Big Seth is the Big Uno!

Yes that’s right, Seth turned 1 yesterday. It’s crazy that are year ago we were in the hospital wondering which of his brothers he’d most resemble. As I said in my last post, I REALLY love that kid. One of my favorite parts of the day is going in his room in the mornings to get him out of his crib. He’ll flash me that cheesy smile, put his hands in the air, and wait for me to snatch him up. When I do his head instantly goes to my shoulder and he rides that way into our bedroom so he can tell his Momma good morning.

One of his favorite things to do right now (unfortunately) is to keep a close eye on the baby gate blocking the stairs. If it’s open, he flies to the bottom of the stairs and starts making his way up. It makes me QUITE nervous to have him crawling up like that, but I’ll chase him for a second as he laughs and giggles. Then about half way up I’ll reach down and yank him up.

Below are some pics from his birthday party we had for him on Saturday. It was a fun way to celebrate our son.

Seth, happy birthday monkey. I love you very much and I cannot WAIT to see all the ways you’re going to grow in another year.

 

 

 

 

Can You Feel It?

Today is just a good day. I’m sure you feel it – it’s one of those days that keeps you smiling from sunrise to sunset. It’s a day filled with random, giddy laughter, high-fives for no reason, and a sense that all is right in the world. Yes, today is Opening Day! It’s the only day of the season when there’s a 30-way tie for first AND last place. 29 teams are filled with the hope of a season with a different outcome than last year. 1 team carries the hope of a repeat. Rookies nervously await their first steps on the freshly manicured grass. Starting pitchers anticipate their first fastball called for a strike. Fans wait eagerly for that first run to cross the plate, the first strike out, and, of course, that first big shot over the outfield fence. Yes, my friends, it’s Opening Day. Soak it all in.

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Also, today is the day BEFORE Seth turns 1. I’ll write more about that that tomorrow, but we had his birthday party over the weekend. Let me just say I LOVE that kid. He’s already got so much personality and when he lays his head on my shoulder my heart just melts. But, like I said, more on that tomorrow.

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Tonight is the NCAA Final Four Championship Game – North Carolina vs. Michigan State. My money is on the Tar Heels (GO ACC!!!), but the Spartans have surprised a lot of people. Regardless of the outcome I’m confident it will be a great game.

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My “To-Read” list is growing significantly larger. I was working on three at a time, but that got too overwhelming, so I’ve decided to finish G.K. Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” first, then “Waking the Dead” by John Eldredge, followed by “Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers,” by Shane Claiborne and some other guy. Our church staff is currently reading “It’s Your Ship” by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. It’s a good book on empowering those under your leadership. Also on my “To-Read” list are: “Outliers,” “unChristian,” and one whose title I found fascinating – “Buy-ology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy.” Any recommendations for Blogland?

You can check out www.mlb.com if you want to listen live to your favorite team’s game today (or tomorrow). Crank up the game, open a window, grab a good book, and feel the love of a beautiful day!

Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man

We all know the story of Zacchaeus. I always pictured him as a victim – the small guy everybody picked on until one day Jesus strolled in and made all those bullies be nice. But the opposite is actually closer to the truth. Zacchaeus was a jerk, a traitor, an exploiter, and a thief. He was despised, not because he was small, but because he wasn’t worth liking.

When Jesus came walking into Jericho and the crowds raced to His side, He fixed his eyes on the small man up in the tree. Imagine being Zacchaeus, watching the mob move as one with Jesus at the core, right over to your tree. Dozens, if not hundreds, of faces staring up at you, but only Jesus invites you down. Everyone else’s stares are screaming, “Stay there!” And you know the end of the story – Zacchaeus comes down to have dinner with Jesus and makes a covenant to give half his possessions to the poor and repay those he’d stolen from four times what he took.

What Zacchaeus did was bold, not because it cost him a lot of money, but because he shifted his place in his culture. Doing something radical requires not just a sacrifice of material possessions, but a sacrifice of your place in your world. For Zacchaeus it was for the better. Surely he gained at least a few people’s respect through his actions. More importantly, he decided he would no longer be the filthy rich guy living off other people’s money. He was changed by his encounter with Jesus.

We’ve all designated our own place in our own world. Maybe we WANT to do something radical for Jesus, but it would require sacrificing that place, those friends, this house, that career, this paycheck, etc. We see Jesus looking up at us, but the faces of the crowd keep us in the tree. Maybe it’s time you came down, ignoring the crowd, and joining Jesus for a life-changing conversation that will lead you to God knows where.

Fire in my heart

Last week I spent time meditating on a verse in Jeremiah 20. Here’s the passage:

“O Lord, you seduced me and I was seduced;

you overpowered me and prevailed.

I am ridiculed all day long;

everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction.

So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long.

But, if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,”

HIS WORD IS IN MY HEART LIKE A FIRE,

A FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES.

I AM WEARY OF HOLDING IT IN;

INDEED, I CANNOT.

I love the imagery of the word of God being a fire inside of me that I cannot hold inside. I love the IDEA of it, but sometimes that’s not reality. I wish God’s word was a fire that I cannot hold in when I’m talking with my neighbor, Chris, who desperately needs the Lord in his life. I wish it was an uncontrollable fire in my bones when I’m at a high school for lunch, talking with students who don’t know Jesus. I feel it when I’m alone, if only when I was with other people.

What is the word of God like to you? Is it a fire that you cannot hold inside?

What is your take?

More companies this week have announced layoffs around the country. Our “Consumer Confidence Index” is at an all-time low (which means people are afraid to go out and spend money right now) and, to top it all off, the world might end in four years!!!

President Obama is pushing his new economic stimulus plan. One of our students last night said he heard part of the money is going to an art gallery. I had not heard that, so I decided to investigate. Below is what I’ve been able to find regarding Obama’s stimulus plan. Take a look at it. What do you like? What do you not like? What do you think the answer is to our economic woes? Give your take, Blogland!

 

Immediate Relief for Families

• Cut taxes by $500 for individuals and $1,000 for families.
• Greater access to child tax credit for working poor and expand earned-income tax credit to families with three children.
• A $2,500 college tuition tax credit.
• Allow first-time homebuyers to keep $7,500 tax credit.
• Keep extended unemployment benefits through 2009 and provide job training.
• Increase benefits to the poor by $25 billion.

Modernize Federal Infrastructure.

• $32 billion for transportation.
• $31 billion to modernize federal buildings.
• $19 billion in water projects.
• $10 billion mass transit projects.

Double Alternative Energy Production in Three Years

• $32 billion for a “smart electricity grid.”
• $20 billion in renewable energy tax cuts.
• $6 billion to weatherize homes.

Expand Health Care

• $39 billion to subsidize health care insurance for the unemployed.
• $90 billion to help states with Medicaid.
• $20 billion to modernize health information technology systems.
• $4 billion for preventative care.
• $1.5 billion for community health centers.

Improve Education

• $41 billion to school districts.
• $79 billion to states.
• $21 billion for school modernization.
• $16 billion to boost the Pell Grant.
• $2 billion for Head Start.

Invest in Science Research and Technology

• $10 billion for science facilities.
• $6 billion to expand broadband.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census.

(Source: AP, Highlights of $825 billion plan, January 15, 2009)

Just like that…

Christmas is over. Call me a Scrooge, but I get annoyed when Christmas begins in September. You know what I’m talking about. You walk into Wal-Mart to get school supplies and you have to walk past the inflatable Santa’s to find the backpacks. Ridiculous!!! Nevertheless, I’m always sad to see it go. This year was especially fun.

Levi really got into the whole Santa thing. He made his own decorations around the house, got all excited about our Christmas tree and the lights in our yard. Christmas Eve we watched The Polar Express while eating popcorn and drinking hot chocolate. He left a note for Santa asking him for a football helmet, which Santa delivered along with a truck for Titus and a walk-behind toy for Seth to go along with the 10 bajillion gifts the boys got from Nana, Poppy, Aunt Karen and Uncle Greg, Gram, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Peyton, Aunt April and Uncle Jeff, Aunt Chelsea and Uncle Doug, Great-Grandma and Great-Granddaddy, Great and GrandMoe, and Mama and Daddy. Our toy inventory was raised by approximately 500%!!! In addition to toys, Christina and I cashed in on a new espresso machine, a kitchen cabinet-mounted CD player, the Perfect Pushup, and generous amounts of cash.

Nevertheless, I’m sad Christmas is over. The gifts were great, but I loved when my side of the family came to Houston on the 21st to eat, open gifts, and ride the church bus around town looking at Christmas lights. We then all went to San Antonio, stayed at a hotel on the Riverwalk, and spent Tuesday at Sea World. It was one of the best Christmas’ our family has had together.

I also loved going to Belton to be with Christina’s rather large family (large in number, not in size). We spent an afternoon at Putt-Putt golf and games riding go-karts, bumper boats, swinging in the batting cages, putt-putting, and playing video games. It was a blast.

For me, that’s Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed my gifts, but I loved being with family even more.

At least Wal-Mart’s back to normal.

What were your Christmas highlights, Blogland?

Rubbing Elbows

One of the cool things about living in a big city is the prospect of seeing celebrities. Thursday night Christina and I went to see A Christmas Carol downtown. The play was incredible and it’s always fun to be in the theatre district at night. The highlight for me, though, came during intermission. Christina was one of a thousand women waiting to use the bathroom, so I meandered around for a bit. As I waited I saw a rather large fellow walking my way. It instantly clicked who it was – ROGER CLEMENS! I couldn’t believe it. He got right beside me and all I could do was point at him and say, “Roger Clemens!” He looked at me and I extended my hand. “Cory Jones,” I said. He shook my hand (with his pitching hand no less), and said, “Nice to meet you Cory.” I’m pretty sure he meant it.

I don’t do well when I see celebrities. I once saw Nicholas Cage in New Orleans while walking through the French Quarter with my buddy Matt Wilson. Matt noticed him first. We were with our high schoolers from 3Chopt in Richmond and I wanted to make sure they saw him. So I ran past Nicholas Cage, his wife and friend/agent/publicist/person-no-one-cared-about and pointed him out to our teens. They thought the sight of me running like a school girl was more entertaining than seeing a celebrity.

Those are the only two celebrity sightings I know about. I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ve passed a number of famous people and didn’t even know it. Any celebrity-sighting stories from Blogland?

Thoughts

Christina’s grandmother died last Friday and her funeral was Wednesday in Oklahoma City. The Jones fam loaded up and drove from Houston to OKC Tuesday and back Wednesday. It was quite a haul, but well worth it. Being with family is always fun, even if it is for a funeral. Some thoughts from the weekend:

1. Christina’s grandmother instructed her children to use the savings she had left to pay for hotel rooms for the entire family making the trip to the funeral, and for a special meal together. That was how she wanted her life to be celebrated – by a coming together of those she loved most. If that’s not a communion analogy I don’t know what is. We come together each week as the family of those loved by God to remember Jesus. The McCarty family spent their time together laughing, sharing old pictures, telling stories, hugging, crying, catching up, all the things a family does when it comes together. I feel that sometimes we miss the point of communion when we treat it as though it’s the only time of the week we have to be alone with God. We have all week for that; communion is community, a coming together of the body of Christ. I sometimes wish we did it a little differently.

2. Christina’s dad, Mac, has now lost both parents. I spent a lot of time thinking about that the past couple of days. Obviously, he is now of the age that he no longer relied on his parents the way a young child does. He is now a husband, father, and grandfather. Nevertheless, it HAS to be a strange feeling when both parents are gone. I couldn’t help but wonder if he felt at least a twinge of uneasiness over this. I wonder what it will be like when I’m in that position. What will it be like when my children are there?

3. On the way to and from the funeral Christina read two books aloud. First we read “90 Minutes in Heaven.” Not what I expected, but it was very appropriate and reassuring as we traveled to a funeral. On the way home we read Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love.” I explained to a friend that we had been taking some small steps forward in our faith. “Crazy Love” shoved us over a cliff!!! Read it. It’s conversational in tone, much like Francis Chan’s preaching style. But it will force you to consider how you go about living out your faith. Great stuff.

4. I’ve just ordered multiple books from Amazon. Typically I only get one at a time for fear that the rest will just sit on my bookshelf, never to be opened. But I gave in and got “Jesus Wants to Save Christians” by Rob Bell, “The Great Emergence” by Phyllis Tickle, and “Same Kind of Different as Me” by Ron Hall. I wish I read faster than I do because I’m EXTREMELY excited about all these books. Any other suggestions from Blogland?

I pray you’re all having a great holiday season. It snowed in Houston yesterday. Yes, you read that right. Unfortunately we were on the road and missed it. We did pull over once so I could use the restroom and I flung a snowball at the car just to remind myself what it felt like.

I’m so rich…

Over the weekend our high schoolers participated in World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine. At one point during the weekend I asked those participating to fill in the blank: I’m so rich ______________. The responses were interesting. I’m so rich:

my dog is fat

if I want to starve, I have to do it on purpose

I have a car

I have clean water

There were many others. I thought I’d throw it out to Blogland. How would you finish the statement?

Goodbye, Hypocrites!

Yesterday Jordan and I went downtown to James Bute Park to participate in the daily worship service for the homeless men and women there. We were late (we’re youth minister’s, we’re not supposed to be on time), so we just sat down in the plastic chairs among the dozen or so men gathered. We listened to a man talk about a faith without deeds. He called the men to repentance for their sins and challenged them to start their lives over again for the glory of God.

We chatted with Dave Alvarez from Glimpse of Reign, a praise band that often plays at the park. As we were leaving a man sat on the wire fence near my car and as we walked past he smiled and waved. I waved back and he said, “Goodbye hypocrites.” He had a fairly thick Spanish accent, so it came out, “Goodbye Heepocreets.” I couldn’t understand what he was saying so I walked over to him. I smiled and said, “What did you say?” He said it again – “Goodbye hypocrites.” I extended my arm to shake hands with him when it registered what he was saying. As my hand went out, he quickly drew his arm away and shook his head, refusing to shake my hand.

As Jordan and I left I wondered aloud why he thought we were hypocrites. Was it because we were obviously not homeless? Did our wealth indict us? Was it because we participated in the worship time and this man has a disdain for Christians? Was it because we didn’t give any money when an offering was collected (I always forget to bring cash or change with me)? None of the above? All of the above? I have no idea.

What occured to me was that we cannot possibly know what is in people’s hearts. Jordan and I were there to participate in worship, but also to scope out our plans for this Saturday when we take our high school students to the park to feed the homeless men and women there. I was initially offended, thinking to myself, “That guy doesn’t know me! Who is he to judge me?” But I’m just as guilty.

As a homeowning, car owning, clean clothes-wearing, shower-taking, grocery-buying “ordinary” American, I tend to make assumptions about the poor and the homeless. They’re probably lazy. They’re probably hooked on drugs. They’re probably alcoholics. They’re probably uneducated. They’re probably mentally and/or emotionally disabled. Who am I to make such judgments? How do I know that every man and woman living in that park aren’t the Godliest, most humble, servant-hearted people on the face of the planet? How do I know that the men and women in that park aren’t serving God even MORE faithfully than I am on a day-to-day basis? How am I to know that?

Are you guilty of these feelings from time to time? Do you wrestle with what you SHOULD feel toward the poor versus what you ACTUALLY feel about them? What are your thoughts?