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Sticks and Stones

Last week at our midweek Bible study called SURGE, we deviated from our normal study of the book of Acts. I took us on a journey of dealing with conflicts and attacks in an Old Testament story.

I’ve been asked more than a dozen times since then if we had that teaching on video. Sorry, we haven’t been recording that midweek service. But, I will do my best to report the essential elements from that teaching in today’s blog. I hope it’s a blessing to you, like it has been to me.

Dealing with conflict and difficult people are part of everyone’s life, but the problem is everyone thinks in their situation or line of work that they have it the worst!

And, unless you’re a pastor, that’s just not true… did you sense the sarcasm?

Every experience in every situation is different, and the truth is that no matter where you come from or who you are dealing with conflict and conflicting people and one of the toughest things in life. Continue reading “Sticks and Stones”

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Between you, me and the bedpost…

I love expressions. You know, the things people say so that they can drop just the right cliché at the right time and appear wise.

We’ve all got them. Some we read from a book, others came through generational transmission (from your parents, that is), and still others found their way into the storehouse of our collective memory via the world’s greatest resource of miscellaneous knowledge… email forwards.

Here are a few you might recognize:

  • If you can’t beat them, join them. This works pretty well until you’re talking about the IRS. They’re really not looking for recruits.
  • Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. Actually, this one works for the IRS, too. No further comment (Just kidding IRS guys, I don’t mind paying taxes to be a part of this great country… please don’t audit me).
  • Give them enough rope to hang themselves. To me, this one is just a little too morbid comment on, and it just doesn’t make sense. Isn’t a shorter rope better for hanging. Not that I ever want to find out! Continue reading “Between you, me and the bedpost…”
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Getting degunkified

Cleaning out the muck and mire of our lives, we need to remove the junk that flowed into, but never flowed out of our lives.

It’s a process called confession that comes with a promise from God: He is faithful, He will forgive, He will heal.

Don’t miss out on the incredible Christian discipline called confession. It’s how we get degunkified!

Untitled from Andy Addis on Vimeo.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

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A little risky business

I have a confession to make.

Many think that because I am a public speaker and a leader that that I am a bold individual. They assume the stage persona that delivers the weekly message is the same guy wandering around my house.

Well, I hope I am the same kind of man with the same kind of character both in and out of the spotlight. But, truthfully, my persona on stage is not the same as it is when “the switch is off.”

That’s why it always cracks me up to have people say to my wife, “Wow, it must be a real blessing to be married to him. You’re probably laughing all the time!”

Her response is usually a very dry, “Yeah… he’s a real riot.”

In fact, one of the secrets to my message/sermon preparation is that 90% of the lessons I teach, I am delivering to myself. I feel them because I need them.

So, what about this confession I need to make? Continue reading “A little risky business”

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The long way around

My wife and I are never closer to divorce than when she is right.

Just kidding. We’ve already ruled out divorce as an option, but homicide… well.

Once again, just kidding.

Seriously, it really peeves me when my wife and I are engaged in passionate discourse (aka fighting) and in the midst of the battle it becomes abundantly clear that she is right.

The one time that happened was really rough on me.

You know that feeling that you have been missing the obvious? That the answer has been right there all along and you’ve just been too blind, busy or bored to pick up on it.

No? Just me? Hmm. Continue reading “The long way around”

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Behave yourself

What’s better than getting up at 4 am on Black Friday to fight the crowds and strategically rifle through a well-thought out plan of attack documented only by a string of newspaper ads marked in Sharpie and ordered by store opening times?

Almost anything.

Anything is better than that.

Still, that was today for my bride and I as the kiddos slept in at Grandmas. We spent a small fortune (as opposed to the large fortune it could have been) and got about 90% of what we hunted.

We dominated Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target Mart and Home Depot Mart and even squeezed in a romantic breakfast for two at IHOP Mart.

While we were wolfing down some pancakes (actually, I was wolfing… Kathy never wolfs… she delicately cuts, slowly eats and cutely chews… she never wolfs) we were discussing how crazy some people were. Continue reading “Behave yourself”

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Thanks for nothin’ ?

As a pastor of a decade and a half now, I have sat through some pretty rough family counseling sessions.

You’d be amazed at the harsh things people can say to each other… or, maybe you wouldn’t be. I guess that’s even sadder.

Some of the barbs that get thrown include:

  • If you cared about me at all…
  • I don’t think I can love you anymore…
  • You’re an idiot…
  • I just wish I was as important to you as your sister is…
  • It’s me or the XBOX (seriously, I’ve heard this one)…
  • I can’t stand to be around you anymore…

Ouch! After a few of those, it’s a little awkward trying to schedule the next meeting. I never know if they are planning on being together in a week, or if I’ll have to visit one of them in the county clink where they now reside for stabbing their mate. Continue reading “Thanks for nothin’ ?”

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Wrong Getting Wronger

It was Memorial Weekend a few years ago, and due to my lack of planning we couldn’t go camping. As this news would be seriously disappointing to my boys, we determined to continue the camping excursion, even though every campsite in a tri-state area was booked.

We simply moved our adventure to KOA Addisland. Yep, we’ve all done it; camping in the backyard, that is. This would be my boy’s first experience.

Hot dogs and smores over an open fire, a six-man tent pitched in record time (3.5 hours… I didn’t say which record),  and a complete lack of bathrooms. Oh, we had them, but we made the boys go outside to increase the authenticity.

Never should have started that… they’d rather ‘water the lawn’ than all the other civilized options to this day.

Continue reading “Wrong Getting Wronger”

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Be of Noble Peace

I’m a people watcher.

It’s not only a pass time, it’s a passion.

When Kathy and I are short on money, we often make people watching our low budget entertainment for date night. For example, last night we spent 2.5 hours on a strategically positioned couch at the coffeeshop in Hastings and just drank it in.

In whispered tones like the National Geographic photographer crouched in the bushes just a few feet upwind from an African lion (idiot, by the way… said in love) who documents his close encounter on film, Kat and I whisper to each other:

  • “Think they’re a couple?”
  • “Friends or sisters?”
  • “Dude, she is mad. She’d stab him if we all weren’t here…”
  • “Do we know him?”
  • “I’d never let you out of the house wearing that.” (Obviously, a Kat only statement)
  • “Hey, I think those two are watching us… quick, act normal.” Continue reading “Be of Noble Peace”
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So What?

If I have to go on one more extended hunt for the TV remote, I am gonna lose it!

Seriously, if I come into the living room one more time and that remote is not in the little basket where all the remotes go, even the ones that control things we’re pretty sure we don’t own anymore, I am going to ground everyone in the family.

Even Kathy.

OK… I’m not that stupid, but it seriously does tick me off.

I have watched my boys argue, fight, whine and wrestle for the remote. Usually, I can understand why they want to score that prize, but sometimes they really throw me for a loop.

Sometimes they will battle and steal the remote in the midst of a program only to… do nothing.

  • No channel change.
  • No volume change.
  • No menu guide check to see what we’re watching, when its over or what else is on.

They just pry it out of the other’s hand, and hold it! What good is that?

After musing this puzzle on several occasions it finally hit me: “They don’t want the remote, they just want to be in control.” Continue reading “So What?”