The Shack

Last week, while I was off for paternity leave, I read The Shack by William Paul Young.

I was a little apprehensive about the book before I started reading it, given the mixed reviews I got of the book. (from people who will remain nameless)

My impression: WOW. The language was very descriptive and flowery, but my brain didn’t have to try very hard to picture the scene. AND, I cried during like the last 6 chapters. (And I’ve only cried at 2 books. Tony Dungy’s book and The Cat Who Went to Heaven.)

I loved this book because it challenged my concept of God, justice and forgiveness. It is a must-read, in my opinion.

Have you read The Shack? What are your thoughts?

Caption Contest

The Three Bambinos.

Your turn. Go.

Cooper Harrison Mathews

He’s a good lookin’ kid. And big, too.

7lbs, 8oz. 19.5″. Born 9:25 on Friday, April 10, 2009.

Mom and baby are both doing very well.

BTW – The Shack chapter 4 isn’t on my recommended reading list while waiting for your wife to be prepped for surgery to remove your child. I’m just saying.

40 Hours….

40 hours from now, my life will change forever. Again.

In about 40 hours, Cooper Harrison Mathews will be born. (AKA Mathews Baby #3)

I’m both excited and nervous.

What are you doing in the next 40 hours?

I Pity the Fool

I’m a bit of a prankster. Many of you will find that hard to believe. OK, no you won’t.

Anyways, I don’t really get in to April Fool’s Day. You see, when I prank someone, I want it to be a surprise. Scheduling a day to play a joke on someone is like the dentist showing up at random to pull a tooth. It’s just backwards.

That being said, the best April Fools joke I ever played was on my dad. I was about 16 and I called him to say I got a girl pregnant. (This was totally NOT true, since I had barely seen a boobie at this point. It may have even been an elbow.) Dad was cool about it, though. He told me to calm down, that everything would be OK. Then I told him it was a joke and he said some not-nice words to me.

What’s the best April Fool’s joke you ever played?

Anybody seen my spleen?

My wife, Ginny, posed a strange yet interesting question the other night. When the Rapture takes place (Jesus comes back), what happens to people whose ashes are scattered in different places? This came up because her dad’s ashes are in an undisclosed lake in Florida, somewhere in Michigan, in our china cabinet, on the Great Barrier Reef, and who knows where else.

My quick answer, “I don’t know, go back to sleep.” But really, I don’t know. And I hadn’t thought much about it until then.

Now I have to think about souls and purgatory and Sheol and other stuff that hurts my head.

Then I think about people who get eaten by different sharks, and then the sharks swim off in different directions, and they get eaten by different animals that eat sharks, and the cycle never ends.

Then I punt and figure God’s way smarter than me and He’s probably already got this figured out.

Somebody tell me your thoughts on this whole process.

Mice are more fun at Disney

So I was reading Melissa’s post on a squirrel at work and I remembered:

We have a mouse at work. (Have I ever mentioned that I work for a Fortune 250 company?)

Anyway, we found the mouse. Apparently he likes Caramel Hershey’s Kisses. I know this from the large amount of empty wrappers found in his hiding place. <Note: hiding place = bottom desk drawer of the lady who is on vacation>

Upon finding the mouse, I did what any responsible employee would do.

I went to the store to purchase fake mice.

Friday Five

TGIF! Here’s a list, since Timm loves them so.

• Josh is addicted to Infomercials. I think Billy Mays is coming to his birthday party.
• 2 weeks till Cooper pops out. I think he’ll actually make that popping noise like a cork.
• Riley’s birthday is on Easter this year. She wants everyone to sing her happy birthday at her princess party.
• Going fishing today. Given the company I’ll be keeping, all of us might not make it back.
• On the other hand, there’s five more fingers.

That’s it for me. Happy Friday.

OK, so maybe I’m morbid…..

…but when I drive by a funeral home with a viewing going on, I wish they had a sign saying who died.

And if it was a really important person, maybe one of those 4-way skylight batman deals.

Anyway, that’s what goes through my head.

No soup for you!

A little over a week ago, Ginny, Riley and I went out for lunch on my day off. On the way into the restaurant, there was a sign announcing the soup of the day. Once at our table, there was another sign stating what the soup of the day was. Then when the waitress came by, she reminded us of the soup of the day. If that wasn’t enough, the menu advertised the soup of the day AND stated that ant “extra” item could be substituted for a slight charge.

OK. Now I have my gameplan. Prime rib sandwich, black eyed peas w/ rice, and the soup of the day.

Waitress: “Oh, I can’t substitute the soup for one of your sides.”

What? The most advertised thing in your restaurant and you won’t sell it to me? I’m willing to pay the difference for it and I can’t? Is Jerry Seinfeld around somewhere?

A few thoughts came to mind:

1. She better not charge me for Ginny’s drink since my meal comes with one and I ordered water. (She didn’t.)
2. What would Seth Godin think about this.
3. How many Sundays do churches do this exact same thing to people searching for Christ? (I’ll elaborate.)

Every Sunday churches are open with the supposed purpose of connecting people with Jesus Christ. Most of the time, that person has to make an initial investment to show up, uninvited, to a strange place filled with strange people. Then that person has to walk down front with every eye on him and speak to the guy up front with the microphone while verse four sits on repeat. He jumps through all these uncomfortable hoops to get the advertised special, only to be told:

“Clean up your addiction to _____  first.”

“Get married or move out because you’re living in sin.”

“You’re parked in my spot.”

“We have a standard for attire here.”

“God hates homosexuals.”

I could go on, but I won’t. Why is it the one thing churches are supposed to lift up, we hide behind red tape? Why is the most important thing added as a footnote to the service, with conditions that are impossible for outsiders to attain? Why is the advertised item not able to be had?

I’m often guilty of this. What about you?