When it rains I talk to God, and this is what we talk about.

Mercy.

One of my favorite things about my God is his mercy, which can be simply described as him not giving me what I deserve.  God’s mercy is why I talk to God when it rains.  In the Bible, Jesus describes his Father in heaven as He who sends the rain on both the just and the unjust.  Every time it rains, whether I’m driving, walking, or my favorite, laying in bed and listening, I thank God for his mercy.  Because if there’s one thing on this earth I understand, it’s what I deserve – and most times I don’t deserve the rain.

But these last couple of days as God and I have talked about the millions of gallons worth of rain that have been dumped on my new hometown of Atlanta he’s reminded me of how grateful I should be of his other attributes besides mercy.  As I have observed the ruins left by unchecked rain that literally washed away cars, roads, homes, and even people, I have been reminded that God’s mercy left unbalanced by his truth, justice, and even wrath would result in a universe of chaos and ruin.  A complete lack of consequences for man’s natural propensity towards evil would bring about a reality none of us could survive.

My gratefulness for his mercy is sobered by my gratefulness for his truth and judgment, and from here on out when God and I talk about the rain, I will remember the flood of Atlanta 09, and will thank him that he alone is the one responsible to hold the perfect balance between mercy and judgment. 

So let’s remember to thank God for the rain – and the next time we experience the consequences of our own poor decisions – let’s make sure to tell him thanks for not giving us too much of a good thing.

God is Good and I am grateful.

Josh

I am selfish.  I just am.  It seems my children are too.

My oldest, Rylee, is a pretty generous kid.  While she may suffer from her fathers need for attention she did get blessed with the generosity of her mother.  (Heidi once went a whole elementary school year letting another girl have her twinky everyday at lunch – just because she asked)  My oldest son, Kade, on the other hand did not inherit his mothers willingness to share. 

The other day we bought him new shoes, he was in dire need of them and he was oh so proud of those shiny leather kicks.  So proud in fact that no one was allowed to touch them – not even his one year old brother Grady.

I was in my office working when I heard the ruckus, immediately I formed a theory on the reason for the drama, it went like this – Grady saw shiny new shoes – Grady grabbed said shoes and began to chew - Kade saw Grady with his new shoes – Kade screamed and grabbed the shoes from Grady – resulting in Grady screaming.  Not the best working environment, but since we have already established where Kade’s selfishness comes from, I won’t complain.

When I arrived on the scene, my suspicions were confirmed.  There was Grady crying and there was Kade tightly holding his new shoes.  As Father’s, we all have moments when our kids are mirrors, at that moment Kade was me looking right back.

At this point in my life I’m much better at hiding my selfishness than my three year old.  I do believe that God has given me victory over the easy stuff – namely, my stuff.  I have experienced the joy of recognizing the truth that all that I have is God’s and that I am simply a steward of it.  That is the essence of the conversation I had with Kade - ”those aren’t your shoes – they are God’s shoes - He gave them to you to meet your need – you have a responsibility to share his blessings with others (namely your bro, Grady) to help meet their needs.  Thus the title – God’s shoes.

It’s the more valuable stuff I wrestle with sharing.  You know the things I’m talking about – things like time, talents, family, did I say time.  This last year I have really enjoyed the gift of rest and the experience of a healthy margin in my life.  I have been able to focus much of my time and talents on my family.  I believe that this has been an incredible gift from God for which I am incredibly grateful.

But the other day with Kade seated in my lap listening intently (and trying to wrap his little mind around the idea that those little shoes were really God’s) it was almost like God was whispering to me – “I have given you some time because you needed it, but remember it’s my time and my talents – I gave them to you and you have a responsibility to share my blessings to you with others.” 

Seated there with my three year old, that’s what I heard.  And now, a couple of days later I’m doing my best to wrap my little mind around what that specifically means for me.  

So here’s to celebrating and releasing the gift of God’s shoes – may each of us experience the joy of sharing them.

God is good,

Josh

When we bought our new house three months ago it had a small forest in the back yard.  Many of the trees were small enough that I could manage them – so over the period of about a month I removed twenty two small Pines and Oaks from our yard.  I enjoy the hard work and my kids love the adventure.  It was great.

There were some however that were way to big to mess with.  The dangers of destroying my house, my neighbors, or myself far outweighed my sense of adventure and so this afternoon a local tree company, Goodyear Tree & Stump Service, came with eight guys, four trucks, a giant shredder, stump grinder, and track hoe and destroyed in six hours what it took nature over twenty years to build.

Don’t get me wrong – I wanted the forest out of our backyard.  But as I watched one of the giant pines go down from a second story window I couldn’t help but think how trees are like men. 

They begin small and fragile, then slowly, with time and proper care develop into towers of strength providing shelter and support for those around them. 

As I watched the trees fall I thought of men I’ve known who were cut down in moments through compromise of character.  

As my kids oohed and awed (ok, me too) over the carnage left by these falling giants I uttered two prayers. 

May my character allow me to grow to be a giant – and may my friends and family never have to suffer my fall.

My prayer is the same for you.

God is good – you be too – Josh