warning: potentially disturbing images below, courtesy of my friend blake bergstrom. blake is the associate campus pastor at lifechurch.tv’s oklahoma city campus. and he told me i could tell you this…but he’s also famous for something else which i’ll include at the bottom of this post. don’t wanna distract from his awesome story!
you can visit blake’s blog here!
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Raising Kids and Hooking their Faces!
Didn’t God know that if we raised kids that we would jack them up? Why…why…why would God ever let us raise a child that belongs to him? God knows our hearts-the good, the bad, and the ugly, and yet his big idea is to let us raise his kids???
Just admit it…your parents jacked you up, didn’t they?
My daughter Moriah is awkward when it comes to using her hands or playing sports. Last summer she sprained her wrist and about cut her finger off in the kitchen, but my favorite story was when we went fishing in Colorado. My wife was trying to teach her, (which might have been the problem) but Moriah kept casting to the side. We were trying to get her to cast over her head, so the bait would actually make it in the water. My wife grunted real hard, gave it a really good yank, when about that time, Moriah brilliantly decided to step behind her.
I was about 10 feet away and watched the whole thing. I started to yell, my heart sank, and then it happened…my wife caught my daughter! Moriah ended up with an incredible piercing in the middle of her forehead called a fishhook…its all the new rave!
Now, check this out…What kind of a twisted father says, “honey, come here, ooohh I am so sorry that happened to you…now, please stay still while I take the picture…okay, turn to the side???” What is wrong with me? While we were walking back to the campground to doctor her up, she made the funniest comment ever. This is my favorite part of the story. (I’m telling you that I’m sick)
We were walking back and she said, “Why does this always happen to me? I sprained my wrist…I almost cut my finger off…I’ve got a hook in my head!”
Here is the hard reality, I would do anything in the world to keep my girls from being hurt. However, as hard as I try, sometimes I am the one that hurts them the most. Being a dad is really hard. I want to teach them discipline, financial responsibility, chastity, an instrument, the arts, a language, the Bible, how to swim, how to crawl, how to blow a bubble, and ride a bike. Along the way, I get frustrated, my patience snaps and then I act like my jacked up dad-j/k.
What happens is that my own sin gets in the way of showing my girls what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. I’ll end with this quote that my wife always tells me, “Our children are the message to generations that we will never meet.”
“Father, thank you for the most horrific and wonderful responsibility on earth—raising your kids!”
I’ll give you several questions/thoughts to respond to as you feel led..
1. Do you think that Anne Jackson is equally as awkward at sports as my daughter?
2. Are you screwing up your kids? If so, how?
3. Maybe its time to finally tell the story about those times that your parents dropped you on your face??
4. Where else might you know Blake from? This fun little video which circulated around the internet a while back!
Related posts:
Awesome, Blake. The blog, AND the video…
My dad never hooked my face, but he used to forget to pick me up from school ALL THE TIME.
Once, about 5 o’clock, I got a lift home with the guidance counselor, and I got in trouble. I couldn’t understand why they were concerned about the lady who had used Do-so the Dolphin to tell us not to talk to strangers or let anyone touch us in our private parts.
Parenthood definitely scares me. Knowing all the money I have spent going through therapy from my childhood, when that day finally comes and we have a child, I pray that good will give me the strength not to cry from fear.
Secondly, Thanks for your video. I can’t tell you how many people and or parties have benefitted from laughter at your misspoken words and reaction.
I have jacked my kids up like no other. I allow my own experiences to come back in instances that were from my past. I get mad at the things that my dad got made at me for, when I’m not really even all that mad. It’s just habit. BUT…God is moving me to be different than he was and moving me to better than he was, more loving and more giving. I will raise the ones who will raise the generations that “i will not see.”
Thank you for this post…love the video BTW!!
HI-larious, Blake! I mean…uh…that is awful; is Moriah OK?:)
Most of my face-plants as a child were due to my own ignorance; you know, the “watch this!” approach…
Seriously, no kids yet…trusting Him for the if and when…
Sadly I was unable to get a good photograph of the beads up my son’s nose. Yeah. We have adopted the investment approach that a friend turned us onto several years ago. We don’t have college funds for the children. We’re saving for their out-of-pocket therapy expenses. It’s the least we can do. They can always get a student loan.
I am with you dude. I was hoping my kids would turn out better than me. Now, I am just hopping I don’t screw them up any more than I have.
Blake–I’ve screwed up plenty of times, but hopefully my kids aren’t too damaged by it all. My saving thought is that their Father loves them even more than I ! So, hopefully, by my husband’s and my directing them to Someone much better than the two of us—they’ll end up being OK! So far—we’ve found it to be so! We’re reaping some great blessings!!
On the video—-yeah–it came around a couple of years ago. We all gathered around the computer and died laughing—WITH you, not AT you! ; ) We even commented back then that you’d be a great candidate for Lifechurch—-and here you are! We’re glad to have you!
I can’t recall my father ever dropping me, but after a really bad car crash involving me and one of my sisters we switched to paper plates and cups to cut down on household chores (my parents were caring for two badly injured teenagers and a healthy 10 yr old). instead of writing our names on the cups he drew a whole stick figure for my uninjured little sister, a stick figure with one arm in pieces (I had shattered my humerous) and one stick figure in a wheelchair (my older sister had broken both legs).
we still laugh about it ten years later!!
I never did this but I always wanted to teach my kids that red was blue and blue was red – that a fork was a spoon and a spoon was a fork. I thought it would be funny to watch them argue with their teachers because they would be convinced that red was blue…
No need to tell me – I know I have a sick mind.
as a pre-marriage, pre-children 20-something, parenting is the scariest thing on the not so near horizon, but i did want to say how completely random it is that anne will be working with you at lifechurch. i remember when she was the youth assistant here and we came across your video online. seems like forever ago, because well, it kinda was. crazy how time flies. when i visit anne, i hope to meet you!
My mom really did drop my on my face when I was a small child. Actually, she set me on the washing machine to use both of her hands, and when she turned around, I fell off.
So all of my baptism pictures (I grew up Catholic) show me with a giant black eye. Thanks mom.
Actually, here is my mom 8 months pregnant with me (she claims the picture was staged, but I have my doubts):
http://photos-471.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v63/219/82/17100471/n17100471_32513793_4684.jpg
You’re sick! (But i like it)!!
A good counselor friend of mine told us years ago when we were expressing our concern about messing up our son—”honey, everyone screws up their kids”! (G version)
Praise God for His grace!
When it comes to kids, I just have to remember that they are HIS. And He is capable of making sure they turn out right…regardless of what I do. I still try very hard. I still beat myself up on occasion when I get it all wrong. But I always remember `they are His kids.
PS I’ve dropped my kids a few times too. I’m sorry girls!!! I’m a clutz at times.
Video- classic. Man it’s been my greatest fear when I communicate… thanks for taking one for the team!
Anne- I’m not sure if I just didn’t get the e-mail or what but I don’t see a request to post on your blog as guest blogger. I’ll go check my inbox again :)
Blessings!
I have watched as my brother caught a fishhook in the head and a line drive to the cheek, neither of which were my parents fault mind you. But my Dad did drop me on my nogging from above his head when I was about 1. I use it as an excuse all the time and I am sure I will use it as an excuse when we have kids.
I do love the point he raises about God entusting us to raise children. It’s just another example of how great His grace really is. We don’t deserve anything yet He gives us everlasting life and the opportunity to raise a child. I hear it is a wonderful experience, unlike any other. I have a puppy, it is an experience…that’s for sure.
Anyway, I love the video. I recognized it the moment I saw the hair. AWESOME!!! I saw it a couple of years ago when my brother used it as a sermon illustration at our old young adults meeting. Classic!
Anne, you are blessed to know this dude. I can only imagine the stories.
God bless,
Dave
thanks to all my guest bloggers…and for everyone who made them feel welcome! :)
My dad set up a zipline in our backyard that sent me into a tree at about 300 hundred miles an hour…. awesome.
1.I have seem Anne multi-task and bowl a little, she is quite good at both. She is also a little mean if you challenge her or are on her team if you are bowling for any sort of prize and suck…so be aware.
2.We have 17 “adopted” kids and yes, we are trying to jack up their lives as much as possible in every possible way.
3.My parents never dropped me on my face, but I face-planted many times all by myself.
4.I don’t know Blake.
I didn’t read all the text – but the video sure was funny :P
Hope you’re doing alright.
God Bless ‘_^
WOW!! That’s amazing you got the pictures.
I had four brothers and now two sons. It’s amazing they, I, am still alive. :)
Blessings,
Debbie aka The Real World Martha (S)
hay this is kayla from the youth rally