Snow, Wind, and Cold or Making Lemons Out of Lemonade

Snow can be very nice. After it falls it is beautiful. It is good for skiing, sledding, making snowmen, snow angels, and throwing snowballs.

Wind is also a good thing. Where I grew up in northwest Iowa there are hundreds of wind farms that are outstanding sources of energy for the region. Wind can be used to fly kites and wind surf. There’s nothing quite like a cool breeze in the evening after a hot summer day.

Cold can be good too. As a runner, my favorite thing to do is put my overheated head underneath the water spigot at Lake Zorinsky. Some food needs to be stored where it is cold. Most of us enjoy many of our beverages cold.


I’m convinced that snow, wind, and cold are all good. The last month has convinced me that snow, wind, and cold—when combined—are not so good. As I write this, the kids are downstairs playing when they would normally be in school. I have an hour or so of moving snow in front of me this afternoon. Driving is a little more difficult. It isn’t much fun being outside. Actually it isn’t any fun being outside. We were able to have our Christmas Eve services, but many people were unable to get to them. Three days later we were unable to worship on Sunday morning. Many families, including ours, were not able to see each other. This weather is especially difficult on homeless people, people with inadequate shelter, handicapped people, and elderly people who have difficulty getting around even when the weather is good.

On Christmas morning, Benjamin and David woke up. Amber and I had been up for an hour or so. I looked at the driveway. We weren’t even going to make the short trek to Amber’s parent’s house in Papillion. It would just be the five of us. (I’m including Georgia the giant dog who is the only one of us to venture outside on Christmas Day.) The boys investigated the Christmas tree, the stockings, the snow on the deck, and Santa’s eaten cookies. We opened presents. We played games. We hung out. The weather outside was not going to change what was happening inside.

I’ve made it through thirty-nine Christmases. I’ll always fondly remember this one. Part of me thinks this is the closest we have ever come to capturing the spirit of the original Christmas: Joseph and Mary celebrating God making Himself one of us with the people they loved the most. Simple. Beautiful. Lovely. Precious. Graceful.

An old axiom exists that goes something like this: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Sometimes life is tough. Cold, wind, snow, illness, dysfunction, injury, brokenness, unfairness, addiction, etc… Bad things happen. Jesus tells us such will be the case. We get to choose this day how we react to the lemons that are thrown our way. I pray that we will all become experts at making lemonade.

In Christ,

Craig

The Law of Diminishing and Negative Returns

The above graph displays the correlation between minutes run and the benefit from the workout. It is only an estimation and is not universally applicable. The minutes run are the horizontal axis and the benefit is the vertical axis. The graph makes the assumption that running is a regular and not sporadic activity.

By observing the orange line, the first 50 minutes provide the highest rate of return in benefit for each minute run. Minutes 50 to 80 still provide a pretty good return. Minutes 80 to 120 provide a diminishing return, but still of positive return. Any minute run over 120 minutes of running provides a negative return.

• If time is at a premium = Run 50 minutes a day
• If you want to have a life outside of running = Run 80 minutes a day
• If you want maximum performance = Run 120 minutes per day

Note that benefit does not increase on a straight line basis. Few things in life work this way.

Note also that there is almost no difference in benefit from running 90 minutes to 120 per day.

Note also that running 70 minutes per day provides the same benefit as running 180 minutes per day.

The reasons for the three above observations are quite simple. The body begins to break down after a certain amount of stress and recovery has to happen. If the body is not allowed to recover, the muscle breaks down and the benefit is decreased.

Economists know this as the Law of Diminishing Returns. Examples might be dumping planting 10 seeds into a small area of soil. Adding 1 more seed would probably be helpful. Adding 100 more seeds would cause chaos and not allow any of the seeds to bear any kind of fruit.

You are probably wondering what this has to do with anything. One word: balance.

You can have too much of a good thing: running, seeds, pizza, cleaning the bathroom, and even friends. (If you had 1000 friends do you really think it would be possible to have the deep friendships required to sustain us?)

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony. -Thomas Merton

Quotes on Vision and Dreams

I'll be talking about vision for our lives this weekend. Here are some quotes to think about:

Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe. -Gail Devers

You see things; and you say, "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?'" -George Bernard Shaw



What is not started today is never finished tomorrow. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you. -Tom Bradley

To the person who does not know where he wants to go there is no favorable wind. -Seneca

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. -James Allen

Where you come from is not nearly as important as where you are going. -Unknown

Bigger Frying Pans

Here is a parable:

Two men went fishing. One man was an experienced fisherman, the other wasn't. Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in his ice chest to keep it fresh. Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish, he threw it back. The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired of seeing this man waste good fish. "Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch?" he asked.The inexperienced fisherman replied, "I only have a small frying pan."

Sometimes, like that fisherman, we throw back the big plans, big dreams, big jobs, big opportunities that God gives us. Our faith is too small. We laugh at that fisherman who didn't figure out that all he needed was a bigger frying pan; yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith? As we begin our future, let's look for a bigger frying pan.

Beginning Your Future: First Things First

I started a new sermon series this morning: Beginning Your Future. Listen to the message First Things First. Here are some of the Bible verses I used:

Covenant with Noah

Then God told Noah and his sons, “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.” –Genesis 9:8-11

Covenant with Abraham

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” –Genesis 12:1-3

Covenant with Moses

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.” –Exodus 24:12

Covenant with David

For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. -2 Samuel 7:12-13

Covenant with Jesus

But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. -Hebrews 8:6

For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. –Hebrews 10:22

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. -Matthew 26:26-28

One Month in the Bible

Here is the Bible Readings to go along with sermons in January.

When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, ''It is talking to me, and about me.'' -Soren Kierkegaard

Commitment – Week 1

January 3 Psalm 37:1-11
January 4 Ruth 1
January 5 1 Samuel 8
January 6 Romans 2
January 7 Mark 9
January 8 Matthew 26
January 9 Matthew 28

Vision – Week 2

January 10 1 Corinthians 13
January 11 Galatians 1
January 12 Galatians 2
January 13 Galatians 3
January 14 Galatians 4
January 15 Galatians 5
January 16 Galatians 6

Community – Week 3

January 17 Psalm 2
January 18 Daniel 2
January 19 1 Corinthians 11
January 20 Philemon 1
January 21 Matthew 18
January 22 Luke 5
January 23 2 Samuel 12

Purpose – Week 4

January 24 James 4
January 25 John 13
January 26 John 15
January 27 Micah 6
January 28 Matthew 10
January 29 Acts 1
January 30 Acts 2

Consider using the SOAP Method of Bible reading for the next month.

Complete the "S" by reading the scripture. Don't just skim through it, but really think about what it means. Imagine what the people involved were experiencing. Write down a verse or two that really stood out to you in your journal.

Complete the "O" by writing down observations about the scripture you just read. You may want to write your own summary of the passage, but more importantly, think about what God has to say to you through this part of his word.

Complete the "A" by writing down how this Bible passage applies to you right now, in your daily life. For example, in the parable about the prodigal son, which character do you identify with most: the loving and merciful father, the son who squanders his life and then repents or the resentful older brother? Do you see similar situations in your life right now? How can you respond in the way Jesus taught?

Complete the "P" by writing down a prayer. This is a personal message from you to God, so don't worry about getting the perfect words down. Just make it honest and heartfelt. Remember that God always listens, and already knows your needs. He just wants to hear from you.

Beginning Your Future

Here is my column for Sunday morning:

January 1st started a new year. 2010. It’s a new decade as well. New Year’s Day means different things to different people. Some spend it with their families. Some travel. Some enjoy their day off. Others are recovering from the night before. Others watch parades. Others watch college football and lots of it.

Many people also set New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve never been sure about the difference between a resolution and a goal, but I assume they are about the same thing. We make resolutions or set goals because we have some kind of discontent with who we are. We want to be a little different in the future than we were yesterday. Here are the ten most common New Year’s resolutions Americans make:

1. Spend More Time with Family and Friends
2. Fit in Fitness / Tame the Bulge
3. Quit Smoking
4. Enjoy Life More / Reduce Stress
5. Quit Drinking / Drink Less
6. Get Out of Debt / Save Money
7. Learn Something New
8. Take a Trip
9. Help Others / Volunteer
10. Get Organized

Today we are starting a new worship series called: “Beginning Your Future.” A few weeks ago I was in the big ball at Epcot Center riding Spaceship Earth. It isn’t one of those thrill seeking rides. It is pretty slow-paced, but fascinating. It looks at our past, our present, and our future. One of the phrases I heard near the end of the ride was: “Beginning Your Future.” I couldn’t get that phrase out of my head. It made sense, was obvious, and is something most of us are interested in: Beginning Our Future. We make resolutions, we set goals and we dream about tomorrow.

What we are going to do on the Sundays in January is engage God in the conversation about Beginning Our Future. God wants and has something to say about our present and future. He wants to be part of it and help us have our dreams come true. I look forward to taking this journey with you.

I hope you have a blessed 2010 and I hope your dreams come true.

-Craig