austinklee

He’s driven to the hospital hundreds of times in the last 30+ years of ministry.  He has spent time with people as they have taken their final breath.  He has worked through the grief process with countless numbers of families.

I have often said that while I think my dad is a great preacher and teacher, his greatest gift is the ability he has to be at his best when others are at their worst.  I have seen him comfort small children, teens, adults, and senior citizens alike with just the right words at the right time.

He helps families determine funeral arrangements, pick out caskets, meet with funeral home directors, and with their grief and pain.

Yesterday my dad took a very different drive to the hospital.  He drove 8 hours to Chattanooga, TN.  This time it was his mother that was dying, he was the one losing a family member, he was the one that needed to start grieving.  This time he is helping his own father pick out a casket, make arrangements, and plan a funeral.

This time it is our family that will be grieving and our family that needs support and love.  And this time my Dad needs someone to be at their best for him.

There are things in life we all want to avoid.  I want to avoid illegal activity, going broke, getting hurt, getting in an accident, and a whole host of other situations.  Lately, however, I have been avoiding something that is completely unavoidable: The declining health of my grandparents.

I turn 30 later this year and until a couple of years ago I thought it was normal that I had all four of my grandparents still living on their own.  (Well, for that matter, living in general.) I had no idea that this wasn’t normal…it’s what I lived my whole life.  I guess deep down I knew that one day I would have to deal with declining health, but that would probably be a long way off.

My paternal Grandmother has now been in a care facility for around 100 days.  I visited her there just after the first of the year with my parents, brother, and Courtney.  I didn’t say much that day.  Truth be told it was the first time I had to think about the eventual loss of one of my grandparents.

I have been avoiding thinking about it ever since.

Do you ever avoid things in your life?  Unpleasant things that you know you have to deal with…but put off?  Do you think (like me) that maybe if I put it out of mind…it won’t happen?

Well, it’s Easter week and that means Jesus is popping up all over the place this week. There are TV specials, email chains, more Jesus tweets than on an average week, and now a Jesus video game.  So, I was looking around on LikeCool and ran across a Jesus video game.  Here is a YouTube video of the game:

(If you are reading this on Facebook, go to austinklee.com to see the video.)

Not sure that I like how it ends with Jesus on the Cross instead of resurected, but an interesting diversion none the less.  If you want to play the game yourself you can play it at the creator’s website.  (Note: Click on the image and hit the space bar to start.)

What do you think about stuff like this?  Sacrilegious or an interesting way to get people to read more about Jesus?  Are you offended that miracles are reduced to “Do Jesus Stuff”?

Sometimes you think you got it…whatever that “it” is in your life. For me its the written word. Yesterday I could have written an entire novel and today I can barely put two sentences together. Its not writer’s block. Its just that all of the sentences I have are lacking the “it” factor. That intangible quality that makes them really rock.

What’s the “it” in your work/life and how do you get “it” back when you lose it?

I am a firm believer that all problems have roots.  Treating the symptom of your problem isn’t going to solve that root issues that causes the problem.  I blogged a little bit about this at the Character Fitness Blog this morning.  Last night a bill was passed in the United State House of Representatives that I think ignores the root problem with health care in the United States.

The bill focuses on the cost of health care and that it just isn’t fair that some people cannot afford to pay for insurance, or that they get denied for having a pre-existing condition.  (Notice they haven’t done the same with auto insurance, but you can bet your bottom dollar if I come in with a pre-existing condition of a lot of wrecks I won’t be covered there.  But, I digress)  That isn’t the problem with health care in the United States.  The root of our problem is that we lead un-healthy lives.  There, I said it.  We are an unhealthy country.

We should treat the root problem instead of just treating the cost issues.  This was no more evident than in a tweet I read from @dewde‘s wife, @dewdette:

The problem isn’t that this woman who is pregnant can’t afford health insurance, the problem is that she doesn’t know that its not good for her or her baby to smoke.  (Or she doesn’t care.)  In either case, giving her free heath care will not solve her real problem: She doesn’t know better.

So, you can throw all of the money you want at getting people access to health care for free, but it still doesn’t address the main issue: You have to TEACH them the right things to do.  The money would be much better spent providing everyone with lessons on why your kids shouldn’t eat chicken fingers every night, or why McDonald’s is not “just as good” as cooking at home.  People need to learn that health care, just like education, starts in the home.  You have to choose to be healthy.

The federal government is not doing anyone a favor by putting a band-aid on the health care system.  We have a gaping wound that needs major surgery.

Here’s an ode to my favorite restaurant:

If you can’t see the video please go to austinklee.com.

There is an article in an online-newspaper in Australia today about a woman here in the United States that is taking a different approach to health and fitness than I am.

Apparently she is trying to get to 1,000 lbs.  She needs to eat 12,000 calories per day and restrict how much she moves so she doesn’t lose weight on her way to that interesting goal.

Only in America.

I decided today to really open myself up online.  I am participating in a new way to get fit and be healthy.  The idea is that if you turn it into a game it will spark the competitive nature in all of us to keep our momentum long after we decide to be serious about it.

I was skeptical at first.  When I met Day I thought he was going to be just like all of the other trainers I met in Atlanta.  I thought he was going to talk about things you have to do, things you can’t do anymore, and tell me how horrible I was as a human for not being in the gym all the time. (more…)

Courtney and I are moving out of our apartment and into a house.  A 3 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom,1 Car Garage house.  We are not buying the house, just renting it for a couple of years.  To us, however, its OUR house.

I am not sure what it is about moving that get me all excited.  Probably, its the fact that I get to throw out a bunch of stuff.  Courtney is a keeper of stuff.  (Not like on Hoarders, but she doesn’t like to throw a lot of stuff away.)  I on the other hand don’t keep anything.

Chances are that if you mailed me a card I read it and tossed it immediately.  (Yes, even you, Mom.)  I loved the sentiment and I am truly grateful that you sent me a note, but I just don’t feel like keeping a card that I know I won’t read again.  I throw out clothes that I haven’t worn, old computer cables and cords, I don’t even keep magazines more than a couple of months.

I like moving because I can start over.  I can get rid of all the crap that has built up and start fresh.  But, moving is hard.  I have to go through everything and pack it up, load it in a truck, move it to the new house, and then unpack it all.

I kind of think sin is like moving.  Its good to get rid of the sin in your life.  Praying and asking forgiveness for your sins is great, but that’s not the hard part.  The hard part is getting to the point that you are willing to admit your sin.

Just as hard as it is for Courtney to throw away old Christmas cards, its hard for me to bring my sin before God.  I have to choose it, he won’t do it for me.  Its not fun…but in the end I get a fresh start.

I just wish I would listen to myself more often.