I am excited about the launch of my new website www.tpkirkpatrick.com !! Please click the link to follow along over there. The new site will allow me to do a bit more of what I want to do in regards to a website.
Thanks so much for following along! So update your RSS subscriptions and your blogrolls.
I appreciate it! Much love also to the guys at Chase Your Lion and Heath Mullikin for their help!
I am going to tell a little story about my life. Some of you might be able to apply the principles to your life. (to skip the gory stuff and go straight to the principles, scroll till the bullet points).
This is a story about softball my reoccurring wound.
I started playing church league softball around the age of 14/15 years old. I had been coming with my dad for a few years and keeping the scores, etc. Most men play softball in shorts (because they don’t like to slide and no doubt get too hot in pants), and I was no different, except that I like to slide…a lot. I am always one for a full out stretched diving catch in the outfield. And it is far too natural for me to stretch a lazy single into a sliding double at second. Except, for some reason, it never became second nature to slide headfirst into 2nd base (which can I say is safer on the body and much cooler looking for the spectators). No I always slide with my right leg outstretched, spikes up (Ty Cobb Style), with my left leg folded under me.
This was never a problem in Babe Ruth (little league) because: 1. We always wore pants and high socks 2. The fields we were playing on were a nice dirt/clay mixture. This did however become a problem when I started playing church league softball where: 1. I only wore shorts and low socks, 2. The infield was make up primarily of what I can only think of as crushed limestone/gravel/asphalt/shards of broken glass.
Without exception, at least once a year, sometimes more I will get a giant “strawberry” up the outer shin on my left leg. The intensity of these minor wounds have gone from barely a scratch and healing within 2 weeks, to utter pain and wondering if my left would fall off. Up until this past Tuesday night (foreshadowing anyone) the worst one I received was during the summer of 2002. I gashed it up pretty bad. My leg was a mixture of dirt, sweat and blood. When I got home I showered and doused it in hot water and alcohol. I applied “teflon” bandages and some tape. At the time I worked installing above ground pools and worked long days. I’ll be honest, sometimes I wouldn’t shower for two days. By the time I got home to “redress” this would, it seemed that the teflon bandage and the seepage from my leg became “one.” My friend, David Edwards , can attest to this; I had to take my knife and literally cut the teflon bandage away from the skin that had started to regrow. It was intense. I had not really played church league softball since. Not because I didn’t want to, but because the opportunities weren’t there over the next several years. But this year I’m back. I’m not as fast as I once was. My hitting isn’t as consistent. But I learned very quickly on Tuesday night that my instinctive slide had not gone away. As I stretched a botched routine shallow fly ball into a triple (YEAH BABY!) I slide into third and popped up with ease. Hearing the “safe” call I looked down to see the picture above. And for those of you who think I would get some loving sympathy from Katie on this one…well you don’t know my wife. One of her hidden rules (i’m learning) is that one is not allowed sympathy for willfully inflicting pain on themselves time and time again.
(that is the end of the gross out part) Now for the principles I learned:
What does this all mean? We all have given and received many wounds in our life. Some accidental, some not; some were a once off thing, some probably reoccurring. Most people know how to handle getting hurt (physically, emotionally, mentally). There are quite a few that do not. Some people blame others when the responsibility is actually theirs. Some blame themselves when they were in fact the victims. Others like to pick at their wounds, expose it for the world to see. They don’t actually want healing, they just want the sympathy that comes with being “injured.” These people are extremely frustrating, because the rest of the world says logically “Get some help and get on with your life.” But those people can’t. They want the sympathy of being wounded. And unfortunately, after their wounds turn into scars and the sympathy runs out…they will find another way to be wounded again.
I know people have been through some real situations. They’ve looked down at their lives and seen a bloody, muddy, violent mess. I do not want to take away from the pain and wound that has been caused. But I also know that it does no good just to stay wounded.
This past weekend at Foster Street Church I shared my story of how I proposed to Katie. Since our stories vary a little and Katie is a much better story teller (and detail rememberer) than I am. She decided to post her version as well as cut and paste my version from my sermon notes, on her blog.
Check it out, it’s worth a chuckle. My Love.
The Limp
I am a 29 year old pastor. I was raised in the church, went to a Christian university and have been in and/or around the ministry for the better part of 11 years. I have seen the good, bad and ugly of churches. And it has become the norm to knock the church. Heck, I know she’s received a good fair amount of abuse from myself.
So why is this so? Good friends of mine will no longer go to “church” because of they are against “manmade, organized religion,” or because the Church has “let them down.” Instead they say “I’m aligning myself with God” or will just decide to stay home, “worship God privately” and bash the church. None of this makes any logical sense past the emotional level. The Church (worldwide) is often referred to either as “The Bride of Christ” or “The Body of Christ,” but is not actually part of the Godhead (Trinity). I do not understand how you can align yourself with Christ by divorcing yourself from the Church He calls His Bride.
I think people have put some unrealistic expectations on the Church. Much like church members put on a pastor’s wife. The pastor and his wife would be the first to say that is not fair. Why do we look to the Church (made up of imperfect Christ-followers) to be a perfect Christ? Also, is abusing/defaming the Bride of Christ or the Body of Christ a Biblical or appropriate Christian response? Joseph of Arimathea gently and reverently took the body of Christ off the cross, cleaned it, wrapped it up and put it in his own tomb. When was the last time you saw anyone treat the Body of Christ with such reverence today? We have a disregard and disrespect for it.
Tony Campolo said “The Church is a whore, she is my mother” (though he tried to attribute it to Augustine). It is quite a brash statement and one no doubt meant for shock. But looking at it, there is quite a bit of reality to the statement. I believe the Church started with the Nation of Israel. Yes Christ changed things, but as far as the people of God getting together and worshipping, that started with Israel. Do you remember Israel? The stubborn, deceitful Jacob who wrestled with the angel (Christ) and would not let go? What happened in that UFC fight? The angel touched Jacob’s hip and changed his name to Israel. Jacob and the Church were walking with a limp ever since that day.
We have a few choices:
Listen, the church is imperfect and will be until the day of Judgement. That day Christ will present his bride spotless, and stain free. Until then, expect a lot of stains. People, the Body of Christ is made up of you and me, and we are a messed up group of people being cleaned up by our Redeemer…it is what makes us great.
Crippled Church
June (12 lb. black miniature schnauzer) – “Hey Jackson, where do you sleep at night?”
Jackson (95 lb. Chocolate Lab)- “In a hard cage made of metal and plastic. Why where do you sleep?”
June – “On several pillows that I can only imagine are as soft as the clouds in the sky.”
Sibling Rivalry
I started listening to Broadway a few months back. Somewhat inspired by West Wing and The Simpsons reference to HMS Penifore’s “He is an Englishman.” Through the wonders of Pandora, Les Miserables “I Dreamed a Dream” popped up one day at work. And a chord was struck. I became a fan of Broadway.
Broadway. Yes Broadway. If you are laughing because I’m listening to Broadway Musicals you can go on and listen to your Master P or Lil’ Boosie or whateva. Here’s the thing, Broadway is the new classical music. It will probably be around long after the Eagles, Skynard and Rolling Stones finish all their reunion tours and the original soundman has finally passed away. I started to listen to Broadway a bit more because I noticed the singers actually had passion in what they were singing about. Or at least acted like it, which is more than I can say for most pop bands today. But I digress to the meaning of this song and the chord it struck.
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong -
These lyrics are a call back to our youth, when we dreamed and imagined and weren’t afraid. But then there was a moment or a series of moments that began to shatter those dreams. Maybe it was our own choices and consequences. Or maybe it was a series of people who introduced us to the “real world” and thus took our childhood innocence from us.
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted – Again, a call back to our youth. The singer (a dying Fantine) is going back and forth between the sweet memories of her youth and the stark reality of death which is imminent.
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
This is the chord that has been struck. “I had a dream my life would be, so different from this hell I’m living.” I’ll be honest, I have felt that way before. There comes a moment of realization when you look at your situation and say “What happened?” It is a hopeless moment when you realize life has killed the dreams you had dreamed. I remember various times in my life where those dreams were killed. Summer 2001, Winter 2003, Spring 2004, Fall 2005. What I have learned is I had to let those dreams die.
This is contrary to the fighter spirit I and many Americans have. We want to fight to hold onto those dreams. We want those dreams to come back to life. We want to see them come to fruition in reality, now. But the truth is they probably won’t. The truth is, sometimes it is better to start with a blank sheet of paper rather than trying to dredge up the past. And more often than not, things will be better than we ever dreamed.
And so we rejoice with the Susan Boyles of the world (whose performance again brought tears to my eyes as I wrote this) who can stand, sing a song so powerfully as if to say “Take THAT LIFE, I’m NOT giving up!” But the reality is the song is a song about death. And this is the take away. LIfe does kill the dreams sometimes. But our attitude in the death of those dreams can often be the most inspirational moment of the entire play.
I was privileged to spend some time with a close friend who was dying of cancer. As many who have lost loved ones this way have realized, the dying often teach us how to live. His dreams were dashed. Dreams of walking his daughter down the isle, dreams of trips and holidays to come. But he never stopped dreaming. That is the key. Just because something happens and one dream dies, doesn’t mean you have to stop dreaming. Hoping. Living.
I was famous once. Back when myspace was first getting started, I wrote the blog that had to be read by about 20 friends. I thought I was special. I wrote blogs about songs and life and gave them controversial titles. I am not sure why music can move us in a way other words cannot. Music is truly the “great communicator.” I’ve been stirred by a few songs as of late, and I would like to share them with you and why they have been meaningful.
“Something Beautiful” – needtobreathe (click to listen for free) 
This is a fairly simplistic song written while actually looking for inspiration. The main chorus is something I (and countless others) can identify with:
Hey now, this is my desire/Consume me like a fire/Cause I just want
Something beautiful to touch me/I know that I’m in reach/I am down on my knees
And waiting for/Something beautiful
The writer can’t even describe what he wants (“something”) all he knows is it has to be “beautiful.” Beauty is relative though. One saying is “beauty is skin deep but ugly goes straight to the bone.” But this isn’t the beauty we’re talking about, otherwise he would have described it. No the beauty he is speaking of is indescribable but tangible. Readily available but not “on demand.” I know the writer’s background. Though this song was played on a recent episode of “Cougartown;” he is writing about something a bit more spiritual than a moment with a woman. This is something I can identify with. I remember times in my life where I felt I was ankle deep in the ocean of “Something Beautiful.” Sometimes I had been searching for it, sometimes it found me. Those times, where time seemed to have stood still, were intimate and inspirational and always left me with an odd mix of satisfaction and wanting more.
I’ll be honest with you, it’s been one of the more “dry” times in my spiritual life. Its like I’m dialing the number and it rings then silence. You say “hello? HELLO?!” and no answer (you At&t customers know what I’m talking about).
I, like King David, have enough memories of God’s faithfulness and those intimate times to be satisfied if He chose never to speak to me again. Yet, I don’t stop seeking Him. I never stop requesting His presence because sometimes it’s nice just to be in the presence of something beautiful.
It has been awhile since I have posted anything. Usually I will post whatever is on my mind/heart, maybe a review of something I’m currently interested in, or something in the news. There is definitely not a shortage of material. I could write about the oil spill, at&t’s new iPhone (that still will not work within a 25 mile radius of me, giving way to my idea that every wal-mart should have a 3G AT&T tower attached to it), or the large amount of friends that have visited us in the last month. I could’ve have written about all of that. But I didn’t.
I could have….But I choose not to. One thing I have been learning about is priorities and choices. I work a few jobs, as well as being on staff at a church, while finishing up some classes for my degree (lots of people go to school for 11 years…). My “schedule” has the potential to be full of things that need to be priority. On top of that, I’ve chosen to be married (and am thankful for my wife) and chosen to have two high maintenance dogs. These are now top responsibilities and priorities as well. So I have found myself as of late choosing to let the priorities and responsibilities take my time and effort rather than my recreational desires which include blogging, church league softball and amusement (tv, books, movies that do not contribute to other goals). Choosing recreation over priorities and responsibilities is largely why it has taken me so long to complete my degree. The MOST important lesson I am learning right now, is that I have the right to choose.
I have the right to choose what I do with my time, my responsibilities, and my attitude through it all. Whenever I am discipling someone, I will always say “You may not get to choose what happens to you, but you can choose your response.” John Maxwell says, “the power to Choose is the greatest power we are given.” I think I have tried to put too much responsibility on Jesus in the past. He said “come all who are weary, for my burden is easy and my yoke is light.” I think my attitude was “if Jesus said he’d help me, I’ll take him up on the opportunity and let him do all the work.” This obviously isn’t what Jesus was saying at all. But I was afraid of responsibility. And because I was afraid of responsibility I rarely made major choices or decisions because I knew I would be held accountable for them. I let other people chose for me, and let them carry the weight of the decision. I enjoyed being a pawn because I didn’t have to have the responsibilities of a king. Oddly enough, most people around me (and probably God as well) were waiting for me to choose, to stand up and take command of my life. I am going on 30 years and just as of late have I realized that I can do anything I choose to do. That is a very powerful idea that people have been trying to instill in me since I was a wee little ladd, but only recently have I chosen to take hold of it.
Jimmy Carter (before his unfortunate presidency) was asked once if he had done his best. His response, sadly was no, he hadn’t; to which his military commander further questioned “Why not?”
We choose our priorities, our responsibilities, our attitudes, our responses and our efforts. And it’s one of the greatest gifts God has given us. What are you doing with that gift?
First of all, I’m glad the contract with AT&T was signed. Originally I was not. Originally I was a frustrated Verizon customer who wanted a decent phone and who maybe had a big crush on Steve Jobs. Three years later, I’m over it. And you should be too.
I’ve had the iPhone while I was in Australia. There were multiple carriers (I chose Singapore based Optus of Verizon owned Vodafone). The competition was pretty good, driving down prices and there wasn’t an obsession with the iPhone. Living overseas helped me understand that the iPhone phenomenon/worship is really an American thing. There are other phones out there that are good. Though I was pleased with the iPhone and came back to the States singing it’s praise.
Upon arrival to the States I HAD to have an iPhone. Reluctantly my wife surprised me with one for my birthday. I was greeted with spotty service with AT&T and the WORST customer service at an Apple store. Jim Gaffigan joked his iPhone turns into an aolPhone outside large cities (referencing 1995 internet speeds). It wasn’t meeting our needs. I took it back. I recently purchased a Palm Pre Plus 3g with free mobile Hotspot. Basically for my minutes plan plus a $30/month data package I get unlimited data on my phone anywhere in the country and unlimited internet for up to 5 devices (i.e. my macbook). This saves us from paying an internet bill and that’s a good thing! You can’t do that (legally) with an iPhone.
I have been thoroughly impressed with the Palm Pre Plus. Multi-tasking, great webOS, useful apps (though I’m hoping they will increase in number), downloading multiple iTunes music libraries (accounts) was easier than on the actual iPhone. In fact, the iPod Touch I bought to replace my iPhone has been rendered useless by the Pre and is now my wife’s (who is not useless).
So why should you wait? Why was it a good thing for the contract? Imagine in 2007 the iPhone drops to all carriers. 130 Million people would have an iPhone. Then everyone would have an iPhone 3G, then 3Gs. Still no multi tasking, not too much space on harddrive. We would be stuck. No creative competition to make the iPhone better or for people to realize there are better/other alternatives out there.
People are already saying that in 2012 they will definitely get the Verizon iPhone. I bet Steve Jobs will let you go ahead and sign a contract too. He’s good at selling you something he tells you you need. A macbook may be a must have, but the iPhone isn’t. No matter the carrier.
What I’ve noticed with UFC lately, is that the action is slowing in the Octagon which means they’ve had to step up the action inbetween rounds and fights. First, the frustrating thing about the Paul Daley/Koscheck experience is Paul Daley is a good fighter with a lack of self-control. Haven’t we had enough Tysons, O.J. Simpson’s and Lawrence Taylor’s in the sporting world to learn this lesson by now. Talent is not a free pass to a wonderful retirement (ask Charles, no champsionships, Barkley). The UFC releasing Daley was the right decision. Sherdog.com called Daley a “violent” fighter. Really he is a dirty fighter. I’ve been a fan of Koscheck for years now, but maybe because I’m a wrestler and a purist. I think the best Ultimate Fighter’s are Wrestlers who know how to Fight (not fighter’s who know how to wrestle). P.S. British fighters have horrible attitudes, and teeth.
Second, Kimbo Slice’s loss and release from the UFC is no big surprise either. The comparison’s to Tank Abbott are understandable but not legit. Abbot was and IS a bar room brawler. Slice is a heavyweight power, but can’t hang with athletes. Unfortunately for the UFC the gamble on Slice to bring Knock Out action to the Octagon did not pay off. By the way, the Knock Out action is what the UFC needs.
Third, Machida and Shogun was a horrible fight. What 16 contact punches/kicks were thrown? A first round TKO like that is more suitable for a no name undercard rather than a main event. I hope the UFC can step it up in the future. We are all waiting for a Brock/Fedor fight.
Lastly, does anyone think Mark Driscoll is related to Dana White?
