Sometimes, Normal Isn't So Bad!!!!

Acts 19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul

God being Extraordinary

Hello my Extraordinary Friends,

    This week I want to start off by stating that when I am talking about ordinary,  I mean it in the manner of doing typical daily things.  The reason why I mention this is because while I was listening to a sports radio talk show this week, they were discussing the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.  The discussion was in regards to a football coach that considers himself, just one of the fans.  So he just considers himself an ordinary guy.  The talk show host's premise was that this coach claiming to be just one of the guys, has created a football team that is just ordinary and does not excel.  The talk show host used another coach, that he considered extraordinary to be the kind of coach he prefers because his teams tend to be of championship quality.  In the long run the host's premise was that generally he prefers people that choose to be extraordinary.  Another example he used was that of a surgeon.  Do you want the surgeon that is extraordinarily good or just one that is ok to do your open heart surgery?  Do you want the best pilot flying the jet that you are on or the guy that barely passed his test?  I think most of us would agree that when it comes to any service that humans are involved in, we want the best.
    So, it got me to thinking about the title of my blog and when I discuss being ordinary.  If I haven't mentioned it before, but my goal is to be like St. Francis and do the ordinary things in life as extraordinarily as possible.  Just keep in mind, that from now on when I talk about being ordinary, as Christians we can do live simple routine lives, but when you do it in an extraordinary manner, people will notice.

    The topic for the week is about enjoying the things in life that we make as a habit or routine.  With my wife recuperating well, things have started to come close to what they were before the incident with her tumor.  After making it through the last six weeks of numb.  I have started to realize that having a daily routine that you enjoy can be very satisfying.
    My days typically start at 5:00 am with Yoga or P90X, depending on how motivated I am that day.  Even though the Yoga might sound calm, it is the P90X yoga, so it is anything but easy.  As a matter of fact I tell people that I have a love/hate relationship with my yoga.  It makes me feel really good when I do it, but I don't look forward to the painful poses.  I can't say that Right Angle pose with my arm twisted behind my back is my favorite.  Sometimes I don't appreciate feeling like a pretzel, even though it is good for me.  They say that cod liver oil is good for you too!!!
    Anyway, after my workout, I sit in my sauna to have my morning meeting with Jesus.  After being invigorated by that meeting, I then shower, have breakfast and make lunch, all before I leave for school at 7:15am.  I then head for school and teach until 3:00.  In the fall, I would typically go to the golf course for golf practice until 6:00pm.  This time of the year, I still go to the golf course about three times a week, but only practice until about 4:30 or 5:00.  Now before you think that I live a charmed life and go to the golf course just for the heck of it, I have a crazy dream that I am chasing and I believe it is important to keep my game going well in order to be an example for my players.
   

Coming Home after an routine day

    I then head home and hang out with my wife and girls. Usually this entails doing Algebra homework and helping to get dinner ready.  Around 8:00, Cecelia and I typically have a cup of tea and then head for bed around 9:00pm.  That's it, nothing spectacular.  Occasionally a meeting or small home fix it project of some kind will get thrown into the mix.  So, as you can see there are no world changing events in my life.  Nothing like, trying to win wine contests with my struggling vineyard.  Nor, creating some new kind of tomato with our weed infested garden.
    In the past, it seems like I would have something going every night of the week during the school year.  I would burn the candle at both ends, and in the middle, and then rest when school got out in June.  But, then again that isn't necessarily the case either.  We would typically try to pack in as much travel and adventure as we could during what is usually a very short summer.  If you want a long winded example, you can read the first entry in my blog, "The O's Odyssey to China".
    What I guess I am trying to say this week is that having a routine is a nice thing to have, and I am trying to be very good at it.  I also think that it is important to take a moment and think about your routine and appreciate the little things.  You know, the things like having a job, seeing your family, a good friend, having a place to live, food to eat, even the computer to read this diatribe.  After that, take a moment to pray and thank the Lord for all those little things, and then pray for people that don't have the ability to have a routine.  I am blessed with the opportunity to take the time and to thank God for normal, because after you go through an ordeal in which your life almost changed drastically, you learn to appreciate some of the routine in life.
    This week do your routine very well and be extraordinary.   Put your name in the following passage;  God did extraordinary miracles through _______________!!!!!!!!   You'd be surprised what extraordinary things God can do through you.