The Karate Kid

This is going to age me, but The Karate Kid was the first movie I ever watched using a VCR.  My friend Michael and I must have watched it 5 or 6 times in a row.  I'm not sure if we liked the movie that much or just the fact that we could watch it as much as we wanted to.  You can only image how excited I was to watch Karate Kid Part II.

I was flipping through the channels last night and noticed that Karate Kid Part II was on tv.  It was fun to bring back some old memories of the show.  But it reminded me how disappointed we tend to be with a sequel.  Almost everyone agrees that the first movie is the best.  You can't blame the movie makers for trying to make lots of money off of a good thing.  Why wouldn't they make part 2, 3, 4, and 5 if they could.

As I sat on my couch thinking about it, I realized that we often live our lives that way.  Rather than break the mold and try something new, we change a couple of things in our routine and hope it turns out to be something bigger and better.  In reality, we become less interested, unfulfilled, and perhaps frustrated with our circumstance.

The hunger in us to try something different is not an accident.  Even the Bible encourages us to start over:

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

So enjoy the books and movies with sequels and trilogies, but don't forget that a new opportunity is right around the corner if we are willing to take a chance.

Devotional With Simon Cowell...What???

I know, I need to explain the title right away.  I was watching something called Master Class With Simon Cowell.  It is a show created by Oprah that lets successful people talk about what has helped them succeed, but they also share their failures.  It is fascinating because you get to know the person behind the celebrity.

Here are a couple of highlights from Simon:

• Talk 10% of the time and listen 90% of the time
• Every single negative can lead to a positive

I don't know where Simon stands in his relationship with God, but it's amazing how much of what he has learned is in the Bible.  Let's break it down:

Talk 10% of the time and listen 90% of the time 

• Proverbs 18:13 ESV - If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
• Proverbs 19:20 ESV  - Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Every single negative can lead to a positive

• James 1:2-4 (NIV) - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

We have more information available to us than ever before and it can all be incredibly resourceful.  We have books, videos, blogs, articles, twitter, Facebook, etc.  But don't overlook the original.  So many of us think of the Bible has a story book with verses we can highlight and memorize to help us through the dark times in our life.  It's too bad that we often forget that the Bible is our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).  It is a manual that never gets old with outdated information (Hebrews 4:12).

Next time you need some wisdom, don't forget to reach for the most important book on the shelf.  Chances are, a lot of what's mentioned in the other books was borrowed anyway.

Time

As parents we can spend much of our time thinking about cars, houses, schools, work, vacations, kids clubs, music lessons, church, and the list goes on and on.  You don't have to listen to shows like Focus On The Family for very long to realize that time is everything when it comes to family.  Perhaps you just rolled your eyes like so many of us do and decide to get back to doing what needs to be done.

Yesterday I saw a teaser for a show on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) called, Kidnapped By The Kids.  The premise is to have kids show up at their parent's workplace, and demand more time.  I'm not sure if the show is still around, but this trailer will help you understand it what it is about.

I know. People will do anything to be on tv, but I was humbled the other night while watching a kids's show with my son Aiden.  He is three.  As we were watching, he wanted to point something out at the exact same time as I received a text message on my phone.  Of course, my initial reaction was to look at my phone first to see if the message was important.  After reading the text I looked up and noticed Aiden looking directly at me.  He said, "Dad, are you watching?"  I know it is just a tv show, but I made the choice to look at a text message over time with my son.

I get it,  kids need to learn that sometimes we need to tend to important things.  But, it made me wonder, how often do I miss an opportunity with Aiden so I can look at my phone or check my email/Facebook?   This morning I was filling in for Tim & Todd on The All New Breakfast Club and played this song.  It is always a good remember to keep our priorities in order.