As you may have seen on my wife’s Facebook account, we did a lot of work this weekend.  We went to Home Depot with the intent to buy some tomato cages (gotta keep them from running away, you know), and came home with a 7x7x8.5 shed.  Isn’t it funny how that happens?

I have been wanting a shed for quite a while because I have no real place to store my lawnmower, bikes, my ladder, my various yard tools, etc.  The garage was getting very crowded.  So, my wife and I agreed to get the shed since Home Depot has a 12 months interest free thingy going on right now.

The box said “Fast And Easy Assembly.”

I don’t know what product they were talking about, but the head of that marketing department needs to consider a career change, because there was nothing fast or easy about this.  None of us can hardly move today.  I got the thing home Saturday, got it out of the box, and we got all the “pre-assembly” stuff done and the walls up on the first day.  That took us almost 4 hours.

The pre-assembly stuff was a pain.  This shed has 10 windows in it.  All of which have to have gaskets placed in them, the plexiglass placed in and the fancy frames put on the outside.  Oh, and none of the holes are predrilled.  You have to use these “self threading screws.”  There were 8 screws on each of the side windows and 12 on the front windows for a grand total of 56 screws just for windows.  Yeah, no big deal, right?  Did I mention that the holes weren’t pre-drilled?  They were “started” but not drilled all the way through.  The shed is made of a hard vinyl. And I don’t have an electric drill that works any longer, so we had to do this by hand.

My daughter, Zoe was a trooper and she did half of them herself.  I am so proud of her, because they really were hard to get in.  She’s only 10, and she was doing stuff that was hard even on us adults.

Once we got all the pieces assembled, I placed the walls down onto the base.  That wasn’t so bad, until we got to the last piece.  Because all of the other pieces were down, that last piece is rather tight to get in, but nothing the three of us couldn’t handle!

I figured we were done for the night. We were really tired and mom had the burgers and brats ready.  After we ate, we decided to call it a night.  None of us could move.  All we had left was the roof.  I figured it would be another hour or so to finish.

Next day, after church, I told Zoe that she could play today since she worked so hard yesterday.  I figured she’d like to play a little at least one day of her weekend.

But no.  Zoe was determined to help.  And she did.  I am so proud of her.

That hour job…turned into another 3 hours, but we are done.  Talk about a sense of accomplishment.  Of course, all three of us are sore beyond belief today.

Oh, and I broke my garage window.  I was trying to push the shed away from the garage, and slipped and fell right through the garage window.  It broke in about a million pieces (give or take ten or so).  Several pieces scratched up my car pretty bad, but I suffered no cuts, which is amazing because I went right through that window.

Anyway, here are the pics to prove we did it!

Some churches have tried to “counter” the boring factor by attempting to make it exciting by reaching out to people who have this preconceived notion that church is boring.  While I have nothing against using contemporary means to reach contemporary people, you have to be really careful that it’s not sugar coated and that it contains actual substance.  You see, just like the food we eat, sugar does not sustain us and only satisfies us in the interim, causing us to crave more.  Sure, it might seem ok to leave people craving more of the sweet stuff, but just like food, if we eat only the sweet stuff, we won’t live for long.  We will die.  We need protein, vegetables and grain to grow.

Likewise, spiritually speaking, if we get only the sugar coating, we will not be able to grow spiritually and that’s not good either.  While it may keep people coming back for more, that church is doing nothing but promoting spiritual ADHD. One could say that ultimately, churches like this are spiritually boring.

I guess the question that begs to be asked is, “Why do we go to church?”

Do we go to be entertained?  Or do we go to worship God?

Should WE be entertained?  Is church about US?

Ok, that’s a trick question, I know.  There are a lot of people that meet Jesus for the very first time in church, but still church is not about them…it’s about God.  God brought them there to hear His message and spoke to their hearts to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The angels rejoice every time someone comes to that knowledge.  That’s certainly not boring!

Perhaps church might seem boring to you because you yourself are not close to God.  Think about this…if you are close to someone, you want to spend as much time as possible with that person.  Just being in the same room as that person is good enough to keep you going for an eternity.  You want to know as much as possible about that person.

Why do you go to church?  Do you go for God or to be personally entertained?  If you are close to God,   you want to know as much as possible about Him.  We can’t possible come close to knowing all there is not know about God, so don’t try to kid yourself into thinking you can’t learn more.   So, if you are looking for entertainment while sitting among other people who are there to worship God and to listen to God’s message, of course YOU will be bored, but is it fair to call church boring?  You aren’t there for the right reasons.

Is church the only time and place that you are actually a Christian?  It shouldn’t be.  If you are truly a Christian, then it is safe to presume that you love God.  Loving God, like loving anyone else, means you want to know all there is to know about Him.  Knowing all there is to know about anyone means you have to study on your own as well.  Surely you can’t know all there is to know about someone from setting aside one measly hour a week to listen to a sermon.

Ok, so, what is it about church that makes it boring to you then?

Is it the singing?  As a whole, people love music and singing.  While some won’t admit to it, there are few people that truly hate music and singing.  In fact, how many tunes and jingles can we think of when thinking about various products we enjoy using.  Why isn’t singing about God as enjoyable as singing about Big Macs?

Is it the praying?  Again, if God means anything at all to you, you WANT to talk to him.  Praying is how you do that.

Is it sitting still and paying attention that is boring to you?  Again, if God means anything at all to you, you want to pay attention to His word.  Funny how people can tell you every detail about certain movies that they enjoy that last 2+ hours but can’t recall a single detail of last Sunday’s sermon.

It seems to me that spiritual things are only boring when you simply just don’t care.

That being said, if your church isn’t teaching you about God, maybe that is why you are bored. Go find a new church.

“Dear Jesus, thank you.  That’s all. Amen.”

You know, us adults might find that silly or we might feel we are too mature for such a simplistic prayer.  We seem to think that our prayers should be Nobel contenders or should make people envious of our great prayer skills, but you know what?

Then a few nights ago, when I was putting one of my daughters to bed, who had been in some trouble that day for not obeying prayed the following:

“Dear Jesus, I thank you for mommy and daddy and that they love me even when I disobey them.  Please help them to forgive me and give them new experiences tomorrow.”

There is a reason Jesus said not to suffer the little children to come to Him. There is a reason Jesus said that we must be like a child to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

I wonder if sometimes when we pray our big fancy prayers with big fancy words, if they get filed into the “Heard that before” category.  You know…the same category us parents put many of the daily ramblings of our children into.  The category that’s not quite ignored, but not really acted upon in a fast way because it’s the same thing day in and day out.

But the prayers of our little ones, that are spoken in utmost sincerity and open honesty are the ones that get heard and touch our Father’s heart the most.

Maybe we need to learn to pray.  First, perhaps, we should learn how NOT to pray.  The big fancy words might impress our friends and other church members, but they don’t impress God at all.  I always find it amusing when people pray in Old English as if that is the language God speaks just because their KJV Bibles are written in that way.

I think that it’s the “Dear Jesus, thank You, that’s all” prayers from 2 year olds that will always bring pleasure to Him.

In July, the official rules will now state that Proper nouns ARE, in fact, allowed. Names, Brands, Places, States, etc. Mattel feels this will introduce a whole new generation to the game and get more people playing it.

Unfortunately, I agree.  But I think that is a bad thing.

People that have a hard time spelling will be able to place something like “Hesapeo” and say “Oh, that’s the name of someone I go to school with.”  There will be no limits to the words that people will be able to play and “get away with” claiming it’s an alternate spelling to someone’s name or a place, or a food item they love.

In other words, they are making it easier for people to “be stupid.”

Education is taking a backseat to laziness with the current generation, and it’s really frustrating, and scary.  Rather than enforcing grammar rules, we allow a new “dialect” to be created called “ebonics” which is an insult to the intelligence of all of us that have to hear it on a daily basis.

Today’s society really caters to the lazy and it’s justified as being convenient or “more entertaining.”  Don’t get me wrong, I love my modern day conveniences like my universal remote, my cell phone, my mp3 player, my PS3, etc., but I also know when it’s time to do important things like go to work, mow the lawn, do things with the family.  I try not to let the modern things get in the way of the important things.

But changing the rules to make a classic board game more accessible to those that don’t know enough words in the English language to play is just plain redonculous  (yes I know that word is not a real word and thus is not found in the official Collier Scrabble Dictionary).

This article touches on three ways that the world usually can tell we are Christians by our love.  Of course, I am not only talking about real love…I’m talking about the love of junk and being right as well.

They Know We Are Christians By Our Love…
Of Junk

Most of you that have known me for a while know that I have talked about this before.  Jesus Junk is so popular these days.  It’s always amazing how we’ll pay $25 for a T-Shirt that says “Got Jesus?” and think it’s the funniest, most original thing since, well, milk.  Today, I feel that many Christians are marketing God just to make money from the sheep that will buy anything just because it says “Jesus” on it.  Couldn’t that money be put to better use?  How is this any different than what the money changers were doing in the temple in the 2nd chapter of the book of John and the end of the other 3 gospels.  In fact, it was so important, that it is one of the only events other than the birth and resurrection of Christ that IS actually repeated in all 4 gospels.

The book of John describes the event a little more than the other three.  Basically, they were turning the temple into a market to take advantage of the poor in requiring people to exchange their “lesser” currency for the “proper” currency needed in order to buy sacrificial animals and doves.  They were selling the animals at extremely inflated prices and also charging inflated prices for the money exchange.  The thing is, even if they had the “proper” currency, they were still required to exchange it for “clean” currency to “ensure” that the currency wasn’t used for “unclean” things.

Now, I’m not saying not to purchase things from a Christian bookstore.  There are plenty of great things to buy, like Eric Wilson books, Ted Dekker books, Robert Liparulo books, Travis Thrasher books, Austin Boyd books and plenty of good music you might like.  Granted, most of those items can be purchased a LOT cheaper at other outlets or on Amazon, but on sale days and with proper coupons, you can usually do pretty well.

What does disappoint me with the Christian bookstores (at least the big, National chains), is that they are completely ok with setting aside convictions (if they have any) in order to make a buck (or fifty).  Why the gimmicky stuff that has no real purpose other than making someone else a whole lot of money just because they had the “ingenuity” to take a secular catch phase, “Christify” it, repackage it, mark it up 400% and laugh all the way to the bank?   Obviously, I have nothing against Jesus, His name, or even merchandise that may in some way include His name, but, I think it’s a shame that the majority of said merchandise is nothing more than parodying a secular logo or idea.

Taking God’s name in vain is a whole lot more than using his name as a cuss word.  Taking someone’s name in vain actually means using it without meaning or conviction.

Another big issue with a “Major Chain” Christian store is the way they treat their employees and their management style.  This whole “management through fear” thing they are doing is just not right.  While “Whatever it takes to get the job done” seems like a good “Christian” idea, in practice, it isn’t being used well at all.  When they are asking their employees to work off the clock, not taking breaks, and not getting to eat their lunch, they are not only breaking laws, but not promoting a good work environment at all.   Not only that, they are encouraging their employees to get customers to sign up for the store’s BofA Credit Card (because, you know, being in Debt is Godly and holy), they are now requiring suggested selling of items.  If they don’t sell a certain amount of these “special items”, the store gets marked down.

I , as a customer, hate to be sold things under pressure.

Unfortunately, I can go on and on about that, but I’d be crossing the line into the following category.

They Know We Are Christians By Our Love…
Of Pointing Out Faults.

One thing that has really been on my mind lately is the way it is so easy to allow ourselves to be consumed by things we shouldn’t be.  We take things so personally.  If someone offends us or wrongs us in some way, we make it our mission to find 100 other things that that person does to offend us as well.  Why don’t we just move on?  Instead, we almost stalk the person, watching their every move, just waiting to watch them hang themselves, or perhaps waiting for that perfect moment to slip that noose around their neck when they aren’t looking.  It’s important to us to make sure everyone around us knows just what that person did to wrong us, or how that person is making bad choices for their own lives.

Reminds me of a little thing that Jesus said.  You know, something about removing that plank from our own eyes before pointing out the speck in someone else’s?   While that was Jesus showing perhaps a sense of humor, He did so with a really good point.  We tend to ignore our own faults while making sure the world knows of everyone else’s problems.

Understand me when I say that I am pointing fingers at myself.  This is an area that tends to be hard for me, and I know a lot of others as well.  We love to gossip.  We love to make ourselves look good, even at the expense of others.

I don’t believe this is in any way honoring to God.

What if HE did that?  We would have no chance in Hell (excuse the pun).

Remember, if someone wrongs us, there is a very specific guideline we are to follow, mapped out in Mathew 18.  First we approach the person to talk to them.  If that doesn’t work, you take one or two other people.  If that doesn’t work, you tell the church. (That doesn’t mean everybody in the world).

BUT, the part we miss…if that doesn’t work, you don’t continue berating and gossiping…you ignore it.  You move on.

We have a hard time with that moving on part, perhaps because it’s more fun to continue riding our holy high horses and trample those underneath us.

But Do They Know We Are Christians By Our Love…
Of Other People?

This is where a great number of us fail at times.  It’s easy to say “Sure, I love other people” but in the words of DC Talk, remember, “luv is a verb.” In other words, love is an action, not words.  And if we truly love people like we say we do, that means we love ALL people, not just the people we want to love.

Jesus says to love our neighbors.  Even when those neighbors might be enemies.

In fact, there is only one commandment greater than this, and that’s Love the Lord your God with all your heart.  Matthew 22:36-40 says that this is the greatest commandment of all, and the second greatest is just like it.  Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Since Jesus gave us this commandment, and since He is God, failure to obey the second commandment is failure to obey the first as well.

So, our challenge today is making sure that the world knows we are Christians by our love in the sense of The Greatest Commandment and the Second Greatest commandment. Not the junk we collect or the holy high horses we ride upon.

If you have ever been in a situation where you did something that you never really wanted to do and can’t give a good reason why you did it, only to find that you keep doing it, or perhaps you thought you were madly in love with someone, but you didn’t know why even when they were verbally, emotionally, or physically abusive, or if you ever find yourself justifying the actions of others, chances are, you have been or are currently being manipulated.

Anyway, here are some of the top ways people manipulate others. Knowing what to look for will help you avoid getting manipulated.

There are, of course, many ways people get manipulated, including con-games, Grifting, and protection schemes. We see manipulation every day when we turn our TVs on and watch the mindless commercials trying to sell worthless junk to us. For this reason, we are only going to discuss common techniques to manipulate others through their emotions. Children learn this technique very early on, and unfortunately, many adults continue the practice.

People enjoy manipulating others because it gives them a sense of power. It makes them feel important. It makes them think they are large and in charge. It’s a power trip that really comes down to one thing…greed.

We probably have all met people like this. Many of us may be dealing with people like this on a daily basis. I highly recommend a book called “Boundaries” as it teaches you to say “no” when you need to.

People that are especially good at manipulation know how to play their role really well and you will likely never see their fiery darts coming at you until half your defenses on fire and in danger of turning to ash.

So, without further ado, let’s discuss the common methods of manipulation.

1) Challenging Your Self Esteem

This form of manipulation is used to make you do something you have second thoughts about. It’s most common among parents trying to get their children to do something they are afraid of, like ride that big rollercoaster that they are deathly afraid of. Here are the phrases to watch out for:

• “I hope you aren’t afraid…”
• “You big chicken…”
• “I did this when I was younger than you…” These three phrases are an attempt to make you do something you deem dangerous or to go beyond your realm of comfort.
• “Most people fail at this task. If you succeed, you will prove that you really are the best…”

This form of manipulation isn’t ALWAYS bad if used lightly. When I took my daughters to an amusement park last year, they were all geared up and excited to ride the big rollercoasters … until they saw them. I wanted to take them on a small one at first, just to get them used to the idea. They started having second thoughts, so I said “Aww come on. I know you were excited. You can be brave, right?”

Notice I didn’t use the word “Chicken” or use a demeaning tone.

Sometimes at work, our bosses may use the “D” form above to encourage us to go above and beyond what we think we can do. This isn’t always bad, but sometimes they may use this to take advantage of the employees as well.

2) Guilt

This form of manipulation is downright evil. It’s primary goal is finding a way to get to you through an aspect of your life that goes against your moral upbringing and using it in a way to make you do their demands. It’s very much like blackmail.

Here are some key phrases to watch out for:

• “How can you say that? I am going to tell xxx unless you…”
• “Are you trying to break my heart?”

Served with the proper acting, this one can be a doozy.

3) Fear

This form of manipulation plays on your fear to get you to do what they want you to.

Here are some key phrases:

• “If you do that, you will lose me forever.”
• “Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life?”

When the manipulator finds your breaking points, they will put the knife in deep and twist it and twist it until you can be heard screaming a mile away. Once they get you to do what they want, they will use that fear to keep you on their path. This one is devastating and affects many people today.

4) The Undying Need to Be Needed

This form is used in relationships commonly in seduction situations where the manipulator preys on the victim’s need to be needed and liked. It is often seen in phrases like the following:

• “Well, if you aren’t willing to go to 2nd base, then just forget it. Let’s call the whole thing off. I don’t think we were meant to be.”
• “Well, if you don’t want to do that, then I don’t have a lot of time this week.”

Both of those phrases will leave the victim wondering if they should have done things differently to keep the manipulator around. It’s an uphill battle that can never be won. If the victim falls for the trick and gives in, the next time, the manipulator will demand more.

5) True Love

This goes hand in hand with Guilt. It’s very common among children to their parents. Watch for the following:

• “If you love me…really love me, you will do this for me…”
• They give you the pouty look, drag their feet along and mutter things like, “I guess you don’t really love me then.”

It’s sad when adults use this trick to get their lover / spouse to give in.

6) Social Status

This is another one that is quite common among children, but I have seen it among many adults as well. It usually sounds something like this:

• “All my friends are going to go.”
• “I’m the only person I know of that doesn’t have…”

I tried this a lot when I was a kid. My parents response…is something I use today with my own daughters…”If all your friends jumped off of a bridge, would you follow them?”

7) Paybacks

Another classic. In this situation, someone may offer to do something for you that seems too good to be true. Then, after a bit, they ask you for a favor and guilt you into doing it because of the fantastic thing they did for you. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

8 ) Pity / Emotional Manipulation

Another classic. This one actually draws from almost every other form of manipulation and can come in several forms. The goal is to get your pity so that no matter what the manipulator does or says, you feel bad for leaving. It goes something like this:

• “Nobody likes me.” This is used in an effort to get pity so you’ll say “I do!” Once the manipulator has you in their grasp, they can continue to play in your pity to get what they want.
• “You are the only person that has ever loved me.” While this may be masked into making the victim feel special, in reality it’s an attempt to make the victim feel unable to make another choice because they don’t want the manipulator to feel that the only person that has ever loved them no longer loves them.
• “I can’t do anything right.”
• “I’m a jerk.”
• Etc. Various statements to ensure a contrary reaction from the victim.

As you can see, this whole thing is nothing more than an emotional rollercoaster designed to manipulate the victim into feeling bad about themselves or the manipulator to coerce them into doing something against their better judgment.

Parents, you will see these signs among your children. Children are pros at it. Nip it in the bud as soon as you can. Do not fall victim to it. Teach the kids why this is wrong.

However, if you see several of these warning signs in other adults, run, don’t walk, in the other direction. Protect your emotions, your heart and even your loved ones from emotional manipulators. Nothing good can come of it.

Before you get all mad at me and think I’ve lost my mind, think about it. Really. The very word “Christian” in it’s origin, was always derogatory. It was meant as an insult to the first Christians. Yet they wore the label proudly. Many American Christians have lost what it really means to be a Christian. Ask any one that has been a missionary in a third world country. They will tell you that the Christians over there are a lot different. They don’t take their faith for granted. They know that at any moment they could be killed for stating what they believe in.

They are willing to LOSE IT ALL to serve Jesus.

Yet in our country we preach our prosperity gospels. For some reason we think that God wants us to have our heart’s desires. We quote Matthew 7:7 as our mantra. “Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Ask and you shall receive.” We seem to think that this verse means that our heart’s desires will be given to us if all we do is ask. But, it’s really not talking about Earthly wants and desires, but rather our true needs. Sure, Christ COULD have died and saved us ALL without us having to ask, but that’s not at all what happened. He wants us to seek, knock and ask. He didn’t create us to be puppets at his own beck and call. We have to realize that no matter what we do, we cannot save ourselves. We have to admit that we are losers without Him. We have to ask Him to save us.

Yes, people. Jesus is for losers. The Self Made need not apply.

I remember back in the 90s when Steve Taylor released an ablum called Squint, he had a song called “Jesus Is For Losers.” Naturally, this raised my eyebrow, but after I read the lyrics, I really came to appreciate what was being said. Check out these lyrics. The one line that really gets me every single time I hear it…Jesus is for losers…broken at the foot of the cross. I love it.

Jesus Is For Losers

Just as I am
I am stiff-necked and proud
Jesus is for losers
Why do I still play to the crowd?

Just as I am
Pass the compass, please
Jesus is for losers
I’m off about a hundred degrees

If I was groping
Groping around for some ladder to fame
I am ashamed

If I was hoping
Hoping respect would make a sturdy footstool
I am a fool

Bone-weary every climb
Blindsided every time

Just as I am
I am needy and dry
Jesus is for losers
The self-made need not apply

Just as I am
In a desert crawl
Lord, I’m so thirsty
Take me to the waterfall

And if you’re certain
Certain your life is some cosmic mistake
Why do you shake?

And if you’re certain
Certain that faith is some know-nothing mask
Why do you still ask?

They don’t grade here on the curve
We both know what we deserve

Just as you are
Just a wretch like me
Jesus is for losers
Grace from the blood of a tree

Just as we are
At a total loss
Jesus is for losers
Broken at the foot of the cross

Just as I am
Pass the compass, please
Jesus is for losers
I’m off about a hundred degrees

Just as I am
In a desert crawl
Lord, I’m so thirsty
Take me to the waterfall

Like last year, this year’s event is being hosted by Ted Dekker, the author of the books that the event corresponds to. In the series of books, the event called The Gathering was a time when all the followers of Elyon (God) got together for a time of fellowship, fun and reflection. A time to put aside the cares of the world to honor the One we all live for. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

I cannot wait! We are leaving tonight right after work, going to drive just about half way, hopefully go to King’s Island tomorrow, though the weather looks like it may put a “damper” on that. Then tomorrow, we will spend the night at another hotel, and then wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed to drive the rest of the way into Nashville, arriving sometime Thursday afternoon.

We will leave on Sunday, drive about half way and stay at a bed and breakfast for a couple of nights just to spend some time together and relax without having to worry about anything.

Our girls will be staying with my mom and step-dad and just blessing the socks off of them. Or something like that.

I am really going to miss my girls though.

This morn as I was saying goodbye to them, Katie gave me 7 kisses. One for each day that we will be gone so that I won’t be short any kisses. That was just about the sweetest thing ever.