Thoughts From A Driveway

Oh How I Live This...

2008-06-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Growing more uneasy with every question asked
It seems you're jealous of my interests
And the graven things I've cast
Waking resolutions of twenty years or more
That I would disallow golden cows my favor anymore

Your wishes set in stone, I broke the first of ten
I've cleared this temple out come take your place again

There is only You
There is only You

Tiptoe from an awkward scene
Not fooling anyone
Am I dumb enough to kneel with my accusers
Or brave enough to run

Petty daggers bounce weakly off my back
I'm leaving breathless gods and secrets in my tracks
Your wishes set in stone, I broke the first of ten
I've cleared this temple out come take Your place again

There is only You
There is only You, believe me
There is only You
There is only You

To a thousand generations
Of the faithful man
You will show Your favor Lord

There is only You (Love earth can't replace)
There is only You, believe me (Heaven can't erase)
There is only You (Find me on my penitent face)
There is only You

No More Tears

2008-05-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

Michigan, my home state, I love you.

But...

If I were in charge, you'd get no delegates seated, instead of the half you got. You broke the rules.

Deal with it.

New Year's Day

2008-05-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

I don’t like New Year’s resolutions, mostly because I make them, break them, and then never do anything with them. The last time I made New Year’s resolutions, here’s what I resolved to do:

1. Learn to play the guitar. Now this one I really, really tried to do. I paid $200 for 3 months worth of lessons. I actually started to get ok at it, but then I realized I didn’t want to play the guitar, I wanted to be a rock star. I can’t sing (and I didn’t have the money to pay for another 3 months of lessons), so there went that resolution.

2. Lose 25 lbs. The doctor told me that if I did that, I could probably quit using my C-PAP machine and sleep without the mask. Have you seen me lately? I’ve ballooned up quite nicely.

3. I have no clue what the third one was. I know I made three, I know I broke all three, so who cares about the details.

I think the reason that I don’t like the resolutions is that I don’t pick them back up again. I think trying to be healthier will be better for me in the long run, and learning to play the guitar, well, I’ve just always wanted to do that. It sucked when I realized that God hadn’t wired me to play music, but he did give me a love for it. But I think the reason people make those resolutions is because they want to change. They want to be better people in one way or another. I can admire that.

But, what if, we resolved that every day was New Years Day? We’d have the chance to start all over every time we woke up in the morning. If you screwed up on Monday, Tuesday was an opportunity to make it right. Most people I know don’t live like that. They screw up Monday and they walk around the rest of the week worried about what happened. They don’t realize that every day is chance to start all over. One more chance to get back on the track that will lead us to who God created us to be.

Thank you Jesus for second chances.

I believe it's possible
I believe in new beginnings
'Cause I believe in Christmas Day
And Easter morning too
And I'm convinced it's doable
'Cause I believe in second chances
Just the way that I believe in You
- ‘New Year’s Day’, Carolyn Arends.

How's This for Random?

2008-05-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have my iPod on shuffle.

Whatever song comes on next, I will blog about something in my life that has to do with the song that comes on.

And the winner is....

2008-05-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Friday was the first of our 'Fasting Fridays' at our church. We're spending Fridays specifically praying for our campuses and encouraging people to fast on that day. I decided to fast after dinner on Thursday night until dinner on Friday night.

It's been interesting so far. This is the first time I have ever intentionally given up something in order to focus on God. And so far, it's been pretty easy. That is, until I got hungry.

Thursday night for dinner we had Fazzoli's for the first time, and it was pretty good for drive through Italian food. Samuel and Avery both loved it. I had the Rigatone with Sausage..yummy. And the breadsticks were pretty good, too. So after we got Samuel and Avery down for bed, I went to the pantry as I usually do for a snack before I headed downstairs to watch whatever sport was on and I remembered I was skipping that. Ok, no big deal. There were only minor tummy grumblings, so I ignored them.

Friday morning I got up and got Samuel and Avery breakfast before I headed to the hospital to pray with someone before they went into surgery. I have been getting into the habit of eating breakfast with my kids, so it was a little odd for me to skip breakfast. The kids didn't notice I didn't eat with them, so that made it a little easier to do.

The ride to the hospital was a little different. I had a lot on my mind that morning as I pulled out of the driveway, so I decided to keep the radio off and pray as I drove. I was expecting bells and whistles from God because I hadn't eaten in a couple hours, but nothing. I kept praying anyway. I talked to God about our campuses, my family, my own walk with Jesus. I never heard anything directly from God, but I honestly felt like I was heard, like God was listening. As I got to the hospital, I made my way to where Doug and his family were waiting. We all talked and then they started talking about food and the great places to eat in our area. Great. At this point I'm starting to get a little hungry. And they kept talking and talking about food. And I'm starting to hear my stomach growl. Nice. I bought an orange juice, but that didn't help.

So I get home and it's time for the kids to have lunch. This one is a lot harder, because I have had lunch with my kids almost everyday since we've been here. I had to fight the urge to pick a chip out of the bag or off their plate when they were done. So after that I went downstairs to pray from 12:15 to 12:35 along with the rest of the church...praying is really hard when your stomach won't shut up. It was really, really hard to focus, but I got through it.

Dinner was..shameful. We went to Texas Roadhouse, one of our favorite places to eat (the best one is in Kentucky) and I ate like a pig. Cactus blossom for two? Check! Ribs and steak? Check! Huge baked potato with lots of butter and sour cream? Check!

Somehow I don't think I really fasted.

Has anybody seen April?

2008-05-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

No, not my wife..the month.

Just when I get in a decent blog rythm, I seem to get distracted by something else and lose track of it.

That seems to be the theme of this season of my life - distractions. Everything and everyone seems to be clamoring for my attention. This is really the first time where I am learning to pick and choosing where I put my time and focus. What really sucks is when I think one thing needs to be the focus and it turns out something else needed to be.

I still can't believe that I am a pastor. Pastors listen to church music and southern gospel. I listen to Daughtry and hate southern gospel. With a passion. Real pastors aren't supposed to like Batman, Sci-Fi or anything else that I really like. So how did I get here?

I Needed A Laugh, Thought I'd Share...

2008-03-28T20:43:00.001-07:00

Dumb and Dumber

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Thank You

2008-03-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Stay with me awhile.
Well it may seem foolish, but I'm scared
My beloveds yelling "Crucify!"
And its as if no one ever cared.

Soldiers mock me with their songs.
They laugh because I'm naked and I'm weak
Well I don't know how much longer I can go on,
When every breath I take is just to weep.

And for a moment time stood still,
To listen to the King of the hill.
And all the angels just stood still.
To listen to the King of the hill.

Well I could've had servants
And I could have ruled this world as their King.
And I could have had wealth beond measure.
I could have had anything, but it wouldn't have meant anything

Not my will but Yours be done,
I had no agenda, only Your truth.
You were so proud to call me Son,
Now Father, I commit my soul to You.

And for a moment time stood still,
To listen to the King of the hill.
And I can hear You whisper, stil;
Father, I'm the King of the hill,
Father, I'm the King of the hill

My 4

2008-03-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

4 jobs I have had in my life:

1. Pastor
2. Youth Pastor
3. Fish and Wild game smoker
4. Telemarketer (I am convinced all telemarketers are liars)

Four movies I would watch over and over (or have watched over and over):

I would like to file a formal protest against whoever only let me pick 4!

1. Napoleon Dynamite (You're ruining everyone's lives and eating all our steak!)
2. Donnie Darko (I seriously doubt your commitment to SparkleMotion)
3. Dumb and Dumber (We landed on the moon!)
4. A Walk To Remember (God couldn't find me a new sweater because he was too busy looking for your brain)

Four places I have lived:

1. Kalamazoo, MI
2. Middleville, MI
3. Hastings, MI
4. Ravenna, MI

Four TV shows that I watch:

1. Heroes (curse that writer's strike!)
2. Survivor
3. Big Brother (I WILL be on that show!)
4. Free Radio (Jell-o pudding' pop!)

Four places I have been:

1. Monterrey, Mexico
2. Nashville, Tennesee
3. Orlando, Florida
4. The Minneapolis airport!

Four people who email (or call) me regularly (in no particular order):

1. Tom (my new boss)
2. My mom (gotta keep her in the loop)
3. Discover (they want their money back)
4. Joe (gotta keep up with my big/little bro)

Four of my favorite foods:

1. My mother in law's chili
2. My mother in law's pinto beans (good thing she's visiting this week!)
3. MY lasagna...expensive but the best you'll ever have
4. 'Jamaican Me Crazy' coffee

Four places I would like to be right now:

1. Tennesee
2. North Carolina
3. Kentucky
4. Bed

Four things I am looking forward to this year:

1. The Dark Knight
2. Iron Man
3. The Incredible Hulk
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Four people who should post four things about them:

1. Ryan
2.
3.
4. Jenny (she'll need something to post here in about 6 months)

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!

2008-03-12T20:38:00.001-07:00

It's on VH1...absolutely hilarious!!

I Love Dinner Time

2008-03-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

So dinner time rolled around tonight and the family sat together as we always do and Samuel is being, well, himself. He's being funny and inquistive today (when his sister tooted today, he told her the 'Toot Police' were coming to arrest her). So since he was in a good mood, I decided to see if he could handle playing Simon Says. He didn't quite get it, but wanted a turn to be Simon. Here's how it went (mind you, he and I were the only ones playing.)

Samuel: Simon says touch your belly.

(Daddy touches his belly)

Samuel: Simon says touch your nose

(Daddy touches his nose)

Samuel: Simon says....TOOT!

(Daddy leans to one side and rips a pretty good one)

Samuel and Daddy are laughing their heads off, but Mommy is not impressed.

So no more Simon Says, so Samuel moves on to Duck Duck Goose. Around the dinner table. I get to start it off. Mommy is still not impressed I farted on command.

Daddy to Avery: Duck
Daddy to Mommy: Duck
Daddy to Samuel: GOOSE!

He chases me around the table, but I outrun him. So he decided that Mommy should be the goose and he wins. Mommy's turn. She comes right to me and says 'GOOSE' and proceeds to smack me (kinda hard) on the head. I chased her around the table, except 'Goose' took on a whole new meaning.

Wave Your Hands In The Air...or not.

2008-02-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

So we've been here for almost two weeks now and we're all adjusting pretty well. The hardest part I think has been being so far away from everything. If we need to go to Wal-mart, it's a 15-20 minute drive. I'm used to it being 5 minutes. So much for having patience.

It's also been strange getting used to a rural community as opposed to a bigger town. Don't get me wrong, the people have been wonderful so far. However, they are not very expressive in the least. There is a deep faith among the folks at my church, but they don't outwardly express it when they are worshipping. I'm used to being more expressive, but that's just me.

Let's All Point and Stare!

2008-02-13T19:41:00.000-08:00

So the bigger church that we are a part of has a dinner every Wednesday night before the mid-week program, so Tom (my new boss) asked us to stop in and have dinner, meet some of the people there and hang out for a little bit.

So we get there and walk in and almost immediately people start to point at us and whisper to each other: 'Is that the new pastor at Moorland?' 'No, his kids are a little older' 'Are you sure?'...stuff like that.

So my lovely wife walks over and says 'Hi, I'm April and this is my husband Jim. He's the new pastor at Moorland.'

I wish I had her nerve. Man do I love her.

Jim-In-A-Box

2008-02-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well, we are finally moved in. Boxes litter the landscape of our new home, much like they did the old one. I had anticipated everything being so different (and it is), but so much has stayed the same:

April still gets overwhelmed at the mess
Samuel still wants to watch The Backyardigans
Avery is still my clingy princess

I wonder how I'll stay the same - I wonder how much I'll change. Someone from our new church stopped by this evening and called me 'Pastor'. Such a huge role - I feel a little overwhelmed by it all, and nothing's happened yet.

A cute? Or acute? Either way, it hurt.

2008-01-29T18:46:00.000-08:00

So Sunday night I was hanging out with my students and I started getting some stomach cramps. No big deal, I thought. It's just gas and they'll go away on their own. Had the same thing a couple months ago when April and I both got the stomach flu.

So about an hour later the cramps are so bad I can't stand up and there was no way I was driving home. After one particularly bad cramp, April decided I was going to the ER. So I go to the ER and found out it was either appendicitis or kidney stones.

So yesterday morning I had my appendix out. Fun Fun. Not.

And Now The News..

2008-01-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, so that last post came on December 28th, 3 days before life went crazy.

Long story short:

I got a call from a pastor I know near Muskegeon. His church is what we call a 'multi-site' church; that is, different congregations meet in different areas. His church meets in Muskegeon and they have another congregation in Ravenna, about 15-20 minutes from there in a completely different setting.

Anyway, he called to tell me that they were looking for someone to pastor the church in Ravenna, and wanted to know if I'd be interested in coming to take a look at the church and to hear about what they had going on there.

So we were there on a Tuesday, interviewed there on Saturday and got offered a job on the following Tuesday.

So I am now the Sr. Pastor of the Moorland campus of the Lakes Community Church of the Nazarene.

Here's a look at the inside of the church:

As I look back on the way God has 'broken into' my life, it's always happened quickly and in a way where I have had to be completely dependant on him.

Chalk this up to one of them.

I Don't Mean To Go Off On A Rant Here...

2007-12-28T11:49:00.001-08:00

Christians who would refuse to endorse Mitt Romney solely on the fact he's a Mormon really are starting to chap my behind.

I am not ready to throw my support toward Mitt Romney or any other candidate as of yet, but if I choose not to support Mitt Romney, it won't be because he's not a Christian. Just because someone is a Christian does not automatically qualify them as the best choice for President, as James Dobson would have us believe. And his idea of not voting because he doesn't like either candidate is just wrong - if you don't cast your vote, you have no reason to complain about the president, ok Jimmy?

Another thing irritating my backside are Christians who want to pretend that the environment doesn't matter. Now mind you, this isn't an arguement for global warming. I'm far too ignorant of the facts, but only loaded with opinions from either side.

It seems to me that most Christians would just as soon rape the earth of it's resources because we can than try and save them. C'mon folks, we've been given the job of being stewards. This plant is not our whore to take what we want. No one can argue that our water is getting dirtier and our air is getting more polluted. But we continue to take, take, take. A friend of mine told me the other day that the answer to our dependance on foreign oil was to drill in Alaska...what?! The answer to our dependance on foreign oil to to not be dependant on oil at all!

With all the technology we have, it would not take a whole lot to produce more cars that run on corn oil, or you just plug in for the night...or even the one from 'Back To The Future' that ran on garbage. If we can find someone lost in the wilderness with a GPS, we can surely produce a car that doesn't run on gas.

How about it, science?

Watch Out For The Drool

2007-12-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

My Favorite Christmas Song

2007-12-16T21:39:00.000-08:00

2007-12-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

Heath Ledger is going to rule this movie, I guaran - darn - tee it.

Watch the video, then read the post

2007-12-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Meredith,

There's not a day that goes by I don't think of you. You would have loved your mommy and your brother and sister. I'm so homesick and want to see you.

Love always,

Daddy

My night as a hobo

2007-12-09T21:11:00.001-08:00

So the other night I realized I threw some pretty important papers in my garbage can and took the bag to the dumpster. These papers were so important, in fact, that my lovely wife asked me to go out the dumpster (in the 20 degree weather) and see if I could retrieve the bag from the dumpster.

So I head out to the dumpster with my broom in one hand (to haul out the trash bag) and my son’s tiger flashlight (his roars when you turn it on, which is way cooler than mine). I poked around in the trash for a little bit and I saw what I thought was my bag. I got it out and I could see through it that it was NOT the one I was looking for. So I poked around some more, and there at the bottom, under a huge roll of thrown out carpet, was the bag I was looking for. And this was a pretty big roll of carpet, so I knew that I was going to have to make a trip INSIDE the dumpster to get the bag.

Now mind you I am a little more roly-poly than I used to be. I jumped up and threw my leg over the opening of the dumpster only to lose my balance and fall off it. Nothing hurt but my ever-growing pride (and backside). One more giant heave-ho and I found myself inside the dumpster. It wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated until I realized that one of my neighbors had decided to empty the kitty box in the dumpster. As I stood there among the garbage bags and piles of cat crap, I started to move the carpet so I could get into my garbage bag and get out. I saw the bag and knew that it was the one I was looking for…Jackpot!

I got the bag and opened it up to find this was not…my…garbage…bag.

The smell from the bag made me sick. I almost puked right then and there.

Some nice female member of our apartment complex had also used this trash bin to deposit her used….um yeah.

My wife laughed her tail off when I told her.

2007-12-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

July 18 cannot come fast enough!

O What A Night

2007-11-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard someone sing something that sounded really, really good, but it just seemed like they couldn’t ‘feel’ what they were singing?

For example, a couple years ago there was a young female pop artist that recorded a version of the hymn ‘His Eye Is On The Sparrow’. Beautiful voice. I just didn’t feel the emotion from her that she believed what she was singing…it sounded pretty, but something was missing.

With it being the Christmas season, it seems we’re inundated with numerous singers trying their hand at the spiritual Christmas songs, but to me, they’re missing something. Not a judgment call, just an observation.

Every Christmas, the local country station gets many, many requests for this song I posted below. It’s the most beautiful rendition of ‘O Holy Night’ I have ever heard. Cool thing is, the guy gets it. He understands what he’s singing about. The emotion is so…raw to me.

Enjoy.

My Trip To Hillbilly Mecca

2007-11-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Back in the 60's, John Lennon got himself into a little trouble for saying that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ.

John Lennon had never been to Flatwoods, Kentucky.

My wife's hometown - Flatwoods, Kentucky - is also the hometown of Billy Ray Cyrus. Yes sir, my wife fondly remembers 1993 when 'Achy Breaky Heart' and BRC was the hottest thing around (until Billy Ray's daughter put on wig).

Several trips ago, April took me to L and J's, another famous landmark in Flatwoods, because that's where Billy Ray liked to hangout before he 'made it'. I kid you not, this place has (or had - it's closed now. Guess BRC didn't care for it too much after all) a Billy Ray booth marked off. And I got to sit in it. How cool am I?

One other cool tid-bit: My mother-in-law used to work in the lawyer's office and helped handle some of Billy Ray's paternity suits.

My Billy Ray obsession is 15 years too late. Guess I'll have to settle for watching 'Hannah Montana'.

Empty

2007-11-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

'I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes in repentance'

- Job 42:5-6

The whole time I read that passage, I just felt God whispering to me, 'Jim, Job was speaking about me without knowing what he was talking about. You've been doing the same thing.'

That kind of took me back - it's not as if I have been teaching heresies to my students. What God pointed out to me was much worse - I was teaching them about a God I really have not spent much time with in the past few weeks. Things have felt so...robotic. Like I have been running on autopilot. Wednesday night, Sunday School, the small groups...running on pure Jim and really no God, although God is working in spite of me. I want to get back to where I was with God...so, so close. Striving to find him. Hearing from Him often. Knowing which steps to take. I miss that so much. I feel so empty.

'He is the one who can tell us the reason for our existence, our place in the scheme of things, our real identity. It is an identity we can't discover for ourselves, that others can't discover in us - the mystery of who we really are....it is a secret He will tell us slowly and sweetly, when we are willing to spend time with Him; time with Him who is beyond all time.'

- Emilie Griffin