This Game of Life (Are You Playing?)

Man this life is tough! But, I don't need to tell you do I? As you read this there are probably immediate thoughts of the hardships you are facing in your life, right now. Possibly you're in (or freshly out of) a struggling relationship or maybe you have a child that is a bit more than a handful. Perhaps your issue is that the only thing more of a wreck than your finances is your health. Jobs, taxes, death, divorce, crime, right, wrong, good and evil. Yep! Life is hard.


It seems to be a never ending cycle of one thing after another. How is a person supposed to conquer this world when it won't slow down long enough for us to catch a breath? Conquer? Some of us would settle for a moment of peace. In reality we aren't meant to be conquerors. According to Paul in Romans 8, we are meant to be "more" than conquerors. More than conquerors!? Yeah, right.

I was watching one of those Narnia movies, Prince Caspian, I think it was and there was this scene where Edward was fighting some evil dude in an effort to win freedom for all those who were counting on him. They were fighting heavily and as they both got worn down, there was a call for respite, that is, a temporary pause in the fighting.

At the end of the 3 minutes, the fight recommenced and Edward won. However, another evil dude saw an opportunity to take power so he cheated and seized his moment. As if that was fair! I mean, this was war after all and if you can't play war fairly, what's the point, right?

This scene reminded me of when I was a kid playing a game of tag in the backyard. "Not it!" Yes, that game. There were rules to this game, remember? You couldn't tag someone if they were on base and you could call for a time out (or a respite) pretty much whenever you wanted. I usually reserved that for the split-second just before I got tagged. 

The problem I see is that many of us are living our lives as if it is a game. We even hear it referred to as the "game" of life. We act as if we are running away from the "it" and then just before we are caught, we call a time-out as if the "it" will patiently wait until we call a time-in.

Sometimes that timeout comes in the form of refusing to make a hard choice, as if not choosing isn't a choice in and of itself. Maybe your timeout comes through disengagement like television, video games or some other form of mind-numbing entertainment. Oftentimes it comes in the form of quite harmful behavior like wrong relationships, violence, chemical use or worse.

We become more than conquerors when we come to understand that our lives are no game. Our lives are a series of battles in a full-on war and we have a very real enemy that is seeking to destroy us. He does not give respite. He lies and cheats. He steals, kills and destroys. Calls of "time-out" don't magically stop his attacks.

The way we become more than conquerors is to fight constantly. The way we become more than conquerors is by being aware that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)

We become more than conquerors by being vigilant, by worshiping God, and by understanding that the battle isn't yours anyway. This battle belongs to a loving God who cares for you and who has mapped out a battle plan for your life, if you are only willing to follow it.

There is no respite, no time-out, but there is a rest and a peace when we stand on His word and submit to His ways. I encourage you today to make that decision to get off the sidelines, don your armor, and fight back against the "it", Satan and his demons, that are continually coming for you.

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The author is husband to an amazing wife, father to two beautifully grown daughters and papaw to two of the cutest and smartest kids ever created. He is currently the associate pastor at Tabernacle of Praise in Crestline, Ohio and is available for speaking engagements. If you would like to discuss him speaking to your church or group, or writing for you, please contact him directly by e-mail at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com or by phone at 419-961-1265.

Storms of Life (Water in The Basement)

I don't know where you are, but here in north central Ohio, we got hit with a storm last night. Water going over people's car hoods, back yards converted by the inch to small lakes and of course, flooded basements. What's worse than finding 2 feet of water in your basement? Being told about it while you are in your hospital bed recovering from a non-related injury. What's a man supposed to do? Well, call someone of course. 

That's exactly what my friend did this morning. He called me and I was able to go help. His grandson's were there helping and he was doing what he could, directing traffic if you will. We got the debris cleared from the pump, carried out the trash we had bagged and swept the water into the pit. 

I hear a rumor that there are some who may need help but they don't want to "bother" anybody with their problems. They are content with just handling life's situations themselves or not allowing them to be handled at all. That's not you is it? You wouldn't risk your life, your family, or your mental and spiritual well-being just to, you know, avoid asking for help would you?

Scripture tells us here and here that in addition to the goodness that life offers, we all face storms at some point. It doesn't tell us that we have to go through them alone. We are told to love our enemies and to bless those who persecute us, which is true even if it is contrary to what seems normal. How much more so should we walk together with those we love? Shouldn't we walk together in good times and bad times, celebrations and mournings, in sunshine and rain? 

So, this brief and unplanned post is to tell you to think about your family. Not necessarily those connected by blood, but those for whom you would lay your life down and who would likely do so for you. If you don't have someone like that, isn't it time to change things? Allow others the opportunity to lend assistance to you which, in turn, gives them the freedom to call on you in times of need. The loads we carry are hard enough as it is. Let's not look at ourselves and one another as burdens for crying out loud. Let's be family.

The author is husband to an amazing wife, father to two beautifully grown daughters and papaw to two of the cutest and smartest kids ever created. He is currently the associate pastor at Tabernacle of Praise in Crestline, Ohio. At present, he is taking a break from his career as a Christian stand-up comic, however, if you would like to discuss him speaking to your church or group, feel free to contact him directly by e-mail at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com or by phone at 419-961-1265.

A Week With No Media (Didn't Kill Anybody)

For the unfamiliar, my church family recently took part in an 8 day media fast at the urging of our pastor. I posted about it HERE.. No social media, no non-work related computer usage, no news, no books, no movies, no television, well you get the point. We were expected to talk to people. Actual conversations. We were encouraged to read our bibles and pray more. How crazy is that? It was an opportunity to evaluate and build on our relationships with our families & friends, ourselves, and God. The horror!

At the end of the fast (6pm this past Sunday night), I half expected a power surge in the county as an entire congregation of people plugged back in to "The Matrix" to catch up on a weeks worth of Facebook happenings and all of the latest episodes of our favorite TV shows.

Maybe your thing is social media. I like to know what's going on in the lives of my friends & family and Facebook is a good platform to at least catch some highlights (and yes, lowlights).  But in the week I was offline, my non-church family, those not participating in the fast, made nearly 2000 posts according to the update I got from Zuckerberg's crew. That is 2000 "at lunch with my bestie's", "I'm bored's" and some slightly offensive and politically motivated humor.  I missed it all and lived to tell you about it.

For me it's "the news".  I have to admit that I have been obsessed with the news most of my adult life. If Matt Drudge doesn't update his headline every hour I used to find myself getting anxious. And if I read the news I would typically just get aggravated or so lost in it, clicking from one story to the next, that half a morning or more would go by, wasted. I knew what was going on here on Planet Earth, at least as it was reported, but I wasn't truly any better for it. I was immersed in it and I allowed it to steal something more precious to me than money. It stole my time. I guess stole is not the correct word. I willingly gave my time away and had little to show for it.

The classic movie character, Morpheus, said: "The Matrix is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth", which may be more fact than science fiction. However, I submit that the "Matrix" I am concerned about is the one that occupies so much of our collective time that it prevents us from doing great and amazing things. It keeps us from reaching out to those we care about, hinders the following of our God-given dreams, it stunts our spiritual growth.

I think about all of the conversations I've missed, the writing I never got around to, the scriptures I could have studied and the relationships I could have built on. Is it wrong to follow the news? Absolutely not! Is it wrong to watch cats re-enact a scene from a James Bond movie? A much less emphatic, no. But, could I be a better man if I would give more time to living, to building relationships, and to developing my spirit-man? I strongly suspect I could. How about you?

The author is husband to an amazing wife, father to two beautifully grown daughters and papaw to two of the cutest and smartest kids ever created. He is currently the associate pastor at Tabernacle of Praise in Crestline, Ohio. At present, he is taking a break from his career as a Christian stand-up comic, however, if you would like to discuss him speaking to your church or group, feel free to contact him directly by e-mail at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com or by phone at 419-961-1265. 

Rest

Hi there, it's me. Yes, it has been a bit since I have posted here on my blog. I have been a little busy and I am betting some of you have been too busy to even notice.

I am busy trying to be the loving and attentive husband my wife needs me to be, the concerned dad my grown daughters need, and the involved "papaw" that my grandson needs me to be. I've got an awesome grand-daughter, too, but she's only 6-months old and doesn't really rely on me for much at the moment. For that matter, at this moment, she could take me or leave me.

Apparently I'm sort of the patriarch of my little clan, which is kind of weird to me, and intimidating, but as I understand the word of God, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. My family and my personal relationships are some of my biggest priorities, but in order for me to successfully fulfill my varied roles, I have to be the man that God has called me to be, and I can't do that without first tending to my relationship with God, the Father.

As the associate pastor at my church, one might think that I've got my spiritual walk in full swing. I mean, how can I not be in healthy relationship with God when I'm working in the church office so many hours a week and tending to the needs of the flock. With all my studying and preparing lessons for the mid-week church services or getting our children's department moving forward, certainly I am in perfect communication with Him. And even if that weren't enough, I have deep conversations my pastor multiple times a week, so obviously I have to be "ahead of the game" when it comes to spending time in the Spirit, listening to what God wants me to hear.

Then why is it that I always feel rushed? Why does it always seem that there is too much to do and not enough time with which to do it? Why does it so often seem that there is something missing, not getting done? And, why does it so often seem that my conversations with God are done as an afterthought, when I have time to squeeze it in? Well, I know why. I'm busy. I'm busy with all of these roles that He has seen fit to put on me. I'm busy with the expectations that I put on myself or that I perceive others have of me. What if I fail? What if something doesn't get done? What if I "miss" something? What if, what if, what if?

During prayer and study with my wife the other day, it was impressed upon me by the Holy Spirit to rest. So I sat quietly to hear what He wanted me to know. Soon after, I realized that even when I was attempting to rest, I was fidgeting. My eyes were closed and I took a deep breath, I stretched my arms, I cracked my neck and stretched my back. I even twiddled my thumbs. He said "rest", and so I quit and just sat there and after a moment He again said to "rest" and I thought, "I am resting" then He pointed out that my legs were moving side to side. I was using them to swivel my chair, just slightly, back and forth in little rhythmic partial circles. Sometimes I tap my feet or lightly drum on the desk. So I stopped.

I just sat there, eyes closed, not moving, not thinking, not trying to go to sleep nor avoiding sleep. Just sitting there, resting and listening to what He had to tell me. It wasn't the kind of listening where you have to strain to hear, it was the kind of listening that when you are completely at peace, you can't help but know you are visiting with Him. It was only a few moments, but I don't remember ever just resting before. I realized that I was smiling. I felt great! I had no worries, no timetable, no problems. I was rested. This is something I've been doing periodically throughout the day, since then. Same results. Peace.

In those moments, He taught me how to truly "rest in Him"  and He wants the same for you. So, when you find yourself so busy, wearing all of the hats that you are required to wear, always doing, doing, and doing some more, just stop. Take a few moments every day, stop fidgeting, and rest.

The Election (Winners and Losers)

You may not have heard but we here in the USA have a little thing called the presidential election. In a few weeks we will decide who is going to be the face of our great country and lead us for the next four years.  According to polls it's anybodies guess as to who is going to win. The implications reach far beyond my corner of the globe and expand into the entire world, like it or not.

Although our collective name, United States of America, indicates one thing we are in reality a divided nation. There are those who are either in the Democrat or Republican camps or those who are third party proponents. There are the non-affiliated and the very disinterested or disheartened. To hear tell, regardless of who wins there will be anarchy, riots in the streets and life as we know it will be over. The winners will  undoubtedly gloat while being called cheats and liars. The "losers" will demand recounts and court battles or make excuses for the loss. Both the winners and losers will be called un-American.

The "winner", an imperfect human being, will be near opposite in principle from their closest opponent thus alienating all who would have voted for someone else. Furthermore, the winner will assuredly change or compromise on some of his principled beliefs, alienating those purists who expected 100% agreement with their own point of view by the leader of the free world.

This past weekend was amazing. We held a 24 hour prayer service at our church beginning on Friday night. We prayed about many things: health issues, elimination of the drug epidemic in our county, revival, and yes, even the elections (nationally, statewide, and locally.) We prayed for the protection of our leaders and for wisdom, integrity and fidelity of office, regardless of their party affiliation.  After the prayer service was over, we began a worship service with what I would call the best worship team ever. I'm a bit biased because I truly love the members of our team of gifted singers and musicians.

A team of dedicated women decorated the prayer tent our pastor thought to erect, as well as the sanctuary, all with the theme of Harvest Celebration. They set the tone for our prayer and worship in that we ought to be thankful to God for the goodness that He pours out upon us, the expectation of continued blessings, and for the hope that is to us, Jesus Christ.  Many people put time, energy and even money into this weekend. It was worth it. Every minute spent in preparation and prayer, every penny spent on setting the environment and planting spiritual seeds, all of it was worth the cost.

We believe in the Holy Spirit as a very real person, part of the Trinity with God and Jesus. Many of us felt the presence of the Holy Spirit during the prayer and worship time, conversed with Him, and were reinvigorated in our walk down this Christian path. Some were healed, some forgiven, and some were given vision for their future. We believe that every prayer was answered regardless of the visible results or the lack thereof.

Immediately after the event my wife and I left the church energized by two full days of basking in His presence and promptly hit and killed a deer with our new car. Not brand new, but new to us. We had only made a single payment on it and on top of that it was the car my wife uses for work and now she can't. Between the tragedy that befell the deer, Deborah's great sadness (she loves animals), the damage to the car and the fact that I hadn't slept but a few hours or so in the past 40, I was a bit upset. How could this happen? I just spent so much of myself worshipping God.   

"Dwayne, what does this have to do with the elections?" Great question. In politics, as in sports, there are people praying on and for each team to win. But there is only one winner. This isn't soccer and there won't be a tie. There are people on all sides hoping for a specific outcome and it will be devastation to some on the side garnering the least amount of votes. 

The outcome of our election, or our circumstances, does not change God. Whether my candidate wins or loses, it doesn't change the love that my God has for me. He doesn't love me more or less based on if I win or not. He isn't less of God because my car was damaged and a deer died. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. My faith is in Him not in my president or my team or my circumstances. I encourage you to determine if you are living a life that is only "good" when the "right" people and circumstances line up in your favor, or is it a good life, regardless of what it looks like in the moment.

If you like this post, please comment, share and/or subscribe. If you are interested in having me speak with your group,  please contact me at by e-mail at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com, by phone at 419-961-1265 or through my website at www.funnybutclean.com. 

The Ride

What a ride! I was able to spend all day Saturday at the roller coaster capital of the world, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. There are dozens of coasters and big thrill rides that will quickly take you hundreds of feet into the air, spin you around, and send you hurtling back toward the ground only to pull you out of a nosedive at the last instant. There is nothing like the feeling of g-forces pressing you down into your seat followed by the negative g's lifting you back out of it. But none of these are the ride to which I am referring.

Although the screams in the air and my calls for mommy combined with the other noises filling the park were powerful, the reason I was here was even more so. This was PointFest weekend where in addition to the amusement park experience, there were musical performances by some of today's best Christian  artists and speakers, including but not limited to Skillet and Bob Lenz. I have been to some of the largest secular concerts ever and have never seen a spectacle the likes of this: coreographed flames and steam shooting into the air, perfectly timed fireworks blasts, spinning drumsets, and singers & musicians that truly understand excellence of craft. But again, this wasn't the "ride".

The ride I am writing about is in spending time with some of God's best invention: todays youth. Specifically, this was a test of sorts in that it was the first outing that my wife and I, along with some very brave chaperones, have ever led with our newly formed teen class. We found out that not only do our youth know how to have a good time, they know how to have a God time. We prayed together, played together, praised Him together and rocked our faces off together.

Many of today's youth are staring at a future of uncertainty which they didn't cause and are dragging behind them the baggage of poor decisions made by parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors and other trusted adults. They deal daily with the effects caused by divorce, drugs, death or prison. And on top of that they are forced to make decisions daily about which of the many voices they will follow, often to the point where they become numb to much of what they are hearing. 

The ride is in being a voice they can learn to trust. The ride is in being transparent enough to share our foul ups and what we learned through them. The ride is in building relationship with them and being honest about not having all of the answers. The ride is in the willingness to help them figure out this life and letting them know that it is worth the figuring. The ride is in letting them know that they matter. The ride is in overcoming the many poor diversions placed daily before them and instead pointing them to the voice of Christ.

This weekend was just a a small but fun leg on that ride. I gave my best effort in keeping up with these awesome teens and young adults which is no easy feat for this middle aged man. But after several weeks of planning, some hesitation, some fundraising (we still have more fudge for those interested) and lots of prayer, this particular trip was worth it. But the ride itself is just starting. I hope that you will join me in helping to make a positive difference in the lives of those youth in your sphere of influence. Be a voice that they they can follow, a voice reflecting the love of Christ. And while we are at it, let's pray for one another.

If you enjoyed this post, please comment, share and subscribe. For booking information please contact me at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com or 419-961-1265 or through my website at www.funnybutclean.com.

The True Story of My Dad (Superman's Cousin)

My little brother and I were in our bedroom conducting gravitational experiments with our spit. From the top bunk we were hanging over the edge to see how close to the floor we could hang a string of spit from our mouths before it would break off and splat. I know, that's gross! But I was seven and seven year old boys revel in any new and creative way to outdo the last gross thing.

George Reeves, Jr.
Playing Superman

In this case we had been "experimenting" for about 15 minutes when my father burst into the room. Apparently he had passed the age of appreciation for disgusting displays of splatology as was evidenced by the familiar "Boys, this is going to hurt me worse than it's going to hurt you."

He reached up to snatch me off the top bunk but before he got to me his foot hit that puddle of failed experiments that had built up on the tiled floor, causing him to slip and then sail across the room before coming down on his pancreas. Yeah, let's go with pancreas. I told him that it did look like it hurt him worse than it hurt me. I was wrong.

The next day I asked him how he knew we were in the bedroom spitting on the floor, since the door was closed. "Well son," he  said, "it's like this, I am Superman's cousin and I have super powers." I immediately questioned his claim because I had not been impressed with his flying demonstration the previous day. He quickly let me know that his super power was X-ray vision and that he could see through walls. Like I said, I was seven years old and what seven year old doesn't believe it when his dad tells him something like that?

I did the natural thing which was go to school and tell everybody that my dad was Superman's cousin and by my calculations, this made me Superman's second cousin. My claim was immediately dismissed and right to my face I was told that both my dad and I were liars. Nobody is going to call my dad a liar and get away with it. Especially about something as serious as being a super hero. I fought in defense of his integrity but didn't fare too well. It turns out that super powers skip a generation and I couldn't hold my own against Jimmy or the rest of the third grade.

I began having doubts about his story when our neighbor, Moose, from the local chapter of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club heard me bragging about my father's super powers. He told me to go get my dad to come outside so he could... on second thought there is no need to spell out what Moose was threatening to do. The point is that I was faced with this challenge to go tell my dad that Moose wanted him to come out so he could do it. I gladly accepted the challenge on my dad's behalf and went home to get him. He just needed to come out and make an appearance. Just flex his powers to prove he was who he said he was and that would be the end of it.

On the way home I hesitated.  What if he came out and by some slim chance got beat up by Moose. I mean, Moose was a big guy with a bad reputation. What then? What if it turned out that my dad only had X-ray vision, or worse, was just human? Doubt overcame me and I feared the possibilities. I didn't go get my dad.  I didn't talk about it at school anymore, and I didn't go near Moose's house for a long time either, in hopes that he would just forget about the matter entirely. I'm guessing that he has forgotten about it by now. I didn't even mention this incident to my dad until recently. He had a great laugh.

I know that it was a story my dad made up to have fun with me but looking back, I was willing to fight for him and his integrity. I was willing to believe that he was cousin to a fictional character. I was a bit disappointed over time when I came to the realization that he was not super human after all. But I still think fondly about those early days when I believed and the lengths I was willing to go because of my belief. I wondered if I would ever feel that way again? Willing to accept the tough challenges, like Moose. Thankfully, yes!  

Although my dad is simply human and imperfect, I love him. But, I have a heavenly Father who is perfect and is who He says He is. Thanks to my experience with my dad, I didn't immediately believe in God and His all knowing, all powerful, always present self. But I opened myself up to the possibility that it could be true. I dared to believe a little at a time and found that not only is He God, He is The Creator and He made me in His image and His powers did not skip a generation.

Because of God's super-human power, I have witnessed greater things than speed faster than a bullet or strength stronger than a locomotive. I have seen hate turn to love. I have seen death defeated. I have seen needs met, right on time. And I have seen him restore the relationship of a father and son, my dad and me, after years of not speaking or seeing one another. This is the God I am willing to stand with, to obey, and to lay my life down for.

God paved a way for us to get to Him by coming in the flesh, in Jesus Christ. He didn't have to but He chose to because He loves you and me. He doesn't want us to just get by, He gives us the Holy Spirit to help build His Kingdom and to live a life full of peace and joy and power. When we are willing to accept His power on His terms, that good feeling of a boy toward his dad the super hero is magnified way beyond words or imagination.  I invite you to accept Him as your heavenly Father today. 

For questions, comments, or booking information feel free to contact me directly at 419-961-1265, by e-mail at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com, or through my website www.funnybutclean.com. If you enjoyed this please let me know by posting a comment, sharing with others, and/or subscribing to future posts.

We Can't All Be Right (so let's do it my way)

The presidential election of 2012 brings a sad realization for me. It's the first time in history that someone on the ticket is younger than I am. Paul Ryan has gone and made me a middle aged white guy. Thanks a lot, dude. And this year the big talk is the economy but need I remind you that in 2006 we lost a planet? That's right, a planet! Remember Pluto? An entire solar system has been downsized by over 11%. Okay, just jokes. But I'm a comedian, what'd you expect? 

Before being a comedian, I am an American and I have serious questions about life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. I have concerns about the state of truth, justice & The American Way? What about my constitutional freedoms and rights? I, along with over 60% of the population don't like direction we are going as a nation. The problem is that we many don’t seem to agree with me as to the right direction. 

I blame otherism for this. That's right, otherism: "a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory" that is different than mine. Before you go and get all offended, I want to remind you that this is America and I have every right to point out the flaws and problems of this nation and those causing them.

I have the the Constitutional guarantee to share my point of view, the freedom to tell people when they are wrong and to call them names when they don't agree with me. I can make signs and march with other people who correctly believe the way that I do. This is the USA, baby and I can express myself. I have guaranteed 1st Amendment rights and by all means, I will exercise them.

A few days ago, my friend Eric Johnson, re-posted one of his great blogs. In it he gave his take on politics and the issue of fear vs faith from a Christian perspective. Although his point was a bit different than the point I'm attempting to make, it brought some old and similar thoughts back to my mind. Where does my allegiance lay? Is it with the "kingdom" of man or The Kingdom of God? And if I put my God above my country can I still be considered a good patriot?

I have had people tell me that it's my duty as a Christian to stand up and be heard and that I must join with the chorus shouting over the message of the "other side”. Our morals and way of life are "being assaulted" and it's up to us to stop those perpetrating this deed. It's been implied that to jump in guns blazing, figuratively speaking, is the patriotic thing to do.  

The problem is that there are American's and Christians on both sides of each issue. Am I to destroy my brothers and sisters and their character to ensure that my rightness beats out theirs?  On top of that, and more importantly, there is a world full of individuals who don't know the God we say we are standing up for.  The only glimpse they may get is the one of a man holding the WWJD sign in one hand while flipping me the bird with the other (which has really happened.) 

Don't misunderstand me. I believe that we are to be engaged in the electoral process and with the pulse of our culture. I believe that the sins of our nation will be judged and that this country will be punished for its broken covenants. I believe that our disobedience will not go ignored by our Creator. I believe that we are obligated to stand up for Israel and for the unborn. I believe as a nation we have allowed ourselves to stray from God and to put Him on a shelf next to the many other gods we serve. 

Are not the two greatest commandments we've been given to love God and to love our neighbors? Are His instructions supposed to take a backseat to our "rights"? We fight and divide over the principle that this country was founded by God and then forsake His commands and unwittingly mock Him while defending our right to do so on constitutional grounds. 

As a Christian, how do I glorify God by calling the President, his opponent or their supporters, poo poo heads? As both a Desert Storm veteran and as a man fully in love with Christ I caution you to not lose sight of who you are and what you truly stand for.  I choose to pray, to vote, and to calmly articulate my points of view. I choose to do my best to demonstrate Jesus to others by blessing and not cursing, even when we disagree.

If you have enjoyed this post or have thoughts on it, please comment, subscribe and share. If you would be interested in booking me for your group or event, check me out at www.funnybutclean.com or contact me at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com or by phone at 419-961-1265.    

An Order of Awesome with a Side of Vacation, Please.

I know what you've been thinking: "Hey, what happened to last week's Beyond Living post?" Thank you for noticing that a week was missed. I was on vacation and if I took the time to post, my wife would have chucked my iPad into the ocean. Worse, she may have tossed me into the Atlantic and spared the iPad, or as she calls it, the Mahjong machine.

How was my vacation? It was awesome! Thanks for asking. I think people overuse that word, "awesome", nearly as much as they overuse commas and quotation marks. "That movie was awesome!", "That Chevette is awesome!", or "That new Justin Bieber song is awesome!" Okay, that last one is a given, but let me explain the point I am really trying to make.

Laying on the beach, alternating between naps and a good book, followed by body surfing and parasailing was really cool. Universal Studios and Epcot were also nice places to visit. Performances by Blueman Group and Cirque du Soleil were demonstrations of imagination, excellence and beauty in motion that I had never dreamed of. And Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and The Great Smoky Mountains were outstanding. It was a great vacation. But those experiences in and of themselves were not awesome. Those experiences aren't what tripped my "awesome" trigger.

Awesome was SHARING those experiences with some of the people I love most in life. My beautiful wife Deborah and I celebrated our wedding anniversary which not coincidentally was also a celebration of the best two years I have ever lived. Being married to my best friend, laughing and loving every day, definitley ranks in the awesomeness category. Even better than that new Bieber song.

We were also able to share these experiences with one of two amazing daughters and her husband, who isn't quite as equal in amazingness, but pretty close. Deborah and I were able to spend 9 days and 2600 miles with these two "kids". That was awesome!

Samantha and Andy are leaving in less than two weeks on a missionary trip to Cambodia. While there, they will be teaching young men and women how to escape the circumstances of poverty, brutality and human-trafficking through education, skills building, fellowship and Christian discipleship.

They will be living among these young men and women, with whom they love, for the next six months, seven days a week. Living where they live, eating what they eat, shopping where they shop: sharing life with them. Even though I am going to miss them while they are gone, and will be praying for their safety and well-being the whole time, I say again, awesome!

The thrills and chills of Cirque, the audio/visual display of Blueman, the wonder and power of the ocean and the beauty and majesty of the mountains are all great. But being able to share life with the best people I know? That is what awesome looks like. Watching them give their lives to help make someone else's better... definitive awesomeness.

If you would like to be part of this particular brand of awesome, helping to support Samantha and Andy while on their trip, they can use your prayers, encouragement, and/or financial support. Send me a message and I will get you the information you need. I will also link to their blog once they have it up and running.

What does awesome look like to you? And if you can think of something more awesome than sharing life with great people, fulfilling your purpose in life and doing great things for God, I would love to know about it.

Lessons From a Racing Legend

Let's go camping she says. My prim and proper, every bit a lady, wife has taken to primitive camping. By primitive, I mean clean restrooms and shower facilities, camp activities, camp store, and a tent. All conveniently located minutes away from WalMart.

So, maybe that's not your idea of primitive camping, but I will take it. For her, this is adventure. For me, this is love. Okay, I get sappy now and then, so I've been told. This blog post isn't entirely about love and mushiness. It's also about racing.

Racing, you ask. Yep, racing. Nothing compares to the feel of the road below your wheels as you take a car around the track at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. Tires slipping/gripping the asphalt as you take a curve with G-Forces found in F/18 Fighter jets. At least that's what I've been told. I have never experienced that, but I have to tell you that driving a golf cart around a grass field was also a bit of a thrill. Now before you NASCAR fans scoff, read on, it may be worth it.

On this particular Saturday, the activity coordinator at Foxfire Campground scheduled a golf cart race. The object was to race around the course, staying inside the lane markers, avoiding the man-made obstacles such as the plastic barrels and natural obstacles such as the trees and pond. Oh yeah, trees and pond, baby.

The goal was to have the best time against the other drivers. And by the way, the drivers are blind-folded. What?! Yes. Blind-folded. I hear you thinking. No way. It's impossible to drive over hill and dale, avoiding barrels and trees, and pond, while blind-folded. You would be right, except that also going along for the ride is your navigator who tells you when to go left or right, or "STOP! that body of water is getting too close."

When we found out about the races, I thought this would be fun to watch. My wife on the other hand resolved to enter this race and that I would be her navigator. Fortunately we did not go first. We had the luxury of watching the others and it was a hoot. You could see the navigators pointing left but yelling right. You could see them covering their eyes and the look of fear as they approached the plastic white barrels and trees. Like I said, a hoot.

It was all fun and games until we took our turn. I have to admit that I am an awful passenger. Some even say control freak. I disagree with the latter assessment, but this is America and people are entitled to their opinion. Prior to covering her eyes, Deborah took a few more glances at the course, committing the layout to memory before going blind. We were given the command to go and boy did we take off like a shot. Well, not really a shot so much as an angry turtle.

We first began rolling down the hill and I began calling for her to ease left, left. LEFT! "Don't yell at me, you make me nervous!" she said. Okay, turn right. Right. RIGHT! "Honey, why are you going so slow? You have to step on the gas."

In my defense, I wasn't previously aware that her motor skills were an issue, but apparently when her hands were being used to steer, her foot would tend to ease off the gas or onto the break. It was kind of like the whole rub your tummy, pat your head type of thing. She just couldn't do gas and wheel at the same time. I know right now someone is considering the tummy/head thing and it's okay, nobody is looking, go for it. Like I said, this is America.

We eventually made it to the finish line in record making time. I don't know if it was really a record, but I have a hard time thinking anybody else has ever gone that slow before. Then subtract the penalties for going out of bounds, repeatedly, we didn't have a chance. But then, after all of the other racers took their turns, we were told we could switch places. What? Really? I can do this? Yes.

I took my position in the driver's seat, took a last look at the course, and then donned the blind-fold. Whew! It was dark in there. I got the command, "Go!" and I gunned it. If I hit 5mph, I hit every bit of 12. We were cruising at top speed with a panic stricken navigator yelling at me to go left, now right. "Stay in the lines." she says. I reminded her that I was driving blind and that "I can't see the lines, honey. You have to tell me what to do."

She yells at me to hurry, go right. Sharp right. We are going to hit the speed bump, as we hit the speed bump. It was then I remebered that the speed bump was just before the two barrels and the finish line was just beyond. Much to her dismay, I floored it, while she screamed for me to ease left and right until we crossed the finish line.

The whispers began as suddenly as we crossed the line. We might have done it. We may have won. There were a couple more racers and although they gave a valiant effort, they could not best our time. The announcement was made. We had in fact won, becoming the 2012 Foxfire Camping Golf Cart Racing Champions.

The crowd erupted. "Woohoo!", "Yes!", "Great job!", "You sir, are a legend." Okay, well there were about a dozen people who congratulated me with smiles and nods. I could have been called a legend. You never know.

Later that night, while rejoicing in our victory, it occurred to me how much this was so much an analogy of life. I know you are asking yourself, how can golf cart racing be anything close to life? Stick with me for a moment.

People have choices in life. We can go through life not doing anything, not getting anywhere, because we are afraid to hit the gas. Our dreams and plans wither and die because there is no movement or momentum. Others are moving, blindly, hitting every obstacle in their path. A tree here or a pond there. Maybe going in a completely wrong direction from where they want to be.

But to finish and finish well, we need a trustworthy navigator. My wife was a much better navigator than I was. However, Jesus is the ultimate navigator. We can trust him to not yell at us. He can take us way beyond our dreams and plans, into so much more than what we could ever do if we live in fear or flail blindly in this life. He can see around the corners and knows where the obstacles are. He can help us avoid them, or reroute us when they happen. In fact He is already at the finish line, waiting on us. He made a way for us to get there already. We have won, with Him guiding us, if we follow His guidance.

What dreams and plans are you sitting on today? What kind of fear is holding you back? Why not give it all to God and let Him help steer your life?

Laugh Like You Are Dying (Thanks a lot Tim McGraw)

My wife can be a bit of a frugal woman. Maybe frugal isn't the right word perhaps "practical" is a better description. Imagine my surprise when she told me that she was purchasing for my daughter and me a skydiving adventure. My oldest daughter and I have always wanted to make a jump together. What better bonding experience than jumping out of an airplane? Admittedly, during her teen years, I am sure we each envisioned shoving one another through the open fusealge door of a 747, but that is another post for another time.

We were both excited at this gift from this amazing woman. I became even more thrilled when I found out that she would be joining us on this adventure. How cool is that? Very cool, since she has always been the quiet and reserved one who, by the way, is afraid of heights.

I did not experience my wife or daughter's experience. From their accounts, and the video proof, all went according to plan and they loved it. My daughter, Samantha, loved it enough that she wants to do it again. My wife, Deborah, loved it enough that she is content savoring that one-time memory and is happy to not attempt duplicating it.

My experience was a bit different from theirs. First off, the way this worked(we each did a tandem jump) was that we each had a jump instructor who affixed his harness to ours. When doing this type of jump, the instructor has two jobs; ensure that I have a safe and enjoyable experience. Safe! And enjoyable! To protect his identity and prevent any sort of litigation, I shall call his name, Incompetence. Pete for short.

We were walking out to the plane and I couldn't help but notice that he looked as if he had just sucked the sour out of a bowl full of lemons. It was easy to notice this, in contrast to the other jump instructors who were all excited about their jobs, high-fiving one another and exclaiming the oft-heard cliche, "Let's go jump out of a perfectly good airplane!"

I expressed to Pete that it seemed as if something was bothering him. He replied to me that he was just having a bad day. In my mind I was wondering what constitutes a bad day for someone who jumps out of planes for a living. Before I could ask him, he added "I can't wait to END THIS" long pause,"week."

I was really hoping things would get better for him, soon, if you know what I mean. Before I knew it,I found myself on the plane, climbing to 10,000 feet. People often ask me why I got on the plane. And that is a great question. My brain actually attempted to prevent that action, but my adrenaline fueled body overcame my brain. Boy, how often have we let our racing bodies put us into situations that our otherwise logical brains or inner Spirit, were screaming "Stop! Run the other way!"

I looked around the plane's interior and saw the nervous and excited smiles from both wife and daughter as well as the several other jumpers. Each of their jump instructors were busy tugging on their harnesses, giving them last minute instructions, laughing with them, pointing out different sites visible beyond the window.

Not Pete. He just sort of sat behind me. Sitting. Quietly. A little unnerving actually. Just a different personality type I guess. My stomach was knotting up as the door to the outside opened, and people began shuffling to the door. The pit of my stomach was flopping violently as Deborah and Samantha each moved forward, attached to the front of their respective instructors' harness. There really is no word that I could come up with to describe the feeling as two of the people I love most in life, were propelled, however willingly, out of an airplane attached to experienced professionals. Maybe helpless, possibly inferiority. But those are about it. Well, foolish comes to mind.

As people were jumping out of the plane, I heard the shrieks of delight for a nano-second before the velocity pulled them away from the plane. I imagined hearing "Wahoo!" and "Wheee". As Pete and I shuffled toward the opening, I distinctly and clearly heard him say "Oops." As you may imagine, that one word caught my attention. I began going through my mental catalog, recalling the many times I had uttered it, but I couldn't recall even once saying it when something good happened. "Oops! I just found 20 bucks." Or "Oops! I just thought up a great joke." No, "oops" always followed something negative that happened, as in "Oops! I broke the lamp" or "Oops! I forgot my wife's birthday."

I asked Pete to clarify what he meant by that and he replied "Oh, it's no big deal, I just had your harness hooked wrong." Now, had this occurred while on the ground I may not have thought much about it. But, since I was standing 2 feet from the open door, nearly 2-miles high, and looking out, it kind of grabbed my attention.

My imagination suddenly realized why he was having such an awful week. He may have been afraid of getting called into the bosses office one more time. "Jones, this is the third time this month you've been in here. You have already dropped two this year. If you come back alone again, we're going to have to let you go."

My brain and my mouth finally synced up and I told him that I had changed my mind about jumping. I will just go back down with the pilot. I followed up my statement with a quick question: "Why is the plane leaving without me?" as it dawned on me that the instructor had launched us out of the plane while I was formulating my instructions about cancelling my "adventure."

I quickly prayed, because that's what I do, "God, please don't let me die, with this idiot on my back!" Suddenly a movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. The shoulder strap on my harness was flapping in the wind. I grabbed it while simultaneously congratulating God on his most excellent sense of humor.

So there I was, falling from 10,000 feet above the Earth. It was all out of my hands at that point. I could do nothing but fall and hope that my fellow falling family members were enjoying themselves at least as much as I was. Hopefully more. Pretty soon my fear was replaced with adrenaline. The endorphines were kicking in and this was suddenly becoming fun.

The wind whipping my face, the green and brown quilted earth below, and the beautiful blue sky dotted with puffs of clouds. This was fantastic and worth it all. Then I felt the pull of the canopy being released, followed by the exclamation by Pete that they had given him a bad parachute.

That's right, his week just got worse. Hard to believe, I know. I immediately found lots of empathy for Pete. It was almost as if they had given ME a bad parachute, too. I prayed again, "God, please forgive me for calling Pete an idiot. I am hoping you kind of see my side on that one. But even if you do, I was wrong and I know it."

I don't know exactly what was wrong with the parachute except that he let me know that the landing was going to "be a little less than comfortable." I did that math really quick in my head, which is weird because I am lousy with numbers. "Approximately 10,000 feet divided by 32 feet per second, times 'a little less than comfortable' equals" this is not going to end well.

Well, here I am, a year later, writing about it so you can relax, it all turned out fine. We came in for a fast landing, he on his feet and me sliding along on my butt. Ecstatic that I was down and elated that my family was there waiting for me.

I learned two very valuable lessons that day. The first was the easiest, which was, discount skydiving is a bad idea. The phrase you get what you pay for becomes abundantly clear in the world of extreme recreational sports.

The second was a bit more complex but way more important. That lesson was summed up best in two words: life happens. Sure we have all heard it, but like me, I'm sure most people need a reminder now and then.

Maybe we have found ourselves in an unfortunate situation because of our poor choices or have allowed our own indecision and apathy to dictate our currently mediocre lifestyle. Possibly, we were put into situations caused by someone else who was having a bad day or a bad life, making bad, careless, hateful or hurtful decisions. Life happens.

But as long as we are breathing we have choices to make. Are we going to allow lifes circumstances to rule over us, causing us to beleive that we are to simply exist in the context of those circumstances? Are we going to be blown about by the whims of others or pushed into a life of constant struggle and mediocrity?

Or, are we going to be conquerors of this life, or as it is written in the good old King James, "more than conquerors"? Are we going to let life control us, or are we going to choose to believe that we have a say in how this life turns out?

I have to admit that I did not see a whole lot of funny in the 10 minute adventure that I have just described. But you better believe that on the way home, I had jokes and my family had laughs. We have a shared memory that nobody can ever take away from us. This confirmed for me that a shared experience, no matter how good, is magnified when we are around those who love us (and somebody always loves us.) And a shared experience, no matter how awful, can be weathered when a little time and distance are added, a bit of humor is sought and a lot of love is present.

It is no lie that life in this world can be cruel and I know my skydiving experience was just a small and humorous illustration of the point I am making. It is my personal belief that the surest ways to achieve a level of living that is in any way close to what God has for us, is to include Him in the journey, find every opportunity to laugh that we can, look for excuses to smile and expect joy.

Did I mention that I am anticipating making another jump? You don't think I would allow one "less than comfortable" experience ruin things for me, do you?