I aint gonna lie.  If it wasn’t for the fact that I love my wife and kids I would NEVER venture to Florida, ESPECIALLY in the summer time.  But, that’s my lot in life so here’s the skinny on what I got out of our family get away.

1. If you have a baby don’t expect to get sleep.  Changing routines will throw them out of whack which means for you everyone is out of whack.
2. You will find the concept of bedtime thrown out the window because when you haven’t seen someone in a while relationship connections are what matters.  Therefore as in point one no sleep.
3. Even when having the best laid plans about who to stay with family never understands the ‘whys’ about your decisions.  You will tick some one off.
4. You don’t get to complain about what was brought unless you did the packing.  Sorry honey
5. Your car will be be destroyed with spilled drinks and food.  For every child it multiplies by a factor of 5.  If you are a parent you get this.
6. Having children and family equals no time for yourself.  Get over it you should have known that was comin.  It makes you appreciate your ‘alone’ bathroom times all the more.
7. Yep, your family is still dysfunctional.  Get over it because so are you.
8. Eating healthy and working out will not happen so enjoy the junk food while it lasts.  On that note make sure you pack the Pepto and Exlax for whatever comes your way.  That’s the type of thing you always wished you had packed.  Been there done that…
9. You will argue with your spouse.  That’s ok.  You get a bonus 10 grace points for being crazy enough to drive 10 hours in a car with three kids.  Saying that, whatever arguments you have on vaca stay on vaca because they are invalid when you are back at home.
10. Lastly, for me I would do it all over again.  Why?  It aint about me.  This is about my wife and kids that need the family connections.  Besides, I got a year to recover.

I hope you all had a chance to get away this summer.  Just remember there are no dream vacations out there but there are a lot of good memories to be made with your family. So remember – DON’T spend your time pouting on vacation it’s not about you!  You might miss the opportunity to give them a time to remember instead of giving them a time to regret.

Good to be back looking forward to chatting with you all in the future.

Oh, by the way, if you like fantasy you should read this series by Robert Jordan.  It will take you a couple of years to get through it.  He is like the American version of Tolkien.

To think that that there was an eye witness to voter intimidation AND he was a civil rights lawyer. Then to top it off they dismiss the whole thing!?

It seems to me now the we have seen the interpretation of the law by the government. Law is only good if it works for you. It is call postmodernism.  It is a way of thinking that quite honestly doesn’t make sense.  Read that definition of that word and then watch the news for a while.  Then give me your honest opinion of how Washington works.

If you want to know how I think we need to get back to reality you can watch an old post/message of mine here.

Wake up now. We need to show up in droves and vote for the way we want the country to go at the next election.

Catching up on some news today I came across the following video. I wanted to share it with you all because this is the type of thing that will go unnoticed because of the oil spill or what’s going on in Afghanistan. It was a major precedent upheld (remember our talk about doctrine) in the Supreme Court about our Second Amendment rights.

In this piece of information we find that in a 5 to 4 decision that again it was decided that you cannot take away the right for citizens to bear arms.  No big deal because it is a pretty cut and dry wording in that particular amendment.

Although, here is what I found to be interesting.

• Justice Sonia Sotomayor is nominated by the left and yet she sides with the right, whoops bad choice there.
• Congress is actually accusing the courts or Judicial Activism saying that it is putting their political interests above making fair decisions based on law.
• They are accusing John Roberts of being a ring leader?  Seriously?  Common man…
• Mr Schumer and Mr. Frankin (still can’t get over him being in there ) state that the courts are denying the rights of citizens and going on the sides of special interests.  Are they reading the same Bill of Rights I am?

So we ask why?  Well I think our commentator kind of hit it on the head.  Could it be a threat?  Can people actually try to intimidate the Supreme Court?

We shall see because like it was reported in the end all the Obama Care trials are coming.  I wonder if we shall see a balance of power actually come into play?

Should be interesting…

1.   The Patriot – reminds me of a lot of stuff.  Fighting for freedom, good   triumphing over evil, and what it takes to be a passionate dad.  And yes, it makes me cry evry time his little girl runs up to dad and begs him not to go.   But it also makes me more determined to keep the faith and live like I should.

2.  Jaws – Oh yeah!  Real patriotic right?  Nah, but there is something about watching this movie in summer because that’s when all the craziness goes down in this town during the opening of a holiday season.  By the way the water is still too cold to swim up there in the summer time. Been there done that, Crazy!

3.  Star Wars – By this I mean the original 1977 Episode IV A New Hope.  I remember the summer release of this movie and unfortunately so did my mother.  It was the first time I ever made her take me to see a movie twice.  Miss you mom!

4.  Meatballs – Oh the memories of summer camp (by the way I hated summer camp but Heather’s dad was an actual camp director, she loved it! Go figure…)  If you are a Bill Muray fan then you would like this film.

5.  Any type of John Wayne Western.  Why?  Because he’s American and cowboys is about as American you can get!  You won’t go wrong with one of these choices and you just might introduce your family to an old icon.

Well there you go, my top 5 movies I like to watch this time of year. Do you have something you like to watch in the summer?  Got some holiday traditions for the 4th?

Whatever your holiday traditions are do them with friends and family and remember God is the reason that America is great.

Happy 4th of July!

Being an ex therapist I about cried when I saw this clip on Jason’s blog.

I can’t tell you how many times I have wanted to do this

Michael, don’t get any ideas!

On the serious side counseling is very important.  If you are having problems I would love to talk with you but I want you to know something.  God wants you to “Stop it” because He loves you. So get help and be what you were called to be.

Bless ya’ll!

In this short video he talks about the issue of pride lacking in America. Something that I hit on the sermon a couple of weeks a go. Have a listen and see what it says to you.

Then ask yourself the question. “What is it to be American?”

This Easter has been a little different for me. There have been some new things that have been added to my life. Some things that have changed my perspective on the world.

For example, this is the first year that my daughter gets to celebrate Easter as a Christian. We get to experience this weekend together. We have gone through the past few days talking about what “her” Lord would have been experiencing. It’s a neat time because she is understanding the sacrifice for her.

This is also our first Easter with Charlee. We thought we wouldn’t have any more children, then she came along. Seriously, we couldn’t get pregnant. We came to a point where we were ok with whatever and that is exactly when Heather got pregnant, right around a year ago. Our God is good. I think He just waits sometimes for us to calm down and be ok with “just” Him. I think in those moments you are able to receive a blessing from God and appreciate it. You weren’t even asking for it but you got it anyway. It is like receiving the gift of Faith because of grace. Which brings me to my last point….

This last part will sound weird for some of you but I am going to explain some things that I have been going through this year. You see I am a recovering evangelical traditional churchgoer. That is to say that the gospel (that means good news about Jesus) was explained in a way that messed me up for many years. I was taught that after you accepted Jesus and asked for forgiveness of your sins that to keep in God’s good graces you had to be good. That means the better you behave the more God loves you.

Many of you just reacted to what I said differently. Some of you didn’t even blink an eye when you read that. Some of you know that doesn’t sound quite right but if you started looking at your life closely you would be able to see the evidence of this same thinking. Lastly, some of you felt anger. You have been there and now you are free.

I am with you now….

I started a journey almost 5 years ago now where in becoming a pastor, I knew I was dealing with some messed up thinking. At last, my expensive education to become a therapist was getting used.   I started realizing that I was upset way too much with myself and I shouldn’t be. I was trying too much to please God and I always felt like I let Him down. I knew that I was changed, I was a joint-heir to the kingdom of God, He was my friend, that there was no more wrath against me but there was still something wrong. It drove me crazy!

By the way, before I go further, that is exactly where God wants you. He loves it when you are desperate for Him because He shows up. Remember what I said about Charlee. I was ready and knew I couldn’t fix it myself. It was at this point that God CONVERTED me.

Here is what I realized this year in the course of a few months where God kept showing me what was wrong.

1. I can’t make God love me more.  The sacrifice of the Son is ultimate love; there is nothing greater.
2. My works are an expression of love.  They are not done to get love.
3. I finally could look in the mirror and say, “I am a good man,” and believe it.  Not because of what I am doing but because of what was given to me by Jesus.

The fact that I accepted this now meant something.  God had finally opened my eyes to it.  I had received a gift of faith that was not based in works.  I can’t tell you how many times I have read this;

8 For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8,9 NIV

I have heard this over and over again.  It was sitting there right in front of me.  To have been blind to this fact for sooooo long is frustrating.  But it is the same reason that I appreciate what I now have.  Let me explain briefly, I know that this is long already.

I finally realized I was saved by grace (means that I did not deserve it) and that this grace could not be earned from my good works.  I could stop comparing myself to others because it doesn’t matter.  We are all even…. [Which, by the way, if you look at people and in your head  and you compare what you do to what they do then you are in the "works zone" still.  We need to talk.]  My ability to see this was given by God (a gift of faith).  It was done this way so I could not boast about how I have all this education and intellect.  He gave me this realization through His revealing of truths during certain points in my life.  I had nothing to do with it….

So this Easter is my first Easter of understanding this true gift of Faith.  I see things a little differently now.  When I look at the world it is so different-looking, as if I know it all doesn’t really matter.  I look at the world through the supernatural eyes of the Spirit.

Ironically to quote a song from the old days (when I totally did not get it), “Then the things of this earth will go strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

Hope you enjoyed it because I think my Cheering days are over….:)

]]> http://www.jodymay.tv/2009/11/introducing/feed/ 0 http://www.jodymay.tv/2009/10/sunday-the-new-monday/ http://www.jodymay.tv/2009/10/sunday-the-new-monday/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:25:39 +0000 Jody http://www.jodymay.tv/?p=68 Recently I was talking to someone about the fact that they had a bitter attitude when it came to serving on the weekend.  They basically had the perception that Sunday was their day.  I mean, they worked six days a week and Sunday was the day that they should relax, kick back, and enjoy life.

Now, I absolutely agree that they need to relax, but I disagree with their view of the week itself.

Sunday, in reality, is the first day of the week.  Actually, it has been viewed this way by some ancient cultures.  Of which we can thank the Jews of where we get our religious practices and beliefs.

Here’s what happens when we take this all in perspective and view Sunday as the first day of the week.

• We set the week up for greater influence by God because it begins with Him.
• It helps with the concept of tithing, which many Christians have a problem with also because it is about giving to God first not last.
• We are less likely to get burned out during the week because of a good beginning.
• The tradition of using Sunday as your first day allows you to prepare for the week as far as meal planning, clothing prep, etc.
• It will make you set better priorities and not work 60-plus hour weeks.
• This helps you treat Saturdays as your Sabbath to hang with the family as it should be.
• It makes you more productive in your week because you are striving to get everything done by Saturday.

Bottom line: Christianity is all about love but it is also about discipline.  You have to be intentional about giving to God first.  By allowing God His rightful position other things in your life will begin to pan out.  You will feel like serving more.  Tithing won’t be such a bad thing.  And you might even become a better spiritual leader for you family.

Sunday, the new Monday?  Or has it always been this way?  Isn’t it time to get back to drawing board?