Deep thoughts from a Dumb guy

  • Deep thoughts from a Dumb guy,  Parenting stuff,  Youth Ministry Resources

    Porn is messing your head up!

    Porn is rewiring your brain and your body! It’s jacking you up BAD and you probably don’t even realize it. The 7,884th reason you should stop watching it. That and the fact that it cost the blood of an innocent man to pay for every glance taken.

    WARNING!! This a totally secular video but if you’re already watching porn nothing in this will offend you.

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  • Deep thoughts from a Dumb guy

    “Mercy in the Middle”

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    The song in the video – “Ask Me” by Amy Grant has served as an incredible sense of encouragement and hope to me in my recovery from childhood sexual abuse. I cannot tell you how many times I have listened to it, over and over again, celebrating the hope and freedom Jesus has brought to my life over the past few years. My favorite line in the song is towards the end where it says,

    “He’s in the middle of her pain. He’s in the middle of her shame. He’s in the middle…….

    Mercy in the middle.”

    What it means to me is that our God of mercy brings comfort to us in the midst of our deepest, darkest moments (see II Corinthians 1:3-4). I’ve come to believe and know that God was with me, bringing mercy and comfort to me when I was locked in a closet as a 7 year old enduring the horrors of sexual abuse. He was with me through years I kept it a secret. He was even there with me when I chose to medicate my pain in so many unhealthy ways. He was with me in 2005 when I finally began the process of working through and overcoming the horrors of my past. Every step of the way God has been there with me bringing “mercy in the middle.” And God can do the same thing for you! No matter what you have faced in your past or face in your present, God is there with you bringing you “mercy in the middle.” No matter how painful or shameful your situation may be – YOU ARE NOT ALONE! God is there with you ready and able to lead you out of the darkness. It won’t be easy and it will take a lot of hard work but not near as much work as it takes to live with shame. Trust me, it is so worth it! Freedom is a beautiful thing and you too can live in the freedom God has for you. If you need professional help check out The Heart Matters counseling center. These are the people who led me out of the darkness! I’ll leave you with a prayer I pray daily:

    “God send your mercy in the middle to the abused and addicted still suffering alone. Use me to lead them out of the darkness.”

    I’m praying for you!
    God bless ya – Runks

  • Deep thoughts from a Dumb guy

    Somebody nail me to this cross!!!!

    Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to die on a cross than it is to die to myself.  Not to belittle in anyway the brutality Jesus endured for us on the cross but sometimes it seems like it would be a lot easier for me to take up my cross and follow Jesus if somebody would just nail me to it.  The sad fact is that I don’t really have a problem taking up my cross, I have a huge problem with laying it down.  Denying myself, taking up my cross and following Jesus (Luke 9:23) is way too often traded in for indulging myself, crawling off my cross, and following my own selfish desires.  Bottom line, I love Jesus with all my heart and I follow after him as hard as I can but I’m just not very good at it.  The key is to not beat myself up for a week when I lay my cross down but confess my sin, climb back up on my cross as quickly as I can, and try again.

    I doubt very seriously anybody is going to nail any of us to our crosses any time soon so we’re going to have to get better at getting back in the saddle every time we fall off. For that to happen takes a strength much greater than we have so we must daily not only take up our cross but also learn to live weak by daily recognizing our weakness, choosing to trust in God’s grace, and absolutely depending on God’s strength and not our own.  We still have to climb back on but we are not alone, and never without help.

    Hang in there!! – Runks

  • Deep thoughts from a Dumb guy,  Parenting stuff

    “Gobble, Gobble, Giggle”

    Here is a stupid video about eating turkey, giving thanks, and Tony Romo.

    Have fun, I know I did!


    Stuff I’m thankful for:

    Jesus for loving me enough to die for me and live in me!

    More freedom every day from the baggage of the abuse in my past!

    A really awesome wife who loves me even though I’m an idiot!

    Both my kids love Jesus!

    Elli because she is so much fun and always makes me laugh!

    Elli, thanks for riding go karts! hahaha

    Nick because he loves the things I love!

    Dude, thanks for going hunting with me and Wreck’em Tech!!

    A godly Mom who has always been such an amazing example of who Jesus is!

    Joanna still sorta thinks I’m funny!

    God walking with us through the loss of my Dad to cancer 11 years ago!

    An awesome Dad that invested his life in me!

    Thanks Dad for always taking me with you!  Tell Jesus I said what up!

    Joanna for believing in me and supporting my ministry completely!

    That God still lets me do what I do!

    The privilege of pouring my life into teenagers!

    I got to go to India this past summer!

    Joanna for being everything I could ever need or want!

    Mike Pinkston!

    I get to live in Levelland, Texas!

    I have legs, dude!

    I’m finally learning to love myself!

    Friends that love me and hang out with me!

    And Jesus for providing this stuff and these people I have to be thankful for!

     

    Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!!! – Runks


  • Deep thoughts from a Dumb guy,  Recovery

    “Me Too”

    I’m sitting on an airplane with my 6’6” totem pole body crammed into a regular, no leg room, non-exit row, teeny, tiny airplane seat. I’m sitting next to a guy who is also circus freak tall and we’re both cramped, crunched, and fighting for leg and elbow room like sardines in a tiny can but at least we’re not alone! I don’t think there is anything more encouraging than knowing that whatever you’re facing somebody has either been there or is there right now and feels your pain. I think the most comforting words in the English language are, “Me Too” because those words scream out “YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!” My 94 year old grandmother, Maw-Maw, would put it this way,

    “A burden shared is a burden halved and a burden born alone is a burden doubled.”

    The problem is not so much finding someone who has been where you are but finding someone with the guts to be real enough to admit it. Sadly this is especially true in the church where often times rather than helping our wounded we shoot them and that has got to stop! I say its time we take off our masks and stop pretending we’ve got it all together. We need to start being real and transparent about who we are and what we’re struggling with so we can make it safe for others to do the same and hopefully all get better together. I’ll go first. To those who have faced the horrors of childhood sexual abuse I say, “ Me Too.” To those who have had their butts kicked by an addiction I say, “ Me Too.” To those who are fighting through the 12 steps trying to get well I say, “Me Too.” To those who have been beat down by the reality of depression I say, “Me Too.” To those who struggle to let Jesus take control I say, “Me Too.” To those who are sick of going to church and pretending everything is fine when its not I say, “Me Too.” To those who have feared that if people really knew you they wouldn’t love you I say, “Me Too” To those who battle insecurity I say, “Me Too.” To those who just want to be loved and accepted, warts and all I say, “Me Too.” To all the broken, hurting, and struggling people I say, “you are not alone. You have never been alone!” Somebody, including Jesus, Heb 4:15, has been where you are and you do not have to suffer alone!!! So let’s take off our masks, get real with each other and with God and start saying “Me too” as loudly and as often as we can!

    Me Too – Runks