Real Men Wear Sunscreen...

As I sat on a stool in an old fashioned soda shop in Apalachicola, FL listening to Lionel Ritchie sing "Stuck on You" during my recent family vacation... I realized that there are some things you do on vacation that you just don't do on normal days. A long standing tradition in our family is that we leave our watches at home when we leave for vacation. Time really doesn't matter. We declare it from the get go. We sleep late... well, I do anyway. I wear a hat almost everyday. If my wife doesn't want to wear make-up, she doesn't have to (and I might add that she looks amazing with no make-up. Seriously.) The rules of family vacation are just different. The pace is slower. The capturing of special family moments seems to slide up the importance scale a bit more. We make sure to relax and eat what we want, when we want. It's vacation.

With the exception of baseball caps and the absence of Lionel Ritchie, why aren't more days like vacation? I can only imagine that the stress levels would drastically fall. I often wonder what life was like in the "good old days"? When it took weeks to travel across country and days to cross the state. How simple life must have been. And why does the term "simple" have the connotation of poor and being without? I think we all need to take a big old break, take a few more deep breaths and relax. Why not enjoy the small things like sitting on the porch at night and watching for shooting stars? So, my deepest advice for America... slow down. Enjoy the ride. There's lots to see.

And as the title suggests, yes... I did wear sunscreen on my family beach vacation.

Binge Thinking.

Fads. Here today, gone tomorrow. Out of sight, out of mind. Why is it that we often don't think about certain things... that is until it seems a little more pertinent to our immediate situation? For example, what is the expiration date on your driver's license? I would be willing to bet that no one knows it without looking (except for those with self diagnosed OCD like members of my family). But once you realize that date of expiration is drawing near, then it becomes something to address. Or what about that little sticker you get each time you get an oil change. Are you really mentally aware of how many miles you travel between oil changes? If it weren't for those little stickers, maybe you might forget all together when you even got your oil changed last. There are so many things in life that we just tend to forget about until it becomes urgent.

What about our walk with God? I wonder if I am the only one that turns up the heat between me and the Lord whenever the heat gets turned up on me? Maybe you've noticed in your own life the tendency to think much more about Him when you sense the need for His intervention. Maybe you realize that He is not quite the center once thinks get shaky and you find yourself thinking about Him a little more often. Why is it we don't think about Him as much when things are going well? Why do we binge think during tough times?

I am realizing more than ever the dangers of binge drinking (which if you don't know means the excessive intake of alcohol during a short period of time) and as I think now I am also realizing the dangers of binge thinking. Lord, let me not neglect you during the easy days. Let me not forget You for even a moment.

By the way... have you changed the ac filter at your home? Have you changed the batteries in your smoke alarms?

n-da-pin-dance dae

for me... it's BBQ, homemade ice cream, all the family, fireworks in Homewood, buy one get one free bottle rockets and possibly a watermelon. Most of my life the 4th of July has been about everything other than celebrating my Independence. Even though as I have grown older I may have had more of an awareness about those who fought for my Independence and those who sacrificed, dreamed, believed and then kicked a little British booty but really it has been a simple and quaint acknowledgement at best of my true freedom and my amazing country. I imagine Independence is much like grace in that you really don't notice it unless you don't have it.

I can't imagine not having the freedom to choose who and how I worship but break it down a bit... how about not having the simple freedom to watch the news, or report the news, or even down to what I wear, drive, live? I can't even begin to imagine what life is like without freedom. I have absolutely no frame of reference to comprehend such a life. Or do I?

Spiritually speaking. God infused us all with the ability to choose, in a sense a freedom to make our own decisions. But on the flip side who wants to be independent from God? In the Bible it says that apart from Him we can do nothing. In my mind and my heart I would never consider living independently or away from God but what about my actions? Do they say otherwise? Do my actions tend to be those that I choose or the ones I feel He chooses? If I'm not careful here I can get a little confused. I love my Independence in one sense but I cherish even more my dependence. I thank God for options, however...

This 4th of July season I will celebrate two things. My Independence and my dependence. Happy BBQ day.