Message Series’

Category

Get them with grace

There’s a phrase in pop culture that describes the way that people hope their kids live when they grow up, how they hope their bosses treat them at work, and how they’d like members of their families to react in their moments of weakness and mistakes. It’s short and sweet, it speaks softly - but carries a big stick. Perhaps you’ve heard someone say it. Perhaps you’ve used it yourself. “Kill them with kindness.”  At its core it’s a juxtaposition…

Neighbors in America

My neighbors name is… well, his dog’s name is Frank. I know that because he yells it when he wants him to come inside. While I can’t remember his name right now, I DO know a few things about him. He drives a truck. It’s black and has a bunch of fancy tinted windows. He also is really into race cars. Stock cars to be more exact. He drives them for fun in some sort of “league” or something. He’s…

Make the most of it

I stay up late. It used to be cool. Teenager Aaron loved the thought of being the last one in the house to go to bed - I think because it gave him some sense of power. College aged Aaron decided that watching shows on this new fangled device called Tivo was more important than the sleep his body told him he should be getting - and so he stayed up well into the night making sure he was all…

A plan so simple

The plan was simple. We were going to burn the figurine because it was ugly and haunting the front door to my apartment. There were a few details to be worked out, but it was the only way we could destroy the thing, and not leave behind evidence. We knew WHAT we were going to do, and WHEN we were going to do it, we even knew HOW for the most part, but one thing was for sure, the Santa…

Kingdom Come

I can imagine being right there next to Him. Hearing His words, and feeling His presence. Listening as He spoke to His Father in ways that I did not or could not understand. I can imagine the looks on the faces of my friends, as we experienced together the kind of prayers that would lead us to ask the question too.  ‘Lord, teach us to pray?’ Was it a question, or more of a statement? A demand in the gentlest…

Back to basics

Basics are always important. No matter what arena of life you’re in, they lay the foundation for everything everything that you’re going to try and accomplish moving forward. Every soldier starts in basic training. Chefs all learn how to set an oven temp and melt butter in a pan. You have to know your letters before you can learn to read, write and spell. No matter what you’re doing, learning the basics is the proper place to start.  Christianity is…

My mask

It wasn’t even that good of a movie. Sure it made Jim Carrey more famous than he already was, but it was too unrealistic in my opinion. That green mask and all the weird cartoonish animation. It just made it seem completely unbelievable. Although perhaps that was the point? The overarching idea that masks are not reality, and they portray something fake and misguided. Maybe they were geniuses all along, and I am just now figuring it out.  Unfortunately, while…

Community comes calling

I used to watch this show called “How I met your mother.” It was pretty funny honestly. The finale was kind of a bummer if I’m being honest, but otherwise I thought it was worth setting the DVR for every week. The show was FULL of running jokes that would pop up throughout the seasons, calling back to previous episodes and situations, reminding viewers of something hilarious that had happened, and that this was one of their favorite shows for…

A better kind of book

I don’t like to read books. There, I said it. I’m not exactly sure what it is about them that turns me away, but I just can’t seem to bring myself to pick up the habit.  My ENTIRE family seems to love them. My dad reads books like people eat meals. My grandfather was the editor-in-chief of a highly successful and well-known local newspaper, so we know that guy loved him some reading too. My uncle, collects old books just…

The day I gave myself away

June 17th, 2006 was a Saturday. I don’t remember the exact temperature, but I know it was hot. The uncomfortable kind of hot, because it was sticky like a sucker one of my kids left on the backseat of my car for me to find later. Anyway, that was day I gave my life away. I stood in front of my dearest friends and family, and promised to give Emily Ann Wenzel the best (and worst I guess) of me,…