The joy in faliure

Yeah, you read the title right.
Two outs, bottom of the ninth inning and of course I'm the one that is up to bat (the whole time I'm sitting in the dugout hoping another person on my team will just strike out and save me the embarrassment) I'm not a good hitter, or at least my bat has developed a special chemical makeup to repel baseballs when pitched at speeds of more than 15 mph or anytime during a game. Walking up to the plate is a lot like swimming underwater, you cant breathe and everything sounds muffled. Step into the batters box, no doubt a look of sheer terror plastered on my face for the pitcher to see. "We've already won this game/look at that dweeber on the plate/ I wonder if mom has any bagel bites left at the house," the pitcher thinks many things, none of which are concern for losing or me succeeding in any possible way. The smug pre-teen with  the ball winds up-- slow mo starts.
The perfect pitch barrels down the pipe and my eyes see nothing but glory. My bat starts a swing and I flex more muscles than I probably have to hit this ball, everything in my life has come down to this one moment..."Hit it! Hit it!" they say, "We need this to win the game!" they remind me at literally the least opportune time....
I missed. The ball pounds the back of the catcher's glove as more fear settles into the back of my mind. "What if we lose? This was all because of me. I'm such a loser." the thoughts run over and over in my head until the last pitch is thrown. I of course miss again and the game is over.

We lose.
But its more than just a "we", this loss was all on me. Everything leading up to my batting meant nothing and I single handedly destroyed this game. I am crushed and start to do what any other respectable boy in my position would--cry. Yeah yeah, it's funny when I think about it now but then, the weight of the whole team and my parents/friends/anyoneelsewhocame was on my back....I crumpled slowly together as a wad of paper ready to be thrown away.

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
Where was this when I was ready to implode from the weight of the world? Who cares if I lose a city league baseball game, it wasn't even the playoffs. Without failures, we would never see or have the successes. Without disappointment, there could be no joy! Its hard to see these things as a child but growing up has taught me more and more to trust in what the Lord has promised us (peace, eternal life, grace to name a few) and to forget the constant worry the world wants to burden us with.
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26
Be joyful and be content with failure because whether we like it or not, they will happen. I can't say I was happy about losing those games but it has helped me to see that every little thing doesn't have to consume you with worry and fear and grief. If we can learn to take each day a step at a time and pray to God for an all consuming peace then rec baseball will never be the same.

--Peace be with ya.

Liar jumps to shallow pool

So at what point do we realize that people lie? I know as a kid, you hear things from your friends, teachers and even parents such as the classic "Oh put your tongue on it, it won't shock you"(Speaking on the 9volt battery (EVIL)) but these things we take with an unperceived grain of naivety. As an adult, the adverse reaction occurs. 

Me on the phone with a friend: "Hey man(its a boy), whatcha up to later? Wanna hang out?"

The friend: "Ah I can't, I have so much studying to do! Maybe another time."

"He just doesn't want to hang with me or he has plans with someone better," your mind is the thing that takes us into the sullen pit of negativity. 

...Later you find out after hanging out on Facebook for an hour playing Candy Crush he decided to go play some mini golf with another friend. 

First off, 'cmon I love mini golf!!!

Second, the people in this world are going to let you down. It's a fact, we live in a fallible world where sin occurs...But we can't blame people for acting of the world. "For everyone has sinned, we all fall short of God's glorious standard" Romans 3:23. 

Everyone messes up, it's okay and lying is one of those things. We have to step back and say "Im gonna make a conscious effort not to lie and (insert sin) anymore" Until that day, we are not better than those who live a life full of sin and wrongdoing. But that can't be enough.

We aren't good enough to resist the temptation the devil leaves before us on a daily basis...That's why we have our not so secret weapon. 

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2.

Well good, pleasing and perfect sure beats stealing, killing and destroying. The devil wants us to conform, to fall in line with sin, but God wants for us so much more. He wants for us to love and be loved, spread His good news and and be at peace. 

Welp, that sounds pretty good to me--and that's no lie.

Constance machine

"O Lord, I call to You; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You" Psalms 141:1. Do you ever feel there's no one to save you? There isn't refuge and no way to make it to the end safely? 

"Jump! Jump!"
 This is way higher than it looked from the ground. I stand precariously perched upon a rock face 70 feet above the safe trenches of water below.
"C'mon, you're already up there now" the world pushes me closer to the edge. There is a strong but silent power that water holds. Floating in it you might not see it, but from 70 feet in the air you can't miss it. The security and constance that water holds is a point of refuge for some, but at this moment....well it's freaking me out.
"Are you sure I won't get hurt?" I yell with all semblance of pride gone now. Alright, just do it! Those people down there (way down there) (way way way)...what was I saying?
AAAHHHHHHHH! A push from behind takes me fast and by surprise. My heightened senses feel the wind as I travel through the air around 12 hours (give or take). BOOM. Yeah, I hit the water feet first somehow.
Underwater, don't breathe...feel the current, it takes all nerve and fear from me. "On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand"...all other ground is 70 feet away now.
When the world tries to scare you into submission and shove you towards the deeds of the sinner, it may seem like the natural thing to do at first. Sure, I'll jump; everyone else is doing it. But we know the wages of the sinner is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. We make mistakes, we jump off cliffs we shouldn't have to face, but God is constant. He will catch you when you fall, He is our refuge and when we call on Him, He will provide.
"I cry aloud to the Lord, I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy," Psalm 142:1. 
We can stumble through life and make it to the "unbeatable" hurdles life throws at us. There is a choice to be made: seek out the Lord, make His presence and peace a part of your life, or say how high when the world says jump...hopefully there is some water around.

waiting for patience

Wake up. It's dark outside, first problem right there. Get dressed take shower, other things you can do robotically by now. We make it to the lake and it hasn't hit 7 yet. The water begins to lighten as the sun peeks it head out from under its Earthly covers (I bet he doesn't get cold at night). We step into our boat and check the supplies: old rods, check, dirty worms, check, hopeful and excited attitudes, oh yeah!

The boat casts off for a morning of fishing and all around adventure, all the while my 8 year old body is brimming with unreal expectations and energy. The waiting game begins.

Cast. Reel. Reel. Reel. Repeat.

...30 minutes in, a bite! REEL REEL REEL REEL. "Taylor you cant reel the line that fast, the hook slips his lip." My dad says in infinite knowledge, opportunity wasted. With the grand total of 2 bites for the day and a small fish I couldn't tell you the name of I can say three things confidently.

1. I am not a fisherman nor will I ever willingly go back to play that dreadful waiting game.

2. No one should be allowed to get up before the sun does, that's just common courtesy. 

3. God has way more patience than me.

I get nothing but a nibble for one day and I want to throw in the towel, there is no part of me that will willingly test my patience in fishing again, but God can somehow watch as the beauty of the world He created Himself fall into sin and slowly perish. Why? How?

From the point of conception, Man has turned from God and sinned in an all but constant fashion. But God is a God OF patience, not a God who merely has patience. How else could He see us fail Him on a daily basis yet show us the unconditional love we never deserve. "But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness," Psalm 86:15. He sees the fish I search for and frustrate over, he sees my sin my struggles, all of the empty things I grow angry over and what does He do. HE loves us. 

What's so beautiful about the situation is that for Him it isn't even a choice. He created us out of love therefore as long as we exist He will do nothing but love us, DESPITE the mistakes we have made, are making, and will continue to make as we live in this world.

"Since God chose you to be the holy peoples He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Colossians 3:12-13.

If only the last line was true, where would we be today? Something to think about.

The mother love tactic

Tired. A hard day has befallen you and theres no bodybuilder in the world that could hold the enormous weights that are your eyelids. You know your at home and at one point you were sitting on the couch watching TV, but suddenly you open your eyes again and magic exists in our world! You are under the covers of your bed and there are thick rays of sunlight pouring into your window.
What does this mean?! Can I teleport, but only through an unconscious cognitive state? Are there others like me? I wonder if there's a school for gifted creatures such as myself to hone this ability.

Of course we all know this isn't true. People don't teleport (at least as far as I know). So at what point did I miss something....
Deep into the night, around 930, the hero strolls in unbeknownst to the world--Mom. She notices her child has been punched in the face by fatigue and has taken to hard slumber in his recourse. She goes in to swoop me up into her tender arms then oh so carefully takes me to the city of forgotten cares. The journey is arduous, requiring more than a minimal amount of physical and emotion energy but she pushes through with the sheer determination unseen by the still comatose child. Making her trip swiftly and effectively, she lays me down onto the cloud of relief and joy that is my bed and gently tucks me in. To end it all she whispers a quick prayer and leaves with a gentle kiss to my forehead.

A mother will go to enormous lengths to show her child love, even when he can't see it. In the same way, our Father shows us His love in everything we see and do, even when we don't realize he has a hand in it. Quite simply, "God is love," as it says in 1 John 4:8. Imagine how much our mother loves us (yes, it is A LOT) now imagine if she had to sacrifice as much as God did to show His love for us. "but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us," Romans 5:8. He sacrificed His ONLY son to prove his love to us, we surely don't deserve that--not then and not now. We sin every day, we lead dirty lives full of lies, deceit, regret, pain and suffering but when its all said and done, God will always take us back to our room and tuck us in with a kiss to the forehead. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work," 2 Corinthians 9:8. We have everything we need in Christ, He is bigger than any problem we could face. That's awesome and we should take refuge in this! I'll leave you with this verse on Gods awesome power. Until next time, you stay classy world.
Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Baby poops and the chlorinated monster frizz

-Whats that in the water!?!?!!
-Oh crap, Johnny you dropped your snickers in the water (says no one ever) Don't you just wish there was a happy medium with pool cleanliness. You have the 24/7 lifegaurd surveillance systems complete with free wifi, chocolate, massage therapists and wifi. The water will actually cleanse your body of all its toxins and realign your electrochemical balance causing your life expectancy. Harvested unicorn tears pump out of the jets and I swear I once saw an obese gentleman cannonball into the pool, came out with a six-pack (not referencing alcohol here). The price to get in is 9 billion Euros and only twelve people are allowed to swim in it per year...Then you have the community pool.

Full of the odd assortment of molded, once loved floaties this cess pool of cancer water slowly eats away at your kidneys. Where's the lifegaurd you ask? We're pretty sure thats him on the bottom of the deep end. Covered in roughly 12 children under the age of 7 per square foot you are sure to have a relaxing swim. The jets pump out the remainder of the oil from the BP gulf spill (tax dollars at work!). And yes, you may even witness your fair share of "snickers" bars....All in all, the community pool is hoppin, the frogs love it!

That happy medium does exist my friends, its the magical and dying breed of the private pool. Owned by the upper income family, this pool has everything you could ever need--water and no feces. The lifegaurd is a highly qualified window into the kitchen where a loving (and not sunburned) mother sits sipping on an ice cold sweet tea. I propose a new amendment to the already clustered Constitution: lets scrub our country of the community pool plague. We don't need more reason to take showers (once a week is enough people!).

To close this absurd post, I'll give you this nugget of American History* "It's time for the way we perceive this threat to change, we have to stop lollygagging and taking the lackadaisical road more travelled. We need to read more of The best time to wear a striped sweater and take those zombies out. Our literacy rate is at risk and we need more jobs for females in the work force, Am I right Miss South Carolina?...wheres my map" -Abraham Lincoln, 1941.

Peace out Boy Scouts.

perfectly imperfect

  Imagine this (Actually just look at the picture I am going to insert sometime before I hit the post button).  Your favorite bread, let's say pumpernickle because #yolo. Between the slices of goodness there is lettuce you have grown yourself in the backyard, a tomato from the upside down tomato plant out in the foyer (it just gets good sunlight in there ya know?), and fresh bacon from the pig farmer right down the road (where do you live anyways to have a pig farm...). This all sounds like it could be the perfect sandwich. The culmination of the best ingredients, your favorite things and the pure satisfaction of having done all this work yourself to achieve a slice of BLT heaven....

But you take a bite and realize something. The tomato just isn't as juicy as it looked when you hand plucked that joker. Upon further inspection you realize the lettuce has several brown spots and deadness covering its once beautiful flesh (how you failed to notice that one escapes me). To cap off your fastly plummeting sandwich, Jim the boar farmer has been found out by the game warden for using faulty and unsanitary equipment in the slaughter of his meat. Two bites ago you thought you were literally in hog heaven now before you know it you got one hand on the garbage lid, two slices of perfectly good pumpernickel wasted and heap ton of backdraft that has now stained your 3rd favorite shirt. How did this even happen, that sandwich was stinkin perfect.

But that's the thing about this world, and especially sandwiches...they aren't perfect and the things of this world are fading. Shoot we as humans aren't even perfect as much we like to think we are (ever noticed that blind spot in your eyes...no? yeah its because our impefect bodies have adapted to the imperfect surroundings of the imperfect world (duh)). But where we and the world are imperfect, we are also incomplete in God's creation. We serve a higher purpose and calling. We must strive to live our lives closer to how Christ lived. Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him."
 We are temporary and failing but God is good and perfect (waay better than that sandwich). The sandwich seemed good at first, but you take another look and its fragmented to the point of inedibility. The same is true for us, we seem good on the outside but from the inside we are dirty and sinful not deserving of what God has given us--His own son. "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. 

I think these guys got it right in Isaiah when they said, "And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory." Next time you bite into a sandwich, just remember how awesome God is. 

Anyways, good sandwiches and good times for all. Until next time, you stay classy.