What Glenn Writes

When I was organizing (aka cleaning) my garage a couple of weeks ago, I realized there is a huge amount of space right above my garage door just going to waste. Due to the design of the garage, it is virtually impossible to build anything in this space for storage without getting in the way of the garage door opening, however my answer for using this space was suspending a shelf from the rafters.

Of course, there is no way I would use some flimsy kite string to hang a shelf. This would be just plain silly. I have to know the shelf will not fail; I have to have confidence the shelf is able to hold the weight without failing me. Naturally, we would not use kite string, but a good solid chain for this purpose.

You might think a swing set chain would work just fine, but again to me, that would be just plain silly. I have to know the shelf will not fail; I have to have confidence the shelf is able to hold the weight without failing me. Naturally, I selected the chain four sizes larger than swing set chain at the hardware store… I think they use this chain for the anchors on lake freighters, but I’m only guessing. › Continue reading

I have always told my children if they end up anywhere or in any situation where they are uncomfortable, they can call me and I will help. A call at 2am Sunday morning from my house-sitting. dog-sitting daughter definitely got my attention… I grabbed the car keys without hesitation!

The wee-hours of the morning trip ended uneventful… nothing more than creepy house noises, recharging water softeners, and over-active imaginations, but the time was well-spent to provide my daughter with confidence Dad and Mom will help. › Continue reading

I’m not sure all comfort zones are good.

I know, I know, you are probably thinking this is just crazy talk, Glenn has gone off the deep end, and this is just one of those idiotic things he is going to write about… maybe it is one of his semi-clever jokes and he will bring this all around again so all comfort zones are good.

Nope.

A baby is in a comfort zone in the womb; eventually the baby must leave the comfort zone in order to grow. We tend to find ourselves in our own comfort zones naturally, almost falling into them daily; eventually we must leave our comfort zones in order to grow. › Continue reading

The last couple of articles, found here and here, explored the first two ways Satan tried to tempt Jesus when He was at His physically weakest state (apart from the Cross). Scripture calls the enemy sly and crafty; should we be surprised he would attack Jesus at that time? No, and likewise we should be prepared for the same attacks when we are at our weakest points.

Jesus countered each temptation by quoting Scripture. This was the physical defense to the enticement, yet emotionally and mentally it had to be a centering of His focus on God. When Jesus responded with Scripture, His thoughts returned to the Word and His attention was taken from the bait or tempting distraction and put on God. This becomes a matter of focus.

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In yesterday’s article, we reviewed what to do when we are out of gas and completely spent. Jesus gives us an example at the end of His forty days and nights of fasting, when He is out of gas and completely spent, only to have Satan tempting Him.

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When I get totally tired, I get cranky. Maybe you have experienced something similar? You are physically exhausted at the end of the day or the end of the week, maybe did some yard work or had long days at work and the tank is empty. Maybe you had a few people frustrating you and not only are you physically worn out, but also emotionally done in.

Maybe it was at work… maybe in ministry… maybe in relationships… but you know this point of crankiness, don’t you?

I think we all have weak moments when we don’t respond well. After the days or weeks described above, we are often at our weakest and our families end up getting what is left over: the bottom of the barrel emotional gunk (aka. crankiness). This is when we slip on our selfish mode and the world starts to revolve around us… at least in our heads. › Continue reading

A few times this week, Tuesday and Thursday, we reviewed a perspective often overlooked in church or religious circles: God’s perspective. What does it look like from the other side of the Cross? What do we look like from the throne?

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With my daughters at a week long camp retreat and my son spending the night at his cousin’s, my wife and I did what many married with children couples do when finding a night to themselves: we worked on home improvement projects.

Now, I’m going to take this statement one amazing step further by telling you we worked on the home improvement projects T O G E T H E R! I know, I know… some of you are completely astonished by this concept and you are wondering if this is fiction, but I’m here to tell you it is true… and I only snickered once in the whole night!

My wife and I actually work very well together and we enjoyed the evening of getting a few things done. The only time I snickered was when my wife pointed out one of the tasks I was completing was not on the project list. Once she understood the task had to be completed to move on to the next project, we were back in sync with one another and pressing forward with the same goal. Instead of focusing on one task, we were back to focusing on the overall goal. › Continue reading

When speaking with a customer yesterday, he asked how my shoulder was healing up. Many people have commented how shoulder surgery is tough, but he separated the recovery from the surgery by saying, “…the surgery is actually simple and straight forward, it is the recovery that is tough…” 

I think he is absolutely right! Recovery is almost always tougher than what put us in a position to recover. This applies to surgery, credit cards and debt recovery, drinking and hangover recovery, smoking and addiction recovery, as well as harsh words and friendship recovery. You may already be onto this, but there is something to separating out the recovery from the incident causing the recovery to allow us to better avoid the recovery in the first place… let’s identify the problem, huh?

One of our largest problems to identify and separate from recovery is self. You may be thinking, “well, my self is ok, so I don’t know to what you are referring”… yeah, I used to think that way, too.

You see, we are too used to being beaten down all the time. We have gotten to a point where we accept our brokenness, our hurt, our pain, our sin, our anxiety, our fear, or our selfishness as a part of life. We will mask it with self-denial, distractions, eating, drinking, etc., yet no matter how you dress up a problem, it remains a problem. › Continue reading

With three children, I sometimes think there is a competition for my attention going on between them. I try to focus on each and give the proper individualized attention when they need it, then also pay attention to them altogether. This is a natural inclination for any parent with multiple children and part of the family dynamic.

Here is the real kicker I don’t know if my kids realize: I enjoy paying attention to them. I enjoy focusing on them individually and altogether, spending time with them, talking with them, and just hanging out together. They may not believe this when they come to my desk and I am working, not able to stop exactly when they want me to stop… you know, when they don’t get their way? Whether their timing is right on or not, I still enjoy my relationship with them. › Continue reading