I want you to know everything-

A few minutes after Christi and I began our morning run, she looks to me and says, "you're calling me." I said,"That's strange, because I am listening to the radio on my phone right now." Well, it was my son Face Timing Christi from my IPad. He wanted to speak with me. 

"Dad, I can't find the remote..." We had been wrestling earlier (a lot of that type of good father/son bonding happens in the Adams' household), and he said that he knew where it was before we wrestled, but now he couldn't find it. He had gone through the normal routine of where it could be and was out of ideas. 

What was my response? "Bud , I am out running. I don't know where it is. I can't see it. What do you want?"  What he said brought a smile to my face.

"Dad, I want you to know everything."

What an amazing admission...I wish I knew everything, but I don't. As parents, dads imparticular, we do all that we can to have the answer to every solution for our kids and family. I think sometimes, if we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that we find a lot of value in having an answer for every situation. Problems at school, work, with friends...we love being the goto guys. Ok, maybe I can't speak for you, but I know this is true for me. 

What happens when I have taught my family that I am the answer man, and the day comes when I have to admit...I don't know it all. I don't have all of the answers. What then? That's called a crisis of belief. That's what happens. The foundation of trust and belief that others have built upon...cracked and damaged.

After Connor said that he wanted me to know everything, by God's grace, I answered, "I do too, buddy, but only God knows everything, He's the only dad with all of the answers. I will help you look when I get home."   In that moment, I made a two confessions: I don't know it all and I know who does. 

It is our job, our privilege, as parents to make much of God to our spouse and children. I think we need to recognize every opportunity to do this. Even those times, when we swell up with pride (like I did this morning) when those we love confess how much they rely on and believe in us. It is ok to feel good, to enjoy that trust. 

We have to remember what The Lord spoke in Isaiah chapter 40:28, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable."

Next time you don't know the answer, don't hang your head low, lift your eyes up! 

Don't Neglect the Little Things

Christi and I have had a busy summer. Our kiddos were gone for a couple of weeks to the grandparents...I would love to tell you how much free time we had---romantic dates every night and all---but our calendar didn't free up that much!

What we did do though makes us scratch our heads. You see when we moved into our new home 8 years ago, we painted every wall, waxed every floor. We were "Gung-ho" taking care of everything, big and small to make our home look its best.

Well, 8 years later, we had done very little. Paint is dirty from raising 2 kids. Chipped paint marks where chairs have hit the wall one too many times. Tiles that have been cracked since year 2 still mark the floor. Dirty grout marks the kitchen floor and ice falls out of the refrigerator ice maker onto the floor because the guide for the ice has long been broken.

How did it get this way? I mean to the average visitor, you might not notice these things, but to us...they have been more than prominent. Well, this summer we finally decided to try and tackle this list. No kidding, a couple of weeks are gone and this list no longer exists! Everything is cleaned, repaired or replaced!

So why do we scratch our heads when we think about it? Well, we never tackled these things because we thought they would either be out of our skill set or take more time than we had. We have lived with a mess in our house, inconveniences in the kitchen, all because we weren't willing to try the fixes because they APPEARED to be too much for us to tackle.

You know where I'm going with this! Yeah, think of all the little things in your life of faith that you have simply not tackled over the years. All the different areas of your life you have not opened the door to for the Holy Spirit simply because that area APPEARS a little too big of a task to deal with right now.

I bet we share a lot in common. When we first believed, we were "Gung-ho" about letting the Holy Spirit do major overhauls in our life. Over time, we just have gotten tired and overwhelmed at the thought of what it would take to get that area of faith/life back to the full beauty God intends for it. Well, let me give you a word of encouragement. It's not gonna take much! Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit as our Helper and guide. It is He who works in you and through you. If He can revive a dead soul and bring it back to life...well those nicks and cracks in your life of faith are a cakewalk. The reality is, you just have to open the door and let Him work - though you, through others around you, through His power!

      “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. -(Jn 14:26)

Take a moment today. Take account of the areas of your life of faith you have neglected a little more than you wish you would have. Then, in obedience to Christ and by the power that comes by the Holy Spirit, knock those items that have been bugging you off your list. It feels great, I promise!