2011 Top Tens about Moving

We are well into the process of planning a move from our longtime home in Arizona to my childhood home of the Quad Cities(Western Iowa, Eastern Illinois) most likely in April/May of next year. I thought I’d come up with a convenient list of the top ten reasons to move and the top ten reasons while moving will be a bummer.

Top 10 Reasons to Move:

1. There are no construction jobs in Phoenix.

2. The majority of my family live there.

3. Seasons.

4. Really good food like Harris Pizza, Jim’s Ribs, Maid-Rite, & the Iowa Machine Shed.

5. Hunting with my brothers.

6. Great ministry opportunities.

7. Affordable living.

8. My Mom can babysit.

9. August days don’t have a high of 115.

10. Fall is an amazing time of year in the Mississippi River Valley.

Top 10 Reasons it will be a bummer to move:

1. We will miss all our great

friends at Camelback

Bible and Praxis(now Redemption Church).

2. It’s nice to wear shorts in December.

3. Most of Susan’s family is here.

4. You can’t get really good Mexican food in the midwest. Check out Ajo Al’s.

5. All our great friends at our Sunday hang out Over Easy.

6. We are a 6 hour car ride from Disneyland.

7. Arizona State Football

8. Susan has lived here her whole life and I’ve lived here for almost 25 years.

9. Driving in the snow is no fun.

10. Hanging out with Uncle Kenny & Aunt Eva at their cabin in Mund’s Park.

Love Came Down

Christmas is coming like a freight train and I’ve done a good job of inoculating my kids from the Santa craze. Both of the older ones actively let everyone know that Santa is just pretend. Paige even went so far as to tell a server at a restaurant that “Jesus is God’s greatest gift to us.” I didn’t even have to prompt her. This was in addition to the standard Santa’s a fake schtick. I’m certainly in the running for Christian Dad of the Year but I really want my kids to get the significance of Christmas. I’ve been thinking a lot about how do I relate to them the magnitude of events that we celebrate on this little holiday we call Christmas. Here’s what I want my kids to get. LOVE CAME DOWN. That’s it. If they understand these three words in their proper context they will understand everything they need to about Christmas. Let me explain what I mean.

LOVE

Jesus’ birth marks the Emmanuel moment of history. That is, God had chosen to, or pleased to, dwell with men. God chose to dwell among us. Now we’ve all heard the scripture that says “God is Love.”(1 JN 4:8) and I’ll admit that I’ve had a hard time really understanding what it means. One of the reasons I think it’s so hard is that we often to attempt to speak of God as Love in terms of human representations of love. It’s like describing a beautiful girl by talking about her shadow. It just doesn’t do her justice to use a derivative of her presence to describe her beauty. In the same sense, it’s difficult to understand this God of Love using the activity of His creatures. It is, however, useful to me to understand that the real selfless love that we sometimes see exhibited by people refers back to this God that is Love. Jesus doesn’t merely personify love. He is Love. Anything that we call love should be compared to Jesus who broke into history to rescue a people from themselves for Himself.

CAME

Jesus’ birth happened in history. Our calendars rightly use Jesus’ birth as the dividing line in history. Of course, cynics would say that he was really born in 3 BC(BCE if you are really a cynic) and probably born in August. I get all that but think about how our calendars work. History is divided into the time before Christ came and the years of His reign. It has been rightly said that Christ’s birth is the hinge of all of history. Not only did He come at a point in time but He also came a great distance.

DOWN

Jesus’ incarnation is the greatest condescension in all of history. Can you imagine the God that spoke the universe into being with a word being born in a stinky stable to an unwed teenage mom? I can’t even imagine him coming under the best of circumstances but he did. Phillipians 2:7 says that Jesus made himself “nothing.” That’s putting it lightly. Mike Rowe never did a dirty job like this.

So this Christmas season beyond all the flashing lights and wonderful things it is my prayer that my children understand what Christmas means. It’s my prayer for you too. Be blessed knowing that LOVE CAME DOWN.

David Fincher’s True North

“I remember the experience of being there when he breathed his last breath. It was incredibly profound. When you lose someone who helped form you in lots of ways, who is your ‘true north’, you lose the barometer of your life. You’re no longer trying to please someone, or you’re no longer reacting against something. In many ways, you’re truly alone.” -David Fincher

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Jesus

I recently saw the above quote by David Fincher on IMDB.com. Fincher has directed more than a few thought provoking movies including FIGHT CLUB, THE GAME, & SEVEN. His films are visually innovative and he is one of the few directors that I’d pay to see any movie that he directed. His quote is in reference to death of his father. I totally understand his feelings having watched my own stepfather slip away into the abyss. Without getting too preachy I also know something of Jesus and his promise to always be with us. I’ve experienced His presence and can have confidence that I will never be lacking in a “true north.” That’s a good thing in a world that seems to be more out of control each day.