tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48895145618815745522024-03-14T01:20:19.254-07:00What If?Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-45523162438017367442015-02-19T12:22:00.002-08:002015-02-19T12:56:16.054-08:00Father, Son, and a Flat Tire<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Men are constantly searching for validation. As Eldredge once wrote, “Men will spend all of their lives asking the question, ‘Do I have what it takes? Can I come through when it counts?” </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-87739450-a357-d3e6-8c91-ca1dceed21f0" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our culture and society offer us men a cheap counterfeit when it comes to validation these days: power and/or affluence. Holding a place of authority, owning a padded bank account, or the seductive combo of both is the popular answer to our question. The problem is these things aren’t rooted in anything deep or meaningful. They are a topical ointment covering up deeper issues of our hearts. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I get super excited and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>feel </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">good when I have an energizing meeting at work, sell a few memberships, or have a good session with a new client. But the emotional high wears off after a few hours and not much internally has shifted for me. These things aren't necessarily bad, they just aren’t enough. Ultra success via drivenness at work and finances isn’t what we need. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need something more. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need a flat tire on an unimportant Thursday morning in February. We need that Thursday morning to be about -7 degrees with a slight breeze. And we need the oh shit factor. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God gave me this exact scenario today. My oh shit factor? It went something like this:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I know how to change a flat...I’ve just never actually done it before--all by myself anyway.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My oh shit factor quickly went from insecurity, anger, and depression to something a bit more settled and confident. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can't quite explain it. It wasn't swagger.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a slowly growing assurance in one simple but profound truth I continue to lean into: There is a Father. I am his son. And he loves to initiate me deeper into genuine masculinity. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I threw on some leather work gloves my dad bought me, borrowed a car jack from one of my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><a href="http://www.becomegoodsoil.com/stranded-with-flip-flops-a-case-for-a-generalist/"><span style="color: red;">generalist</span></a> </u>mentors,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and ventured out into the frozen tundra they call Kirksville Missouri. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And I changed that stinkin' tire. I got more than a delicious emotional buzz I get from a good day at the office. That’s a counterfeit.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got the real deal. I got validation in the truest sense. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Morgan Snyder sums up the current state of most men in America today: “We've outsourced masculinity.” </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We seek our validation by specializing in one specific skill set that we are gifted at, and outsource everything else. To put it simply we’ve gone limp---we’re soft serve ice cream. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leaky faucet? Piss on that. Call the plumber. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Broken light switch? Don’t have time for that. Call the electrician. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shrubs need tending to? Let me call the local landscape grunts. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Men pursue lives of comfort and insulate themselves by making enough money to outsource the very things that make us men. Take the wealthy businessman for example. He has enough money to outsource any hindrance and doesn't have to “worry about a thing.” It looks like strength from the outside, but its a house of cards. Inside something atrophies in our masculine hearts when we don’t have mastery over things we own. It isn't about being the ultimate handyman, its about a shift in the way we view our world. It's about a shift in the way we view adversity whether it's a flat tire or a failed marriage. It is in the disruptions of adversity--big and small--that our character is forged and our masculinity strengthened. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I don’t fish. I don't golf. I don’t cut the lawn. Football is my life.”- Joe Paterno.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joe Pa didn't have time to be humbled by the disruptions of changing the oil in his car or cutting his own lawn--He was too busy winning football games. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His ability to lead and coach was extraordinary. One of the best of all time, without question. Unfortunately, 70+ years of fierce mastery over his profession didn't translate to 70+ years of fierce mastery over his own heart and soul. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Success without a good heart and deeply rooted character is actually the worst kind of failure.</span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joe faced a rather dark issue, an issue I hope I never have to face as a coach. But he turned his back when his strength</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> as a man</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was needed most. The problem was he had no strength to offer as a man. Football was his life. He quite literally had no capacity to speak up or say anything on behalf of the young man being sexually abused by a coach on his staff. In the face of a circumstance that desperately needed him to be a man, he was paralyzed. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Work, money or a combination of the two never answer our question. And when we take our question to these two arenas, it not only harms us but harms others. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Only the Original Source of masculinity can bestow the deeply genuine and personal validation our hearts crave. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are his sons. He is our Father. Run to him. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***Note: This post was only made possible through the strong life that Morgan Snyder courageously leads. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is a good man and he is full of life. His blog and podcasts are definitely worth your time. They have nourished me on my journey to becoming a man. Check them out here -></span></i><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.becomegoodsoil.com/">http://www.becomegoodsoil.com/</a></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: red;"> </span> <i>***</i></span></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-17786446251816548322014-10-01T13:03:00.000-07:002014-10-01T13:03:37.243-07:00Was it really 'Just a game?'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A large majority of my life I have heard many people refer to sports with a classic and popular cliche that goes something like, <i>It's just a game. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bullshit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's not, as the old saying goes, <i>just a game. </i>Sports have and never will be just a game, nor were they created or intended to be mere 'games'. With the exception of my marriage, sports have and always will hold some of the most meaningful and important pieces of my life. Some of my dearest memories and most life shaping moments have come in the arena of sports and competition. I used to be a little embarrassed by this truth I held in my heart. I felt as if my love of sport was nothing more than an empty addiction of which I should be extremely ashamed of.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i>
<i>You're that guy. Obsessed with meaningless child's play. Grow the hell up and move on with your life. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But it was around 10:03 pm last night that I started to yet again be reminded that there is something very good about my love of sports. I was absolutely exhausted and was sleepily watching the Royals game. Just 40 minutes earlier, I had mentioned to Samantha that I struggle getting into baseball anymore. But there I was, one exhilarating inning and a handful of hard earned runs later, wide awake. My senses were tingling. Palms sweating and body temperature rising. My heart felt alive, young and invincible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i>
<i>Whoa what just happened? How do I go from just barely conscious to absolutely bursting with life?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i>
And I realized yet again the Father and his angels were on yet another rescue mission for my heart. Like Tom Hanks and the boys from Saving Private Ryan, he's on a risky mission to wake me up from the spiritual slumber stemming from a culture of constant busyness and routine that we simply accept as 'life'. Papa was enticing me, waking me, inviting me out of the mundane of business meetings, bills, and paperwork, and calling me up into my indisputable place in his Story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The truth is God has been using sports for ages to stir the hearts of his beloved sons and daughters. But He has never done more so than now. In an age in which evil and suffering seems to be rampaging, and a pace of living assaults the life our deep hearts, God gives us sports as a doorway to re-enter his Kingdom again and again. He gives us the raw passion and energy of the opening kickoff of a football game to ignite desire in our hearts. He gives us the excitement of stolen bases, wild pitches, and walk off hits to stir joy in our souls. And He gives us the unlikely comeback in extra innings to restore deep hope to every fiber of our being.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last night the Cardiac Kids that call themselves the Royals went extra innings with the A's and won a pulse pounding contest that no one can stop talking about. And it was more than just a game. It was the Father ministering deeply to our weary and exhausted souls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a wildly scandalous plan to save his beloved.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And its working.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">John Muir once said, "I'd rather be in the mountains thinking of God, than at church thinking of the mountains."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I would much rather be at the game experiencing the Father than at church thinking of the game.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-45373569177350665122014-06-15T15:43:00.000-07:002014-06-15T16:16:46.390-07:00Why I Love Tim DuncanExactly one year ago I became a huge Tim Duncan fan.<br />
<br />
I'm not too big on LeBron or the Heat for a lot of reasons. But this post isn't about LeBron being soft or the Heat being entitled.<br />
<br />
It's about Timmy D. Now I know- Tim wears terrible jeans and probably owns more goofy old navy t shirts than even myself. But his heart is tremendous.<br />
<br />
Last Father's day, the Spurs were playing the Heat in game 6. I plopped down on the LA-Z-BOY just as half time of last year's game 6 began. And what I saw forced my heart to leap within my chest.<br />
<br />
Tim Duncan was sitting on the hallway floor outside his teams locker room, playing with his three children.<br />
<br />
AT HALFTIME OF GAME 6 OF THE NBA FINALS.<br />
<br />
In that moment I knew Tim Duncan's actions were a living portrait of the Father's heart for us.<br />
<br />
We live in a world of absolute unbelief. We say we believe in God, but at core, a majority of us think he's just to busy to give a rip about us. I mean, come on. He's God. He's real, sure, but he's got a lot of shit on his plate. He's not too concerned or invested in me.<br />
<br />
It's not true. God is a good Father, a great Dad. The Best Papa we could ever experience.<br />
<br />
If Tim Duncan isn't too busy to play with his children at halftime of the NBA FINALS, surely the Father is not too busy to care deeply for us and engage our hearts with personal affection. The Father is never too busy for us. Never.<br />
<br />
Go ahead and ask the Father if he would like to hang out. You just might be surprised how he answers.<br />
<br />Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-29820386500358148122014-04-18T14:57:00.000-07:002014-04-18T15:04:24.235-07:00Fierce Commitment?<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes I am completely flabbergasted by the commitment of God to Father me and bring joy to me as a son. My complete shock reveals a rather sad doubt in my heart as to how good of a Daddy my God really is. Slowly but surely, He is knocking down the walls of doubt in my heart and bringing me more deeply into Sonship. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have the privilege of being a personal trainer to many male clients who are older than me. To say this job is exactly what my heart needed would be an understatement. To stand in the presence of a man older than me, a man who has lived more life is powerful, restoring. There is something jumping for joy in my heart when an older man offers wisdom, advice, or even a piece of dry humor to me. Day after day, workout after workout I have experienced the Father's heart for me in ever increasing measure through the words, thoughts, and hearts of the men I train. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I could post a blog a day for a whole month straight with the countless examples of how God is bringing me more deeply into manhood through the group of men I train on a daily basis.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I just recently finished training a 77 year old, firecracker of a retired math professor. He is kind, warm and caring. He is winsome and quite funny. And today, God Fathered me through him. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Somehow our conversation took a turn toward the subject of fishing. He told me of his love of fishing, and how recently he has not had the motivation to fish any longer due to the loss of his long time fishing buddy and best friend. I sensed God extending me an invitation to join Him out on the water with a more seasoned fisherman than I. My client and I have agreed on getting together to fish starting in May. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The beauty of this story is enough to make me weep. I have always wanted to fish, to learn the tricks of the trade, to hook the big one. Since the beginning of college God has slowly and surely equipped me to do so. My own grandfather is an avid fisherman, and has graciously given me all of the essential equipment to fish: Tackle box, lure, rod and reel, line etc. But due to physical distance, time, and his declining health, I haven't ever been fishing with my grandpa to learn the way. Other older men and friends in my life have taught me other skills necessary to fish, but I am still missing the essential ingredient to becoming a fisherman: experience. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here I am, almost 5 years later about to finally get the priceless experience of entering into life much more wild than my climate controlled building of employment. I have made plenty of excuses as to why I don't have 'time' to fish, dismissing my hearts deeper desire. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As my client and I spoke about setting up a time to begin our endeavor, I could feel the pull to dismiss my desire once again. <i>'This is going to be another thing on my schedule...another thing taking from my time'</i></span></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And in classic timing, my client turned to me with a mischievously enthused grin and uttered:</span></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I have an expression for fishing...A day spent fishing does not count against your allotted days on earth.."</span></b></i></div>
<div>
<i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So the Father delivered the final blow to my idol of busyness and capital gain with one of the more holy expressions I have ever heard from an older man. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">John Eldredge wrote that "God is fiercely committed to you, to the restoration and release of your masculine heart...and He is committed to bringing us back to the original design." </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The original design for me, as made in the wild and powerful image of God, being to <i>rule</i> over his created world in power and profound strength (Genesis 1:28). To borrow wisdom from Morgan Snyder, the original meaning of the word rule in this passage from Genesis, is actually translated as a fierce mastery. Fierce mastery. <i>That</i> is the original design God our Father is so fiercely committed in restoring us to. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I reckon I'll make time to go rule over the fish of the Adair County waters alongside my caring, humble, and wise guide who has promised to 'teach me everything he knows.' I sense the Father rather generously planning to restore both my client and I through time spent on the water together.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These upcoming fishing adventures, my client and I will not be 77 and 23 years old respectively. We won't be a retired math professor and an inexperienced business manager. Instead, we will both be--for a few glorious hours on weekends--sons. Son's being cared for by our Father. He is a much needed wise and seasoned guide for me in my masculine journey. And I am a gift to him from the Father--a fishing buddy to once more bring him out on the water, and bring him a bit closer to his original design. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And so, Mr. Eldredge I respectfully disagree with your thought on God being 'fiercely committed' to our restoration of original design.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think 'fiercely committed' is a gargantuan understatement. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><i>For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father. -</i>Romans 8:15</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-27704700934195223492014-03-01T13:03:00.001-08:002014-03-01T13:05:22.353-08:00Spring is on its way<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Winters in Kirksville suck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
This one has been particularly brutal. But yesterday the temperature jumped up to a whopping 40 something degrees. And it felt amazing; it felt like <i>spring. </i>I took Grigsby out for his late afternoon walk as the sun was setting in the west, revealing a picture of breathtaking hues. Purples, pinks, oranges and heavenly golds were thrown rather creatively into the sky. A light but slightly warm breeze kissed my face. It was not typical for Adair County in late February, and it had the scent of the coming spring.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Spring is on its way. Though the winter grays of February seem to dominate our experience, Spring <i>is</i> on its way and with it a reminder bursting with hope: The Kingdom is on its way, right around the corner if you will.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
The restoration of green grass, budding flowers, and flourishing trees are a picture to a deeper reality. The reality that someday--someday soon even--Jesus will usher in his Kingdom, and with it innumerable joys.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Laughter. Life. Intimacy. Beauty. Joy. Healing. Complete Restoration of our deepest brokenness and disappointments. Most of all, an uninterrupted communion with God our Father and Jesus our Friend. I simply cannot wait.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Samantha and I walked to the large field next to our home and sat down with our pup to enjoy the gift of Beauty our Father had lavished onto Northeast Missouri. We drank in the view, and something in our hearts breathed a sigh of relief. We were ok. If the One who handcrafted <i>that </i>beauty of a sunset was also our Daddy, then we were going to be ok. More than ok. His heart for us is beyond good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
After the sun dove down behind the horizon, Samantha and I went to grab a gyro and feta fries from the square. While eating our dinner I asked Samantha to name her top three moments of her life. She quickly rattled off a whole slew of her favorite memories, a lot more than three. Our wedding. My proposal. A game winning hit against Illinois State. Bucketfulls of laughter with her teammates.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
A few of mine included: Our wedding. My bachelor party. Our honeymoon. A slip screen from the 5 yard line to tie the game, thanks to a salty move by Garret White.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Samantha and I laughed heartily as we reminisced. Usually we remember our great moments with a touch of resignation and a thought something along the lines of "Those were great times. But they're long gone now. They're <i>over.</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
But this time Samantha and I weren't discouraged or cynical. Thanks to a subtle but well timed reminder of Beauty from our Great God, we knew with confidence that the Kingdom will come, that the Kingdom of God will abolish the word <i>over. </i>Because in the Kingdom, Life never ends, and neither will the immense joy that awaits us on the other side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Oh yes. Spring is on its way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
And so is His Kingdom.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ47e77cmuIXOFtpMAT3k4RJXAoslFjpGId6yzIiPt-ChfmA_3VgEBTjmvL_3YxdWWzFae_nQizAkNWcoEk3Mvs3uWeeBuNzvJXGeC5ALEechL6W8QiomRbWOeDNx4Lu12Tw1Vv-OWH4/s1600/SUNSET.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ47e77cmuIXOFtpMAT3k4RJXAoslFjpGId6yzIiPt-ChfmA_3VgEBTjmvL_3YxdWWzFae_nQizAkNWcoEk3Mvs3uWeeBuNzvJXGeC5ALEechL6W8QiomRbWOeDNx4Lu12Tw1Vv-OWH4/s1600/SUNSET.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-86752858613089044952014-01-06T15:40:00.002-08:002014-01-06T15:40:53.657-08:00Groomsmen Part 7: The Italian Stallion. Not if. But when. <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Antonio Vincenzo Pucci. (POO-CHEE). Also goes by Tony Pucci and or Pooch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pooch was one of my roommates at Truman and was a slot receiver with some dynamite route running and catching capabilities. I am gonna miss throwin corner routes to him very badly. Like the other two dudes who were my roomies over the majority of my college time, I deeply treasure my friendship with him. I know that no words I write will do any of my groomsmen justice as to how much they mean to me, and this post will be no different. But its worth a try. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pucci was a constant reminder of the constant presence of Jesus in my life. And he too understood my heart and struggles, because he had the same heart and endured the same struggles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But the thing about Pooch that I love most is his deep desire and longing for something better. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now this Desire of his is also one of the things that pisses me off the most about him. We could have the best 5 course meal in the history of college thanksgiving dinners, and he would still manage to say something like, "The turkey was good, but a little dry." "It would have been perfect if we had stuffing" Or even "The green bean casserole was too soupy" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, at first it seemed like Pucci was just nitpicking. And I'm sure there is a part of it that <i>is </i>just nitpicking. But upon further review, the ruling on the field has been over turned: The man simply </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">knows deeply</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> how life is supposed to be. He knows the kind of life and joy God handcrafted his heart to experience. Anything less is well, not very satisfying. Pucci is driven by desire, driven by his desire for joy, love, laughter, tender thanksgiving turkey, and a meaningful life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't help but look back on all of our times at Truman and see that suffering was the classroom God used for our divine education. And lets just say the Father taught us both quite a bit. I read that sentence and I cringe. Yet I know how essential suffering was to our growth and development as men. Its kind of like working out a muscle. To achieve the greatest muscle growth and to adapt the greatest strength, there must be a tremendous amount of stress put on the muscle. The muscle must suffer, must fail and fatigue to adapt and become stronger. At the time its not fun, but suffering has been the one thing God has used to produce the most goodness in Pucci and I's lives. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyway, much like myself, Pucci's time at Truman was littered with suffering. He lost a close friend to an unexpected death. His football career was less than satisfying.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Its safe to say Jesus understands how Pooch felt. He too lost his cousin and dear friend, to a brutal beheading even. Jesus' own <i>brothers</i> doubted who he was, didn't believe in him. Another close friend betrayed Jesus to his death. Throw in the exhausting death march and 6 hours hanging on a cross and I think we can agree Jesus suffered. The question I have is how did he live his life so well in the face of so much suffering? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The answer is Desire. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His profound, deep, unshaken desire for his victory. His desire for the Life and freedom of people like you and me. His deep longing for his homecoming reunion with his Father. Desire is the driving force behind Christs life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Much like Jesus was, Pucci is a man who lives from the desires of his heart, the desire for more goodness, more joy. A rather risky but utterly holy way to live. Pucci has stolen a page from Jesus' book here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I have <i><b>longed</b></i> to bring you to myself..." (Matthew 23:37)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"And Jesus said to them, 'I have<i><b> eagerly desired</b></i> to eat this meal with you." (Luke 22:15)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus is indeed a man of profound longing and desire. His heart overflows with passionate desire. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Keep your eyes on </span><i style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Jesus</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. <b>Because he never lost sight of where he was headed</b>—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s </span><i style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">there</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long list of hostility he plowed through. </span><i style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">That</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:1-2, the message)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Oh yes. Jesus knew where he was from, and he knew most importantly <i style="font-size: 16px;">where he was going.</i> He was Gods dearly loved son, and he was on a journey to reunite with his Father in victory after he defeated the evil one once and for all. He was on his way to a joyous homecoming celebration in which he would be deeply honored and rewarded for his sufferings. It was this joy set before him that kept our Savior going. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I see the same thing in my friend Pucci. Now I am not saying every time adversity or tragedy hits Pucci handles it perfectly. I am not saying that each time he endures a season of suffering, he immediately puts his hope and desire in the day of his complete restoration and freedom. What I am saying is this: Puccis deep longings and desires are good, holy even. His honest and willing heart that is so willing to thirst and hunger and want more is something I deeply admire about him. Because it too will be the driving force of his life. Like Jesus, the deep desire of Pucci will allow him to walk through any suffering this life has to throw at him, and come out a better man on the other side. But most importantly, Pucci's deep desire and longing for Life, Joy, Intimacy, Love, and a meaningful life will ultimately lead him, rather violently to God. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">And <i>if</i> he lets his desire take him to the Father, there is no question he will live a very powerful life. <i>If</i> he lets his desire drive him home to the Father, he indeed will live life to the fullest. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Excuse me. Let me correct myself. <i><b>When</b></i> Pucci lets his deep desire drive him to the Father, he will live a very powerful life. I already see in him the heart and desires of Christ. There is no doubt in my mind about the kind of joyous meaningful life he will be living in 10+ years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's not really a question of if, but when. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that's why I love him. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-76389986523452181392014-01-03T10:46:00.002-08:002014-01-03T10:53:27.260-08:00Groomsmen Part 6: CRH III<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Charlie Ringo Heinzmann. The Third. The man, the myth, the legend. He was by far my closest friend in my time at Truman and is splitting best man duties with Jack Klein in just 8 short days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I mean, you know when a guys middle name is Ringo, you got yourself a gem. In all honesty, this has been one of my hardest posts to write. For the simple fact that I know words can do no justice to the value of my friendship with him. So, instead of beatin around the bush I'll just get right into why I love old Chuck Ringo. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Charlies from the picturesque town of Metamora located in the beautiful state of Illinois. It is a mirror image to my hometown of Kearney, just slightly smaller in size. The town revolves around the high school and its athletics teams much like Kearney. And they love their football in Metamora, having a storied winning tradition much like Kearney. We are from the same type of town, and we are the same type of guys. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Charlie and I both enjoyed some success in our high school football careers, and brought with us a common attitude to Truman State Football that went something like this: "<i>I'm gonna start for 3+ years and show these dudes what it takes to win. I'm gonna be a reason Truman Football turns things around.</i>" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And though Truman had their first winning season in a while this past year, it didn't exactly happen how Chuck or I thought it would. Neither of us started as quickly as we desperately wanted to. We didn't enjoy team success or the turnaround we wanted. And Charlie tore his ACL. Twice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even though I was fortunate to not have any serious injuries in my career, It's safe to say Charlie and I shared very similar frustrations and setbacks regarding football. We came in with the same mindset and attitude, and were disappointed by the same things. I won't go into any details, because quite frankly the details do not really matter. What matters is this: Charlie understood <i>exactl</i>y how I felt. <i>He understood with perfection my every longing, desire, dream, and let down because he had the same ones. </i>This is, in my opinion, one of the most tremendous qualities of Jesus' personality. I'll let Eldredge take it from here:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"A notion has crept into our perceptions of Jesus. And this notion has done great damage to our experience of him. Its the notion that Jesus was really ''pretending'' when he presented himself as a man. We hold fast to the belief that Jesus was God. The heroic actions and miracles of his life attest to it. So, when we read the more human moments of Jesus' life, we feel that Jesus was sort of.....cheating. With a nod and a wink, we know whats <i>really </i>going on...Einstein just dropped in to take the first grade math quiz. Mozart is playing the flute for the kindergarten choir. After all, we're talking about <i>Jesus </i>here. The guy walked on water, raised Lazarus from the dead. He never broke a sweat right? But what about that terrible sweat in Gethsemane? </span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then he went to Gethsemane. He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here with me." Jesus said to them. And then he fell down and prayed, "Abba Father, if its possible, take this suffering from me." And being in anguish he prayed more fiercely, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Mark 14:22, Luke 22:44) </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Deeply distressed. Overwhelmed with sorrow. Anguished. This doesn't sound like someone cheating to me.He <i>begs</i> his Father, with tears, that this cup might pass from him. he doesn't want to do it. Sweat like blood puring from his tormented brow. Does this sound like Einstein adding two and two? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus was human. Really. When Jesus gets word his cousin and dear friend John has been beheaded what does he do? He takes a boat, leaves the crowds behind, and sails some place he can be alone. The man needed to get away, needed to grieve, just as you would. I cannot say this more emphatically--life <i>affected</i> Jesus. He never did anything halfheartedly. When he embraced our humanity, he didn't pull a fast one by making a show of it. He embraced our humanity so fully and totally he was able to die. God can't die. But Jesus did. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It will do your heart good to discover Jesus shares in your humanity....The more we can grasp his humanity, the more we will find someone we can approach, know, love, trust, and adore." (<i>Beautiful Outlaw)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now all of the 3 amigos (Pooch, Dusty and Chuck) had this characteristic as well. But Charlie embodied this piece of Jesus to a deeper personal level for me. Like Jesus, he didn't just take on my struggle, he <i><b>knew</b></i> my struggle. Knew what I was feeling, what I was going through, what I was fighting against. To have such a friend that knows exactly how you feel is unspeakably valuable to the human heart. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>You don't have to be misunderstood. Ever.</i> Jesus got pissed. Jesus laughed. Jesus farted. Jesus got hungry and thirsty. He needed to sleep. Jesus cried. He felt loneliness, rejection, longing. He felt the whole range of human emotion and feeling. Joy, weakness, sorrow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chuck was a daily reminder of my Jesus friend who understands me exactly and perfectly. And that's why I love Charlie Heinzmann. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity....Jesus took on flesh, and made his dwelling among us. (Hebrews 2:14, John 1:14)</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-84075351598146257902013-12-29T16:52:00.000-08:002013-12-29T16:57:35.858-08:00Groomsmen Part 5: The Carpenter from North Polk<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Me and Charlie had just got home for the day as we trotted across our back deck when we noticed something a little bit odd. There were three or four chunks of wood that had apparently been sawed off recently. "<i>What happened here? What the hell is Dustin up to now?," </i>Charlie asked. We both chuckled and shook our heads, knowing for a fact that the notorious Mr. Fix-it they call Dustin was at it again, performing another self appointed project. Our house handyman, Dustin also enjoyed taking on any home improvement tasks he could. Raised on a farm in the golden lush beauty of Iowa, Dustin Howard was a problem solver of all house maintenance issues.....most of the time. He was for all intensive purposes, the Carpenter of 1203 E Randolph, the one man fix-it (or wrecking) crew. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To put it simply, Dustin increased the quality of life for our house the last few years. He took joy in fixing all things big or small. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Light fixture malfunction? Call Dustin. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recliner all jacked up? <i>Yea I'm gonna order some parts</i>. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Coffee table leg broken? Tell ole Dusty. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember one time coming back from a break, Dustin stumbled in the kitchen doorway carrying an ancient but MASSIVE microwave. I mean this thing had to be 3 foot tall and 3 foot wide. Mind you the microwave we had worked just fine. "<i>Yea I got this from the rents," he explained excitedly. "Figured we'll be able to microwave way more shit in this thing!"</i></span></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I may have embellished a bit about how big it was, but still. Regardless, the microwave was just one of many instances in which Dusty was simply increasing our quality of life. And he absolutely LOVED doing this just as he loved fixing mishaps big and small. It was his <i>joy</i>, simply the kind of guy he is. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strikingly similar to my friend Jesus. Little did I know what was really going on the past 4 years-- The Carpenter from Nazareth was using the Carpenter from North Polk to visit me more than a few times. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like Dustin, Jesus takes great delight in simply making our lives <b>better. </b>Jesus did after all say he came to give us <i>life. "I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance."</i> (John 10:10) Notice what Jesus DIDN'T say. He did not say "I have come so that they may behave better." He did not say "I have come that they may vote republican." Life. LIFE is what he came for friends, and life in abundance. Like Dustin, Jesus also enjoys fixing things that are broken. Its safe to say Jesus could fix up a crummy coffee table, he was a carpenter after all. But he most definitely majors in fixing people who are deeply broken. He takes the broken pieces of our lives and rather delightfully fixes them, if we will invite him to do so. He loves giving us more life, and more joy. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well I believe in this Jesus dude, I can dig him. Why doesn't he just give me __________?" Fill in the blank. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well that's pretty simple. Jesus would much rather be first and foremost your dear friend, than just your Mr. fix it. This isn't a prosperity gospel. You don't follow rules, say a few heartless prayers, and get the Life to the fullest that Jesus is talking about. The secret is this: <b>The abundant life Jesus is talking about is actually only found in friendship with him.</b> The rest of the stuff, the massive microwaves and whatnot of our friendship with Jesus is just icing on the cake. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The real joy of my friendship with Dustin isn't that he fixed about everything possible in our house and took care of getting us above average satellite services. The joy of my friendship with Dustin came from times of life shared over a meal, a few bud lights, or shootin some hoops in the driveway. If all I did was bother Dustin about fixing random crap in my house, we probably wouldn't be too close. The same holds true of our relationship with Jesus.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now my friendship with the Blonde Bomber and his handyman talents are only a small part of the reason I love the guy. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The piece of Jesus that I got to experience via Dustin Howard is a fairly simple, but profound one: his constant presence. My 4 and a half years at Truman were in large part, difficult. Disappointment and suffering seemed to be the theme of my college years. And all that being said, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world, because I didn't have to go through any of it alone. Now Charlie and Pooch both embodied the constant presence of Jesus to me also. Those two rascals and Dusty are the reasons I would do the whole Truman thing over again. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But Dustin was with me since day bleeping one. He has been my roommate since the legendary days of room 555 in Centennial hall. He was there for a whole semester of the one they call BENJI. Start to finish, Dustin was simply there, everyday of my time at Truman. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now I know, Dustin laying on the living room couch playing Skyrim each morning I got home from work, isn't exactly groundshakingly meaningful. It wasn't life changing. But coming home to a bro-greeting and an inquiry about how work went was heck of a lot better than coming home to an empty living room. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Similarly, sometimes being friends with and following Jesus isn't always laced with earth shattering wisdom and insight. At times it is, without a question. But sometimes, <i>Jesus is simply there</i>, following through on his promise to be with us always, to the bitter end. Dustin was a constant reminder of Jesus' constant presence in my life. And that's why I love Dustin Howard. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And remember, I am with you always, to the very end. - Matthew 28:20</span></i></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-85539528720789842062013-12-20T18:30:00.001-08:002013-12-20T18:43:01.831-08:00Groomsmen part 4: A little Jack and alot of Jesus<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those of you who didn't read my <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://cinderellamanschottel.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-ifwe-had-908-bottles-of-whiskey-at.html" style="background-color: red;" target="_blank">whiskey at the wedding post</a>,</span> I occasionally enjoy a little Jack Daniels in my coke. And I was reminded Tuesday night that I enjoy, more than occasionally, a little Jack Klein in my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe God brought me to Truman for a number of reasons. Recently I was reminded of one of the biggest reasons he did so. My friendship with Jack Klein.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was feeling pretty tired, exhausted from a long day that included a final presentation for Marketing and lots of tending to Grigsby.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyways I was just getting ready to wind down for the evening when my dude Jack called me. I had completely forgot that we had set up a phone date for 8 pm on this particular Tuesday night. The phone call was exactly what I needed. But before I get into all that fun stuff, I'll give you a brief history of how I met this stallion they call Jack Klein. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jack and I were in the same recruiting class at Truman. He played safety and lived in the same dorm as me our freshman year. Our first semester, we had always been fairly close friends, running around together and whatnot. But our second semester was when something special started. I couldn't really tell you how or why, but somehow after we got back from Christmas break that year, we decided that we were going to read The Story (The Gospel) together. I say Story because for some very unfortunate reasons, the word Gospel is a word glazed in religious fog, and makes people think of the choir swaying, arms held high screaming LAAAAAWWWDDD ALMIGGGHTTTYYY. The Gospel, however, is far from the church bells and stained glass windows of lifeless religion. The Gospel is THE Story, an epic story of Gods rescue of his dearly loved family. Its the story of how one man fought so desperately and courageously to save you and me. Anyway, we began reading The Story together. We would meet everyday in the study rooms just outside of the lounge in centennial hall, and tear through the Story. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And things changed. This Jesus guy came to life, became a bit more personal and lot more real to both of us. It was a time of great spiritual growth for both of us. To this day we both look back to that season of our lives with joy and gratefulness, knowing God worked in rather mysterious and effective ways to ransom us back to his heart once more. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had planned on getting a house with a couple other dudes from our team, and we were absolutely geeked to continue searching for the narrow path to Life throughout the rest of our college years. But long story short, Jack had to move back home and he transferred schools at the end of our freshman year. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was more than a little disappointing. We had shared our hopes and dreams for what might be shared over the next 4 years together. Football, roomie shenanigans, spiritual growth, Life to the full, etc. And those hopes and dreams were more or less deferred. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But now to the good stuff, the good part of the story. Jack and I continued to stay in touch throughout our college careers. We simply kept being best friends despite our long distance bromance. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jack is my best guy friend. He understands me, gets me. He knows my heart, knows what pisses me off, knows what brings me joy. He knows my dreams and desires, and has walked with me through some rather ugly brokenness and sin. But the thing I think I love most about Jack and my friendship with him, is a shared vision. We both have this deep sense of a mission, something bigger than ourselves, a cause that is very much worth fighting for. We want the same things. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think it is so rare to find this. To find someone who knows you, loves you, would go to battle for you at the drop of hat; and also share a dream with you. Jack and I want the same things, want to spend our lives in the same manner. As I was catching up with him just recently on the phone I could feel a strength, a certain fire in my chest coming alive. I struggle really to put what I was feeling into words, so my first thought as to what was rising inside me was this; It was the life and heart of Jesus Christ. My True Best Friend. My constant companion, and rather powerful partner in bringing His Kingdom to this earth. His life, his heart, his desire was awakening and stirring rather unexpectedly through time spent talking with Jack. When it has been an extended time since I have truly connected with Jesus or the Father, I am so weary. I am busy, annoyed, on edge, exhausted, and not very motivated. I am also selfish. But when I do finally come back to Christ and take a good long drink of His Living Water, I am both relieved and strengthened. I can feel something alive and on fire in my chest once more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Very similarly, when it has been an extended time since Jack and I have connected, it never fails that I leave our conversation energized and alive. Awake. When I spend even a small amount of time talking or hanging out with Jack, I am reminded of who I really am. I am reminded of what kind of man I really want to become. I am reminded of what I want my life to look like in 10 years. And through his very unintentional reminders, my heart is deeply strengthened.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is something I have been deeply missing the past 4 years. When you spend time around certain individuals, they make you want to be a better person. Simply <i>who they are</i> draw you closer to God. Jack is that guy for me. The reason I cherish my relationship with Jack so much is because it mirrors my relationship with Jesus so much- he makes me want to be a better man. Simply spending time with Jack brings me closer to the Father; Jack leaves me wanting to draw closer to the Father. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I spend a little time with Jack, I get a lot of Jesus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To put it plainly, Jack is alot like Jesus. And that is why I love him. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Its safe to say that I am more than looking forward to sharing a little Jack Daniels with my dear friend Jack Klein in 22 short days. And I most definitely cannot wait to share a celebratory whiskey and coke with Jesus on the day he welcomes me into his Kingdom of Life and Joy. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-84110950445524409422013-12-05T21:45:00.001-08:002013-12-05T21:45:08.239-08:00Redemption is Hard Work<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, this posts been a long time comin. Grigsby, the master escape artist and free soul who has recently captured my heart, has ran away yet again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first time he ran away was about a month ago. And it was an absolute mess getting him back. Samantha and I essentially had electronic wanted posters on social media for the arrest of our outlaw friend Grigsby. During our first search of our new Pug-Pomeranian prince, it had literally come to me going and renting a 'live trap' from the conservation department. I set the live trap up in the area where our fugitive buddy had been spotted most often, and set a can of filet mignon flavored wet dog food inside. All the time I spent looking for him, and the time I spent obtaining and setting the trap cut deeply into some much needed studying for my senior test. The whole time I had sensed God telling me to pursue this lil peckerwood of an escapist and to not quit looking for him. <i>To try everything to get him back</i>. Everytime I began being annoyed and frustrated in looking for him, the Spirit would simply say "the lost sheep parable." And so I would grudgingly take another lap around the block shouting for Grigsby to get his little spunky ass back here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Doesn't God know I have to take the HFS test tonight? I don't have time to look for this rebellious dog." And God promptly replied, <i>Easy there son. That's not quite the attitude I had when I came looking for you.</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Busted. This was not about finding a dog. <b>It was about God disrupting my priorities in life.</b> Grigsby brought loads and loads of joy to Samantha. So God asked me, <i>Whats more important? A petty HFS test score or your future wife's heart? Whats more important? Getting shit done or loving others deeply?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">OK. ok. I got it Father. Just bring this freaking dog back. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now I wished this story ended with: "Then GUESS WHAT?! I went to my HFS test and passed even though I barely studied all because the Lord rewarded me for all my lookign for our dog!!!!!!....then later that night I went to check on the trap, and guess who was in it?! GRIGSBY!!!!" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This woulda been the perfect ending, surely would have been the script I wrote for the redemption of our relationship with ole Grigs dudes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But the trap didn't work. And I did not pass my senior test. BUT. Someone did find Grigsby. And we got our pup back this past Tuesday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Takeaway lesson: <b>Redemption is hard work, and rather disruptive to your personal schedule, but its utterly worth it.</b> Redemption doesn't always happen how we imagine, but by the grace of our Daddy in heaven, it does happen, in his perfect way and timing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now to be perfectly honest, I was fighting Samantha pretty strongly on even getting a damn dog. At least until we were married. But when we went to the shelter I sensed God giving me the go ahead to get this little rascal. And now that I finally had brought him home and been re united with this lil booger, I had fell for him. I love him. Hes the bomb! He doesn't dry hump you, he doesn't bite, he snuggles with you like no other, Hes like a stuffed animal with a tiny bit more energy and life. Walking him was my new favorite time of the day. We would finish the last leg of our journeys with a rather spirited sprint. It was a blast even if the frozen tundra of Kirksville was so bitter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now, Grigsby has ran away. Again. The front door opened to our house, and he immediately bolted. So fast none of my roomies could even react or prevent it from happening. Why the hell would God tell me to buy a dog that would run away like his life depended on it?! I mean the first time he ran away, I understand. He was an abused little guy, and was fearful of people, didn't trust us. But over the past 3 days I had <i>proved </i>that I was a good owner. I had given him unlimited love, lots of great food and water, a warm bed, and multiple walks a day. I had given him a WAY better life than the one he had lived in the shelter. I had given him an extremely better life than the one he had while he was on the run for a few weeks. So why would he run away? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The fact of the matter is God has rather humorously and playfully given Samantha and I a clear picture of what we all do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God gives us perfect life and perfect love. He gives us the unconditional attention and affirmation that our hearts so desperately crave. When we come into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, God offers us a life that by far exceeds our past one. We are literally given life to the fullest from our Father in heaven. Yet the first chance we get, we bolt for a false sense of freedom, much like our pup Grigsby. Grigsby has no reason to be fearful of me, has no reason not to trust that I am good and loving. Yet he runs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And so do we. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We have no reason not to trust that Gods heart for us is good and loving. Yet we run. I mean, its mind boggling. The guy takes a bullet aimed at us and dies so that we might live. What is not to trust about a guy who dies so that we can be rescued and given the life and joy we were meant to experience? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh God is in this latest escape of Grigsby. When you walk with God, everything counts, there is something to learn in all experiences. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What will Samantha and I's attitude be toward this? Will we throw in the towell? He doesn't even want what we have to offer! Why would we even get our hopes up in finding him? Why would we even <i>want</i> to find him? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because if you recall, our Shepherd gladly leaves the 99 sheep on the hill to go look for the lost one <b>UNTIL</b> he finds it. (Luke 15:1-7)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now if I am writing the story for this round of redemption, it would go something like this: "The next morning my roomies woke up and found Grigsby on the porch. He had turned back and came home!!!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I'm not writing the story. God is. And Samantha and I are open to whatever the heck He pleases to write. We don't mind if we get him back, only to have him run away yet again. We will simply love this little soul because we see pieces of our own hearts in his fearfulness of Life. Redemption might not happen how Samantha and I imagine, but it will come. And we will wait patiently for it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We might never find him again.....in this life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But that will make it an even sweeter Redemption when the great snuggler of all--Grigsby--wags his tail in joy as we crossover from life to Life. I have a hunch on that day Grigsby will no longer be fearful of Life, or distrust our great love for him. I also reckon our own doubt of Gods great love will no longer weigh us down either. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the mean time, if your in Kirksville please be on the look out for our guy! <b>Pray about it.</b> Dare to believe God's in this. Dare to believe God is in your own trials, big and small.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And keep in mind, <i>victory is not in the outcome</i>, victory is in the decision to fight, to stay hopeful and present in the moment. In this life or the next, our most desirous prayers will be answered. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqzBi_D8fjfrlUB9eqM4qer0rlgT3R_2wCf5LLeRSmbc7ScfRT4m5-G3-WsrBsbNgtZQJ1RfYclJkVzt_82k-SboLpz1YAzvxu5-qyzL7R73DaccLA5V3VQtI4hiwAKWj5qwgP1-Cqb8/s1600/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqzBi_D8fjfrlUB9eqM4qer0rlgT3R_2wCf5LLeRSmbc7ScfRT4m5-G3-WsrBsbNgtZQJ1RfYclJkVzt_82k-SboLpz1YAzvxu5-qyzL7R73DaccLA5V3VQtI4hiwAKWj5qwgP1-Cqb8/s1600/image.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-90102756449687384552013-11-03T08:45:00.001-08:002013-11-03T08:45:37.773-08:00Groomsmen Part 3: Why I hate Nativity Scenes and Love Wes Allen <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s officially November, and I’m officially dreaming about
Christmas time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the way home from our most recent contest at Kentucky Wesleyan,
I was jamming to the ipod on shuffle. Randomly (or not so randomly depending on
your personal beliefs), a teaching from John Eldredge’s book Wild at Heart came
on. The teaching was specifically on spiritual warfare and how there is a lot more
going on in our lives than we care to believe. He uses an example from Christmas,
and talks about nativity scenes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“All nativity scenes are typically very similar. The same
characters tend to appear in each one. Shepherds, wisemen, a few barnyard
animals. Of course there is Mary and Joseph, adoring the new born baby Jesus.
And a few scenes will include an angel or two, but that is as far as the
spiritual realm is represented. The characters all have a very warm, sweet,
pastoral feel to them. And while this is very true, it is also very <i>deceiving</i>. Deceiving because this is not
a full representation of what is really going on. For that, you must turn to
Revelation 12.” (Wild at Heart Audio, The Enemy)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">“A
great sign</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">appeared in heaven:</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">a woman clothed with the
sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">on her head.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><b><sup><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="en-NIV-30894"> </span></span></sup></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">She was pregnant and cried out in pain as
she was about to give birth.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><b><sup><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="en-NIV-30895"> </span></span></sup></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Then another sign appeared in heaven:</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">an enormous red dragon</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">with seven heads</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">and ten horns</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">and seven crowns</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">on its heads.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><b><sup><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="en-NIV-30896"> </span></span></sup></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Its tail swept a third</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">of the stars out of the
sky and flung them to the earth.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The dragon stood in front
of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">the moment he was born.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span id="en-NIV-30897">She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the
nations with an iron scepter…..<i>Then war
broke out in heaven</i>. Michael</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">and his angels fought
against the dragon,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">and the dragon and his angels</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">fought back.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><b><sup><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="en-NIV-30900"> </span></span></sup></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">But he was not strong enough, and they
lost their place in heaven.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span id="en-NIV-30901">The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">called the devil, or
Satan,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">who leads the whole world astray.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">He was hurled to the
earth,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">and his angels with him.</span>” (Revelation 12:1-5, 7-9)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span class="text"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Philip Yancey calls the birth of Christ, “The great invasion…a
daring raid by the ruler of the forces of good into the universe’s seat of
evil.” To grasp the other half of the picture of Christ’s birth, it would be appropriate
for you to watch the initial invasion scenes from Saving Private Ryan. The
parallels between Saving Private Ryan and the Gospel are stunning. A massive invasion
is launched, and a daring rescue mission for the safety of one lost man behind
enemy lines. God invades with his son Jesus, and personally sends both Jesus
and an intimate band of angels to rescue you. You are private Ryan in the
movie. And like Tom Hanks and his troops, <b>Jesus will stop at nothing to bring
you home safely. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now back to Revelation. <span class="text"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
child is born, the woman escapes, and the story continues:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">“Then the dragon was
<i>enraged</i> at the woman <b><i>and
went off to wage war<span class="apple-converted-space"></span> against the rest of her offspring</i></b></span>—<b><i>those who keep God’s commands</i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i> and
hold fast their testimony about Jesus</i></b>.</span>” (Revelation 12:17)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Behind the world, and the flesh is an even more deadly
enemy.. one we rarely speak of, and one we are even less ready to resist, the devil himself...this is where we live now...on the front lines
of a fierce spiritual war<b>.</b>” (Wild at Heart Audio, The Enemy)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And thus, I hate nativity scenes. They are soft, like most
of our sacred and holy ‘Christian’ culture. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now I know, it all seems so dramatic, so ultra spiritual and
weird. But if you look at the scriptures, warnings about the Enemy are
everywhere. Even the old Saint Paul knew how serious spiritual warfare was, he
understood that if we are to walk with God in a genuine way and be the men and
women we were created to be, we must engage in the spiritual war raging around
us. We must fight. Period. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bringing it a bit closer to home, God began to speak to me
about the game I had just finished playing. We beat Kentucky Wesleyan 35-27. We
should have scored a lot more points, and I imagine the defense feels that they
could have held our opponent to fewer points. The problem was, our team as a
whole, was lulled to sleep. We forgot that on Saturdays, it really makes no
difference who lines up across from us. We forgot that no matter who our
opponent is, no matter what venue and atmosphere we play in, the context for
our game is war. And if your mind is not ready for a fight, you will swiftly get
your ass kicked. We walked out onto the Kentucky Wesleyan field and it was dead
quiet. Saying there was no energy or buzz from the stands would be an understatement.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To make matters worse, we got up by quite a few points
early. This early ‘success’ further progressed the lulling to sleep of our
team. We had officially forgotten that we were in a fight. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now to why I love Wes Allen. Now to those pieces of Jesus
pumping through Wesley’s veins that so often speak to my heart. Wes is a soldier, literally. He is going into
the Marines after school, and he will make one wild warrior. He is one of the few men in my life that remind me that I am at war, that there are some things in life worth fighting for, and I love that about him. We worked together
for a majority of this past summer, and we formed a strong bond as we shared
our common love of epic movies, (Gladiator Braveheart We Were Soldiers, to name
a few) and Eminem’s lyrics. Often times we would pass the time at work jamming to
Eminem, or quoting our favorite movie lines. But my favorite way to pass the
time at work with Wes, was looking up quotes from the Marines or other branches
of our military. So much wisdom and strength in the quotes of men who have led
our countries warriors into the most hostile spots in the world. Any quote concerning war would do for us. Here’s
a few of our favorites:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We thrive on adversity- Navy Seals</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every plans a good one until the first shots are fired – US Marines</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A man once told me that death smiles at all of us, all a man
do is smile back – Marcus Aurelius, <i>Gladiator<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are never out of the fight – Navy Seals</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Only the dead have seen the end of war. – Plato</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As Wes and I chatted in the locker room post game, after we
narrowly escaped with a victory, we revisited the quote about never being out
the fight. “We’re never out of the fight. But that’s the same for the other
guys. We forgot that they were never out of the fight either.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes. We did forget Wesley. The Father brought this to my
attention on the bus ride home, began fathering me yet again through the game
of football. How often do I personally forget that I live in a world at war?
How often do I live as though everything is hunky dory in the land of butterflies
and rainbows? When in reality, I am in a fight. Satan is <i>enraged</i> at me, hates me. Wants to <i>devour</i> me, wants to <i>steal</i>
my joy, <i>kill</i> my heart, <i>and destroy</i> my life. (Click these cool things >>> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2010:10&version=NIV" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">John 10:10</span></a> and
<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A8&version=NIV" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">1 Peter 5:8</span></a>)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We can’t afford to forget that we are at war. We can’t turn
the other cheek to where we find ourselves. You can’t win a fight you don’t think
exists. Which is why this is Satan's greatest strategy-Lull us to sleep and make
us believe that he simply doesn't exist. It’s a subtle assault on humanity, and
it’s dreadfully effective. If we believe we are not in a fight, we will swiftly get our asses kicked in this war. I'd venture to say that a majority of the brokenness and pain in your own life is connected to you forgetting, or not knowing, that Satan is assaulting you every freaking day. As Plato said, only the dead have seen the end
of war. War is simply where we are in the story. We must accept it, believe it,
embrace it, and as men and women of God, fight with every fiber in our body. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe you have turned down the fight for all your life, refused to
accept the fact that Satan is literally <b>waging
war</b> against your soul. Maybe you are more than slightly discouraged that
you have not jumped in, and fought the evil one. Maybe you feel like its too
late, that Satan has gained too much ground on your life for a turnaround. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I would be quick to remind you, that you my friend are never
out of the fight. It’s never too late. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are never out of
the fight, and we thrive on adversity. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I dare the dudes reading this that call themselves
Christians to start praying <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.ransomedheart.com/prayer/daily-prayer" target="_blank">this prayer</a> </span>once a day. It will take about 10 minutes, and it would be a good start in fighting the good fight. It will bring you near to Gods heart, and will teach you how to embrace your role in the war we find ourselves in. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fight for your lives. Nothing good has ever come without a
fight. Life to the fullest, a life full of Joy and intimacy with God is worth
it. But you must fight for it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And for the love of God someone add a machine gun or something
more violent to a nativity scene this year. </span></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-50032364906807394612013-10-04T07:44:00.000-07:002013-10-04T07:44:44.237-07:00He can't wait<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you couldn't tell, me and Samantha are absolutely GEEEEEKED for our wedding. We cannot wait to wave goodbye to this long distance relationship and usher in a new season of life. 99 days for those of you counting at home. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;">As I have previously stated, Every
good person you have ever loved, has been sent rather personally to
your heart from God Himself. Jesus uses these people you love so dearly
to introduce himself to you many, many times. He is constantly knocking
on the door of your heart through these people. I'm one of the crazy people who thinks that God uses our relationships to reveal some piece of his heart for us. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;">That time your parents told you there is <i>nothing</i> you could do to make them love you less, was actually the Father's love calling out to you. The countless times your closest friends were simply there for you through thick and thin, was actually the faithful friendship Jesus desires to share with you. Or how about that one married couple, who after many years of life together, actually love each other more than when they first began? That would be the kinda intimacy and soul oneness we were literally designed to share with our Creator. And so </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eldredge explains in <i>The Sacred Romance</i>: </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"The scriptures employ a wide scale of metaphors to
capture the many facets of our relationship with God. If you consider them
in a sort of ascending order there is a noticeable and breathtaking
progression. Down near the bottom of the totem pole we are the clay, and
he is the potter. Moving up a notch, we are the sheep and he the
Shepherd. A little better, but hardly flattering. Moving upward we are
the servants of the Master, which at least gets us into the house, even
if we have to wipe our feet, watch our manners. Most Christians never
get past this point, but the ladder of metaphors is about to make a
steep ascent. God also calls us his children, and himself our Father
which brings us into the possibility of real intimacy. He then calls us
his FRIENDS, which opens up a communion that a 5 yr old doesn't quite
know with his mother or father. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But there is still a higher and deeper level
of intimacy and partnership awaiting us at the top of this metaphorical
ascent. We are his <i>lovers</i>. The courtship that began with a honeymoon in
the Garden culminates at the wedding feast of Jesus. "I will take
delight in you", he says " as a groom rejoices over his bride, so I will
rejoice over you" (Zephaniah 3:17)"</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">After reading the excerpt from <i>The Sacred Romance </i>my relationship with God was absolutely turned upside down.</span><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"> I began seeing Gods deeply personal love for me through all my friends, family, and Samantha. It was tremendous. It <i>is</i> tremendous. God very plainly told me that Samantha and I's joy and delight in one another is only a tiny glimpse of his love for me.</span> <i>I will take delight in you, as a groom rejoices over his bride, so I will rejoice over you. </i><b>Are you kidding me?!</b> There is no question that in 99 days I will be rejoicing over Samantha. In 99 days I will take indescribable delight in Samantha. And I'm just a flabby human....<i>How much more</i> does the Living God, the Great Lover rejoice over us? <i>How much more</i> does he take delight in us? </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">All
our deep longings and desires for one another are but small extensions of his deeper and
wider longings for us to be united with him; united in an endless intimacy that
infinitely overflows with joy and ecstasy. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">And so I begin to wonder, if Samantha and I are giddily counting down the days until our wedding, how much more is God ecstatically counting down the days until The Wedding? Every day we wake up, Samantha and I remind each other how many more days until our wedding. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What if you believed that God does the same for you? That with each time you wake, He crosses off another day spent apart from the love of his life? You are the love of his life, don't you know? <b>There is only one of you. </b> God longs for you to fill the empty void in his soul that you alone can fill. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Samantha was enjoying herself at a coffee shop in Des Moines reading and relaxing this past spring. She text me excited yet incomplete saying "I wish you were here though. It's just not the same without you." Bingo. It was a message sent directly from Gods heart to my super sweet slider phone. <i>Its just not the same in without ya son. I wish ya were here.</i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">God wants you, longs for you, even needs your companionship. Not in way that makes him less God if you do not give yourself over to him in reckless abandon. But in a way that makes his Lover's heart ache with incompleteness upon your refusing him as the love of your own life. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Samantha and I often tell each other we 'cant wait for our day.' Its really God telling us, and you, that He can't wait for <i>your day</i>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">He can't wait to see you face to face, and wave goodbye to a long distance relationship littered with sin and brokenness, and usher in the new season of Life. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">He can't wait. </span></span></span></span>Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-88292125178012585832013-10-02T07:54:00.000-07:002013-10-02T07:54:29.735-07:00Does God really give a rip about our dreams?<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Does God really care about our dreams?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Two Sundays ago, September 22nd to be exact, Samantha invited me to join her in writing down our personal dreams. The dreams could be large or small, and there was no limit as to how many you could write down.This was my kind of deal! So I jumped right in and scribbled down everything I could think of. By the end I had compiled a list of exactly 38 dreams. Samantha and I then shared our list with each other. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As I shared a few of my dreams with her, I could not help but become discouraged. Some of the windows seemed to be closing on a few of my dreams regarding football. They were dreams I had so badly wanted to give up on over the past 3-4 years.Very simply, it seemed like God didn't really give a rip about these dreams. But I took a risk and held on; I trusted God with my heart and dreams. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The first dream on my list regarding football was 'to be restored on the field again, to play with an edge once more.' Very simply, I wanted to be myself on the field again. For a whole mess of reasons I will refrain from explaining, I had only been myself on two occasions in my 4 year career. Other than these two instances, I simply was not the player or leader I knew I could be between those white lines. This was a burden and sorrow I could not put to words. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5yAAUmJJYfUXjT3615qLaF3o-C_UhlNIp6M9wlLczryKqazLoOUnw1M3ZgdaE4L7BomS5Sde4AvOuHrxax091vDhDADs_kPf6p2naxCYPd5mLRJ05MUbc4fxUFJ7P5TKqlaULtVu_5w/s1600/dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5yAAUmJJYfUXjT3615qLaF3o-C_UhlNIp6M9wlLczryKqazLoOUnw1M3ZgdaE4L7BomS5Sde4AvOuHrxax091vDhDADs_kPf6p2naxCYPd5mLRJ05MUbc4fxUFJ7P5TKqlaULtVu_5w/s320/dreams.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fast forward to Saturday, September 28th, I was myself once again. I was loud and aggressive. I talked lots of trash to the almighty UCM donkeys. I played with an edge and played well. I led my troops with passion and stayed in the fight for 60 minutes. It was a blast. I had the time of my life. Now this wasn't just like I flipped a switch and was all of a sudden myself once more. I have tried and strived on my own strength to 'flip the switch' for 4 years. That hasn't worked. This was a divine intervention. I know God had his hand of restoration on me this past Saturday. How do I know? I shared a rather real conversation with an angel all game long. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The angel I was speaking to was about 6'1 and weighed somewhere between 215-225 lbs. He was a black man wearing an away Truman jersey. Some of you might know him as Ivan James. From before kickoff until the clock read zero, Ivan James was constantly in my ear. <i>Do you love football? Love it like the old Conrad. Be that gunslinger.</i> Before and after every series. Between quarters and at halftime. Ivan was there reminding that I loved this game. It was Gods voice pumping through the raspy voice of Sir Ivan James. My heart is eternally grateful to both God and Ivan James for that dream come true. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The game continued, we had the over rated donkeys dead to rights, with 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter. We then self destructed and gave the game away. We were done. But God wasn't quite done with my dreams just yet. With 40 some seconds left, down by 28 points, I cut loose a bomb to my roomie and good friend Tony Pucci. We connected on a deep post for a TD. Though we were still down by 21, I was ecstatic. Absolutely thrilled. I nearly teared up as I ran to celebrate with him. Some of you reading this are asking <i>Whats the big deal? Its a meaningless TD..</i> Yes, like anything else in life, without God in the equation, the TD was very meaningless. But when you walk with God nothing is meaningless. This TD was much more than the 6 measly points it put on our scoreboard. It was a living picture of overcoming 4 and a half long years of adversity. It was much needed healing from the God who cares deeply about both of our hearts. It was a much needed gift of joy wrapped in the form of Trips right 36 Mesh. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Below I have highlighted the other dream I had written down just 6 days prior to it coming true. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFh8E-Olw7Y1u3IpSDQNP9RhW44_5MY1216upKItUXGiso801t0NKNv1qPeh-kdBZxTBrg4tCmtiFuQHdMIRFy1KzVRsQVxwbCpgS4BRoLO7McmzNQ7HWXh5rLiMd9yoicksdmDZQpYM/s1600/image-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFh8E-Olw7Y1u3IpSDQNP9RhW44_5MY1216upKItUXGiso801t0NKNv1qPeh-kdBZxTBrg4tCmtiFuQHdMIRFy1KzVRsQVxwbCpgS4BRoLO7McmzNQ7HWXh5rLiMd9yoicksdmDZQpYM/s320/image-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Though the picture cuts off the very end, the other half that is still yet to be highlighted reads 'To win the game.' I reckon I'll keep trusting God with the un-highlighted half, and see what else he's got up his sleeve this season. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Samantha met me on the field afterward with tears in her eyes and said "God cares."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yes. He does care. </span><br />
<br />Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-40122713294904054142013-09-26T06:44:00.001-07:002014-04-04T18:58:51.564-07:00Burnt Cookies and Hope Part 2<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you missed part 1, please get caught up <a href="http://cinderellamanschottel.blogspot.com/2013/09/burnt-cookies-and-hope-part-1.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here.</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">C.S. Lewis wrote, “If I find in myself desires which nothing
in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for
another world.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Made for another world indeed. We were handcrafted by God
himself not for this life but for the coming Life in heaven. And <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">this is the only Life we can put our hope
in. We will lose heart and give up if we
don’t. Negativity and sorrow will overwhelmingly crush our souls if we do not
hope in the Life to come. </span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> The biggest question
is, what will this Life in heaven be like?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who
love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) Paul is simply saying to us that the end of our
personal journeys will be incredible, and beyond our wildest dreams come true.
As Eldredge dares us, “we cannot out dream God.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heaven is Life,
and Life in abundance. It is not just a quantity of Life, but a certain glorious
<i>quality</i> of Life. Our diseases will be
healed, our sin erased, death will be no more. All of our tears will be wiped
away, and there will be no pain. We will experience uninterrupted communion
with Jesus. Our wildest dreams will come true. All of the longings and desires
of our hearts will be fulfilled. We will be reunited with our family and
closest friends. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">John Eldredge notes the comedy of the old saying, “He’s just
not himself today.” He points out that the phrase is ironic because it’s true.
No one is really quite themselves today. There is more to us than we have seen.
Our true selves, our true creation will at times unexpectedly be revealed. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Life
for the most parts keeps our glory hidden, cloaked by sin, sorrow, or merely
weariness. When I see an older woman doubled over with arthritis, the hard
years etched into her face, I want to cry, <i>Eve
what happened</i>? How truly wonderful it will be to see her in her youth
again, the full flower of her beauty restored.” (The Journey of Desire) </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We will
finally, be the marvelous men and women God designed us to be. The full flower
of our beauty and the full weight of our glory will be restored, and never
again taken from us. Our youthful strength will not slip from us. Our greatest
moments of joy and life on this side of eternity are only tiny glimpses of what
we will experience when we finally go Home. Our experiences of love and
intimacy in this life are only small sips of the Living Water from which we
shall drink deeply in heaven. Let hope
begin to arise within you for this coming Life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So now I find
myself trying to out dream God in regards to heaven. I know that Jesus himself
is in heaven now, preparing my place, my paradise in heaven. (John 14:2) He is
doing the same or you, even as you read this post. Jesus knows us intimately,
knows our every quirk and rhythm of our heart, knows us even better than we
know ourselves. He knows our every dream and desire and thus he knows what we
want concerning our place in heaven. Imagine the things he has up his sleeve! When
I think about my place in heaven, I can see Jesus. He is rugged and strong, and
more importantly, he is ecstatic to welcome me home. He has prepared a
homecoming banquet and all of my family and friends are there. Grandpa Bob has
teeth now, and he is young and mighty once again. My grandpa Schottel is not
depressed but rather, very free and young as well. My parents are truly alive
and joyous. Sadie (whenever it is she arrives Home) is whooping her contagious
and life giving laugh hysterically. She too is young and beautiful completely restored
in body spirit and soul. My best friends and I share a victory beer with Jesus
(Imagine the stuff that guy can brew) as we recount the joyous times and triumphs
we have shared. Jesus reveals his perfect work and plan throughout our first
lives. He shows us just how very close he was to us, and we finally experience
the full weight of his love. I have a house handcrafted by Jesus himself (the
guy was a carpenter after all. What do you think he’s doing in heaven? Sitting in
eternal glory with his nose held so high he can’t hear your prayers no less
answer them? Doesn't sound much like the Jesus I read about when I open the
gospels.) And the house is magnificent. It sits on a large piece of beautiful
countryside. There are streams and ponds littering the property. I go fishing
with Jesus. We bow hunt together. I play a little football with my best friends
and family. Jesus joins the festivities as well. And obviously, Samantha is there. She is radiant and shining, smiling with her own full glory for the first time. She and I are excited because we finally get to truly live, happily ever after. Death and sin can no longer rob us of our love. Oh and I almost forgot. My
knees are completely restored as is the rest of my body. No more patella tendinitis. No more of me doing high knees/butt kicks and calling it running. I
am, for the first time, truly running. In my place, I am running wild, young, and free. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As Lecrae so cleverly said: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My hope is not a verb, My hope is found in a noun. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What is your
place like? What are you putting your hope in? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-84563636186711115312013-09-25T19:10:00.000-07:002013-09-25T19:10:24.881-07:00Burnt Cookies and Hope Part 1<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ll save you the pity party of personal details and jump
right into it. The past week and a half or so has been rough. Lots of emotional
turmoil. My heart was heavy and burdened. Though I didn't know it at the time,
you could sum up the state of my heart in one word: Disappointed. I had become
very negative, and lost heart. <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And as you know, when it rains, it surely pours. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So then we burnt the cookies. Samantha was visiting for the
game and had been excited to make some homemade desserts. Of the desserts she
planned on making, were your basic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. You know
the rest of the story. 20 some minutes later we pulled out a batch of charred hockey
pucks that were definitely <i>not</i>
cookies. Samantha was flustered. I tried to console her and she dejectedly
replied something to the effect of, “It’s fine. It’s always something and it
gets old.” She promptly retreated to the deck with that comment and I promptly cried. This was about much more than the burnt
cookies of the morning. This was about my un-grieved pain and frustration I have held inside the past 4 and a half years.
So I finally gave in to God and cried. And God was there. I dare say, God even orchestrated the week’s events to heal a broken part of me. A part of me that I had long
been withholding from him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And this Monday, God showed his face. God showed me exactly
what it was he wanted to heal inside me so badly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I woke up early and trained a client at 6 am. We were done
by 7, and as I walked out of FKS I was overwhelmed with a sunrise that was
breathtaking. Orange, yellows, reds, and purples like an artist just went to
town on his canvas. Clouds scattered with the precision of a painter with undying
passion for his work. My heart was immediately encouraged and uplifted in 10
seconds of beauty. It was a painting of hope, reminding me that one day, the Life
I so desperately long for will indeed come. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hopped into my car and turned on the local country station
to find myself listening to Dierks Bentleys new single ‘I Hold On’. It is a
song about a lot of different things, but it spoke to me this particular
morning about hope. And I knew what God was after in my heart. He was after my
hope. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“…set your hope <i>fully</i>
on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” - 1 Peter 1:13</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Aka set your hope <i>fully</i>
on the coming Kingdom of Heaven. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Samantha sent me
an email earlier last week in the midst of my disappointments. She wrote “I can’t
wait until one day God heals your body and I get to see you running free in
heaven.” At the time I was ecstatic. My heart was encouraged. But that’s where
it ended. My perspective was not adjusted at all because my hope was still in
this life, here and now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The past weeks struggle and exhaustion stemmed from one
simple but profound broken part of my heart. I do not hope in Heaven. Instead, I
live as though this temporary and often times disappointing life <i>is </i>my only hope. Allow me to lean on the wisdom of John
Eldredge and share an excerpt from <i>The Sacred
Romance. </i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“…We no longer live in
a world under heaven. All the troubles of the human soul flow from here. All
our addictions and depression and the rage that simmers beneath the surface of
our Christian facade...the deadness that characterizes much of our lives has one
common source: <b>We think this life is as good as it gets</b>. Take away our hope of
arrival and our journey becomes a death march. Even the best human life is
unspeakably sad. If we do escape some of the bigger tragedies (and few of us
do), life rarely matches our expectations. When we do get a taste of what we
really long for, it never lasts. Every vacation comes to an end. Friends move
away. Our careers don’t quite pan out. Sadly, we feel guilty about our disappointment,
as though we ought to be more grateful. <b>Of
course we’re disappointed, we were made for so much more.</b> ‘God has set
eternity in our hearts.’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Our longing for heaven whispers to
us in our disappointments and screams through our agony.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was literally designed for eternity, for the Kingdom of
Heaven. And so were you. Of course we're disappointed. We were made for the renewal of all things. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-5920404498431495792013-08-09T12:45:00.002-07:002013-08-09T12:51:47.632-07:00Groomsmen Part 2: Lets get Funky<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next up we have #20 on your roster, but #1 in your hearts. Tyler RaeQuan Funk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His middle name really isn't RaeQuan. Its actually Jose. Any-who, the middle name isn't that all important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The reasons I love Tyler are important. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tyler is one of my best friends. Beside Mark, he is the only friend I met before high school that I am still very close with. Our friendship began quoting Billy Madison while we rode the pine at one of our youth baseball games. The rest is history. We played football and basketball together throughout high school. He is one of those guys that you love to compete alongside. He is one of the fiercest competitors I know. Hand grenades, horseshoes, Chinese Checkers. It doesn't freakin matter. If hes playing, he wants to win. In the famous words of Gregg Nesbitt, "Men, this guy just loves to bleepin compete!" To put it simply, if I'm picking teams for anything, my first round pick is Tyler. In fact now that I think of it, before anyone else speaks up, dibs on Funk for football and b-ball when we all finally make it to heaven.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once again, I don't even know where to begin with this guy. I guess I will start with this: dang was he fun to have as a teammate. He was fiery and played with an edge. Most opposing players hated him because he had an unnerving confidence about him. He was always up for a challenge. He was never intimidated by anyone. He didn't mind talking a little trash. And he loved--and I mean loved--celebrating. Letting his emotions get the best of him when something great happened. He would jump and jitter, laugh and yell all at once. And it was fun. I think I liked playing alongside him so much because we were so alike. We competed in the exact same manner. It was a blast having a teammate that played the same way you did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I would complete a long ball to him we would go bananas. Side bumps. Fist pumps. All of the above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now I know, some of you are gagging about this whole thing. Some of you are muttering under your breath about how this has nothing to with Jesus. Or maybe you're saying that my theology is off. I'll first politely to tell you to kiss my ass. Second, I'll politely ask you to keep reading.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First, you must know. In regards to basketball, Tyler is an underdog. He's a 6 foot 1 white point guard. He's quick but not overly fast. He can dunk, but he's not going to cross over and mash over someone for a salty poster. But there are two things he will do: He will defend, and he will play with tremendous effort. Actually he will play with obnoxious effort. The kind of effort that pisses the other guy off about 45 seconds into the game.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My senior year we played Grandview. They are an extremely talented school in KC. Grandview had a player by the name of Alec Burks. He was a legit Division 1 ball player. For more info on Mr.Burks, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Burks" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Anyway, Burks had averaged around 28 points per game coming into our contest. Now we always put Tyler on their best player. Needless to say, he had Burks. Long story short, he held Burks to a mere 8 points. We love hearing stories like that. They put pictures and meaning to the Story we all love. That Story is the fairy tale we call the gospel. Now on paper the gospel makes little sense; it seems impossible. Sure Jesus existed. There are countless pieces of historical proof for that. Sure he was killed brutally; plenty of historical evidence for that as well. But rise from the dead 3 days later? No way that happened... When you die, you die.. that's it. That's just 'how things work.' But then again, Tyler Funk guarding Alec Burks doesn't look real good on paper... Before they pulled out 3 trick plays, Boise State beating Oklahoma in the 2007 fiesta bowl didn't sound too good either...That is interesting. Or what about the 1983 basketball season for NC State? I suppose winning 7 of your last 9 games after trailing in the final minute doesn't seem to make much sense on paper. NC State went on to win the '83 title game against a Houston team that was completely superior to them in every facet of the game. Every. Facet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Except one.</b> Heart. Heart defies logic and science. Why else does the 12 beat the 5 seed? Why else do almost all the stories and movies we love involve someone overcoming some 'impossible' task? It's because these stories and movies are echoes from The Story. They stir up our hearts because at their core they are true. They are the gospel. Just because science can't logically explain it, doesn't mean it never happened, or for that matter couldn't happen. Our world is full of examples that prove science can only go so far. Somethings, you just can't explain with facts or logic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I imagine Burks laughed to himself when he first saw this poor little Kearney kid about to defend him. But the weight and strength of Funk's heart changed the game. His heart defied the 'logic' of only the strong surviving. His heart erased the automatic superiority of Burks on paper. Christ also defied the logic and science behind death. His fierce, noble, and passionate heart erased the 'superiority' of death once and for all. This is one of the reasons why we feel so crushed and devastated when we lose someone we love to death. It's because death is NOT natural. Our hearts, at some level, refuse to believe and accept the loss of loved ones no matter our beliefs. (more on this in another post)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In terms of football, Tyler was a receiver. And man he loved making plays down field. I loved throwing to him. If there was ever a 50/50 ball, you'd be one smart man to bet that Funk was comin down with it. Like Mark, He allowed me to play with ridiculous confidence. If I underthrew the football, he would make a play for me. If I over threw it, he would launch his body through the air and snag it. Essentially, if I was ever wrong, he made me right. I find myself messing up frequently in life. When I am wrong though, Jesus is always there to make me right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One final story. The best one. In a past post, I said that every good moment you have ever loved, has been sent personally to your heart from God Himself. I believe our favorite memories and golden moments are tiny glimpses or previews of what heaven will be like. Tyler was a part of my one of my own golden moments, one of my favorite moments in my life. It was my senior basketball season and we were playing Hickman Mills in the quarterfinals. Winner got a ticket to Mizzou for the final four. Hickman Mills had just blistered us by about 30 at home two weeks before our quarterfinal match-up. We had no business being the game. But somehow, with less than a minute left we found ourselves leading by 1 point. Hickman Mills had the ball. They were going to take the last shot. Now, the only reason we were in the game (or any game for that matter) was our collective effort on defense. And now we had to make one last stand, one stop. Keep in mind, we take great pride in our defense at Kearney. I honestly don't even remember the play, but they got a solid look and missed, and we tipped the ball to the other side of the court as time expired. We sealed the deal and won the game 34-33. It was pandemonium. Absolute chaos. We were going nuts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That is what heaven will feel like. A victory that we have no business tasting, but we will anyway. A hard fought victory in which many times we screwed up, made plenty of mistakes. But in the end, we will win and that's all that matters. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the below pictures were being taken, I think we both said 'I love you man' and 'We did it.' about 17 times each. Tyler gave me a preview to the kind of utter joy and excitement I will get when I finally hug Jesus for the first time. His heart is a lot like Jesus', and he gave me a glimpse of what life to the fullest in heaven will be. <b>That's why I love him.</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DLWUKpQL_156x53aiGkqUFs6IgAveO5EDZfKQAtMk0ZinuQA0vsfITRaMohIGBNV3oCpvknQPkZeegapF_LwRTIHooJW69BcpI4Y4BtDmzQ9OxcCmKu7ZsYtRF2T0ggPdpmLaCA3Npc/s1600/img+8023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DLWUKpQL_156x53aiGkqUFs6IgAveO5EDZfKQAtMk0ZinuQA0vsfITRaMohIGBNV3oCpvknQPkZeegapF_LwRTIHooJW69BcpI4Y4BtDmzQ9OxcCmKu7ZsYtRF2T0ggPdpmLaCA3Npc/s320/img+8023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIUnT-qVExAvenr1nwPPflXZ6dt2ZInUu5CiDzEer66U-rTp6wMLtNHF3nxQk9iccPe6mFU7Z4jnpGh8fpW1lq2Q5pejdhkrrdTQq_1AeoXGRqa2oDMyxLPp_Eb4zLXBwWX_DjVWxNhE/s1600/img+8022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIUnT-qVExAvenr1nwPPflXZ6dt2ZInUu5CiDzEer66U-rTp6wMLtNHF3nxQk9iccPe6mFU7Z4jnpGh8fpW1lq2Q5pejdhkrrdTQq_1AeoXGRqa2oDMyxLPp_Eb4zLXBwWX_DjVWxNhE/s320/img+8022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HHSmKdnMzQD34DflSqTviIOYLzAY8dJa-X4rybuwVlCo1Hdi93de-KUcXStzowo_k1DVogJ5HacInaBFcL4jd7sM63Ui4FiYo6ATmPepxwHeYPmyuwaAXYV0gqh9AaUbOsxl9UNkexs/s1600/img+8025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HHSmKdnMzQD34DflSqTviIOYLzAY8dJa-X4rybuwVlCo1Hdi93de-KUcXStzowo_k1DVogJ5HacInaBFcL4jd7sM63Ui4FiYo6ATmPepxwHeYPmyuwaAXYV0gqh9AaUbOsxl9UNkexs/s320/img+8025.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-79775860153089313942013-08-08T20:44:00.001-07:002013-08-08T21:04:37.297-07:00Groomsmen Part 1: THE Mark Krause<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Recently Samantha and I reviewed some wedding plans and scrolled through the list of our bridal party. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I looked at the list of my groomsmen, mah doods. I loved them. Every single one of them. Words honestly couldn't capture the grateful love I was feeling for these guys..</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">An alarming thought immediately followed. "I love these guys more than I love Jesus"</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Why did I love them so much? Why do you love your best friends so much? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I stumbled upon a blog later in the week that explains my thought nicely. There was a little boy named Laurence who was a huge fan of the book series 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by well known author and thinker C.S. Lewis. Laurence was completely captivated by the Christ figure in the story, Aslan. Laurence loved Aslan very much. One day he told his mother that he was afraid he loved Aslan more than he loved Jesus. His mother, being the concerned mother she was, wrote to the publisher promptly and explained the situation. C.S. Lewis swiftly wrote a letter back to the mother and Laurence in just <b>10 days.</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 25.90625px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Tell Laurence from me, with my love,’ Lewis wrote in a detailed letter, ‘ … [He] can’t really love Aslan more than Jesus, even if he feels that’s what he is doing. <b>For the things he loves Aslan for doing or saying are simply the things Jesus really did and said. So that when Laurence thinks he is loving Aslan, he is really loving Jesus: and perhaps loving Him more than he ever did before</b>.." (becomegoodsoil.com) </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 25.90625px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 25.90625px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What I love about my groomsmen are the pieces of Jesus in them. Same holds true for you and your best friends, or your family. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Every good person you have ever loved, has been sent rather personally to your heart from God Himself. Jesus uses these people you love so dearly to introduce himself to you many, many times. He is constantly knocking on the door of your heart through these people. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">And I know I may be a little biased, but my groomsmen got hella pieces of Christ's life pumping through their veins. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">So without further adieu, I will introduce to you MAH DOOOOODS! I pray it opens your eyes to how much you actually love Jesus too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">First up, and in no particular order we have the one and only <b>Mark Eldon Krause II.</b> Where do I even begin with this guy? Our high school football coach Greg Jones said it best at a banquet. He told us that Mark has that rare ability to 'light up' any room that he walks into. Coach was right. Mark has one of the most dynamic personalities I have ever encountered. First trait that mirrors the Savior of our universe. Jesus had an uncanny personality that was so raw and unpredictable that he is often written off as a lunatic. For those of you who know Mark, its safe to say hes been called a lunatic before. Actually, a majority of people probably write him off for any number of reasons. I'd say those are the same people who don't quite know him like I do. Mark can find the humor in almost any situation, but turn around and be completely serious about the things he loves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">But the greatest similarity I see between Jesus and Marks respective personalities is strength. Mark can certainly have a good time. But he can also be overwhelmingly fierce and strong when needed. Physically, hes a freak. The guy punts at K State, but he can squat the house. The kid cant even find a pair of jeans that his bulging glutes can fit into. (No homo) </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Certainly he has a strong physical presence. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">But there is also something deeper than physical strength. Something fierce and absolutely wild about his heart. I got to see and experience this heart firsthand on Friday nights in the fall during high school. Mark and I were both on offense. Now, if you play fullback in our offense, your probably one of the toughest bastards on our team. Lets just say Mark played fullback, and he played it well. He was constantly launching his body at full speed into one or more opposing players all so our RB's could snatch a couple yards. But why I was most fond and grateful for him was what he would do for me. I played QB and we used to run a lot of sprint out pass plays. This requires some type of personal protector for me as I lumbered out to the edge to chuck the rock. Mark was my personal protector. The countless times he would sacrifice his body for me was unreal. He was always protecting me, always looking out for me. If you wanted to hit me, odds are you would meet a certain #38 who played with a pissed off taste in his mouth. I honestly can't remember a time I was hit when it was his fault. But the few times I was knocked down, you could bet on who was the first one there picking my lanky bones off the turf. #38. One of my favorite sounds I have ever heard in my life was Mark Krause peeling back at the last second and violently eliminating an opposing player as I unloaded the rock for a TD. There are a few things in life that are sweeter, but only a few. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Mark's body would hurt like hell on Saturday and Sunday so mine didn't have to. He hurt so I could feel good. Jesus died so I could live. He hurt. He was forsaken by God so I would never have to be. There is nothing in life sweeter than that. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Mark was always there to help me back to my feet after I was clobbered on Friday nights. Jesus helps me back to my feet when I fail and get suckerpunched by life. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Because of Marks sacrifice, I played with supreme confidence. I was free to be the player I was meant to be on those Friday</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> nights.</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> Because of Christ's sacrifice, I live with supreme confidence. I am free to be the man I was meant to be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">A couple lines from Eminem's <i>When I'm Gone</i> sum it all up:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">When they know they're your heart</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">And you know you are their armor</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">And you will destroy anyone who would try to harm em</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mark would give more than his arm for me. There is absolutely no question in my mind that he would give his life for me. I'd do the same for him. He was my armor on Friday nights. Jesus is my armor in life. Mark was a huge part of my heart on Friday nights. Jesus is my heart in life. Thanks to Mark Krause I got to see and feel the strength of the gospel even when I didn't realize it.<b> That's why I love him</b>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-71454371409688015632013-07-19T08:05:00.000-07:002013-07-19T08:05:26.234-07:00Till Cinderella Man Collapses Part 1<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll start this one off with a confession. I was going to write about the following: if you look extremely closely at a <b><i>few</i></b> of Eminem's song lyrics, you could <b><i>stretch some</i></b> to mirror a few pieces of who Jesus was. I must confess, I was wrong. Very wrong indeed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is really<i style="font-weight: bold;"> no stretching needed. </i>There are <b><i>numerous</i></b> pieces of Jesus' personality in the lyrics of Eminem that call out to you. Pieces of your Best Friends personality that are being spit through the mouth of Marshall Mathers. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">You love listening to Eminem's music because its gives you permission to be like the real Jesus. I love it for the same reason. Eminem's lyrics overflow with fiery emotion. They hum through my super neat Toyota's speakers with the intensity and boldness that Jesus Christ lived with. Listening to his raw emotion gives me more of a Holy experience than any church service I have been to. Eminem raps with raw passion. He rants, he raves, he yells, he calls people out. His style and creativity bring a notably strong presence to the radio. He does not disclose his emotions, instead he wears them on his sleeve. One minute he raps about his immense personal grief and suffering, the next he is proclaiming an inner strength that cannot be denied. There's a reason you love his songs. They awaken a desire within you to walk through the tunnels of pain and struggle in your own life, and to come out on the other side better for it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;"><b>Sounds a lot like Jesus to me.</b> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">My favorite Eminem song is <i>Cinderella Man. </i>I absolutely love it. There are so many parallels between this song and who Jesus is, it increases my heart race each time I listen. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Simply start with the title of this freakin song. <i>Cinderella Man</i>. It immediately brings to mind an underdog. Marshall Mathers was an underdog. A poor white kid from Detroit who grew up in a trailer park. I mean, the odds are already stacked against this dude. Then this idiot's got the nerve, the balls, to pursue a career in HIP HOP?! Who does this guy think he is?? Can you imagine the wayward looks he received when he would tell people his dream? He was the butt of endless punchlines. Yet his lyrics reveal a certain freedom, an attitude that goes something like, 'I don't give a rip what people think about me.' To most people, Mr. Mathers was just another dude. Many dismissed him as an arrogant psychopath who didn't have much going for him. But then this guy turns out being one of the best lyricists of all time? Incredible. A true Cinderella story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Jesus too, was laughed at for where He came from. People roll their eyes and grin when they hear this poor carpenter from Nazareth is actually God Himself. I mean what kind of nuts does it take to tell a bunch of skeptic people you are the Son of God? They dismiss Jesus with the same declaration of arrogance and stupidity people did with Eminem.Yet Jesus is very free, living above what others have to say or think about him. This ordinary carpenter from small town middle-eastville is the Savior of the world. Unreal. A truer Cinderella story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Who can catch lightning in a bottle? Set fire to water?</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Comin' out the nozzle on the fire hose, flier than swatters?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Smash an hourglass, grab the sand, take his hands and cup 'em,</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Spit a rhyme to freeze the clock, take the hands of time and cuff 'em.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We hear these opening lines and our hearts leap in our chests. They portray an image of someone who is powerful, and mighty. Someone who defies the rules of science. Its safe to say Eminem can't pull any of that stuff off, but my Friend Jesus does these sort of things for fun. He is completely in control of all things in creation. The dude walked on water, I think he can catch lightning. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next verse is not only unbelievably creative, but unbelievably true to how Jesus lived his life. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">Where do I even begin?? I am afraid I wont be able to capture the fullness of this verse, but I pray I somehow can. This is Fire. This is aggression. <b>This is Christ. All of it.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">There's a storm comin' that the weather man couldn't predict,</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">An unpredictable storm? These words jack me up. I want my life to be the storm the weather man couldn't predict. Scripture is filled with instances of Jesus saying and doing unpredictable things. How about the unpredictability of his rage at the temple? This man walks right up to the 'house of holiness' and flips tables and money jars over until the scene is complete chaos. Of all the places for God Himself to get super pissed with people, he picks the ancient version of a church?!? You mean.... Jesus was confrontational with the moral and religious leaders, yet he was inviting and warm to the so called 'bad apples' of his day? Yep. Unpredictable. </span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">It's a rap, I was down, when I was down I was kicked.</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I got up I'm back to punch ya to the ground, ya trick,</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pause. <i>When I was down I was kicked, I got up.</i> LETS. GO. I'm starting to grin as I accelerate in my super neat Toyota. Once again, just two short lines tell us the story of Christ's struggle and victory over death. It's an understatement to say that Jesus was 'kicked while down.' He was brutally tortured, experiencing the deepest loneliness in human history. I mean, they KILLED HIM. If Jesus sat down with Em before the release of this song, I think he would suggest that Marshall instead say something to the effect of <b><i>'When I was kicked I was dead, I got up.'</i></b><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">It's a trap, fuck my last CD that shits in my trash,</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I be G****mned if another rapper gets in my ass,</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The uncanny courage of Christ. Yea they killed him. Yea it was awful. But your one sorry sir if you think that will happen again. He looked death in the eye, stomped on its throat. He is King. He is absolutely unconcerned with the threat of Death; He completely did away with it, punched it to the ground. His memory of temporary defeat is in his trash.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I'm destroying your livelihood. I ain't just hurtin' your rep',</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I catch a flow and get goin',</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">No remorse I'm showin', ain't slowin' for no one,</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Knowin' there is nothin' you can do about it</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Zeroin' on the target like a marksman,</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">The target is you.</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I shut ya lane down,</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Took ya spot, parked in it too,</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Arsenic flow, lighter fluid, saliva what can ya do?</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Go get ya crew to hype you up stand behind you like whoooo!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By now I am dancing in my car, head bobbing, my inner Marshall Mathers being unleashed as I rap in perfect sync with the lyrics. <b>Jesus came to this earth for one reason: To bring people back into a true and real friendship with God.</b> The religious institution at the time of his arrival actually had the opposite effect. People were burdened with 613(ish) rules to live by. If you couldn't obey them all, well quite frankly you couldn't experience God in a real way, or so they thought.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But we see quite the contrary in the stories of Jesus. <b><i>The people that experience Jesus in a life changing way were the ones who had screwed up their lives quite extensively.</i></b> Jesus heals the outcasts of society, has deep and real conversations with a prostitute, and frees men from the horrendous acts they have committed in the past. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The religious leaders and ancient bible thumpers of the day knew the Good Book inside out. Kept it's rules to a tee. Yet the scripture says their hearts were <b><i>far</i></b> away from God, that they replaced knowing God with a bunch of phony moral living. These religious leaders were the targets Jesus 'zeroed in on'. He openly and rather loudly, defied their teachings of 'squeaky clean appearance.' He turned the table on their idea of holiness. Its safe to say Jesus shut down the religious leaders 'lane' , taking their spots and parking in them too. The extravagant freedom of Jesus drew more followers; the religious leaders lost followers. Christ didn't just hurt these guys reputation, he destroyed their livelihood. <b>Jesus tookerrr JIRBSSSS!!! </b>It's why they eventually murder him<b>. </b>What could they do, but get their crew to hype 'em up, stand behind 'em like whoooo? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">That boy's hot enough to melt Hell, burn Satan too:</span><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Fry his ass, and put his ashes back together with glue,</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hot enough, indeed. These lines portray a mighty power over the most evil creature to ever exist. The line makes a complete joke out of death and Satan; so did my Best Friend. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: #ccccdd; border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">See you can hate 'em, he don't blame you frankly he would too,</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my favorite things about my Best Friend is he expects to be hated. He knows the outrageous way he lives his life, will result in many people despising him. He doesn't blame them. He confronts his haters with a stern gaze and fiery presence, much like the lyric. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">This game could ill-afford to lose him, how bout you?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After seeing the boldness and strength of this man, I know in my heart I can't afford to lose him, can't afford to miss out on his friendship. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How bout you?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-51594877907213685402013-07-15T18:57:00.001-07:002013-07-15T19:01:29.058-07:00Gone, Gone, Gone<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love music. Good music without fail can lift my mood in an
instant. There is one song in particular of late that I have really been
jamming to. ‘Gone, Gone, Gone’ by Philip Phillips. Now at first I loved this
song simply because I am getting married in 100 some odd days, and the lyrics
reflect the kind of relentless strength and love that I wish to give to
Samantha all the days of my life. But then, in His ever humorous and quirky
personality, Jesus whispered very plainly, ‘<b><i>I wrote that one’</i></b>. Right. Good one Jesus. It only takes me .36 seconds to successfully Google
and find out the songwriters of ‘Gone, Gone, Gone.’ Jesus Christ didn’t show up
on my results page. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now to be perfectly honest, a majority of the time, if the
beat or instrumentals to a song are good I will crank it. I like good lyrics
but don’t religiously listen for each and every line like some people do. It
wasn’t until I checked out the first few lines of ‘Gone, Gone, Gone’ that I
actually figured out what Jesus was trying to tell me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> When life leaves you high and dry</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I’ll be
at your door tonight </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> If you
need help, if you need help.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I’ll
shut down the city lights, I’ll lie, cheat, I’ll beg and bribe to </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Make
you well, to make you well. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Your hope dangling by a string, I'll share in your suffering,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> To make you well, to make you well. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DUH.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s no wonder
why so many of you reading this absolutely love this song. In just a few short
verses you have the personal promise of Christ’s fierce devotion to rescuing
you. He will do anything to make you well.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The lyrics stir up something deep and real in your soul. Something you
absolutely crave. Something your heart longs to know is true. </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>That there is Someone willing to love you no matter what, share in your suffering, and love
you forever. </i></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That there is such a
scandalous love not only to believe in, but also to partake in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">… I’m not moving on, I’ll love you
long after you’re gone</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For you, For you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You would never sleep alone, I love
you long after you’re gone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">....Like a drum, my heart never stops beating for you, for you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the kind of love in Christ. Christ’s love is
downright <i>scandalous</i>. You will never be
alone, you will always be loved. No matter what. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus finished our exchange that day with a thought
provoking question that has transformed the way I love Him. I hope it would do
the same for you. ‘<i>What if I am the writer of every love song ever written?’ <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What if His heart really never stops beating for <i><b>you</b>? </i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What if....</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8D4v0xsux8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8D4v0xsux8</a> <<< Check it out for yourself!</div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-91138128908431761282013-07-06T08:48:00.000-07:002013-07-06T08:48:58.705-07:00What if you did not recognize your best friend? <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s one hell of a question. What if I told you, that you
interact with your best friend on a daily basis, yet did not know him? Is that even
<i>possible</i>? What if I told you that each day you laugh with and enjoy a certain
part of this best friend’s personality, yet still could not recognize him? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You would have to be legally insane, just plain dumb, or an
odd combination of both to pull this scenario off. Unfortunately we somehow trudge through our
lives not recognizing our best friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The truth is, every <b><i><u>good</u></i></b><i><u> </u></i>thing you have ever loved—every memory, every movie, every
song, every book, every sight, every sound, every taste, and <b>most importantly every person</b>--- has
been sent <i>quite personally</i> to your
heart from God Himself. He longs for you to know and understand this. These
things you love so dearly, are words to the language in which He speaks to us
most often. Both the understanding, and experiencing of this language is our deepest
need. Period. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“People see God everyday; They just don’t recognize Him” –
Pearl Bailey </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In other words, you hang out with Jesus all the time, you
just don’t know it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That time you laughed till you cried with a friend. That person
who you can call at 2 am when your world is falling apart. The breathtaking
sunset on summer vacation you won’t ever forget. Your favorite songs. The unforgettable experience of being a part
of that special team. Your favorite person to drink a Budweiser with. The movies that move you to tears; the ones
that stir your heart. That time you won the state championship, or the first
time you dunked a basketball. Your
favorite teachers and coaches. The inside jokes with your siblings. The time
Donald Harvey pitched the ball to Andy Mundwiller to take the lead late against
Pitt State (a personal fave). Your significant other. All the greatest times
with your favorite pals. These great things reflect a piece of your Best
Friends personality. Every great moment in your lifetime has been time
spent with your Best Friend. You just haven’t recognized him….yet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Due to heartless religion we have accepted the idea that God
<b><i>only
</i></b>speaks to his people either at church or when they read the bible.
People will tell you this concept is an essential key for the Christian faith. <b>Jesus will tell you it’s a load of
religious bullshit </b>(he would at the very least say bullcrap, bullpoop, or
maybe even bull feces). Man made concepts
enforced by self appointed posers. To insist that this is the <b>only way</b>
He would choose to pursue His friends is arrogant. “For heaven’s sake—there are
168 hrs in your week. Are you really going to say that the one or two you spend
in church are more important to God than the other 166?” (Beautiful Outlaw) </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let me introduce you to this Jesus dude. <b>The real one.</b> Not some religious weirdo
who parts his hair in the middle, but the <i>most extravagant man</i> to ever live. Not
the guy who walked around telling stories with an innocently weak glow to his
face, but the owner of the <i>largest personality</i> in human history. In my following posts I will share with
you the good things in my life that I absolutely love. Movies, songs,
books, memories, and most importantly, people. Hopefully they help you
interpret the <b><i>numerous messages</i></b> sent to you directly from this Fiercely
Devoted Friend I like to call Jesus. <b>Hopefully, you start recognizing your Best
Friend.</b></span></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-87299538567253053772013-06-27T19:33:00.002-07:002013-06-28T07:08:03.549-07:00Shade Fight<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What if you fought in the shade?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My high school football team used to watch the movie 300
before our games religiously. We absolutely loved it. We even incorporated our
favorite line from the movie into our pre game routine, hoopin and hollerin
like a pack of crazed wolves as we met our opponent for the coin toss. In some
ways, we bought into the Spartan mentality. We identified with the tough frame
of mind in which they fought. Our coaching staff drilled into us the <i><b>‘no
surrender’ </b></i>attitude of the Spartans long before we ever hit the field on Friday
nights. This alone made Friday nights in
K-Mo worth the sacrifices we made in the summer. It was a blast. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My favorite dialogue from the movie takes place between a
Persian Military leader and an unranked Spartan warrior. At this point in the
movie, the Persian Empire is on a power hungry march determined to obliterate
anyone in the way. The Spartans have sent 300 of their most elite to stand up
to the Persians, and the first few battles have been huge victories for the
stout Spartans. The Persian commander comes to advise the Spartans very
arrogantly, to surrender. “Your wives,
your children, your elders will be slaves…but not you…by noon this day, you
will be dead men,” He sputters at the Spartan soldier. Attempting to intimidate the Spartan by the
size of the Persian Army, He continues, “A thousand nations of the Persian Empire
descend upon you! Our arrows will blot out the sun…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Spartan soldier replies with a grin, “Then we will fight
in the shade.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lets. Go. LETS. GO. LETS GO! <span style="font-size: large;"><b>LEGGGGOOOOOO.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I know. Some of you are entirely embarrassed for me to be that
pumped about this quote from a cheesy macho man film. But I can’t help it.
No shame here. I love it. The Spartan is fearless, and quite possibly a little
bit crazy. He is not the least concerned with what he will come against in the
coming battle. He simply knows no matter what that may be, he is going to fight
<i>manfully</i> against it. He embraces the adversity this threat poses, almost
<b><i>thrives</i></b> off it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I woke up this Monday morning from an awful dream. I won’t
go into lengthy details but Samantha, my bride to be, was tragically killed
right before my eyes. It was very vivid;
It was horrifying. I woke up with knots in my stomach. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Samantha is a different woman. I love her with every fiber
inside my body. The thought of losing her this close to our wedding day ate
away at me. I began soberly asking myself what would I do if I lost her today?
Were this to happen, it would without a doubt be the darkest season of my life,
the deepest pain I have experienced. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Honestly, a large part of me would want to tuck tail and
run. Call it quits essentially, live with a deep anger and resignation in my
life. But unfortunately I played football for that hardass Greg Jones and his
staff, and they have ingrained in my soul something that would lead me to
undoubtedly fight in the shade. </span></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-75307788763400694622013-06-25T18:52:00.000-07:002013-06-25T19:17:20.062-07:00What If....We had 908 bottles of whiskey at our wedding?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I like drinking Whiskey in my Coke. I like it Alot. I know.
I didn’t want my first real blog post to be about alcohol, but it happened. I
was recently asking myself <b>‘What If we had 908 bottles of whiskey at our
wedding?’</b> I know. 908 bottles. It’s a thought that is more than slightly
obnoxious. But as I tore through the book <i>Beautiful Outlaw</i> it was a question
I could not help but wonder. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, it’s January 11<sup>th</sup>
2014 (the day of my wedding). The ceremony was beautiful and inspiring (we sure
hope so). We have feasted on our delectable breakfast bar and the cake has been
cut. We have mingled with our friends and family, and now the real party
begins. We’ll say it’s around midnight when Samantha and I’s wedding guests are
going absolutely <b><i>BANANAS</i></b>. The party has
been lively since 7pm, and no one has intentions of calling it a night anytime
soon. The dance floor is crowded with our high school and college teammates
joyously (and sometimes shamefully) dancing without a care in the world. They
are having the time of their lives when the music is abruptly stopped. The dance
floor which was once dim yet colorfully illuminated, is now bright with the
buzzkill of industrial light fixtures. What is going on? Why did the party
stop? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>The bar is out of drinks.</u> No more beer. No more wine. They don’t
even have soda. Who would drink a wedding party dry? I’ll tell ya who. It's that <b>Damn Sasquatch.</b> (#billymadisonquotes) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ok for real though. Let’s say our wedding reception is
abruptly stopped due to the complete lack of drinks available to our guests.
Talk about embarrassing. Samantha and I couldn’t even provide the refreshments
needed to accommodate our friends?! WOW. <i><b>Epic Fail. </b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So what would happen next? I suppose most people reading
this would suggest that everyone packs it in. Call it a night. I mean we have
been enjoying ourselves for close to 5 hours. It’s been a good run. All good
things come to end sometime, right? Besides, our guests from out of town have
flights to catch the next day. It would be good for them to get some shut eye.
This would be the approach that makes the most sense. To be perfectly honest,
before I read <i>Beautiful Outlaw,</i> I would probably side with this common sense
approach to our problem.</span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Jesus thinks
this approach sucks</b></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">. Almost two thousand years ago God found himself at a
wedding at which this exact situation arose. Jesus was invited to a wedding,
and the reception had run out of wine. Nothin, Nathan, Nada. Jesus’ mother comes up and simply tells him ‘There
is no more wine’. She knows who Jesus is, knows what He can do. She is politely
hinting for him to intervene. He reluctantly replies ‘Mom, this isn't part
of the plan. This is not when I’m supposed to reveal my power.’ Jesus' reply tells us this interrupts his own interests. But there must have been a twinkle in his eye. He simply can't resist what he does next. For the story
continues like this: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“<span class="text">Nearby stood six stone
water jars,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="text">each holding from twenty to <b><i>thirty gallons</i></b>. Jesus said to
the servants,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="woj">“Fill the jars with water”</span><span class="text">; so they filled them to the <u><b>brim</b></u>.” – John 2:6-7 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="text">Jesus then tells the servants to fill a pitcher full
of this fresh nectar for the master of the wedding. When the master tastes it,
he is shocked. He exclaims, “</span>Everybody I know begins with their
finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap
stuff. But you've saved the best till now!” -John 2:9-10 (The Message) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the first miracle of Jesus, the first glimpse of his
glory as the scriptures have it, and what does he do? He delivers 180 gallons of wine (six jars, times 30 gallons...). About 682 liters, or 908 bottles of wine. Wait, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">WHAT? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">908?</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">! This is absurd. As John Eldredge points out in <i>Beautiful Outlaw</i>, "Jesus doesn't just give them a little wine, say a dozen bottles to wrap up the evening with a toast. He does it lavishly. Generously. Extravagantly. To the tune of 908 bottles." </span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What does this say about Jesus? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What does this reveal about his heart</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">? He is extravagantly generous. <i>He is approachable</i>. Most importantly it reveals his own love for great things, like the celebration of a wedding reception. Jesus more or less says, 'STAY! Let the good times roll!'</span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Now it pains me greatly that I even have to type this, but for you ultra religious folks who are deeply disturbed about your saviors behavior.....I am not advocating or encouraging we all go out and do keg stands till we fall over. Nor am I advocating or encouraging we chug a fifth of tequila until we black out (and neither is he). I am simply telling you about the personality of Jesus, telling you about his heart toward a great party, that has essentially been 'party pooped'. This is our savior, whether he follows the 'rules' of your church or not. </span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So if Samantha and I's reception does run into rough water, I personally will ask Jesus to deliver 908 bottles of wine so our joyous celebration could continue. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or even better. <b>908 bottles of Jack Daniels.</b> </span></div>
Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889514561881574552.post-84095483189101540812013-06-22T12:05:00.000-07:002013-06-22T12:08:46.151-07:00What If?<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What If??</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
What if can be a question that haunts us the rest of our lives, filled with regret, loss, and sorrow. What if I would have taken a risk in my career path? What if I would have just asked her out? What if I would have answered the phone? What if I would have known my biological parents? What if I would have just checked Brown 84 earlier in the Class 4 State semifinal and threw a potential game winning touchdown to my best friend #80? (Yep, I still think about this. I'd be more than willing to partake in a rematch, ya damn Webbies) What if cancer wasn't real? What if Grandpa didn't take his own life? What if I tried just one more time?What if I chose a different major? What if I never find true love? What if life never does turn out the way I dreamed?..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
What if? What if is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately. I've learned in some instances it can be a great question to ask. It can be a question bursting with potential, full of mystery. Most importantly, it can be a question that awakens great hope and desire within us. What if I find my dream job? What if we find true love? What if Alex Smith resurrects the Kansas City Chiefs? (I'm already talkin PLAYOFFFFS???!) What if our hard work pays off? What if we cured cancer? What if God really <b>does</b> love us? What if we get to go on that extravagant vacation? What if the 16 finally beats the 1 seed in March? What if we really <b>did</b> live life to the fullest?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
You know the drill, the What If's go on and on. There are plenty of What Ifs in our lives, and they can bring our hearts a variety of messages. It's my personal experience that the messages of our What If's have potential to drastically change our lives. Focusing on the regret filled What If's of our days, will simply cause us to lose the heart we desperately need to believe in the What If's that make our souls leap for joy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
I reckon I'll share with you all some of my very favorite What If's. The questions in my own life that bring me great joy and inspire me to keep pursuing a full life. I do this in hopes that you would find your own favorite What If's, and in doing so that you too would find great joy and life to the full.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b>So here's to forgetting about the What If's that break our hearts to pieces, and embracing the ones that put them back together. </b></span>Conrad Schottelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10982367556622096505noreply@blogger.com0