What If Everything Isn't Awesome?

I did the good father thing recently and took my daughter, Autumn, out for a date. She wanted to see The Lego Movie, and I obliged. I was pleasantly surprised with the wit of the film, and it landed at a place I wasn’t expecting. The theme song, “Everything is Awesome,” has a catchy enough dance flavor that it has the kids singing:

   Everything is awesome

   Everything is cool when you're part of a team

   Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream

I like it when everything is awesome, and sometimes it is, but what happens if it isn’t?  What do we do then? When you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, or when your spouse is leaving you, or when you lose your home. Hang your head? Play morose music? Indulge in unhealthy behaviors? At those times when our world seems to be falling apart, we attempt to cope, and we all have different coping mechanisms.  The outlet we choose plays a major role in the way we view and deal with our circumstances. What works for me might not work for you. I often revel in my despair with the saddest music I can play for a time, and somehow this practice can make me feel immensely better afterward. This might not work for you and may even sound strange. But that’s okay, and that’s the point.

Psalms 118:24 states, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The verb demands action, we will rejoice. It almost appears as if the psalmist is stamping his foot, refusing to be beaten by his circumstances.  Through the good, through the bad, throughout all generations.

I met a World War II veteran recently at Costco. At my prompting, he told me about part of his journey in the Pacific during the war.  HIs stories were sobering, and in one particular situation he spoke of struggling through rain and mud coming up to his knees as he pursued his mission.  But he didn’t dwell on all the negative things that had happened, and he didn't allow the challenges - as gruesome as they were - to define his life. He had such an attitude of joy that I could tell, even though he acknowledged life's trials, what a wonderful life he had lived.

So today, whether everything is awesome or you are in a season of warfare, remember that, though the challenges you face may be completely out of your control, you can choose to come before a God who is able to sustain you.  With the Psalmist, may your strength for the journey be found as you will rejoice and be glad in it.

Richard Hickam

Parent or Paycheck

I heard a really great interview on NPR about fathers who are breaking down stereotypes of men who are not involved in their children's life.  There is the old stereotype that fathers are not very involved, particularly when they are not married.  Instead, more and more men want to be "parents and not just paychecks."  It should not be unusual to see a dad getting the kids ready or watching the kids while mom goes out with friends.

For me, this comes down to the ever-familiar work/life balancing act.  Most Christians would agree that our top three priorities (in order) are God, family, and then work.  But making that a reality can be much more challenging.  Working to earn money to feed your family typically requires time away from them.  Being involved in ministry can take time away from your family.  When your job is working in a church, those lines can get blurred even more.  Balance and boundaries are essential, and they will look different for each person.

I may be exhausted when I get home from work, but a cheerful greeting and hug from my boys gives me a boost.  I know I only have a couple of hours until they go to bed, so I try to have meaningful time with them while I can.  It may be a rare occasion when I sit with my family in church; but once we leave church, my focus is on them.

I don't write this to "toot my own horn."  I am not perfect, nor do I believe that wanting to be involved in my kids' life makes me an extraordinary father.  That is the job of a father.  God entrusted them to me and asks me to care for them.  Loving them has taught me more about my Heavenly Father and the love he has for me.  With His help, I pray that I can love and parent my children into a lifelong friendship with their Heavenly Father.

Chad Hess

The Non-Negotiable

A religion that changes our mind but leaves our hearts unaffected is worthless. Likewise, a faith, religion, or relationship with God that changes our hearts but leaves our minds flawed is to be expected.  

To have clarity of mind and a good understanding of sound doctrine is a great thing, but a heart changed by God is essential.  For that reason, we must allow liberty of thought while demanding a heart of love.

There is very little doctrine that is critical.  Love is non-negotiable.  

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 4 Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head,5 Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, 6 Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 7 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. 8 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. 9 We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. 10 But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. 11 When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. 12 We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! 13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

1 Corinthians 1:1-13, The Message

John Monday