the tindog coffeehouse

Last September, our pastor challenged the church to read through the Bible in a year, something that for some reason I had never done. I had read much of the Bible but never the whole thing and never for a whole year straight. I decided it was time to change that, and so I took the challenge.

And three days ago, I finished it.

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It was like the day was burning
Everywhere he turned, he saw the fields on fire
Captive by the wire

Home fell like breaking china
Fear was the only thing they shared at all
Bearing every soul

Oh, give me rest tonite

– Hoi Polloi, “Rest Tonite”

Texas is in the midst of one of the worst droughts in the state’s history and suffering through one of its hottest summers. Here in the DFW Metroplex, we racked up 40 days straight of triple-digit high temperatures in July and August, two days short of tying a record, and have so far had 57 days total over 100 degrees, with that number climbing daily. Further south, it’s much worse. Austin has already had 69 days of 100 degree-plus weather and much less rainfall. Losses in crops and livestock due to the drought have cost Texas $5.2 billion, and much of the state is under severe water restrictions.

And there’s no sign of relief any time soon. While the temperatures will eventually subside in a month or so, meteorologists are saying we’re probably in for another drier-than-normal La Niña winter. Which means things will probably get a lot worse before they get any better.

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While I don’t have a son, I do have two young daughters, and any father of young kids can instantly relate to the lyrics of the song below, “Follow Me” by Remedy Drive. There are times when kids ask deep and complicated questions that are difficult to answer, but more often than not, they just want to spend time with their daddy.

I try to be the best father I can for my kids, and as the song says, I don’t want to let them down. In the end, I hope I will have done enough and set the right example for my kids to follow. But more importantly, I pray that they’ll keep running toward “this hope that I can’t see”, Jesus Christ.

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As a Christian, your personality type (and subsequent political leanings) affect how you approach your relationship with God. No real surprise there. But Donald Miller recently expounded on this concept by looking at it through the spectrum of the Enneagram.

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But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

– Luke 24:1-7

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He walked the dirty streets, famous for nothing
He said, “Come follow me,” and they came
A face like all the rest, but something was different
The Son of God would lead the way
And soon they all would say

There He goes, a hero, a Savior to the world
Here He stands with scars in His hands
With love He gave His life so we could be free
The Savior of the world

He spoke with clarity
Walked across the sea
A single word would calm the storm
His touch could heal the sick
But He was called a hypocrite
But laid behind the stone, His death was shortly mourned
He left the curtain torn

There He goes, a hero, a Savior to the world
Here He stands with scars in His hands
With love He gave His life so we could be free
The Savior of the world

He chose to take the cross
Shed tears for the lost, the broken, and the needy
Forgiving those who were and will be

The angel made it clear
He told them, “Have no fear
He’s not here, He’s not here”

There He goes, a hero, a Savior to the world
Here He stands with scars in His hands
With love He gave His life so we could be free
The Savior of the world

– Abandon, “Hero”

Happy Easter!

Previously:
It was all because of love
In the beginning…
‘His purpose in life was to go straight to the cross’
¡Viva La Revolución!

I spent this past weekend stuck in a hotel room in suburban Milwaukee. Exciting, right? I know, you’re jealous. But trust me, it wasn’t as interesting as it sounds. For one, it was raining and snowing (yes, snowing!) the whole time I was there. Second, it was Milwaukee. Unless you just have an unnatural fondness for Miller Lite or Laverne and Shirley, there’s really no reason to ever go there. I did, however, discover cheese curds, which I’m told are amazing, but to me they just tasted like, well, cheese. Which we have in Texas. Except we call it queso and dip our tortilla chips in it.

Anyway, I had gone up there to move one of our offices, which had to be done over a weekend. I finished up by mid-afternoon on Saturday, but my flight home didn’t leave till Sunday afternoon. So what do you do for 24 hours in suburban Milwaukee while it’s raining and snowing? You sit around in your hotel room trying to figure out how in the world you took such a wrong turn in life. That, and watch movies.

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