Saturday, April 26, 2008

Here Comes the Us

We recently went to Abbey’s (Ben’s cousin) wedding in Austin, TX. While we didn’t take many pictures of the wedding, we did manage to take pictures of us (big surprise, huh?). Every wedding we go to we take a picture like this. I just don’t understand why weddings are always about the bride and groom. There’s a healthy level of narcissism, right? Maybe we’ll find it someday when we’re less awesome.

Cali and Layla

This is Cali and her best girlfriend. Occasionally they take time to cuddle without fighting!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Okay. . . I Get the Pictures

My last entry was a bomb! I thought it was clever, but it may just be more evidence that I have weird thoughts. Actually, the truth of the matter is that I would not want to go to a blog that has no new pictures. We are planning to put some pictures up for you as soon as possible. We have pictures you need to see! If we exploit ourselves, people will come.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Freedom isn't Free

I've run across the slogan, "Freedom isn't free,"? several times lately, and I think I get the idea. America exists because of the sacrifice of so many before me, and because of taxes I give Uncle Sam to protect me. I have a friend with whom I joke about how Democrats see things and how Republicans see things. I do this with sweeping generalities and stereotypes of both parties. So, I thought I would offer another installment using this slogan.

For Republicans: Freedom isn't free...unless you can afford it.

For Democrats: Freedom isn't free...so the more it costs, the more valuable it must be.

Voting Democrat is actually voting for less change--get it! Monica calls that a Grandpa joke.

Think you can do better? Be my guest...

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Response to Comments on Last Blog

The simplest explanation of Christian counseling is the first line of Ann’s response. If I added that with Jason’s, I would say Christian counseling is counsel given from a Christian paradigm that seeks to connect one with God’s healing power. So, I just tell people to pray more and go to church more! (I am kidding). If I did that, I would violate the principle that God uses people and relationships to help people heal from their wounds.

Soapbox time: If, as Christians, we listened to each other more, I believe I would see less Christians in my office. I listen to people who are not listened to anywhere else, even, and sometimes especially, church. I am still working on listening without going into “solution mode.” I call listening getting out of the way of God. People already have enough people telling them what to do, and if that worked for them, they wouldn’t be in my office.

Churches are full of people with solutions, but the listener is a rare breed. I think there are more answers than questions out there. I believe the body of Christ would grow exponentially if we were known as the ones with ears rather than mouths. As a consequence, I would be out of a job!

Monday, April 7, 2008

What is Christian Counseling?

This question was posed to me by a co-worker. Actually, the question was, “What is the difference between Christian counseling and secular counseling?” (If you chose the standard Bible class answer which is “Jesus,” then you would be right).

So, what do you think, blog readers? What do you think of when you hear the term “Christian counseling?” I don’t want to taint your answers, so I will respond to this question after several responses.