Buddy’s new buddy

If you remember, my wife wanted a dog. I repeat; my wife wanted “a” dog. Doesn’t the indefinite article “a” mean only one? It certainly implies it, right? I wanted zero dogs, and I made that abundantly clear. The reason being is that I don’t want to put in the work to take care of them. I would rather be wasting my time doing something completely unproductive like trying to get a new high score on Bejeweled.

Anyway, since we got Buddy it has been quite the ride. He’s a playful dog that never barks and is eager to please. Yes I have to walk him every now and then when the wife is busy. I usually just download some John Piper sermons on my iPod and listen to them while I walk the dog. Of course there are those moments that make my blood boil when he’s Exorcist vomiting all over the house, sleeping on the couch, or runs off into the street chasing cats. Not to mention all of the dog food and dog toys we’ve spent money on to keep him alive and happy. I’m not exactly sure if I’d spend this much effort on my own children.

My brother-in-law PJ is being stationed, with his family, in Guam for the next three years. They have a dog (a Boxer) name Samson. They don’t really want to take him on a sixteen-hour flight. Also, in the event that PJ gets called to active duty it would be easier for Ally, his wife, to travel back to the states with only the kids.

Interestingly, my wife approached me recently and said, “Honey, would you want to take Samson for PJ and Ally?” My reply, “Why? I don’t even want our dog.” She responded, “Because they’ve had him since he was a puppy and he was a gift from Ally’s parents (Her dad passed away from cancer not three years ago.). I’m sure it would mean a lot to PJ and Ally if they knew Samson would be taken care of but no pressure. If you don’t want to take him it’s okay.” I thought to myself, “How is that ‘No Pressure?’” My wife should’ve just said, “Honey, you need to take Samson because you’ll look like an A-hole if you don’t.” Fair enough. Although I’m not sure how I got duped into getting two dogs when I didn’t want either one.

I knew that my only escape was going to be that Samson and Buddy wouldn’t get along and they’d try and kill each other. So before committing to a second dog, we decide to have a “road test” by letting Samson stay with us for the week. I just kept thinking, “double the dog food and double the dog feces to pick up. Wonderful, more work.” Truthfully, I was holding out hope that they wouldn’t get along, so I would feel better not taking in Samson.

At first there was hope on that front. Samson decided to pee in Buddy’s food bowl in an attempt to assert himself as the alpha dog. Samson even drank out of the toilet. I told the wife, “See, Buddy’s only going to pick up bad habits from Samson.” Furthermore, we recently got Buddy to stop sleeping on the couch (or so we think). Guess who’s sleeping on the couch now? That’s right, Samson. This is looking promising.

However, things started taking a turn for the worst. The wife started walking them together. No problems. They actually run well together. Interestingly, they even have their sides picked out. They like to be next to each other, but Buddy runs on the right side closest to the wife and Samson runs on the left. If they ever get tangled up or crisscrossed, they can’t continue walking until each one is on the correct side. It’s if as though they made an arrangement. Not only that, but while they’re in the house they wrestle like a couple of brothers quite frequently. When they’re out of breath they both stop, look at each other and agree it’s time for a water break. Then they both happily stroll to the same water bowl and drink out of it like a couple of horses out of a trough. As it turns out, . . . you guessed it . . . they get along. As a result, we now have two dogs. Interesting how life turns out sometimes. Of course I told my wife that if we take a second dog we’d have to put off kids even further. She didn’t buy it. Great. At least the weekend is here.

A Tribute to Aunt Tippy

A month ago I attended my Aunt’s funeral (mother’s sister). As I sat in the chapel with my sister (Vicky) and my cousins, who have just lost their mother, I realize that death is the tragic reminder that something is horribly wrong. My Aunt was actually the first Christian in my family. The Chaplin spoke kind words about my Aunt. Interestingly, there were similar types of stories spoken about my Aunt that were spoken about my mother. The attributes that were emphasized in these stories were kindness, compassion, and a love for others that shined so intensely bright you can’t help but be moved by their mere presences.

Sadly, seeing my cousins and uncle mourn the death my aunt reminded me of what my sister and I recently went through with the death of my mother. Although it brought back ill emotions it also brought back the hope that is in Christ Jesus. Namely, that He has conquered death.

Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
1 Cor. 15:55 – NIV

Being on the brink of death is the closest a person could be between this life and the eternal. Jesus took the bitter taste of death. He fought it for three days and three nights and resurrected in eternal victory. If you live long enough you’ll lose loved ones. That’s the way it is in a fallen world. However, the theological truth of Christ’s resurrection gives me the boldness and confidence to stare death in the face and hold my ground. Though my life may be taken, I shall fear no evil.

In her last days, my aunt was in a lot of pain. However, she never stopped smiling and telling the people around her how much she loved them. The intense pain was not enough to take away the joy that was set before her. She stared death in the face for a time. Now, she stares at the beautiful face of the one who destroyed death. Pain free and in a new glorified body, my aunt is the envy of us all. My prayer and hope that the legacy of her joy in Christ would be lived out in her beautiful daughters and in this nephew of hers.

The Beauty of My Woman

My friend, Kristi, from Biola University sent an email to some male friends asking our opinion of our special women. This was the email:

Men of God,

I am preparing a bible study for women on beauty. This will be totally anonymous. Can you please reply by sharing what makes a woman or your woman beautiful to you? (Of course this will lead back to God's perspective of women). Your answer is up to your interpretation. Physical, inner qualities, actions or all the above! Thank you for your transparency and help!

Grateful,
Kristi

Since Kristi is a good friend, I wanted to give it some thought and not just email her back with lame clichés that have no meaning behind them. All men want godliness, but it looks different for different people. There are many women I personally know who are godly women. Does that mean I would be willing to marry any one of them? No. So lets get the vagueness out of the way and get started.

First the Physical component:

It’s not a big secret that men are visually driven. That’s just how we’re wired. Before you start thinking we’re shallow and only pursue “hot chicks,” there is an aspect of female physicality you may not know. Did you ever consider that how a girl looks physically could reveal something of her character? If a girl is in good shape, works out regularly, dresses modestly, doesn’t use too much make-up and still manages to look smokin,’ doesn’t that give insight into her character at least a little? I say yes. (Let me make it clear that I’m not saying every girl should look like Megan Fox but I’m simply saying its good to have a healthy life-style.)

It is true that God loves all His people and that everyone is “wonderfully and fearfully made.” There is a uniqueness of being created in the image of God. However, it is also our responsibility to be good stewards of what God has given us, including our bodies.

My wife is great at all the things mentioned above. I appreciate these things about her. It comes so naturally to her. And yes, she’s smokin’.

Second – Approachability:

Do you ever notice those women who give off that vibe that they could care less about you? They act like they’re an exclusive club and should have a red velvet rope around them? They don’t greet anyone but their friends and go out of their way NOT to acknowledge you. Yes, I like to call those types of girls bee-otch-es. I can’t stand that kind of arrogance. Can a girl be friendly, warming, and approachable without looking easy? I say yes.

Interestingly, some guys are attracted to the standoffish behavior because they think it’s a challenge. It’s a mountain to be climbed. Since I’m afraid of heights, I just stay away from mountains altogether.

Thirdly – Servanthood

My wife does an amazing job taking care of me by cooking dinner every night and making sure I have a lunch the next day. Of course I thank her by doing my share around the house (e.g., taking out the trash, making the bed, pretending to like the dog, etc.). She does this willingly and is joyful in doing it.

Fourth – Easy-going/Flexibility

When it comes to planning things we want to do, she’s rather easy-going about it. She could do whatever whenever. She’s not high maintenance and is extremely flexible. This does not come without its frustrations because sometimes neither one of us can make a decision. I will say, “What do you want to do honey?” She usually replies, “Whatever, dear.” This exchange repeats itself for about another twenty-seven times before I finally make a decision.

Finally - Complementary

My wife complements me well. I remember talking to my buddy Dom regarding how thankful we were for our wives. We both looked back at the girls we used to date or were interested in and praised the Lord it didn’t work out (I won’t get into details but God is truly merciful). She gives me another perspective on issues that I’m trying to think through. She’s very intelligent and offers sound reason from her side of the equation. She’s exactly what I need to become a better man, a man shaped more and more in the image of Christ through a personified picture of God’s grace towards me.

I know I could write tons more but that’s it in a nutshell. I hope that helps Kristi, and I’ll be praying for your Bible study to go well.

Think: Conference - Desiring God Ministries

This past weekend my father-in-law (aka The Big Boss Man) and my brother-in-laws, PJ and Jon, went to Minneapolis, Minnesota to attend Think: The Life of the Mind & the Love of God conference hosted by Desiring God ministries.

I wrote before that I was extremely blessed by the fact that they were even having this conference. The basic premise of the conference, as you could probably tell by the title, is fighting the anti-intellectualism within the church.

I prayed for my brothers and my father-in-law that the Lord would become more real to them this weekend. I hope the conference would fan a flame in them that they would bring back transformative truths to share with the rest of the body of Christ and build her up. This was my thinking throughout the weekend. Namely, praying for them and fighting jealously.

Of course I plan on buying the book of the conference and read what everyone had to say. I would encourage all of us to do the same. I can't begin to tell you how much John Piper's sermons, books, and ministry had impacted my life. I don't even know the man personally and he'll probably never know who I am. However, that doesn't change the fact that we worship the same Lord. There are countless times where I've heard a sermon by Piper where he's stirred my heart and helped realign my perspective towards eternal things and to live for what truly matters. Interestingly, my father-in-law brought back a book, which is a collection of essays written by Bruce Ware, C.J. Mahaney, Jon Bloom, Albert Mohler Jr, and Wayne Grudem to name a few. The book, titled "For the Fame of God's Name", is a tribute to John Piper and the impact he and his ministry has had on a global scale. It was a surprise to John Piper and my father-in-law described Piper being completely fronted and simply unable to talk when they presented it to him.

There is a note at the being of the book with the editors stating that they believe they could give tribute to a man while still giving all the glory to God and what the Lord has done through that man's life. I agree. I'm certainly glad these other godly scholarly men did it. And I'm certainly glad that I have family members that pursue God and have a hungry for His word and want to hear what gifted preachers have to say. I'm also thankful that now I have an earthly dad who would think of me and bring me back a book from the conference and share some of the things he's learned. I didn't even attend the conference but I'm still fired up!

Fighting anti-intellectualism within the church is a real issue. I felt like I had to fight that battle by myself for years. Apparently, I'm not the only one aware of the issue nor am I the only one fighting it. This has made me reflect more on my time at Biola University and the purpose God had for me going there. "Thinking is a dangerous thing . . . do this dangerous thing but do it well."