Life Is Messy

Life is messy.  So is Muckfest.  I, however, don't like to be messy.  "What is Muckfest?" you ask.  It's only the most fun you can have with slime, paint, water, mud and almost 200 teenagers.

Every year our church puts on an multi-day event called Teen Madness.  The apex of the the event is Muckfest. Muckfest involves the teens painting themselves, sloshing in kiddy pools filled with slime, sliding on slip-n-slides covered in slime, sliding down a hill into a slime pit and wallowing in mud -- all contained in a giant mud pit that is being showered by local firefighters.  When all is said and done, the kids gather in the parking lot and are showered off by more firefighters.  The teens absolutely love it.

This is the 3rd year that I've helped out with Teen Madness.  Until this year I have never gotten messy at Muckfest.  I usually stand on the sidelines and escort teens to first aid when they have too much slop in their eyes.

This year started out in much the same fashion.  Then the students started coming to me all slimed up and asking for hugs.  I know they didn't really want hugs.  They really wanted to get me all slimed up too.  So I gave in and handed out hugs.

So now I'm reflecting on the events of the night.  Here's my takeaway...

Life is messy.  The people around us live messy lives.  The way I figure it, we have 2 choices.  We can stand on the sidelines and watch them wallow in the mud and slime.  Or, we can get messy with them and give them hugs.

Jesus chose to get messy.  He got right there into people's messy lives.  Philippians 2:8 says, "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!"  Jesus got messy by hanging out with the messy people of his day.  He was often hanging out with tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, and other outcasts.  He comforted.  He healed.  He rebuked.  He encouraged.  And most importantly he died on the cross for their sins and ours.  Jesus got messy for them.  Jesus got messy for you and me.  Jesus got messy to make us clean.

Now, Jesus wants us to get messy to share his love with others.  I think next year, I might have to step up my messiness.

Who wants a hug?

4 Letter Words

I've had this post bouncing around in my head for a few weeks.  I even had a debate with my wife about it.

Warning: this post may make me seem a bit more liberal than I really am.  The views expressed here may not actually represent the views of the writer.  I'm just throwing thoughts out there.

Why are cuss words bad?  First, let me say that I don't cuss.  We try to shelter our kids from such language.  One time our daughter came to us and told us that she heard the "s" word on TV.  When we asked her what the "s" word was, she responded, "stupid."  We knew that we were doing our job.

Recently our kids were at a Pokemon tournament at the local library.  After the fact, we found out that the event was not chaperoned adequately.  Our kids (ages 13, 11 and 9) told us that they heard the "f" word from a few teenagers at the tournament.  Well this time they really did hear the "f" word.  Thankfully they knew it was bad, even though they didn't know what it was slang for.

Forget that I don't know why kids that age were using that word at a public library.  Why do people need to use that word at all?  I know people who use it every 3rd or 4th word.  Does it really add to the conversation that much?

But here is the question that I'm really wondering... what makes some words worse than others, even though they mean the same thing?  Why is sh-- worse than poop... pi-- worse than pee... da-- worse than darn.  One word in each of these sets is acceptable; one isn't.  Why?

I know parents who would never let their kids use the "f" word.  But these same kids use "fudge" or "freaking" in the same context in a sentence.  What's the difference?  When I hear the word "fudge" or "freaking" used in those contexts, I think of the other word, so why not just use the other word?

I also know a few good kids who post "WTF" on their FaceBook posts.  And some who will even say "what the f" in conversation.  Why is that acceptable?  Why can you allude to the word, so long as you don't actually say it... even though your hearers think and even in one sense "hear" it?

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "[W]e take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  Words are spoken thoughts.  Can you use 4 letter words and take every thought captive?

Honda

A couple of years ago, I picked out an used 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan for my wife.  It had low miles and was at a good price.  Tammie had been wanting to get back into a van.  So I got her one.

I picked the Grand Caravan because, in my mind, they invented the minivan and none had surpassed them yet.  But I was wrong... they were no longer the king of the hill.  They had been surpassed by the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna and maybe even a few others.

She has hated that thing.  It wasn't too bad for the first year or so.  But over the last 2 years, it has been in the shop for one thing after the other.  The crazy thing... with all the trips to the shop, we tried 3 or 4 different garages... and EVERY time (I kid you not) when they found out what was wrong, they told us, "Yes, these vans are known for this."  I think the only those vans were not known for was being reliable.

The last time the van was in the shop, Tammie asked the guy which types of cars he saw the least.  His first answer was Mercedes Benz.  Well, we're not getting one of those.  His second answer was Hondas and Nissans.  Tammie soon fell in love with the Odyssey.  So today, on a whim, we stopped into South Hills Honda and looked up Ron Paree.

Now, I have to tell you, we didn't think that we would be able to work a out a deal today.  We figured that between what we still owed on the Caravan and what it was worth, given all the problems we've had with it, that we'd be too negative such that it would be cost prohibitive.

Two things happened today that shocked me.  1. Tammie said that she didn't want a minivan.  I think she's tired of the soccer mom stigma that comes from driving a minivan.  2. South Hills Honda came through.  We picked out a 2008 Honda CR-V all wheel drive with 27K miles.  I don't know how they worked out the numbers, but they were able to hit our payment and the price even included a 5 year 75K miles 100% warranty with no deductible (we didn't want to get nickle and dimed to death like the Caravan was doing to us).

So we are now a 2 Honda driving family.  If you're looking for a Honda, head over to South Hills Honda, look up Ron Paree and tell him that I sent you.  Tell him if he doesn't give you a good deal then Tammie will stop making cheesecakes for them.