Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I Guess I Really Am Cool!

Back in the day, Arthur Fonzarelli, a.k.a., the Fonz, was the epitome of cool. Everyone wanted to be like him; tough motorcycle riding guy, who got all the girls. Of course, the Fonz was a fictional character and no one could really capture the magic that was Fonzie. And even though I drove a Mustang, was an average athlete, and was a part of the "in crowd" at my high school, I never really thought of myself as cool.

Fast-forward to the early 90s. Jonathan was born in 1990, Caleb came along in 92, and David stepped into our lives in 95. The pressure was on. Every dad wants to viewed by his kids as "cool," or "hip," or whatever word is used by kids of the day to describe someone who is cut from the same bolt of cloth as the Fonz. For me, however, it was an uphill battle. The time demands of pastoring full-time, being a full-time post-graduate student, and fathering prevented me from being able to display my athletic prowess on the softball field. My poor sons never had the opportunity to know just how good I was in my mind. And to make matters worse, I drove a minivan.

For almost 17years now I have heard repeatedly from my children, "Dad, get rid of the van. It's just not cool." They have suggested pick-up trucks, Mustangs, Corvettes, and any other sporty car, but never a minivan.

Until recently I had become convinced I would never be cool in my kids' eyes. But now I know my lack of hipness is their problem and not mine. They simply do not know what cool is. I have been driving a minivan for about 17 years now and all along I have been cool! I have been the hip dad cruising in my stylin' ride. Thanks to the Sienna family I now know what cool is and I am it!



So, to all of you "uncool" dads struggling with your identity, just realize that only a few of us are cool enough to pull off wearing shorts from the 80s with black socks and tennis shoes, bald spots, and minivans ; )

Journey On,

Michael

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

They Are Everywhere!

Back in the day road trips were torturous. My brother and I would pile into the backseat of our red Ford LTD without Gameboys, PSPs, personal DVD players, or even iPods and dread the drive to our grandparents' or worse, family vacation. What would we do to entertain ourselves for the six or so hours of vehicular incarceration? Many of you over the age of 30 know exactly what I'm talking about. With no electronic babysitters we were forced to create games for our own entertainment. The game my brother and I played most often was Slug-a-Bug. It was a simple, yet painful means of entertainment. Every time a competitor saw a Volkswagen he would call out "Slug-a-Bug," then punch the arm of any one of the other competitors. I can't even imagine the number of hours we spent searching parking lots, driveways, and roads for those crazy little German personenkraftwagens. Nor can I imagine the number of bruises we sustained all in the name of entertainment.

My children have all of the electronic gadgets necessary to occupy their time while traveling, yet they still complain about being bored. So to pass the time away they have resurrected Slug-a-Bug under the new name "Punch Buggy." The rules are the same as when I played and because I grew up on the game I have found myself drawn into the fray. When they first invited me to play I thought the action would be slow, after all, there aren't that many VWs on the road. Wrong! They are everywhere. I had no idea so many people were driving the revised version of the Beetle. I guess I had never noticed because I wasn't looking for them. Once I began looking I realized the roads were teeming with Beetles.

I recently heard someone say they didn't share their faith because they just never encounter nonbelievers in Jesus. I immediately thought to myself, "Then you aren't looking." They live next door to you, maybe even with you. They work at your office, they sit in your classrooms at school, their children play baseball with your children. Nonbelievers are everywhere.

Maybe Jesus' disciples felt a little like most of us. They lived in the most religious land on the planet. Certainly everyone knew God. Who possibly could they share Jesus with? Their problem wasn't a lack of people with whom to talk. Their problem was they had never really stopped to look. Jesus, in John 4:35 said to them, "lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." In other words, guys, they are everywhere.

Let me encourage you to take some time in your life journey to look around. Nonbelievers are everywhere. Build relationships with them. Earn their trust to share Jesus. Explain His great love for them, and invite them into a journey with Him.

Journey On,

Michael