The Boys on Video

Reflections on Parenthood

"The storehouse of knowledge that comes with parenthood, overflows." - Jeremy Hellums

Since July 4, 2009, Kari and I have been on the path of parenthood and have learned so many things.  Sometimes I attempt to reflect on what I have learned, but there is no way possible I will ever recount everything I have learned.  It maybe the case that something will arise later in life and I will just "know," but parenthood is to credit.

• Learning how to communicate with someone who does not talk or who's pronunciation is not developed is possible.
• Guessing is always an option.
• Kids are slippery when wet; both from a diaper and from the bathtub.
• Moving slowly is rarely an option, but Mommy seems to always be faster.
• Precious moments are right in front of you; live in them, do not dread or dislike them.
• They maybe small today, but when the wake up in the morning, they have grown.
• Laughter fixes almost everything.
• Sleep is not necessary; you body can do amazing things.

These are just a few of the many, many, many things I am learning.  I know that we are blessed to have these two boys and will do our best to shine for Jesus as we raise them.

Let the learning continue.  God Bless.

Holy vs. Unholy

In The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer states, "We have learned to live with unholiness and have come to look upon it as the natural and expected thing."

This a truth that was real in Tozer's day and continues to be true today. We can see it when we turn on the television, listen to the radio and watch the national political landscape. Unholiness is acceptable and we accept it every single day.

What does our Lord think of this acceptance of unholiness? 1 Peter states, "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy" (v. 15-16). God desires for us to chase after Him and be holy.

For those who follow Christ, Romans 6:3-4 asks, "...don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

We are called to live a new life. We are no longer alive for our earthly reasons (ie. money, fame, etc.), but Christ alive in us, to Him all the glory.  Colossians 3 present some guidelines for holy living:

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things," "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry," and "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful" (1-17).

With Christ in our lives we can be holy. Who's in control today; you or Christ?  My prayer is that you and I strive to be holy today and tomorrow and no longer live for ourselves, but Christ.

God Bless.

New Primetime Shows

I am a sucker for new shows.  I enjoy seeing what new and sometimes I get my heart broken because the network cuts programs.  Remember Studio 60 and the Knight Rider re-boot?  These are just a couple of the most recent shows that I was excited about, but than let down by them being cut by the network.

This season I am stuck on CBS re-boot of Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods.

The two stars in Hawaii Five-0 Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan have captured my attention.  The two cops, McGarrett and Williams play off one another well.  McGarrett is a rough, shoot 'em up, ask questions later guy and Williams trys to follow the rules.  Both actors are handling the roles well.  I remember from the original show, "book 'em Danno!"  I am thankful they have not over used this popular phrase.

Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg star in Blue Bloods.  This NYC cop show is good drama.  It is an intense hour of crime solving,  law vs. human nature, and family.  I think what makes this show so real is the dinner time discussions.  The cast seems to have real talk concerning right and wrong.  The themes about cops, family and the sub-plot a secret society keep me going back for more.

Dear CBS:  You have two great new shows.  Please don't drop them.  Thanks.

Have a great day.

Thoughts on Luke 18: Part Two

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

This is the second part of six I will be writing and posting. Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts as well.

What a picture of true worship and yet we sometimes forget that proud and condescending attitudes of worship are unacceptable.  This passage of scripture describes two people worshiping God in two different ways.  Typically the Pharisee would be viewed as the "good guy" and the tax collector the "evil guy," but Jesus describes a scene that might surprise some.

The Pharisee followed all the rules and was proud of it.  He tells God, "I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get."  These are all "good things" to do, but in these things, is the Pharisee honoring God?  I would say he is only doing them to look good, play the part, bragging about all that he as done and judging others.

The contrast is the tax collector.  Tax collectors were often viewed in the negative light, because many collected taxes for the government and added there own fees; robbing from those who paid taxes.  The tax collector went to the temple, but "stood at a distance," probably because he felt unworthy.  The tax collector is humbled before God and cries out, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  His body language and prayer indicate true repentance for the sins he committed.  He doesn't make God a list, but confesses he is a sinner and Jesus tells his followers the tax collector, "went home justified before God."

Humility is rare in our culture.  We focus on ourselves, our actions and even our popularity.  These actions effect the way we treat one another and worship God.  If we are not focused and humbled concerning our lives, but instead looking at others and comparing ourselves, than Jesus says you are not justified. 

We are called to be humble and present ourselves in a real manner towards God and one another.  I pray that each of us can read, meditate and soak in this amazing picture of worship Christ shares with his followers in Luke 18.

God Bless.

Taken the Twitter Plunge

To be honest, I thought twitter would go away.  I didn't think it had value, but I can post today that I think there is value in twitter.  Not because I signed up, but because of the sheer networking web twitter weaves by connecting people, sharing ideas, images and encouraging one another.

Do I know much about twitter?  Not really, but I did do a lot of reading, research and asked lots of questions before I signed up.

Check it out @jeremyhellums or http://twitter.com/jeremyhellums  and follow me!

Have a great day.  God Bless.

Landon and Logan: Side by Side

Kari took this picture this morning of our two boys.  They are both growing so fast.  I was thinking to myself that it amazing how little you really know until you have kids.  I have learned so much about myself: life, love, sacrifice, a little one can reach really high; its so much to list, but I am so blessed to have these two boys.

Landon is 15 months and Logan is 2 months in this picture.

I hope you have a great week.  God Bless.