The Maker Movement

You gotta love this guy; his name is Mr. Jalopy. His credo is this: "If it is broke, DO fix it." He sits in his workshop surrounded by thousands of nuts, bolts, washers, springs, hand tools, and gizmos. If there were such a place as nirvana, this might be what it looks like. He started the Maker Movement to unite men with a simple idea: transform something nearly obsolete into something useful. For example, one member of the Maker Movement took a VCR and made an automated cat feeder. We can only hope for a self-cleaning litter box made from a junk DVD player is soon to follow.

Mr. Jalopy repairs, invents, and is so far out of the box he can't see it anymore. Some of his more interesting creations include a gorilla drive-in theater made from a light bulb, old bookshelves, junky electrical parts, a kitchen table, and an adult-sized tricycle. Now he can wheel up to any building and watch a movie. Perhaps his coolest invention is a large iPod made from a small iPod connected to a large family radio and a stereo.

His Maker Movement captures the imagination of every little boy who ever created a spaceship from a cardboard box, a drag racer from a crate, or a fort from a blanket over a table. We guys like to tinker, take things apart and make something better. We invent and imagine. We can take stuff and find new uses, combine unrelated parts and make things better. So what if you have some extra parts after the repair-obviously, they weren't needed to begin with. We all have one thing in common though; we use stuff to make other stuff.

Mr. Jalopy can do some pretty creative things, but he's got stuff to work with. Where he gets the stuff, I'm not exactly sure, but it comes from somewhere, and ultimately, it came from somewhere on this planet. Like everything around us, the earth is full of made stuff. The earth itself, however, was made out of nothing.

Compared to many, Mr. Jalopy is pretty creative, but in the bigger scheme of things, he's got nothing compared to the "Maker": the one who created the universe-the heavens and the earth-out of nothing. That one is God the Father, and what an awesome Maker He is.

What would you make if you could?

Resolutions

Well, it's that time of the year again -- New Year's! It's another chance to begin clean with a new slate -- a time we can all resolve to be better, do better, and live better lives. All of the errors of the past year are wiped clean with a flip of a calendar page. Everybody has permission to start anew.

Yep. New Year's resolutions are here. I personally don't spend a lot of time resolving to stop habits I have acquired or beginning those I haven't. I usually try to announce resolutions I know I have a fairly good chance at keeping -- for example this year I think I will resolve to

1. play more golf.
2. watch more football.
3. switch to light beer (at least when there is not a regular one to be found).
4. cheer on the Cubs (It takes a special team to have a bad millennium.)
5. pray for the president.

In theory, you gotta love New Year's resolutions. You get a "do over" -- a chance to start fresh. I get that every morning when I wake up. I have a new day, one I haven't messed up yet. I can do some good! Yet each night I go to sleep with the good I would do undone and the evil I would not do done. While there are things about me that seem habitual, there are others that change all the time. One thing that never changes, however, is the comfort Jesus gives me as He forgives me each day, wiping away my sin, giving me a clean slate. That is awesome!

What will you do today?

What Will You Leave Behind?

"But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." -- Benjamin Franklin

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." -- Old Indian Saying

"If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he's dead, then maybe he was a great man." -- James Dean

Death is a certain -- we will all die. But what will we leave behind?

For some of us, we are intent on leaving behind wealth -- money, stocks, bonds, land, and houses -- an accumulated fortune that will provide for our family. For others -- leaving behind a good name, a reputation for honesty, decency, kindness, and generosity is the most important thing. While yet others might want to leave behind monuments dedicated to all their good deeds and accomplishments.

All these are well and good, but all of these legacies end for that generation when that generation passes. It's just the way it works.

St. Paul reminds us "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

The only eternal we experience is eternal life in Christ. One great gift we can leave behind for the next generation is a witness to our faith: a life spent walking with Christ, words of God's love spoken to our family and friends, deeds that match our faith. We can witness to our faith and pass that on - what a great gift that is!

Go Green

It seems as if everywhere you turn today people are telling you to "Go Green." No, it is not a cheer to motivate the Michigan State Spartans, nor is it kudos to Kermit the Frog, but rather it is an exhortation to conserve resources, use earth-friendly products, and reduce emissions.

Green is a good thing, isn't it? We should all be careful users of the limited natural resources we have. We need to care for the outdoor environment. (Genesis 2:15 - "Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.") To insure there will be clean air and water for our children and our children's children just makes sense.

It seems that today, however, we are closing in on having regulations and laws passed that will further legislate the issue for industries and individuals. Some would say it's the only way to insure the future of the environment; others would say we don't need another set of laws. But if we rely on people to voluntarily do the right thing, will they? And what is the right thing? Will people learn to be better caretakers of the environment if we pass laws and affix penalties? What's the best way to get the point across that taking care of the earth is good for us now and good for us in the future?

I am having a hard time getting my arms around this one. What do you think?

The Christmas Letter

Does anybody really read Christmas cards? I'm not talking about a quick glance to see from whom the greeting originated. I mean read it, enjoy the words, etc. How exciting can the pre-written word by some card writer really be? Of course, "Season's Greetings" cards are even worse. If you are like me, Christmas cards aren't the priority when opening the mail. I usually go for the Craftsman® tool sale circular followed closely by the Bass Pro Shops® flyer. On the other hand, Christmas cards do remind us that somebody out there sees some redeeming quality in us, or at least our family. With that in mind, I will eventually look them over and even read a few.

What really catches my attention is the "Christmas letter" - you know - the once-a-year missive rattling off the events of the previous twelve months. I have yet to read a letter that starts out, "Well, this was an average year - the kids passed with a "C" average and nobody did anything worthy of mention. Merry Christmas!" However, I have read the long letter that started out, "On January 3 we.... On January 10 we...." And then proceeded to recap all 52 weeks. That was a fun read.

I figure we all have a need to feel special once in awhile. I don't think there is anything bad about sharing the good news of the family. That is why I like reading the Christmas story. That story shows me just how special I am. And why is that? Because God sent His only Son for the whole world - and that includes you and me. When the One who created the universe gives you the gift of His only Son, well, it don't get any more special than that!

The Christmas List

Some things I've learned about Christmas gifts:

1. When buying clothes for your wife, size does matter -- go small!
2. You better buy batteries.
3. One must be exceptionally cautious if purchasing a gift for your wife at Auto Zone. Lowe's is a safer bet; get it at Macy's and you're golden.
4. Gift assembly on Christmas Eve generally strains a marriage.
5. There is nothing easy about E-Z Credit.

It is better to receive a very specific list of items that would give happiness to the gift receiver. The list should include sizes, colors, brand names or, in a perfect world, the SKU (stock-keeping unit) number. An electronic list with pictures usually gets priority.

We can rejoice that we have received one Christmas gift that is just the right size, works flawlessly every time, and is absolutely perfect for everybody -- the real gift of Christmas...our Savior!

I have found that reading the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke to the family on Christmas Eve really puts the whole Christmas gift thing in perspective.

What about you?

Thank You

Two important words: we teach them to our children. We say them automatically. We expect to hear them at the proper time. Yes, hearing "thank you" is important. If we give a gift to someone and they forget to say "thank you," we are disappointed. If we continue giving gifts and still don't receive any words of thanks or appreciation, we just might refuse to give gifts. For, we reason, if they can't even say "thanks," they certainly don't deserve a gift.

A quick inventory of everything we have shows just how many gifts we have been given. We have air, water, food, shelter, life, health, family, friends, occupations, TVs, computers, tables, chairs, couches, and beverages. We have talents, hobbies, interests and our minds. Everything we have has been given to us; most of these items are obvious; others are less so. In the end, however, everything we have is a gift. This being the case, I know I've forgotten more than a few "thank yous" along the way.

Do we thank the Creator for the universe we live in? Do we thank Him for the sun, moon, stars, planets, or the incomprehensible beauty of the world around us? Do we thank the Creator for the abilities we have? Do we thank the Creator for the most perfect gift of all - His forgiveness of our sins through His Precious Son - Jesus?

For that, I'm going to go say "thank You" a lot more often.