My Dentist Visit

I went to the dentist today. This is a new one for me, so it was an initial check. I was talking to him about my two front teeth, one is longer than the other and I wanted to know what it would take to fix the problem. He tells me that they would probably have to break my lower jaw to set it right and then do some work to straigthen up my teeth. Geez, not the answer I was looking for to my question. I mean let's place a stick of dynamite in my mouth and light that sucker up and see if that works. I was thinking something simple like grinding the longer one down a little bit to make it not look so bad.

Perfection, that is what so many people want in their life. They want the perfect teeth, the perfect car, the perfect body, the perfect wife (sorry everyone I already have that one), or the perfect job. We are never satisfied with what God has given us. When is God going to be enough for me or anyone else. When I am I going to realize that God created me and has everything I need if I will just stop trying to get there on my own. I struggle and struggle, but I will never be satisfied until I am ready to stop trying and start trust God.

Trust is not easy for us. I know many of you are a lot like me. If you sit in the passenger seat of a car you are constantly using the chicken brake. God wants us to trust Him for everything. Not for what we think is best for us, but for what He knows is best for us. We spend too much time trying to get there instead of realizing we have arrived when we trust God for everything in our lives. Step back look at life from God's perspective and work on those areas that He is concerned about, the areas of our character, and stop worrying about thost things you are concerned with. I'm sorry those three fingers are pointing back at me!

Olympics of life

My wife and I have enjoyed watching some of the winter Olympics in the evening. We do enjoy watching the figure skating together. Though we prefer watching the pairs and ladies the most. Sorry, I don't want to mess up someone's "aura." The one thing my wife and I wished we had was a "Dick Button mute button" on our remote. He is one of the commentators that he has nothing good to say about anyone that skates. I mean if I ever heard someone comment on me like he does, I would give up the sport.

Wait as people we do that all the time to each other. We talk bad about other people to make ourselves look good. I am as guilty as the other person. Man I just need to go live on an island somewhere to insulate myself from this mean world.

We can't do that unfortunately, or at least I can't. I am sure there is someone rich enough out there that could do that if they tried. I have not been blessed in that way. I on the other hand live in a glass house that is out there for all to see. I am a pastor and if I do something that someone doesn't like I can be easily criticized for it. Here I go off to that island again.

God did not place us here to go off and hide everytime things get hard. He placed us here to purify us and make us better Christ followers. We have to take our lumps along the way and pray that we don't go insane in the process. Man I have so much to learn!!!!!

Life and something like it...

I feel like the life I am living is a little too crazy. These past two weeks have been torture on me and my family. My wife has endured so much I there was something I could do to really show her how much I appreciate her and what she does for us.

I have already written about the illness that has run through our family. Well, it hit my son on Monday and my daughter again early Tuesday morning. We had to go to the ER with my son on Valentine's Day. Now my daughter has bed bugs in her room. When is it all going to stop.

Michelle decided she needed out of the house so she took the kids to the mall (that's a good joke for later) and to get Riley's hair cut. Tomorrow night Michelle and I get to go out and celebrate our sixth year of marriage. Our anniversary is actually Sunday, but I have to work.

I really appreciate my wife. She has endured a lot being married to me and I am sure there is a big reward in heaven for it. She is my best friend and I value you her more than she will ever know.

Life has its little rewards for me. The joy of my wife and kids, the joy of knowing I have a hope and a future that has been taken care of, and the joy of enjoying the life God has given me.

Sorry I have been absent...

This last week was a little nuts. Let's start back with last Sunday and recap the week. My daughter wakes up early in the morning sick from a stomach virus...What joy. Then that afternoon my recliner decides to kick the bucket. I have stuff going on Monday through Wednesday since I have taken over helping our Campus Ministry. Then Wednesday evening hits with our Church Business Meeting...I will not go into that here. Wednesday night my wife starts feeling sick. Yes, she gets what my daughter had. Not a good time for all this to be going on. Thursday is a very busy day without her being sick and me having to stay home with the kids. Well, God knew what he was doing this day. I was able to farm out our 4 year old daughter to a friends house until 1:30 PM and then again during the early evening to another friends. I stayed home with mom and son the rest of the day. Since the son is six months he sleeps a lot which is a good thing. If he is awake he is content to lay on the floor and role around with a bunch of toys around him. I was able to work on my sermon some that day and get some stuff done around the house and help my wife to stay in bed to rest and recover from her bout with the stomach virus.

That evening we had a Senior Adult Sweetheart dinner. This is one of those cases God putting the right people in place to pull it off and me being able to stay out of the way. I had a lady do a wonderful job decorating a pretty bland social hall. I had a lady with some friends cook a wonderful dinner and a friend of my who is really into Big Band music of the 20's,30', and 40's did the entertainment. He played some songs, sang some songs and told some jokes. The people loved it. One lady was crying because she had had such a good time after it was all over.

Friday was pretty normal. Took my daughter to pre-k and then to the hospital to spend time with a man who had rotator cuff surgery. I went to a furniture store to dream about buying a new recliner and then back to pick up my daughter. Riley and I did a date. Took her to lunch at Burger King so she could go play in the indoor playground. Chicken and Fries for her, her normal, for me it was the tender grilled sandwich and fries, should have had onion rings. Went home so Riley could take a nap and then did some stuff over at the church and went home. We ordered pizza and Michelle and I got to watch a movie together, Just Like Heaven. Yeah, I know it was for her, but last week we rented The Great Raid for me.

Saturday I final got up around nine, Michelle let me sleep it...thanks babe. Turns out I needed it. I started getting some of the same feelings my wife and daugther got earlier in the week. I sucked it up and went to see Curious George with the family. I used to love that book. The movie was funny and I loved hearing my daughter burst out into laughter. At times I think she was the loudest in the group. The cool thing now is they have booster seats for kids to sit in. Man I hated that when I was little, getting folded up in the chair because I wasn't big enough to hold it down.

Came home and it was all over except the hugging of the toliet and no sleep that night for fear of not making it to the bathroom in time.

Sunday was a good day at church inspight of the 4 inches of snow we got here. Not near as much as an hour away...13 inches in Hagerstown Maryland. I felt good enough to go out to eat with my wife's family for her Dad's b-day that afternoon.

Needless to say I hate going through the stomach virus. I am not a prophet but for some reason I mentioned that I hate the stomach flu in last weeks sermon. I was talking about how we all face difficult times in our lives and we may not understand why, but we must realize that God is still in control of things and he is wise enough to handle our problems. The hardest part of all that is putting my pride down long enough to let God take control of a situation. We like ourselves too much and think we are smart enough to figure out what is best. I personally think I would be a lot smarter without technology (Somone please teach me Html). Sit back and enjoy the life your creator has given you and cast all your cares upon Him and He will take care of you.

The Night the Recliner died

Yes, it is official it bit the dust. It was a great recliner, given to me by my parents almost eight years ago. My wonderful Lazy-boy! Well, tonight it was sat in for the last time. One of the pieces of wood that holds it together split in half and now it leans heavily to that side and does not rock. I will miss my wonderful recliner. Where I spent many a wonderful afternoon inspecting the back of my eye lids. I will remember those first days we were together in my condo in Colorado. The 4th of July I took it outside and sat back and watched the fire works. The time I spent rocking my daughter and my son. There were times that you slept better than the bed I owned. You will be greatly missed! I hope that one day I can afford to purchase another recliner that can live up to your high standard of excellence.

If any of you would like to help, please make checks payable to Chris Walls and mark in the memo line Recliner Relief Fund. I assure you that no part of your donation will be used for administrative purposes.

Why do I feel like Jack Bauer

I love watching 24. It is the only show that I don't want to miss. The suspense of it all makes me stay on the edge of my seat. This season I have to record it because I have a meeting at 9 pm on Mondays. Actually I kind of like it that way, I tape the show and then I can sit down and watch it and skip the commercials.

I feel like my life is sometimes like Jack Bauer's. Instead of being called 24, it should be called...365. I am constantly on the go. Yesterday I was offered to speak at a youth camp this summer. I said, "No!" It was an accomplishment for me in some ways. In the past I have had the attitude if God opened a door for me I was willing to do it. But, I had some reservations about the camp in the first place as well as my time is being eaten up by so many things I didn't want to do it. You know it is sad when you and your wife have to sit down on a regular basis, get out both of your calendars and sync them together.

This weekend was a fun one. My wife is so good to me...she let's me sleep when our son or daugther gets up in the middle of the night, especially on Saturday nights since I have to preach on Sundays. Well, at 2:15 Sunday morning I hear my wife calling my name from my daughters room. I rush over and my daugther has resurrected her dinner all over herself and her bad. Spagetti is not the prettiest thing the second time around. My wife and I have a good working relationship with our kids ralphing. She can handle the act, but not the smell for clean-up. I can't handle the act, but I can handle the clean-up. So my wife proceeds to leave the room and I start the clean up process. I get back to bed about an hour later and then asleep a little while after that. I get up later that morning, off to church to preach my sermon, "Our problem with God."

I have learned life doesn't slow down. But it is good to know that in the rush of it all I can come home, sit down in my recliner (by the way, it is falling apart so if anyone would like to donate a new one feel free) and relax knowing that all the this chaos hopefully will make a difference in someone's life one day. That is what Solomon tells us in Chapter 3 of Ecclesiates...enjoy the life God has given us.

My family this past Christmas Eve 

Found my brain at the local 7/11

One of my college professors had a sign that hung on his door that gets more true each day. It read, "I have gone out to look for myself. If I should return before I get back, please hold me here until I return." The more I think about it the more true it is for my life. Tonight I got a wonderful joy. I was laying in the floor playing with my daughter before she went to bed. As I tossed here up in the air she would laugh and giggle. I then climbed into my recliner with her and three books to read to her. I really love spending that time with her. She choose to have Mommy take her upstairs to bed this night. She gives me big hugs and kisses and heads toward her mother and mom hands me Carson, our six month old. One big and stinky problem, he had a little package for me. This was one of those fun ones that you McMinn will soon learn about. The kind that heads up the back.

I get tomorrow off. Take my daughter to school and go to breakfast with my wife!!!! Hopefully the weekend will be a relaxing one...probably cold here in Frostburg...yes it lives up to its name.

This is part of my family...my son Carson is not pictured.