What does it mean to find the fool?

A lot of people have asked me why I call my blog Finding the Fool. They point out that scripture refers to a fool as someone who truly does not believe in God, and that Christ said that we shouldn't all anyone a fool.

These statements are true, however, I look at the term from another vantage point. In 2 Samuel chapter 6 there is a great story about being foolish, you see, David is bringing the ark of the covenant back into Israel where it belongs. As he and his people are bring the ark into the city David is singing and dancing unabashedly before the Lord his God. When David returns to his home his wife Michal (Saul's daughter) is there and she puts David down for his actions...


“How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”


...I can't help but LOVE David's response...


“I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. ²² Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!”


...David's response to Michal is the very core of what finding the fool is all about. David was the king of Israel, the most powerful man in the world at the time, rich beyond compare and he did not care if he looked foolish when it was in relationship to worshipping his God. David had found the fool!


My prayer for my life and others is that we would put aside what the world thinks about us. That we would stop caring about our image, but instead that our only concern would be how God see's us. That we would be willing to look like a fool in the eyes of the world if means we are truly giving ourselves over in worship to the creator of the universe.


Please join me as we find the fool!

Blessed are those that mourn

What does it mean to mourn? Today I think I understand what Jesus was talking about in the sermon on the mount when He said "blessed are those that mourn." I don't think He was talking about mourning in the sense that we know it, in the sense of heartache because of the loss of a loved one. I think it is relating to the true pain of others. Let me explain!

Today I found out two things, one was in relationship to a person and the other an entire group of people. In both instances I am emotionally vested. And as I received the information that I did my heart began to ache, my stomach tied up in a knot and I got a lump in my throat. I can't stop thinking about these two situations, they have emotionally and spiritually overtaken me. THAT is what I believe Christ meant when He used the term mourn. It is feeling the true pain that others are going through. It is hurting alongside someone. It hurts....it down right sucks...but it is what we are suppose to do as the children of God. If we can't FEEL the pain of others, if we can't hurt with and for them, then how on earth are we going to help them.

Lord, thank you for listening to my ramblings, I pray that you would teach all of us how to mourn in a way that blesses you. Amen!

God's Will

I wonder how often we really seek God's will? As I was reading through 2 Samuel the other day I was struck by one small verse in the second chapter.

"In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The LORD said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the LORD answered."


As I read this I had to ask myself "do I seek God's will that much".......I mean really, for David it wasn't enough to know that God wanted him to go to Judah, he wanted to know specifically which town in Judah God wanted him to go to. David was seeking God's will in the small details not just the big. How often to we as Christians (and believe me, there is a big I in that we) pray for God's will on the BIG things and then say "Thanks God, I've got it from here". When was the last time I asked God's will about a purchase I was going to make or a small decision I was going to make? And what would life look like if we truly sought AND obeyed God's will with everything we do?

Food for thought!

Love Songs

I am what you might consider a hopeless romantic. I dream of walking the streets of Italy hand in hand with my bride, gazing into each others eyes, lost in a moment that we would remember forever. As such I have often felt disappointed with "Love Songs" written by most Christian artists. There are a few that I like but for the most part I feel they lack (and I don't mean this in a "dirty" way) the sensuality of what true love really is. They miss the longing that Solomon wrote about in Song of Solomon, all in all they just leave me flat. That being said......I often will write songs for my or about my wife because I can never find a song on the radio (Christian or not) that truly reflects my love for her.

So without further ado I give you a new song that I have written for my lovely dream girl. Enjoy!!

Me Rambling

How much do I miss because I am busy, because I am so focused on what needs to get done and not what is happening around me? To be honest, I don't know and I am sure I am missing things every second of everyday. That being said, I am not going to focus on the things I am missing....the "what if's" (had a huge conversation about those with my daughter). I am going to focus on what I do get to experience. For example, yesterday I just sat in my chair and watched my children all afternoon. I watched my oldest son sit for 3 hours and play with play-doh yesterday (if you know my oldest, then you know that that is truly an answer to prayer). I watched my middle son just being his funny little self and I can tell you I laughed and laughed watching that little guy. I sat with my daughter and watched the video of Sundays worship at ParkSide and I sang songs to my baby boy to make him smile and laugh. It was amazing, surreal, exciting, soul warming...And as I type this now....I wonder if maybe by focusing on these moments and trying to enjoy them for them beautiful fleeting moment they are that I will begin to be more aware of these moments when they are happening and through that I will end up missing less and less of the special moments.

Striving

What are we striving for? Is it comfort, security, long life? And why are we striving for these things? Sometimes I sit and think about the fact that I waste SO much time striving for insignificant things, things that do nothing for me on a long term basis, things that do not store up treasures in heaven. So, why why why why why do I strive for them? Because my focus is not where it should be, my focus is not on God (at least not like it should be).

You see, what I am coming to realize is that the more I strive for God, for knowing Him, for loving Him, for obeying Him. The less I have to worry about anything else. The more I seek after Him the less I desire the things I was striving for before. And why is that? Because, God is EVERYTHING, or as the song says, He is "more than enough...more than all I want, more than all I need..."

Lord help me, help all of us to strive for You.