... about what is of importance

OK, I just cannot let it go. The rear-ender fender bender has got me worked up. So, another post today about it, and then I'll drop it. Promise.

One thing that stood out from the whole surreal experience that day was how important this little crack in a bumper was to this kid. After I escaped to my van to avoid his mom (see yesterday's post), I jotted down a few things that are more important to me than the hole (notice the difference to his) in my bumper. I had a lot of time. The police didn't how up for an hour!

Here they are. Realize that apart from the top 10 there is no particular order. Feel free to offer your suggestions, filling in the blanks until we get to the number I believe a cracked bumper should be.

1. Me and God, his Son, his Spirit, his Word

2. My wife
3. My children
4. My extended family & in-laws
5. Serving in the Kingdom
6. The congregation I serve
7. The health of my family
8. My life-long friends
9. The memories shared from the above 8
10. A date with my wife
10 1/2. My next golf tee time

11. Music & the iPod I asked for for Christmas
12. Reading
13. Playing sports with my kids
14. Coaching High School Girls soccer
15. Watching my son play basketball
16. Watching my daughter play volleyball
17. Watching my youngest daughter laugh
18. Seeing movies with my wife in the theater (part of the date in #10)
19. Digital Video Recorder
20. High Speed Internet

21. Friends that send me the weirdest YouTube stuff
22. West Texas Sunsets

23. Fishing with my dad in the Great Lakes

24. Indoor plumbing that works

25. Sportscenter

26. Hockey - Go Habs!

27. Street Hockey with my kids in the cul-de-sac

28. Wahoo's Fish tacos

29. Buying used books online at Half.ebay.com

30. Memories of Rush concerts

31. My high school Air band

32. watching Jack Bauer, Jack Shepherd, Michael Scofield, and now Hiro Nakamura save the world - or at least escape from prison and survive on an island with bad people

33. Fresh Fruit - My new sugar high

-

-

-

-
-

-356. The hole in my bumper... (and the crack in the bumper of my young friend's car)

OK, I'm done for now. It's amazing the list you can come up with when you're in a situation like mine this week. Try it. Like I said, feel free to add some of yours to the list between the numbers 33 and 356. Have a good day and watch your rear-view mirror!

... and thinking,.. How Sad!

Monday I got into a rear-end to rear-end fender bender. It was about 50/50 as far as who hit who. The bottom line is that we ran into one another. I looked but didn't see him. There is "No Fault" when it comes to an accident like this, on private property, both vehicles going backwards... In Colorado (and probably most places) this is a No-Fault accident. Both people are out a deductible, you get the thing fixed and away you go. You did know that one of Murphy's other laws is that this kind of thing always happens around Christmas.

Here's where everything gets interesting. The driver of the other car was a 19ish young man with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. Nice new Acura. He was very proud of it. He jumped out of his car and spent the better part of the next hour surveying the damage. My minivan, while a valuable part of our family, is mostly a way of getting 5 or more to their destination. I have always felt this way about cars. Now, don't get me wrong, I drool over the sports cars like the next guy. Back to the scene: This kid (I can say that - I'm over 40) was pretty worked up. He said he wasn't hurt, his girlfriend either, and neither was I. I was prepared to trade insurance information and go on my Merry (sorry for the seasonal punni-ness) way. He thought we needed to call the Police, and since he was getting pretty agitated, I let him do that, showing him where the non-emergancy number was on his cards. Two minutes later, the ambulance and a firetruck show up!? They spent two minutes finding out no one was injured (interesting side note here: our young friend had been walking around just fine up until the ambulance arrived, then he got into his car and the emergency personnel had to assess his situation there... hmmm...)

It gets better: His mom shows up and proceeds to start in yelling at me for robbing her sweet, innocent son of his deductible claiming it was me who hit him and he shouldn't have to pay. She didn't like the news that this was "No-Fault". I think from there it just went downhill. Dad showed up and proceeded to talk to his son at length. Police arrived after an hour (shouldn't have been called in the first place, but I wasn't about to tell this kid what to do in his agitated state, especially after mom appeared). The officer took our information, wrote a report, gave our stuff back, and I left. Yesterday morning I found out from my insurance agent that a whole new story appeared about them driving forward, me hitting them at excessive speeds (in a small, tight parking lot???), and that he has medical needs, and they aren't paying for anything, including their deductible, they want us to. Wow. What levels people won't stoop to. This story has yet to unfold totally, but I have been assured that nothing will happen to me.

What really puzzles me is the steps that it took for these folk to go from being involved in a simple, small fender-bender to creating lies, wanting to cheat someone and something (wonder why insurance rates are so high?) out of a few hundred dollars. Worse still is the lesson this young man learns from his parents. It's OK to lie, cheat, and steal if it helps you, ends up costing you nothing, and pays for your car to be fixed. In the words of my title: How Sad.

... about the problems of Elves this time of year...

Elf Pet Peeves:

• All the tables/chairs in the cafeteria are built to Santa's Size.
• Those 16 hour workdays in December.
• The Movie "Elf" wasn't true to the book.
• Three Words: Reindeer Stall Duty
• Toil for 364 days a year just to make children smile and no one cares. Meanwhile, frolic around one day in some fruity outfit in February with a lousy bow and arrow and all of a sudden you're a hero.
• North Pole PPO health plan doesn't cover tattoo removal.
• The EPA's new relaxed reindeer-emissions standards.
• Icy cold North Pole temperature makes it hard to produce quality workmanship.
• Reindeer game #12: Elf lacrosse.
• Jolly Ole Santa has never yet brought back a single cookie to share.

(Adapted from Sermon Fodder and Joke A Day Ministries. http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=lx5kx9bab.0.pspisnbab.9nnikbbab.16604&ts=S0219&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sermonfodder.com)

... about golf (since it was 1 degree F yesterday!)

Hey, it's really cold out and at this time of year when it's like that my thoughts turn not to christmas, but to golf. Here's a good paragraph for all you golfers out there who feel the need to connect golf with theology. I don't need to talk about that connection as often as some because I feel the connection, deep inside my self. I need golf to help my spiritual walk. Those of you who are non-golfers will not ever understand that so I rest my case. I just call it spiritual renewal and go on.

Yes, it's fun.
Yes, I enjoy watching it on TV.
Yes, I follow the sport, and Tiger Woods, and I read the magazines as often as Bob Stephenson supplies me with his used copies! Thanks Bob!
Yes, I love the history of the game.
Yes, it is a hobby (and an expensive one at that).
I admit all of that. So sue me.

Oh yeah, back to the paragraph:

"You cannot golf well unless you combine a number of seemingly contradictory virtues: concentrated and relaxed effort, intensity and calm, active hope and long-suffering, to name a few. Golf is an eschatological (study of last things) game. It's a bout playing in the tension between promise and fulfillment, the already-but-not-yet."

Have a great Monday and remember: Golf is about spiritual renewal to me (yah, yah, and it's fun).

... and look where that got me!

Just some goofy stuff for today:

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.

He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

A day without sunshine is like, well, night.

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.

Bumper Sticker: Honk if you love peace and quiet.

My fave: Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular?

Nothing is foolproof to the sufficiently talented fool.

I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.

and... my teenage daughter's favorite bumper sticker sighting here in Colorado: "I march to my own accordian".

... about living out Jesus' message in my life.

OK, I've been doing a lot reading lately in my preparation for lessons on the Sermon on the Mount. Most everything has been, at the least, helpful. Some things I have read bothered me, in a this-is-not-what-Jesus-is-saying-is-it? sort of way, and still other material was incredibly transformational for me. Some of this stuff that I have read may be too late to imcorporate into this round of lessons from the Master. Somehow I have a feeling this won't be the last that my congregation hears from me on the Kingdom of Heaven. I want to share some more from Rick McKinley's This Beautiful Mess in a section entitled "Practicing the Presence of the Kingdom" (he is a bit negative here but his point is made - sorry for the length):

"When I compared the vision for life in the kingdom that Jesus put forth in the Gospels with the experience I had at church as a new Christian, I noticed a discrepancy. Jesus' fresh perspectives on money, suffering, justice, love had been refashioned into a tidy way of life for those who did their best to convey that they no longer needed much of what he had to say.

At eighteen, I sensed the problem without quite being able to say it. In all the tidiness, the wonder of the gospel of Jesus seemed to be disappearing. As a new convert, I was alive in that wonder. It was changing my life. But lookoing around, I realized that most of Jesus' followers lived pretty much like everyone else - except we hoped for heaven. The Christian life began to look like one long waiting game of Bible studies and boring parties. If I was lucky, a bus would hit me and I'd go straight to heaven. Until then the kingdom life I was reading about in the Gospels would have to wait.

I felt disappointed - like I had entered into C.S. Lewis's wardrobe, full of anticipation, but instead of standing in a magical place with fawns and witches and every kind of possibility, I had somehow managed to walk through the wardrobe and into a dentist's office. People sat around reading magazines and asking me to calm down, to be quiet, to take a seat. They said it very nicely, of course, like you would in a dentist's office. The place was clean, with polite smiles everywhere, sterile smells, and bad Muzak. What are you supposed to do in a waiting room except try to kill time? I did a lot of that. I killed time in college groups. In church. In Bible college. I even killed time as a pastor.

But leaning back in my chair one day I realized that the walls of a waiting room were actually papr-thin. Behind the veil of Western evangelicalism existed an untamed, revolutionary reality. The world on the other side of the wardrobe did exist, I realized. You just have to tear down the fake walls first, kill the fake music, and let yourself go crashing with newborn, wide-eyed anticipation out into the world.

And there it is all around you. The kingdom of God.

What would happen if we recaptured appropriate wonder at the present reality of the kingdom? What if we could see it and could collaborate with the Spirit as it breaks into our world? What if we discovered the simple miracle of participating with God in his kingdom and practicing the presence of it all around us?

Practicing the presence of the kingdom changes how we see the world, our neighbors, and ourselves. It changes the way we use money, understand children, and play in creation. It causes us to stop and listen, see, touch, taste, and feel. The kingdom is found in justice breaking in all around us, in the beauty in the midst of the mess.

The kingdom also calls us to to be signposts along the road of life, pointing to the reality of heaven and our King. It calls us to hold that sign up among those who suffer. The kingdom shows up, and we stand in the midst of their suffering with them and declare that they are loved.

That kind of signpost, showing up all over the place.

This is the kind of articulation I have been looking for to explain the kingdom. Something not safe. Something not comfortable. I only hope I can break through those walls myself. As Mike Cope calls it, we are "The church that has left the building".

... about turning around ...

Here's a great excerpt from a book I'm reading by Rick McKinley called This Beautiful Mess:

"To repent means to turn around, to stop what you are doing and do the opposite. To repent means that even though you used to assume one thing was true, you know it's all wrong - all wrong - and you will now believe and act upon something totally different. Repent is a good, strong word, full of hope and new beginnings. In the context of Jesus' kingdom, repent is an invitation to another world, another life, a way of being that was supposed to be all along and can be now.

To repent is to say to God: "I'm blind. I don't see, but I want to. Please show me your heart in everything."

Good thoughts from a good book so far. He also wrote Jesus in the Margins, another good one.

... OK, I'm committed to blogging more often now....

Thanks to a friend that blogs every day, I am re-committing myself to blogging "more often". You can quote me on that. I was up to blogging 5-6 days a week. I have trouble blogging on Sundays... hmmm... wonder why. I'll try to do better (OK, Simba?).

Here's some random stuff for now:

- Do we really know how far a compliment will go for someone? I was reminded this week of something I said to someone almost ten years ago. They still remembered the positive words and it affected them and helped them change some bad habits. I forgot. Now I will remember to be more generous with my compliments.

- My two older kids are sports nuts. My wife blames me. Can I help it if they want to watch SportsCenter in the morning before school? Can I help it if my oldest daughter has the Michigan fight song as her ringtone? I guess I can help it. I'm the one that encouraged it. It's fun, though. I get to attend all of their games, cheer them on... I love it (And the wife is getting into it too).

- The only people Jesus came down hard on in scripture, it was the religious insiders, the ones who should know better. He gave them very little wiggle room or slack. He expected more. He was compassionate, loving, and merciful to the outsiders, the marginal folk, the ones no one wanted to hang around. Do we do that? Sometimes I get the impression that we have it the other way around. People that differ from us in their lifestyle, their life choices, their moral choices - we stay away (we may throw a legislation against them, but that is another post)entirely), we even move away. I see Jesus moving TOWARD these people.

Lord, help me to move toward the marginalized, the poor, the outcasts... help me to do as you did... Help me to be merciful, compassionate, loving...

... about why people are so lonely?

(This painting is called "Sheltering Tree" by Rosalyn Jacobs)

Well, after only a few posts during October (I didn't realize there were so few, sorry), I have decided to get back into the daily blogging habit. Here's a topic to start the month out with:

According to a 2004 study recently published in American Sociological Review, one in four Americans has no close friends in whom to confide matters of personal importance. Coleridge said that friendship was like a sheltering tree. In our lifetime I guess it might be more like a sheltering tree in the high plains (hey, it's where I live): not many find them. Chuck Swindoll in his book about David wrote some powerful things about friendship. He explained that David needed some people to rely on when his family and his kingdom were falling apart. They were like those sheltering trees. They were friends that were in it for the long haul. Swindoll went on to say that:

- Friends are not optional; they’re essential
- Friends are not automatic; they must be cultivated

- Friends are not neutral; they impact our lives

- Friendships come in varying degrees, some of whom play more significant roles in our life than others.

I am thankful for the friends I have had for the long haul. You know who you are.

Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
(Proverbs 17:17)

Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.
(Proverbs 18:24)

... Do We Say Enough Good?

I love this picture to the right. Running and cycling races have the most gracious fans. They stand out in all sorts of weather and encourage people they don't even know for a second here and a second there. It makes a difference. Just when you think about giving up someone yells, "It's not far now, keep it up, you can do it!" This message needs to be ringing from our homes, from our churches, "Keep going, don't quit, keep it up, not long now!" How much time do we spend praising, encouraging...

In his book, The One-Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard recommends developing the practice of "one-minute praising," where the manager (or parent, spouse, etc.) tries to "catch someone doing something right" and then spend a full sixty seconds praising that person for the good deed.

This is a lot more difficult than it appears. Where we might not find it difficult to criticize someone for even sixty minutes, many times we find it almost impossible to praise someone sincerely for a full minute. And this is true for the church as well. It seems that it can be hard for some people to praise God. Even in our prayer time, we can sure list off the prayer needs but I think we find it difficult to come up with praises. The more we praise God for everything that He has given to us the less we will criticize others. The more we praise Him in the church the more we will see His hand and Spirit moving through others.

The more we praise others, encourage others, the less likely they will quit or give up. "catch someone doing something right" today.

... Strikeouts or Home Runs!

I found this on one of the minister emails I get regularly:

In the Oct. 3 edition of Stan's Leadership Newsletter, Stan Toler writes, "It usually happens near the completion of a project. The deadline approaches. The troops are restless. The expectations are high. But it just isn't coming together. You're tempted to call it a day to quit. At first it seems like the easiest way out, if not the best way.

"In his speech at his induction into the hall of fame, baseball great Mickey Mantle turned to the baseball commissioner and said, 'Thank you very much, Commissioner. I would really like to thank you for leaving out those strikeouts . . . I was the world champion in striking out.' And he was. His 1,710 strikeouts topped Babe Ruth's record of 1,330. Yet both are recognized as some of the greatest baseball players in the history of the sport.

"What is that factor that keeps others going while you're ready to throw in the towel? Mickey decided to keep going. Tenacity is the ability to put a shoulder to the boulder. To keep pushing until there is a breakthrough. Mantle is in the hall of fame because he refused to let the strikeouts rule his thinking or his life. Because of his tenacity, Mantle is better known for his hits than his misses.

"What will be your story? Will you be known more for throwing in the towel than for carrying the torch? I like the story of the little boy who threw a baseball into the air and tried to hit it with his bat. After about six strikes he turned to his father standing nearby and said, 'You know, Dad, I'm a pretty good pitcher!'

"Decide to persevere. Acknowledge what you are able to do and what God is able to do through you and then simply use the best of your ability to keep going. Others have. So can you." (To subscribe to Stan's newsletter, visit here)

... about random things...

Random thoughts today:

1. 4"+ of snow on the ground today. It is October 18, in case you don't know. Colorado Springs, I have found, has lovely days in the summer, but spring and fall are another story altogether. In 2006, we had snow on May 5 I believe, and now October 18th. That's a 5 month break. Weird (not as much as Buffalo last week but...)

2. The US population reached 300,o00,000 earlier this week. The obvious question is: how do they count and keep track between census taking years? Someone explained it to me the other day but I still don't know. Did you know it took almost forty years for the US to go from 200 to 300 million but it took just less than 6 years for China to go from 900 million to 1 billion in the early 70's. It's all relative. We still have one of the lowest person per square mile ratios in the world.

3. This one is just weird: http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1322725, It kind of reminds me of a Ghostbusters quote: "Cats and dogs living together..."

4. My youngest child has turned into the "nose-hair" police. She'll tell me when they're getting long. Which begs the question: Why does hair begin to grow in undesired areas when we age and fall out in the places where we want it - like top of our head)?

5. Here's a great thought for today: Read scripture again for the very first time. Find a familiar section of verses and read it anew with a new outlook; for a new purpose; to learn some thing new (something new possibly about yourself). Try that one on.

... and then someone asked me to answer a whole bunch of questions!

This morning as I was reading some blogs, I came across a list of questions, and after reading their answers they challenged their readers to anwer them. So here goes Andrea!

1) What books are you reading now? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini & Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson
2) Favorite magazine? Golf
3) Favorite smell? Brewed Gourmet Coffee
4) Least favorite smell? B.O.
5) What's the first thing you think of in the morning? 15 more minutes, just 15 more minutes… 6) How many rings before you answer the phone? Never get to, children, teenagers in my house…
7) Future children's names? I’m closer to having grandchildren…
8) If you could have any job what would it be? Golf Pro
9) If you could have any color hair what would it be? Not grey
10) Glass half full or half empty? It depends on whether I am going to finish drinking it or not (half full)
11) Favorite movie? Lord of the Rings – waited 28 years for it!
12) Do you type with the correct fingers on the keys? Never took a typing class, what do you think?
13) What is your single biggest fear? Taking a bunch of clothes to Goodwill and finding out a few weeks later that they have been purchased again!
14) Favorite song? U2 – “40”
15) Favorite soft drink? Diet whatever – Dr. Pepper, I guess
16) The best place you have ever been? Lake Louise, British Columbia, Canada
17) What is your nickname? The only one I ever had was in college, named after a Budweiser Pit Bull – Spuds (MacKenzie) – Thanks Budweiser!)
18) Favorite NEW food? Chipotle’s Chicken Burrito…
19) Ever been toilet papering? No, but I have had it done to me by people that read this blog regularly… you know who you are...
20) Favorite day of the week? Sunday. What?! I’m a minister?
21) Favorite restaurant? One I eat regularly - Chipotle; When I have $$$$$ -- Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
22) Favorite sport to watch? Golf, Football, College Football, College basketball - Tournament
23) Favorite ice cream? This one hurts cuz I can’t have it anymore but 0 Blue Bell’s Vanilla Bean
24) What do you do when you are bored? Never bored: three kids, their sports, ministry, stuff to do…
25) Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Golfsmith
26) Bedtime? When I can’t hold my eyes open anymore…
27) What (or who) inspires you? Jesus – The Sermon on the Mount, My wife, my kids…
28) Beach, city, or country? Country, close to a city
29) What kind of car do you drive? 2005 Dodge Minivan, 1993 Grand Am
30) What characteristic do you despise? Non-listeners & Whiny People
31) Favorite flowers? The ones I give my wife?
32) Where would you like to retire to? A house near a golf course
33) Are you a morning person or a night owl? Morning
34) Have you ever been fired from a job? Nope
35) If you could permanently smell like any scent from the smelly markers collection, which one would you choose? What kind of question is that?
36) Favorite Memory: When my wife said she would marry me…
37) Current Occupation? Minister

... and looking at my day planner...

For those of you who checked your day planners today, you noticed that, not only is it Columbus day but it is Canadian Thanksgiving as well. I know it begs an explanation, so here goes (I got this off the web):

In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. The harvest season falls earlier in Canada compared to the United States due to the simple fact that Canada is further north.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Northern America. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbors.Eventually in 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day.Finally, on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed..."A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.

There you have it. I guess as long as we're thankful, does it matter when we celebrate it? Shouldn't we always be thankful? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: "Give thanks in all circumstances".

Here are some Canada pics for ya:

Toronto skyline first

Niagara Falls

and some fall colors by a lake near where I was raised

... what's your dream car?

My friend Danny Sims posted on his blog today asking questions about everyone's dream car, forcing us to choose between a smart car or a hummer. I thought I would respond to his "dream car" question by posting it on my blog.

I have always been fascinated by the British and European small convertibles (not the pricey Italian ones). My dream one was always the 1976 Triumph TR6, dark blue:

(not a great pic, I know) (here's another)

I loved the MGB's and Fiat's as well:

The Triumph had the beautiful wood dashboard and itjust looked like a fun car to have. Not ever practical in Canada growing up, but when I moved to Texas I entertained (for a minute maybe) the idea of buying one. When I realized I would have to drive three hours to get service for it, I gave up and bought my friend Danny's old Subaru.

Actually, my dream cars lately have been the ones that are paid for and that run. I am thankful that I have a car at all, and for the ways that we have been blessed. Still, it never hurts to dream? What was your "dream car" growing up?

... what it's like to live a long, good life

Byron Nelson died today. Most of you that are not golf fans probably do not know him. He was one of golf's greatest players of a different era - the 1930's and 1940's. He won a record 11 tournaments in a row one year. I think I remember him saying in an interview once that he earned 182,000 dollars in his entire career. He quit professional golf at age 34 to spend time on his ranch with his family. A different era, indeed.

I got the opportunity to meet him a few years ago at golf outing I was playing in. I had my picture taken with him and I remember him being a kind and gentle man. He spent time talking to us about making a difference in our lives - that being the most important thing to do. When he learned I was a minister, he turned to me and said, "Just keep serving him, there's great reward in that." I'll never forget it.

"I don't know very much," Nelson said in a 1997 interview with The Associated Press. "I know a little bit about golf. I know how to make a stew. And I know how to be a decent man." He was a humble man and everyone knew he was much more than how he described himself. We'll miss him.

... and worshiping...

Just a quote from Frederick Buechner today about worship. Wherever you fall on his two "ways", may you worship to the fullest today.

"To worship God means to serve him. Basically there are two ways to do it. One way is to do things for him that he needs to have done - run errands for him, carry messages for him, fight on his side, feed his lambs, and so on. The other way is do things for him that you need to do - sing songs for him, create beautiful things for him, give things up for him, tell him what's on your mind and in your heart, in general rejoice in him and make a fool of yourself for him the way lovers have always made fools of themselves for the one they love."

The second "way" would shake things up a bit on Sunday morning, don't you think? Remember david in 2 Samuel 6:22?

... Actually, you were wondering, about the pen spinning trick

I have had hundreds of people everywhere I have lived ask me about how I spin the pen around my thumb. I learned 25 years ago in High School, senior year English class, Miss Covey. I was extremely bored. She had me pegged as a slacker of which I was not. But try to get out from under being pegged as something you are not! That is a lesson for another time and place. So, I was bored. The guy next to me was from Hong Kong. His friend in front of him was from Malaysia. They were spinning all the time. I watched and I tried; and failed. They laughed and said in their broken English, "You can't do!" Well, that was enough motivation for me, and the rest, as they say, is history (so was my "A" average in English too - I ended up with a "B"). You begin by spinning it around your thumb one way and then learn to do it back, then adding it all together. It takes a lot of time. Dale Carter of Michigan is the only one I know of that learned how to do it after watching myself and some others he knew spin. It's not easy.

Here's a video of some pen-spinning guys that make me look lame. I didn't know it was a whole culture out there (mostly in Asia) until Yahoo.com had an article on it this morning. Lots of people with more time on their hands than is useful to society. For me, now it is just a nervous habit.




(sorry about the music; definitely not my bag, but turn down the sound and watch these geeks go!)

Have a great day!

... where do they come up with this stuff.2?

As my wife was preparing for this week's lessons for our children's ministry programs, she came across this game that was supposed to connect the kids to Paul being called by the people (actually the Bible has it as one man) of Macedonia to come and help them (Acts 16:9). This is a production from one of the leading children's ministry curriculum and teaching organizations. Most of us have watched their children's videos!

"List of suppplies: Newspapers, large baskets, boxes, or paper bags.

Divide the group into two teams. One side will be Paul and his friends, which will have the newspapers. the other side will be the Macedonians, which will have the baskets, boxes, or paper bags. The two teams line up on opposite sides of the playing area. The Macedonians will call out: Come over and help us!

The other side will make paper wads to represent Paul and try to toss them into the baskets. The Macedonian side should try to catch the paper wads. After a while, collect all paper wads and switch sides."

Hmmm... theology here: Paul as a paper wad. Wow, this children's ministry stuff is getting deep.

... Where do they come up with this stuff?

On Sears hairdryer: Do not use while sleeping.
(new definition of “bedhead”)

On a bag of Fritos: You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
(This is the shoplifter special!)

On some frozen dinners: Serving suggestion: Defrost.
(But it's just a suggestion!)

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding: Product will be hot after heating.
(Are you sure? Let's experiment.)

On packaging for a Rowenta iron: Do not iron clothes on body.
(It would save time though…)

On Children's cough medicine: Do not drive car or operate machinery.
(If only we could keep those 5 year olds off those fork lifts.)

On Nytol sleep aid: Warning: may cause drowsiness.
(One would hope!)

On a string of Christmas lights: For indoor or outdoor use only.
(As opposed to use in outer space.)

On a food processor: Not to be used for the other use.
(Hmm, now I'm curious.)

On Sainsbury's peanuts: Warning: contains nuts.
(no comment…)

On an American Airlines packet of nuts: Instructions: open packet, eat nuts.
(have lobotomy)

On a child's Superman costume: Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.
(Great, destroy a universal childhood fantasy!)

I just had to include this photo too:

Wow!

... how do I make life safer for hedgehogs?

VS.



According to an Aug. 31 Reuters story, burger giant McDonalds has given in to demands of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society to reduce the size of the opening in its McFlurry container. (For those out-of-touch citizens who don't frequent McDonalds, a McFlurry is an ice cream treat with candy mixed in.)

It seems that some British consumers have been tossing their McFlurry containers on the side of the road, where innocent hedgehogs have been putting their heads in to get a taste of the sweet treat. The container opening is just wide enough for them to get in, but then they get trapped and eventually die of starvation (apparently when the McFlurry remnants run out).
So -- being the animal-lovers they are -- the folks at McDonalds have reduced the size of the opening on top of the McFlurry container, keeping hedgehogs from sticking their heads in and getting caught. Except for really small hedgehogs, of course.

"This is excellent, it is long overdue news," said Fay Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

It will be even better news when they make the container opening small enough that people who shouldn't be eating them can't get in. Hmmmm...

... about potential

Hey! I'm back after a short absence! I was making some changes. These led to other changes... which led to still more changes... Oh well. I learned my lesson to let sleeping blogs lie! ;)

I'm always amazed at those climbing walls in the sports stores. It looks hard. I do understand that once you learn the technique it is easier. Still, the other day I saw a six-year-old flying up the wall like a spider! She made it look easy!

Here’s a word for you today: potential. It’s something some of us hear growing up that either empowers us or hits us squarely in the face depending on how it is used. If it is used in this context it is fine: “he/she has so much potential in this or that area; unlimited potential for success.” If it used in this context it creates a much different response: “he/she just doesn’t ever seem to live up to all that potential.” Here’s a definition of potential: possible, but not yet realized; with a possibility or likelihood of occurring, or of doing or becoming something in the future; the capacity or ability for future development or achievement.

This word is personal for me. It hits home. I’m not saying which sentence I heard growing up but I think I began to hear some talk about the second sentence some years ago, the not-living-up-to-potential one. It hurt; especially considering who it came from.

Here’s the encouragement from scripture though: God is able to transform us into whatever he wants us to be. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which come from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Cor. 3:18

Our job is to encourage as well. Help someone reach theirs. Better yet, pray that God would transform them into his likeness!

... and working on some changes... help me...

I just thought it was time for a change to the ol' bloggy-thingy. Things went well until... I have always disliked when making a change on the computer it gives you the ultimate warning: "Do you really want to permanently make this change you dufus, cuz you'll lose stuff if you do?" I know, it's not really like that, but I have a hard time. I get stuck. This time I thought, Oh I'll make the change, I'll go through with my changes even after the warning pop-up. So, as a result, all my links went away and I can't get them back. Hey, I'll just start a new list o' links. Hey if you have a blog and you want me to link to you, send it to me. I'll think about it, and after debating it, I'll have to confront that aweful warning again, and, well, I may just go ahead anyway; again!

... About Good & Evil

With stories of terrorist plots, gas prices exploding upward, and summer busyness coming to an end, just when you think it’s OK to go outside, to let your kids go outside, you hear this story .

The passport of Natascha Kampusch (pictured here) was found at the house where she was allegedly imprisoned and the woman had the same distinctive scar as the girl.

DNA test results are due later on Thursday which Austrian police expect will confirm the woman's identity. The schoolgirl's disappearance at the age of 10 had sparked a huge manhunt eight years ago.

I don’t want to dwell on the unconscionable, unbelievable evil that would possess someone to keep a child captive for 8 years. But I do want to end with an ordinary (but really extra-ordinary) instance of living out our faith. Hopefully these kind of examples balance out the evil world we live in.

At lunch today, a friend from church said that over this past year he has made some conscious choices. The first one was to make his business decisions based more on integrity. He said he always acted this way but was becoming more aware that he needed to stay diligent. He also said that he has recommitted to giving of himself, his gifts and his resources to church and to taking care of his family. There it is; faith lived out every day. Nothing extraordinary, but maybe it is. Maybe it needs to be.

... there once was a little boy named David

Today, I am just going to expand on a comment I left on Mike Cope’s blog today:

David is one of my favorite Bible characters. He is real. We have chronicled for us his ups and his downs (just don’t read 1 Chronicles only when reading David’s story – mostly good news. Hey, they’re telling the king’s story! Who wants to hear bad news?). The most powerful thing we have from David is his own personal reflections on some of the hard times he went through. In the Psalms! No other Bible character gives us a glimpse into his own heart the way David does. Yes, we have the story, the narrative, but these are David’s own thoughts and prayers, and sometimes his own soul bare for us all to see and learn from. Here are a few examples:

• Psalm 142: in 1 Samuel 22 it tells us that David escaped from King-gone-nutjob Saul to a cave near Adullam. (In Psalm 55 and 34 David also pours out his heart before God, but notice the change in his voice from 142 to 55 to 34). Listen to some his words penned from 142:

Look right, look left—
there's not a soul who cares what happens!
I'm up against it, with no exit-- bereft, left alone.
I cry out, GOD, call out:
'You're my last chance, my only hope for life!'
Oh listen, please listen; I've never been this low.
Rescue me from those who are hunting me down;
I'm no match for them.
Get me out of this dungeon so I can thank you in public.
Your people will form a circle around me
and you'll bring me showers of blessing!"
(Psalm 142:4-7, The Message)

• Psalm 32:3-4: He’s writing after the fact what it was like holding his adultery, lying, and murder inside. Outside of Psalm 51, the most gripping look into David’s heart. His words:

Before I confessed my sins,
my bones felt limp,
and I groaned all day long.
Night and day your hand weighed heavily on me,
and my strength was gone as in the summer heat.
(Psalm 32:3-4, CEV)

• Psalm 51: the obvious. But so powerful. David, once convicted of his sin, throws himself completely, 100% on the mercy and grace of God. I am particularly drawn to verse 17:

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
(Psalm 51:17, ESV)

... Do cartoon Cats and Dogs get lung cancer?

OK, in honor of the State of Colorado going smokeless (every public place - even the last bastions of smoking-dom- bowling alleys and bars), here’s a good laugh that falls into the category of “get a real life”:

LONDON (Reuters) - They chase each other at high speed, wielding axes and hammers. But the famous cartoon duo of Tom and Jerry are in trouble in Britain for smoking on screen. Media regulator Ofcom received a complaint from a viewer who took offence at two episodes involving smoking.

In one, "Texas Tom," the hapless cat Tom tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand. In the other, "Tennis Chumps," Tom's opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.

In a bulletin posted online, Ofcom noted "concerns that smoking on television may normalize smoking," and said that the Turner Company, licensee for Boomerang which aired the cartoons, had agreed to edit some smoking scenes out of Tom and Jerry. "The licensee has ... proposed editing any scenes or references in the series where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorized or where it might encourage imitation," Ofcom said, adding that "Texas Tom" was one such example.

But it would not cut all smoking scenes, it added. Ofcom said it recognized smoking was more generally accepted when cartoons were produced in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, but noted that the threshold for including such scenes when the audience is predominately young should be high.

I have one thing to say: It’s a cartoon; A cartoon. Well, maybe I have a little more to say. If a Tom & Jerry cartoon makes my children want to run out and start smoking, I have failed in my job as a parent. Now, understand me, I am not and have never been a Tom & Jerry fan - too much violence - it might make my kids go out and be vicious! ;-) Seriously though, I am not a fan, but this is weird. As for the statement about editing out the scenes that encourage imitation… come on! Is this serious?

... What does "the fear of the Lord" mean?

Rubel Shelly wrote a great little article about the fear of the Lord. I am including an excerpt below. It reminded me a little of a Christian drama presentation I saw a long time ago at Highland Church in Abilene. I can’t remember the name of the presenter; He is an ACU grad; does one-man-shows; has a video out about his stuff… Aaaagh…I hate it when I can’t remember someone!

Any way, the presentation was on man’s views of God. He went through showing how some view God as a sleepy old man that forgets things; He got the world going and then backed off and forgot us. The one that I remember being very powerful was the view of God as the Texas Sheriff who was always watching to see if someone messed up and then he’d “git ‘em”. Everyone would live in fear of this God. Live in fear and trembling… listen to how Shelly puts it:

“When either the Hebrew Bible or Christian Scripture sanctions "the fear of the Lord," it is referring to what Eugene Peterson describes as "a fear that pulls us out of our preoccupation with ourselves, our feelings, or our circumstances into a world of wonder." Not dread but astonishment. Not terror but reverence. Not shaking-in-your-boots panic, but enraptured-with-love fascination.

Thus we begin to understand why Scripture says: "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him" (Psalm 33:8 NRSV). "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ..." (Proverbs 9:10). "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others ..." (2 Corinthians 5:11).

The God who has showed himself in history as Jesus of Nazareth is not a thug who threatens and pushes people around. He is the God who creates such beauty in the world that we stand speechless, upholds us in our crisis moments so that we do not collapse, and would rather die on a cross than live without us.

Stand in awe! Fear his name! It is for your sake that he has given all.”

I don't know about you, but I think I like this undertanding better of the "Fear of the Lord".
(Here’s a link to the whole article.)

... and missing the homeland...

Nothing special today, just thinking about the homeland, the Great White North, eh?

As fall is coming, school started this week, here are some things I miss:

1. Seeing hockey in person. Not NHL (especially not the Avs), I'm talking junior hockey, peewee hockey, where the players still love what they're doing. On any given day from October through March you can find a game to attend.

2. Playing hockey. Now, i know that this one closely resembles number one, but, only if you don't play hockey. I have recently found some guys in Colorado Springs that play and they are interested in me since I played goalie, a little.

3. The simplicity of life there. This one is more difficult to describe but it has to do mostly with consumerism and materialism. Lots of it in the good old USA but Canadians tend to not get all caught up in that game.

4. The outdoors there. Colorado, I have seen since we moved here last year, rivals it, but it will never be like how I remember it as a child.

5. Toronto. There's just something about the massive place that's home to me. Lots of fun memories from High School. Jeff Davison, if you'r reading this, I am specifically referencing our treks downtown to the record stores in the late 70's to find the latest cool music.

These are just a few. I could talk about the boring Canadian food, the great ethnic food from all over the world, unbelievable fishing spots, and of course, my Blue Jays! But those are topics for another time. It's amazing how much our childhood impressions of things have such an impact on the whole journey of life. This is just one of those spots where i'm stopping along the way to remember. O Canada!

Anybody want to share their memories of their "Homeland"?

... Still wondering...

More random thoughts:

1. When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane & going the wrong way.

2. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

3. For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.

4. Two wrongs are only the beginning.

5. Change is inevitable . . . except from vending machines.

6. Always try to be modest and be proud of it!

7. Love may be blind but marriage is a real eye-opener.

8. If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you.

... OK, I was just wondering...

(I don’t remember where I got some of these but they compose some sort of random top ten – enjoy!)

1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.

2. A day without sunshine is like . . . night.

3. On the other hand . . . you have different fingers.

4. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

5. He who laughs last thinks slowest.

6. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

7. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

8. Borrow money from a pessimist -- they don't expect it back.

9. Quantum mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of.

10. Support bacteria -- they're the only culture some people have.

... what were you doing yesterday after the preacher went long in his sermon?

OK, it was my sermon that went long but - I was here again yesterday. What a great finish! Dean Wilson beat Tom Lehman in a playoff to win his first PGA event. The roar would have been heard miles away if Lehman would have pulled this off!

Some PGA Tournament observations:

• Golf fans are the most polite anywhere (except during the Ryder Cup – but that’s another story) and, for the most part, they dress well.


• There are people of all ages there, making it a fun family atmosphere.


• Fans cheer for everyone no matter how well they are playing.


• Fans cheer even though players miss shots.


• Food is incredibly over-priced and underwhelming!


• The PGA tour slogan one year was: These guys are good. They are more than that. They are amazing. Their misses are better than my good shots!

... where were you yesterday?

Here’s what I was up to yesterday. I got free tickets to the International, The PGA tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado. Thanks Lance Barrow of CBS Sports for the tickets! I am taking a couple of day’s vacation this week so Cameron and I and a college guy from church can go. Cam was excited because he got autographs from Sergio Garcia (made sister jealous), Reteif Goosen, Davis Love, and Bernhard Langer. We got to see how effortlessly they play a really hard game.

Last night in my devotional before classes I talked about how much they practice to be able to hit the kind of shots they hit. I talked about their pre-game and pre-shot routines, how they develop habits. I related his to how we are to do this for our Christian lives. We need to get in the habit of starting every with God in prayer and in His Word. That’s our “pre-day” routine. We also need to get in the habit of having a “pre-decision” routine where ask for discernment. These are good habits to develop.

... Where Those Seeds Ended Up?

I was thinking about when I was in youth ministry the other day. I had a wonderful group in Michigan; great kids; great families. Don’t get me wrong, there were some challenging kids. I had a small group of JR High boys that were all unique challenges. Sometimes I wonder how they are doing. Some I have found out about. Some I have no idea. I just pray that some seed that I could have planted along the way, God would somehow grow in them. I still pray that prayer. So, here’s an old Story; have no idea where it came from.

There is a legend about a king who decided to set aside a special day to honor his greatest subject. When the big day arrived, there was a large gathering in the palace courtyard. Four finalists were brought forward, and from these four, the king would select the winner.

The first person presented was a wealthy philanthropist. The king was told that this man was highly deserving of the honor because of his humanitarian efforts. He had given much of his wealth to the poor.

The second person was a celebrated physician. The king was told that this doctor was highly deserving of the honor because he had rendered faithful and dedicated service to the sick for many years.

The third person was a distinguished judge. The king was told that the judge was worthy because he was noted for his wisdom, his fairness, and his brilliant decisions.

The fourth person presented was an elderly woman. Everyone was quite surprised to see her there, because her manner was quite humble, as was her dress. She hardly looked the part of someone who would be honored as the greatest subject in the kingdom. What chance could she possibly have, when compared to the other three, who had accomplished so much? Even so, there was something about her; the look of love in her face, the understanding in her eyes, her quiet confidence.

The king was intrigued, to say the least, and somewhat puzzled by her presence. He asked who she was. The answer came: "you see the philanthropist, the doctor, and the judge? Well she was their teacher!"

The woman had no wealth, no fortune, and no title, but she had unselfishly given her life to produce great people. There is nothing more powerful or more Christ-like than sacrificial love.

Never underestimate your influence. Especially when the seeds that you’re planting seem to be falling on parched soil! Praise God he does not leave us JR High challenges as we were!

... about what God creates new every day!

When we make something, we usually make it with the combination of something and something else, like a furniture-maker makes his craft out of various pieces of wood “put together”. This is not to be confused with creation. Creation is the fashioning of something out of nothing, like how artists put their craft to a blank canvas and it comes alive with color and form. Creation is how a poet puts words on an empty piece of paper and it describes, implores, and moves.

God is a creator; The Creator. He didn’t just do it for six days and that’s it. He continually creates. He creates for us something different for us to see, participate in, and live through every day. Frederich Buechner says this: “Using the same old materials of earth, air, fire, and water, every 24 hours God creates something new out of them. If you think you’re seeing the same show all over again seven times a week, you’re crazy. Every morning you wake up to something that in all eternity never was before was and never will be again. And the you that wakes up was never the same before and will never be the same again either.”

So it is with our Creator God. No wonder the author of Job says in 38:7 (MSG), “While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise?” and the author of Lamentations says that: “But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with GOD (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left!” (3:21-24, MSG). God blesses us with his creation every day. It’s up to us to find them, recognize them, and realize they are there for us! Let us always thank God for being our Creator and let us search for what he’s creating for us new each day. I don’t know, it might just help us on our journey .

Here's some of what he creates for me every day:

... Not That I Would Ever Do This!

In 1923 Who Was…

1. President of the largest steel company?
2. President of the largest gas company?
3. President of the New York Stock Exchange?
4. Greatest wheat speculator?
5. President of the Bank of International Settlement?
6. The Great Bear of Wall Street?
These men were considered some of the worlds most successful of their days.
Now, 82 years later, the history books tell us what ultimately became of them.

The Answers:
1. The president of the largest steel company. Charles Schwab, died a pauper.
2. The president of the largest gas company, Edward Hopson, went insane.
3. The president of the NYSE, Richard Whitney, was released from prison to die at home
4. The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cooger, died abroad, penniless.
5. The president of the Bank of International Settlement, shot himself.
6 The Great Bear of Wall Street, Cosabee Livermore, also committed suicide.

However, in that same year, 1923, the PGA Champion and the winner of the most important golf tournament, the US Open, was Gene Sarazen.

So, what became of him?
He played golf until he was 92, and died in 1999 at the ripe old age of 95! He was very financially secure at the time of his death.

The moral here: Forget work. Play golf!

Someone sent this to me. I just thought I would share it. I would never advocate a lifestyle totally around golf and tell someone not to work...

... whether I should have started playing golf earlier...

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_207104427.html

Check this two year old out! He’s from Denver. I might ask for swing tips from him and then I can help with his potty training.

... about Truth (can we handle it?)

Another good quote from Buechner today about truth.

He writes: When Jesus says that he comes to bear witness to the truth, Pilate asks, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). Contrary to the traditional view that his question is cynical, it is possible that he asks it with a lump in his throat. Instead of Truth, Pilate has only expedience. His decision to throw Jesus to the wolves is expedient. Pilate views humankind as alone in the universe with nothing but its own courage and ingenuity to see it through. That is enough to choke up anybody.

Pilate asks What is Truth? and for years there have been politicians, scientists, theologians, philosophers, poets, and so on to tell him. The sound they make is like the sound of crickets chirping.

Jesus doesn't answer Pilate's question. He just stands there. Stands, and stands there.

... about Doubt, Belief, Trust...

Some quotes today from Wishful Thinking: A Seekers ABC by Frederick Buechner. It is on a section called "Doubt". I like this because he pulls no punches. He lets us have it, both barrels. But isn’t that what being in the throes of doubt feels like? Like you’re being beaten up, spiritually, emotionally, mentally… Sometimes in the middle of all that it is helpful to know that you're not going crazy, that it is OK. Sometimes when we are finally through all of that it is helpful to know someone else has been through it, someone else has trusted God for deliverance. Enjoy.

… if you don’t have any doubts, you are either kidding yourself or you are asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.

There are only two principal kinds of doubt, one of the head and the other of the stomach. In my head there is almost nothing I can’t doubt when the fit is upon me – the divinity of Christ, the significance of the church, the existence of God. But even when I am at my most skeptical, I go on with my life as though nothing untoward has happened.

I have never experienced stomach doubt, but I think Jesus did. When he cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me!” I don’t think he was raising a theological issue any more than he was quoting the 22nd Psalm. I think he was looking into the abyss itself and found there a darkness that spiritually, viscerally, totally engulfed him.

When our faith is strongest, we believe with our hearts as well as our heads, but only at a few rare moments, I think, do we feel in our stomachs what it must be like to be engulfed by light.

... is leaning back over a cliff dangerous?

I did this today:

I was dropping off our youth group at the trailhead for Wilderness Trek near Fairplay Colorado (They are at this moment at their "Low" camp tomorrow heading for "High" camp on their way up Mt Ptarmigan -two ten mile hikes. These kids are amazing!).

Anyway, back to rappelling. Since I was driver-guy, they asked if I was going to do it and of course I said yes. It's an amazing feeling. To just lean back over a 100 foot cliff is not natural. Your brain is saying nope, not going to do it. You basically have to do some self-talk convincing and just lean back. It really speaks volumes about trust. Trust in others (the folk setting up the lines, and the one holding your safety rope!), trust in equipment... It was just a lot of fun. Our youth group at Eastside are veterans of Trek. We only had three newbies and they did great!

I didn't count myself in the group of newbies even though the last time I rappelled it was off a dorm rooftop 22 years ago at an institution that shall remain nameless lest someone should get ideas about doing it there! Great fun! Pray for our kids on the trail! It's a great time of working together and being together for them.

Have a great day "leaning back" and serving in God's kingdom!

... and listening to good music

I am listening to a CD right now by two Christian artists. Shane Barnard & Shane Everett (Shane & Shane) are not only great vocalists but they can write incredibly powerful worship songs. You can check out some of their stuff here. I’m always looking for good uplifting music. Something that will direct my sometimes scattered thoughts back to the Creator. Here’s a sample of Shane & Shane’s lyrics from one of my faves:


be near by shane barnard
You are all

big and small
beautifuland wonderful
to trust in grace through faith
but i'm asking to taste...

for dark is light to You
depths are height to You
far is near
but Lord,
i need to hear from You

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good,
our good

Your fullness is mine
revelation divine
but, o, to taste
to know much more
than a page
to feel Your embrace...

for dark is light to You
the depths are height to You
far is near,
but Lord
i need to hear from You

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good,
our good

... more about golf than war in Palestine. Is that OK?

We’re back to some golf quotes from various sources today, connecting them to spiritual truths. With all of the violence going on in Palestine these days, nuclear weapons in Iran, frustration building in other areas of the world, I thought it would be good to have a lighter post today. Also, the British Open is underway today.

"There is a force in the universe that makes things happen...and all you have to do is get in touch with it. Stop thinking...let things happen...and Be the Ball." Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), Caddyshack

• Ty may be onto something here. He certainly was with his unorthodox style for playing golf (especially putting – nananana, vavavava). Get in touch with God and be the church.

"Papa, trust your swing." Note written by ten year old Qass Singh pinned to Vijay Singh's golf bag during the 2000 US Masters (which Singh won).

• I don’t know about you, but one of the hardest lessons for me in my early walk with God was learning how to trust him. Trust who he said he was; what he said he would do.

"The fundamental problem with golf is that every so often, no matter how lacking you may be in the essential virtues required of a steady player, the odds are that one day you will hit the ball straight, hard, and out of sight. This is the essential frustration of this excruciating sport. For when you've done it once, you make the fundamental error of asking yourself why you can't do this all the time. The answer to this question is simple: the first time was a fluke." -Colin Bowles

• Nothing big and significant here, I just like the quote because that’s golf. The good shots bring you back.

Have a great day!

... How I'm doing in the following Jesus category...

I have been attracted to readings about following Christ lately. About discipleship. What that means. If I truly follow Jesus how do I live differently? What kinds of things did Jesus do that he calls us to do? In reading about this I have found out amazing things and simple things. Amazing things like the quotes below from Bonhoeffer. Simple things like the fact that for hundreds of years Christ-followers did their following without having scripture as their guide. Oh yes they may have heard it read or, if they were privileged enough would have some sort of access to a copy of the Bible. But for the most part they followed him without having to read HOW to follow him. How did they do that? How did they act as disciples without everyone having a copy (or 18 like I have)? Enjoy the readings on discipleship:

The call goes forth, and is at once followed by the response of obedience. …. It displays not the slightest interest in the psychological reason for a man’s religious decisions. And why? For the simple reason that the cause behind the immediate following of call by response is Jesus Christ Himself.

Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. It remains an abstract idea, a myth which has a place for the Fatherhood of God, but omits Christ as the living Son. … There is trust in God, but no following of Christ.

He wants to follow, but feels obliged to insist on his own terms to the level of human understanding. The disciple places himself at the Master’s disposal, but at the same time retains the right to dictate his own terms. But then discipleship is no longer discipleship, but a program of our own to be arranged to suit ourselves, and to be judged in accordance with the standards of rational ethic.

If we would follow Jesus we must take certain definite steps. The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. … The first step places the disciple in the situation where faith is possible. If he refuses to follow and stays behind, he does not learn how to believe.

... and thinking about Discipleship thanks to Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I am currently reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's, The Cost of Discipleship. I am reading it again after about 20 years when I had to read it for college. It’s different this time. It’s amazing how time, maturity, and circumstances can lead one to reading a book differently. I think scripture can be like that. Maybe that’s why the Hebrew writer said it was living and active. I thought I would post some Bonhoeffer quotes this week to spur a discussion. He's worth quoting when you read about his life. These quotes, especially this first one, are not for the faint-hearted Christian. They grab you, shake you, and disturb you! Here’s my favorite one for starters:

“The cross is laid on every Christian. It begins with the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with His death -- we give over our lives to death. Since this happens at the beginning of the Christian life, the cross can never be merely a tragic ending to an otherwise happy religious life. When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow Him, or it may be a death like Luther's, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time -- death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at His call. That is why the rich young man was so loath to follow Jesus, for the cost of his following was the death of his will. In fact, every command of Jesus is a call to die, with all our affections and lusts. But we do not want to die, and therefore Jesus Christ and His call are necessarily our death and our life.”

I wonder what our lives would be like if we lived every day to die. If every decision was made like a disciple that realized he was dead to Christ and alive at the same time. Hmmm…

... about life and golf.

(Back into the daily blog habit. Trying to be anyway. Sorry for the absences. I'm just not that disciplined to blog on my vacation. Oh well.)

Wisdom comes from all sorts of places. I like to learn things as I go. Sometimes learning and wisdom comes from the golf course. Now, before you scoff and say something under your breath about how I am just looking for any opportunity to play, hear me out. Consider these gems from one of the games teaching gurus, Harvey Penick. These are excerpts taken from one of his books, The Little Red Book. After each one I will attempt to make a point about life; about our lives lived for God.

“The golf swing is one swing but is made up of little things all working together.”

• This sounds an awful lot like Ephesians 4:16 or 1 Cor. 12; one thing – church - made up of a lot of parts, as Paul says, “… as each part does its work.”

“The important question is not how good your good shots are – it’s how bad your bad ones are?

• Sometimes our bad mistakes can cost us far more than good things done can help us. We cannot just balance them item for item, the good and the bad. Sometime the bad are really bad. A one step forward and two steps back sort of idea.

“Be honest with yourself. What you find out in six months of practice, your pro can tell you in five minutes.”

• It’s always a good thing to humble ourselves and admit we need help. That can involve anything from asking for directions to needing help with a golf swing to owning up to a depression problem. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Proverbs 3:34

Any more golf/life wisdom out there?

... What is the Kingdom of God?

(Sorry for the absence in blogging (my longest since starting this thing). Many things happening, long weekend, we’re going on vacation in a few days, so maybe a few posts this week.)

In part of N.T. Wright’s new book, Simply Christian, he challenges his readers to more fully explore what the church is here for. He goes on to explain:

“The point of following Jesus isn’t simply so that we can be sure of going to a better place than this after we die. Our future beyond death is enormously important, but the nature of the Christian hope is such that it plays back into the present life. We’re called, here and now, to be instruments of God’s new creation, the world-put-to-rights which has already been launched in Jesus and of which Jesus’ followers are supposed to be not simply beneficiaries but also agents. This provides a new way of coming at various topics, not least prayer and Christian behavior.”

What do you think? Some of this is relatively new to me, especially the part where we have an obligation to affect the world around us here; now. We’re not in this to save ourselves but to change the world for Christ, because of Christ. The kingdom is a whole lot more than the place we reside after we die. I believe Jesus said to everyone around him, answering the Pharisees question about when the kingdom would come, that the kingdom of God was “within them” or “among them”. It is here; it is now. What do you think?

... Do I Have To?

In yesterday’s comment section Steve raises an interesting thought: “What I'm finding is "my neighbor" is often the person I don't want to be neighborly to.” Ouch. That hurts in so many ways. I want to help my nice neighbors. I want to serve my rich, powerful, influential neighbors so I can get something back. I don’t want to get “dirty”. So, who are the neighbors that we don’t want to be neighborly to?

Here’s something that belongs in the be-careful-what-you-pray-for category, but also in the incredible-faith category. In the movie The Hiding Place, one scene portrays Corrie Ten Boom telling the Lord she wants him to use her in whatever way he pleases, even if it means in obscurity (or to neighbors I don’t want to go to). Soon after that, she is taken prisoner by the Nazis (definitely NOT good neighbors), along with her father, from whom she is separated. Her father dies in the death camp, and then she is forcibly removed from her beloved sister. The Nazis shove Corrie into a cold, damp cell in Germany (again, NOT neighborly). As the scene closes, she is lying in a corner, shivering. And with tear-filled eyes she whispers to the Lord, "But God, I didn't know I would have to be alone."

Ouch again. Help me, God, to go to my neighbors... all of them.