Spilt Wine

This morning I woke up at 4:45am. I found myself tightly sandwiched between Gracie and Audrey. I was unable to get comfortable as Gracie’s knee was in my back and my wife’s hair in my face. When I sat up to see why my side of the bed was invaded by my daughter and wife; I saw the smallest peanut of all (Jacob), laying on his back, with his arms spread out, sound asleep in the comfort and space of my California King Size Bed. That just not right. Since my alarm was set for 5am and there was no room for me in my own bed, I got up. It’s been an extra tea and coffee day. I swear, every night these kids go to sleep in their own beds, but magically they gravitate back to mine.

It is taboo to talk politics and religion while camping. This weekend, one of the people we were camping with shared with me how great of a sermon their pastor gave last week. This sermon was about how wrong it was for the State of California over-turn the gay marriage ban and that homosexuality was abomination to God. My response was that I think God is more concerned over other issues than gay-marriage in California. If Christians are so concern with keeping marriages God honoring, then we ought to do something more than Promise Keepers. Perhaps we Christians should spend as much energy on keeping heterosexual marriages together as we do trying to fight the gay-marriage issue. Or, maybe we should just spend our energy on loving “homosexuals”. It seems to me that some Christians have turned gay people into modern day lepers, casting them out of churches, acceptable circles and if they had their way, their towns and cities. I have two thoughts on the issue. First, just because two heterosexuals get married, that does not automatically make it a God honoring union. If Christians are worried that state recognized marriages will be dishonoring to God, they should consider that there are plenty of marriages between a men and women that are Godless and we should be concerned about that. My second thought is Grace. I know, according to the bible, homosexuality is a sin; however, I have plenty of sin myself. I know I drink more than ought to, I don’t always honor my wife like I should, I have at times shut hurting people out, not wanting to deal with them, I can be lustful, I have been jealous, I have not been very charitable with my money and do all of these sinful things regularly. If God’s grace is not big enough to cover homosexuality, than I am in trouble. We are all in trouble.

Before anyone attacks me for heresy, they should read what Paul wrote in Romans, about sin and grace.

I am cramming as much math as I can in my head for preparation of my final on Tuesday. Its not going so well at this point. I am just not remembering operations and formulas. While studying earlier, Gracie came into the office and whispered:
"That's hard school work uh?"
"Yeah, its very hard."
"Oh... we do hard work at school too. We have to pick up after ourselves and the teachers don't help. But it sure is fun to play with the toys!"

I paid $4.05 a gallon of gas today. And they say the price is still going up as we approach the Memorial Day long-weekend. I am just about speechless. I guess it is our time to pay our dues for having the privilege to own cars; for most of us, multiple cars. (Not Willie though, he appears to be the smart one, being car-less and all.) I never thought in my lifetime I would see gas this expensive. Now, I can’t imagine gas ever declining back to the $2.00 a gallon price. I don’t even want to know what gas prices are going to be like when Gracie is old enough to drive. Hopefully by then our country, economy and lives will no longer be dependent upon oil.

YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING

Sometimes I feel like I can't even sing (say, say, the light)
I'm very scared for this world
I'm very scared for me (say, say, the light)
Eviscerate your memory
Here's a scene
You're in the back seat laying down (say, say, the light)
The windows wrap around
To sound of the travel and the engine (say, say, the light)
All you hear is time stand still in travel
And feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn't end
But slowly drifts into sleep
The stars are the greatest thing you've ever seen
And they're there for you
For you alone you are the everything

I think about this world a lot and I cry (say, say, the light)
And I've seen the films and the eyes
But I'm in this kitchen (say, say, the light)
Everything is beautiful
And she is so beautiful (say, say, the light)
She is so young and old
I look at her and I see the beauty (say, say, the light)
Of the light of music
The voices talking somewhere in the house
Late spring and you're drifting off to sleep
With your teeth in your mouth
You are here with me
You are here with me
You have been here and you are everything

Sometimes I feel like I can't even sing (say, say, the light)
I'm very scared for this world
I'm very scared for me (say, say, the light)
Eviscerate your memory
Here's a scene
You're in the back seat laying down (say, say, the light)
The windows wrap around
To sound of the travel and the engine (say, say, the light)
All you hear is time stand still in travel
And feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn't end
But slowly drifts into sleep
The greatest thing you've ever seen
And they're there for you
For you alone you are the everything
For you alone you are the everything

-REM