tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40368970780773962862024-03-13T22:59:26.818-04:00The Temptation of Joy“You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” F. Scott FitzgeraldPattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.comBlogger487125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-28943690053300225712015-04-28T10:56:00.002-04:002015-04-28T10:56:22.392-04:00Putting Aside Our Desire To Be Right In Order To Love. <span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to be right. Who doesn't? In a debate you rarely see one side say "That was a great point that challenges my view and makes me rethink my position." It's laughable. No one does that. And in the age of the internet, the fight to be right can get downright ugly sometimes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When being right is the goal, we leave casualties behind. We aren't sensitive to others viewpoints, opinions, or life experiences. We aren't interested in open dialogue because we're right and they're wrong and we want them to say we're right. Even if they don't think we're right, we'll just keep yelling louder and louder that we're right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But as I reflect on 1 Corinthians 13 I can't help but wonder if being right shouldn't be our aim. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text 1Cor-13-1" id="en-NIV-28667" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text 1Cor-13-2" id="en-NIV-28668" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">If I have the gift of prophecy<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28668B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28668B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and can fathom all mysteries<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28668C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28668C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and all knowledge,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28668D" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28668D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and if I have a faith<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28668E" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28668E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> that can move mountains,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28668F" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28668F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> but do not have love, I am nothing.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text 1Cor-13-3" id="en-NIV-28669" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">If I give all I possess to the poor<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28669G" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28669G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,</span><span class="text 1Cor-13-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)</span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If this verse is true, nothing trumps love. Our knowledge, giving, faith, all mean nothing without love. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The great thing about the internet is everyone can communicate with everyone. The problem with the internet is everyone can communicate with everyone. And we're all trying to have the loudest voice or the bigger platform to communicate to the world about how right we are and how wrong they are. We fight to bridge this gap, eliminating us and them, only to create new us vs them parameters. I see people whose work I like take to twitter to speak out against fellow believers who are "wrong" only to see those fellow believers strike back. We defame and defraud people we've never met, never read their work, haven't talked to in the name of being right. Isn't the best way to speak truth into someone's life is to be in relationship with them? Isn't someone you know and who knows that you genuinely love them going to be more open to accepting truth and rebuke in their life than someone whose blog you skimmed and decided they were wrong? </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul says we are one body with many parts. What if we could see those who we don't agree with or understand as a foot or a pinky finger? And what if we choose to walk in "the most excellent way" of love?</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Paul closes 1 Corinthians by saying Faith, Hope, and Love will remain. Not our books, podcasts, blog posts, opinions, or knowledge, but faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. </span></span>Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-2546290259052529042015-04-16T09:17:00.002-04:002015-04-16T09:20:12.059-04:00From Ugliness, A Beauty EmergesThis isn't my idea. This comes directly from Brian McLaren's "We Make The Road By Walking." I read this a couple of weeks ago and it's been stuck in my spirit ever since. And it's too good not to share.<br />
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"But don't need to stop there. We can turn to other voices in the biblical library who, in different circumstances, told competing stories to give a different - and we would say <i>better </i>- vision of God.<br />
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For example, take the passage in Deuteronomy 7 where God commands Joshua to slaughter the seven Canaanite nations. They must be shown no mercy. Even their little girls must be seen as a threat. Then we can consider a story from Matthews gospel that offers itself as a respond to the earlier passage. There, we meet a woman who is identified by Matthew as a Canaanite. This identification is significant, since Canaanites no longer existed as an identifiable culture in Jesus' day. Calling this woman a Canaanite would be like calling someone a Viking or Aztec today. She asks for the one thing that had been denied her ancestors: <i>mercy...</i>mercy for her daughter who is in great need.<br />
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Up until this point, Jesus has understood his mission only in relation to his own people. After all, they're pretty lost and they need a lot of help. So he hesitates. How can he extend himself to this Canaanite? But how can her refuse her? In her persistence, he senses genuine faith, and he hears God's call to extend mercy even to her. So he says yes to the mother, and the daughter is healed. From there, Jesus goes to an area to the northwest of the Sea of Galilee. He teaches and heals a large crowd of people there who, like the woman and her daughter, are not members of his own religion and culture. Their non-Jewish identity is clear in their response to Jesus' kindness: 'And they praised the God of Israel.' What was an exception yesterday is now the new rule: <i>Don't kill the other. Show them mercy.</i><br />
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Then, Jesus repeats a miracle for these outsiders that he had done previously for his fellows Jews, multiplying loaves and fish so they can eat. In the previous miracle, there were twelve basket left over, suggesting the twelve tribes of Israel - the descendants, that is, of Jacob and his twelve sons. In this miracle there are seven baskets left over - suggesting, it seems quite clear, the seven Canaanite nations that Jesus' ancestors had been commanded to destroy.<br />
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Matthew's version of this story makes a confession: <i>Our ancestors, led by Moses and Joshua, believed God sent them into the world in conquest, to show no mercy to their enemies, to defeat and kill them. But now, following Christ, we hear God giving us a higher mission. Now we believe God sends us into the world in compassion, to show mercy, to heal, to feed - to nurture and protect life rather than take it."</i>Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-14385832580636431442015-04-15T15:23:00.002-04:002015-04-15T15:23:40.991-04:00Embracing Where You AreWhen we were deciding to move to Philadelphia, it was a struggle for me to get on board. For five years before, during nine months of pregnancy and four months of maternity leave, I (and later Amanda) had been praying for full-time employment so I'd be the breadwinner and she would be able to stay at home with Emily. Moving to Philly meant a pretty definitive "no" answer to those prayers.<br />
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Plus, we love the DC area. Our best friends (most of them) were there. I was playing guitar in a band again. And we LOVED our church community! There was a lot of talk about family and being a body and community that would raise kids together. It was tough leaving that.<br />
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But we did. And we now live in Philadelphia and there's no changing that.<br />
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As I was cleaning our old house in Virginia and praying this past weekend I felt conflicted. Because I still don't understand why God called us to leave in the way that he did. But I feel unburdened in Philadelphia. I'm not agonizing with God over His seeming unwillingness to answer a prayer for me I watched him answer countless times for friends of mine. I'm not feeling bitter about the situation we're in. I'm just enjoying learning more about God. I'm enjoying being home with Emily and our new neighborhood. I'm trying to get back into some more creative things. I've lost weight!<br />
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But it could've been different. I could have grown more bitter. I could be constantly questioning God. I could keep praying the prayers I've prayed for years and let disappointment and discouragement and anger rule my life.<br />
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We're always waiting for something. A job, marriage, children, retirement, new homes, etc. And we can enjoy the journey and the waiting or be bitter, constantly asking God "Why not yet?" The why questions should be asked. And there is a time and place to bare your heart and soul and grapple with God. But sometimes you need to let go and enjoy the present moment.<br />
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There's going to come a season when I'll get back on the horse and be on the job hunt again. But who knows what I'll miss if I stress about that now.Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-85817579164213731242015-04-09T11:23:00.002-04:002015-04-09T11:23:37.642-04:00Letting Our Prayers Reshape Our Lives<div style="color: #181818;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” - Soren Kierkegaard</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me." - CS Lewis</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reflecting in yesterdays post, along with some other things brought me to the idea of prayer. And the above Kierkegaard quote stuck out in my head. Because a unified church has to start with each of us personally. My prayer needs to be, "Lord how can I better live out Jesus' prayer that we (the church) be one as You and Him ar e one?" Our lack of respect or unwillingness to discuss, openly without judgment, the convictions and thoughts of others is something we have to take a personal responsibility for. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This Kierkegaard quote always brings me back to Moses. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.” But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people. Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. These tablets were God’s work; the words on them were written by God himself. When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!” But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of a celebration.” When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it. Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?” “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “All of you who are on the Lord’s side, come here and join me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. Moses told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day. Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.” The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin.” So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods of gold for themselves. But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!” But the Lord replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. (Exodus 32:7-33)</span></i></span><br />
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</i>This isn't the first time Moses has had to intercede for Israel. I've posted before and I'm sure I'll say it again, Israel was a major thorn in Moses side. They kept him from enter the promise land by not believing Caleb and Joshua and trusting that God had their back. And I honestly believe it was frustration with the Israelites that led Moses to disobey God with the waters of Meribah.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But I was thinking about these stories with this new perspective in mind. What would have happened if Moses hadn't interceded for Israel? The first time Moses says "Ok ok I'll pray for you." The second time he says "Ok, ok guys, once more." But maybe the third time Moses just stays silent when God wants to wipe out Israel. What would happen? Would God have wiped Israel off the face of the Earth? Would Palestine currently be fighting with the descendants of Moses? Or would Moses have been punished for not praying for his fellow Israelites? Was it a test of Moses character?</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We'll never know the answer to that, but I have some thoughts. Those prayers shaped Moses. They had! Most of us would gladly let God destroy the people who are causing us so much strife! But Moses asks God to remember his promise to the faithful who came before. Moses "reminds" God that he doesn't want His (God's) own name to seem powerless by wiping the Israelites from the face of the earth. Why would Moses keep praying for the Israelites? I don't know for sure but I have some thoughts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moses got to spend time in the presence of God! He got to see God face to face and talk to God voice to voice. Moses had a special relationship with God. It would've been easy for Moses to feel special and superior. Why shouldn't the descendants of Moses be the ones to enter the Promised Land? But Moses had already done hard time in the desert. He'd seen plenty while living with Pharaoh and he'd seen hardship, tending sheep as a fugitive in the wilderness for his father-in-law. And God found him, to call him back to Egypt to be the guide for his people Israel. Moses understood God's character. Moses knew that God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still mattered and wasn't going to go unfulfilled. It probably didn't hurt that at one point early on God wanted to kill Moses but Moses' wife intervened. (Exodus 4:24-26) Having to deal with Israel kept Moses pride at bay. Yes, he spoke face to face with God, but the people he was leading were just as stubborn and disobedient as they were when they left Egypt. While it was frustrating, I'm sure at times Moses felt bad for them. There had to be some love for them. And I believe Moses knew that Israel getting to the Promised Land was much bigger in the grand scheme of life than just someone getting there with God's blessing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I talked in my last blog about praying for the Islamic State. That's a tall task to ask someone to pray that a terrorist group would come to Jesus because we've all witnessed and been upset and hurt by their actions. <a href="http://temptationofjoy.blogspot.com/2011/06/if-love-wins-why-arent-christians-happy.html"><span style="color: #551a8b; letter-spacing: 0px;">I wrote a post years ago about Love Wins and touched on the idea that there are people we don't want to see in heaven</span></a>. And that's a personal issue. I struggle with certain biblical teachers, TV news anchors, and politicians I disagree with. But in wanting to see us unified and one, I have to pray prayers that don't ask God to change others, but to change myself to relate better with others. How do I engage in conversations with a healthy respect for someone I might not agree with? How do I love them and truly hear them out, and present myself and my case, without getting frustrated and calling them awful names? How do I interact with people at the grocery store, coffee shop, or homeless guy on the street in a way that shows a genuine interest in their life that reflects God's love and care for them? What should my response be when I watch TV and see terrorist killing my brothers and sisters? How do I pray for someone I'd just as easily see destroyed?</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I need to change my prayer life from asking God for blessings and things, and find a prayer life that reshapes who I am and how I interact with those around me. Because those will be the things that matter more in the end. </span></span>Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-89781283882017669072015-04-07T13:54:00.001-04:002015-04-07T13:54:16.071-04:00Praying Like We Believe It Could Make A Difference<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="text Acts-12-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">"About that time King Herod Agrippa</span><span class="text Acts-12-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">began to persecute some believers in the church.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Acts-12-2" id="en-NLT-27304" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Acts-12-3" id="en-NLT-27305" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Acts-12-4" id="en-NLT-27306" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span class="text Acts-12-5" id="en-NLT-27307" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. </span><span class="text Acts-12-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate.</span><span style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Acts-12-7" id="en-NLT-27309" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. </span><span class="text Acts-12-8" id="en-NLT-27310" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="text Acts-12-9" id="en-NLT-27311" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening.</span> <span class="text Acts-12-10" id="en-NLT-27312" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="text Acts-12-11" id="en-NLT-27313" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="text Acts-12-12" id="en-NLT-27314" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer.</span> <span class="text Acts-12-13" id="en-NLT-27315" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it.</span> <span class="text Acts-12-14" id="en-NLT-27316" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="text Acts-12-15" id="en-NLT-27317" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” </span>Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed." - Acts 12:1-16</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What if the church </span>collectively prayed? What if the Church - Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, etc, put aside our differences and came together under what unites and bonds us and prayed together? Could we see real change in the world?</div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">I love this story in Acts 12 because of the simplicity. James had been killed and Peter is in jail awaiting the same fate. The church is being persecuted and those who are left could very easily be next. And they gather and pray. Imagine this happening right now. #PrayForPeter Everyone changing their avatars to Peter's mug shot. Social media activism. But probably not a lot of all church prayer meetings. </span></div>
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But the church in Acts gathers to pray for Peter. Not just for an hour or two. The church was praying all through the night. I imagine they would have prayed into the next day, through Peter's trial and execution. But God hears their prayer and Peter has more work to do. The church is still praying when Peter shows up and knocks on the door. It's quite funny because they don't even believe it could actually be Peter at first. </div>
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What would happen if 75% of the American church was so deeply moved and affected by the stories of the brothers and sisters being killed by IS and Al-Shabaab, that we stopped arguing silly laws about who should bake a cake for who and united as Christians, under the blood of Jesus that set all of us free, to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world suffering real persecution and who could lose their life at any moment? What if we believed the words of Isaiah 24, that God will turn spears into pruning hooks and swords into plows and prayed for revival in the lives of those hunting down and killing our brothers and sisters? (Instead of hoping we bomb the country and send them straight to hell) Imagine what would happen if churches across America didn't hold Saturday, Sunday, or Wednesday night services, but instead devoted themselves to praying for revival and changed hearts, and peace where there has been war and terror for so long.</div>
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Can you imagine turning on NPR (or CNN or Fox, whatever your poison is) and hearing reports that IS has destroyed all their weapons and were asking for forgiveness? We wouldn't believe it. It would be, wait for it, a miracle! </div>
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Is it wishful thinking? Sure. Not because I don't believe God could turn the hearts of the "enemy" to him, but because some days it seems like the bigger miracle would be a unified American church. But just imagine with me, a world where our differences didn't divide us, but we stood together based on what we had in common, our status as the sons and daughters of God. What if that mattered more than what side of an issue we stood on? We would be instruments of change and bearers of peace! </div>
Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-61680676384250673882015-03-29T19:55:00.001-04:002015-03-29T19:55:07.062-04:00Loving Without Borders<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Last week I read a story about a high school in New York celebrating National Foreign Language week. In a celebration of different cultures and in the spirit that America is a country full of diversity and citizens from around the world, Pine Bush High School decided it would have a student recite the Pledge of Allegiance in a different language each morning that week. </span></div>
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Things went off the rails when they asked a girl to read the pledge in Arabic. Because apparently when we hear Arabic in America we instantly think terrorist. No, for real. Mere moments after finishing reciting the pledge, a poor high school girl was called a terrorist by fellow students. The ignorance of "This is America, speak English" began to fly. The class president who allowed the girl to read the pledge has been stripped of his duties as pledge reader each morning and will face possible impeachment. Because he let a girl read the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic. There is no lack of hate in America.</span></div>
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As an American, I usually think about what the Bible says about how we relate to foreigners in terms of undocumented immigrants. But this morning when I read Deuteronomy 10, I had another thought. </span></div>
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<i>“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. - Deuteronomy 10:17-19</i></span></div>
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</i>This girl is in need of love. How many mosques were vandalized after 9/11 and could have used a loving hand to help them clean up. How many new citizens enter this country feeling lost, lonely, and rejected? I think we forget that people are not our enemy. If there's a living, breathing person, God loves them. There are sons and daughters of God who aren't home yet, and it's our love that will help show them the way! Race, language, nationality, non of these matter to God. We need to find a way of having them not matter to us. </span></div>
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Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-51061818344600301862015-03-27T07:39:00.000-04:002015-03-27T07:39:15.066-04:00The Kind of Joy That Makes You Smile Going from living in the suburbs with a nice back yard, to living in a loft in the city, I knew changes were coming. One of those changes was the dog. With no backyard, I could no longer simply just let the dog go outside so relieve himself or burn off some energy. If Charlie needs to be outside, I have to take him. It's a minor annoyance at times. Because taking the dog outside isn't just me putting the leash on him and going outside. It involves having to make sure Emily is dress appropriately for whatever the weather might be. Because she has to go outside with us. And we live on the second floor in a building that doesn't have an elevator. So you can forget ever using the stroller when mommy's at work. I don't have enough hands for that! (I know, I know. First world problems for sure.)<br />
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But I've come to enjoy these little trips outside. Because Emily loves them! The moment we step out into the hall, her little face lights up and the chatter machine kicks into high gear. It's a new and joyous experience for her every time.<br />
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If I could bottle the joy she gets just from seeing our dog, I imagine I'd sell enough of those bottles to retire in six months. People would want that kind of unadulterated, pure, and simple joy.<br />
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Emily gets excited about and is filled with joy at everything. And yes, I understand that's mostly because her world is opening up to her more and more every day. But it's fun to watch. It's infectious! I'm not sure what it would take to get me that excited or joyful. And that's the saddest thing of all.<br />
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Jesus said unless we become like little children (Matthew 18:3), we won't enter the kingdom of heaven. Most people say to have faith like a little child. But I think we also need to be joyful like a little child. The miracles of God are all around us and we've become so accustomed to them that we don't even notice them. We walk into that hallway at least twice every day and Emily is overjoyed and excited every time! We need more fresh eyed discovery. We need innocent and pure joy. We need to find ways of taking in the world around us better so we notice the miracles happening each and every day.<br />
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Because if we, as adults, have that kind of joy, we could make a difference in those around us!<br />
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<br />Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-43673401533146844442015-02-04T19:54:00.000-05:002015-02-04T19:54:42.127-05:00Adventure Is Out ThereWhen God says his ways and thoughts are higher than our's, he means it. And sometimes we see how clearly we don't understand God or His ways.<br />
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Behind the scenes we've been praying for me to have a job that was lucrative enough for Amanda to leave her job and stay home with Emily, so Amanda could stay home and raise our daughter and follow through with some of her other dreams and passions. She had supported my craziness for long enough and I wanted her to be able to have the desires of her heart and be a stay at home mom. We both did.<br />
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But that didn't happen before Amanda had to go back to work. It just so happened that were fasting along with our church the week she went back to work. Perfect. 10 days to seek God and figure out what we were to do next and hope that Amanda's time back at work wouldn't last very long.<br />
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But God... God had other plans. And much like being falsely sentenced and imprisoned before getting to the promises of God, God's answer didn't really make much sense to us.<br />
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On Amanda's second day back, she was asked to be a part of a project that would have us leave the DC Metro area. Not what we'd been praying for. And honestly, it wasn't really something I thought could be an option. We didn't want Amanda to commit to working.What would moving mean for my job situation? How is this possibly what God wants for us?<br />
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You could say one of our family values is "adventure is out there." So it seems like we would have jumped at the chance to take a new adventure. And I think Amanda did, but I wasn't so sure. But after much prayer and lots of conversations, we decided that this wasn't a distraction keeping us from something else God wanted us to do. Actually, it was exactly what he was calling us <i>to</i>. It was something that Amanda became excited about pursuing. While we're still reconciling what all of this means for our family, we're looking forward to walking out this commitment.<br />
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So Amanda, Emily, and I are moving to Philadelphia, Pa!<br />
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Eventually, in theory, we'll be back in DC when Amanda's involvement with this project is done. But for this season, we are leaving DC and heading northward.<br />
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I don't understand what God is doing, because this isn't the answer for prayer I was expecting. Not even a little close. But I'm embracing this next step in our family!<br />
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We want to hang out and see and enjoy as many of our DC friends and family as much as possible before we roll out. So please, hang out with us!Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-43702118492962718452015-01-27T06:49:00.004-05:002015-01-27T06:49:39.558-05:00Making the The Lord's Prayer Real In Our Lives<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This, then, is how you should pray: "</i><i>Our Father</i><i><sup></sup> in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom<sup></sup> come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,</i><span style="line-height: 22px;"><i> </i></span><i>but deliver us from the evil one." - Matthew 6:9-13</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i>There was a season where I only prayed the Lord's prayer every day. I had reached the end of knowing what to pray and decided to just put the Lord's prayer on repeat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But recently I've been thinking about Jesus' command on how to pray and what if we lived this prayer. The Lord's Prayer has the potential to completely change us and, if we live it, the world. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Your will be done on <b>Earth</b> as it is in <b>Heaven</b>."</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Love Wins Rob Bell talks about bringing heaven to earth and making life a little less like hell for people. Stephen Colbert describes hell as being separated from God's love. People describe heaven as a place of peace. Where sickness and pain and hurt and poverty and hunger and evil is abolished and God's love is everywhere. What is God's will in heaven that we are to bring to earth? God sent his son as a means to reconcile the world back to him. Jesus' time on earth was spent bringing healing, reconciliation, redemption, peace. Jesus said repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is here. Repent, turn from your selfishness, from your sin, so you can enter into the love of God. In the love of God comes healing, peace, restoration, that we are to share with the world around us because of those things that God has birthed in us. Bringing heaven to earth is not just about converting and evangelizing to as many people as possible, but by brining the life changing love that Christ offers to reconcile people to each other and to God, through healing and restoration. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Give us <b>Today</b> our <b>Daily</b> bread."</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't remember who posted it, but I saw someone tweet about our daily bread being just that, daily. It's what got me thinking about the Lord's Prayer. Give us today our daily bread. Jesus wants us to recognize that our reliance on God is daily. Not just when things are going poorly, but daily. There are moments when all I can ask is God help me get through today. But that should be our every day. Jesus is far too often our last option, our last resort when all our resources and energies fail. But God should be our daily dependance and where we turn to first. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We also spend much of our time asking God about the future. What's the next step? Who am I suppose to marry? When will we have kids? What's my next career move? Jesus said not to focus and worry about tomorrow because today has enough for us to worry and focus on. We should be asking God, what do you want of me today. What's in store for today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The last note on daily bread is the bread itself. Bread isn't sexy. Sure, bread comes in a variety of flavors, shapes, and sizes, but ultimately it's just bread. I think most of the time we would rather ask God to give us today our daily steak or our daily lobster. We want God to do something big and flashy or use us to do something big and flashy for him. But God's commands, while not always easy, are simple. It's the bread that we need each day. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Forgive us our debts, <b>as we also</b> have forgiven our debtors."</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a verse where I would like it to read "Lord help us forgive our debtors as you have forgiven us our debts." It would be easier because it wouldn't be a conditional prayer. Lord forgive us in the same way that we forgive those who have wronged us. I need God's forgiveness. Daily! And if that's dependent on how I forgive others, then I'm in a heap of trouble! Now, I don't believe that God's forgiveness is conditional to my forgiving of others. But what if I lived like it was? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just let that sink in for a moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The wages of sin are death and God's forgiveness, God's love covers you and takes you off of death row. We have wronged God to the point where the punishment is death and God has forgiven us that debt and we are called to show that same grace and forgiveness. If we put that into practice, it's revolutionary! That's a kind of forgiveness that could change the world if every christian lived their life forgiving people in such a radical way. Even if we prayed with that kind of grace to people and groups who have wronged us unintentionally! I forgive you and want you to find and have life! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"And lead us not into temptation,</i></span><span style="line-height: 22px;"><i> </i></span><i>but <b>deliver</b> us from the evil one."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus says God is our father, and we are called to bring heaven to earth, rely on God every day, and forgive radically! And then Jesus says we need to make sure we ask God to help lead us away from temptation that could cause us to sin. Paul said he did not want to sin but what he doesn't want to do, he does. Sin and temptation is everywhere. And without the self-control that only comes from spending time with and being in God's presence, we will fall more often than not. Jesus understood that even if we could wrap our heads around the ideas of needing God to be our supply every day, and bringing heaven to earth, and radical forgiveness, that if we didn't have self-control and weren't looking to God to help us out of situations that could destroy us, we would fall and shortchange what God wants to do in our lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Lord's Prayer is revolutionary if we take it to heart and live it out and not just let it be something we memorize and throw out in Sunday School. The power in this prayer could change the world. </span></div>
Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-68595222487218371252015-01-13T08:43:00.000-05:002015-01-13T08:43:36.065-05:00That Black Hole Between Here and HeavenOn Monday I started my new life as a stay at home dad.<br />
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This is not what I was hoping for. This is not what my wife was hoping for. This is not what hundreds of people having been praying for. But alas, it happened.<br />
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Please don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way. I love Emily so much and I love having the ability and opportunity to stay at home with her. Amanda and I are blessed that one of us gets to stay home with her. But I don't want to sugar this...<br />
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The miracle we and others were expecting, that God would show up and show off and provide me a job that would cover our expenses and Amanda would get to stay home, like she desires, when that didn't happen, it upset me. I was mad. I was mad at God. If we're being honest, I'm probably still mad at God.<br />
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Look, if God never wants to answer another one of my prayers for as long as I live, so be it. God had done so much for me before I was even born and I am already blessed beyond belief. So I'm not mad that my prayers went unanswered.<br />
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But seeing the pain that my wife is going through. The hurt of having to leave her baby every day. The stress about interrupting and changing sleep patterns, and milk supply verses Emily's demand and the possibility that she might become reliant on a bottle. To watch my wife struggle and hurt upsets me. It makes me says "Damn it, God! Why?"<br />
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This one prayer request. This five year old prayer request. It just seems to hit the ceiling, never making it to God's ear. Or it's getting sucked into a black hole between here and heaven. Those are the only logical explanations, right?<br />
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But the Bible is full of moments where the protagonist should jump up and shout "Damn it, God!" Abraham, Joseph (take your pick of moments), Moses, David, even Jesus. Maybe they did have those moments but the writers of their stories knew that having Biblical characters swear wasn't very Christian. Or maybe their resolve was deeper than mine (obviously, Jesus had more faith and resolve than I do). Is my lack of faith, my so easily disappointed nature, keeping me from the blessings of God? Is that where my prayers are being sucked into oblivion?<br />
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But Moses had to spend 40 years in the desert, with quite possibly the worst version of a family reunion imaginable, and he never got to enter the promise land. And he died knowing that once in the promised land, the Israelites were going to turn their back on God. Joseph had to do time in prison. And being in charge of prison, while a prisoner, still means you're in prison and so, life is not that great. Jesus died on a cross. So maybe 5 years without a full-time job but always having the funds to pay my bills isn't a situation to really compare myself with Moses, Joseph, or Jesus (again, obviously not really comparing myself with Jesus).<br />
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Sometimes life seems unfair, and in this moment, things seem really unfair to my wife. Even though we could both acknowledge the blessings in our life and recognize how lucky we are that one of us gets to be home, it's not the situation that we were hoping for. And we both started fasting on the day she went back to work, so I'm not sure why either of us thought this week was going to be cakewalk.<br />
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I said earlier that I was mad at God. That's a tough thing to admit. I didn't really have those words in my head until I verbally found myself blaming God for not changing our situation last week. I still love God. I still believe in God. I still believe that he could intervene in our life and in our situation as I type this. And I still believe that even if he doesn't, he's still good and has a plan.<br />
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I think admitting I'm mad, or was mad, and probably will again in the future find myself mad at God is ok. If God's ways and thoughts are so much higher than mine and I can only see through a mirror dimly, then I can't really understand God well enough to get what he's up to most of the time. And in my frustration, I get mad because I don't understand. It's like when I was trying to get Emily to take a bottle at first. It wasn't normal or what she wanted, so she screamed and cried and was super upset and didn't take the bottle. She didn't understand that I had what she wanted all along. And now she knows and understands that the bottle is good and takes it without a problem. And in the same way I get mad and frustrated and cry, and curse at God because I don't understand. All I can do is pray and trust that he does have a plan and is still watching out for us. I have to believe that he still hears. Even when it seems like my prayers are getting sucked into space.Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-52025416470079619302015-01-09T10:07:00.001-05:002015-01-09T10:07:29.570-05:00What We Can Learn About God From The SeaPeople connect with nature. It's ingrained in us. When we climb to the top of a mountain or see a beautiful sunset, we take pictures and comment about the beauty. Even those without a belief in God recognize the beauty of nature. You don't hear people say, man I really hated that sunrise today. People would stare at that person like they'd lost their mind. What's not to like?<br />
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<i>"This week, choose one facet of creation that you love - birds, trees, weather soil, water, light, children, sex, aging, sleep. Observe it, think about it, learn about it every chance you can, with this question in mind: if that element of creation were your only Bible, what would it tell you about God?"</i><br />
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I'm sure this sounds like some hippy dippy nonsense to a lot of people, but I love the idea that Brian McLaren lays out in the first chapter of We Make The Road By Walking. Instantly my mind went to the sea.<br />
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Whether locally overlooking the river as I run or walk the dog, or walking along the beach, looking at the ocean, I love the view and perspective of staring out into the distance over the water. And as I think about the parallels between God and the ocean, my mind begins to wonder and churn.<br />
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God is big and can invade the tiniest parts of our world. <br />
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From the ocean to the sea to the river, flowing into streams and into our water systems that we use for cleaning and drinking, water is everywhere. We, as humans, are mostly water. God is big like the ocean, everywhere and ever present. But God is also personal and intimate like the water in our homes. God flows in and out of every area and aspect of our lives. Even when we don't acknowledge that He's present, God's still there.<br />
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God is powerful.<br />
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One of my memories from my childhood is family vacations to the beach. My dad would take my siblings and me out into the water where we would try to catch waves and body surf. As a kid that wave would grab you and if you weren't prepared, it would drag you straight under sending nasty salt water straight up your nose! Occasionally, the tide would be pulling so far in one direction that after 20 minutes you wouldn't even be able to see your family because you had been dragged, almost unaware, farther down the ocean. The thing about the tide and the waves, is most of the time it doesn't look like anything's happening that could move you in such a powerful way. God has the power to completely overwhelm us. He has the power to overtake us and turn our lives upside down. He has the power to move us and take us place we didn't know we were going. But a lot of times, his power doesn't look like much. And he's working, even when we can't see it (something I need to remind myself of all the time).<br />
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God is refreshing.<br />
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A glass of water when you're thirsty. Jumping into the pool on a hot summer day. Taking a hot bath or shower after a long stressful day. At the right moment water can cool us down, help us forget about the stress of a day, and rejuvenate us. I love a hot shower. Especially right after a winter time run when I'm freezing. Nothing feels better than just standing and letting that hot water hit my body. The peace of God can take our stress away. It's refreshing. That's why Jesus called us to take his yoke. Because it's light. It eases our load that we waste too much time trying to carry.<br />
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This is just a short list and I could probably keep going and compile a super comprehensive list. But it's good to take a moment and reflect on how God is reflecting his character through his creation. While humans might be made an the image of God, his nature and character is reflected in all of creation.Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-18870931777866118192015-01-05T12:34:00.000-05:002015-01-05T12:34:07.018-05:00We Make The Road By WalkingHaving gotten Brian McLaren's new book for Christmas, I decided to add it to my morning devotions. One chapter a week for the next year. One chapter in and I can tell it's going to be a good read and a great addition to my bible reading. I love the questions and meditation points at the end of each chapter create a a means to dwell on what you've read and on the character of God. It's also looking like it will give me a ton to blog about! <div>
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So this is my "word of warning" to expect lots of blogs to come out of this book!</div>
Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-5700165599853239882014-12-10T14:02:00.000-05:002014-12-10T18:19:54.741-05:00American Idol, Idle, Ideal<span style="font-family: inherit;">I understand before I write anything that my thoughts could be seen as controversial and are going to upset some people. And I'm ok with that. The point of this blog is a sort of public journal and to share a lot of my thoughts as I'm processing them. It's a dialogue (mostly with myself). I also openly admit, as I have countless times before, that I am no theologian or seminary student and so don't know what I speak of on any "authoritative" level. So if you must comment, don't judge too harshly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had been thinking about Matthew 5 and the Sermon on the Mount for a couple weeks. I told Amanda that I had been wrestling with and thinking about how far to take Jesus' command to turn the other cheek and what that means for us. It was a thought rolling around in my head. And then President Obama passed an executive order to helped undocumented immigrants and the grand jury in Ferguson decided not to indict Darren Wilson for shooting Michael Brown. I got to Matthew 5 in my daily reading and I've been dwelling on Jesus' teaching and America in 2014.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">First on Ferguson... I don't have a ton to say. I've seen some really racist things shared on my Facebook timeline. Not that my friends have said anything hurtful, but they like articles and status updates with all sorts of awful things said in them. My sister is black. I have half a dozen black cousins. Two of my best friends in high school were black. One of my best friends now is black. My brother-in-law is a cop. I have a bunch of friends who are cops. Yes, I joke about cops, but I don't hate cops. This isn't a "I hate white people" post. This isn't a "I hate the man" post. Was I disappointed that the grand jury didn't indict Wilson? Yes. Not that I think he's guilty. But I think that it should've been decided at trial. Twelve shots is a lot. It's almost amusing that people read Wilson's testimony and said, "well see, Brown was a thug and Wilson had to shoot him." It's unfair. Was Wilson telling the truth? Possibly. Was Brown a thug? We'll never know. Is the rioting and looting disappointing? Absolutely! What really bugs me is all the articles and stories people have pointed to where "a black cop shot a white kid" or "how come no one's talking about this shooting." I've read a couple of those stories and if you look at the facts, it's never an apples to apples comparison. The loss of life should ALWAYS be heartbreaking. Every person is God's creation and any loss should be meet with sadness. Not rejoicing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The words of Jesus pierce my heart when I think about the people in Ferguson and especially Michael Brown's parents.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="line-height: 24px;">Those who mourn are blessed, </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="text Matt-5-9" id="en-HCSB-23244" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">"</span></span><span class="text Matt-5-9" id="en-NIV-23244" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Blessed are the peacemakers,</span></span><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span class="text Matt-5-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">for they will be called children of God</span></span></span><span class="text Matt-5-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">." (Matthew 5:9)</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="text Matt-5-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></i>
<span class="text Luke-4-18" id="en-NIV-25082" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, </span></span><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><span class="text Luke-4-18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">because he has anointed me </span></span></span><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><span class="text Luke-4-18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">to proclaim good news<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25082W" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25082W" title="See cross-reference W">W</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> to the poor. </span></span></span><span class="text Luke-4-18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners </span></span><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><span class="text Luke-4-18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">and recovery of sight for the blind, </span></span></span><span class="text Luke-4-18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><i>to set the oppressed free,</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="line-height: 24px;">to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">Isaiah</span><span style="line-height: 24px;"> 61:1-2a)</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Now, to Obama's immigration order.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">I made a mistake and got into a comment war over immigration. My number rule of the internet is "don't read the comments." You I know better than to get into an online battle. Especially if family is involved! But I did. The response to immigration has stuck in my spirit. And the more I've thought about it and tried to process my thoughts, it's led me to some interesting and scary places because it's brought up thoughts that I know vocalizing will make people angry. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">One of the arguments made over and over was that congress represents the people and these are "our elected officials." America spoke and they hate the President and the democrat agenda for America. I was disappointed with the midterm elections. Not because the Republicans took control. But because, if you look at the numbers, what Americans really said was, we don't care enough to let our voice be heard. Voter turnout sucked. Yes, those that voted let their voice be heard and made a change in congress. And good job to those who voted. But I think voter turnout should be looked at by both Republicans and Democrats. I don't know why people didn't vote this election. Maybe they felt like there wasn't a candidate that would actually make a real difference in congress. Maybe they grew tired of attack ad after attack ad. Or worse, maybe they didn't care. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">On a side note, I'd love to see a politician actually run on biblical principles. Principles like "blessed are the peacemakers" and "love your enemies" and "pray for those who persecute you" (</span><i style="line-height: 24px;">Matthew 5:44</i><span style="line-height: 24px;">). I would love to see a politician not run attack ads or say a negative thing about their opponent. Wouldn't that be something. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">Continuing on about our politicians. I am educated and well read and researched enough to know that congress doesn't always do things for the good of the American people. Money talks. And a lot of money is being spent. I understand that if you're getting millions donated to your campaign by telecom companies then you're going to help your donors out and be against net neutrality. I understand that if you're a former lawyer for a big oil company and you now are in charge of a district that is home to multiple oil companies and they all donated to your campaign that you're going to be against green initiatives. Or if you're getting millions of dollars into your campaign from companies that manufacture and sell medical equipment, you're going to try and repeal the tax from the Affordable Care Act that allows people to get that equipment for free. Yes, I'm weary of saying that politicians represent me. Because I know that they have agendas and donors and things that matter to me aren't always going to make it to their plate. I vote for ideas and policies that matter to me. Not on party lines. I'll vote for a democrat or republican or a green party candidate or a libertarian, or whoever if they have ideals and ideas and policies that matter to me and match up with what I think is important for America. Sadly, those people often don't make it to office. And I pray for those who do make it office. But I'm smart enough to understand that money and lobbyists have more say than I'd like. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">Now for the big one.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">What I've really struggled with over the last couple of weeks is America. Not the country but the idea of America. And to this point, is America an idol? Is the idea of America and upholding the constitution more important than upholding the values and teachings of Jesus? Even if we believe the constitution was founded on biblical principles, that doesn't make it matter more or on equal footing with the words and teachings of Jesus. And if the constitution gets in the way of living our life as Jesus commanded us to, should we be ok with breaking it? Do we identify more with being an American than we do a follower of Christ? Jesus said in Matthew 6 that we can't be devoted to two masters. Yes, he's talking about money, but that has to apply to more than just money. Does it apply to America as well? Can we fully serve Christ and America? Are we more devoted to one than the other? Or have we made one in the image so it looks like the other? </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">I don't want to say that Obama's immigration order is akin to something Jesus would do. But the response by people before and after is heartbreaking at times. I see the church in Acts taking care of each other and selling their possessions to make sure no one in the community had a need. How many undocumented immigrants might be our brother or sister and need our help? How many are sons and daughters of Christ who haven't come home yet? How many could we show love and compassion and mercy to and be an example of Christ? I know someone much smarter will come along and explain to me why I'm wrong and how I'm mis-seeing/misusing scripture. But didn't Jesus say that we must become like little children? Aren't these the type of questions kids would ask? "Dad, why did my friends parents get sent away?" "Mom, why isn't Miss so and so no longer my teacher at church?" If I'm being naive and dumb, I'd rather err on the side of loving my neighbor. Documented or undocumented. And if that means supporting and being ok with an action that's unconstitutional because I feel like it might be biblical, then I'm ok with that. Because I need my identity to be in Jesus. And not in America. </span></span><br />
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<i><span class="text Matt-5-46" id="en-NIV-23281" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> "</span>If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span></span><span class="text Matt-5-47" id="en-NIV-23282" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" (Matthew 5:46-47)</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="text Matt-5-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></i></span>Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-8622817230482345292014-10-09T11:34:00.000-04:002014-10-09T11:34:11.671-04:00A New PerspectiveFinally getting around to a month's worth of blogging....<br />
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On September 8th 2014 Emily Grace Patton entered the world.<br />
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This isn't a post about how amazing being a father is or how perfect and beautiful our daughter is, because...<br />
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The pictures tells you how awesome and adorable she is!<br />
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This post is about my wife!<br />
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Besides from being drop dead gorgeous and an all around amazing person, my wife is super. Like she's a super hero. That's really the only way to describe Amanda after having watched her give birth. She's a super hero!<br />
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I have never felt more worthless and useless in my entire life than watching my poor wife, in pain that I will never understand, with very little I could do to help ease it for her, and knowing that I am responsible for why she is in pain. Anyone who thinks women are in some way lesser than men, has never witnessed a woman giving birth.<br />
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I loved Amanda before Emily was born. A lot! And I still do! But my respect level is through the roof for what she did (and will probably do again some day). Amanda is amazing! And I am so thankful for her!Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-60692842779227291402014-09-04T07:41:00.000-04:002014-09-04T07:41:12.529-04:00Food Review: The Waffle-nut!! As I was waiting for Walmart to finish putting new tires on my car, I meandered over to Safeway. I didn't intend on purchasing anything, just killing time. I figured I could kill a little bit of time seeing if they had any interesting seasonal brews.<br />
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And that's when it hit me.<br />
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A sign. A beautiful sign. An intriguing sign. A sign I had never before seen. This sign.<br />
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A Waffle-nut! Part waffle, part donut. All tasty.<br />
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My instagram caption captured it perfectly; "This Changes Everything." What genius over in the Safeway bakery came up with this glorious evolution of food! A waffle/donut combination only makes sense, and now that I've seen it, neither a waffle or a donut on their own will ever be enough.<br />
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But then I had one for breakfast....<br />
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Maybe because I had let it sit overnight. Maybe it's because I got the cinnamon sugar waffle-nut and not that chocolate or maple glazed, but something about the waffle-nut did not work for me. It was dry; a waffle without butter or syrup. It didn't have that cake-like quality of a good donut. It was... disappointing.<br />
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To top it all off, I know that this waffle-nut will not go very far in keeping me full and I'll be ready for a second breakfast about an hour after I've finished the waffle-nut.<br />
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I feel ripped off...<br />
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<br />Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-35091974549429395192014-08-29T13:08:00.000-04:002014-09-01T08:06:05.041-04:00Keep Going Part 3: DetoursAbout two miles before you get to Mt Vernon, they're doing some construction on one of the bridges on the trail. So as I approached I saw the sign that said "Trail Closed." My initial thought was "Dang, that sucks. Guess I'll turn around." I was even going to take a picture of the sign and instagram that. I was even a little relieved because I had already run about 7 miles and I had to make the trek back home...<br>
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The only reason I got close to the sign was to take a picture for instagram, and it was as I got close that I saw the little detour onto the side of the road that would allow me to keep running, which I took. I had already run that far and I was committed to going all the way to Mt Vernon at that point. Plus the detour wasn't a quarter of a mile long... so no big deal.<br>
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Often in life we see the "trail closed" sign some distance away and we quickly turn around or choose a new direction and never keep pushing forward and get close enough to see the detour God has for us to still make it to the goal. We need to keep pushing forward - because maybe God has a different way of getting us to our goals and dreams. Maybe we need to take a detour so we're better prepared when we get to our final destination. And maybe that detour just isn't that long....Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-39068748566031687512014-08-29T13:06:00.002-04:002014-08-29T13:06:18.903-04:00Because They're Pretty.... I finished reading Job this morning. The last couple of times I've read Job I've been fascinated by the end of the book. Job is given 7 more sons and 3 daughters. The daughters are listed by name. The sons are not. In an Old Testament book of the Bible, this is weird. There has to be some significance to the reason the daughters are named and not the sons. So naturally I took to Google to do a little study.<br />
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The first link I clicked on was upsetting. The writer of the piece made a simple observation. Because the text says that there were no women in all the land as fair as Job's daughter (Job 42:15), then obviously the reason Job's daughters are named is because they were beautiful (my paraphrase). That's it... The sons are not mentioned because there was nothing special about them....<br />
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Ugh... That would be the first link I click on.<br />
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Thankfully I did a little more research to get some answers that made some more sense (but which I'm still not totally in love with). And to be fair to said writer, he does go on to say that possibly they're mentioned by name (giving the definitions of the names) to show that Job's suffering had come to an end. But that was his second thought....<br />
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As the soon-to-be father of a little girl, this line of thought doesn't sit well with me. As a person, it's upsetting enough that's the first explanation I get on Google.<br />
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<i>(Come on Google! Don't you know my political and theological thoughts on all of these things? Or did you want me to be angry?) </i><br />
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There's obviously been some push back lately to just telling girls they're pretty and being more engaged in helping girls see that their self worth is in more than their looks. From Maddie and Tae's song pushing back on the awful hit genre of bro-country to Lego's girl scientist collection, to commercials "shaming" people for telling girls what they can't do. I mean, Mo'ne Davis was the face of the Little League World Series!<br />
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So why does it feel like we never talk about the female biblical heroes? Sure, we talk about Ruth who was loyal to her mother-in-law and because of it found a new husband (and made her a part of Jesus' lineage). And we talk about Esther, who used her position to help save the Jewish people from being massacred, but what about the other female heroes of the Bible?<br />
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What about Deborah? She was married and was able to keep a job as one of the judges of Israel. Deborah's not even the real hero of the story. But it was a woman who saved Israel. Barak, the head of the army, wasn't interested in going to fight unless Deborah was going with him, so the victory over Sisera, the head of the Canaanite army, would belong to a woman. The honor of victory went to Jael, the wife of Heber, whom Sisera foolishly felt safe to run to because of an alliance. She took a tent peg and hammered that peg into Sisera's skull. WHAT!!!!!??? That's some Game of Thrones violence!!! Of course you probably won't hear that story in church because... violence is not cool. (Unless it's David and Goliath....?)<i> [Judges 4]</i><br />
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And who was the first person, in the history of the world, who got to proclaim that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead??? A woman! Not the disciples, but Mary Magdalene.<br />
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And you want to talk about the Proverbs 31 woman? Badass! Just read Proverbs 31 again. The Proverbs 31 woman works her hump off!!! And not just in the kitchen making sandwiches or doing laundry. She runs a vineyard, she's dealing with merchants at the dock, working with the poor, making all the clothes for her house, keeping everyone fed.... What is the husband doing? It sounds like his wife has got it all taken care of. When did the description of this woman start at verse 25? Her list of accomplishments is way more impressive than just watching over the affairs of her household.<br />
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I want my daughter to grow up and be a strong woman, confident in who she is and who she is in Christ. I want her to know that she can be whatever she wants to be! I don't want her to have to feel relegated to certain roles because that's what society has dictated for her gender. And I want her to know that the Bible is full of women who were badasses doing great things for the Kingdom, God and God's people and that those woman still exist!<br />
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The Bible is full of great stuff and there are a lot of things in God's word I will probably never come to terms with why they're there... But I just CAN'T believe that Job's daughter's are mentioned by name because they were hot.<br />
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<i>End Rant.</i><br />
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<br />Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-38188345344187874552014-08-18T11:53:00.006-04:002014-08-18T11:53:56.288-04:00Walking With GodI'd never really thought about what walking with God might actually look like until recently.<br />
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I rarely walk with a destination in mind. My favorite walk lately has been a path that runs along the Potomac River through the woods and out onto a dock. You can see the beltway in the distaste, but there's a mini "marina" and if you look the other way, nothing but peaceful blue (sometimes green) water. It's relaxing. Early on a cool morning, overlooking the water, you just breathe deeply and feel refreshed. Sometimes that's what walking with God is like. It's a walk to our favorite peaceful spot, where we just breathe God's presence in and feel refreshed.<br />
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Sometimes walking with God is like moving to a new town. It's exploring your new home base. Taking a drive and parking downtown, checking out the cool restaurants, finding a nice coffee shop... Just getting to know your new surroundings. Exploring something new. I think this is an aspect of walking with God that's missed and overlooked. We should always be learning new things about God, life, and how to love better.<br />
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Most of the time walking with God is being like a little kid, just holding on to your dad's hand, with no clue where you're going, but trusting that God knows the way and that he's got you and you're safe. Walking with God is far less an active thing we do and more about trusting God to be our guide. It's about grabbing hold of God's hand and saying, "lead on!"Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-1006060380723711842014-08-15T08:51:00.000-04:002014-08-15T08:51:52.120-04:00Experiences I love going to museums. Living near DC my whole life, you become accustomed to museums being free, which is not normal (and I am aware that not all DC museums are free). I love going to any one of the Smithsonian museums and popping in for a couple hours, checking out new galleries. The Air and Space museum never gets old!<br />
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In 2012, Amanda I went to Boston and hit up the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It was $15 a person, but totally worth it!! Easily one of my favorite museums I've ever been to! Great pieces of art that go all the way back to the time of Christ! A really cool house with rooms varying in design creating a totally unique experience! We went through every room, took our time checking out all the art, and spent 6+ hours in the museum.<br />
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Two very different experiences, both great. When the museums are free, I never spend more than 2-3 hours in there. I always move quickly, checking out only certain galleries, knowing I can come back at any time to check out other galleries or pick up where I left off and finish. But, when I paid $30 for the two of us to get in, we took our time exploring everything square inch of that museum. I might never go back to the Isabella Stewart museum, but I'll never forget it!<br />
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Both museums experiences are great! I loved spending over 6 hours in the Isabella Stewart museum. It was $30 well spent. But I also love popping into one of the Smithsonian museums for a couple hours on a Sunday. Each experience is unique and different, but I enjoy both.<br />
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Circumstances don't have to define our experiences. A baseball game with friends is still enjoyable and a great time, even when your team loses. I've been to an amusement park while it's been raining and riding roller coasters in the rain is still fun!! Sometimes the band isn't that good, but the conversations and time spent with friends and family makes it a successful evening. It's about perspective and finding the joy in moments where we could complain.<br />
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I'm guilty of letting circumstances cloud my mind and impact my experience. We all do. When things aren't going well or life is difficult, it's hard to see through the fog. Life is full of ups and downs, and it's in the downs, when we need to find the joy more, that we struggle to see the double rainbow.<br />
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We never know what's just around the corner. Things could get better, or things could get worse. Which is why it's important to look for what's good in the midst of struggle. Snow is just an inconvenience if you don't go out and play in it or snuggle next to a fire with some hot chocolate. Summer's just too hot if you don't hit up the beach or pool. Rain is wet and depressing, but when you see the rainbow after the storm...<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.” Ecclesiastes 9:7</i></span>Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-43446091256676665972014-08-07T12:07:00.000-04:002014-08-07T12:07:47.074-04:00Keep Going Part 2: Those Small Early DecisionsI did a ten mile run this morning. Some days I predetermine how far I'm going to run and this morning was one of those. The biggest decision I have to make on mornings like today isn't to run ten miles, it's to run five. At the four mile mark I have to make the choice whether to turn back and just do eight miles, or push forward and run that fifth mile. I mean, once I've done five I have no choice but to turn around and come back. So that fifth mile is the real key to running ten miles. That fifth mile also usually ends up being one of my fastest miles. <div>
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Setting your goal and achieving that gaol isn't where you have to get dirty. It's the decisions along the way that guide you and get you to your goal that matter and make the biggest difference, even if it seems like a small or insignificant decision early on. </div>
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Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-429050109439208552014-07-25T15:31:00.001-04:002014-07-25T15:31:39.867-04:00Keep Going<span style="font-family: inherit;">About a month ago I ran from my house south of Old Town Alexandria, across the Wilson bridge, over to National Harbor. 11.6 miles. It was tough, long and worth it. I didn't set out that morning to run that far. But once I had gotten on the bridge I had set my mind to accomplish that goal of running to National Harbor. And I did. Ran out to the end of the dock, took a selfie, and ran back. I felt a sense of accomplishment that day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But here's the thing... I almost turned back after two miles. My coffee wasn't sitting as calmly as I would've liked and there was some mild cramping going on. I was honestly ready to turn back and call it good enough. I mean, four miles is nothing to sneeze at. It would've been respectable and completed a nice week of workouts. But I pushed myself to at least get a five mile run and like I said, once I hit the bridge, there was no turning back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Had I stopped I would've forfeited an accomplishment. (That most people have label as crazy. Those people aren't runners.) I think too often in life we fail to push through the pain or waiting. We give up too soon because it's too hard or too painful or too long. We live respectable lives, but miss out on the accomplishments that would mean more to us (and would make others call us crazy). And even when we've reached our goal, we have to keep going, keep pushing ourselves to what's next. I couldn't have just stopped running when I got to National Harbor. I had to push forward and make the run back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't quit. Keep "running"!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>"</i></b><i>Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27</i></span>Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-3204147211673797812014-07-24T09:23:00.000-04:002014-07-24T09:23:36.866-04:00When God's Provision Doesn't Blow You AwayWhen you've been praying for something for a while, or maybe even not all that long, you hit various stages in the waiting for answer. Not quite the seven stages of grief, but I imagine there are certain emotions that overlap.<br />
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People speak into your life. "God has big plans for you." You believe it. You pray specifically, you pray vague prayers, you pray long prayers, desperate prayers, hopeless prayers. You go from knowing that God will act on your behalf to thinking God is not going to help you. I've had moments where I've felt so close to God and knew that he was on my side and would answer my request, to feeling like God did not have my back, to just having to put myself aside and trust God, even when I don't feel like it.<br />
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God is God and God is good and faithful, even in the little things. But what about when our expectations aren't met? What do you do when you're underwhelmed by the answers to prayers? How do we manage realistic expectations while maintaining the faith that God can do more than we ask or imagine, without being disappointed when he doesn't.<br />
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I prayed and prayed that God would open a door (and job) so I'd be able to ask Amanda to marry me by October of that year. Doors looked like God was making a way, and then they'd shut. Lots of silence, and then a door opened. A part-time job with no growth potential (that would ultimately only last just over a year). It was enough for me to realize that God had opened the door, right at the beginning of October. It wasn't what I would have chosen for a job at the time, but it was God's provision and it was just enough, and I was thankful.<br />
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With baby girl on the way super soon, I feel like it's crunch time again. I've done everything in my power to control my job situation and it's going to take a miracle from God, which is what God does. So the pressure should be off me, right? We all know that doesn't really work. I'm stressed and worried. My wonderful wife is not (at least not outwardly to me). I would like for God to show up in a huge way, whether that's an unexpected job, a new direction, or a salary that would allow Amanda to stay home with baby girl. We've planned for the reality that this might not happen and she'll have to go back to work. I want God to show off, but I also want to make sure my heart is prepared to give him praise and be thankful, even if I'm "disappointed" in the answer.<br />
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My brother's had a dream to be a youth pastor for at least a decade. This is a dream still unfulfilled. I think my brother's been treated pretty unfairly and cast aside in a lot of situations where I think he should have been the clear cut candidate to fill a position, or at least had a real fair shot and not just cast aside as a nuisance. My brother's been interviewed for another full-time position that has nothing to do with youth ministry. It would be a great opportunity that would allow him to move on into other areas of life and fulfill other dreams, but... It's not the desire of his heart. Is it a stepping stone into something new and exciting God has for him? Is it a distraction? Will he even get the job? I don't know, but I imagine, even in the excitement for an answer to a prayer, there will be a hint of disappointment and unfulfillment in there.<br />
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So how do we trust God to come through in a big way, but still be thankful and grateful when he comes through in a small or just enough way?Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-71738724578109046232014-07-02T10:56:00.000-04:002014-07-02T10:56:38.955-04:00Re-Focus<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've always liked the Psalms. I've always felt like Psalms gave me permission to be honest with God and sometimes say "God, what the hell is going on? Don't you see all the <strike>sh!t</strike> that's happening around me?"I've also hated the Psalms, because I'm pretty sure Jesus is not ok with me asking the Father to send flaming arrows into the hearts of my enemies to wipe them off the face of the earth (Matthew 5:44). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Reading through the Psalms the last week and a half has been refreshing. It's been like a reset button for my soul. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's the simple things that I need to be reminded of most. The things that we know are true but are in constant need of hearing and remembering because they're the easiest things to lose focus of, which is where I started. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you."(Psalms 2:7)</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are children of God. Sons and daughters. It's a duh moment, but it's the starting place. God loves us, as sons and daughters. My daughter hasn't been born yet, and I love her. I'm super excited for her to get here so I can show her how much I love her. She hasn't done anything yet, but she has my heart and my love, without question. And that's how God feels about me/us. He loves me. I don't have to do anything to ear his love. I have it because I'm his child. He just wants me to love him back. That's the starting place for me. God loves me, just because I'm his.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer." (Psalm 6:9)</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The desert is a hard place to live because it feels like God isn't hearing your cries and requests. You see the goodness and faithfulness of God happening around you and you believe that He is good and hears the prayers and cries of others... but not yours. Heck, you believe at times that God hears your cries for other people but not yourself. That God is faithful and will answer your prayers for other people, but you start to believe that maybe God is not on your side. And you lose hope...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It seems silly to believe that God will answer your prayers for others but when it comes to you(me) he has a target on your back and is holding out because he hates you. But after time you slowly drift into this place where you start to believe that. And you can see David cry out to God in a similar manner throughout the Psalms. But once you get to the place where you're a child of God and He loves you just because, the idea that's he's against you seems silly. That simple reminder changes your perspective and you get to a place where you believe that God is hearing your requests and setting you up to be rescued and will bring you out of the desert because...</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you." (Psalm 9:10)</span></i><br />
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Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-80304428802870596012014-03-25T08:29:00.001-04:002014-03-25T08:29:36.993-04:00Grandpa Stories: Shipping Out <i>On Monday, March 10th, Robert E Patton went home to be with Jesus. I, and the rest of my, very large, extended family, is blessed that my grandfather put together a small book full of stories from his life. Some of them are absolutely incredible stories of God's saving mercy and I wanted to share a couple. </i><br />
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The tide of the war was beginning to change. The build up of US forces in Europe was in full swing; convoys of Liberty ships were carrying men and supplies to the European Theatre in huge quantities and American planes were decimating European cities in Nazi hands. Battles in the Pacific were intense with immense casualties for both the Japanese and Americans. But the Navy was winning naval battles and the Marines were taking one island fortress after another; Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pelilu, etc.<br />
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I wanted to do my part as a patriotic American. Thew result was far from a forgone conclusion. Our national survival was at stake. I enlisted as soon as Dad would allow. Now, boot camp at Parris Island was over and four months of infantry training at "Tent City" in Camp Lejune was coming to an end. There had been months of obstacle courses, jumping over things and crawling under others. There were many overnight bivouacs in the chilling cold. This place had been built in a hurry to handle the training of thousands of marines. Only the mess halls and churches were heated. We lived in six man tents and from January to April, were cold most of the time. One break from the cold came when we were loaded on to a troop ship, went to the Caribbean and practiced assault landings on the island of Vieques, near Cuba.<br />
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Every few weeks I would pull out of my "seabag" a letter that I had received prior to enlisting that said I would be sent to Radio School at Great Lakes Naval Training Center when my basic training was complete. It never happened, even though I showed that letter to each Personnel Officer as I was transferred from place to place.<br />
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Finally, time came for us to "ship out" We knew that we were to be assembled with a large group of Marines somewhere in the Pacific. It would soon be our chance to prove our manhood... or otherwise. We were to pack our seabags and carry our rifles and full marching packs. We were marched to the train platform and after the normal wait of several hours, loaded on to coaches for the trip to California or the Pacific.<br />
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The train pulled out and went for several miles and stopped. No one knew why but there were all kinds of rumors. Eventually, after hours more, the train reversed and we backed to the platform from which we left, unloaded and sent back to our tents. No reasons was given. "Ours not to question why; Ours but to do or die".<br />
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Several days later, it was the same "drill" all over again. Pack up as instructed, march to the train platform, wait, get on the train by the numbers, then wait. The train pulled out slowly, gathered speed, then slowed and stopped. More waiting. The train backed up almost to the platform; then stopped. Before long, it backed up the rest of the way and we were again sent back to our tents. It took all day. What a way to run an organization. But the unofficial "scuttlebutt" was that these actions were to confuse any enemy spies about troop movements.<br />
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Again, we got instructions over the loudspeaker to "fall in". (A Marine Corps term that means to get in a three row formation where you are supposed to be!) The Sergeant gave us "the word", but this time he called out some individual names: "Bronder, Patton, Smith, Williams". The four of us were told to stay in our tents and wait for further instructions. Then the order was given... "Right Face; Forward March" and off went the friends we had made during the last eight months. They boarded the same train again and left Camp Lejune. We never saw them again.<br />
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Our platoon from Parris Island and Camp Lejune were sent to California, then to Guam for more assault landing training from large LCI (Land Craft Infantry) ships. They were being prepared for a major attack "somewhere in the Pacific". <br />
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Bronder and I were shipped to the Marine Corps base at Quantico and assigned to the Field Arto;;dry Training Battalion, Smith was discharged for bad feet and Williams went to San Diego to bugler school. I had joined the Marine Corps to "fight Japs", not teach school. Why was I left behind?<br />
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Some time later, I heard through the grapevine that our platoon had been on an LCI ship headed for the attack on Okinawa when it was sunk by a Japanese suicide bomb. All of the platoon were lost. Maybe God has something for me to of in life! Make it count!<br />
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Postscript:<br />
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Many years, after my parents were killed together in an automobile accident, I found a copy of a letter which indicated that Dad had contacted someone with influence in the Marine Corps who had been responsible for my being assigned to the Marine Base in Quantico, Virginia.<br />
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<i>When I get to heaven I'm going to have to thank Great Grandpa Patton for stepping in and saving Grandpa's life. When you think of the ripple effect that would've happen if he hadn't, it's pretty incredible. My dad wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be here. My baby wouldn't be here in September. Thank you Lord for using Great Grandpa!</i><br />
<br />Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036897078077396286.post-79620571566090285182014-03-18T13:16:00.001-04:002014-03-18T13:16:37.662-04:00Want/NeedRain pelts the window like a thousand metronomes clicking out of time with each other. I roll over. The clock reads 4:23 AM. I'm wide awake. Sleep is my enemy tonight.<br />
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I leave the room, shutting the door softly so my wife can sleep. I fill up the tea pot and turn the stove top on high. I'm not ready for coffee but tea will keep me company at this early hour. I walk to the record player and put on Brian Eno's "Discreet Music." A light soundtrack that won't wake those still asleep. There's a bible on the coffee table and I open it up to my earliest memory verse.<br />
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"The Lord is my shepard. I shall not want...."<br />
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More like I shall not need. I have not contented myself in the Lord enough to not want. I have been taken care of and been without need, but want... I still want. My selfishness has not been purged and my heart is nowhere near as grateful as it should be.<br />
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I get to the kettle before it's whistle sets off an all too early alarm. I let the bag steep while holding the mug in my hands. The warmth feels good in the quiet hour. I pace slowly back and forth, ignoring the light background soundtrack I have chosen for myself.<br />
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I pray...<br />
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"God forgive my stubborn, ungrateful heart. Restore my faith. Restore my trust in you. Father purge this bitterness that's taken over. Let your grace wash over me in a fresh way. I'm sorry."<br />
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It's simple... But its enough.Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371713490950457191noreply@blogger.com0