Let's Be Honest: Hipsters edition

Lets be honest, hipsters aren’t doing anything new.  They are taking older trends, often associated with blue collar or classic traditions, and making them new again.

I recently had students accuse me of being a hipster because of my full, thick, glorious beard, and I was wearing a beanie, black rimmed glasses, and a plaid shirt.  I stated that I’ve actually been wearing this since I was in high school, granted my beard has only come in nice thick and glorious in the last decade or so.  

I've been wearing these type of glasses since Junior High, which was way before they were hip, and I  recently found out at 40, I'm protected against agism by the ADEA, BUT we do use essential oils, and beard balms. We do prefer the organic, crafted, and artisanal, to the mass produced foods and beverages and lets not forget we do live in an ’83 Airstream.

 I guess by these standards we are hipsteresque. Truthfully, the idea is genius, taking something old and antiquated and making it seem new and cool. 

But it's not a new concept… in fact Let’s be honest, this is what God has done for us, look at 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

 The old is new in Christ. No matter where you’ve been, what you’ve done, the truth is, there is no longer condemnation in his name.  Once you’ve made Christ, lord of your life, you are now a new creation.  

 Let’s be honest, trends fade, the "vintage" fashions will one day become old-fashioned, and the antiques will once again become antiquated. 

BUT when you’ve made Christ your life, the new is forever.

Let's Be Honest about being a parent!

Let's be honest, I'm no cusser, but parenting makes me want to be sometimes.  Supermom looks like she's got it all together at Walmart, but after 6 soccer matches and ballet, she's hitting communion pretty hard.  Crap, I don't EVER look like I've got it together at the grocery store.  People think I have turrets or I'm speaking in tongues, because I try to yell without yelling through clinched teeth. You know what I'm talking about. There are times we can't figure out if our kids are ADHD, or they have hearing loss, and of our neighbors think we are all hard of hearing.

But we keep plugging along.  We love our bundles of joy.  They bring us joy, laughter, tears, growth, but let's be honest, sometimes all the bring us is a big ole headache.

Parenting isn't for the weak and there are some of you saying, we chose to be parents and for that reason you don't get to complain.  I call bull, for that very reason I get to complain, and granted it's not even a complaint, it's just a statement of fact, but what's hard is not what you'd think.

It's not about changing diapers, or cleaning up vomit at 2am.  It's not even when you feel ignored or disrespected. It's about when you go to sleep at night, and you pray that you lived out Proverbs 22:6.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not stray from it.

It isn't showing restrain or patience. It's hoping that when your children look back on their lives they don't see their mom as being stressed or frustrated, or that daddy was goofy, and angry.

The hardest part about being a parents is hoping that every aspect of your life reflected Christ.

Let's be honest, parenting is crazy hard, but be encouraged that you are not alone in this endeavor.  God has given you the skills, and the gifting to handle it.  In the hard times, look to Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

 Or Matthew 6:34

Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day, has enough trouble of it's own.

In our worry, and frustration we need to not look in ourselves but to God.  Your children are still going to go crazy in the grocery store.  They will still be able to tune you out 3 inches away from them.

But let's be honest, we wouldn't trade them for the world.