Out with the old, in with the new

Today is Dec 31, 2010, New Year's Eve.

Like many people do, I like to take this day to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. I haven't posted a lot in the past few days, but that doesn't mean that I haven't thought about posting. Lord willing, I hope to do a series of posts under this same title. So far I have 6 posts in mind. These will focus on reviewing the past year and looking forward to 2011. I will talk about New Year's resolutions in general, my personal resolutions in general, as well as some family resolutions.

This post will focus on 2010, almost like a Wentz Christmas card, if you know what I mean. :)


There was a lot that happened in 2010. Some of these are more like one-time events, some are spread out over weeks and months. Here are some highlights:

1. Stephanie's job was moved to Athens in mid-January. This was a long time coming. UGA bought the Toccoa tv station in Oct 2008 and gradually moved operations to Athens. When her job was moved to the basement of the Grady College of Journalism, it meant she (we) had to commute an hour each way. This became a challenge, especially when dropping off and picking up Katelyn from daycare and getting to Justin's sporting events. Stephanie's parents helped out a lot on picking up Katelyn during those months.

2. Stephanie and I had a teenager in the house on Feb 23, 2010. Justin turned 13 and was finally allowed a facebook account. I'm pretty sure that of all the things he enjoyed about his birthday this was his favorite.


3. Justin made the tennis team for Stephens County in February. Having never really played tennis much, he really enjoyed playing for the school. He perfected a serve that causes the ball to have english (spin) after it lands that he's proud of.

4. We put our house up for sale in April. After much thought, prayers, and a whole lot of Saturday work to get the house ready to sell (going back to the fall of 2009), we put our house on the market.

5. In April, I went to T4G. I went with my good friends Paul and Ross to Louisville, KY for Together for the Gospel (T4G). This actually happened the day that Stephanie and I signed the contract for our house to be put on the market. I've read many of the books of the speakers and they have taught a great deal to me in the Lord. There were more than 7000 of us there to worship. It's not that I love the main speakers so much, it's that they are serving the same God I serve and are faithful to preaching His word, pointing away from themselves and toward Him. The messages and fellowship were great and they gave away a ton of books. Each time we came back to our seats there were more books waiting for us. There were many highlights of the trip included some interesting conversations with gas station attendants. One of my favorite was meeting John Piper. I'll never forget it.



6. Katelyn graduated from the pre-k program at Precious Minutes. We were very proud of her as she wore her cap and gown and walked across the stage. She's growing up very quickly. Her mommy cried, even though she said she wouldn't.


7. Summer vacation camping trips. This year we went camping at different times throughout the year. We really enjoy our camper. The kids enjoy the open space and we even enjoy being cramped in our little camper, playing games and spending "quality" time together. We included our dog Daisy in the trips at the end of the season. We were able to get a used Jet-ski in the fall of 2009 and enjoyed playing on the water with it this year.




8. We bought a home in Jefferson at the end of June. We thought that we were going to move to Athens early on, but we kept being led to the Jefferson area. There was a lot factoring into that decision: good schools, close to churches, within 25 minutes of Athens, good housing market, close to I-85, and still within 50 minutes of both sets of parents. We moved over July 4th weekend, with enough time to get settled in before school started in August. This also allowed Katelyn to get used to the Jefferson Recreation Department's day camp, where she goes after school until we pick her up. Jefferson has been great, while it's growing it still has that small town feel.

9. Justin changed schools from Stephens County to Jefferson City. This was one of the things that was heavy on our mind. Justin has really enjoyed changing schools. He has made some new friends and is doing really great, just as he did in Stephens County. When we walked into the school on orientation night, there were a few cute girls from FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) that flocked to him and got him signed up for their club. That probably helped the transition.

10. Justin made the Jefferson Middle School football team. Having not made the team in Stephens County on a team that went 1-6 the year before, he made the team on the Jefferson Middle School that went 9-0 the year before. He had a great year at wide receiver and they finished 5-2.


11. Katelyn started kindergarten. At Jefferson Elementary, they are required to wear uniforms, which I really like. Their shirts are red, blue, or white polo shirts, and khaki or blue pants/skirts/shorts. While there have been a few notes home, mainly for talking (imagine that), she has done extremely well. She's reading words now and has even read two books to us.


12. Katelyn lost her first tooth in August. While we had been working on it for a while, it eventually came out while she was eating an apple by herself. I was outside talking to a neighbor and she came out with tooth in hand, smiling from ear to ear.


13. Katelyn started dance at Broadway Arts Center. She had been in a daycare dance program, but this one is a professional dance studio. That's her up front and to the left.



14. Our 'little flock' small group. Throughout the year we had a small group that met on Wednesday nights and Sunday evenings while we were visiting churches on Sunday mornings in areas that we might potentially move. Our family along with two other families, totaling 12 in all, went though two books of the bible verse-by-verse together and had numerous other studies and fellowships. This was a sweet time for us. Our beloved Pastor Ross accepted a position with Grace Community Church in Wisconsin. The Layne family remained open to a call to go wherever the Lord would send them. When a call came from Wisconsin, they were a little pessimistic at first. The church continued to pursue Ross and they even flew him up for the weekend to preach and spend time with the church family, having narrowed down their search to 4 potential pastors. The calling became more clear as time went on and they offered him the position. We helped their family move, with tears in our eyes. This picture was from our last fellowship at Pizza Hut during the last part of their move. His daughter Ariail was in Wisconsin in school staying with her Grandma at this time. We miss their whole family.


15. Justin made the basketball team at Jefferson Middle. Having not played basketball in any organized fashion before, Justin tried out for and made the basketball team. He has learned a lot about the game and continues to do well.


16. Our church exploration. This year we've had the opportunity to visit many, many churches as we were seeking the Lord's guidance on a new church home. These visits started in Athens, where we were initially looking to move, but moved toward Jefferson and the surrounding areas later on. Before we visited the churches, I did lots of research on them and met most of the pastors for lunch or coffee. First, let me say that there a ton of churches out there and many them are not good. That being said, there are a good many churches out there that are very good. Each of the churches that we visited were a little different. Some were more traditional with an organ and a choir. Others were more contemporary with drums and a guitar. To some we wore dress pants and button-down shirts, while to others we wore jeans or shorts and a polo shirt. We were given a good look into the landscape of churches and it really helped drive home that musical style and dress really matter very little in looking for a church home.

17. Our new church home. After lots of prayer and visits we decided to join New Branch Community Church, www.newbranchchurch.org. New Branch has around 100 official members and around 150-200 attending. They are very clear on the Gospel, and having the main thing remain the main thing. They are very sound in preaching and their children's and youth program is excellent. Justin was able to go with the youth to Panama City Beach and an inter-Atlanta apartment mission project in the summer and a camping retreat titled "Fixate" in the fall. Stephanie was able to go to a women's retreat in the fall as well. We are most of the way through the membership process, the only thing remaining is an informal interview with the Elders of the church. Which is one of the things I enjoy at New Branch, because membership really matters.


I told you that a lot happened in 2010.

The birth of a child

I remember when both Justin and Katelyn were born. I remember thinking though the miracle of life. That a person was formed in another person and brought into this world. How amazing!

It was both exciting and scary at the same time in the delivery room. Most people usually see the cleaned up pictures of the new baby wrapped in a blanket, sleeping quietly. What they tend to forget is that it was really messy in the delivery room. Those who have been there know what I'm talking about. There's a reason why it takes a while before family and friends can see the new addition to the family. There's lots of cleaning to be done. At this point you're probably thinking, boy Kris really has gone off topic now. With tomorrow being Christmas I want us to think back through the real mess when Jesus was born.

Most know that He was born in Bethlehem in a stable/barn/manger type setting. Not exactly your sterile equipment that you see in delivery rooms. There were animals around and well....you know what animals tend to do. The delivery room for Jesus was quite messy. But think deeper with me. This was only part of the mess. Jesus left His Father in heaven where there is no sin or evil present and perfect love is shown and came to earth where sin runs rampant, evil is seen around every corner and love is corrupted and abused. God who can not tolerate a hint of sin entered into our world. Now that's messy. Maybe you think that you don't need a God who does this, but for those whose lives are messy, Jesus has came into this mess called life. The Christmas story is not just about Him being born, it must be seen with the Cross in view. After being born, he lived a perfect life, died a perfect death, and was raised to life for those who would believe in Him, whose lives are indeed messy. We can clean the mess up after the delivery room, but there's a bigger mess that we can't clean up, our sin.

I love to think about when Justin and Katelyn were born. I continually thank God for them. If I do this for my own kids, how much more should I thank Him for His Son.

Merry Christmas!

If Jesus was born in 2010

This shows what would happen if Jesus was born in 2010 with all of the technological advancements we have now. Although I say advancements, I remember when things were a lot simpler before cell phones. :)

Enjoy!



This one is a little more meaningful and displays some human element.

The fun week we've had

I thought it would be good to give you an update on how much fun our family has had this pask week or so. There's a lot going around, and our family caught some of it.

On Friday, Dec 10th, Katelyn's throat was hurting. Stephanie took her to the doctor and they said she had strep...this is the second time this year. Thankfully, we were able to get the antibiotic and she was doing great in about a day. As long as there's not a fever and she's been on the antibiotic she could return to school on Monday. Well, Monday afternoon she had to be picked up from school because her stomach was hurting and she had a small fever. We decided that even though she was fine Monday night, we would keep her home on Tuesday. She was fine on Wednesday, back at school as normal. Justin didn't practice basketball on Tuesday because he felt bad and had a small fever. On Wednesday, he didn't have a fever, but had a headache. Well, he woke up Thursday morning with a fever of 102 degrees. Stephanie took him to the doctor...flu. He had some of his finals on Wednesday, but was unable to take his Math and Science that was scheduled on Thursday. He'll have to take them either before or after school hours after Jan 4th. Bummer. He's doing fine now, no fever, but he does have a bad sounding cough. We're keeping him away from everyone just to be sure. As far as Stephanie and myself, we are good, no illness yet. We have lots of disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer bottles around the house.

Thinking about the sickness we've had this week really caused an article I read lately to hit home. It's from Russell Moore who always writes stuff that makes you think and challenges you. He asks the question "Did Jesus ever get a stomach virus?". I remember thinking about this question a few years ago. I've posted the article below for you to read and reflect on.

I hope you enjoy the article!


Did Jesus Ever Get a Stomach Virus?
— Sunday, December 12th, 2010 —
Last week a friend called my office to leave a question she wanted some help thinking through. Could Jesus have gotten a stomach virus? Or the flu? Or a head cold? This question was rooted in something a little deeper. Since sickness is part of the curse of the Fall, would Jesus’ sinless nature have exempted him from viruses and bugs and fevers?

That night one of my sons woke us, crying as the stomach virus hit with all the unpleasantness that brings. As I watched his little frame tremble as he vomited, I thought about this woman’s question. Would Mary have ever watched her little firstborn in the throes of such sickness?

Why is it so hard for us to imagine Jesus vomiting?

First of all, it’s hard for us to imagine the radical nature of the Incarnation. No matter how orthodox our doctrine, we all tend to want to think of Jesus as a two-dimensional figure with a shaft of light squarely fixed on his forehead. But the gospel tells us that Jesus took on every aspect of our “flesh and blood” in order to redeem us from the power of the devil (Heb. 2:14-15).

The Scripture repeatedly makes a point of telling us about Jesus’ exhaustion, about his digestion of food, in order to make the point that our Christ really identified with us in every aspect of our common humanity, except for our sin (Heb. 4:15).

The very beginning of the Christ story itself tells us that part of the sign of the Messiah is that he is wrapped in cloths (Lk. 2:12). Why do you wrap cloths around a baby? For the same reason you might diaper your baby, or wrap her up in a blanket. The point is to keep the baby warm, and to keep him dry from waste. This signifies from the very beginning just how much Jesus is our brother, sharing with us a human nervous system and a human digestive system.

It’s also hard for us to imagine the radical nature of substitution. Of course, we understand Jesus’ suffering for us on the Cross. But the Cross was culmination, not the beginning of Jesus’ identification with us. Jesus walked into a world fallen with sin, a world cursed by thorns, death, and, yes, sickness. Though Jesus clearly had power of sickness in his healing ministry, and over death itself, he voluntarily joined us in a world of suffering and pain, for the purpose of offering up a sacrifice and restoring human peace with God and nature.

“For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering,” writes the Book of Hebrews (Heb. 2:9). “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became a source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (Heb. 5:9).

This is why Jesus weathered the suffering of temptation. This is why he hungered and thirsted. This is why he experienced the death and desertion of friends. This is why he shuddered in blood-soaked anguish at Gethsemane at the prospect of his execution. And this is why he was beaten, humiliated, and spiked through with nails. Jesus was exempt from no aspect of our human condition, except for our rebellion. He was not exempt from something as common as sickness.

It just doesn’t seem right to us to imagine Jesus feverish or vomiting. But that’s precisely the scandal. It didn’t seem right to many to imagine Jesus as really flesh and bone, filled with blood and intestines and urine. Somehow that seemed to detract from his deity. It surely didn’t seem right to many to imagine the only begotten of the Father twisting in pain on a crucifixion stake, screaming as he drowned in his own blood. This was humiliating, undignified. That’s just the point. Jesus joined us in our humiliation, in our indignity.

I hope you don’t get a stomach virus this year, or the flu or the fever or a cold. But, if you do, I hope you remember, just for a minute, in your discomfort that Jesus has passed through everything you’ll ever face. He might have been racked with nausea or chills or aches, just as you are. And then he faced far, far worse.

But, as you lie there, remember the gospel of incarnation and substitution, a gospel that comes, as the old song says, to make his blessings known “far as the curse is found.”

North Point's iBand

This is for all you techies out there! :)

How good of a Theologian are you?

Do you realize that you are a theologian? Yes, you are. Do you have thoughts about God? Then you are a theologian? You think that God doesn't exist, you're still a theologian, whether you want to admit it or not, your thoughts about God is that he doesn't exist. So if you're a believer in Christ, an agnostic, an atheist or whatever, you're still a theologian.

Although this video is also a book promo, it really hits home what I'm trying to say. I do commend the book, but more than that I commend thinking through how good of a theologian you are and the implications that means for your life:

"Your Hands" by J.J. Heller

Beautiful song. Beautiful voice.



I am so thankful that I am in His hands. If you are going through a rough time right now, I hope this song will help.

Middle School Basketball

I remember playing basketball growing up. We had a backboard nailed to a tree where we lived. I think my dad put it up at 11 feet when it was supposed to be 10 ft. Either way, I was happy to have one. We eventually got another hoop opposite of the one on the tree. It was an adjustable one, which meant that I could lower the basket and dunk on it. I didn't listen to my dad (one of the many times I didn't) when he said to let the concrete dry before playing. I had given it some time to dry, but not enough. I had to dunk the ball, which meant the goal was leaning forward a little when the concrete finally set. But I didn't care it was still awesome. I got a NCAA mini-basketball from Pizza Hut and I was the next Michael Jordan. Even better, having both hoops meant that I had a full court. All that on an uneven gravel road. I remember playing there till there was no light left. Then my dad installed a light where I could play longer. I don't know how many hours I played there, but it was a lot. Aw, the good ole days. That brings me to what I really want to talk about: Middle School Basketball.

Justin is playing for Jefferson Middle School this year. They had their first game on Wednesday night and they won. It was not a pretty win, but it was a win.

Before his game started, I had the privilege of watching the girls middle school team finish up their game before the boys took the floor. I say privilege because it was a unique experience. I have heard that watching middle school girls basketball was torture, so I was ready for the experience. It actually wasn't that bad. Sure there were a lot of air balls and the dribbling wasn't the best, but those girls were passionate. There was a lot of going after the ball, driving to the hoop and wrestling on the floor over loose balls. I later noticed a Jefferson girl entering the gym with an eye patch and her teammates running over to greet her. Apparently, she had been injured in the game, went to get medical attention and then returned. Hard Core stuff!

The boys game was good. The Jefferson boys played hard. Some of their play was sloppy, but then again, it was 13-14 year old boys, so what do you expect. Justin did well in the time that he was in the game.

Katelyn did well too. There were no drink and no snacks and she made it through the event without having to be taken elsewhere for a 'talkin to'. She did have to make a trip to the restroom, but we all did, so that's ok. What occupied most of her time was taking pictures with Stephanie's cell phone. I'm not sure how many it can hold, but I think we may have found out on Wednesday. Next time we'll be prepared with snacks and a coloring book.

The interesting part was the emotions going on in the building. You had the coach of the other team screaming at the ref, so much so that we could him crystal clear sometimes. That almost resulted in him being ejected, he was warned sternly by the female official. You had the players who were up and down depending on how they were doing. You also had the angry parents who let everyone know what was on their mind. We heard "how could you call that, you weren't even looking that way", "why didn't you call the hug on the other player", and other taunts from behind and beside us. I wonder how many calls the same parents overlooked that their boys did. It's easy to see a fault in someone else, but difficult to see your own. Overall, I think the ref's did a pretty good job. Of course, we won the game, if we lost I might not say the same thing. ;)

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

Racism, part 2

After the last post on racism, I thought I needed to go a little deeper with our tendencies on how we handle the issue of racism. I greatly appreciate the feedback that you gave both publicly on the blog and privately through e-mail. It you have not read the post, you can here: http://kris-harrison.blogspot.com/2010/11/racism.html

One of my goals for this blog is to help us think through how we think. To allow the Lord to penetrate our hearts and reveal who we really are, and to see a glimpse of who He is. If you're not a Christian I hope that you will still read my posts. You can feel free to disagree and to exchange your views with me. Maybe you can help me see where you're coming from. If you are a Christian you can feel free to disagree with me as well.

With that being said, I want to probe racism a bit deeper and try to see how the Gospel relates to how we look at racism specifically in some who engage in relationships of a different ethnic background and our reaction to those who exhibit signs of racism.

1) Seeking approval in relationships for the wrong reason and the gospel's response

The first thing I want to throw out is that many who engage in relationships with people from a different ethnic background or color do so for the wrong reason. Please don't assume that if you have in the past or are currently in a relationship that fits this description that I am talking to you. I have no one in particular in mind, I'm only thinking through what some have done. It would be dangerous to assume that this is the case when it's not.

This person might not be getting the attention they think they deserve or they need. This same type of attitude will follow for a girl (sorry to pick on the girls) who dresses provocatively simply to attract guys. If you have to undress in order to get attention then you are seeking the wrong attention. In the same way if you have to 'shock' your family, friends, or other people by a relationship with someone of a different ethnic background then you have a heart problem. This comes down to seeking the approval of others. When you don't get that approval you either look for it elsewhere and often you seek to hurt those whose approval you don't get. Notice that this is actually less about race and more about the person themselves, race gets inserted and makes it more obvious because of our sin. Don't think that there needs to be a race difference for this scenario to hold true, it's just easier to see when brought to light.

How does the gospel solve this problem?
The gospel says that you will never receive the approval you need in someone else. You will always be let down. Your friends and family have issues just like you do, whether they admit it or not. The person who seeks this approval is searching for someone who will love them, often this love is at the expense of the ones who hurt them: their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, mom, or dad, the love and acceptance that they were seeking to gain. The gospel says that you are approved by God when you repent of your sin and trust in the work of His Son on the cross. If someone is seeking approval through any other means they are trying to earn love. You can not earn God's approval, it is freely given to those who trust in His Son. The problem is that our sin stands in the way. God will not approve of you because your sin separates you from Him. That's why Jesus came to earth and died. The person who is seeking acceptance from another relationship by clinging to or running from someone will only find it in Christ. Sure, you may find someone who loves you and accepts you, but they will fall short. Jesus is the only one who will never let you down.


2) If you're not racist do you think you are better than the person who is?

As I said in my first point, it holds true here too, I'm not thinking of anyone in particular. If I am thinking of someone who this applies to, it's me. It's easy for those who attempt to view others equally to look down on those who show signs of racism. True, it is sad that some people are that way both in their thoughts and actions, but this should cause us to weep, not to look down on them as if we are more superior. If we feel superior then we are actually doing the same thing we are accusing them of, only instead of color we are using different means to justify us. We're not 'better' than someone simply because God has allowed us to see things a little more clearly. We each have serious flaws (sin) that makes us undeserving of God's Grace. If racism is not one of those flaws, and I would think that in one degree or another it is, then what other flaws do you have?

3) Who needs Jesus more?

Now specifically for the Christian: If your response to the person who you think exhibits the signs of racism is "that person needs Jesus more than me" then you have just proved that the opposite is true. For the believer to think that someone else needs their sin exposed and to repent more than themselves has a small view of their own sin and a small view of the Holiness of God who cannot tolerate sin. If you think that you "did that" (repenting of your sin, trusting in Christ) years ago and that you are ok now, then you need a fresh awareness of the price that your sin cost God, the death of His Son. I pray that if you are a believer then you will increasingly see how much of a sinner you truly are and how Holy God truly is. When seen in this light you will not only see how helpless and hopeless you are apart from Him, but you will also see how loving, gracious, and merciful He is in saving you.

Both of these posts on Racism point to the fact that to me this world is not my home.