By Jason Glaze
Every year my parents treat us to a vacation. Normally we wait until the kids are out of school for the summer and go to the beach, but in 2008 we decided to change things up a bit and go to Orlando for spring break.
It was day one of our vacation and Sea World was on the agenda. We arrived at the park early to avoid the long line at the gates. When we got inside the park we asked the kids what they wanted to see first and their answer was unanimous, Shamu! So we found out when the first show was and hurried to get good seats.
As we settled into our seats I could see the excitement building in my kids. As the whales began to come out the constant question from the kids was, “Is that one Shamu? Is that one Shamu?” They were impressed with all the younger whales and their performances but they were not going to be satisfied until they saw Shamu herself.
Finally it was time. The dramatic music began to build as this enormous black object slowly glided around the bottom of the deep pool. I was sitting in the row behind Kim and the kids hoping to catch some good video footage of my kids reaction as Shamu came up out of the water. Shamu came racing to the surface. My kids were on the edge of their seats and as she exploded up out of the water everyone erupted in a loud cheer. That is everyone except my youngest son Will.
Will was sitting in Kim’s lap and when he got a good look at Shamu he immediately wrapped his arms around Kim’s neck, laid his head on her shoulder and began to cry. At first I was confused. I thought perhaps the sheer size of Shamu had startled Will and he was scared. However the more I looked at Will’s face the more I could see that Will was not scared, Will was sad. So I got Kim’s attention and asked her what was wrong and she whispered, Shamu’s fin.
When a Killer Whale is taken out of it’s natural environment, over time it’s dorsal fin begins to flop over to one side instead of standing straight up. Some people say this happens because whales in captivity spend so much time at the surface that there is not enough water to hold the fin up, others say it has something to do with the change in the whale’s diet. While there are many opinions on why a whale’s fin flops the only opinion that mattered to me was Will’s, and in his heart Shamu’s fin was flopped over because she was being held captive and she was sad. It broke my heart to see my six year old boy hurting like that, however, I was also very proud of him.
We can look in someone’s eyes and see pain, and if we look in the mirror long enough, we may see our own pain. Find a mirror and look into your own eyes until you see your soul and ask yourself, Has my fin flopped? Am I being held captive by pain, pride, or addiction? If so please know that there are people in this world with hearts like Will’s, people who will not judge you rather with a compassionate heart help you encounter the One who can set you free from what hold’s you captive. You are not alone.
Peace,
Jason
I wrote this poem during a season of life when God was wanting me to deal with some things I was avoiding. Give it a read and see if you’ve ever been there, or maybe you are there now.
It really doesn’t matter if you read the creation story and take everything literally, or believe the story was written in poetic form, we all must admit that things were done in somewhat of an order. Having said that, I believe there is much to learn as we ponder on the order in which God created everything.
By Jeremy Glaze
“What is the plan for my life?”
By Eric Abney
This one goes out to all the caretakers out there. You know who you are. 
I believe the most detrimental after-effect of sin is guilt and shame. In most cases, the burden of the guilt and shame outweighs and outlasts any practical consequence we have to bear. After everything is said and done, the debt has been paid, time served, justice given, relationship has been addressed, or all parties move on, the guilt and shame remain. I still struggle with the guilt of things I did 15 years ago. I am sure everyone involved has moved on, there are no consequences I’m still facing, everything has been restored, but I still tend to carry the guilt of my past.
They had it good, really good. They felt loved, accepted, valuable, safe, and free. Their union with God was experienced at a level that you and I can’t imagine. Then it happened. Adam was passive, Eve was deceived, and they decided to try to be their own gods.
I was eating at a “Five Guys” in Dawsonville the other day. Yeah, it was good. A nice burger with a massive amount of fries. I was dipping my fries into this amazing vinegar and then into the ketchup and then into my mouth. I had a thought in the middle of all this fried goodness, “What if I drank the cup of ketchup by itself?” Then I thought, “That’s gross.” We would never drink an entire cup of ketchup, but when I’m done with my fries all of the ketchup in the cup is gone. Which only means that I had to have eaten it all! 
Scar (skär) n. 1 -a mark left on the skin or other tissue after the wound, burn, etc. has healed; 
I am not a fan of disclaimers but I’m about to write a blog post where the focus is parenting so I’m going to throw out two disclaimers.
I saw a movie made in the 90’s last night. It was about a young man who was climbing a mountain and then he was captured and imprisoned. The movie would have been good if it were about him summiting a mountain, but it was better because is was about him escaping from prison. 
I believe there is something in us all that desires to be a better person. This is prominent in my life when it comes to relationships especially. So much of my thoughts are geared toward the “how to’s” of becoming a better husband and a better father. It also extends to the other aspects of my life such as becoming a better leader, friend, son, brother, and even a better christian. We join couples groups to learn more about marriage. I have read parenting books to become a better father. I have attended seminars and conferences to become a better leader. I have changed parts of my lifestyle to become a better christian. All of these activities may be great and beneficial, but they can also become burdensome real quick.
I had the privilege of attending the East Coast Trike-In over labor day weekend. Hundreds of people brought their motorcycle trikes to Mt. Airy, N.C. Everyone gathered to admire these beautiful machines that mostly have been built by hand. As with many car shows and motorcycle events there was a time when everyone gathered to be presented with Awards for best in their class, best of show, and so on and so forth. During this presentation a couple of interesting things happened. There were some young men there from a boys home who competed in some field games. The presenters gave out awards to them. The boys who won didn’t walk back to their seats, they strutted. It was time for the best of show award and my Dad won. Way to go Dad!!!
I recently had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of 
A few years ago I went on a weekend retreat that was designed for spiritual growth. In the very first session of the first evening the leader said something that has changed the way I look at God, myself, and my life. He said, ” Always remember, you are 100% needy 100% of the time, BUT, you are 100% loved by God 100% of the time.
The saving grace of my life has been that my sins are forgiven. That God sees my life pure and holy through the blood of Jesus. And though I might stumble and fall everyday, I am able to get right back up and fall into the grace of our God. I get this. I have experienced this.
This verse fascinates me.
“I feel as though I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.” I have said this before. I have felt this before, and I am betting in some ways you have too. At least at one time or another in your life. A friend of mine shared this picture over twitter and it made me think about our lives and how they might get into hard places or how we might feel like we are between a rock and a hard place. Often times in these places there is such a sense of being overwhelmed. We might not know what to do or how to get moving from the place we are in to the place where we should be going.
As human beings there is a part of us that loves formulas. Formulas give us answers which eliminates confusion and causes us to feel like we are in control. Formulas are reliable which makes us feel safe. When we are faced with a confusing struggle we go looking for a formula to bring us some relief to the situation.
By Jeremy Glaze
“Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, house of Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” Jeremiah 18:2-6
