He still thinks that he's the man
That he once used to be
Boy, you're just thirty-nine
And you're dreamin'
Acting twenty-three
("39 and Holding" - Jerry Lee Lewis)
Most likely it's true. I do think I'm the man I was at 23. The leading indicator that I am significantly older than 23 is typically my body. If for some reason sore muscles and joints don't do the trick Shanna is usually a reliable backup to remind me of this.
This week I turned 39 so to many I guess this is my last year 'under the hill.'
I however, vehemently disagree. True - I don't always act my age. Some would argue that I rarely act my age. Irrelevant.
My issue is with this whole concept of 'the hill.' Who came up with this so called 'hill?' I can't help but think this is yet another ploy by Hallmark to help generate sales. It falls right in there with St. Patrick's and April Fool's Day greeting cards.
I don't really have any friends who are coasting downhill. Quite the contrary. They continue to work, they continue to serve. They continue to live out 1 Corinthians 15:58:
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know your labor for the Lord is not in vain. (NIV)
They're not coasting to retirement. They're not sliding toward the end of life. They're like John Bailey of Body and Soul Ministries who just came back from a trip to Cambodia where 92 were baptized. He's a little over 40 - like 30 plus years over 40.
My great Uncle Odell is another great example. Works and serves tirelessly at what will soon be 82.
The list goes on and on, literally. I could go on for days.
There's is no magical turning point - at least not in this life. There is no time where it all 'starts falling apart' or starts 'going downhill.' It's life at age 13 or 39 or 89. What you decide to do with it is what matters. Perhaps that's what really determines whether or not you feel 'over the hill.' Here's to staying on the hill. I've heard from those in the know that it will actually get steeper sometimes -even after 40. If you really think about it that sounds a lot like life now.
So I guess 40 really is just another number. We'll find out in about a year.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
It's a new year...
and it feels like we've started it with a massive punch in the gut. Two funerals last week for what you would call pillars of the Legacy Church family. Richard Dutton and Bob Roberston transitioned from this world on 12/31 and 1/1 respectively and they will be missed. In my opinion they set the dad standard. They set the man standard. As I sat in each of their services and listened to their children speak of them I couldn't help but cry. How did they do all that? They served, they taught, they called, they visited, they played - often times when in pain. They did immeasurably more than I can imagine.
And it made me want to do better. It made me think of all the times that I had the chance to make a difference to someone and didn't.
It made me think of how just a week before I'd been on the phone with Richard's son. He said a visit would be ok but it needed to be brief. I rationalized it and said I'd stop by the next week after he'd had a chance to rest. That day never came - the next morning Richard was gone.
It made me think of how I could have stopped by and see Bob, but didn't.
It made me think of the times that I had something to do before I played that game or read that book. Then by the time that 'something' was done it was bedtime.
It made me realize that no, I can't drop everything everytime. But I can certainly make sure that what's important gets done first. Somehow everything I need to do seems to get done - even when life gets in the way.
I think it would be good for me to let life get in the way a little more often. More importantly, let someone else's life get in the way a little more often.
All six of Bob's kids went on and on about what a great father and servant and friend he was. Six kids. I just need to convince four.
That started last night with a game of farkle in the middle of the living room floor.
And it made me want to do better. It made me think of all the times that I had the chance to make a difference to someone and didn't.
It made me think of how just a week before I'd been on the phone with Richard's son. He said a visit would be ok but it needed to be brief. I rationalized it and said I'd stop by the next week after he'd had a chance to rest. That day never came - the next morning Richard was gone.
It made me think of how I could have stopped by and see Bob, but didn't.
It made me think of the times that I had something to do before I played that game or read that book. Then by the time that 'something' was done it was bedtime.
It made me realize that no, I can't drop everything everytime. But I can certainly make sure that what's important gets done first. Somehow everything I need to do seems to get done - even when life gets in the way.
I think it would be good for me to let life get in the way a little more often. More importantly, let someone else's life get in the way a little more often.
All six of Bob's kids went on and on about what a great father and servant and friend he was. Six kids. I just need to convince four.
That started last night with a game of farkle in the middle of the living room floor.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Overdue?
Yes, a post is overdue. Waaaay overdue. But before you criticize me too harshly I would like to remind you....
4 kids.
That's right - FOUR. So before I get any criticism about the amount of time between posts I'd just like to ask...
"How many kids between the ages of 5 and 14 are currently living under your roof?"
With the exception of one or two families from Legacy, I can think of no one who comes close. Yes there are those of you with three. Multiple your current level of commitment and lack of sleep by at least 25% and give me a call. I'd love nothing more than to be able to find the time to post more.
So, I'll try to post more if you'll read.
I.E. - It's 1am on Sunday morning - need I say more?
There has been a whole host of subjects that I could have written about here. I have to admit that facebook has become a predominant forum. But I know not everyone is a facebook junkie. Namely, at least two people who may occasionally check this blog for an update. So this is for you - as well as anyone else who happens across this blog while searching for David Byrne from the Talking Heads.
I just read a Yahoo headline - "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Irrelevant 2010!"
It talked about Tim Toone from Weber State - the 255th (and final) pick of this year's NFL draft. He's 5'10" and 185 pounds. His chances of making it in the NFL are probably not much greater than mine or Allan Stanglin's.
Ok - there's probably much greater chance than me or Staglin but basically no one considers him a legitimate NFL contender, other than his mom who is undoubtedly convinced that his contributions will help take a team to the Superbowl.
Odds are - he won't. My apologies to his mom. From the standpoint of the NFL he's irrelevant.
Really? Irrelevant? I think not.
I don't have what it takes to make it in the NFL. Stanglin doesn't either. Actually, no one that I know first hand will make it in the NFL. But does that make any of us irrelevant? Perhaps to ESPN or the world of professional sports but let's put at least a light tap on the brake.
There is at least one person who does not see me as irrelevant. Fortunately, for you, me, and everyone else it's the same person who created the universe.
That's right - the entire universe. Everything that we claim to have knowledge of and a whole host of things that we'll likely never know
E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G
You can't go any higher. You can't talk to any supervisor with higher rank. The all powerful, all knowing, all loving God of the universe sees us as his child.
Please, if necessary, tap the brakes again. Did you catch that?
"AS HIS CHILD."
Irrelevant is not a word that God would use to describe me. Irrelevant as not a word that God would use to describe you. He wouldn't use it to describe Tim Toone if he was the first pick in the NFL draft or the 255th. We are ALL his children and irrelevant is not part of his vocabulary.
We're all relevant to Him and we all have a very relevant eternity in his kingdom. Fortunately for us irrelevant will never be a word that the God of the universe uses to describe us.l
4 kids.
That's right - FOUR. So before I get any criticism about the amount of time between posts I'd just like to ask...
"How many kids between the ages of 5 and 14 are currently living under your roof?"
With the exception of one or two families from Legacy, I can think of no one who comes close. Yes there are those of you with three. Multiple your current level of commitment and lack of sleep by at least 25% and give me a call. I'd love nothing more than to be able to find the time to post more.
So, I'll try to post more if you'll read.
I.E. - It's 1am on Sunday morning - need I say more?
There has been a whole host of subjects that I could have written about here. I have to admit that facebook has become a predominant forum. But I know not everyone is a facebook junkie. Namely, at least two people who may occasionally check this blog for an update. So this is for you - as well as anyone else who happens across this blog while searching for David Byrne from the Talking Heads.
I just read a Yahoo headline - "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Irrelevant 2010!"
It talked about Tim Toone from Weber State - the 255th (and final) pick of this year's NFL draft. He's 5'10" and 185 pounds. His chances of making it in the NFL are probably not much greater than mine or Allan Stanglin's.
Ok - there's probably much greater chance than me or Staglin but basically no one considers him a legitimate NFL contender, other than his mom who is undoubtedly convinced that his contributions will help take a team to the Superbowl.
Odds are - he won't. My apologies to his mom. From the standpoint of the NFL he's irrelevant.
Really? Irrelevant? I think not.
I don't have what it takes to make it in the NFL. Stanglin doesn't either. Actually, no one that I know first hand will make it in the NFL. But does that make any of us irrelevant? Perhaps to ESPN or the world of professional sports but let's put at least a light tap on the brake.
There is at least one person who does not see me as irrelevant. Fortunately, for you, me, and everyone else it's the same person who created the universe.
That's right - the entire universe. Everything that we claim to have knowledge of and a whole host of things that we'll likely never know
E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G
You can't go any higher. You can't talk to any supervisor with higher rank. The all powerful, all knowing, all loving God of the universe sees us as his child.
Please, if necessary, tap the brakes again. Did you catch that?
"AS HIS CHILD."
Irrelevant is not a word that God would use to describe me. Irrelevant as not a word that God would use to describe you. He wouldn't use it to describe Tim Toone if he was the first pick in the NFL draft or the 255th. We are ALL his children and irrelevant is not part of his vocabulary.
We're all relevant to Him and we all have a very relevant eternity in his kingdom. Fortunately for us irrelevant will never be a word that the God of the universe uses to describe us.l
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Jesus and the Elves
And Joseph went up from Galilee to Bethlehem with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child. And she brought forth a son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. And the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds and said, "I bring you tidings of great joy. Unto you is born a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
"There's a problem with the angel," said a Pharisee who happened to be strolling by. As he explained to Joseph, angels are widely regarded as religious symbols, and the stable was on public property where such symbols were not allowed to land or even hover.
"And I have to tell you, this whole thing looks to me very much like a Nativity scene," he said sadly. "That's a no-no, too." Joseph had a bright idea. "What if I put a couple of reindeer over there near the ox and ass?" he said, eager to avoid sectarian strife.
"That would definitely help," said the Pharisee, who knew as well as anyone that whenever a saviour appeared, judges usually liked to be on the safe side and surround it with deer or woodland creatures of some sort. "Just to clinch it, throw in a candy cane and a couple of elves and snowmen, too," he said. "No court can resist that."
Mary asked, "What does my son's birth have to do with snowmen?"
"Snowpersons," cried a young woman, changing the subject before it veered dangerously toward religion. Off to the side of the crowd, a Philistine was painting the Nativity scene. Mary complained that she and Joseph looked too tattered and worn in the picture. "Artistic license," he said. "I've got to show the plight of the haggard homeless in a greedy, uncaring society in winter," he quipped.
"We're not haggard or homeless. The inn was just full," said Mary.
"Whatever," said the painter.
Two women began to argue fiercely. One said she objected to Jesus' birth "because it privileged motherhood." The other scoffed at virgin births, but said that if they encouraged more attention to diversity in family forms and the rights of single mothers, well, then, she was all for them.
"I'm not a single mother," Mary started to say, but she was cut off by a third woman who insisted that swaddling clothes are a form of child abuse, since they restrict the natural movement of babies.
With the arrival of 10 child advocates, all trained to spot infant abuse and manger rash, Mary and Joseph were pushed to the edge of the crowd, where arguments were breaking out over how many reindeer (or what mix of reindeer and seasonal sprites) had to be installed to compensate for the infant's unfortunate religious character.
An older man bustled up, bowling over two merchants, who had been busy debating whether an elf is the same as a fairy and whether the elf/fairy should be shaking hands with Jesus in the crib or merely standing to the side, jumping around like a sports mascot.
"I'd hold off on the reindeer," the man said, explaining that the use of asses and oxen as picturesque backdrops for Nativity scenes carries the subliminal message of human dominance. He passed out two leaflets, one denouncing manger births as invasions of animal space, the other arguing that stables are "penned environments" where animals are incarcerated against their will. He had no opinion about elves or candy canes.
Signs declaring "Free the Bethlehem 2" began to appear, referring to the obviously exploited ass and ox. Someone said the halo on Jesus' head was elitist. Mary was exasperated. "And what about you, old mother?" she said sharply to an elderly woman. "Are you here to attack the shepherds as prison guards for excluded species, maybe to complain that singing in Latin identifies us with our Roman oppressors, or just to say that I should have skipped patriarchal religiosity and joined some dumb new-age goddess religion?"
"None of the above," said the woman, "I just wanted to tell you that the Magi are here." Sure enough, the three wise men rode up. The crowd gasped, " They're all male!" And "Not very multi cultural!" "Balthasar here is black," said one of the Magi. "Yes, but how many of you are gay or disabled?" someone shouted. A committee was quickly formed to find an impoverished lesbian wise-person among the halt and lame of Bethlehem.
A calm voice said, "Be of good cheer, Mary, you have done well and your son will change the world." At last, a sane person, Mary thought. She turned to see a radiant and confident female face. The woman spoke again: "There is one thing, though. Religious holidays are important, but can't we learn to celebrate them in ways that unite, not divide? For instance, instead of all this business about 'Gloria in excelsis Deo,' why not just 'Season's Greetings'?"
Mary said, "You mean my son has entered human history to deliver the message, 'Hello, it's winter'?" "That's harsh, Mary," said the woman. "Remember, your son could make it big in midwinter festivals, if he doesn't push the religion thing too far. Centuries from now, in nations yet unborn, people will give each other pricey gifts and have big office parties on his birthday. That's not chopped liver."
"Let me get back to you," Mary said.
"There's a problem with the angel," said a Pharisee who happened to be strolling by. As he explained to Joseph, angels are widely regarded as religious symbols, and the stable was on public property where such symbols were not allowed to land or even hover.
"And I have to tell you, this whole thing looks to me very much like a Nativity scene," he said sadly. "That's a no-no, too." Joseph had a bright idea. "What if I put a couple of reindeer over there near the ox and ass?" he said, eager to avoid sectarian strife.
"That would definitely help," said the Pharisee, who knew as well as anyone that whenever a saviour appeared, judges usually liked to be on the safe side and surround it with deer or woodland creatures of some sort. "Just to clinch it, throw in a candy cane and a couple of elves and snowmen, too," he said. "No court can resist that."
Mary asked, "What does my son's birth have to do with snowmen?"
"Snowpersons," cried a young woman, changing the subject before it veered dangerously toward religion. Off to the side of the crowd, a Philistine was painting the Nativity scene. Mary complained that she and Joseph looked too tattered and worn in the picture. "Artistic license," he said. "I've got to show the plight of the haggard homeless in a greedy, uncaring society in winter," he quipped.
"We're not haggard or homeless. The inn was just full," said Mary.
"Whatever," said the painter.
Two women began to argue fiercely. One said she objected to Jesus' birth "because it privileged motherhood." The other scoffed at virgin births, but said that if they encouraged more attention to diversity in family forms and the rights of single mothers, well, then, she was all for them.
"I'm not a single mother," Mary started to say, but she was cut off by a third woman who insisted that swaddling clothes are a form of child abuse, since they restrict the natural movement of babies.
With the arrival of 10 child advocates, all trained to spot infant abuse and manger rash, Mary and Joseph were pushed to the edge of the crowd, where arguments were breaking out over how many reindeer (or what mix of reindeer and seasonal sprites) had to be installed to compensate for the infant's unfortunate religious character.
An older man bustled up, bowling over two merchants, who had been busy debating whether an elf is the same as a fairy and whether the elf/fairy should be shaking hands with Jesus in the crib or merely standing to the side, jumping around like a sports mascot.
"I'd hold off on the reindeer," the man said, explaining that the use of asses and oxen as picturesque backdrops for Nativity scenes carries the subliminal message of human dominance. He passed out two leaflets, one denouncing manger births as invasions of animal space, the other arguing that stables are "penned environments" where animals are incarcerated against their will. He had no opinion about elves or candy canes.
Signs declaring "Free the Bethlehem 2" began to appear, referring to the obviously exploited ass and ox. Someone said the halo on Jesus' head was elitist. Mary was exasperated. "And what about you, old mother?" she said sharply to an elderly woman. "Are you here to attack the shepherds as prison guards for excluded species, maybe to complain that singing in Latin identifies us with our Roman oppressors, or just to say that I should have skipped patriarchal religiosity and joined some dumb new-age goddess religion?"
"None of the above," said the woman, "I just wanted to tell you that the Magi are here." Sure enough, the three wise men rode up. The crowd gasped, " They're all male!" And "Not very multi cultural!" "Balthasar here is black," said one of the Magi. "Yes, but how many of you are gay or disabled?" someone shouted. A committee was quickly formed to find an impoverished lesbian wise-person among the halt and lame of Bethlehem.
A calm voice said, "Be of good cheer, Mary, you have done well and your son will change the world." At last, a sane person, Mary thought. She turned to see a radiant and confident female face. The woman spoke again: "There is one thing, though. Religious holidays are important, but can't we learn to celebrate them in ways that unite, not divide? For instance, instead of all this business about 'Gloria in excelsis Deo,' why not just 'Season's Greetings'?"
Mary said, "You mean my son has entered human history to deliver the message, 'Hello, it's winter'?" "That's harsh, Mary," said the woman. "Remember, your son could make it big in midwinter festivals, if he doesn't push the religion thing too far. Centuries from now, in nations yet unborn, people will give each other pricey gifts and have big office parties on his birthday. That's not chopped liver."
"Let me get back to you," Mary said.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Byrnes Days of Christmas
Dennis Tom was asked to be in charge of 'entertainment' at the Legacy ladies Christmas party. Apparently there is an assumption that since Shanna sings with a group from church and sings in a band that there is automatically a longing to perform running throughout our family. That must be what Dennis thought since he sent me an email asking if our family would like to be on the line up.
There isn't. At least not with me. I put off Dennis for a while and justified it by telling myself that I had been busy and hadn't had the opportunity to ask Shanna. Truth is I knew she'd be all over it and I was less than thrilled. Perhaps if I waited long enough he'd tell me that he already had it covered. I waited (naturally Shanna thought it would be neat) and Dennis still had room on the roster. So much for my plan.
But when it was all over I had to admit it was fun and I think it turned out pretty well. It is posted on Facebook but here's another showing just in case you weren't able to catch it there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1g2j1TcQcM
Seems like it was a hit. We've gotten some requests for additional performances.
There isn't. At least not with me. I put off Dennis for a while and justified it by telling myself that I had been busy and hadn't had the opportunity to ask Shanna. Truth is I knew she'd be all over it and I was less than thrilled. Perhaps if I waited long enough he'd tell me that he already had it covered. I waited (naturally Shanna thought it would be neat) and Dennis still had room on the roster. So much for my plan.
But when it was all over I had to admit it was fun and I think it turned out pretty well. It is posted on Facebook but here's another showing just in case you weren't able to catch it there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1g2j1TcQcM
Seems like it was a hit. We've gotten some requests for additional performances.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Not Lazy
Ok, May 25th was the last post. I realize that's ridiculous. Here's a quick summary of what's happened since:
Trip to Horseshoe Bay with the Crawfords
Mission trip with Dillon to San Antonio
4th of July in Arkansas with Art, Nanny and the Garrisons
Camp with Dillon AND Dawson (his first year!)
15th Anniversary (why has she stayed with me for 15 years?)
There's a lot more - I mean it was summer. We used to long for summer to start because we were under some spell that made us think summer was easier than the school year. This summer definitely let us know that is not the case. Shan and I were longing for school to start so we could get our lives back to some degree of normal. (This is where you say 'You've got 4 kids - how do you know what normal is?) But really, it seemed like there was hardly a moment to take a breath during the summer. Now perhaps we all understand why the last post was made during the last week of school.
But to be completely honest, I think Shanna was looking forward to school starting. (After the summer we had I know I was). But that meant she was that much closer to her cruise. It also meant she was that much closer to a pretty significant birthday but in the end I think she was more excited about the cruise than she was depressed about the birthday.
That's right - for this 'milestone' birthday she went on a cruise. It was her first cruise and she was fortunate enough to be able to share that experience with three of her dear friends - Cindy, Kristi and Su.
I've seen the pictures and heard the stories. There's no doubt in my mind they had a great time and it was well deserved.
In the meantime I was perfecting my 'ponytail' technique. It's the only hairstyle I know how to do for Delanie and it got a workout while Shanna was gone. Looking back, we had three days to get ready for school without mom and I think we did pretty good. As far as I know all the homework was done, everyone was in acceptable clothing, and no meals were missed. Get this - I even ran a full load of laundry and dishes every night. Not too bad for a clueless dad.
Like I said, this is only a glimpse of what has happened in the past, almost four, months. But I did want to get something on here. To the best of my knowledge, the one and only Aunt Pat may check this from time to time and she certainly deserves some new material. But there is a chance that we may have a new reader. The 'great' uncle Odell is now surfing the web - email and all. That's the same Odell who is mentioned at length in one of the first posts on this blog. Scroll back and check it out if you get a chance. To say he's one of a kind would be an understatement. Odell, I hope you find this post and the one about you riding out the hurricane. It's somewhat amusing now because you've promised us you'll never do it again.
Like I said, Facebook has become more of our venue for connecting. Check it out if you get a chance: http://www.facebook.com/. You'll have to register and request friends and all that garbage but it is pretty neat.
But I do have a tremendous sense of guilt for neglecting this for so long. I'll try to do better but make no promises.
Love to all from Texas and welcome Odell to the world wide web.
Trip to Horseshoe Bay with the Crawfords
Mission trip with Dillon to San Antonio
4th of July in Arkansas with Art, Nanny and the Garrisons
Camp with Dillon AND Dawson (his first year!)
15th Anniversary (why has she stayed with me for 15 years?)
There's a lot more - I mean it was summer. We used to long for summer to start because we were under some spell that made us think summer was easier than the school year. This summer definitely let us know that is not the case. Shan and I were longing for school to start so we could get our lives back to some degree of normal. (This is where you say 'You've got 4 kids - how do you know what normal is?) But really, it seemed like there was hardly a moment to take a breath during the summer. Now perhaps we all understand why the last post was made during the last week of school.
But to be completely honest, I think Shanna was looking forward to school starting. (After the summer we had I know I was). But that meant she was that much closer to her cruise. It also meant she was that much closer to a pretty significant birthday but in the end I think she was more excited about the cruise than she was depressed about the birthday.
That's right - for this 'milestone' birthday she went on a cruise. It was her first cruise and she was fortunate enough to be able to share that experience with three of her dear friends - Cindy, Kristi and Su.
I've seen the pictures and heard the stories. There's no doubt in my mind they had a great time and it was well deserved.
In the meantime I was perfecting my 'ponytail' technique. It's the only hairstyle I know how to do for Delanie and it got a workout while Shanna was gone. Looking back, we had three days to get ready for school without mom and I think we did pretty good. As far as I know all the homework was done, everyone was in acceptable clothing, and no meals were missed. Get this - I even ran a full load of laundry and dishes every night. Not too bad for a clueless dad.
Like I said, this is only a glimpse of what has happened in the past, almost four, months. But I did want to get something on here. To the best of my knowledge, the one and only Aunt Pat may check this from time to time and she certainly deserves some new material. But there is a chance that we may have a new reader. The 'great' uncle Odell is now surfing the web - email and all. That's the same Odell who is mentioned at length in one of the first posts on this blog. Scroll back and check it out if you get a chance. To say he's one of a kind would be an understatement. Odell, I hope you find this post and the one about you riding out the hurricane. It's somewhat amusing now because you've promised us you'll never do it again.
Like I said, Facebook has become more of our venue for connecting. Check it out if you get a chance: http://www.facebook.com/. You'll have to register and request friends and all that garbage but it is pretty neat.
But I do have a tremendous sense of guilt for neglecting this for so long. I'll try to do better but make no promises.
Love to all from Texas and welcome Odell to the world wide web.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Dakota the fish
This is pretty cool. Dakota took what was basically 4 days of swim lessons last week (Friday was 'performance' day). So in 4 days he went from a 'water wing' swimmer to what you'll see here:
And here:
And here:
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