Thanks Paul, this is an intelligent and witty expression of something I would imagine many followers of God have felt (I certainly have). I'm right there with you, with my inflatable alligator, in the kiddie pool.
Honest, vulnerable look at living a life of faith in a world being shook to it's core! Great job Paul! Most of the Church is in the "yellowish-water" of the kiddie pool. I think God is bored with the kiddie pool. He is not only beckoning us to jump, He's asking us to go the the high board!!
Hey Paul, Great honest comments. I think we can all relate. Have you thought about posting this on a secular blog site? I think this crosses boundaries.
Paul, way to go throwing pretense, candor, and "the Christian facade" right out the window. It's about time people started writing with more heart and less "christian-ese". Frankly, I love the authenticity, and I like where the article takes me. Could you send me some autographed items next time you're in town? That way I won't have to beg you for them later when I'm trying to sell them on e-bay so I can put the twins through college. ;)
Great post Paul that I identify with...1/ My wife is still scared of car washes! (maybe we have really scary ones in NZ!) 2/ Even in my fifties I still have a Top Ten. I will shares this with a few of my friends
These kind of articles are why I love reading the ooze!
Ok, I knew about the car wash, the Siamese cats (from"Lady and the Tramp"), ordering at fast food places, all amusement park rides, and clowns ( and who isn't?), but the church sanctuary? That's a new one.
And fear of God the Father, also very common. We reduce our fear when we reduce who He truly is. Yet He's never, ever safe, but always, always good. Where is the adventure in being safe? Perhaps that's our cultural problem these days, we value safety over adventure. I agree with Dr. Louis, God is tired of the kiddy pool. Jump, Paul, jump! The "smart woman", Your Mom.
I love you, Goner. Seriously. Thanks for being so honest. Life is scary - uber scary. "He never said it would be easy, He only says I'll never go alone" - a line from Ginny Owens song - the blind Christian recording honest. It brings me comfort - I hope the same for you too. And I, along with everyone else who loves you, believes in you - and in your Crazy Uncle :)
Thanks Paul for your humor and authenticity. This is a great read. Now, get your blog up so I can continue to be entertained.
So is it wrong if I have a dream that one day I will have a crazy uncle, a real one? I want to lock him up in the attic, feed him fish heads, and poke him with a stick. Your article is great Paul! I think that a lot of people can relate to this. I know that we have all been in the kiddy pool at times in life, I look forward to the day that I can be sailing on the ocean blue!
Keep Writing!
Chad Andrew
Whoa - you really have a way with words!! Great writing Paul!! Loved your article - laughed all the way through it until it home with me and my fears (snakes in a dark basement always did me in - YIKES!!) Keep writing - you have a real gift of honesty & humor that the world needs, especially in these times. PS How's my radio/alarm clock?
Flippin' hysterical!
Paul, what's really frightening is being out here in the deep water with Him and looking like hell in a swim suit!
Kelly
I'm at the end of my 20's having just turned 29 and I feel I can relate to this. Navigating the last decade wasn't always easy but God was faithful. And I think that even when we let God down, or at least let ourselves down, he has a wonderful store of Grace that he freely dispenses, and that is why he wants us to think of him as a Father (as much fun as it would be to have an uncle locked upstairs and poke him with a stick!). 2 Timothy 2:11-14
Paul, I am also 25 years into this thing called life. As graduation from grad school looms 2 months on the horizon with no job in sight, I too am terrified that I may not have what it takes. With my beautiful, yet unfortunately laid-off, wife of 10 months by my side, I really want someone to cover me in blankets. I am petrified with the fear of not being able to make it, especially now that my life is not solely my own. This article resonates deeply with my place in life and provoked some very challenging questions about my faith in the One that I so deeply want to call my Father. THANKS!
Paul, you are a gifted writer. I loved your honesty and humor. As I look back at my own journey of faith, I am glad that I am reaching into my late 40's having the 20 and 30 somethings behind me, totally and completely locking that "Crazy Uncle" never to come back into my world, I can truly say that He has been with me all those years when I've been diving into the world, catching me and putting me back on my feet again and again. I believe you've already jumped and He has caught you. Thank you for this article
Well-said! Thanks for making me laugh and for making me think.
How refreshing to read and relate to what I myself and many people in their 20's are experiencing. I am encouraged that I am not the only one scared to take that plunge in the pool. I actually remember as a child being nervous to jump off the diving board and watching every other kid, including friends, enjoying the experience. Until one day, I resolved to jump off the diving board. The line was always so long, so once I got on the board, there was no turning back. I jumped. And then maybe jumped 10 more times that same day. Then within a month, me and about three other people were the only ones doing backflips off the board. It was the best summer EVER!!
So, JUMP! And then keep jumping. We have no idea what we could be missing out on. And jumping into God's pool of promise is way better than any floating devices I'm sure. :)
thanks for sharing these thoughts. I'll be washing my car by hand now and never swimming with you again. In all seriousness though - keep preaching.
Paul. I liked it! I can relate. Even when things are going great in life it's hard to take that plung into the deep end. Keep writing buddy! MD
The problem may not be jumping but we've been convinced that jumping is getting out of our comfort zone and by cracky joining that choir or coming to the work days on Saturday. Maybe jumping won't look like church stuff at all. I have a "horse theology" tale on my blog that talks about crossing the line. Will I ever nimblewillsgrace.blogspot.com
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Thanks Paul, this is an intelligent and witty expression of something I would imagine many followers of God have felt (I certainly have). I'm right there with you, with my inflatable alligator, in the kiddie pool. Posted by Micah Gallagher | Posted at 03/10/2009 11:36 AM
Honest, vulnerable look at living a life of faith in a world being shook to it's core! Great job Paul! Most of the Church is in the "yellowish-water" of the kiddie pool. I think God is bored with the kiddie pool. He is not only beckoning us to jump, He's asking us to go the the high board!! Posted by Dr. Lou Angone | Posted at 03/10/2009 12:02 PM
Hey Paul, Great honest comments. I think we can all relate. Have you thought about posting this on a secular blog site? I think this crosses boundaries. Posted by Robert Fukui | Posted at 03/10/2009 1:13 PM
Paul, way to go throwing pretense, candor, and "the Christian facade" right out the window. It's about time people started writing with more heart and less "christian-ese". Frankly, I love the authenticity, and I like where the article takes me. Could you send me some autographed items next time you're in town? That way I won't have to beg you for them later when I'm trying to sell them on e-bay so I can put the twins through college. ;) Posted by Erik Dixon | Posted at 03/10/2009 1:45 PM
Great post Paul that I identify with...1/ My wife is still scared of car washes! (maybe we have really scary ones in NZ!) 2/ Even in my fifties I still have a Top Ten. I will shares this with a few of my friends Posted by Rob W in Godzone | Posted at 03/10/2009 5:03 PM
These kind of articles are why I love reading the ooze! Posted by Bill | Posted at 03/11/2009 12:00 AM
Ok, I knew about the car wash, the Siamese cats (from"Lady and the Tramp"), ordering at fast food places, all amusement park rides, and clowns ( and who isn't?), but the church sanctuary? That's a new one.
And fear of God the Father, also very common. We reduce our fear when we reduce who He truly is. Yet He's never, ever safe, but always, always good. Where is the adventure in being safe? Perhaps that's our cultural problem these days, we value safety over adventure. I agree with Dr. Louis, God is tired of the kiddy pool. Jump, Paul, jump! The "smart woman", Your Mom.
Posted by Ginger Angone | Posted at 03/11/2009 4:05 PMI love you, Goner. Seriously. Thanks for being so honest. Life is scary - uber scary. "He never said it would be easy, He only says I'll never go alone" - a line from Ginny Owens song - the blind Christian recording honest. It brings me comfort - I hope the same for you too. And I, along with everyone else who loves you, believes in you - and in your Crazy Uncle :) Posted by Droopy | Posted at 03/11/2009 5:55 PM
Thanks Paul for your humor and authenticity. This is a great read. Now, get your blog up so I can continue to be entertained. Posted by Lesley | Posted at 03/11/2009 9:03 PM
So is it wrong if I have a dream that one day I will have a crazy uncle, a real one? I want to lock him up in the attic, feed him fish heads, and poke him with a stick. Your article is great Paul! I think that a lot of people can relate to this. I know that we have all been in the kiddy pool at times in life, I look forward to the day that I can be sailing on the ocean blue!
Keep Writing!
Chad Andrew
Posted by Chad Andrew | Posted at 03/12/2009 12:24 PMWhoa - you really have a way with words!! Great writing Paul!! Loved your article - laughed all the way through it until it home with me and my fears (snakes in a dark basement always did me in - YIKES!!) Keep writing - you have a real gift of honesty & humor that the world needs, especially in these times. PS How's my radio/alarm clock? Posted by Jackie Griesemer | Posted at 03/12/2009 3:53 PM
Flippin' hysterical!
Paul, what's really frightening is being out here in the deep water with Him and looking like hell in a swim suit!
Kelly
Posted by diatasso | Posted at 03/12/2009 6:19 PMI'm at the end of my 20's having just turned 29 and I feel I can relate to this. Navigating the last decade wasn't always easy but God was faithful. And I think that even when we let God down, or at least let ourselves down, he has a wonderful store of Grace that he freely dispenses, and that is why he wants us to think of him as a Father (as much fun as it would be to have an uncle locked upstairs and poke him with a stick!). 2 Timothy 2:11-14 Posted by Andrew | Posted at 03/15/2009 1:14 AM
Paul, I am also 25 years into this thing called life. As graduation from grad school looms 2 months on the horizon with no job in sight, I too am terrified that I may not have what it takes. With my beautiful, yet unfortunately laid-off, wife of 10 months by my side, I really want someone to cover me in blankets. I am petrified with the fear of not being able to make it, especially now that my life is not solely my own. This article resonates deeply with my place in life and provoked some very challenging questions about my faith in the One that I so deeply want to call my Father. THANKS! Posted by Brandon | Posted at 03/17/2009 3:09 PM
Paul, you are a gifted writer. I loved your honesty and humor. As I look back at my own journey of faith, I am glad that I am reaching into my late 40's having the 20 and 30 somethings behind me, totally and completely locking that "Crazy Uncle" never to come back into my world, I can truly say that He has been with me all those years when I've been diving into the world, catching me and putting me back on my feet again and again. I believe you've already jumped and He has caught you. Thank you for this article Posted by MiKee Oh Falicia | Posted at 03/17/2009 6:05 PM
Well-said! Thanks for making me laugh and for making me think. Posted by Katie Hardeman | Posted at 03/17/2009 9:18 PM
How refreshing to read and relate to what I myself and many people in their 20's are experiencing. I am encouraged that I am not the only one scared to take that plunge in the pool. I actually remember as a child being nervous to jump off the diving board and watching every other kid, including friends, enjoying the experience. Until one day, I resolved to jump off the diving board. The line was always so long, so once I got on the board, there was no turning back. I jumped. And then maybe jumped 10 more times that same day. Then within a month, me and about three other people were the only ones doing backflips off the board. It was the best summer EVER!!
So, JUMP! And then keep jumping. We have no idea what we could be missing out on. And jumping into God's pool of promise is way better than any floating devices I'm sure. :)
Posted by Kinisha | Posted at 03/18/2009 1:07 AMthanks for sharing these thoughts. I'll be washing my car by hand now and never swimming with you again. In all seriousness though - keep preaching. Posted by Brent | Posted at 03/18/2009 10:20 AM
Paul. I liked it! I can relate. Even when things are going great in life it's hard to take that plung into the deep end. Keep writing buddy! MD Posted by Matt Douglas | Posted at 03/22/2009 9:24 AM
The problem may not be jumping but we've been convinced that jumping is getting out of our comfort zone and by cracky joining that choir or coming to the work days on Saturday. Maybe jumping won't look like church stuff at all. I have a "horse theology" tale on my blog that talks about crossing the line. Will I ever nimblewillsgrace.blogspot.com Posted by Mike Brown | Posted at 03/27/2009 10:34 AM