Crooked Halo

Get Hit By The Arrow of Love Everyday

Dan King — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:38:53 +0000

Most men absolutely detest Valentine’s day. Not only is it a “Hallmark Holiday” but it usually leads to a 2 hour wait at even an average restaurant. By the time you have dinner, a card, and a sweet little gift the average person will spend $126.04 on Valentine’s day this year. I don’t want to complain since it will probably boost the economy more than Obama’s stimulus packages or his newly released budget

I’ve found the secret to not only putting up with Valentine’s day, but actually embracing it. All you have to do is picture that today is the only day of the year that a chubby man with a hairy back can walk around in public in nothing more than a diaper (assuming he carries an arrow too or that would be just weird). Just think Chubbies can be cupid!

If cupid’s arrow struck you, love was abundantly within you for another.

I don’t think it it’s a coincidence the word “Love” appears in the bible 551 times. It’s a 66 book love letter about God’s love for us. Once I read the whole thing, His love hit me like cupid’s arrow. But instead of just loving the person in front of me at that time, I began learning to love everyone. I’m still struggling with the hardest one (love your enemies) but aren’t we all just a work in progress?

Luke 6:26-27 - ”But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

If you have a smart phone, search for the “You Version Bible” app. It has every translation and it’s free. Then search for the word love and have fun.

Question of the Week

What’s your favorite passage about love, or the one that’s hardest for you? Send a comment and let the Crooked Halo community know.

Humility or Humiliated?

Dan King — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:43 +0000

I detest yard work with a passion. I always have. I think it runs in the family because my brother Jeff would pretend it bothered his allergies so he could get out of the dirty deed. Hence the job would get past down to me. He even wore a face mask while I mowed the lawn to play up his pretend allergies to freshly cut grass. Growing up in the suburbs of Boston we had just under an acre to mow which wasn’t big enough to talk Dad into getting us a rider mower (or ridah mowah as we’d call it), but large enough to be tired and sweaty by the time you’re done.

I wish I was smart enough at the time to come up with one of these solutions.

During the recent NFL playoffs we had a decent sized gathering and we were watching the game with the recliner kicked back and stuffing our faces with Smartfood popcorn and Doritos. Our great friend Gary walks in un-announced, and passes through the living room without hesitation and out the back door with some power tools. He begins to trim the bushes and de-weed the yard. Needless to say not only was I surprised (and a little humiliated) yet grateful for this un-solicited act of service, but my guests were even more blown away. They asked “Why is this guy doing your yard work while we are in here being lazy watching the game? Is he your gardener?” I replied “No he’s not my gardener, but he does know I detest yard work so he probably just came over to do it for me.” We were all blown away at Gary’s heart of a servant.

Christian’s are supposed to be society’s humble servants, not the self righteous elite.

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Gary showed the heart of a servant that day (and every day for that matter) and is a good example of how we should put others before ourselves.

Formula of the Week

Others > Us

Question of the Week

When have you been blown away by the servant heart of another person, or when have you blown someone else away with your humility and servant heart? Post a comment and let us know.

Atten-hut (atten-TION!)

Dan King — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:17 +0000

Today I was walking my dogs through the park and there was a man with a high and tight hair cut training his dog to sit. Of course the presence of my dogs made it more impossible for his dog to sit than Mike Tyson Karaoke-ing a Barry White song (and without a lisp).

I could tell the man was getting annoyed, so I started exiting the park when I heard such a sudden large yelp that it could only mean one thing. Yup. This drill Sargent was shocking his dog numerous times just because Fido naturally wanted to follow my dogs instead of sitting. Being the executive director of Fast Dogs- Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, you could imagine my stance on this. I felt like asking him if he ever put it on his own neck to see what it felt like.

God speaks to us in many ways. Some of the more straight forward ones include prayer, circumstances, through his word, the church, other people, and unusual blessings. Some more challenging ways for one to decipher and deal with can be a restless spirit, disappointment, defeat, tragedy, sickness, and affliction.

Sometimes His medium of speaking sounds like a whisper (metaphorically speaking). Other times, it can sound like a hammer, or even a jackhammer. It can feel like a warm breeze (still metaphorically speaking), a tropical storm, or maybe even a shock collar.

Formula of the Week

1.21 Gigawatts used on your dog = 1.21 Gigawatts too many

Question of the Week

How had God spoken to you in your life in the ways above or in another way that really got your attention? Feel free to share your story as a comment.

What Position Do You Play?

Dan King — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:49 +0000

Even though I am a geek in general and play saxophone now, I never was a “band geek” in school. In fact I never played music at all until I was in college. During the high school years I was a super jock and captain of my high school football team. Here is a younger version of Dan the super jock.

When anyone hears that you play for the football team you always get the same question. “What position do you play?” As long as it wasn’t “water boy”, “bench warmer”, or “left-out” you got pretty normal responses. However if you played “tight-end”, or “wide receiver” and you were talking to a person with a sense of humor, obvious jokes ensued.

Christianity is a team sport, not an individual event. God promises us a personal relationship, but not a private one.

Just like when playing sports you end up picking a position that best utilizes your talents. The same should be done with your spiritual gifts. Next time you meet someone at church and you want to throw them for a loop, ask them what position they play. That should get you some strange looks and head scratching.

What position are you in the body of Christ? Here are some choices:

1) Pastor – is a “Shepherd” – Caring person – Caretaker – Willing to leave the 99 good sheep to find the 1 lost one. Has a ton of compassion – He asks “How are you doing?” not “What are you doing?” – Asks “Is there anything I can do to help you?

2) Prophet – Says things like “This is what God wants you to do and this is what will happen if you don’t do it.” – Sees things in black & white – No grey areas – Driven by passion for what is right – They will ask ” Is what you are doing right? If not, what will you do?”

3) Teacher -Makes sense of reality – Packages wisdom even if it’s complex & does so anyone can understand it – Good at creating analogies to help others understand – They can connect the dots for others – They ask “What did you learn?” or “Did you understand what just happened? Let me explain.” – They only need to explain things once.

4) Evangelist – Cannot forget daily that their God is real and the Gospel is the good news – Friendly & like-able - Will go to a party knowing no one and will come home with 10 new friends or phone #’s – Wants everyone to know the good word – They ask “What about the Gospel?”

5) Apostle – Which means “sent” – Has big picture vision – purposeful and mission oriented – They ask “what’s your purpose & are you doing it now?”

This Week’s To Do List

1) Read the positions within the body of Christ and figure out which one(s) you are. Most people will be a blend of 2 positions.

2) Find someone to hang out with from the other positions. You’ll grow more if you team up with a person from another position.

3) Find a way to use your newly categorized skills and talents to serve both the church (body), other believers, and non-believers.

Questions of The Week

What position(s) are you? Did you learn something new about yourself today? How will you use this new information to grow and serve others?

You’re Insane

Dan King — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:00:19 +0000

Have you ever done anything insane? Many people have said that insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results. This week I started an extreme workout program called “Insanity“. I am a three time P90X graduate so I wanted to try something a little different, but still brutally challenging. By day three I was walking around like a gimp. If I sat in one place too long, it took longer than an ’82 Datsun in freezing cold weather to get started.

One thing that will get me through this tough endeavor is discipline. I learned discipline from my parents and through playing football through my youth and high school. The interesting idea around discipline is it’s ubiquitous in our lives.

The bible tells us that no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Ain’t that the truth?

Formulas of the Week

An activity + an exercise or a regimen that develops or improves a skill - excuses and whining = discipline

Insanity workout program = Insane

Questions of the Week (for comments)

1) Have you experienced a time when discipline was tough, but the end result was worth it?

2) What aspect of life do you struggle with in terms of discipline and what do you think you’re missing out on from the lack of discipline in this area?

One Scoop or Two?

Dan King — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:00:09 +0000

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! I’m sure all of you have either yelled that at one point in your life, or heard someone yell it. When I go to Cold Stone Creamery I have my plan plotted out. I stagger my place in line just so I can get the “trainee” to make my ice cream. Why you ask? Two words….. measurement error! I’ll order a small which appears to look like a dixie cup but 9 out of 10 times the trainee puts too much ice cream in and just dumps it all in a medium or large dish anyway. All for the price of a small one! I swear no matter what size you order you always get the same amount, just in a different sized cup.

Obviously that trainee will continue to be mentored by more experienced crew members. At the same time if a new person is hired the next day, the trainee that served me can also act as a mentor for this brand new crew member. Why? Because they have more experience than the brand new member. It might not be as much experience as the trainee’s mentor does, but surely they could share some knowledge (like be careful not to put in too much ice cream for a small).

The truth is no matter where you are in life, or in your walk with the Lord, there is always someone out there with more experience than you. Just as someone out there has less. Knowing that, you are positioned in the middle like the cream in an Oreo cookie and you should be seeking knowledge and experience as well as handing your experiences down to individuals with less experience in those specific areas.

This is how Paul wrote to Timothy in the 2nd book of Timothy. It was Paul’s last book before he died and he made sure to let Timothy know that he was to act as a mentor for others and pass onto others the knowledge he shared with him. This is illustrated as he called him his “son” even though he wasn’t his biological son. He was Timothy’s spiritual father.

Who is your spiritual father that you gain knowledge from? Who is your spiritual son whom you pass down knowledge to?

Formulas of the Week

Small = “Like it” = 5 oz.

5 oz = 0.625 cups

Small shouldn’t = Medium “Love it” or Large “Gotta Have It”

Weekly To Do List

1) Identify who your spiritual father & son are. If you don’t have a person for either or both of these, think hard and identify at least one for each.

2) Once you have identified your spiritual father, thank them for being a mentor and show your gratitude to them.

How has a spiritual father or son spoken into your life? Let us know with your comments.

The Guaranteed Get Rich Quick Plan

Dan King — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:00:33 +0000

When I was a kid my older brother Jeff and I would have marathon death matches playing Nintendo. Someone would always end up in a headlock, and boom….. My mom would take the Nintendo away from us for a week. If someone wasn’t getting kicked in the nuts or pinned down (I was outweighed by at least 2x) something was wrong. I’m on the left to see the advantage they had!

Usually it would start because I was jealous that he was winning. Or one time Jeff was so envious of me about to beat him in a football game, with 10 seconds left he pulled the plug so it wouldn’t register as a win for me in the historic scoreboard. Neither of us could ever be just content .

What if you could wake up tomorrow and be “rich”. Would you be content? The truth is we are already rich today, but our equilibrium is thrown off due to the environment that we live in. Did you know a family of 3 at the poverty line ($18,530 annual household income) is within the top 12% richest people in the world?

The Median household income of $49,445 puts you within the top 1% of the entire world. Want to see how rich you are? Try it by clicking here. Next time you go to a store and see something that you want, think about your level of content. Look at it this way:

$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.

$30 could buy you a DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.

$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.

$2400 could buy you a top of the line High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.

I hope this has changed your perspective on how rich you truly are and how far giving can go.

Formulas of the Week

Jealousy = I want what you have.

Envy = I can’t have what you have, so I don’t want you to have it either.

Both of these will destroy us.

Contentment = Is a spiritual change. It means you are content with what you have. Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Contentment ≠(does not equal) that you’re not ambitious, or apathetic.

Weekly To Do List

Try the “Sam’s Test”. Walk through the isles of Sam’s club (or similar) and see if you can make it through without wanting anything. Don’t get me wrong, it’s ok to get some of that stuff, but there shouldn’t be a churning movement inside of us (lust for stuff). Most of us have that because we grow up in a culture that’s just “more stuff..more stuff..more stuff..”

It might go something like this – “If I get one of those, I’ll be happy then.” Then it becomes “Oh crap, I’m so far in debt I can’t breathe. If I can get rid of this debt, then I’ll be happy then.”

Were you aware how rich you truly are globally? Has this changed your perspective at all? Let us know by your comments.

You Cheapskate

Dan King — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:00:49 +0000

Have you ever felt like people are watching you and judging your every move? You know it’s not just paranoia from smokin’ weed since you gave that up when you surrendered your life to Christ. I felt like this during a recent restaurant experience. Have you ever wondered in a quick turn style restaurant why the receipt has a place for a tip when they don’t seat you, wait on you, or even bring you your food? I find this excruciatingly offensive……because it makes me feel like a cheapskate. Clearly it’s there for a reason, right? Either some people actually do feel like they deserve a tip for just doing their job, or the restaurant knows that other people will feel the way I do (like a cheapskate) and out of guilt will place a dollar or two on the tip line.

Just so you know I a’int lyin’ here is my receipt.

Formula of the Week

0% of $12.38 = Cheapskate!

I saw the tip line and felt like looking over my shoulder as I left it blank to make sure no one was looking. I also prefer to give it to the cashier upside down so by the time she sees it’s blank, I don’t have to look her in the eyes with a “sorry, I’m a cheapskate” look.

Sometimes I find myself caring too much what other people think of me. If I drive by one of ”those people” with a sign on a highway corner and don’t enable (I mean give) them anything, I’m afraid my non-believing passenger might think less of me even though I live by the mantra “giving is not what I do but generous is who I am.”

The truth is I think a lot of us feel this way in certain areas of our life. The problem is when we act this way we are not living our lives for God’s approval, we are living it for other people’s approval. That is backwards. I have recently realized what the cure is. Only God’s approval matters in our lives. We (I) need to start acting like it.

Weekly To Do List – when facing different types of criticism

Constructive Criticism – Proverbs 15:31-32 - If you listen to constructive criticism,
you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself;
but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.
Dismiss Invalid or Unjust Criticism - 1 Peter 2:23 - When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

How do YOU handle both constructive or unjust / invalid critisicm? Post a comment and let us know!

- Dan King

Fortune Christmas Cookie

Dan King — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:00:29 +0000

Our family has a strange tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas Eve. I’m not sure what started this because clearly egg foo young has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. We’ve been doing this for at least 30 years that I can remember and look forward to it every year. However I don’t look forward to the tradition’s major side effect….Chinese food farts all Christmas day that even a Febreeze bazooka can’t overcome.

If you’re like me, your favorite part of eating Chinese food is the fortune cookie. It doesn’t matter how awful this stale cookie tastes, it’s the fortune inside that makes the meal memorable. Especially when you get one you don’t like, you just keep eating (or crushing) them until you find one that is music to your ears.

I know the bible can be very intimidating to sit down and read and you don’t know where to start. Well if you like fortune cookies, you’ll love the book of Proverbs. It’s basically little fortunes written from King Solomon with enough wisdom to last a life time.

I bet you could picture some of these lines right in your next fortune cookie, couldn’t you? They actually come right out of the book of Proverbs.

For wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her

One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

As a dog returns to its vomit,
so fools repeat their folly.

Formulas of the Week

Fortune Cookies < The book of Proverbs

The book of Proverbs = Wisdom for a lifetime

This Week’s To-Do List

If you want to read fortune cookies without the extra calories of Chinese food, just crack open the book of proverbs and start reading!

Monkeys Crossing

Dan King — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:41:38 +0000

Earlier this year I was on an engineering trip to Japan. Even though I was 5800 miles from home, and a 13 hour flight away, that’s not what made me feel far away from home. Neither did that fact that I was the tallest person in sight (even at a towering 5’9″). Nor that I was the only person that could sing the Christmas Carol “Fa-la-la-la-la” and not have it not sound like “Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra”. If you didn’t get that joke, Click Here. Not even being the passenger in the front of a car, but sitting on the left side of the vehicle (our normal driver seat) made me feel farthest from home. However while driving in that vehicle I saw a sign that made me realize how far from home I really was.

Freakin’ monkeys crossing? Seriously? No lie I did take that photo in the car going about 120 Kilometers per hour. For those non-geeks that is about 75 MPH(1 Kilometer = 0.621371 mi.)…Nerd alert!

Spiritually I think sometimes it’s really easy to get far from home. With so many distractions these days and as we run around in our busy lives, our relationship with God can decrescendo very easily. If Satan can’t make us bad, he’ll make us really busy.

Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. We need to constantly stay connected to him in order to bear fruit. Jesus, as the vine, should be our Spiritual home.

How do we stay connected to the vine? We must remain in Him.

This Week’s To Do List

Remain in God’s word
Remain in Christian Fellowship
Remain consistent in prayer
Remain amazed by God’s creation
Remain faithful in service

How do YOU remain in Him? Post a comment and let us know!

- Dan King