Welcome Home

I haven't posted in a few days because of our recent acquisition of the time hog better know as a newborn. We chose to call him Hunter. Although it is not new news to most who read this it is necessary that I post it to the blog.

We could not be more proud of our new addition, and second boy to carry on the Tuten name. Hunter Lee Tuten was born at 1:27pm on Tuesday January 20, 2009 weighing in at 8lbs 13oz. Most people say he's big but after his brother being well over 9 lbs he seems kind of light to us.

He and mommy are doing well. We had Papa and Grama here for a few days and now Nana (Raina's mom) is here for a few days to help as well. We sure enjoy having them around. Makes life a lot easier.

Sleep has been sparse lately and even more scarce for Raina as she feeds Hunter every couple of hours. While we are trying to adjust, Connor so far is doing quite well with the new intruder into his space. He calls him "my baby" most of the time and often loves on Hunter with a hug or a kiss.

I must admit, even with the lack of sleep and myriad of changes going on in the house, it still seems a little bit unreal. However, holding him and wondering what he will become and the awesome responsibility we have as parents to our two boys is by far the most sobering thought I have ever had.

Praise the Lord for another healthy baby boy!

Looking For a Hero

It seems everyone since time began has looked for a hero in someone else. Now days it is a music, hollywood or sports star. Of course the problem with looking to these people is that they are not only human and destined to fail, they are in a position to obtain things and participate in acts that are at best suspect and often times down right illegal and shameful. They have little to no character.

O.J Simpson cones to mind. It's hard to think of another celebrity that has fallen so far with actually dying. Barry Bonds in a legal battle still, trying to defend his use of a substance that gave him an edge in competition and brings into question his record of home run king. I can name more and fill page after page of examples. Everyday it seems there is some new sports star or celebrity that is arrested for a myriad of illegal activities from shootings to drunk driving to drug possession.

So why do we look up to these people? Although there are plenty of good answers I am sure, one stands out to me. Idol worship. In fact it is so obvious that one of the highest rated TV shows on right now is American IDOL. The irony is that we are the ones that make them stars. We spend the money to see them act or perform and create our gods to desire and worship.

Idol? Come on I can't be serious right? After all an idol is a statue that one worships and prays to. An image that is revered, that is...Stop! A what? Image! We have this ancient idea of an idol. Like a Budda or Greek statue that we bow down to. Well let's clarify what qualifies as an idol. According to the dictionary an idol is a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved or revered. Hmmmm. That is pretty broad.

I understand that it perfectly fine to enjoy a music performance or a good movie, etc. The problem arises when we began to desire what they have, or wish and maybe strive to look or be like that person.

According to scripture the first commandment is "To have no other gods before Me". Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. So an idol can be a superstar athlete or your dog. What is your heart set on? What can you not live without? Who would you rather be in this world?

Pain Is In Our Best Interest

This is the fourth of the sub-heads in my flurry of thoughts post. It has taken me some time to get to it but here are a few of my thoughts on this.

A friend from church just lost his father 3 months ago. He died way too soon. As I spoke with my friend last week he has an incredible hunger for the things of God. He has recently served time in Iraq in the war. Both the loss of his father and being in a war had spurned his desire to know God more.

Having lost loved ones, jobs, and struggled through a failed business and many other hardships in life, I can say that without them I would not have grown closer to God in the way that I have. I did not desire them and have at times not had the best attitude during those times of pain but I have grown through them.

C.S. Lewis, (my favorite author) in his book The Problem of Pain covers this in a much better, eloquent and comprehensive way than I can. He uses analogy of a an older dog who has undergone the pains of training from his master. The dog enjoys shelter, food, water and affection from the master. He knows what the puppy does not know. The pain of being made to conform to something that he is naturally against has it benefits. Left to himself he would be in the rain, the cold and most likely hungry trying to provide for himself.

While Lewis even admits it is not the perfect analogy, it truly is a great example of our life in relation to suffering. God allow and sometimes sends suffering to cause us to run to him. To call out to Him for direction and comfort. He is making us into a usable vessel. No we do not like it and it is sometimes more painful than we think we can handle but it IS in our best interest.

I sure wish there was an easier way. Having experienced and watched friends and family struggle through pain this past year I say as John does in Revelation 22:20, "Come Lord Jesus".

Are You Certain

As we prepare for our new arrival I have mixed emotions. Looking forward to the joy of another boy but not sure about all the sheetrock repair I am going to inevitably have to do having two boys around the house. Is it wrong to turn them loose in a fenced in area and leave food and water out for them? I'll let them in if it's cold! I'm not mean!

Actually I am looking forward to having brothers in the house and watching that dynamic. I'm looking forward to going camping with them, riding bikes and throwing the football. I am also looking forward to all the great quotes we will have to share through the years. Connor has a few of those already. Like last night when I asked him a question to which he said no, we asked in return, "Are you Certain?" he replied without hesitation,"No I Connor".

Final 08 Post-A look back

Well there are several posts that I wanted to accomplish before now. One being a full write-up on the India trip, my submission on music and the other two categories from the last series. I have had some time to do them but wasn't in the frame of mind to write.

This year has been a year of wonderful blessings and great tragedy. The last part of the year from september to december, has been at best a blur. Monica, my best friend's wife lost her battle with cancer, so did my Moms best friend. A constant in our church, Larry, went to heaven months after falling from a roof. I attended several viewings and visitations for other friends who lost loved ones. It got to be a bit much.

At the beginning of the year we put our rental house up for sale that we had moved into for a year. After getting a contract on it we moved to a new house only to have the contract fall through just 3 days before the closing. So we have had two houses to tend to for close to ten months now. The market is not helping and for some reason neither is God. He must have other plans.

On the positive end of the stick we truly have been blessed. Our health has been good this year. Food has been on the table. We have grown spiritually and have watched Connor grow quite a bit physically. We (Raina really) also have completed 8 of 9 months of our third pregnancy. We are excited to end this year expecting a new baby boy as apposed to ending last year with the loss off a baby after a short term.

I have also been blessed with work and have enjoyed working so closely with ESPN for a second year. While they are not the only client they are the main one. They have treated us well and as I write this I am enjoying the Chick-fil-a Bowl on my 42 inch plasma provided by them.

Above all we have strived this past year to be obedient and faithful to the Lord and He has been more than that in return. He has provided for us in so many ways allowing Raina to stay home with Connor.

This year will start with the birth of our second but who knows what else is in store for us. We live in troubled times and we have no idea what 2009 may hold. Many will make resolutions that will never be kept past the first month, the economy will most likely continue to decline, the new president will begin his reality check, and many other things will unfold that only God knows. Praise Him for that! We will fall, fail, and forget but He is always forgiving, faithful and never changing.

We are looking forward to what God has for us this year. May we look back in 12 months and be able to testify of changed lives, battles won, lessons learned and continue to worship our God.

The Selfless Life

This has to be the hardest struggle for every person. Dying to self as Paul puts it in Galatians. I don't want to be selfish. I want to give more and be concerned for others before myself. I do know it is a daily thing. Actually doing it is the hard part.

Our mind is so focused on benefiting ourselves and our agenda that it is like a train that is bound to it's tracks. This is a very hard thing. It is not a switch that can be turned on or off at will. It has to be a course correction that takes time.

I don't have much else to say about this other than God is dealing with me about it and I want to be more Christ like. A better servant to Him and a helper to those around me. Maybe by the time my life is over I will have more wisdom on this and can look back and see the green grass of a life lived for others because I sprayed the spiritual roundup on the weeds of selfishness.

The uncluttered life-How important are things?

God has really been working on me about this. I grew up having my needs provided. We never had everything we wanted but we always had enough. Often times if I wanted a certain item I would have to pay for it myself, either with money I got for a birthday, working a side job, or any way I could get a little coin. I always struggled with flaming money. It burned a hole in my pocket before it hit the bottom. There were so many cool things I "needed".

I have a quote on my wall in my office that says, " The secret of happiness is not the enlargement of our means, but the limitation of our desires."

While a great saying, it is very hard to live out. We have so many things. Junk really. And we live in a society that tells us we need more. I find myself thinking, "If I just had that flat panel TV I would be fine. I wouldn't need anything else. That's all I really want." The wiser more experienced side of me knows that the TV would not be the end all. There will always be something else.

The problem most people deal with is getting the TV even though they can't afford it. That's not my problem anymore since we no longer use credit cards and only finance our house and car. My issue is, how important is that TV and does God want me to have it to enjoy?

I am working through coming to a position on this. God does satisfy our mouths with good things the Bible says. I believe though that there are two questions to ask before purchasing and item. 1. Will it pull me away from my walk with Christ and 2. can the money I would use be used better somewhere else. The hardest part for me is that last one. Why? Selfishness. Which leads me to the next post.

Addendum

I wanted to add this since it is Christmas time and to save another post.

Raina and I have been discussing whether or not to teach our boys about Santa Claus. I have a lot of wonderful memories about the anticipation of getting up Christmas morning (getting up really means getting out of bed since I really didn't sleep) and going to the living room to see what Santa had left. Raina on the other hand did not grow up with "Santa".

I never felt angry, upset or hurt when I found out Santa was just a story. Other kids may have but I did not. My memories were good memories and though I did not realize it at the time my parents always gave me gifts that were better than "Santa" and never over emphasized his role. In addition we always spent a great deal of time focused on the Birth of Christ. So my following statements do not come from anything but a positive experience.

I have for some time thought about Santa and whether or not I would lead my children to believe in a man who knows everything I do, sees me when I'm sleeping and when I am awake and knows if I have been bad or good so I should please him... hey wait a minute that guy has a lot of attributes that I have been taught that God has. I find out that this Santa guy was just a made up story based on a guy how did good things for people many generations ago. That also sounds like another person I was told about. Jesus. He was a good guy right? Well if Santa isn't real shouldn't I wonder about those other two that seem to have similar Characteristics?

Whether that thought would ever occur to a child, I can't say. It did not come to my mind, but the devil can use anything and am I willing to take that chance?

Many would say Santa is harmless. Others would say he is the spawn of Satan (hey that spelling is close to santa) but I feel Santa is a great story that has become a replacement for the truth. In that way he IS being used by Satan. Many times if Satan can distract us he is just as satisfied as if he wrecked our lives.

Here is the tie in with the "simple life". I believe that in some ways Santa and Christmas has not been the only factor, but has most definitely contributed to my desire for "things". I'm sure this could be said for many people. Christmas to me meant getting and receiving. I know full well that selfishness is part of the sinful flesh and nature we already have, I am submitting though that Christmas, the one time a year more than any other when we should be focused on the gift of our Saviour, the opposite is the case; we promote the already inner struggle against materialism.

So will Connor and his brother be taught about Santa? Absolutely! Just not that he is real. They will also learn that it truly is better to give than to receive. I think that this year is a good time to start!!!