When the past come back to haunt me...

just thinking about some recent conversation with my wife and quasi-family members who feed us every Sunday...

Do our sins return to us in the form of punishment? Do we "get what we deserve" (said with a slight wag of the head and a raised eyebrow, this phrase can be quite judgmental)? More specifically, are we Christians supposed to believe that God punishes us later on down the line for things we did in our past?

Here's my recent take on the subject: NO.

The idea of "Godly sorrow" leading to repentance comes to mind for me. I think this tug of conscience emotion should be carefully contrasted with the GUILT dished out like ice cream from Satan's Pity-Party Ice Cream truck. That stuff's addictive...but anybody who's had a double scoop of his "Rocky Road" knows how heavy that stuff can sit on the stomach...

If one seeks forgiveness in earnest and repents of this sin, God forgives. In fact, unless my Sunday school teachers lied to me, God cannot even see the sin any more.

So no, I don't believe God punishes his children for sins He has already wiped clean.

HOWEVER, I do very strongly believe that our Father may allow us to be "sifted" by things we misjudge as punishments for our wrongdoings. But here lies the subtle, yet crucial difference: God allows these ills to befall us as a testing and improving of our faith.

The test I imagine that is most often failed is the one where we get to thinking that God is bringing hellfire upon us for our past failures. I don't think God plays double jeopardy. When we say, "yep...I've deserved this and I'm paying for my sin", we rob Jesus of glory! Yes, of course I deserve it! But the struggle is a test, not a scolding.

This realization is very subtle but I think crucial to the winning of the battle. The battle, in this case, is won when we turn and, as my RA's learned recently, "F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God)".

It is logical that we would and should be punished for our bad choices...but that kind of talk shoots a few holes in what is otherwise an awesome, flawless good news story worth believing by a vengeful world.

Chasin' After Buffalo...

"...those bulls'll hook you. You remember ol' man Barlow?"

Gus: "Ol' man Barlow was a slow thinker."

Pea: "He was a slow walker, too, when them bulls got through with him."

Some photos...

At our mother's wedding, November 15, 2005

The wedding was obviously a "country wedding" (complete with haybales in the church). All in all, it was nice to see our mother happy for a change.

(I actually enjoyed getting "gussied up" in the cowboy garb for the wedding. However, the hat was borrowed, the boots were borrowed, and the pants I bought were given to my grandfather...the only thing I have left is the 10 dollar belt.)

Daughters: Sydney (Ryan's) and Megan (Mine)

Searching for cliches, two things come to mind: "That's what it's all about..." and "Why fathers own shotguns." (note to self)

But seriously, they are amazingly beautiful; indicators of God's amazing hand at work in our lives. The emotions evoked by even a photo is unexplainable.

My Son...Imagine That

David was running around with the camera, taking videos and photos of everybody and himself. He is, to say the very least, a "ham." His intelligent sense of humor never ceases to bring a smile to my face!

He still tells this one: "What kind of bees have milk? Answer: Boobies

Hit the Pace Car...What?...HIT THE PACE CAR!

...well, you've hit every other car...I want you to be perfect!" (fumbled up quote from Days of Thunder)

Justin, my friend of atmospheric height (he's 6'8"), was in a car accident yesterday. Since he was not hurt nor near death, this would normally be just another footnote in the tale of a traveling salesman. However, this story has a twist...

What occurred after the wreck is the part that he and I both will be telling our friends for years.

"There I was...", it begins:

...yielding to traffic like a responsible driver on the I-10 exit going into Crestview, Florida. The driver behind me, on the other hand, did not slow down, and plowed into my rear. [skipping the nonessentials]...When the cops arrived [wait for it...] the patrol car plowed into the rear of the lady that hit me! The lady had just climbed out of her vehicle and her car lurched forward when it hit." (my paraphrase, of course)

While unfortunate and irresponsible on the policeman's part, that's hilarious.