Wow!

I was going to post some long thoughts I had this morning about marriage until a friend sent me this video clip. This seemed more appropriate than trying to exercise my intellectual muscle. Make special note of the mom's words at the end about leaving a legacy.

Happy Thanksgiving

A New Name

While searching for a fun activity to do with my students as a reward for their hard work during the first grading period, I came across a site that will figure out your Jedi Name. Here's mine.

Cast off your old name! Your Jedi name is GUTMA FOHAR of the planet lexapro! Find your Jedi Name!

Click the link in the above box to find your own.

New names are really important. Many women still choose the traditional custom of taking the husband's name when they are married, and they are very excited about doing so. For some people, their name may not change, but their title might. They might become "Dr. So & So", "Vice President of Marketing" or "Shift Manager". An increase in rank is not always the desired change either. I have a friend whose title changed from "Managing Director of North America" within his firm to "Director of Tools and Practices". It was not a decrease in pay or position, but it did remove all people management out of his responsibilities. This was a welcomed change for him.

When you begin your faith journey with Christ, you get a name change and a new identity. You become one of God's children and we are called by his name. We even become new people with a new internal make up. It's not always easy and it does come with responsibility. But it's worth it. That's the exciting part of the journey. You ARE different. You are continually being improved and kept different. The problems come when we forget who we are and try to live under the old name the way the old person did.

So my thoughts tonight are not anything profoundly deep, just a weak connection to something silly I found on the web. Nonetheless, I'm glad I have a new name and that I'm a new man.

What's that noise? (or "That's not supposed to work that way!")

Our house has a mouse. And no, we do not eat green eggs and ham with it. If you listen close enough, you can hear it squeaking. Unfortunately, it's not the cute little fuzzy gray kind of mice. To which my wife and many other women would say there is no such thing as a cute mouse. But I digress. Before you become too grossed out or frightened at the thought we have some tremondous sized, disease carrying, ferocious rat running loose in our abode, the mouse of which I speak is our computer mouse. Everytime you press the left button it goes "Squeak". I've been tempted to spray WD-40, whose multitude of uses is rivaled only by duck tape, in its innards, but I'm fairly confident that might cause more harm than good. I do not have an alternative solution, but I'm pretty sure it's not suppsed to sound like that.

As a person on a Christian faith journey, I'm sometimes compared to our noisy computer peripheral. People look at me and say, "You're not supposed to do that." Sometimes they are legitimate criticisms as I allow the fallen nature of my flesh to rule instead of the new creation powered by the Holy Spirit. Other times the admonition comes from other believers who give more creedance to their personal convictions or the status quo than to the core of what it means to be a Christian.

The surprise declarations of my malfunctions that bring me mixed feelings are the ones that come from people not on a faith journey. They come in two forms. Sometimes people are surprised that a Christian, a former pastor no less, actually behaves and acts in certain ways. When I am able to show them I am a normal person and that my behavior/beliefs do not contradict anything Biblically, they are pleasantly surprised. It's like a barrier between them and God has become weaker. The ones that bother me come from the non-believer that has sold out to the status quo, even though they do not subscribe to it in their own lives. They can be more condemning that the fellow believer. I worry about being a stumbling block to them and their faith despite seeing that they have decided to throw the stones in their own paths.

Regardless of who's commenting, everybody's watching. The only thing I want people to see is not a comparison of my behavior to their preconceived notions but the actual revelation of Jesus Christ and therefore God himself at work in my life. That IS the way it's supposed to work.

A Prayer for Our Country

Father in heaven, we pray we will glorify you this day, as in all days. Thank you for blessing us with the freedom from sin and its curse through the sacrifice of your son Jesus on a cross. Thank you for your ever abiding Holy Spirit that keeps us from sin and guides our decisions when we submit our wills to you.

As we celebrate the freedoms given to us by virtue of living in this great country, let us exercise that freedom wisely. As we choose those who will govern over us in earthly affairs, guide our decision making. Though the decision may seem obvious to some, we know that you do not belong to a political party. We pray we will make decisions divinely guided by the wisdom and faith that can only come from you.

We pray for tomorrow and the results of our decisions today. Gift whatever leaders we choose with wisdom beyond their own abilities. Protect us as a country from the potential rifts in our society that threatens no matter what the outcome. Give us grace tomorrow as we gather around the water coolers and talk about today's events. Though we may disagree on the outcome, move our hearts to pray for these new leaders. Help us move beyond the tension that might exist with coworkers. Help us to our part to be the country we have asked you to bless us to be.

In your name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.

What's up with this?

Today I was introduced to a new word - hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. It is literally, are you ready for the irony, the fear of long words! My only response to that is, "What's up with that?" If you follow the link for the definition, you'll discover that there is another word with the same meaning, sesquipedaliophobia, and this newer, more improved and even scarier word was created to emphasize the phobia itself.

I'm not sure where to go with this one. Do we talk about self-fulfilling prophecies or people making things difficult for the spite of it? How about something inane like who in the world would ever use this word and are there people out there who really suffer from this? That could lead us into a discussion of how irrational most of our fears really are, especially if we are on a faith journey.

If you know me personally or read this blog with any type of irregularity, you already know my mind can be twisted and warped. I could take any of the above thoughts and work them out, applying each one to our faith journeys. As much fun (and helpful) as that would be, I'm going to resist. For now I'm going to learn how to pronounce this word and use it in casual conversation at least three times tomorrow.

In a closing note, a shout out to my buddy Ben who has joined the blogosphere. He has written an excellent treatise on wind pants. I think you'll enjoy it.

A bag of juniper shavings

Thursday night the family and I enjoyed an evening at the NC State Fair where everything is deep fried, even the roller coaster. Besides the culinary delights and gastric disturbances, one of my favorite things to do is tour the exhibits that illustrate/demonstrate things from the good ol' days. That means the antique farm machinery and the Village of Yesteryear. In the "Village" we get to see modern craftsman spinning pots, carving wood, weaving baskets, and the like.

This year I discovered a new exhibit in the Village. I met Phoebe Briley, currently living in Marshallberg, NC, of Great Marsh Boatworks. She's a self proclaimed dingbatter who has fallen in love with the REAL Down East of NC and it's traditions, especially its boats. I was naturally drawn to Phoebe and her display because I am a native of Harkers Island. I grew up in the backyard of my great-grandfather Stacy Guthrie. Both he and his father, Devine Guthrie, are as famous for boatbuilding as they are for their character. In the picture of Stacy (or Poppy as he was known to me), you can see the hammer that is so special to our family.

Growing up in Poppy's backyard was special in many ways. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on his lap and hearing the whaling stories. I would often get up before my mom and join him in the yard as a preschooler while he built boats. The wonderful smell of juniper, the wood of choice for boatbuilders, and its shavings still fills my mind.

As I stopped by to introduce myself to Phoebe, I noticed a collection of juniper shavings she had on display. They were labeled with a sign that looked like it came out of Alice in Wonderland. It said, "Smell the Shavings." I pointed them out to my son. I picked up a handful and began talking about how wonderful they smelled and the memories they invoked. After he enjoyed a big whiff himself, Phoebe grabbed a small paper bag and began to fill it with shavings. She handed me the bag and said, "Here, enjoy." It was one of the most wonderful parts of the fair to me.

Meeting Phoebe was special for many reasons. Besides getting a bag of shavings, I met someone who appreciates my heritage and how it is disappearing. I had an opportunity to share some special memories. My son was shown how important his own family is in the history of his "homeland" by someone other than his father. It was a blessing all the way around. And now, I have a bag of juniper shavings to smell anytime I need to be reminded of that blessing.

Virtual Marlboro Man

The latest craze in our house is our most recent video game purchase. We purchased Cabela's Dangerous Hunts by Activision. It's part of a larger series of games where you can become a virutal hunter. It's really pretty cool. You get the chance to stalk some serious hunting trophies while at the same time face the dangers of the wild such as the elements and wild animals. Hence the name Dangerous Hunts. The first few tries I spent most of my time drowning in raging rivers, being mauled by grizzly bears, and being attacked by wolves. I eventually got the hang of how to aim my weapon and kill my attackers.

Soon the boys and I were able to achieve a pretty reasonable level of success at some fairly difficult tasks. As I guided my virtual hunter through the snowy wilderness of Colorado, my confidence in my ability to do this for real was bolstered. Yesterday, deer season opened for real here in NC. My oldest son and I joined the thousands of other hunters who went out on opening day, hoping to bring home a trophy buck. Just on the trail we selected, we passed two other hunters.

We found signs of all types of deer activity. We had scouted this area and knew they were be out there. We found a good spot and sat and waited. At the end of the day, we came home empty handed. Apparently, real deer don't have glowing red dots on them that indicate their location, even miles away. Apparently, the size of their territory is not limited in such a way that they have to run in some sort of circuit that guarantees they will come back around to you. Apparently, being a real Marlboro Man is not as easy as being a Virtual Marlboro Man.

Sometimes we try to live out our spiritual lives on virtual faith journeys instead of the real thing. We say the right things, know the right answers to all the key questions, attend all the right public events, even give money to all the right causes and funds. BUT . . . what are our lives really like? What type of heart change is evident? What is it about our character that tells people we are on a journey following Christ?

Just a thought.

We're #1! We're #1!

According to a news story I heard on my drive home this morning, NC has the boasts the highest average price for a gallon of gasoline. WooHoo! What a great achievement. I wonder what else that will put as in first place for.

Silent Ball Craze

Several years ago, a friend of mine who happened to be a middle school teacher told me about a game called silent ball. Basically, the kids throw a ball around the room. You are "out" if you make any noise or drop the ball. It's a great class (and behavior) management tool. He strongly testified to its effectiveness.

Well, now that I am a middle school teacher, I decided to use this game. When I was buying my classroom supplies, one of the things I purchased was a large foam ball for this very reason. I was shocked when school started and the kids began asking to play silent ball on day 1! Apparently, silent ball is a phenomenon known to every middle school student and teacher in the universe. It even has a wiki entry.

I can't help but liken this to Christianity. At least in part. All over the "civilized" world, people know about Jesus. At least we (and they) think they do. In reality, the only knowledge many people have of Jesus is the use of his name as an exclamation or even a swear. I'd wager the average church going Christian would be surprised how many American born and bred people do not know the basic facts of the traditional children's Christmas play with all the wise men, shepherds, angels, and a stable.

For that matter, many of us who call ourselves "Christian" know less about Jesus than we think. Much of what we know "to be true" about Jesus and following him have more to do with years of traditional interpretation and less about what the Bible actually says about him. Or what the Holy Spirit may even reveal to us. I even had a young Mormon missionary tell me one time that one of the things he liked about the South was that "everybody believed in Jesus". To which I quickly replied, "True, but I don't think we all believe the same thing."

Back to silent ball. Why is it that something as mundane as silent ball can be a universal given in the average middle school classroom but something as important as the knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ and what it means to follow him can be so widespread but shallow in depth? How is it that there can actually be people who don't know about him beyond the "that's what this group of people call the God force out there"?

I'm beginning to digress and my thoughts are becoming more dissociated with one another, putting forth a much less coherent article. So, I shall stop for the night and come back later when I am more organized. Until then, answer these questions for yourself. What do you know about Jesus? How will you make sure everybody does know about him?

A Marlboro Weekend

The last two days have been wonderful memory making moments for me. Friday evening I took my youngest son deer hunting. He has been wanting to use his bow to kill a deer for a long time. After work I rushed home and we headed off for the woods until dark. We didn't see any deer, but we came across some fresh tracks on our way out, telling us they somehow ran around behind us. Either way, it was a good time.

Yesterday (Saturday) the whole family attended the Fishing and Hunting Expo put on by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. We sampled some wonderful outdoor cooking, watched "real" mountain men start fire with a stick, did some simulated duck hunting, and tied some flies to hopefully catch some trout on someday. The whole family had a great time.

Yesterday evening, my oldest son and I went dove hunting. We had discovered a secluded field on some public game land that appears to never be used. We've hunted it before with success. The difference in this trip was I brought along a gun as well. When we first arrived, two large flocks flew out of the field. We took positions on either side of the field and walked parallel lines up the field, hoping to flush any stragglers left behind. Right before three birds flushed immediately in front of me, I remember thinking, "This is the stuff great magazine articles are made of."

Allowing the Hallmark-made-for-tv-movie side to show a bit, I really did think how great the weekend had been. Perhaps it is a bit stereotypical, but a dad and his sons out hunting are great memories. It's part of making my boys junior Marlboro men. I was doing something I enjoy. They were doing something they enjoy. We were are enjoying God's creation. And we were doing together.

I also couldn't help but think that sometimes God feels this way. Whenever we are doing some that we really enjoy and we are doing it for his glory, he has to enjoy being part of it. Weekends like this help me appreciate my relationship with my heavenly father. When I think about my relationship with him it also helps me enjoy my relationship with my children even more. It makes me want to do more things with both God and my children.

Just a thought

Caught in the Storm

Old friend and current church planter Matt LeRoy has posted a beautiful thought about being caught in the storm of God's love. I want to be a tree. More importantly I want to know that I am a tree, feeling the effects of the storm every day.

Why no one will mistake me for John Wesley

Here's a list of reasons why no one will mistake me for John Wesley, the 18th century preacher and leader of the Methodist Movement.
1) He was barely five feet tall. I'm 6'2".
2) He rode over 100K miles on horseback. I've never ridden a horse.
3) He died in 1791. I'm still alive, at least I was when I wrote this.
4) He was known in part for preaching to thousands in the open air. I'm not so good at that.

I'll elaborate on that last one. My youngest son plays flag football in a local Upward league. At every practice, there is a devotional time. Children earn stars for Scripture memorization, great game play, and demonstrating Christlikeness. On game day, there is a devotional at halftime of all the games. I was asked earlier in the week to give the devotional at yesterday's game. I'll probably never get asked to do that again.

Let me begin by saying I hate the sound of my own voice. Whenever I preach in a church, I always request that the stage monitors be turned off. There's not a problem whenever I'm speaking in an situation without a sound system because I've learned to ignore my voice. If only I could have done that yesterday. Or had a set of earplugs and earmuffs.

When halftime came, I stood in the middle of the three football fields, using a wireless mike. Because of the location of the speakers and sound board, there was about a one second delay between when I would actually say something and then hear it myself. I began pausing between every word because I kept hearing it twice. Imagine an old 45 record (for those of you born before cassette tapes) played at 33 rpm. Try as I might, I could not ignore the delay and speak in a normal speed.

As I looked around at the crowd, the 200 or so parents all had a forgiving smile on their faces. I know that I sounded quite a bit country fried, even for this part of this country. When I returned to the sideline, my "supportive" wife (please read sarcasm in that description) was doubled over in laughter. In her words, I sounded like "a stroke victim". Trying to put a positive spin on things and save what little dignity I had left, my response to her was, "Well, I'll not be asked to do it again and that will be one less thing I'll have to prepare."

I wonder how John Wesley would have done in that situation.

Growth Spurts

One of the unfortunate things about having children is they always outgrow whatever they own. They outgrow their shoes, their clothes, their beds, their bikes . . . Whenever we replace one of these items we find ourselves trying to calculate how to get the maximum usage out of that item for the lowest price. That's because we know just as soon as we spend $30 on a pair of shoes for one of our kids that two days later he will outgrow them overnight. Yesterday we went boot shopping so they would be prepared for the opening day of dove hunting season and their first offical hunt. As one of the boys was lobbying for a much more expensive pair of boots ($80 - $100), I kindly explained that when he was 18 and the overnight growth spurts were over, providing a better chance to get more than two weeks of wear out of a pair of shoes, we could revisit the issue.

Growth is usually a good thing. Corporations want to see their market shares grow which usually also means a growth in revenue and profit. Incumbent politicians prefer to see growth in the economy, especially in an election year. School officials want to see growth in end of year test scores. Leaders of any organization like to see growth in their membership.

Growth in our faith journeys is a good thing too. We want our relationships with God to grow closer, more intimate. We desire to see our faith grow, enabling us to trust more, handle bigger crises, display greater wisdom. Just like children, this growth will usually come in spurts.

We have learned to recognize the signs of an impending growth spurt in the boys. Their appetites usually double or triple for about a week. They might become a little more moody during that same time. After a week of eating everything in sight, they will usually experience a week or so of increased lethargy. Then suddenly they will be a few inches taller and a few pounds heavier. When you think about the fact that a teenager does nothing but eat and sleep for a couple of years, it's clear why they experience the massive spurts they have.

A spiritual growth spurt may have similar signs. A person may have an increased appetite for studying the Bible or becoming involved in the life of his church. Other signs may not appear so positive. A crisis of some sort may be the signal of a growth spurt. How one handles the crisis will determine his or her faith standing on the other side of the trial. A temptation, knowing that we will not be tempted beyond anything we can bear (1 Cor 10:13) may be the signal of a growth spurt.

What are your thoughts? What are the signs you can recall of your own spiritual growth spurt? Is it possible to "outgrow" your current situation as a result of spiritual growth spurt?

Olympics, Genetics, & Success

It's been a while since I've posted, mainly because I've spent almost every waking moment preparing for the new school year now that I'm teaching again. Plus the Olympics have been on for the last two weeks. They were fun to watch, but honestly, I'm glad they're over.

For those of you living under a rock the last two weeks, the American swimmer Michael Phelps was the big story of this year's Olympics. He won EIGHT gold medals this year alone. That gives him a career total of 14. If my memory serves me correctly, six of this year's eight medals involved new world records.

Michael Phelps has sparked a bevy of thoughts. The one I'd like to share tonight deals with genetics. Much was said about Phelps having the perfect body shape for swimming. Apparently he is cursed with a disproportionately long torso for his height, just like me. Plus his inseam is too short for his height. However, the similarities between Phelps and me end there. He had other genetic factors going for him, aiding in his success as a swimmer.

Dara Torres, the 41 year old woman who was also captain of the swim team (and medal winner!) referenced her own genetics in explaining her success as such an "old" age. Like Phelps, she has more fast twitch muscle fibers.

All this discussion about genetics during the Olympics helped to put a damper on my dreams. I can see where it would easily dampen other dreams as people began to examine their own genetic make up. No longer can you get there from hard work. You must have the proper genes. What if you were able to determine exactly what your particular gene would enable you to be successful at and you weren't interested in such a pusruit? Just because I have the perfect genetic combination to be the world's best one handed egg juggler does not mean that's how I want to make my mark on the world.

It's just a matter of time before spiritual matters become boiled down to genetic factors. Or at least some scientific study which claim such. Do some of us have a better chance at being "more successful" on their faith journey's than others? Is that fair? What do the people with "weak genes" do? What about those with "good genes" who do not pursue a relationship with God?

I think some people do have more of a proclivity toward spiritual matters than others. I do not know if genetics have anything to do with it. I also believe that everyone can experience "success" in their faith journeys. That success depends on one's ability to trust in the faith given by the Holy Spirit.

I hope these thoughts inspire some of your own. How about sharing them if so. In the meantime, I've got to start training for the 2012 400m IM.

Move over Barney, kids wanna Rock

For those of you needing a little humor while exercising your rock'n'roll mojo, here's a clip for you. Enjoy!

I want one of those!

I've been away from my blog for a while 'cause I've been working a real job as well as filling in an empty pulpit for a while. For those of you who have really missed my weekly updates, I'm sorry your life has deteriorated to that. Anyhow, I saw the coolest thing I've seen in a long time today and I want one! A coworker was showing off her iPhone today. She then admitted to being a Star Wars geek, which proves that I only hang out with good people. After her confession, she showed me her phone saber. The video that the link takes you to does not do justice to how absolutely kewl that app is. I was very impressed with the realistic sounds the app produced. If I had closed my eyes, I would have sworn that Obi Wan was battling the forces of evil in the room there with me.

The iPhone has been out for a while. It's a neat little gadget and I would love to have one. Two things keep me from buying one - the price and it's only compatible with one wireless carrier, one I am not subscribed to. I figure I already have an iPod and a phone and I really don't need a lot of the cool features an iPhone boasts. That is until today. After seeing the phone saber, I surfed the internet for almost 45 minutes, researching prices on iPhones and I also began seriously contemplating switching my wireless carrier just so I could own a phone saber. I came home and excitedly told my family about it.

I was almost converted. When the day was done, I did not buy an iPhone nor did I switch carriers. I probably won't anytime soon. I did think a lot about how my desires and opinions were almost changed by a simple app on a little techno gadget. I thought about the night I decided to change my desires and opinions and desires on how I would live my life. That was the night I decided to follow Jesus on my faith journey. A lot of little things built up, mainly watching the lives of my friends around me, that led me to my "Christian conversion".

Most of us think we need to develop winning debates and convincing arguments so that we sway people into making such conversions on their own. For me, and for many others I talk to, it was something about just how cool other people's lives were compared to their own that led them to "convert". I don't own a phone saber (yet), but I have THE kewlest app ever developed in my heart. That's one I don't want to fail to share with everyone around me.

New Job!

I'm very excited because I'm going back to school. I've been working the last three weeks as a temp for the Raleigh CDSA, a state agency that provides early intervention services for children aged birth to three years. Next week I begin my job as a 7th grade math teacher at Clayton Middle School. I'm really pumped about the opportunity to work at the number 1 ranked middle school in the Johnston County School system. Soon I hope to post some of the cool things that have already happened since getting the job. For now, just celebrate with me.

Rooting for the bad guy

The other day a friend and I were reminiscing about the good ol' days when we were younger and saw Star Wars for the first time. I'll never forget sitting on the first row of the theater as a third grader when "A long, long, time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . ." flashed across the screen. I remember that my friends and I all looked at each other and said, "Is this a true story?" I relived the same excitement and adrenaline rush when Lucas began to make the prequels of epsiodes 1, 2, and 3. When my wife and I went to see Star Wars: The Phantom Menace at a midweek matinee, I got chill bumps of excitement. I experienced the same excitement when I introduced my boys to this greatest set of movies ever made. But enough about my geekness.

As my friend and I relived our magical childhood, the subject of Darth Vader came up. Growing up, before we knew how Darth Vader became so evil, everyone hated him. No one wanted to be Darth Vader. You may have bought the Darth Vader figure and his tie fighter, but only so someone else could pretend to be him while you saved the day. That's not the case today. Kids like to be Darth Vader today all because they know he used to be Anakin Skywalker, who until he finally crossed the line to join the dark side, was a pretty good guy. I must admit, even I look differently at Darth Vader now, although I don't find myself necessarily liking him.

Is this a dangerous trend, excusing evil, even looking up to it, on the basis of the good that may have been done in the past or the knowledge that the evil doer will turn from his wicked ways? Or is it a lesson in grace, seeing the good in people? After all, Luke Skywalker says of his father repeatedly, "There's still good in him, I know." What do you think?

What is wrong with me?!!!

Pardon me while I engage in self-loathing and general American culture criticism, but we are so stupid! Because I have never smoked pot, drunk more than a sip or two of alcohol (only once voluntarily), or done anything other than prescription drugs, I do not have a very long resume of brain cell killing activities beyond normal childhood falls on the head. In order to meet the prerequisite quota of mind-numbing activities mandated by the Council of US Cultural Standards Enforcment Board, I watch television. Tonight I watched a few minutes of the Baby Borrowers and then the first sixty seconds of Celebrity Circus. When I stop to think that I have at least three blue million other similar options by which I can fulfill my duties, it makes me want to stand up and sing like Lee Greenwood, belting out "I'm Proud to Be an American." I'd probably change the next line to "where at least my brain is numb".

Thank you, and goodnight.

P.S. Despite looking like rather obvious product placement ads, none of the above links will net me any money.

Being Shaped in the Smithy

In case you're wondering, a smithy is another name for a forge or a blacksmith's shop. I made what many may think to be a mistake a few weeks ago. I gave my boys the idea that they could actually be blacksmiths. Now. In their back yard. It started out as an innocent experiment to see if we could heat some thin scrap metal up enough that we could shape it into arrowheads so that we could further engage in another dangerous activity, making and shooting our own homemade arrows. So, we arranged some concrete blocks to create a small forge, collected some firewood, and proceeded to experiment with our self-taught blacksmith skills.

It did not work quite as I had hoped. You can't really get hot enough coals with ordinary wood. Still, I received a pretty painful burn. Luckily I was the only one. That has not deterred my boys. Ever since that first attempt, I am constantly bombarded with requests to light up the old smithy again so they can play blacksmith. I have declined 95% of those requests on the basis of it's too hot to stand over a fire, it doesn't really work, I can't stand outside and just watch you for safety's sake right now, and at least one I don't feel like right now.

This past Saturday, I relented and gave them permission. I even took a chance and left them unsupervised with fire and hot metal implements. After a few minutes of watching their actions, I felt fairly confident they would not do anything foolish. Nevertheless, I prayed fervently for their safety before returning to the cooler interior portion of my house.

During those minutes of watching these two young blacksmiths at work in their forge, a profound lesson about parenting, coaching, and mentoring occurred to me. I had, foolishly I thought, made them believe they could actually be blacksmiths. And as far as they were concerned, they were actually succeeding. Isn't that part of what I am supposed to be doing as a father, instilling dreams in my children and helping them fulfill their dreams?

Likewise as a person on a Christian faith journey and as a pastor, part of what I am supposed to be doing is helping understand and strive for the dream of a better life that is marked by the grace of God as it is being reshaped into what he initially created it to be. It's not an impossible dream. I do not have to live a life marked by the effects of sin.

Saturday, I was one in the fire, being shaped and molded by my junior blacksmiths. And I'm glad I was.