anyone had heard my statement but just then, a little girl who was in the nursery with me piped up and said, "Now you know what we feel like when you are up there".
I was floored.  I could not believe that anyone thought that I, of all people, was long winded.  This little five year old had no idea what she was talking about.  I have been to thousands of services and I know how long they are.  I keep things short and to the point.  And even if my sermon might (and it is a big might) be a tad bit long, they are filled with witty quips, good points and interesting stories.
The reality is that we all see ourselves in a different light.  Sometimes another perspective can really be eye opening.  From friends to mentors to pastors and leaders, God places people in our lives to help us.  They see things from a different perspective and can objectively tell us about things we might not be able to see in our own lives.
Proverbs 27:9 states that "Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty council"(NKJV).  So even though it may be hard to hear sometimes, we need to hear it.  It can make us a better person.  You never know, someday a little five year old may be just the one to see and say things that no one else will.  Even if she has no idea what she is talking about.  I mean seriously, me long winded.  Have you ever heard such a thing?

Church Clothes

I don't mean to brag, but I am a pretty big deal.  You might say that I have somewhat of a celebrity status.  When I go places, people recognize me.  Ok that sounds a little like bragging (actually a lot), but in my line of work I get a lot of exposure.  From weddings and funerals, to being on stage every Sunday morning, I am in a very unique light.  So imagine my surprise when I was given a reality check the other day.
I was simply picking up a few things for the church at our local hardware store.  As I was heading to the checkout, I noticed a lady who just recently started coming to church with her family.  She just moved to the area and I think this was her first day on the job because she was being trained by another lady.  I purposely went to her line to give her confidence and tell her how grateful I was that she had been attending the church.  As I began to checkout, I noticed that she had not recognized me, so I started to talk about the church.  Finally she asked if I was the pastor at that Christian Center Church.  When I told her yes, she immediately said "I am so sorry pastor, I didn't recognize you with your clothes on."  I looked over at the other girl that was there with us and saw the expression on her face.  She must have been thinking "what kind of church is this".  I assured her, and anyone else within earshot, that I usually wear clothes but am a little more dress up on Sundays besides jeans, a T-shirt and Hat.
We all know what the lady meant, but I think it brings up a good point.  We often live two lives.  One we live at church.  You know, the dress nice, watch your mouth, carry your Bible with you Sundays.  But then on Monday, we seem to live another life.  Just like changing clothes, we change lifestyles.
For example, if we were to come to work dressed like we did on Sunday, our co-workers would think we flipped a lid.  If we showed up at the ballpark or at a social gathering with our church clothes on, it would just make people look at us and make us feel uncomfortable.  The same is true if we acted the same way on Monday that we do on Sunday.  People just would not know how to take us.  So we blend in.
James 1:21-24 says:  "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."(NKJV)  James also calls this type of person "double minded"(James 1:8).
We have the opportunity to see things in our encounters with Jesus that can change our lives.  Just like looking in a mirror, we notice the things that need changing, but often we only want them changed on Sundays.  We simply walk away and forget what kind of person we were.
God's desire for us is to look like Christians all week long.  So even though we may keep our Sunday dress and suit in the closet, we can still live like it's Sunday all throughout the week.  People might not recognize you at first but at least you've got the right clothes on.

WHO'S NUMBER ONE

My son, Sam, has obviously drawn the short straw in our family.  I know this because in so many ways, he acts just like his father.  One of the character traits he has picked up is the need to tease and pester anyone and everyone he meets.  It is an incredible talent passed down from generation to generation and he is really good at it.  He can get his older brother so crazy that Jackson doesn't even know if he is coming or going.

One day, as we were riding in the truck, he thinks that he is going to get a rise out of me.  He turns to me and says that he loves God more than he loves me.  You should have seen the look on his face when I told him that I was so proud of him and that he should love God more than he loves me.  "As a matter of fact," I told him, "God should be number one in your life."  I could tell that this was puzzling him to no end and so I shared some scripture with him.  Deuteronomy 6:5 says that "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength"(NKJV).  Exodus tells us that "you shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3 NKJV).

What he meant to tease me with, we were able to turn into a valuable lesson.  God should be number one in all of our lives.  He should mean more to us than anything and anyone.  This is something we have known in our heads since we have learned the Ten Commandments, but do we really know it in our hearts?  How many things have we put in our lives in front of God?  From our jobs, to relationships, to even our hobbies, it seems like so many times, God is on the back burner.  It's not that we need to give up those things (or sometimes we do), but they need to decrease so our love for God can increase.  

I hope and pray that Sam gets the message along with the rest of us.  He did finally, after a long time to think about it, admit that God should be number one in his life.  Then he looked at me and with a twinkle in his eye and that all to familiar grin tells me, "but mom's number two".  I guess I can handle that.