A story from a few years ago …
Delaney was five and Ashlyn was three. They ran around the house jumping, skipping, singing and dancing like most little girls. Ashlyn never had much chance to play what she wanted because Delaney was insistent on making Ashlyn play her way. OK, I’ll say it, Delaney was bossy!
One day Shirley and I were outside doing something in the yard to make it appear we did yard work more than once a year. Neither one of us has a green thumb or a brown one or even a black one. I went inside to cook something for the girls to munch on - popcorn.
After pressing start on the microwave I returned to the yard. Five minutes turned to ten and ten quickly became twenty. You know how easy it is to lose track of time when doing something you love. Do you know how long you should cook microwave popcorn?
Delaney came running outside skipping in circles asking for her popcorn over and over and over. She was using that annoying high-pitched voice your children sometimes use. Shirley went in to get the snack and that’s when it happened ….. She started screaming in that same voice. I ran inside and found the kitchen full of dark black smoke. Scanning the room with eagle eye precision I noticed the source – the microwave. Black puffs billowed from the heatmaker.
With the black cloud growing, smoke filled the dining room and den. With the smoke alarm blaring, Shirley screaming and smoke covering the kitchen I sprang into action. I reached into a drawer and grabbed an oven mitt. Reaching into the microwave I felt a pile of soot – hard, dry soot that used to be popcorn. The noise was deafening – smoke alarm, screaming wife and now Delaney skipping around the island waving her arms shouting “Stop, Drop and Roll, Stop, Drop and Roll.” Apparently, she had just had a fireman come visit her kindergarten class. She knew exactly what to do. I have to admit at this point it did become comical.
Ashlyn came running into the kitchen because she thought we were having a party without her. Standing at the kitchen door with her usual I’ve-been-up-to-something-you-don’t-know-about smile, Delaney looked at her and said, “Ash, stop, drop and roll.” She grabbed Ashlyn and made her lay on the floor. We lost it when she started rolling Ashlyn toward the front door saying, “Stop, drop and roll. I’m saving your life, I’m saving your life,” over and over.
Needless to say, if you ever cook popcorn in the microwave make sure you select 2:30, not 230:00. Apparently, pushing too many zeros is not a good thing.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Slavery
Too often we attribute our success to hard work, intelligence or good fortune. But how do we respond when things don't go well? If you’re like me, you blame bad luck or others for your failures. Human nature takes the credit and shifts the blame. We are usually good at patting ourselves on the back when things are going great. We are equally guilty of pointing fingers at others when things are out of control.
Five times in the Book of Deuteronomy we read the phrase, Remember that you were slaves in Egypt - 5:15, 15:15, 16:12, 24:18 and 24:22. God wanted His people to remember their past. Not to dwell on it but to learn from it. The reason for looking back and remembering is to maintain perspective in the present. When we forget where we came from we begin to think we have earned our positions or possessions and that we deserve God’s blessing. By remembering we were Slaves in Egypt, we will be able to engage life with gratitude and humility. Remember the cost Jesus paid to ransom us from spiritual slavery. We were spiritual slaves bought with a great price. Remember your freedom and the price that was paid to gain liberty. Freedom and liberty do not come from the government or any other man made entity. It is not our hard work, intelligence or good luck that sets us free. God's grace liberates us to serve Him with thankful hearts because we are now sons and daughters, heirs to His Kingdom, no longer Slaves in Egypt.
Five times in the Book of Deuteronomy we read the phrase, Remember that you were slaves in Egypt - 5:15, 15:15, 16:12, 24:18 and 24:22. God wanted His people to remember their past. Not to dwell on it but to learn from it. The reason for looking back and remembering is to maintain perspective in the present. When we forget where we came from we begin to think we have earned our positions or possessions and that we deserve God’s blessing. By remembering we were Slaves in Egypt, we will be able to engage life with gratitude and humility. Remember the cost Jesus paid to ransom us from spiritual slavery. We were spiritual slaves bought with a great price. Remember your freedom and the price that was paid to gain liberty. Freedom and liberty do not come from the government or any other man made entity. It is not our hard work, intelligence or good luck that sets us free. God's grace liberates us to serve Him with thankful hearts because we are now sons and daughters, heirs to His Kingdom, no longer Slaves in Egypt.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Breaking the Law
I was about twenty years old and had gone out of town one weekend. I was driving home – south on I-65 just north of Mobile. I’d just come off the Dolly Pardon bridge and passed a State Trooper. As I had done many times before, I flashed my headlights at oncoming traffic to warn them a Trooper was ahead. This is bad. Don’t ever flash your headlights to warn someone. Apparently, a great song was playing on the radio because I found myself flashing the lights to the beat of the music. That’s when it happened. I had driven about a mile and a half when I saw him. He walked from the right shoulder of the interstate into the left lane, stopped and raised his arm my direction. I slammed on brakes, skidding and sliding. When he raised his arm, I thought he was pointing a gun. The Trooper motioned me to pull over. Of course, I did. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. I almost ran over a cop! The nearly 7-foot, 300 pound Trooper knocked on my window. He asked for my license and stepped to the back of my truck. Actually, my dad’s truck. He walked back to his vehicle and stayed and stayed and stayed. It seemed like an hour before he returned.
All he said was, “Mr. Grizzle, will you please step out of your vehicle and into mine?”
HOLY CRAP! I was in the back seat of a Trooper’s car. Not a good way to start your day! His partner was talking on the radio and filling out some forms.
The officer said, “Did you know you are driving a vehicle with defaulty equipment?”
My response, “Huh?”
“Your vehicle has defaulty equipment.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your headlights are malfunctioning. I saw them flashing on and off. That’s very dangerous, you know.”
“There’s nothing wrong with them, officer. I was …. “
“You need to have the electrical system checked.”
I finally figured it out. Apparently, you can get a ticket for driving a vehicle that is unsafe. I also found out I was speeding and driving a truck with an expired tag. Three big strikes. Remember, it was my dad’s truck. Wonder who forgot to get the tag renewed? Oh yeah, one more thing. I had left my wallet at home that weekend so guess who didn’t have a driver’s license? I knew I was in trouble when the officer said, “You have no identification, you’re speeding, and driving an unsafe vehicle with defaulty equipment and an expired tag.”
This is why some people smoke crack! My response to his next question was shocking. He said, “Are you going to slow down and stop speeding?”
I shrugged, “probably not.”
“WHAT!”
“Officer, the reality is that as soon as I leave I’ll go right back to driving 80. The law can’t change my actions.”
“You’re telling me you’re going to keep speeding?”
“The law can’t change me. Only I can change my actions and the truth is that I’ll probably keep speeding.”
Looking at his partner, the other officer said, “I don’t think he’s talking about speeding any more.”
Jesus came to save us from the law. The law was incomplete because a perfect sacrifice was needed. Jesus fulfilled the law providing freedom from the bondage to sin. Even God’s law can’t change our hearts or actions. It is by His Spirit we are called into a covenant relationship with Him through the renewing work of His death and resurrection.
Wow! The law can’t change us. Only He can!
By the way, I didn’t get a ticket. And just so you know, while traveling all over the United States I have had the privilege of meeting many our finest men and women in uniform. It seems as though they love to introduce themselves to me on the side of the roads. And you shouldn’t flash your headlights to warn others because you might be warning someone who is drunk. At least that’s what the Trooper told me.
All he said was, “Mr. Grizzle, will you please step out of your vehicle and into mine?”
HOLY CRAP! I was in the back seat of a Trooper’s car. Not a good way to start your day! His partner was talking on the radio and filling out some forms.
The officer said, “Did you know you are driving a vehicle with defaulty equipment?”
My response, “Huh?”
“Your vehicle has defaulty equipment.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your headlights are malfunctioning. I saw them flashing on and off. That’s very dangerous, you know.”
“There’s nothing wrong with them, officer. I was …. “
“You need to have the electrical system checked.”
I finally figured it out. Apparently, you can get a ticket for driving a vehicle that is unsafe. I also found out I was speeding and driving a truck with an expired tag. Three big strikes. Remember, it was my dad’s truck. Wonder who forgot to get the tag renewed? Oh yeah, one more thing. I had left my wallet at home that weekend so guess who didn’t have a driver’s license? I knew I was in trouble when the officer said, “You have no identification, you’re speeding, and driving an unsafe vehicle with defaulty equipment and an expired tag.”
This is why some people smoke crack! My response to his next question was shocking. He said, “Are you going to slow down and stop speeding?”
I shrugged, “probably not.”
“WHAT!”
“Officer, the reality is that as soon as I leave I’ll go right back to driving 80. The law can’t change my actions.”
“You’re telling me you’re going to keep speeding?”
“The law can’t change me. Only I can change my actions and the truth is that I’ll probably keep speeding.”
Looking at his partner, the other officer said, “I don’t think he’s talking about speeding any more.”
Jesus came to save us from the law. The law was incomplete because a perfect sacrifice was needed. Jesus fulfilled the law providing freedom from the bondage to sin. Even God’s law can’t change our hearts or actions. It is by His Spirit we are called into a covenant relationship with Him through the renewing work of His death and resurrection.
Wow! The law can’t change us. Only He can!
By the way, I didn’t get a ticket. And just so you know, while traveling all over the United States I have had the privilege of meeting many our finest men and women in uniform. It seems as though they love to introduce themselves to me on the side of the roads. And you shouldn’t flash your headlights to warn others because you might be warning someone who is drunk. At least that’s what the Trooper told me.
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