Author Archive

Posted on March 11, 2010 - by Andy McMahon

Found this.

Wow.  I found this in my draft folder… Honestly, don’t remember writing it, but apparently I wrote it a while ago.  Looks like I may have been thinking about adding references.  I’m not.

Dear American Christians,

Don’t look so surprised, we both knew this has been coming for sometime now.  First, I want to say, it’s not you, it’s us (Meaning me too).  For a long time, I’ve been underwhelmed by the action of people.  We are so interested in forwarding e-mails.  Saying which administration did what, proving out our leftist conspiracies, and our right wing jibber jabber.  We’ve been consumed.

While you send out that e-mail about what the Bush administration failed to do, 6 people died a poverty related death*.   While you forward that e-mail about Barack Obama’s birth certificate, 6 more people died.  While you spend ten minutes arguing with your friend about what the church really needs, 60 people died.  While you spent 20 minutes talking about what that other church is doing, 120 people died. 

If the healthcare bill gets passed, people die.  If the heathcare bill does not get passed, people die. 

What’s sad is, while we’re talking about our God, and how great he is, and what he commands, people are dying asking, “How could God?” or “How can there be a God.”

And we’re arguing over tax dollars.

Posted on March 9, 2010 - by Andy McMahon

A very important day in my life

I’ll take you back a few years. 

I had been up all night with a friend.  I had been tweaking out, and hadn’t slept in about 4 days.  It got to be about 8:30 or 9:00.  My friend said, “Oh man, I gotta go to church!”  Wow.  What should I do?  I guess I could go with, I mean.. I don’t want her to have to drive me all the way back to my house. 

“Ok, I can tag along.” 

She went to get ready for church… I paced back and forth in the kitchen for a while, and then busted out my stash.  I did enough to ‘get me through the morning.’  As we approached the church, I got a little nervous, but comforted myself that I could blend in without being noticed.  When we got there, she was pretty talkative, and introduced me to several people.  They were all pretty nice, but I could tell they didn’t quite know what to make of me. (At that time, I was 100 pounds or so.) 

Once the gathering slowed down a bit, she grabbed me and said, “Come on, we’re going to see my friend.”  Of coarse I followed.  I sure as hell didn’t want to be left alone.  We walked through some hall ways into an office area.  Around the corner, there she was.  A young lady, whom I had seen before, at the bar.  Black hair, a smile that made me hurt, a style of clothing that made me happy and a slightly weird look… something like, “Why the hell did you bring this dope fiend here?” 

She was nice enough to me.  We didn’t talk long.  We never had before either, just the friendly cordials as I was pouring her a drink, or knocking a few drinks off her bill.  We went back out to where service was about to start.  I’ll be honest.  I don’t remember much about the sermon.  But I remember that painful smile, and that black hair like it was yesterday.  It was the first time I had seen a person from the bar in ‘the wild’.

That day, I realized there were some people who could live life normally.  That day, I began to starve for a ‘normal life’ out side of the bar fights, alcohol, and drugs.  That day, an angel was introduced to me.  I didn’t even realize it. 

Had  I known, at that moment, that the woman sitting in that office, with the smile that made me hurt, would one day be my wife and the mother of my child, I would have stopped getting messed up right then.  I would have laid it all down.  But, that’s the day it started.  The hunger.  The drive.  The want.  The tiredness of my life hit me, the moment I saw that beautiful smile, outside of the bar.  I realized life was bigger than karaoke night and Jager bombs. 

I didn’t return to that church for close to a year.  But when I did, it was a home coming.   I am so glad God brought me to where I am today.

Posted on March 9, 2010 - by Andy McMahon

A new day

If you’ve been following my twitter feed at all, you probably know I’ve started working out/training for a race.  yes.  This fat man has started running.  My initial goal was to get below 200 pounds, which I have now done.  My new goal is to get to 185.  (While being able to build muscle and endurance)  Anyway… this is not the blog for that.  You can follow along here.  Me, and Adam Black are writing and working together to meet our goals.  he’s a great accountability partner.  I’d be lying if I said I don’t want you to go comment and recommend different things for us. 

again. it’s http://beardsofsteel.wordpress.com

Go!

Posted on February 25, 2010 - by Andy McMahon

Compassion Thursday – Putri

Meet Putri.  Putri has been waiting for more than six months for a sponsor. You or someone you know has the ability to change her life forever.  Do it.  Please.

Name:	Putri Syalomitha Najoan (ID2480147)
Birthday:	August 18, 2004    Age: 5
Gender:	Female
Region:	Asia
Country:	Indonesia
Program:	Tumou Tou Student Center

Personal and Family Information:
Putri lives with her father and her mother. Her duties at home include running errands. There are 2 children in the family. Her father is sometimes employed as a farmer and her mother maintains the home.

For fun, Putri enjoys playing with dolls and playing group games. She attends church activities regularly and is in primary school where her performance is average.

Your love and support will help Putri to receive the assistance she needs to develop her potential. Please pray for her.

Posted on February 14, 2010 - by Andy McMahon

My Valentine

• I have really ugly feet.  No.  REALLY ugly feet.
• My feet smell, most of the time.
• I’m allergic to most things that clean my skin.  So, the wimpy soap I use isn’t always good enough, so I smell.
• I have a short temper.
• I’m an addict.
• I’m not the most thoughtful man on earth.
• I’m messy.
• I leave my shoes all over the house.
• I’m selfish.

Some of those things she knew before she married me.  Some of them she didn’t find out until we moved in together.  She chooses, every single day to continue to love me.  There is nothing in the world that makes me happier than that.

I don’t always make it easy to love me.  But she makes it look easy.  I take it for granted most days.  I am not a huge fan of Valentine’s day, because of the commercialization of it, but let me  say this.  She truly is my Valentine.  Every day, she chooses to love me,  and there is no way I could ever ever earn that love. Thank God I don’t have to!

Posted on December 29, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Negativity.

My wife knows better than anyone.  I can be the nicest person in the world.  I can also be the meanest, pitbull-esque person on earth.  It’s easy to be negative.  I think that’s why it’s so easy for me to slip back to that place.  It’s easy for me to get mad, hold grudges, stay angry, pick on people.

It’s hard for me to admit that I hold them.  It’s hard for me to confess the plank in my eye.  It’s hard for me to say things like, “you’re right.” or “I’m sorry.” 

I struggle with it daily.  But, I am making the effort to say those things.  I am making an effort to apologize for things I’ve done wrong.  I am working on improving my temper, and in turn my relationships one at a time.

I do not want to sit here and make ‘goals for 2010′.  That’s not my bag.  I do want to say though, that life is a continuous effort, and my effort is going to be focusing on love.  Focusing on sharing that love with anyone I come in contact with.  My effort is to be the husband, father, friend, stranger that people look at and strive to be like.  My effort is to be Love. 

Happy new years folks.  Don’t make resolutions.  Don’t make goals.  Be the change you want to see in others.

Posted on December 10, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Weight

It’s no secret I have been struggling with my weight lately.  But, that’s actually not what I want to write about today. 

My whole life I’ve had issues.  Like, serious issues.  I had a sack full of things that I had drank myself past.  Things I had never dealt with.  Things that, when they happened, I simply made jokes about them, and buried them in the back of my naive little mind. 

a little over two years ago Andrea decided we needed a ‘break’.  I had started drinking again.  I was turning in to a jackass, and Andrea knew where that was taking me.  When she broke up with me, I continued drinking.  One thing she kept telling me was I had issues I needed to work on.  I didn’t want to focus on that.  I wanted to focus on why she didn’t love me, blah blah blah.  I was a broken, broken man.

When I stopped drinking, still single, I decided I needed to go on a journey.  Not a physical journey, but an emotional one.  I started praying heavily for God to lift my weight.  I started praying for God to work me through my pain.  For God to lift:

• The death of my sister (and the last things I said to her.)
• The death of my mom (and the last things I said to her.)
• The death of my best friend (and the fact that I didn’t feel I was a good friend)
• The death of numorous other friends
• The pain of a molestation
• The pain of an abusive childhood
• The pain of being addicted
• The pain of not forgiving myself

 

This stuff was really weighing me down.  Somedays it physically hurt to get out of bed.  Every night, I would lay in bed, crying, praying, hurting, alone.  On top of this, fighting the urge to not go get a beer.  For weeks I did this.  (On top of the years I had been hurting)

One night, I had a dream.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I don’t know where I was but, my mom, my sister, and Matthew were all there.  Each of them took about 1 minute to talk to me.  They each spoke directly to my pain.

“Let it go man, you were a great friend.  You were there for me when no one else was, I love you man.  It’s not your fault. You need to forgive yourself Andy. You’re a great person, a great friend.”

“I know you love me.  I’ve known that since the day you were born.  We had a rough history, but I’m your mother.  I love you. I love you. I miss you.”

“Hey, We’re siblings, we fight.  Who would have known that I was going to die that day.  I love you. It’s not your fault.”

Either I didn’t have any time to ask them questions or I couldn’t think of any. It ended just as fast as it began. 

I woke up.  I woke up happy.  I woke up lighter.

That was the day I realized I could love again.  That was the day I started to grasp a love I was never able to grasp.  That was the day Jesus revealed himself to me.  That was the day I knew, no matter what happens in this world, I can see myself past it. 

That was the day I forgave myself. That was the day I learned to love myself.

That was the day I believe Jesus came down, and personally lifted all of that weight off of my shoulders so I could live my life and love to the fullest.

Posted on December 9, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Tiger Who?

The rumor mill is running overtime.  There’s talk of a guy named Tiger Woods.  Perhaps you’ve heard the stories.  The ‘rumor’ is he’s been having affairs with, well, just about everyone.  I’m pretty sure Cleopatra just came forward from the dead.

People keep saying, “Is this our business?”  I have two answers for that.  Yes and no.  It’s that easy.  Is it fair that the entire world is obsessed with what you’re doing?  No.  Did you mind it when you were the first black man to win the Masters?  No.

“But he didn’t choose to be a role model! America forced this on him!”

I beg to differ.  I bet Rolex, Gatorade, Nike, AT&T, Accenture, American Express, General Mills and Gillette beg to differ too.

The man’s made billions of dollars to be a ‘Role Model’. Sure, his athletic ability made him marketable, but the fact that he was a likable person that people could look up to and aspire to be is what signed his check.  I guarantee it.

The last thing I want to say about this is:

Forgiveness.  This man is forgiven.  I want you all to remember that.  God has already forgotten it.  I assume that’s why God doesn’t work for the paparazzi.  It’s over.  It’s done with.  Forgiven. My prayer is that the people can do the same thing.  Pray for Tiger.  Pray for his family.  Pray for his children.  Pray that he is confronted by God so heavily that he falls on his face.  Not in a bad way, in a good way.  Pray that he falls on his face in repentance.  Pray that he is forever changed by Jesus Christ!  I was. You were.  He will be too!

Pray for these girls that he’s been sleeping with.  Ranging from actresses, to porn stars to servers, they all need your prayers as well.

We are all dirty, no good, flat on our face worthless sinners.  Jesus was beaten, bloodied, spit on, mocked, denied and killed because he knew that we would screw up.  Because he knew Tiger would do this.  He knew we would all be this foolish.  He knew we wouldn’t want to pray for Tiger, and he knew that you would do that thing you did. Just remember he’s human as well.

Thoughts?

Posted on December 3, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Compassion Thursday

Another chance for you to help a child in need.   If you can sponsor Zurisaday – please click here

Name:	Zurisaday Valderrama Avendaño (CO6720028)
Birthday:	June 28, 2004    Age: 5
Gender:	Female
Region:	South America
Country:	Colombia
Program:	CDI Vidas Nuevas

Personal and Family Information:
Zurisaday lives with her father and her mother. Her duties at home include running errands and cleaning. There are 3 children in the family. Her father is employed as a church worker and her mother maintains the home.

Zurisaday is not attending school because she is too young. Singing, playing house and playing with dolls are her favorite activities. She also attends Bible class regularly.

Because of your sponsorship, Zurisaday will have new opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thank you for your concern and prayers.

Posted on November 13, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Friday the 13th

 The date that I always avoided in my past. Friday the 13th.  Superstitious or not, things always went wrong on that day for me.  The last time that happened was January 13th, 2006.  I got stabbed.  I got evicted.  I got fired.  I quit using drugs. (because I had no money)

Looking back I see that all of that was the working of God in my life.  I can truely say that Friday the 13th, that day, is one of the most significant days in my life.  It was a true turning point.

Now I welcome every day, and dread none.  A wonderful life is upon me.