GIVE THE AD A BREAK

I've heard a few pro-life folks complaining about the Focus on the Family Tim Tebow ad on the Super Bowl telecast.  I have to admit when I first saw it, I was a bit disappointed.  But upon further review (clever football analogy), I had a change of heart.  I think my disappointment stemmed from all of the pre-ad hype.  There was plenty of press coverage, there were threats and accusations, and the pro-abortion crowd was saying that CBS should not run the ad because it was dangerous and anti-women.   All of the controversy got me in a fighting mood, I couldn't wait for Sunday, and not because of the game.  I knew the ad was running in the first quarter, so I sat a little nervous waiting for Tim and his mom to come out throwing pro-life blows.  I anticipated an aggressive attack on abortion, sort of a counter-punch for all the pro-abortion antics I'd been subjected to for the past two weeks.  What I then saw was a sweet, loving mom telling us that life is precious, not one punch was thrown, and abortion wasn't even mentioned.  I'm not an expert on using mass-media to reach people, but I'm sure that those who did the commercial know more about it than me, they took a step of faith and chose a subtle approach.  My disappointment came because I was told there was going to be a fight at the bike racks and one of the kids wouldn't fight, he had a better idea.  By the way, Focus on the Family never said there would be a fight, they just said don't judge the ad until you see it.  Focus didn't cop out, and they aren't afraid.  They have taken the lead in the battle against same-sex marriage, pornography, gambling, and most certainly abortion.  They have been at this a long while, and I trust that they put a great deal of prayer into it, so let's cut them some slack.  I believe if I hadn't heard all of the hoopla beforehand and saw the ad fresh, that I would have been thrilled that Tim and his mom, in the midst of screaming chickens, go daddy, and beer can houses, were able to share a brief message of life.  Focus on the Family and the Tebow's took a big step of faith.  I'm praying that through that faith many eyes will be opened, and little lives saved.

Wise Love

Philippians 1:9 "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment."

The grocery store is a great place to witness interesting parenting skills.  It seems most times I'm in some local store I'll be treated to a parent either over disciplining or under disciplining or entertaining a child.  Poor mom or dad are just doing whatever they can to quickly get enough for dinner, and get out of the store with some sanity intact.  Now that my kids are grown it's fun to observe.  I forget what aisle I was on, but I saw a round little boy tugging at his mom wanting some snack he was holding.  The boy was very tenacious and kept asking, even though mom was saying no and trying to ignore him.  I kept my eyes on the shelves but was paying close attention to the drama, because I wanted to see if mom would stick to her guns.  I was rooting for mom not to give in, so I was a bit disappointed when she caved.  The worst thing about her letting him get the snack was what she said to him.  She said something like this..."well ok you can have it but only because I love you".  I know when it comes down to it, it was none of my business, but I was so tempted to pull mom aside and give her a little advice.  I wanted to tell her that to say no to your son is very loving, and sometimes more loving than saying yes.  I would have liked to explain how a simple "no" might be hard right now, but would pay dividends later down the line.  If I was feeling extra bold I would have quoted the above verse and given her a mini Bible study, right there in Ralphs.  The lesson would have been simple, and would have applied to us all.  We need to learn and discern how best to love.  Love can be difficult, it's not always warm and fuzzy.  Love says no, love rebukes and confronts, and love at times may appear unloving to the person to whom it is extended.  The most powerful love requires a heavenly discernment, so that we might know how best to love.  I didn't give mom a sermon, and I'm sure she loves her son, it just seemed at that moment that her love was not in knowledge and all discernment.  Lord, teach us how to love, give us the wisdom we need to love as You would love.

I Need To Workout

The hardest part of me doing my physical exercise, whether it's going for a run or hitting the gym, is getting out the front door.  I love working out, in fact I can't think of a time, after the gym or a run, that I was disappointed that I went.  Once I take that first step and get going, I'm glad, and seem to always be energized and healthy afterwards.  Knowing these things, why in the world do I find it so hard to take that first step out the front door?  I have in fact become quite good at making excuses, and would share some with you,  but I don't want you to use them yourself.  This in the forefront of my thoughts today, because the cold and rainy weather has made my excuse making far to easy, and my workouts have slacked off a bit.  Now, I'm not sharing this because I think you care about my exercise habits.  I'm sharing this because I see clear application in our spiritual lives.  As with physical workouts, so it is with our spiritual workouts, it seems the hardest thing is getting started, taking that first step.  We know once we get started and open the Word or begin to pray, we''ll be blessed.  How is it that excuses can be made for not doing something so needful and healthy?  I guess there is no easy or soft way of looking at this, the bottom line is, we need to be disciplined and just do what we need to do.  Turn off the big screen, set aside the I pod, the I phone, the I pad, and the I anything else, and open our Bible.  We all know there is no good excuse, so take the first step, begin your spiritual workout and I know you will be blessed.