it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

it’s getting closer and closer to the holidays.

that means it’s getting close to the time where we can make a real difference in the lives of struggling people in the 10/40 window.

every year Gospel For Asia puts out a christmas catalog where you can send a gift to a family or missionary in india for as little as $1.

one dollar!

we get really excited about the GFA christmas catalog because they always have an amazing assortment of items that grows and expands each year.

not only that, but we also get very excited about the fact that, through God’s incredible provision, this organization is able to send 100% of donations to the field.

one hundred percent!

one dollar can really make a difference in the life of a person. after all, we serve the God that can feed thousands and thousands with only 5 loaves and 2 small fish.

it is so exciting that God allows us to further His work with even the smallest steps of service & faith.

thanksgiving is coming. christmas is coming.

that means we can thank God and celebrate the gift that He gave us two thousand years ago and we can share that good news with someone on the other side of the world through the simple act of clicking a mouse.

God is a gift giver.

i’m excited.

it’s tuesday. be positive!

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it’s been a while since we had a positive post tuesday and, since we were reminded of it over where it all began, i thought now was as good a time as any to start up again.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

today’s positive post is for my true love, mrs. p.

as most of you know, kelly and i are expecting our first little one, who we’ll get to meet sometime in late february if all goes according to plan.

in the mean time, we’re enjoying our pregnancy adventure, and i must say that my wife is lovely as ever, wonderful as ever, perfect as ever.

i could not imagine spending my life with another person, nor could i think of a better mother for my son.

she has a half day today, which means we get to hang out this afternoon. that makes me feel downright smiley.

it’s tuesday. be positive.

it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

this is Tuna:

when you get down to her essence, Tuna is a lazy bones.

while this is common to the feline species, it simply is not wholly tolerated by us, a self-proclaimed ‘dog-family.’

that said, there have been some recent developments in little Tuna’s life recently…

…the development of discipline.

a few weeks ago our beloved cat decided that human hands and feet were acceptable chewing toys and scratching posts.

this was not ideal.

our first response was to scoop her up and put her out in her little habitat (our enclosed back patio where she hangs out during the day).

the problem was that she loves being outside, smelling things and bounding from window to window.

our second approach was to clap, say a loud ‘NO!‘ and, if absolutely necessary, give the Tune a little flick on the nose.

this caused a couple of problems.

first: it didn’t work. it just made our cat want to bite us all the more.

second: it made us feel bad.

so, being the internet-researching couple that we are, we got online and did a little sleuthing to find out some loving but effective ways to ‘discipline’ a cat.

in all honesty, i was skeptical that one CAN discipline/train/live with a cat, but decided to press forward for the common good.

we have since developed a method called ‘scruffing,’ which, according to something we read, is the way that mother cats keep control of their little kittens.

it’s taking that extra skin on the back of a cat’s neck and gently, yet firmly, holding it while pressing the cat toward the ground.

we’ve been amazed to see the results of this simple and painless form of corporal punishment. so much so that we no longer fear vicious cat attack during every waking moment.

so why this cat post? why a type of post that i never thought possible of publishing on this quaint web space?

because when i saw this picture i took the other day i realized how much Tuna really likes being with us. she is a happy member of our little family. and when she started to pick up some habits/attitudes/activities that were counterproductive, a little discipline got her back into a place where we could enjoy each other’s company.

i’ve just been thinking about the importance of discipline.

personal discipline, Divine discipline.

and how correcting those negative things which cause rifts between us and the Lord is the best way to enjoy our relationship with Him.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.
{ Revelation 3.19-20 }

discipline is a good thing.

our cat is a good cat.

today is a good day.

it’s tuesday. be positive.

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it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

if i’m honest, i think sometimes positivity is only possible when things are good. i act like it is a condition of my current situation.

it’s as if i’ve convinced myself that i can be positive (loving, gracious, compassionate) only if my circumstances are beneficial to me in some way.

when we look into the Bible we find that Christians are never promised that things will always be good. in fact, we’re promised much the opposite; that suffering and struggle and persecution and hurt are coming our way.

today people are struggling all over the place, be they Christian or not.

and still, we know that we can be positive because of who we serve…the God of Love.

i was reminded of this fact today when i saw this little video in my reader from pastor greg laurie.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UHEww_GqXw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

i’m excited about the work God wants to do around the world today and i’m even more excited that He wants me to be a little part of it.

it’s tuesday. be positive.

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it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

today’s positive post is for friend, co-blogger, fellow church worker and all-around buddy luke mundy.

{ photo by ken kienow }

in the last week, our friend from the north (and his wife) cooked us dinner, taught us to play Rummikub, introduced me to wonderful new music firsthand, forwarded over a very helpful email and gave me some feedback on a program i was asking about.

i’m sorta bad at sharing, so i was very inspired in the last 5 or 6 days by his generous heart.

thanks for all the helping hands pal.

go over to his blog and leave him lots of comments so that he continues his frequent posting.

and then take some time to be positive.

after all…it’s tuesday.

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it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

today’s positive post is simple. no fancy pictures or attempts at comedy.

just the reminder that the God of the universe is great, merciful and is looking for each and every one of us, that He might speak to us about His love and His plan for our lives.

He is the God who left heaven to live on earth and die on a roman cross while we were yet sinners.

He is the God who fashioned us and formed us in our mothers’ wombs and made us with a purpose.

He is the God who provides His word, His gifting and His Holy Spirit to guide and fill and direct and empower, day in and day out.

He is the God who could look Judas in the face at the Garden of Gethsemane and call him ‘friend.’

a God of love and grace. a God of power and mercy. a God who, even now, is looking at me and offering me life, and that more abundantly.

it’s tuesday.

be positive!

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it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

today’s post is for our beloved cat, Tuna.

now, frequenters to JIE will remember that we rescued our little kitten back in january of this year after weeks of her toughing it out on the mean streets of hanford.

since then she’s been living the high life out in the country, with a patio, a couch and a spacious litter box to call her own.

here’s the thing; the mrs and i are emphatically not cat people. we’re dog people. dogs. big dogs.

but what could we do? this little kitten was all on its own till we came along and spared her a cold and grizzly death (yes, that’s what we tell ourselves).

the last 6 months have not turned us into cat people, but we happily admit our love for Tuna. the biggest reason being that i’m not sure she is a cat.

she licks like a dog.

she lap-sits like a dog.

and she has hind legs like a kangaroo (yeah, i need to get a good picture of them…they’re sorta bizarre…).

of all the cats we’ve encountered, she is the least catty, which is probably why she has fit in so well.

in truth, she has brought a wonderful presence to our little family.

unfortunately for the Tune, she is currently recovering from some surgery at the vet:

yeah…she’s not too happy. but, we’ve been extra sympathetic. you know what i mean…the hand feeding, lots of petting, extra padding in her bed…i’ve even been bringing her to work this week!

why? because she’s worth it.

i’m glad that kelly and i both have an affinity for animals, and, hopefully, Tuna will be the first of many animals which enrich our lives with the tender love that domesticated pets bring.

lots of words to say that, even though we ‘shouldn’t,’ we love our cat.

lots.

it’s tuesday. be positive.

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it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

i didn’t look back through all of my positive posts, but i think that this will be the first one that focuses on a ‘product’.

strike that…i just found one for a book.

anyway, i certainly haven’t made it a habit of plugging products during positive post tuesday, but this morning i am compelled.

here’s why:

last night kelly and i went to see the movie that everyone is talking about.

now, aside from being BIG pixar fans, we were still blown away by this gem of a film.

here’s the thing; i loved it because it was well made. it was well acted. it was well produced. it was well scored.

it looked good. it sounded good. it was funny. it was thoughtful.

but most of all, it reminded me of many of the values that i hold so dear.

things like self-sacrifice. unconditional love. the joy and wonder of marriage. things that are so important to people like us, yet so often neglected, overlooked and even mocked in mainstream america planet earth.

pixar has given us a movie that dares the viewers to love others more and love ourselves less. it is a movie that glorifies family and togetherness and love that is willing to put someone else first.

i think on average we’re pretty quick to allow something through our eyes and into our minds that sends much different messages. and, once in there, it’s really hard to get out.

look, i like movies, but last night i was reminded of how important it is to put good things in, rather than bad not good. i was reminded that i love my wife. that i can choose to help others and that people all around me are struggling with all sorts of things.

now, the difference between me and pixar is that i know the ultimate answer to life is Jesus Christ. but i must say that the drive home from the theater was a great time of reflection and enjoyment for me as i thought about all the good things God has done for us and how a little animated movie reminded me of them.

it’s tuesday. be positive!

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it’s tuesday.

today’s positive post is for a company that did something unexpected for us.

southern california edison is our local power provider (sorry casey…) both at home and @calvaryhanford. a week or two ago a fellow came by to let us know that they have a business program where they will come in and replace your fluorescent light fixtures with newer, more efficient wiring/controllers for FREE, up to $10,000 worth.

skeptical as we were, we signed up & today a bunch of subcontractors were here to tear apart our lights and change them out for the new stuff.

turns out, it really IS free and now we not only have more efficient lights at the church, but they’re even significantly brighter.

so there you go. an example of a big company actually doing something nice and worthwhile for the little guy. it CAN still happen…even if, perhaps, mandated by the government.

our hats are off to you SCE. you’ve made it possible for us to be more efficient with the funds and resources that we’ve been given, and we don’t even have to squint to do it.

it’s tuesday.

be positive!

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last thursday night we had a pretty remarkable weather pattern in the central valley.

see, here in cow country, we’re not used to thunderstorms, windstorms, snowstorms, rainstorms…any storms really. we have very little ‘weather’ at all. thus, when something comes along that makes some noise and rattles some windows, we get pretty freaked out (on average of course).

last thursday evening we happened to be out and about, having a wedding rehearsal followed by dinner.

the drive home was like a scene from some apocalyptic movie, as people streamed out of hanford high into the streets, their graduation being interrupted by sudden power loss @ the stadium.

the wind was severe.

the lightning was incessant.

the visibility was, in places, zero.

the freak-out level was as high as it gets for most of our fellow motorists.

we made it through the night and the next morning drove up downtown hanford toward the church…lots of gnarly damage, mostly tree related.

the tree above was one of the casualties of the storm and, since it’s been sitting there for 5 days i thought, ‘yeah, i need to go take a picture of that.’

one thing i do love about hanford is the trees, so i’m a bit saddened by the loss of so many great ones around town. this one was no exception, but here’s hoping that it will survive long enough to grow back…we’ll see.

how is this a positive post? well, there’s nothing like some loss to remind me of how thankful i am of all that God has blessed me with…even something as small as living in a place with a lot of tree coverage.

i’m also thankful that He got me and the Mrs. home thursday night, because it wasn’t an easy drive.

i’m thankful that our God again and again has demonstrated His power over weather, be it storms or drought, wind or rain, fire or flood, God owns it all.

finally, i’m thankful that God looks at His creation and says, ‘One day I will restore what has been imperfected’ as opposed to just abandoning it in some sort of cosmic landfill, as i would do if my creation were as corrupted as His is.

God is good.

blessings.

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