Posts

Showing posts from 2015

#spoileralert

Image
I’m a big fan of the TV show The Walking Dead . I like the show because it uses the griping drama of a zombie apocalypse to tell a much bigger story. The Walking Dead is a show about humanity – it is about good and evil, love and hate. Through the narrative we watch as people survive in a world without cellphones, electricity, and Facebook.  There is conflict and romance, struggle and accomplishment, new life and death. To that end, (SPOILER ALERT!) in a recent episode one of the main characters presumably perished. His name was Glen. He was a quirky kid who became a hero and voice of reason in the mayhem of zombieville (and he ends up marrying a beautiful girl – hang on, Nerds, there is hope for us in the apocalypse!). The tragedy of Glen’s death is not what I want to write about today. Rather, I want to talk about what happened after he died (in real life, not on TV). After the showed aired on AMC Sunday night, the Internet blew up. Fans of The Walking Dead went bana

Missing Breakfast

Image
I should be at Nardin Montessori Preschool right now. It is parent breakfast day. The day when the kids show off all the cool “work” they’ve been doing. I should be there. But I’m not. I’m in my office working and worrying about my church, life and ministry. I could be at my daughter’s breakfast, but it’s like I told my wife this morning when I put my kids in the car, “No, I can’t make it today. I’m too busy. I’m too far behind at work.” So here I am… Alone in a big church, sitting behind a cluttered desk, attempting to cross off items on my to-do list, wondering what I’m missing at Molly’s school. I open the Bible. Not necessarily because it’s a part of my morning routine, but because… well, why not. Seems like something a pastor should do from time to time. I turn to Psalm 127, the selected Psalm for today. I read: “Unless the Lord builds the house, Those who build it labor in vain… It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, And work your finger

Starbuckese

“I’ll have a grande Pike Place with a splash of cream in a venti so there’s room.” This is how I begin most days. That’s Starbuckese for, “I’ll have a regular coffee with a bit of cream in a cup that’s big enough to keep it from spilling over the lid while I drive like a maniac to work.”   It took me a while to learn Starbuckese. When I first started buying my coffee there I would order a large with cream. “Do you mean a tall, a grande or a venti?” “Light or dark?” “Do you want room?” “Uh….” I often thought to myself, “How can a ‘tall’ be ‘small’? Light or dark?! I just want coffee. Room where? For what?” Over time I learned their language and figured out how to order my coffee in exactly the right way. Today I am happy to report that my former anxiety, nerves and naiveté have been replaced with fluent Starbuckese.   Last week I spent a few days at the Upstate New York Synod Ministerium and it dawned on me halfway through the event that we were all speaking

Paper Airplanes

“Daddy, can you make a paper airplane?” Molly asked. “Wait… Can I?! CAN I?! Of course I can!” I spent the next few minutes crafting and creating the greatest paper airplane ever made. I made precision folds and crimped the paper at all the right points. The nose of the plane ended in a sharp edge that would surely cut through the air. I wrote “Molly” on one wing and “Daddy” on the other. And then, I threw it.   The moment the airplane left my hand I knew it was going to be a good flight. My paper creation flew across the room with grace and poise. It flew until it couldn’t fly anymore as it crashed against the far wall. I smiled at Molly. I was pleased that the first paper airplane I made for her worked. So many of my days are filled with errs and blunders, it felt great to have a win – especially a win in front of my biggest fan. And so, you can imagine my surprise when Molly reacted with pity and disappointment. “It’s okay, Daddy. You can’t do everything.” “Wait…

Click

There is nothing quite like watching things “click” for a three-year-old.  My daughter, Molly, is in that stage of life where things are beginning to make sense. She’s starting to really understand cause and effect. She’s learning that she can build, play, create, catch, dance, and do a bunch of really awesome activities. So, I have this pretty cool front-row seat where I get to watch her discover and learn.  I’ve watched as Molly’s favorite refrain has gone from “what?” to “watch this.” I’ve seen confusion become clarity. I’ve witnessed skeptical eyes fill with joy. I’ve heard the proud laughter of a child who’s proud of herself. I’ve seen her jaw drop. I’ve seen her eyes fill with happy tears. I’ve watched a smile slowly creep across her face in astonishment. It is so cool when life clicks, when things start to make sense. Jesus has me thinking about that lately. I’ve been reading the Gospel of Mark and there seems to be a ton of confusion over who Jesus is and wh