Oxymoron of the Day; Friendly Fire

I have learned through my years something which probably won't come as any great revelation to you. I don't share it here because I expect it is, but sometimes I think we forget this truth, and it's worth remembering.

A sure fire barometer for me that I'm zeroing in on spiritual significance and being in the center of God's will is sniper fire from the enemy. Snipers tend to choose spots in strategic locations, and are adept at concealing their position through camouflage. Most people hit by sniper fire never knew what hit them, or from which direction it came.

I take it as a good sign that bullets are flying my way because it tells me that I'm a threat. If I'm no threat, the enemy will simply let me wander aimlessly without a peep. Why risk getting me upset at the enemy and getting back on track when my course is so off that I'm doing him a favor as it is.

In the past week or so, I've found myself blindsided a couple different times. The interesting thing is, it has been by people I never would have expected.

Camouflage.

The enemy knows exactly where I'm vulnerable. I'm not going to be swayed by drugs. I'm not going to be swayed by gambling. Where I'm vulnerable is in the area of relationships. Any kind of relationships. I hate broken relationships. Misunderstandings and hurt feelings rip me up. I can hardly focus on the tasks before me when there is friction with someone I care about. And with that goes reputation. One misunderstanding that gets spread around by gossip can absolutely devastate a reputation and credibility.

I had a conversation just last week with a new friend of mine. Within the last year, his world has been rocked by betrayal in the most significant relationship two people can have. Through this, some of his other relationships took a serious hit because people didn't want to get in the middle, or they perceived there were bigger issues than they were equipped to handle...or whatever their reasoning was. In the meantime, lives were damaged, and relationships injured almost to the point of being irreconcilable.

It's sad that people turn against others with whom they had previously been so close. I've never been married, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I have seen so many divorcees whose exes have gone so far out of their way to make life miserable for their former spouses. Whether it's withholding financial obligations, fighting over material possessions, custody, or just any other trump card one holds over the other. I've never been able to wrap my brain around that, and I don't expect I ever will.

I am so thankful for the series we're currently going through in the Man Cave. Just this week, Gary laid out five actions within the Man Cave:

• We don't bury our wounded in the Man Cave (Galatians 6:1)
• We don't ignore, but carry one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
• We never make it all about us in the Man Cave (Galatians 6:3)
• We never judge another in the Man Cave (Galations 6:4)
• We do all the work in the Man Cave (Galatians 6:5)

One particular quote from last Wednesday night's message that has stuck with me was the following:

"We don't stab each other in the back in the Man Cave. We have each other's backs!"

I have to tell you, that is a comforting thought. I don't expect that 100% of the guys will be perfect on these issues, but the standard has been set. Not by any man, but by God. None of us are perfect, and none of us can cast the first stone. Each of us have needed grace in our lives, and just as much, we need to extend it.

There is no such thing as "friendly fire" in the church.

update: I want to be sure it's clear that the two things I referred to this week as being "blindsided" are all resolved with some direct communication. All is well. It was just unneeded drama that was taken care of my much-needed communication.

Things That Have Happened Since My Last Trip To Disneyland

I have not been to Disneyland since 1996. If I sound bitter...I am. In considering that time span, I began to recollect some of the significant things that happened in 1996, and since I last visited The Happiest Place On Earth. I submit to you my incomplete list. Feel free to add to it.

This is cheap therapy.

1. Bill Clinton defeated Bob Dole for the Presidency in 1996
2. Not one, or even two...but now THREE Presidents have occupied the Oval Office.
3. The Sands Hotel in Vegas is wiped out to make room for The Venetian
4. JonBenet Ramsey is kidnapped and murdered in 1996
5. California Adventure didn't yet exist
6. The Hacienda Hotel in Vegas is wiped out to make way for Mandalay Bay
7. Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter merge in 1997 (that didn't work out very well)
8. The Unabomber was arrested in 1996
9. Ella Fitzgerald, George Burns, Gene Kelly and Tupac Shakur each died in 1996
10. Big movies in 1996: The English Patient, Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Independence Day, Twister, and The Rock
    
11. The Summer Olympics were in Atlanta, GA
12. Children born the day I last went to Disneyland are now in 7th or 8th grade
13. Average cost of a home in 1996: $118, 200
14. Gallon of gas: $1.22
15. Postage stamp: $0.32
16. Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, divorced in 1996
17. DVDs launched in 1996...in Japan. It would be awhile before they reached the U.S.
18. Windows NT 4.0 was the latest OS by Microsoft in 1996
19. Internet Explorer 3.0 was the latest browser in 1996
20. eBay started in 1996
21. MSNBC cable news is launched in 1996
    
22. The high Dow Jones mark was 6,500
23. The low Dow Jones mark was 5,200
24. I'm now living in my third different city since 1996
25. I've had 8 different jobs since 1996
26. I've lived in 4 different homes since 1996
27. My parents lived in Costa Rica
    

Well, that's my list for now. Feel free to add your 2 cents. What's happened to YOU since 1996?

My Life; Feast or Famine

In the course of my life, it seems that the patterns have taken pretty much one extreme or the other. Sometimes I go through seasons of feast or famine, and sometimes the events of a week can have feast and famine.

What happened to a happy medium?

Right now, my week is comprised of feast and famine. As I wrote yesterday, Sunday through Wednesdays are very full days. From morning until night, life is pretty frenetic. And you know what? I'm enjoying it! The thing is, when I'm not working or having some kind of obligation, I don't really have much of a life. And even if I did, who has the money or energy to live it?

I'm being a little facetious, but more so than not, it's how I feel. I've had seasons like this in my life, and it's very fulfilling on one side of the ledger, and kind of empty on the other. I'm thankful for the side of the ledger which reflects that my efforts and abilities are making a difference.

I just hope that at some point, my personal life will have a little more to show for it. That's not bad, is it?

The New Revised Calendar

Ever since I took on this new job, and even before that, moving to Rocklin, my calendar has a distinctly new look. It's like everything shifted one day to the left. I mean, we're not Seventh Day Adventists, so we still have church on Sundays, but that's now become something of a work day for me. Monday through Thursday in the office, and Friday is more or less a day off. Well, as much of a day off as it gets. Saturdays can be quiet too, though we've got some Saturday events coming soon.

It really is strange how my Thursday feels so much like a Friday that I have to concentrate to remind myself that everyone else has to work the next day, and that it's not really Saturday. The church office is closed, so I typically work from home on Fridays...which feels like a day off.

My roller coaster week peaks on Wednesdays, then begins its rapid decent Thursdays. Fridays are the days I get reacquainted with my home, and even enjoy the rare meal put together in my own kitchen. It's the day I try to catch up on some of my favorite televisions shows I've DVR'd through the week.

If it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm not. I am very happy and fulfilled doing what I'm doing. I'm a single guy with no kids, so it's not really taking me away from those priorities. The thing is, I don't really want to stay single, so this lifestyle can be prohibitive in finding prospective dates. I mean, I'm eyebrow deep in Men's Ministry, helllllllloooooooooo.

So, it's the morning of my Tuesday (your Monday). Fortunately, my meal calendar is pretty much the same. I'm hungry for breakfast.

Have a great day!

Common Sense; Not So Common Anymore

What happened to common sense? At what point in time did it go the way of the dodo? The rotary phone? The "30 minutes or less or your pizza is free"?

For that matter, where did good customer service go? I get so chapped when I go into a store and the cashier is yucking it up with a co-worker, and doesn't even look at me. They're so engrossed in their other conversation, that I feel as if I'm inconveniencing them.

I used to think my first name was pretty unusual. I mean, it's not Mike or John, but it's also not some funky made up artsy fartsy name that celebrities like to saddle onto their kids. By the way, what is the motivation for that? Do they have their own awards show or something?

And now, the nominees for Most Unique Name for a male born to an A-List Celebrity:
Salamander Jolie-Pitt
Toe Jam Ritchie-Madden
Lemonade Garner-Affleck
Mitt Romney, Jr.

Anyway, I digress. My name is not that unusual. It is commonly misspelled, but it's typically done so the same way each time. My name is correctly spelled C-O-R-E-Y. Many people spell it C-O-R-Y. In the past, I've had it spelled C-O-R-R-Y, C-O-R-R-I-E, or any of those variations with a K as the starting letter. What I find amusing, and insulting at the same time, is when someone responds to a letter I've written them, which includes my correctly spelled name, and they still spell my name wrong. Sometimes, as in an email I received this week, my name was spelled two different ways in the same email, and neither one was correct. I can understand if they were contacting me for the first time, but they were responding to an email I sent them with my name clearly written in the signature. Another person owed me a check, and they put it in an envelope. On the outside of the envelope, my name was spelled correctly. On the check, incorrectly. Do people really have that short of attention spans? What makes matters worse is that these letters are from people in business. Owners, presidents, executives, managers. You would think that at some level, they would understand the value in respecting someone's name.

Anyway, just venting. I've played those games when you try to guess if certain celebrities are alive or dead. You know, Abe Vigoda, dead or alive? Ernest Borgnine, dead or alive.

I had no idea common sense died.

I sure miss it.

Mom Is Home

It seems like the last week has been filled with little teases of good news, but only to be let down by some unexpected letdown. But finally, after an 11th hour concern over the infection in my mom's arm, the doctors felt like my dad could take her home and treat the infection outside the hospital.

There are still many tests ahead this week, but they're all things that can be done as an outpatient. The tests will help answer a lot of questions, but probably the biggest is the type and stage of my mom's cancer. We are also concerned to see if it's spread, and if so, how much and where.

I am discovering the value in finding great joy in even the slightest victories. I know there are going to be some good days and many bad days ahead. Just the fact that she's now home and resting in her own bed is comforting. She still is very sick, but it blesses my heart that she's back home with my dad, and in a place where she is most comfortable.

I have no idea what the week ahead holds. I have responsibilities and obligations to meet. The world doesn't stop just because I've got important things on my mind. I just pray for grace for today. Strength to make it through this day.

Then tomorrow, do it again.

My Favorite Commercials

OK, here are mine. What were yours? (by the way...what was the deal with the Jack in the Box commercial in which Jack gets run over by a bus? That was a little disturbing)

Doritos: Crystal Ball


Pepsi Max: I'm good


Monster.com: Moose