The Siren

About a block from the house I am living in currently is the Gypsum Fire Department station. As I was returning on my run today, just as I was passing in front of the station the siren went off. I nearly jumped out of my shoes. It turns out that every day at noon the siren goes off, and has every day since 9/11. It sounds every day as a reminder of the horrible tragedy of that day. It also serves as a reminder to the boys that live here (ages 3 & 4) that it is time for lunch.

It got me to thinking some about the reminders in our life. We keep PDA’s and have all kinds of gadgets and tricks to remind us of stuff all the time, but what do we have as reminders to spend some time with God. I know I desire to spend more time with God through prayer, Bible reading, and/or devotions but I more typically find myself doing other things. I get myself out running on a regular basis. Part of it is because I know it’s good for me and I have an end goal (a marathon typically), but is that so different when it comes to time with God? I know that it’s good for me to spend time with God, and I have an end goal (a meaningful relationship) yet for some reason that time doesn’t happen. Odd because it’s generally far less painful than running. Maybe I need a better reminder. I wonder what that might be. What are the reminders in your life?

What If...

I just heard the song by Joe Nichols, "If Nobody Cared" or something like that. It had three verses. The first verse was about a young boy who struck out and his dad yelled at him and felt like nobody cared. The second verse spoke of an old man whose son told him he couldn't drive any more and so it felt like nobody cared. The chorus spoke about what if nobody cared? Wouldn't you give up too? The third verse was about taking God out of the schools, of the pledge of allegiance. Then asked what if God gave up because nobody cared, nobody believed in Him. It fit well with the other verses and choruses.

In some ways it reminded me of the Lost and Found song, "Baby". That song lays out three verses, one of a punk kid, a second of a lonely single guy, and the third verse of an anorexic girl. All three in the song don't feel loved because nobody calls them "baby". Lost and Found then adds a new chorus at the end that says, "Somebody loves those babies, somebody loves what we can't see. If somebody told them, maybe those babies would be free." They may not feel loved by others in this world, but God loves them. What if Joe Nichols went in that direction? What if he added a final verse or chorus that said that perhaps it feels as if nobody here cares for them, but God does. God will never give up. How much more powerful would an already powerful song become? How might our life change if we felt that love, that caring in our lives? God does love and care for you no matter what....

...that reminds me one of my favorite songs continues to be (and I don't know the official title or singer, but I love the words) something like "What if Jesus Came Back Like That?" perhaps the country companion to "What if God Was One of Us?"...of course those are rather pointless afterthoughts...bye...

Dodgeball

Yesterday's Startribune had an article about Dodgeball, and this trendy rise in popularity. It is an interesting phenomenon. It is even perhaps an interesting trend of folks trying to relive their childhood. Not that long ago, I believe even last summer, that I was reading about the rise in popularity of kickball. Is this a trend stemming from youth forced to grow up too quickly because of divorce, parental pressures, or something else? I don't know. I just wonder if it will continue or these will simply be passing fads.

Last weekend we saw "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" and laughed through most all of it. I don't know why it is funny to see grown men hit with balls and wrenches, but it turns out it is. One of the things I found kind of interesting, and perhaps even a little telling, was fairly early in the show the Ben Stiller character made some comment about the body being a temple. I think we tend to think that way, but more for the sake of our glorification. The Bible talks about the Body as a temple for the Spirit. Where did we get off track? How might we treat our bodies differently if we viewed our bodies as a temple in the biblical sense?

Close Call

This morning I ventured over to Eagle to participate in the 10K connected with Flight Days. It was a fun small town atmosphere for a 10K. It reminded me of runs like In and Out of Luck and Syttendei Mai in Grantsburg. The publicity I had found said the run started at 7:30 a.m. So I got there around 6:45 a.m. so I could make sure I found where I needed to go and could get registered. As I was signing up I find out that the 5K starts at 7:30 a.m. and the 10K not until 8:15 a.m. Not so much of a problem except that worship starts at 9:30 a.m. here. I suppose maybe it was a good thing because I knew I had to run fast enough to finish, get home and shower, and still make it to worship. Luckily it all happened. Although, between the marathon last week and the return to elevation I was feeling it early and often. Somehow I managed to run my best 10K of the year, and the second half was only one second slower than the first half so that was kind of cool. I managed to get back and leave the house by 9:30 a.m., which much like in Nome that was just about perfect timing to get there when things were starting up. The biggest surprise came after church when I got a phone call from a member of the congregation who was at the race. It sounds like I may have even earned an age group medal. Who would have thunk it?