• I want to be flexible and not stubborn, stiff-necked and stuck in my ways.
• I want to have the courage to say “I don’t know” and then earnestly seek understanding and knowledge.
• I want to be an encouragement, not someone who sucks the life and passion out of people.
• I want to be excited about the exercise of God-given passion and creativity.
• I want to listen, hear and understand what people are saying to me not just nod my head and then write it off.
• I want to be genuine and honest. I want people to know the real me not just my public face.
• I want to care about people with my actions not just my words.
• I want to measure people not with numbers and statistics but with the discernment of the Holy Spirit.
• I want to be approachable and friendly, taking time out for people even when it interrupts my to-do list.
• I want to speak the truth in love, not just speak the truth.
• I want to give people good, solid reasons to trust me.
• I want to let other people take the credit for something awesome.

So, how about you?

image courtesy of sxc.hu

I was thinking this morning about the importance of remembering.

I’m terrible at it, but it is so important.  (Check that.  Reality is this: I remember what I dwell on.)

How many times in the Bible were things established for the sole purpose of remembering what God had done?

God’s words to the Israelites after Passover, altars erected after a mighty acts of deliverance by God, the words of Jesus at the last supper with his disciples, the thief on the cross next to Jesus, etc.

I take lots of notes when I’m trying to learn something new.  The sole purpose is to remember what I’m learning.

Lord, help me choose to think back and remember the important things.

The makers of hand sanitizer are making a killing right now, don’t you think?  That stuff is everywhere.

Surely it can be used for some other things, too:

1. In a pinch you can use it for wire pulling lubricant. They both have the same snot-like consistency.
2. Starting a campfire or satisfy your inner pyromaniac
3. Who needs the cold ones at the tailgate before the game anyway?
4. When I need to clean the whiteboard I always think hand sanitizer first.  not really.
5. Hair treatment?  I’ll pass, thanks.

when I was a kid I saved my money and bought a freestyle bike

a silver dyno compe with a rotor

it was sweet

my friend jeremy and i built sweet ramps with my dad’s tools

we…i crashed a lot

jeremy’s bike didn’t have a rotor, but his brakes worked better

i subscribed to freestylin’ magazine

i drew pictures of dennis mccoy

saw a freestyle bike show in a parking lot

amazing

i bought some sweet dyno fingerless gloves

and a vision street wear shirt

wore the t-shirt to school one day

the skaters called me a poser

i don’t think i wore that shirt again

and i started liking computers more than my sweet dyno

J. Paul Pepper — a

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last week

It stuck with me.

Wasting grace.

The Prodigal God.

Hmmmm.

Fast-forward a week.

The unexpected phone call.

Selfishness gets played out.

My response?

Checked.

Atypical.

Thank you.

Amen.

I think a lot about the sweet left-handed Rawlings baseball glove that my parents bought me when I was a kid.

It looked just like this picture.

It was not one of those cheap-o ones like I have now.

On rare occasions Dad and I would play catch in the yard.

Dad had a blonde colored glove.

It was cool, but not left-handed.

I let Eddie borrow my glove one time.

He was left-handed, too.

Never saw it again.

I’m still bitter about it.

Oh and Eddie’s sister was annoying.