A Newlyweds' Entertainment Center

Yes, that's an ironing board with Cristina's laptop perched atop.  If I still lived in Roxboro, we'd call this "Redneck".

In America, this is also called "weird", because we don't have a TV (yet).  We've actually chosen not to have one for our first year of marriage, due in large part to our wanting to strengthen our young relationship, and for other reasons explained more fully here.  

We're also on that Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover plan, and TV's not a necessity you know ;)

So what film was showing tonight? ELF! Cristina decorated for Christmas while I was away at work on Black Friday, so we decided to officially inaugurate the Christmas season with cinnamon-dusted eggnog & one of Cristina's favorite Christmas movies (my favorite Christmas Vacation is soon to follow).

Strangely enough, we watched most of Elf pondering & discussing the Christological similarities of Buddy the Elf among other spiritual themes :) I love my wife.  She's my best friend, and very fun to hang with.  

The Best Advice

"Continue to let the Spirit lead in this..."

**

Last week, I asked on the blog for wisdom on how to help Frank, a homeless guy whom I feel God has placed before me to build a relationship with (THANKS to the 3 of you who actually responded ;).  Not knowing how to help with a monetary need Frank had told me of (or even if I should), I emailed my campus pastor Daniel, and he connected me to a couple other guys in the church, David & Phil, who work with guys like Frank quite often.  I won't say exactly how they helped, because I feel like that may be something that should be kept private to Frank.  But I was very grateful to be a part of a church that is actively serving the community and gets excited about helping one another do so.

After talking with Frank Thursday night, telling him how the Summit Church wanted to help, Frank told me "I would like to come to church and pray before the Lord with you."  Of course, I got very excited at this, because I want Frank more than anything to know the love of Jesus.  At the same time, however, I got scared--scared of being taken advantage of like I have been in the past, scared that Frank was simply telling me what I wanted to hear.  I knew I needed discernment.  I emailed David again to let him know the latest, telling him of my concern, and he responded, "Continue to let the Spirit lead..."

My temptation is to take things into my own hands.  My worry is that I have no idea what I'm doing.  My fear is of being hurt.  My other temptation is that I'll keep "helping" just to make myself look good before others.  And then there's the temptation to just stop here, to do nothing more, to be apathetic and quit under the pressure.

If I rely on myself, those things will happen.  The truth is that I don't know what I'm doing, I may very well be hurt in some way, and I do care FAR TOO MUCH about what people think.  But God knows all, promises that He will send comfort when I need it, and truly loves others.  What does it mean to let the Holy Spirit lead? There's no straight answer to that, and that's the point.  I'm not in control.  God is, and I need to yield to Him, get out of His way, and follow Him in the wonders He wants to work.  And that's the best word.

A Gospel Picture (And a plea for wisdom)

I really like gospel pictures:  life stories that demonstrate the gospel message of Jesus without actually telling it.  A few weeks ago, I saw Frank again, and a gospel picture happened.  Frank, if you haven't read before, is a homeless guy whom I'd like to someday call my friend (a term I'm not wishing to use lightly here).  I have a vision for Frank:  plenty of us have given cash or a banana or a gift card to the homeless cardboard-clutching beggar on the corner before, but who has ever gotten to know that beggar, simply befriending him and earning his trust to show him he's a valuable human being created in the dignity and likeness of God?  I know I never have, but God keeps placing Frank in front of me and I feel this is God's vision, or at least part of it (Ephesians 3:20).

Seeing Frank at the usual spot on my lunch break one day, I parked my truck and walked over with a full lunch hour available to him and offered to take him to Burger King.  I didn't want to give him a hot meal as much as I wanted an excuse to sit down and talk with him.  He refused, because he had already had been given a lunch he said, but he said he'd take me up on the offer next time.  I left him with prayer and some food.  I prayed that he would see God's Fatherly love in His provision of basic needs for Frank, to which Frank enthusiastically responded, "Amen! God bless you!" 

That was encouraging.

But as I walked away, I was encouraged even more in thinking about what food I'd left for him:  some leftover La Cocina tortilla chips & salsa, given to me by my parents when they took me out to eat two days before; and a pumpkin cupcake, one of many given to us by Cristina's friend Jessie they day before.  The Spirit  whispered:  "Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8).

The peanut butter & jelly sandwich from our own kitchen, I had already eaten for myself.  But the gifts that had been given to me, I had just given away.  And I thought....what do I own that has not been given to me by God?  How generous has God been to me in giving the saving love of Christ that I don't deserve?  And yet, how stingily have I been clutching on to the things that are "mine"?

And I saw a gospel picture:  Jesus was essentially telling his disciples in Matthew 10, "I have loved you so abundantly and set you free from your chains.  Go and do likewise, setting others free from their chains."  He commanded them to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leprous, and drive out demons--just had He had healed their sickness, raised them to new life, cleansed their leprosy, and driven away their torturous demons.

******

I saw Frank again today, again with a full lunch hour to spare, and things didn't go as expected.  I thought he'd take me up on my offer as he had said he would, but he seemed anxious to sit on the corner in hopes of another $15, seeking to keep his remaining possessions from being auctioned away by the storage facility he's renting from.  I'm thinking of helping, but I've heard a lot recently about how our "helping" can actually hurt someone. 

But when does helping hurt?  Any ideas?  I know that I can't simply do life for Frank, that there's some things he needs to work through on his own, but is this one of them?  Could this be a doorway for further gospel conversation, a step towards authentic relationship that honors & emulates Christ?  Or is this a step away from that, a hindrance?  I'd appreciate your humble wisdom in comments.  Thanks.

Thankfulness...or is it thanksgiving?

wait...that's not the right turkey...

Everyone is blogging about thankfulness, so why not us? This morning was kind of a rough start, what with it being Monday and all. Casey had to go out early for something before he even had to be at work, and Monday morning traffic in Raleigh is terrible, so it wasn't the happiest of times. Trying to lighten the mood, and redirect our attention, I asked "What are we thankful for?" The list started off normal enough.

Casey: Sunlight, the flowers.
Cristina: I just read Psalm 130---"If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." He doesn't keep a record of our sins.
Casey: Food.
Cristina: Our jobs. Our families. I really like my mom. And my sister. And my dad.
Casey: Roy Williams.
Cristina: Did you just say Roy Williams?
Casey: ...continuing to name UNC players...
Cristina: I don't even know who these people are...
Casey:...still naming UNC players...
Cristina: Okay...

Well, at least we are thankful for something.

Oh yes we did...(this post dedicated to Erin)

So, the State Fair came a couple weeks ago. We live close enough to the fairgrounds that we could hear the fireworks every night around 9:45 PM. Every single night of the fair they scared me, until I remembered "oh yeah, fair, fireworks...not war." Now, growing up I mostly went to the Moore County fair (what up Carthage!?), but a few times I remember going to the state fair for the day. Casey (Roxboro) doesn't remember ever going to the state fair growing up. So, after I convinced him that we should go, especially on canned food night, when admission is basically half-off, we headed out with our good friend Erin (pictured left, about to indulge in her KK Bacon Cheeseburger). Casey LOVED the fair. We all knew he'd love the food (deep fried banana pudding, country ham biscuit, french fries, coke, half of a KK bacon cheeseburger, hot dog, and still wondering if he should eat more as we left...amazing). But who knew he'd love all the rest of the fair just as much? He loved the village of yesteryear, he loved the crafts, he loved the animals, he loved the produce, he loved the people. He loooved the fair. Erin and I were at times like the parents trying to keep up with the little kid running to every different booth, and other times like the kids ourselves---"Do we HAVE to keep looking at these crafts?" Still, crafts and animals aside, our main mission (well, mine at least) was to get ahold of one of those Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers. $6 ($7.50 once you add bacon and cheese) worth of heart-attack-inducing-sugar-rushing goodness. We did it. Mission accomplished. Scoff if you will, but I think our fair trip was a success. And, I'm happy to report, we still enjoy cheeseburgers and Krispy Kreme donuts. Though, in the future, probably not together.