Not Just Yet

In reading through my 100 day challenge I find myself reading Stephen's sermon in Acts chapter 7. In 7:25 Stephen says on Moses slaying the Egyptian, "He supposed his (Hebrews) brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation through (Moses) hand, but they did not understand.

It jumps out at me that Moses was right on so many fronts. God would send Moses to deliver the people, but not just yet. Egyptians would lose their lives in the deliverance, but not just yet.

How many times do we have the right goal, vision, approach but mess it up because it should be done...but not just yet.

Curly Toenails of Doom

We are calling services off tonight due to weather...mostly.

The biggest threat is hanging two stories above the ground are these big curved sheets of ice. They are dangling by a thread from our roof.

Strangely, these sheets of ice look like overgrown toenails to me. Toenails of Doom!!!

Book #5 ...2009

Finished the autobiography Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammett today.

Tammett is a savant. What is a savant? It is the uncanny ability to calculate or compose music or a prodigious memory etc. For instance, Rain Man is a fictional movie on a true savant named Kim Peeks.

Tammett's savant abilities is being able to do lightning calculations in his mind.

The exceptionally odd thing about Tammett is that the numbers in his head have colors, textures, personalities and patterns. Each number appearance is unique up to 10,000.

Interesting subject, but like so many autobiographies I've read lately the subjects may be interesting but they do not make good authors.

I'm 99% sure...

I'm 99.5% sure I have high functioning Asperger's Syndrome.

I'm 99.9% my Dad has it which makes sense since it appear to be passed on genetically from the father.

Here's why it matters....

*It explains a lot. For instance: No matter how hard I try/tried there are a lot of social interactions in which I am completely clueless. The general explanation was things like, "shyness or not a people person." But Aspergers is a brain structure issue that makes it hard to comprehend social cues and mores that most people take for granted.

There are also certain habits or ways of thinking that I knew wasn't common. You cannot imagine my surprise when researching Aspergers for the first time those specific type things were expressly mentioned.

Here's why it doesn't matter...

*It isn't an excuse to retreat away from people because it is uncomfortable.

There are ways to cope and compensate, which I have over the years stumbled onto that should and do get used.

*By referring to it as a brain structure issue it sounds mysterious and special. My opinion is we are learning more concerning the brain and how much uniqueness is possible. What is considered a 'syndrome' really is just one of many options of how brains can develop. Over time 'syndromes' will be easy to spot. The big question is what is normal.

David was right in Ps 139 "We are fearfully and wonderfully made."

*I will never be the extrovert my wife is but I can certainly improve in how to socially interact even if it doesn't translate into feeling natural or easy.

Seals...Leadership

Watched the DVD on Navy Seals Class 234 from back in '02.

It is easy to get caught up in the brutal workouts, freezing cold, getting wet and sandy and the general misery.

The thing that really jumped out was the highlighting of leadership. Leading from out front. Motivating your team. Stepping up.

I am always on the look out for a better understanding of leading. Disc 1 of the Navy Seals gave me a practical framework and food for thought on leadership.

Sunday Re-Cap

Good day.

Due to the ice we were down a little. But all in all a solid attendance.

Preached on Heaven.

I only got in my intro and first point in the first service. Now the lay person can't appreciate the discipline of stopping short. To the preacher time moves at a different pace. Plus, they are so engaged with the sermon that they can easily forget that others have tuned out.

Yet after almost 20 years of preaching I have learned I can find a good stopping point and if need be pick the rest of the sermon up next service.

What lay people do understand is when the preacher has missed a good memorable stopping point and plods on just to finish the outline.

So in the evening I preached on....Heaven.

A high point of the AM was my taking the kids on a baptistery tour. Many of our kids are asking good questions about Christ. But, they are afraid of the baptistery. Someone saw a dead wasp in it once and that was all that it took.

The kids enjoyed it and asked good questions. We may be firing up the baptistery w/i the next few weeks.

Nice hanging out with a bunch of families @ Ben's place. Good food. Heart breaking game if you were rooting for Arizona. But that is what makes sports interesting.

That just ticks me...

First, just because a guy is athletically gifted and successful I by no means expect him to be a paragon of virtue.

Having heard a little bit of what goes on in Olympic village just solidifies guys like Phelps or any of the 1000s of other athletes have ample opportunity to engage in irresponsible behavior.

That doesn't tick me.

The fact that Phelps calls smoking pot "acting in a youthful...way" ticks me.

Once again society has painted a picture of what 'generally youthful behavior' looks like.

Here are my angry bullet points...

*'Teenagers' are an invention of the 50s. Only in the last 50 years have we subdivided our children out to this limbo that winks at irresponsible behavior as a rite of passage.

*It is a wicked myth, generated by Satan no doubt,that the ages from 13-22 are years that can be given to irresponsible selfish behavior.

*If we are OK w/ teenagers spending teen years in the Phelp-ian behavior when do we train them to be adults? When are they expected to do the hard things? Answer: In their early to mid 20s. That is why there is a rise on 'prolonged adolescence' today.

*There is no doubt a learning curve that is inherent in the teen years. But the teen years should be a bridge to adulthood. But far too often they are viewed as an island to escape adulthood.

No Mr. Phelps you didn't act youthful. You were irresponsible. It isn't the same.

I also bet you are just sorry you got caught.