Last week I had a quick getaway to read, write, and just be with God for a while. I was thinking through Psalm 23 and praying for God to be my shepherd… and then this happened. Where have you been lately, or how has God brought you to that place that restores your soul?
~Peter
Have you ever jumped on Facebook and felt like everyone was on vacation but you?
Ever scrolled through your news feed and felt like you were the worst mom of the year because you aren’t soaking in the early morning rays of sunshine with your 2-year-old in the park like every other mom is?
Have you ever felt like a failure because your coworker has finished 4.25 miles of his morning trail run all before you got up and wiped the sleep from your eyes?
Have you ever felt like everyone else’s kitchen comes straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine while yours looks a bit more like a kitchen found in a frat house?
What about your kids… ever feel like they are NEVER as well-behaved or athletic, or as honor rolled, or as perfect and put together as all those other kids that pop up on your Facebook wall?
Have you ever felt bad about your life after looking at everyone else’s?
The truth is, none of us are really as good as our Facebook wall and profile let on. That is probably the one area of our life that is totally within our control… (except for those random high school photos that I keep getting tagged in. Oh Marching Band… Glad we spent 4 years together…) But let’s be honest, we only post the things that show off our good sides. We are able to upload a picture, write a cute caption, publicly praise our spouses, and flaunt our victories to make us look amazing.
You know… There’s that awkward post of, “Hey babe, can’t wait for you to get home tonight… wink wink.” Right, we get it… you guys have a ‘healthy marriage’. Or, “Check out my kid… I love the way his mind works…” Yeah, your kid is super special. Or, “My hubby just did all the dishes, and cleaned the whole kitchen. He’s the best.” Right. Why aren’t we seeing that post every night?
Come on people. We live in the real world. The problem is that many of us are working overtime cultivating our digital worlds at the expense of those who are around us each and everyday. We don’t live in the world of 1′s and 0′s. This is not the matrix. If we buy the Facebook lie we run the risk of anesthetizing ourselves to our own life and we face the possibility of drowning in our own jealousy and frustration.
Next time you see that beautiful family photo, know that there were hundreds of others that didn’t make the cut. Know that the precious outfit that little kid is wearing got jelly all over it minutes after that was Instagramed. What you didn’t read about the guy doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen, was that the only reason he was doing it was because they just got in a huge fight the day before.
Recently, my wife came home from her women’s Life Group, and a couple of the mom’s have decided to make May the month of digital reality. They have decided to post real life pictures in order to ditch the pressure to be like every other ‘perfect’ person out there who has it ‘perfectly together’. It all clicked with me when I saw Tiffany’s Instagram the other day.
I loved it. Because this is my life.
She is equal parts crazy and equal parts cute. But that is life. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.
What do you love about your life? Let’s hear it.
~Peter
Mother’s day is coming. In fact it is merely hours away. Seeing that I am the other responsible party for the reason that we are celebrating mother’s day I know all too well the responsibility that comes with the Mother’s Day event.
First off let’s talk about how amazing moms are. A few weeks ago it was take your kid to work day. This was us three, headed out for a productive day in the work world. I think what they really meant to call it was “Make your dad work really really extra hard day”, but anyway, I’m convinced that it is a holiday created by teachers and mothers. They all got together at a Parent Teacher Association meeting and declared that on one day in the spring they would ship the kids off to work with dad. Let’s just say this… I never thought Tiffany had it easy as a mom. I’m not one of those guys who is waiting for his wife to get a real job. Tiffany has more on her plate than I can dream of. But… after the old take ‘em to work excursion… WHEW… I have a new-found respect for what moms do on a daily basis. Mission accomplished ladies.
So, back to the Mother’s Day event. We have great reason to celebrate our own mom’s and the mom’s that take such great care of our kids.
You’ve been warned. Now go make this mother’s day one that she will never forget. Which one’s are you going to try this year? What am I missing? Let’s pull together a list of ideas. Come on men. We need to stick together. Or, mom’s what would you add to the list?
~Peter
When was the last time that you said the four words, I could be wrong? What a powerful statement. Admitting there is a chance that you aren’t right is amazing. Pride is one of the nasty things that springs up in our life like weeds in a garden. At first those weeds are just a little extra greenery. Not much that you need to worry about. Then if left to grow, they begin to really set roots. After those roots are established the push up a huge blossom and they set out and ruin your once beautiful garden. Pride is like that.
Look at what the book of Proverbs has to say about pride:
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes dishonor
Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty
Pride is a ruthless killer. It leads you to believe that you are always right, and in fact it’s impossible for you to be wrong. Ever met anyone like that? They are incredibly hard to be around. It reminds me of the character on SNL, Penelope, played by Kristin Wig. This character was a One-Upper. She always had to be better than everyone else. Check out this montage…
Pride looks bad on everyone but ourselves. Shane Hipps says, “Certainty can be a great friend of arrogance.” He goes on to say, “It’s not that we can’t know anything, just that we can’t know everything.” We must stop with the incessant need to be right, most important, or most recognized. Maybe we need to practice saying, “I could be wrong.” Try it. Say it right now… I could be wrong. There, see, it didn’t hurt that bad. Now put it into practice in the real world. But go one step further and actually mean it when you say it. It will make you feel so much better. But, hey, I could be wrong.
~Peter
I was sitting on the edge of the dock when I took this picture the other night. This is the Barnegat Bay, with the sun setting somewhere over West Creek NJ. Long Beach Island has to be one of my favorite places to be. I have so many great memories from being here. I couldn’t help but think about how many times the sun has set over this bay, and how many times it has done so unnoticed. That night, for whatever reason, I stopped and took notice. I watched as the sun, slowly melted away over the horizon. I snapped pictures, and thought about how beautiful it was and what that sun set meant to me. Here are two thoughts that I had from that sunset.
It is so easy to rush through life moving from one event or activity to another. We can become easily distracted by the mundane details of everyday life; Bills, Chores, Work, Responsibilities, Stress, Problems, Car Repairs, etc. You know what they are, you probably could list off 3 or 4 things right now that fall into that category. Those things often times act as a mask. They cover up all of the really good things that are happening. Since our minds tend to focus on what hurts most these are the things that get our attention. These things can prevent us from seeing how great God is. Stop, pause, reflect, think about all of the really good things that God has going on in your life right now. I bet you could list a lot of those things out too! Do it today.
As I was watching the sun roll across the sky being buried into the distant marsh, it occurred to me that God has been doing this for a very long time. In fact, the sun came up this morning and it is going to go down later tonight as well. I can’t help but be reminded of how great God is and how faithful He is in my life. I think about this passage from Lamentations…
This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving-kindness indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
God never stops. God never gives up. God never fails to provide. God never stops being faithful. And it is not only in the sunsets and sunrises that God is faithful. He is faithful to me in so many other ways. And I’m sure He is faithful to you in all of those ways as well. Praise God for His incredible faithfulness. Can you write down 3 or 4 ways that God has been faithful to you today, this past week, or even this past year?
Don’t let another sunset go by without thanking God for His faithfulness. Don’t let the problems of your day/s keep you from seeing how great God is. What is one thing that you are thankful for right now? I’d love to hear it.
~Peter
Last Saturday, Tiffany and I were doing some work in our backyard. ”Careful. If you cut yourself on that you’ll have to go get a tetanus shot.” That’s exactly what Tiffany, said to me on Saturday as I was cutting this rusty gas can with my tin snips. ”I know” I said. ”But you’ll see… This is going to be my Pintrest garden over here.” I was in the middle of redeeming something that had been set aside and repurposing it for something beautiful. Redemption is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
This past week I’ve had several conversations with people who felt like they were failures. It broke my heart. I listened as they told stories of how their lives got wildly out of control and how other people made horrible decisions that affected them terribly. Tears welled up in their eyes as they poured out their heart. I’ve been asked, “Can God do anything with me? Especially the way that I am?”
I just listened. But inside my heart was breaking for them.
I couldn’t help but think about my garden in the backyard. Specifically my most recent potted project. I had found an old metal gas can that looked pretty cool. It was covered in rust but I knew that there was some really great potential in it. After a little work, I was able to make it into something that would be useful. I decided to make it into a flower-pot. It’s a little different from your normal terra-cotta pot, but that’s why I like it.
In Isaiah 61, the prophet talks about the favor of the Lord. Isaiah says that the prophet has been sent, “to grant those who mourn in Zion, to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes” To my friends who are suffering with the feeling of inadequacy, or feeling like they are too far gone, or too broken, or too old and rusty… You’re not.
God can turn any situation around. God can use you no matter what has gone on in your life. I keep thinking of the idea that there is beauty that rises up from the ashes. God is the God of redemption. Recently Tom Kang said, “If you’re not dead, then God’s not done with you.”
Don’t give up. Don’t throw in the towel. God isn’t done with you. He may do something incredible through your life, Pintrest worthy even! He may use you to bring something to life, or to display His beauty in and through you.
~Peter
