A glimpse into the future

Somehow Joi sweet talked me into taking her on the "Speedway" track at Disney World. I remember doing this for the first time with my dad at Astroworld in Houston, TX. There's nothing like that feeling of actually driving a car for the first time. Granted we were only going about 5 miles an hour, it was still a thrill. As Joi drove I was REALLY grateful for that metal strip that kept her from getting off-track. That three inch strip was a the only thing between us and a scary off-road experience. Yet I know that someday the safety guards will be removed and she will be driving on her own in the real world...an even scarier thought!

In the meantime, our zig-zagging driving adventure reminded me that I have the awesome responsibility of keeping her on the straight and narrow spiritually so she takes the path God has marked out for her ( Pr. 22:6). What a ride it's been so far. To know that she loves Jesus and is growing in Him daily means the world to me. It is truly humbling to know that God has entrusted Amy and I with raising up three incredible daughters. I pray daily that they see Christ in us and that they see us continue to grow in Him as well.

Oh yeah, the ride also reminded me that my car insurance is going to go through the roof one day soon! Better start saving up...

Are you teachable?

While we were on Spring Break we did a "behind the scenes" tour of SeaWorld's dolphin training area. I was blown away by the relationships between the trainers and the dolphins. At one point we were ushered into an observation area where we were introduced to 7 dolphin trainers. Each trainer had 3 dolphins they were responsible for. The trainer we worked with knew each of his dolphins by name and could identify them from the other 18 dolphins. It was amazing how these animals responded to his call and how they recognized his face. They also took great pleasure in showing how well trained they were. Check out this video and see if you don't see some spiritual correlations.

Here's what this video reminds me of:

1. In John 10 Jesus said "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- John 10:14 (NIV) As I admired the relationship between the trainer and the dolphins, I couldn't help but be amazed that out of the billions of people on the planet, God not only recognizes me but knows me intimately, He cares for me by meeting my needs in ways that are amazing, and He is always training me as I am conformed to His image.

2. Jesus also said "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27 (NIV) Although we don't hear His audible voice, His Word is clearly heard as the Spirit gives us understanding of the Scriptures. His commands are clear and compelling and a joy to carry out. I was reminded of this truth as our dolphin trainer gave a series of commands. If he waved the dolphins would wave back with their flippers. If he twirled his finger, they turned in circles. If he patted the wall, the jumped up on top of the wall so we could pet them. My personal favorite was the gesture that made these graceful animals do a back flip that drenched us all. Amazing, all those responses with a simple hand motion with no words.

3. We were only given 30 minutes to give commands and feed the dolphins. We were warned that sometimes the dominant male dolphin would interrupt the show just to show his dominance. Sure enough, he did everything he could to disrupt our time together with these amazing creatures. It reminded me of how many times the devil tries to disrupt our time with the Lord. He has all kinds of tricks to get us distracted. I asked the trainer how he dealt with the constant interruptions from "bully dolphin". I thought his answer was very Scriptural. He said, "We are aware of what he is doing and why and we stay focused on our most important relationships". It reminded me of what the author of Hebrews said: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Heb 12:2-3 (NIV)

4. One other amazing thing. Each of these dolphins was rescued by SeaWorld. These animals would have died without intervention, constant care, and ongoing nurturing. The same is true of us. Paul put it this way: "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Col 1:13-14 (NIV)

For me this 30 minute encounter was a great reminder to stay focused on Jesus, be hungry to learn/grow from Him, and never forget what He did for us. If a dolphin would do so much for the reward of a couple of cold, dead fish, how much more should we be willing to become for the One who gave His all so we could be redeemed!

Hang on Baby!

While we were on Spring Break our family really enjoyed Orlando. Of course we did Disney but we also spent a day at SeaWorld because it's Amy's favorite place in the world. We had a blast feeding dolphins and even took the behind the scenes tour where we got to work with the dolphins and their trainers. Very cool! One unexpected thrill at SeaWorld was a roller coaster called Kraken. Everyone knows I am a roller coaster junkie. Faith wanted to test the waters to see if she had what it took to ride shotgun. I told her my goal was to break my personal record of riding 6 coasters in a row (accomplished at Hershey Park in PA).

While we were standing in line Faith remembered that she needed to do a research paper when she returned from Spring Break. I asked her what it was about and she said it was on "Living out your faith". She asked if I would give her a couple of bullet points for her outline. I told her that after the ride she would have all the points she needed!

She jumped in the front car with me and I took my video camera out to film the whole thing. Then I realized that there was a very good chance I might drop the camera and Amy would pretty much kill me on the spot. Then I thought "surely someone else has attempted to video this coaster". Sure enough, I found a video online with no innappriate language and some great shots.

Check out this video. I think I could be really good friends with the adventurous guy that shot this amazing ride!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znQ6kRkzU50

After the ride, I asked Faith if she had enough material to write the paper and she cracked up and said "more than enough". At the risk of sounding like Forrest Gump, living out our faith is really like riding a high flying roller coast in that:

1. You sometimes wonder if God will keep you safe when life seems to be plummeting straight down and it feels like you are about to crash and burn. Yet God is faithful...He is our ever present protector and provider.
2. Even though you don't know where the next turn will take you and it seems like your life is turned totally upside down, God already has the perfect path prepared for you.
3. True faith is trusting God to the point where we let go, raise our hands in praise and enjoy every twist and turn along the way! What a ride and what an adventure it is to have a front row seat to what God is doing!

"Whatever You're Doing"

This song by Sanctus Real has some amazing lyrics that really define what we all go through as we seek God's face in making decisions that honor Him. These words have driven me to The Word to surrender to whatever it is God desires...even when it seems chaotic and isn't "what I signed up for".

Paige Patterson, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, once said "The only thing that matters in life is that you are pleasing to God". That statement and my life verse (Phil. 1:27) are crucial to me when taking that next step in my spiritual journey.

The amazing this is that God is ALWAYS doing something in our lives as believers. The transformation process continues and His next chapter is always more amazing than we could ever imagine!

Check out these lyrics or click on the link above to listen to this song.

It's time for healing, time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out




YouTube - Sanctus Real - Whatever You're Doing Music Video

Shadow in the snow

It hardly ever snows in North Alabama, but we got maybe a half inch on the morning of March 1st. Since we lived in Maryland for 3 1/2 years our kids were not impressed. They were used to getting a good 6 inches and hitting the parsonage hill for amazing sledding. This year was our dog Shadow's first snow and she loved it. Here's a funny clip of her trying to run around with a piece of rope in her mouth trying to persuade Faith to come join her in the snow. Shadow is hours of entertainment and definitely part of the family. Enjoy!




Shadow in the snow from Richard Buckley on Vimeo.