Signs
This is what it looks like when we began to surround ourselves with the truth of the gospel.
I can probably stop saying this, but our older children can affirm that above and beyond the typical household rules they were raised with strong undertones of religion and the rigid behavior associated. That was before we woke up from our gospel amnesia.
This sign stares down on our kitchen table. A daily reminder to all of us as to whose we are!
I have noticed a change though. The other day I grabbed my phone and took a few pictures of the art and posters that we have hanging around our house. Kendra has always been purposeful in what we hang on our walls, so I was particularly interested in a few of the signs and what they communicate. I am pretty stoked to see the change and what words are placed around our home, especially the ones that communicate to us that God's love is abundant and His grace is scandalous.
The idea behind a lot of these signs is to saturate our family with the gospel. Notice: I did not say saturate our kids. I said saturate our family. Long gone are the days that dad and mom have this all figured out and we put up things to teach the kids. We need the gospel communicated to us on a moment by moment basis just as much as our children. We need to learn what it looks like to be the chief confessors in our home and then model that in front of our kids. I want them to see that we fail and we need Jesus just as much as them.
These little signposts are used to help remind the entire family that we are all part of the same journey. We are all seeking after God. Compared to previous days in our home, these signs can help us to remember that we are pursuing Him and the righteousness that only Jesus can provide.
We sometimes need to remember that we serve a very big God who holds all of time and space within the palm of His hand. We need to remember to dream big and ask God to help us think beyond our limited resources. It is also okay to fail. Dream big. Let God fill in the gaps and meet the needs. It's good to watch Him open the doors that we think are shut tight and shut doors that we are trying to pry open.
Hey readers! I'm not writing this out to sound prideful. I'm not showing off. I'm not saying, "Hey look at our cool family and the stuff we put on our walls. You should be just like us." That's a bunch of crap and I don't play the comparison game. Nah, I just thought it was cool to see a physical change around our home that complements a non-visual change taking place in the family that lives in that home. That being said, are you looking for positive inspirational artwork? Consider the Fletchifesto!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
4 One One
In January of this year, we expanded to include several more young men and a few of their dads as we gathered in our kitchen twice a month. I also invited several guest speakers. These were more-seasoned men and they were invited to share their lives and experience with a table full of young men. These have been great nights, with topics ranging all over the map from evangelism to ministry to marriage...great information from great men!
As the school year began this year, we added a few more changes: First, we chose a new name. We always called ourselves the "Do Hard Things Group," but thought that was a mouthful.
So, we now call our group 4OneOne. This comes from a passage in 1Timothy 4:11, where Paul(an older man) instructs Timothy (a younger man) to "command and teach these things." Essentially, that is what I had been doing with these young men for the past few years. 4OneOne is also a place for the giving of Godly information: "Do you have questions? God has answers!"We also moved to a more central location in town, allowing more young men to take part in the discussions. We meet in Modesto near highway 99 and our current group stretches from Sacramento to Oakdale to Turlock.
Lastly, I have been incorporating more or my peers to take part in the instruction of these young guys. My current favorite is "Howie's Minutes" where a good friend of mine takes a few minutes to encourage these young men in the habits of gentlemen. Holding doors open for women, choosing wise words with mothers/sisters are just a few of the recent discussions he has led.
To help with the discussions, we have chosen to use books that cover the topics. Over the past few years we have read through:
"Do Hard Things" by Brett and Alex Harris
"Not Even a Hint" by Josh Harris
"The Measure of a Man" by Gene Getz
"Courage to Flee" by Jeff Klick
and now a look at 1Timothy Chapter 4.
If you or someone you know is interested in being a part of 4OneOne, you can have them email me at the address on the right sidebar.
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Washington DC - Top Six Things
Here's a cool thing. Kendra's mom(Grammy Adele, G-Ma, or my personal favorite "Ladele") has decided to introduce each of her grandchildren to American history with the gift of a trip to Washington, DC. Instead of taking everyone, we decided to split the trips, so this past month we travelled with the top three Mangoboys to DC and Colonial Williamsburg.
It was a very fun trip. Kendra planned out all of our events and did a great job allowing us to see more than the highlights of the city and surrounding region. There is so much to report on, but to keep it simple, here are my top six highlights of our week on the east coast.
6. The Metro. I'm not a regular commuter in the DC area. I don't know how good or bad it is on a daily basis for commuting. But, if you have to use a public transportation system, it is hard to beat the Metro system in Washington. It was super easy to understand and navigate for newbies and tourists. We only used our rental car once to go into town and the rest of the time we easily travelled to and from on the train.
Maybe I'm being naive (probably), but I felt very safe and especially loved the opportunity to sleep on my way in and out of town. Very cool indeed!
5. Art Galleries. We visited two art galleries: The Smithsonian Gallery and The National Gallery of Art. They were both fantastic. The main exhibit on display at the Smithsonian was the personal collection of Norman Rockwell's belonging to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Way cool! The National Gallery of Art was equally phenomenal. Walking from room to room took us from the 13th to the 17th century of Dutch, French, Italian, and American pieces of art. Seriously, from a guy whose knowledge of art stops at Disney cartoons, these two museums were a highlight of our week! My personal favorite find was DaVinci's smudged thumbprint in one of his paintings. How cool is that?
4. The Library of Congress. This was my first trip to the Library of Congress and I was stunned by the beauty and architecture of this building. I'm not normally moved by grand architecture, but this place is truly amazing. I watched Nicholas Cage run around the building in "National Treasure 2," but that does not begin to do this place justice. As the largest library in the world, they have over 140 million volumes. We were able to see a real Guttenburg Bible on display. We browsed Thomas Jefferson's personal library, and the list goes on. They receive over 20,000 new items every single day. We could have spent an entire day just touring the library.
3. Maryland Crabs. Here is a little known fact for the readers of theMT. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland. It must be in my genetic make-up, but we feasted on a dozen Maryland blue crabs until our bellies were full. We didn't take the boys (acted "shelfish"-hahahaha). These tasty big boys (did you know you order Maryland crabs by sex and size) were doused in Old Bay and accompanied by a dozen Blue Point oysters (not ordered by sex) and a few Red Stripes and "the best Arnold Palmer Kendra has ever tasted." For our west coast friends, we are still partial to the steamed Dungenous crabs. We can't wait for crab-feed season (the only high point in otherwise foggy Januarys).
2. Mt. Vernon. Hands down, my favorite piece of history continues to be the home and property of George Washington. Gorgeous riverfront acreage, beautiful grounds and a wonderfully restored home. What's not to love?
There is plenty to learn about Washington's life as a farmer, a soldier, a president and a husband, but my favorite fact has to do with his prolific correspondence. In the course of his life, George Washington wrote over 20,000 pieces of personal correspondence. Granted, he had secretaries, but that is a lot of ink/feather letter writing (as we struggle to reply to an email).
1. Companionship. The sites were terrific, but at the top of my list was the company I enjoyed. I loved hanging out with these goofballs for ten days. We ate a ton of good food, walked our butts off, and just enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with these young men.
They were great travelers and had great attitudes as we dragged them through the city for ten days. Iron hats at Jamestown, juicy burgers at the Hard Rock Cafe, drinking songs in a Williamsburg tavern, balsa wood airplanes at the hotel, and trying to act cool on the Metro...just a few of my favorite memories with these guys!
Thanks Ladele for such a great trip! You rock!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
A quick note to the young men at my table...
"Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought-forms of that setting."
Francis Schaeffer
Hey guys,
It seems like most of the discussions around our table lately continue to focus upon how we should interact with the world/our culture. Whether it is concerns you've raised or something I've published in theMangoTimes or even some of the challenging sermons that continue to raise the topic, it seems as though this discussion has been pieced together through many conversations over the past year.
I've chronicled a few thoughts here on theMT about interactions with culture and several readers have suggested that I include more postings on this same topic. Mom and I have enjoyed the discussions we've shared around our own table with you guys. We enjoy hearing your perspective and understanding of God's word as they have added to the discussion about how we fulfill our roles as ambassadors for Christ. I would like to include some of our thoughts here on theMangoTimes. As we continue to encourage one another to understand the world, let us remember that we ALWAYS do this on behalf of the furtherance of the Gospel and in light of God's truth.
I have included a Francis Schaeffer quote at the top of this post that I recently stumbled upon. This quote triggered in me a few thoughts. I'm not sure when Schaeffer said this, but I will assume it was the 1960's or 1970's. It has since been more than thirty years and the terms, language and thought-forms that he suggests have again changed. Let me encourage you guys to not avoid the opportunity God has given you. Do not be afraid to take the Good News into the world, that is where it is needed most. I remind you guys over and over that the gospel is very easy, but let me encourage you to find where the conversations are taking place. Join those conversations, and learn how to take the good news of the kingdom into those places. Don't live in fear of man, but live in the fear of God which will lead you to wisdom.
One warning: Don't be surprised if you are criticized. I have found that when I choose to share a meal with "tax collectors and wine-bibbers" there are plenty of skeptics that feed themselves on their own assumptions. Let me remind you that Jesus spent plenty of time in the temple and a lot more time on the road and in the houses of both pharisees and followers. His life was uncomfortable and unsafe. More often than not He received sharp rebukes. Remember, while Jesus did sit, eat and lounge with many people His ministry was not to partake. He was the one bringing the bread that satisifies and He was the one bringing the water that quenches thirst.
We love you guys and love how you keep your faith in Christ real! We pray that you will continue to see how Christianity is relevant to every aspect of life.
Quietly Making Noise,
Fletch