Baby Update

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Just a quick update on the baby boom that has hit our congregation. Kelli Gaston gave birth yesterday to a healthy baby boy. He weighed 8 lbs. and was 21 inches long (I hope I remembered that correctly). As of now he is "Baby Boy Gaston". Maybe mom and dad will be able to agree on a name before he graduates from high school! (LOL)

Also, we will be baptizing Nevaeh (Anna's new daughter) on Aug. 19th.

Peace and Grace

Jim

Toleration

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We live in a world where toleration is king. As long as the other person isn't hurting you, they are free (and encouraged) to do their own thing. And after you see others "doing their own thing" often enough, that "thing" becomes normal. You get used to it. And when others do something that isn't quite so outrageous, we are relieved.

Here is an economic example of what I am talking about. Last summer, on my vacation in Colorado, we went to Estes Park. I was mortified because the price of gas in that resort community was over $3.00 per gallon. Fast forward a year and you get to June/July of 2007. In Oklahoma, in the middle of a state built on the oil industry, we were paying over $3.00 per gallon for gas. And when my local station finally dropped the price back down to $2.89, I thought I was getting a bargain. I remember when my mother threw a fit because gas climbed over 50 cents--boy have times changed!!! There is a cartoon in today's paper (I think it is Blondie and Dagwood) where the most dangerous job in America is identified--it is the job of changing the price at the gas station!

As humans, pushing the envelop and expanding into new "stuff" is what we do. Be it technology or human behavior, we are surprised by change and innovation, but after a while, we become used to it. But what worries me is that God isn't human. God doesn't have standards that change every time the wind blows. We in America have so embraced toleration that sin no longer phases us. What was sin yesterday is normal acceptable behavior tomorrow. But that is for you and I--not for God. I pray that we learn to be tolerant, without abandoning our standards. God is depending on us to model the behavior that He expects from humanity. Heaven help us if we fail--but even more so if we never even try!

Enjoyed the Fireworks

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My family had an interesting night last night. We went to the Oklahoma City RedHawks baseball game. It was a great game. It was warm, but not too hot. There were some dark clouds, but it never rained. The home team won!

After the game, the RedHawks/Bricktown put on a tremendous fireworks display. It went on for about 20 minutes, with a finale that was so bright, it actually hurt my eyes. Following the fireworks, we made our way through the crowd, out onto Mickey Mantle Drive and around to the 6 story parking garage that is next to the ball park. That was when the real fireworks began.

Ben (my oldest son) and I entered the parking garage at 10:30. Lu Ann stayed with the two younger ones at street level. I assumed that once I exited the garage, I would pick them up and we would head home. When Ben and I got to the car, we started it up and sat. About five minutes later, there had been no movement in the cars behind me, so I shut off the car and sent Ben down stairs. I walked over to the openings that look down onto Sheridan and got my front row seat for the real show.

The parking garage became one huge traffic jam. On the street, a parking attendant (I don't think he was an OKCPD officer, maybe a private security person) had blocked off Sheridan going East. All cars from the garage were being merged onto Sheridan going West. It was a huge mess. About every 5 minutes, two or three cars got to exit the garage. I watched one particular car that was on my level. It did not move a full car length in a one hour span. There was complete and total gridlock.

Sometime between 11:00 and 11:30, things in the garage took on a mean edge. People got out of their cars (not those in line, but the ones who couldn't even pull out to get in line), went to the openings and began to scream. They wanted the traffic guy to "free" those of us being held captive in the garage. People on the ground got into the issue and we were on the verge of a riot. At some time during that period, real police officers showed up and things improved a little bit. Cars were getting out quicker, but the line behind me didn't budge.

At about 11:30, the police and traffic attendant packed up and left. This meant that traffic could move both East and West on Sheridan, but those of us in the garage were at the mercy of regular traffic. Finally, at about 11:45, the line behind me started moving. I was finally able to get in my car, back out and get into the line. At 12:00, I pulled out of the building and picked up my family. Like a few thousand other OKC residents, I spend 1 1/2 hours in a traffic jam. Needless to say, I wasn't a happy camper. When I finally got to be first in line, I was glad to see that OKCPD had returned and were stopping East bound traffic to let us get out of the garage at a quicker pace.

Two things I learned from this. First, God has been helping me with patience. A few years ago, that type of situation would have driven me crazy and elevated my blood pressure to dangerous heights. God helped me to back off, relax and wait for the jam to clear. That was a great blessing. Second, I learned that pedestrians in Bricktown late at night have a death wish. They will step out in front of cars with no thought for their own safety. We need to be praying for their salvation because for some of them, it is highly probable that they will be meeting their maker in the very near future.

I hope that your 4th wasn't quite so eventful or stressful.

Jim

Great Expectations

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Yesterday, someone e-mailed me and asked if I had written anything in my blog (OK, actually, the e-mail was about something else, but they did add that to the end). So, now I have two faithful viewers who pester me if I don't write. OK, pester might be too strong a word. But sometimes a gentle reminder is all that is needed.

This writing "thing" is new to me. Yes, I know, I wrote a "book" when I got my degree. But writing an academic thesis is not the same as writing to a blog. This is much harder. I mean, the people who read this are people who I interact with every week. If I say something stupid (can someone with a doctorate say something stupid? Yes, they can!!!!), they will call me on it immediately. And then I have to look them in the eye. Blogging is like writing in a journal--only everyone and their dog has access to it. It is a little bit intemidating.

I think part of my problem is that of expectations. Because I am a minister, people (especially those silly people in my congregation) expect that I think lofty, spiritual thoughts all the time. I must confess--that isn't true! In fact, too often I spend my time thinking about the average, everyday stuff that you think about. Like what to eat for dinner or what to do with the family for the holiday. Even at work, the job is often about fixing the plumbing, dealing with the finances or getting the technical stuff ready for a PT spelling bee. God is in the background of all I do, but it is mostly just average, everyday stuff. Nothing too dramatic or spiritual--nothing that looks good on the blog!

So, I guess what I am saying is that you shouldn't expect too much from my blog. I won't write everyday...that is too much like work! And some of what I say will be more like Homer Simpson than Homer (the Greek poet). So, don't expect too much.

Have a great 4th of July--stay safe and stay close to Jesus!

Jim