This is Pa.  One of the most amazing men you will ever meet in your entire life.  He turned 90 years old this past August and he’s still going strong (at this point he’ll probably outlast me)!  He’s never met a stranger and would give you the shirt off his back.  My grandfather has been my inspiration and my friend ever since April 28, 1976.  He’s a WWII vet, and has the stories to prove it.  I don’t get to talk to Pa as much as I like these days (I don’t get to talk to ANYONE as much as I’d like these days).  But I hope he knows that he’s my hero and I love him very much.  

Pa, take care of my truck for me… I’ll come and get it one day soon, and don’t let any of my brothers (Josh included) convince you that it belongs to them.  You and I both know that only you and I can handle that much raw power! 

One of the things about being a follower of Christ means that you are humble enough to admit when you are wrong. 

Those who blog, comment on blogs, participate in online forums and conversations all realize that everything they say is public knowledge and is up for critique.  In my last post, “Are Christians Supposed to be Nice?” I took the stance that it’s not necessary to be nice in all situations (which I still hold to… to an extent).

I am here to say I was wrong.  I like to think that I have a teachable spirit.  I am constantly evaluating and re-evaluating my beliefs, my motives, and my practices.  I measure them all by two things:  First, I measure it with Scripture.  Do these things line up with what my Savior, Jesus Christ, taught?  Second, I measure it with my mentors (Godly men who help guide and lead me).

I am also not above admitting when I am wrong.  I was reading in Titus today (I read an entire book of the Bible in under 15 minutes… ok, ok, Titus is only one page long…).  I read this:

Titus 3:1-2 “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities , to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”

It was the “…to show perfect courtesy toward all people” that got me.  Here’s what I’m fleshing out right now, what does “perfect courtesy” look like?  Is it always nice?

Also, it says, “to avoid quarreling”.  And later, in verse 9 it says, “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions , and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.”  There is an ongoing conversation going on in an old post called ”Controversy Time” in which people are debating about Jewish law.  Scripture calls debating the law “worthless”.  Why would he say this?  Paul was talking to Titus, Pastor to the Cretans (those who live on the island of Crete).  See, the Cretan Christians wanted to follow Jewish law (Paul called them “those of the circumcision party” in verse 10 and also said they were “empty talkers and decievers”) which Paul called “Jewish myth and commands of people who turn away from the truth.”  While this conversation has been interesting to say the least, and it is breaking my heart, I am here to say that I am shutting it down because of Titus 9.  It is my prayer that all involved will search Scripture (in its entirety) and really take a close, microscopic view of their beliefs in order that they may have full confidence of their certainty of salvation.  I also hope that anyone who reads this will have a teachable spirit and be humble enough to learn from those who have devoted their lives to the study of scripture (both past and present).

With all love, respect, and humility. 

 The following article was written by a good friend of mine, Paul D. Watson.  He’s an incredible thinker and a phenominal curriculum writer.  He has this ability to get a point across simply by asking questions (who can argue with that?).  I recently had a conversation where I was told that in a debate between two people, the Christian was not nice and that the other person seemed to have more of a "christian" attitude.  That brought this article to mind.  This is a conversation that I have had with several of my philosophical friends in the past (Hey Darrin Crow!) and we have all come to this conclusion:  being nice is not a prerequisite to being a follower of Christ.  I’ll let Paul explain below, but I ask a question:  Was Jesus always "nice"?  Hmmm?

From the article "The Problem With Nice" 

I don’t know when Christians thought they cornered the market on being nice. I know a lot of nice Muslims, Hindus, Atheists and Buddhists. They don’t need God to be nice people. Neither do we.

You see, we expect people to be nice. Does it bother you when people are rude? When you get cut off in traffic? You wouldn’t get bothered if you didn’t expect people to be nice in the first place. Do you think Muslims like it when people are rude to them? No! They expect people to be nice. Same with Hindus, Buddhists, and Athiests.

People get cynical and jaded because the world doesn’t live up to their expectations. That doesn’t mean they didn’t have the expectation to begin with. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be cynical.

So being nice is the minimum standard of being human. We don’t need God to do it. So why do Christians spend so much time trying be nice? If nice is the goal of Christianity, why do people need to be Christian? That is like someone trying to sell a baker bread. Why would a nice Muslim want to become a nice Christian?

When Christians focus on being nice, they focus on meeting the minimum standard of being human. They hope people see their niceness and want to be Christians, too. Yet no one talks about things or behaviors that meets their minimum expectations. They talk about things that exceed their expectations. They don’t want to be part of something that meets their expectations. They want to be part of something that exceeds their expectations.

People only talk about things that are remarkable.  They only want to be part of something that is remarkable.

Being nice is not remarkable.  It is a minimum. 

Christians have to be more than nice if we want to make a difference, if we want to glorify God. We are going to have to aim to be remarkable.

What does that look like?

(I have to credit Seth Godin with starting me along this line of thinking.  You can read his blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/.)

Ok, some of you might have seen this in email form (it’s one of those "viral" emails that get forwarded to everyone and their brother).  I thought that it held enough truth to it that it would benefit my male readers:

9 Words Women Use

1.  Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2.  Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.  

 3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.  

4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!  

5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.) 

6. That’s Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you’re welcome.

8. Whatever: Is a women’s way of saying FORGET YOU!

9. Don’t worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What’s wrong?" For the woman’s response refer to #3.  

You will notice that the Jesus Videos have been re-enable on the menu.  I did this because of the ongoing discussion on my post "Controvercy Time".  These videos, while funny, show how most churches view, preach, and teach Jesus.  It’s a funny look at the sad state of the church today.

Anna said her first "regular" word (other than "Mama" "Dada" "dah" (dog), etc.)!  You know, you leave the kids alone with a Dad for long enough, there’s no telling what their first words will be.  I’m just lucky she learned this word and not something else.  Let me set the backdrop for this momentous occasion:

I was feeding the twins lunch today while watching the pre-game show on Fox.  Of course they were talking about the ‘boys, and I said something about "Texas".  And Anna repeated it!!!  YES!!! Her first word is TEXAS!!!  I could not be more proud!  Now, I’m trying to get her to say it again, which she does while pointing to the TV.  

Ok, I guess to be fair it’s not her "first" word… she does say "Hi" and "Hello" while pretending to talk on the phone.  But this is a big moment!  Now I just need her or Emma to say "Football" "Cowboys" "Jeff Gordon" or "Nascar".  It’ll happen soon, I promise you that! 

The new Cowboy Stadium is going up BIG TIME!  What a rush to drive by it and see the progress being made!  But, on the other hand, I drive by the old Texas Stadium in Irving (the new stadium is in Arlington) and can’t help but feel a sentimental attachment.  It’s kindof like losing an old friend (even though I’ve never been to a game inside of it). 

You can go to The Dallas Cowboy Stadium website to view an interactive tour of the new stadium. 

I’m going to let you guys battle this one out, but the one comment I will make is Ann Coulter needs to stick with a subject she knows something about.  I don’t know what form of “christianity” she thinks she represents, but it’s not my Christianity.  I really thought about this before I posted it because I know the backlash this could cause.  But you know me, I can’t keep away from a good controversy!  Please watch the whole video before you make a comment.

Well, it’s that time of the year again.  Time for cool costumes, cool weather (yeah right), and of course the pumpkin patch.  We’re taking the girls here tomorrow… Kyla can’t wait.  I’ll post the pics tomorrow night… if you’re lucky.