I Was Just Wondering...

One Voice...

2011-03-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have a read a lot of dialogue recently about the need to be a "world" citizen. I like that. It's one of the benefits of having so much technology. We know what is going on around the world within seconds of stuff happening (tsunami's, wars, and many good things as well). We are citizens of a country I know, but really everyone is our neighbor, right? The one next door and the one across an ocean.

The world citizen concept is intriguing to me because it causes us (I certainly hope it does anyway) to live outside ourselves, considering others, and having compassion. The tragedy in Japan is the most recent event that helps us understand this situation.

The thing that intrigues me the most about being a world citizen is that I should be moved to action when another has a need, no matter if it is on the other side of the world. We can help. It's almost like we have one voice with many languages spoken.

A song that is heavy on my playlists is One Voice by The Wailin' Jennys. Enjoy this video and think about being a world citizen.

The Universal Language

2011-03-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Someone posted this on FB the other day. If I remembered who I would give them credit. I don't; so if you were the one leave a comment and I will include you! Bobby McFerrin, best known for Don't Worry Be Happy, does an amazing job of explaining the universal language; actually demonstarting would be a better desacription of what he does in this video... enjoy.

http://www.ted.com/talks/bobby_mcferrin_hacks_your_brain_with_music.html

Forgive and... let go... eventually.

2011-02-25T08:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning I had the privilege of listening to a lecture on anger. Or at least what I thought was going to be on anger. After an acknowledgement of the "tip of the iceberg" principle that describes anger, the speaker moved to forgiveness. What a great move! But I was shocked. We don't usually go there. For the victim or the perpetrator. The one who hurts or the one who is hurt.

He went on to explain that we need to. We need to get rid of the notion that we can forgive and forget. We can hope to do the work of forgiving and eventually letting go. Forgive and forget is a pipe dream. Only God does that. Only God CAN do that. He used a great metaphor to illustrate what he was talking about with the letting go. He said that if you are harboring that anger, resentment or bitterness for very long you can seem like you are getting on with life but at best you have a stake driven through your shoe into the ground and you cannot go very far. You can turn around in circles but there is no moving on. You are stuck. And the worst part is that the anger, bitterness and resentment just continues to grow...

I love that metaphor. Not resolving the roots of anger can do that. Unforgiveness can do that. The speaker went on to talk about dealing with hurts that won't go away. They are quite possibly the roots of anger.It could also be expectations that are unrealistic or unfulfilled. Or, needs that are unmet... hmmmmm. Do any of these ring a bell? Do you need to addrress your anger? Do you need to offer forgiveness even when someone else isn't asking for it or is deserving of it? Do it anyway. Or at least start the process of trying to to do it. It may take a while and you may need help along the way.

It was good to hear this yesterday. Anger can be something that festers and boils under the surface feeding the bitterness monster inside you or it can be a constant battle with explosions that destroys everything around you. Unforgiveness is one of the roots here. Contact me if you need to work on this.

New business! New website! New blog!

2011-02-16T18:43:00.005-07:00

Hey everyone, things have changed for me recently and I am starting this blog again. I have begun a counseling business in Colorado Springs and I am looking forward to this new venture. I'm also starting a new website. I will be updating this blog with everyday stuff like before plus a new one on the new site (more related to counseling topics) from time to time.

Spread the news! You can also follow me on Twitter and FaceBook.

Time to get writing again.

... and remembering how fun it is to be nine years old...

2007-06-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

(Wow, has it been that long since I... sigh... oh well...)

Nine years old. No responsibilities. Period. Well, that is if you don't count getting out of bed, feeding her fish and watching whatever she has recorded on our DVR this week. Hmmm... do I watch the SpongeBob movie again, for the 100th time? Or that episode of Hannah Montana that I missed this week because I was swimming at the pool with my friends. Like I said, no responsibilities. Whatsoever. There's my youngest daughter's week last week... (the adjacent picture is just so representative of the young one...)

I remember being nine. It was 1972. I awoke to each morning with new ideas of how my friends and I could play with our G.I. Joes. Or what trail we were going to race our bikes (yes, complete with banana seats!) in the open spaces near our outlying subdivision (basically the center of town now). What fun. I didn't watch much TV; I was outside until dark everyday during that summer. The two "most-fun" times though were going on vacation to the North and fishing with my dad (always a great memory), and being with my 20 year old brother who lived at home while at college. Seeing his ever-changing facial hair; hanging out with him playing pinball at the arcade. No video games yet, just old-school pinball. He was the pinball master. Still has one in his basement at age 54!

OK, to the point: This next week marks a week that my nine year old has looked forward to since last year when we did the same thing. Older brother and sister and Mom are going to Mexico on a mission trip with our youth group. That leaves nine year old with dad for nine days. Don't get me wrong, this is fun for me too! This year, she has a list. A list of things to do. I won't share them with you. You can only imagine...

I had to make one suggestion when she was coming up with the list: there had to be some free (or relatively inexpensive) things on this to balance out the others. She asked for examples, I gave her a few and then she came up with some on her own. I'll let you all in on some of our excursions after next week. Should be fun, though. It's supposed to hot enough for us to go swimming in our neighborhood pool and not freeze like last year. That may be the only thing we do if it gets too hot! It's just fun being with a nine year old. Especially one that likes being with her old dad. At least that's what I think she's thinking and what I am going to go on believing!

Eat This Book 3

2007-02-28T13:45:00.001-07:00

The post today is going to be a little on the short side but maybe some of this stuff about reading Scripture in a new way takes a little while to sink in...

Just picking up on a little bit of a theme from yesterday, I want to suggest a few things.

1. Read with purpose.

2. Do some background study on setting, criticisms, commentaries already out there...

3. Take notes.

4. Ask questions.

5. Ask more questions.

*6. Let the passage work on you for a few days then read it again.

* 7. Pray. Before reading. After reading. Pray.

See if some of these suggestions jumpstart your Bible reading...

Tomorrow, I will suggest some helpful resources to have or consult regarding what you are reading.

Eat This Book 2

2007-02-27T10:01:00.001-07:00

Today I want to focus on resources for daily Bible reading that are out there: As you can see below, here are just a few. Do a Google search on your own and find one you like. The important thing to remember is that there are a ton of great references online. There are also some that are not very helpful. Use discernment!

http://www.bibleplan.org/

http://www.oneyearbibleblog.com/

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/

http://www.heartlight.org/devotionals/reading_plans/

http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html

http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html

http://bible.crosswalk.com/?OVRAW=Bible%20Reading%20plans&OVKEY=bible%20reading%20plan&OVMTC=standard

Another approach that Richard Foster talks about in his book, Celebration of Discipline is to “take a smaller book like Ephesians or 1 John and read it through each day for a month. More than any single effort this will put the structure of the book into your mind. Read it through without trying to fit it into established categories. Expect to hear things in new ways. Keep a journal of your findings.”

I like what Eugene Peterson said about reading Scripture, “We open this book and find that page after page it takes us off guard, surprises us, and draws us into its reality, pulls us into participation with God on HIS terms.”

Have a great day reading the Bible!

Eat This Book 1

2007-02-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

(OK, let's get this out of the way: it's been a month since my last post, forgive me. Also, credit for my titles this week goes to Eugene Peterson's wonderful book of the same title taken from the passage in Revelation 10.)

“The important thing is to begin”

These words came from a website designed to help people get moving, to get exercising. It was designed to help those who had not been active at all in their lives (because of weight or other health issues) and now they wanted to start. I got thinking…

This could apply to those of us that need a jump start in the discipline of Bible reading or Bible study. I am going to use this blog this week to offer help in getting started, recommitting to, or digging deeper in our studying of the Bible. This comes from my sermon from two weeks ago. Eastside readers you have a head-start on where I am coming from and where I’m headed with all of this.

Part one, today, is designed for those of us who are “getting started” (see bottom of this post). I am going to get us into the habit. Experts in the field of time management seem to agree (for the most part) that it takes 20-30 days to create a habit. One resource I found answered questions about forming a habit. The best question was the one that asked, “Why does it take 21 days to create a habit and only one to fall back into old patterns?” Unfortunately, there is some truth to that when it comes to the Spiritual disciplines. So, let’s get started; begin; read Scripture for all it’s worth (and more).

In tomorrow’s Part two, I am going to flood you with Bible reading plans from all over, plus a story from my life with scripture. Actually it’s my mother’s story but really her story with the Bible is my story.

On Wednesday, Part Three emphasizes reading with purpose. Take notes; ask questions.

In Part Four on Thursday I will list some helpful resources to have while studying and we’ll look at the discernment needed to use them. Remember, God has given scholarly gifts to other people too (and a lot of them are a whole lot smarter than you or I).

Finally, Part Five on Friday will deal with this question, “What kind of glasses are you wearing?” Don’t know what I mean? Well, you’ll have to wait until Friday!

Here’s something today to get us into (or back into) the Bible reading habit. It's called 20/20. It’s not original with me; I just can’t remember where I picked it up along the way (I think it was Reg Cox – seems like a good reference even if it wasn’t him). 20/20 basically means reading 20 minutes per day for 20 days, thus creating a habit. I’m even going to give you the bible verses to read. Some days it might not last the full 20 minutes. My recommendation here is to pray for the rest of your time about what you just read. Here goes, read on friends:

Day 1: Genesis 1 – 3
Day 2: Gen. 12:1-3, Exodus 20:1-21, Deut. 6:4-9
Day 3: Ruth
Day 4: Psalms 23, 51, 148
Day 5: Psalm 78:1-7, 86:1-13, 139
Day 6: Proverbs 3 & 4
Day 7: Isaiah 40 & 53
Day 8: Matthew 5 & 6
Day 9: Matthew 7 & 13
Day 10: John 14 & 15
Day 11: John 16 & 17
Day 12: Luke 22-24
Day 13: Acts 1-4
Day 14: Romans 1-3
Day 15: Romans 4-6
Day 16: Romans 7 & 8
Day 17: Philippians
Day 18: Hebrews 11
Day 19: James
Day 20: 1 Peter

... and minding my own business... and then- TAGGED!

2007-01-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you among my plethora of readers that don't know what being tagged is, let me explain. I guess the easiest way to explain it is to say it is like the blog-world's equivalent of being Double-Dog Dared! Usually it involves sharing something in a list. Longtime friend and grad school roommate, Danny Sims was tagged to share "5 things people might not know about himself" and then he promptly tagged me. I don't think I've lived such an exciting life, but here goes, my 5 things people might not know about me:

1. I went to boarding school in Canada for high school. I know it sounds crazy in our day and age, but it's true. It wasn't an uppity-up type of school. It was a very poor school (the food was wretched - I had to rely on my brother and sister-in-law living in town to feed me sometimes). Although it wouldn't be an option for my kids, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It was so much fun and I had good memories there.

2. I play Badminton. Before you think outdoor-in-the-backyard badminton, let me set the record straight: it's a great sport! Watch the Olympics sometime! In high school (see above) I played in competitive tournaments (it's a British sport, so Canada latched onto it as well). I played a little in college with some professors at ACU. I have played a little here in the Springs since we moved here, but I don't play as much as I would like because of schedule conflicts. Really, if you are still laughing, believe me, it is a great sport.

3. I am a Classic Rock Trivia buff - go on, try me. I know a lot about that whole time in our western history (the 60's & 70's). This is a by-product of having older brothers. One went to college in the town where we lived and I was in elementary school. He used to bring home the Doors, The Who, Yes, and Pink Floyd records when they came out, and that became a part of my upbringing.

4. I almost drowned on my honeymoon. One word: Riptide. I had never been in that kind of situation before (we were in Cancun). Before I could think, I had two lungs full of salt water and was being pulled out into the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully, the little local lifeguards pulled me in. Very scary. I would have left a very young widow.

5. I performed a wedding on a boat on Lake Travis in Texas. I was right out of grad school. I was doing part-time campus ministry in Austin, and we had a "walk-in" to our church one day wanting to know if a minister could do their wedding (it was a second marriage for both and they wanted something out of the ordinary). I was the only one with availability so I did it. It was a comedy of errors. The grooms mother was late (makes a sunset wedding difficult when it gets dark!). The boat was small with no guard rails on the upper deck: just chairs and - -off you go (come to think of it, this relates to number 4 above, because Laurie thought ew were going to die again!). Back the wedding. Anyone who is familiar with that area of Texas knows that when the sun goes down the wind picks up. Waves crashing into the boat, almost falling off the top, horrific singing, it was a definite memory for my first wedding. Every other wedding after that was downhill!

*** Bonus: I am in the credits of a movie. I'll tell you personally about that one if you want to know...

Hey, I get to tag people now - Livonia Theme: Rob, Dale, Brian, Kari, Phelps - If you see your name there, consider yourself tagged.

... what you call a planet that is no longer a planet?

2007-01-12T09:23:00.001-07:00

I know that this happened a little while ago. But you have to hate being a planet on the scale of other planets (even though your orbit was wacky), and then getting everything pulled out from underneath you! Now, just now, demoted planet Pluto is finally getting some respect.

According to a Jan. 7 Associated Press story, it may be off the official list of planets in our solar system, but "plutoed" has been named the 2006 Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society.

The story continues: "To 'pluto' is 'to demote or devalue someone or something,' which is exactly what happened to the former planet last year when the IAU (the International Astronomical Union) decided Pluto didn't meet the proper definition of a planet."

"Plutoed" won in a runoff against:

- "climate canary," defined as "an organism or species whose poor health or declining numbers hint at a larger environmental catastrophe on the horizon."
- "murse" (man's purse)
- "flog" (a fake blog that promotes products).

Oh well, I guess there's some redemption in that. Recognized for something that happened TO you as opposed to WHO YOU ARE. But somehow it falls short. It's like complementing someone after you just made a crack about how they look.

I just received my National Geographic and the map inside (I always look at that map first) is one of our galaxy. Pluto is not found in the place it occupied when I built the solar system thingy in third grade. You know, I think I want Pluto back as a planet!

Besides, this means teachers have to come up with a new jingle in order for their students to learn our Solar System!

... about what is of importance

2006-12-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-12-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-12-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

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!)

2006-12-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-11-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

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.

2006-11-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2006-11-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

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....

2006-11-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-11-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

(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?

2006-10-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-10-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-10-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-10-17T09:03:00.001-07:00

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...

2006-10-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-10-04T08:37:00.001-07:00

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

2006-09-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-09-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-09-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-09-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-09-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-08-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2006-08-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

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

2006-08-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-08-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-08-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-08-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-08-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-08-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

(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?

2006-08-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-08-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-08-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-08-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-08-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-07-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

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?)

2006-07-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-07-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-07-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-07-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-07-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

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.

2006-07-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

(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?

2006-07-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

(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?

2006-06-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

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.

... Who is my Neighbor?

2006-06-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

For a long time I have wondered if our extrapolations of that parable of Jesus (Luke 10) is a bit off-track. I know, I know, theologians everywhere tell us that is the beauty of teaching in parables: there is more than one point to be made. I think it’s fine and good to try and put ourselves in the various shoes of the various people in the parable. I think its fine to have an expectation of followers of Jesus to reach out and help the broken-down travelers on the highway. But we need to bring the message of this parable back from these examples to the people right around me. The ones I see everyday. And to me!

But I really think that we need to start by asking the question the “expert in the Law” was asking (Luke 10:29); then read the parable again; then ask the question of ourselves, making sure we’re not, as he was, trying to justify himself (basically he was testing Jesus to make sure he was in OK standing with God).

We need to ask that question, “Who is my neighbor?”, because it is one of the most powerful questions to be asked and answered. Who is the person that I see all the time around me that needs care? Are they my co-workers, neighbors (actual person living next to us), family, friends? We need to run away from the temptation to justify ourselves that we are OK, that we’re doing everything we can to be nice people, that we don’t break any laws – we’re nice people, that we’ve “done enough” good things. We need to run to our “neighbors”, and care for them, wherever and whoever they are.

I heard a lesson one time that ended with how Mr. Rogers began: “Won’t you be my neighbor?” There are people crying out for one. Let it be me. Let it be you.

.. is fishing with dad somehow more special?

2006-06-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry there hasn't been much blogging this week. I have been on a tight schedule, arranged by Keeley (8 year old daughter). The rest of the family are in Mexico on a mission trip. She has been at a Music and Drama Camp in the morning all week so I have been using that time wisely doing the ministry stuff I need to do (you know, sermons, lessons, counseling, stuff like that). Blogging sometimes gets relegated to the periphery. You see, in the afternoons all week, Keeley has had everything planned out. A couple of days were spent at friends houses but the rest of the time was with dad seeing movies, shopping, playing Sorry, that kind of stuff. Which leads me to my post for today.

The greatest memories of being with my dad are the countless times we went fishing. They are so burnt into the fabric of my mind that I can't imagine going fishing without him. Everything I know about the outdoors, fishing, and fixing things comes from him. The fishing memories are the most lasting.

Tomorrow, Keeley and I go fishing. Her first time. All I can say is that I am thankful for stocked fish ponds where you can go and almost be assured of catching something. 8 year old girls don't so well without results, although I am secretly hoping that just being with dad will be enough for her! It works for me!

... how's your neighbor?

2006-06-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

(This is a first in a series of "neighborly" posts, leading to a discussion of centered around the thought: "Who is my neighbor?" First, we begin with a question, "How is your neighbor?")

Praying for neighbors. Ever since we got married and we were getting ready to move somewhere, Laurie has prayed for our neighbors (more fervently after having children). She has prayed that the kids would be nice and that everyone would be friendly. She has boldly prayed that they wouldn’t be the neighborhood crazy children that happened to live right next door to us.

I think God thought we were strong enough to handle any situation because he has given us our share of unusual people living close to us.

We’ve had a depressed man living the apartment next to us after we got married who used to cry and moan himself to sleep.

We have had the “Loud” family. Everything they did was loud: talking, yelling (100 decibels loud), and worked on cars at 2:00AM loud…

We have had neighbors living in a basement apartment below us in Canada that I believe were growing pot marijuana in their apartment. He also yelled at me for getting a few blades of grass (probably close to four total) on his fifteen-year-old piece-of-junk car, demanding I pay for a car wash!

We’ve had teenagers next door throwing bonfire parties in their backyard, complete with all of their friends at all hours of the night (those of you reading this from Livonia Youth Group know what I’m talking about – if not, ask dale, Rob, and Brian next time you talk to them).

My favorite story though occurred when we moved to TX when our kids were 9, 7, & 2. Laurie was fervently praying for good neighbors so we thought things were cool when our next-door neighbors had two boys exactly Meg and Cam’s age. It didn’t take long to realize these boys were going to be a challenge. The younger one had an unusual habit of just walking into your house unannounced. I came out of our bedroom one day to find _____ sitting on my couch watching TV. I asked him what was going on and where Cameron was. He said, “Outside.” I said, “Hey, why don’t you go out and play with them?” He said, “I came in to take a break and watch some TV.” That was enough for me. We laid some boundaries, rules, whatever you want to call them at that point. Knocking is good. Coming in when you are asked to is good. Those kind of things.

What kind of "How's your neighbor" stories do we have out there?

... about Knowing God or Knowing About God

2006-06-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

WARNING: JUST BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE BETTER INFORMED IN RESPECT TO WHO GOD IS DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU KNOW HIM ANY BETTER. There’s a difference between knowing about someone and knowing that person personally.

Knowing God or having a relationship with God is what we were created for- consider why God created Adam and Eve and how he walked in the garden with them.

The person who "knows" God has a relationship with Him. We understand that from our human relationships. You and I claim to know only those who we have met and related to. We don’t claim to know a person who we have merely read about. It is the same with God. If all you have is read or heard about God that doesn’t mean you know him. You have to meet him and relate to God to say you know him.

Jesus is the way to knowing God/ having a relationship with God. That’s why he came to earth: that we might have peace with God. Sin separated us.. In the book of John, Jesus tells his disciples that they know the Father because they know him. Meaning: a relationship with Jesus means a person has a relationship with God the Father because as Jesus attests they are one. "If you have seen me, you seen the Father," (John 14)

In John 17:3 Jesus in his prayer says "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Did you see that? Don’t miss that! Jesus said that knowing God was eternal life! You want the key to eternal life? Find a way to know God you Creator, Lord, and Master. Find a way to know him as a merciful, caring, gracious, and loving God.

... about being a good dad

2006-06-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez said, "A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father." While we may buck against that when we are younger, after all, who wants to be like that guy? We tend to soften, get smarter, and realize that’s our path. We’re going to look like him physically and sometimes, whether we like to admit it or not, we are going to act like him.

"If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right." -- Bill Cosby

Guys, what are some good memories of our fathers? What are some traits we want to have that he had that will help us be better dads?

... About Summertime and Weddings

2006-06-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ah, summertime. It’s almost here for us in the mountains. A time when thoughts are on the lovely weather, baseball, the outdoors, where we are going on our family vacation, and sometimes how many weddings are packed into such a short time. One year, back when I was in my twenties, it seemed like we attended one every week for an entire summer (I must admit that we too married in the summertime as well). It’s a great time for weddings. The flowers are blooming; the weather (for the most part) cooperates; everything just looks beautiful for the pictures. Here's the catch: my only hope is that the beauty found in the outward nature of the photographs reflects the beauty of the commitment found within the marriage. Long after that beautiful wedding day is the commitment still there? When times get tough later on, do we stick to vows, or cast them aside like some no-longer-needed appliance?

I performed a wedding not long ago where I challenged the couple and everyone gathered there on that wonderful day. I said that it was really easy to see the commitment in a couple on a wedding day when, with everything so beautiful around them, and family members staring at them, that no one would question their commitment to marriage. It was somewhat risky for me at that point to share all of the work involved in keeping marriage alive, after all no one wants to hear about that when everything looks so beautiful on a wedding day! But the truth is that it is work. It is not drudgery, like going to a job that you intensely dislike, but it does take effort. Commitment to a marriage relationship takes everything that you have. That’s the way God intended it to be.

You see, we were created to be in relationship. The first thing God noticed about his creation was the “aloneness” of Adam. What’s the solution? Relationship. That’s why I love the verse in Genesis that ends the narrative on the first relationship. It goes: “So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24, NCV). This relationship is so close that it seems like they are together. All I’m saying is: that takes effort, and may God continue to bless your efforts at keeping your commitments into the autumns of lives long after those summertime wedding days.

... About Making the Ordinary Extraordinary for Him?

2006-06-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

As I am writing this morning, the US Soccer team is about to start their game against the Czech Republic. Forgive me if I seem a bit distracted.
- It’s not that I have a poor attention span; it’s just that right now someone named Donovan or Beasley could be making the most beautiful through pass and there could be a chance at a goal!
- It’s not like I can’t concentrate on more than one thing at a time, but look at that amazing save by Keller (Hey, I’m not watching by the way; I am at work. One word: TiVO)!
- It’s not like I don’t want to write something amazingly profound that will challenge and encourage my handful of loyal readers, you know who you three are! It’s just that soccer is my thing and this world game only comes around once every four years! My kids and I are cheering for the Americans (all the while having another team that we like as well – see earlier soccer post).

OK, here is the bit that I have trying unsuccessfully to write all morning:

The Christian life needs to be ordinary. There. I said it. I have been thinking it for a long time. Now it’s out there. Let me explain. I believe that a lot of Christians have bought into our Western culture’s fascination with the successful, the powerful, the beautiful, the amazing, and the extraordinary. Now granted, that is part of the reason this country was built into the amazing place that it is. I don’t doubt that. I want to address this enthrallment as it impacts my walk with Christ.

The Christian faith is lived out for the most part in a daily walk, one foot in front of the other, one common, everyday moment after another. Now, I do not doubt for a minute that many (myself included) have experienced spiritual highs and lows. But the bulk of time spent following Christ is in the run of the mill moments in between. Not in Sunday morning worship times, or in retreats that challenge us, or times of deep reflection. The Christian life is spent in those commonplace times. What do we do then? How do we live those moments? I think living faithfully during those times is one of the keys to living faithfully at those up and down times. It keeps us grounded in the ordinary. Here is more stuff from Darryl Tippens’ wonderful new book, Pilgrim Heart:

“The way of life taught in Scripture is quintessentially an active pilgrimage towards Jesus, characterized by many daily practices. Ours is a “symphonic piety,” as Richard Foster calls it: ‘The discovery of God lies in the daily and the ordinary, not in the spectacular and the heroic. If we cannot find God in the routines of home and shop, then we cannot find him at all. Ours is to be a symphonic piety in which all activities of work and play and family and worship and sleep are the holy habits of the eternal.’”

“Nicholas Herman of Lorraine, commonly known as Brother Lawrence, expresses a similar outlook, even finding God in the noisy kitchen where he was the cook: ‘The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.’”

“Human bodies, by their very nature, perform an almost infinite number of actions. They breathe, eat, sleep, shout, sing, pray, confess, cry, laugh, talk, listen, and so forth. Each is a part of the journey toward God.”

Let’s take back the ordinary parts of our lives for God, making whatever we do extraordinary because we are doing it for him!

...Am I...Dangerous (for Jesus)?

2006-06-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here’s today’s post, sorry it's late, The Great Almighty Blogger was down for repair this afternoon. For those of you who have been in the greater youth ministry world you know Mike Yaconelli. If you ever had the chance to hear him speak, you would remember it. I still do. He pulled no punches; especially when talking about his savior Jesus. I love the book where I found this passage – Dangerous Wonder.

I am starting to read and research my next sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount. This passage seems a fitting way to begin thinking about it. Enjoy.

“Do you want to be just like Jesus? The Jesus of the New Testament was a long way from dull – crying one minute and knocking over tables the next; showing courageous compassion to a fallen victim one day and cursing hypocrites the next; blasting Pharisees one day for having such a narrow view of adultery, then on the next day forgiving a woman caught in adultery. The New Testament writers continually describe the crowds as responding to Jesus with amazement.”

"Jesus was a dangerous man; dangerous to the power structure, dangerous to the church, dangerous to the crowds of people who followed him.”

“Shouldn't the followers of Christ also be dangerous? Shouldn't everyone be awed and dazzled by Christians? Shouldn't Christians be known by the fire in their souls, the wild-eyed gratitude in their faces, the twinkle in their eyes, and holy mischief in their demeanors? Shouldn't Christianity be considered dangerous--unpredictable, threatening to the status quo, living outside the lines, uncontrollable, fearless, wild, beyond categorization or definition? Shouldn't those who call themselves Christians be filled with awe, astonishment, and amazement?"

“Let’s find the world of dangerous wonder. It’s a real place, you know. It is the place where children and grownups can find God, located just beyond where the sidewalk ends. Dull people and dream stealers are not welcome.” (Dangerous Wonder, pg.32)

How has Jesus made you “dangerous”?

... if anyone had any answers?

2006-06-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

(Not much today; been sick; work piles up…)

Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is a boxing ring square?

Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?

Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?

Why is it that to stop Windows, you have to click on "Start"?

Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?

Anyone have any other really important questions? Didn’t think so…

... Actually you were wondering when...

2006-06-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

OK, those of you who know me knew it was a matter of time until I did a World Cup post. Well, here it is: As of a few minutes ago (according to the countdown timer on the yahoo.com site), there are 7 days and a little over 7 hours until the first game of this years World Cup (if you have to ask what sport – stop reading right now). Here are some links for everything you need to know, if you want to know. The DVR is set; my kids and I have picked our favorite teams (just so you know: Meg- USA, Germany; Cameron-USA, Portugal; Me-USA, Netherlands); let’s get watching a true “WORLD” sport with a true “WORLD” championship (forgive my bias here). Also included a pic of Beckham – Cameron even got his hair cut to look like his most recent style…

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/schedule.html

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/

Ole’, Ole’, Ole’!!!

... Do I Have A Pilgrim Heart?

2006-06-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am reading a great book right now by Darryl Tippens, Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life. It is a new, fresh look at the spiritual disciplines, or as Tippens calls them, practices of the pilgrim heart. I seem to be seeking out and reading tons of stuff about practically following Jesus these days. My preaching is centered on it; even my Bible classes concentrate on it. I truly believe this is the great “gap” in post-modern Christian living. We have a good big picture of following Christ but we all need a swift kick when it comes to living out our faith as Jesus calls us to. Without the kick, very gently, Tippens lays out the journey of following Christ our Lord and what is required of us: Following from the heart. Here is a short passage:

“Although it may sound a bit strange to the ear, Jesus advocated a kind of “worldly” spirituality, that is, a way of life to be practiced daily. What would this in-the-world discipleship look like? A fair amount of clearing out and cleaning out must be undertaken before one can answer the question, for there is much that even Christians have gotten wrong about following Jesus. The original and pristine call of Jesus has been tainted, often subtly and invisibly, by systems of thought essentially alien to Jesus’ world. Yet these philosophical systems have become so much a part of our way of thinking that their influences are mostly invisible to us. Add to these the numerous but faulty assumptions of popular culture about what it means to be “spiritual”, and we have a good deal of confusion on our hands.”

“At the heart of Jesus’ call is the urgency not just to believe what he taught, but to act like him. Being like Jesus is the alpha and the omega of the Christian life. Jesus said, ‘A disciple is not above his teacher, everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher’ (Luke 6:40).”

“But how is it possible to be in the world as Jesus Christ is in the world (1John 4:17)? What would this mean for our lives and our churches? The New Testament presupposes that we are not only called to perform the deeds of Jesus, but we are empowered by his indwelling Spirit to become Jesus to the world. According to Paul, Christ dwells in every believer, shaping them and turning then into his very likeness.”

Any comments on following Jesus? BEING Jesus in the world?

... About "Church-Hopping"

2006-05-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

(NOTE: since nobody contributed with another thankless job from yesterday’s post, we are veering away from that on to more important things.)

It’s interesting what C.S. Lewis says about “church-hopping” 60+ years ago. I am all for finding a church where you can serve and use your gifts. I do not support searching until I find one that “suits” me. If you live anywhere outside of the “Bible Belt” there aren’t many options of where to go. You are “stuck with the people you are stuck with. You make it work. And sometimes (most times) you are the better for it.

[Screwtape the Demon]: If a man can't be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that "suits" him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches. The reasons are obvious. In the first place the parochial organization should always be attacked, because, being a unity of place and not of likings, it brings people of different classes and psychology together in the kind of unity the Enemy desires. The congregational principle, on the other hand, makes each church into a kind of club, and finally, if all goes well, into a coterie or faction. In the second place, the search for a "suitable" church makes the man a critic where the Enemy wants him to be a pupil. (The Screwtape Letters, New York: Macmillan, 1942, XVI, 72-73)

Have a great day serving Him right where you are!

... About Thankless Jobs.1

2006-05-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

(Sorry for the long layoff. No way to blog without interrupting an already full schedule. After we deal with today's topic fora few days, we'll move on to discussing some of the stuff I heard last wekk at my seminar.)

Thankless jobs. There are many. I encountered a few in my travels this week. One that tops the list is Airline Ticket Agent. When things are well for travelers, this person goes unnoticed; you don’t even know they are there. You may see their tired smile as they rip your boarding pass and send you on your merry way. But, when things are not going well for your flight, you notice them. They are the ones you see being yelled at. Take my week in the great flying adventure:

My problems included a weight restriction delay that ended up being a total re-schedule, to sitting on a runway for two hours waiting for weather to pass in Chicago, (which, as I am writing, is happening presently and I may end up missing my connecting flight home), to having to drop off a rental car at one airport while flying out of another.

When things go badly for flights, these people take the brunt of everyone’s anger. From my experience, there are just a few other things in life that people get more stressed-out over than when flying goes wrong. It’s an amazing transformation that people go through. You know how you look around at everyone flying with you – your flying companions and you wonder about who they are, what they do, where they are going (hey, I know I’m not the only one that does that!). You think: these seem like nice people. When things go badly flying, these quiet, unassuming people turn into whining, complaining bullies. I’ve seen this happen.

All the while, these Airline Ticket Agents take everything in stride, handle everybody’s requests, find new flights, give out vouchers, give out hotel vouchers and show people how to call for rides to these hotels, all usually with that same tired smile. It always amazes me how upset people get when things don’t exactly as planned. Sometimes I find myself getting frustrated; more so when traveling with my family (I guess I’m stressed out enough for them!). I try not to let it show to the people working, because I know this is not their fault.

I guess the purpose of my article today is to say thank you. Thank you to these people that toil on doing their thing while the world gets mad and complain. So, I guess since I just said thank you to them they are no longer involved in a totally thankless job. That is however until the next time a flight gets messed up and people start yelling anyway.

How about you? Anyone have another thankless job nominee? Let me know.

... about the Sermon on the Mount

2006-05-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is my last blog before I go to Michigan for a minister's Seminar at Rochester College next week. I hope to blog remotely, but we'll see what kind of time I have. You know the usual stuff demands my time - coffee with fellow minister-types, golf with fellow minister-types, letting my sister-in-law cook for me...

The seminar is about preaching from the Sermon on the Mount. That can seem like a daunting task, taking Jesus most prolonged teaching text (and his most demanding) and finding what he would say to our culture and context. It should be worthwhile. I am preaching the Sermon on the Mount starting in August so I will be using what I gain here at this seminar. Here is a couple of excerpts from John Stott's work, in which he starts by giving a two-word summary phrase of the Sermon on the Mount : "Christian counterculture":

"For the essential theme of the whole Bible from beginning to end is that God's historical purpose is to call out a people for himself; that this people is a 'holy' people, set apart from the world to belong to him and to obey him; and that its vocation is to be true to its identity, that is, to be 'holy' or 'different' in all its outlook and behaviour." (p. 17)

"Thus the followers of Jesus are to be different--from both the nominal church and the secular world; different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, life-style and networkd of relationships--all of which are totally at variance with those of the non-Christian world. And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the kingdom of God, a fully human life indeed but lived out under divine rule."

Have a great weekend! I will try to blog from Michigan, letting you all in on some of the great stuff I am learning!

... 100 posts already? Wow!

2006-05-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

I just noticed as I opened up my main menu for Blogger that four posts ago was my 100th. Why, it just seems like yesterday... I just wanted to say: Thanks for reading! I've really enjoyed this way of communicating for a number of reasons:

1. It gives something constructive to do in the middle of the night when I can't sleep (rather than watch classic TV reruns).

2. It provides an outlet for my sometimes wacky sense of humor.

3. It is a good challenge to write something daily. I like the challenge.

4. I guess I'll be honest here: it's kind of cool when you see that at least one person has actually read something you've written.

Here's an excerpt from my first blog-attempt. I figure it is always good to be reminded that we're on a journey to discovering God and knowing him. Keep on traveling on that road with me(for at least another 100 posts anyway!). Thanks for reading!

The way I see it is God intended us to find Him, not ourselves. I don't tend to find out anything good when I "discover" things about myself (cuz it's usually stuff I need to change about me!). Discovering me is no great task: I'm fallen, I need Him. Period. God wants us to travel down the road of God-discovery. And what an amazing find it is once we have "discovered" Him!

... what is ParentSpeak?

2006-05-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Given that last Sunday was Mother's Day and Father's Day is around the corner, it seems appropriate to fill everyone in on some ParentSpeak definitions:

AMNESIA: condition that enables a woman who has gone through labor to have kids again.

DROOLING: how teething babies wash their chins.

FEEDBACK: the inevitable result when a baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots.

FULL NAME: what you call your child when you're mad at him.

GRANDPARENTS: the people who think your children are perfect even though they're sure you're not raising them right.

HEARSAY: what toddlers do when anyone mutters a bad word.

OWWW: the first word spoken by children with older siblings.

PRENATAL: when your life was still somewhat your own.

PUDDLE: a small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes.

STERILIZE: what you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.

TOP BUNK: where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.

WHOOPS: an exclamation that translates roughly into "get a mop."

... who runs studies like this?

2006-05-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Not much to think about today on ye old blog. But this piece may explain a lot…

More than 60 percent of Britons use items such as screwdrivers, scissors and earrings to remove food from between their teeth, according to a survey published Friday.

The National Dental Survey found that, when it came to oral hygiene, people used whatever was close to hand to pick their teeth. More than 60 percent questioned by the British Dental Health Foundation said they used makeshift items, including knives, keys, needles and forks.

The survey also found that 23 percent of people chose to leave food stuck between their teeth, increasing the risk of gum disease and bad breath, according to the foundation which promotes oral health.

... would someone please listen to me?!?

2006-05-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

I had someone in my office the other day that was helping a friend through a crisis. They wanted to know what to do. I told them to listen. They weren’t quite satisfied with that answer; they wanted me to give them some helpful information that they could share with their friend. I repeated myself and added this: Listening is underrated, underappreciated, and under-used. Well, then I had to explain what I am trying to explain with rest of today’s blog.

Listening is underrated, underappreciated, and under-used. I know this from experience. One of the first things you learn in any counseling or therapy graduate degree program is how to listen. If you do not learn that, you will not do well helping people. Wait, you say, isn’t a counselor or therapist supposed to be the great purveyor of helpful information for people? Well, yes, possibly. That MAY end up being helpful at some point in the whole therapy experience, BUT it does not begin there. Where it all begins is with the ability to listen and convey that you are listening. It builds a therapeutic environment that in turn allows you to help. Listening sets the stage for everything else. Why am I telling everyone all of this? I truly believe that:

We all need to listen more and talk less (especially talk about ourselves). See James 1:19 for a reference.

We all could improve our listening skills (yes it is a skill and ability).

Being a better listener will improve every relationship we have – marriage, parent-child, friend, co-worker, church…

To listen well is cherish a relationship enough to value what another is saying.

We need to listen to God more (just a plug for some future writings about how God speaks).

OK, now that we’ve established these things, what do we do? Practice. Yes, practice. You only improve at something in our world by practice. I have spent years doing that on driving ranges and golf courses (with relatively small improvements), even taking lessons last year. At the conclusion of my last lesson, the last thing my golf teacher told me was: practice these things.

Listening is no different and there are many ways to practice. I am going to share one today. The first week of my grad program we had to gather up our tape recorders (this was 1986 – no video training in every room yet), and pair off with someone in our class every week and practice. We usually role-played some problem about why would be coming to someone for help. The main goal though was not to help, but to listen. Here’s the how-to part. Person #1 would begin talking and go through a pretty lengthy description of something, and then Person #2 would do this:

“______________ (insert person’s name), I hear you saying you are feeling _______________ (insert feeling word) because ______________ (insert quick synopsis of the event that happened, the descriptive stuff from what the other person was saying)”.

Do you get this? If Person #2 is not properly listening to Person #1 here, the feedback will be way off. And is there anything more frustrating than not being heard? This is called a number of things in the counseling world: reflective listening, empathic listening… What it does though, is convey back to the person that shared themselves a sense that they were valued because someone listened to them. After that, whatever you offer that may or may not helpful will at least be received more openly because you listened.

“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.”
- M. Scott Peck

...about posting some more Nouwen quotes

2006-05-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

A few more Nouwen quotes for the end of this week. Toward the end of his life, after living in the L’Arche community in Canada, Nouwen wrote extensively about “living in community”. What that meant for him is found in the second quote.

"I believe you can look at solitude, community, and ministry as three disciplines by which we create space for God. If we create space in which God can act and speak, something surprising will happen. You and I are called to these disciplines if we want to be disciples."

“The word community has many connotations, some positive, some negative. Community can make us think of a safe togetherness, shared meals, common goals, and joyful celebrations. It also can call forth images of sectarian exclusivity, in-group language, self-satisfied isolation, and romantic naiveté. However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own (see Philippians 2:4). The question, therefore, is not "How can we make community?" but "How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?"

“My hope is that the description of God’s love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover . . . God’s love in yours.”

Have a great weekend. Next week we will choose another of my favorite authors to pick quotes from.

... about prayer

2006-05-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

More Nouwen quotes today. This time about the prayer of the heart. Back in the time not so long after the first century church there were a number of religious folk that left society to concentrate on living a pure life and writing about. That’s as simple of a definition as I can give for the Writings of the Desert Fathers. In his book, The Way of the Heart, Nouwen quotes from these writings and more recent sources in order to try and find some benefit for us from their insights. Here are some passages from the section on prayer:

We find the best formulation of the prayer of the heart in the words of the Russian mystic Theophan the Recluse: “To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all-seeing, within you.” (I love that)

Thus the prayer of the heart is the prayer of truth. It unmasks the illusions about ourselves and about God and leads us into true relationship of the sinner to the merciful God. To the degree that this truth anchors itself in our heart, we will be less distracted by worldly thoughts and more single-mindedly directed toward the Lord of both our heart and the universe. Thus the words of Jesus, “Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8), will become real in our prayer. Temptations and struggles will remain to the end of our lives, but with a pure heart we will be restful in the midst of a restless existence.

... about how my friends have helped me

2006-05-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here’s another quote from Henri Nouwen:

No two friends are the same. Each has his or her own gift for us. When we expect one friend to have all we need, we will always be hypercritical, never completely happy with what he or she does have. One friend may offer us affection, another may stimulate our minds, and another may strengthen our souls. The more able we are to receive the different gifts our friends have to give us; the more able we will be to offer our own unique but limited gifts. Thus, friendships create a beautiful tapestry of love...

As I look back on the many and varied friendships I have had (and continue to have) in my life, this explains it very well. each have known me at a particular time in my life. Some have helped without knowing me barely at all. Some I have known almost my entire life and I trust them implicitly. I call it a wealth of friendships for I am a very rich man because of them.

There is a warning in his first paragraph about relying on one person to fill all our needs. He says we will never be happy. I say it is toxic, like breathing all of the air in one air-tight room. You’re left with no more air and…

But, there is also encouragement here. Nouwen wants us to see that woven together, these many and varied friends will create something beautiful, in us! We can also see how we contribute, in our own inadequate way, to someone else’s tapestry. All I can say is: thank you friends for helping to shape and mold me over the years.

... how we experience silence?

2006-05-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I shared about Henri Nouwen’s life. Just a short quote today from The Way of the Heart, which I mentioned yesterday, was extremely helpful to me. Solitude and silence we don’t talk about much. He started me on a journey to understanding what all that meant.

SOLITUDE - "In solitude we become compassionate people, deeply aware of our solidarity in brokenness with all of humanity and ready to reach out to anyone in need . . ."

SILENCE - "Silence first makes us pilgrims. Secondly, silence guards the fire within. Thirdly, silence teaches us how to speak . . ."

PRAYER - "Prayer, when we are faithful to it and practice it at regular times, slowly leads us to an experience of rest and opens us to God's active presence . . ."

What do you think?

... if I could share some of my favorite writers

2006-05-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

I want to spend this week’s posts letting you in on one of my favorite authors. Today, an abbreviated (I know, you still think its long) life story; the rest of week, excerpts from his writings with my own thoughts added. I have read Henri Nouwen’s, The Way of the Heart many times over since it was given to me by my campus minister Steve Hare 20 years ago. It deals with silence, solitude, and prayer - definitely stuff I needed to concentrate on at that time (and many times afterward).

The internationally renowned priest and author, respected professor and beloved pastor Henri Nouwen wrote over 40 books on the spiritual life. He corresponded regularly in English, Dutch, German, French and Spanish with hundreds of friends and reached out to thousands through his lectures and retreats. Nouwen’s books have sold over 2 million copies and been published in over 22 languages.

Born in Nijkerk, Holland, on January 24, 1932, he was ordained in 1957 as a diocesan priest and studied psychology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. In 1964 he moved to the United States to study at the Menninger Clinic. He went on to teach at the University of Notre Dame, and the Divinity Schools of Yale and Harvard. For several months during the 1970s, Nouwen lived and worked with the Trappist monks in the Abbey of the Genesee, and in the early 1980s he lived with the poor in Peru.

Nouwen began to discover the difference between being productive and being fruitful. Having succeeded in the academic world where productivity was an expectation, he discovered the pain and joy of caring for people who might previously have been thought of as useless. He found that even the most severely disabled person could be fruitful and also minister to him. Henri was attracted to the extreme vulnerability and honesty of the disabled community. Nothing was hidden and everything was exposed. Feelings were always openly displayed and they ranged from open anger to unconditional love. It was to these people that he was called and it was these people that he was to embrace, comfort and love. Further, these were the people that were going to bring him the words from God that he was to bring to others in his writing. They were to be his teachers and he was to bring their message to the average Christian.

In December 1985, Nouwen received a 'call' to become part of the Daybreak L'Arche community in Toronto Canada. In August 1986, Nouwen joined the Daybreak community, living and working with six disabled people and their assistants. Nouwen was to remain here until his death in 1996. The journey was not an easy one for Nouwen. He no longer could rely on his books, his lectures or his reputation as the foundations for his self identity. He was among people who had never read his books, for whom his lectures meant nothing and who had never heard about him. What was important for them was whether he loved them.

Nouwen was helped into a new self identity through the witness of a severely disabled man, Adam Arnett. Nouwen realized, as he cared for this man every day, that Adam was being used by God to minister to him. Through Adam's vulnerability and reliance on others, God was showing Nouwen what it meant to be led where he did not want to go. Henri learnt about passivity and reliance on God. Henri continued writing, publishing fifteen books in his years at Daybreak. It was however the pastoral work and not the writing that came first. He continued to travel, albeit much less frequently than before, but his travels took him all over the world.
En route to Russia to do a documentary about Rembrandt's painting of the Prodigal Son, Nouwen suffered a heart attack in The Netherlands. He died on Saturday, September 21, 1996. There were two funeral services, one in Utrecht, The Netherlands, and the other near Daybreak. Nouwen is buried in King City, close to his beloved Daybreak community.

(Above bio obtained from two sources: http://www.henrinouwen.org/ & http://www.nouwen.org.za/)

... about what I could build out of LEGO blocks today!

2006-05-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

(I loved LEGO as a kid; lived vicariously through Cameron as we built stuff together when he was younger; I still think about putting blocks together sometimes… Below is an excerpt from an article from Heartlight by Alan Smith. The original article is by Steve Klusmeyer.)

Also, I wish we would have had all of the "theme" LEGO stuff when I was a kid, like Star Wars!

Life might be less complicated for all of us if we each received our own LEGO kit at birth. Yes, I realize there is a choking hazard for children under three. But when you are old enough, you can learn a lot from LEGO. I have learned that:

Size doesn't matter. When stepped on in the dark, a 2X2 LEGO brick causes the same amount of pain as a 2X8 brick.

All LEGO men are created equal (1.5625 inches tall). What they become is limited only by imagination.

There is strength in numbers. When the bricks stick together, great things can be accomplished.

Playtime is important. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you are building, as long as you're having fun.

Disaster happens. But the pieces can be put back together again.

Every brick has a purpose. Some are made for a specific spot - most can adapt almost anywhere - but every one will fit somewhere.

Color doesn't matter. A blue brick will fit in the same space as a red brick.

No one is indispensable. If one brick is unavailable, another can take its place.

It doesn't always turn out as planned. Sometimes it turns out better. If it doesn't, you can always try again.

... about how we got this far?

2006-05-03T05:17:00.000-07:00

(This is from Reuters News Wire - I just have one thing to say: Are you kidding me?)

An Italian restaurant was fined 688 euros ($855) for displaying live lobsters on ice to attract patrons, in an innovative application of an anti-cruelty law usually affecting to household pets.
A court in the northeastern city of Vicenza ruled the display was a form of abuse dooming the crustaceans to a slow death by suffocation.

"We're appealing," said Giuseppe Scalesia, who runs La Conchiglia D'Oro, or "Golden Shell," restaurant along with his brother Camillo.
"They said that the lobsters, laying on the ice, suffer... They compared them in court to other animals, like cats and dogs."
The case was brought by Gianpaolo Cecchetto, a former environmental activist, who took his two young children to the Vicenza restaurant in May 2002.
"They were shocked by the display," Cecchetto told Reuters, adding he immediately got in touch with the ENPA national animal protection entity. "ENPA took care of the lawyers and legal proceedings."

Italy has some of the world's toughest animal rights laws. The city of Rome in October banned goldfish bowls, seen as cruel, while Turin passed a law last year that would fine dog owners 500 euros unless they walked their canine friends at least three times a day.

... about the kingdom of God?

2006-05-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

More thoughts from Brian McLaren's new book, The Secret Message of Jesus.

The Greek phrase John uses for “eternal life” literally means “life of the ages” as opposed, I think we could, to “life as people are living it these days.” So John’s related phrases – eternal life, life to the full, and simply life – give us a unique angle on what Jesus mean t by kingdom of God: a life that is radically different from the way people are living these days, a life that is full and overflowing, a higher life that is centered in an interactive relationship with God and with Jesus
(And, as McLaren says earlier in this chapter, it most likely does not mean “life in heaven after you die” which is what most of us have believed that he is saying).

McLaren goes on to say: Let’s render it simply “an extraordinary life to the full centered in a relationship with God.” He says that he is not entirely satisfied with this definition but it causes one to think about the ramifications of this point of view. It causes us, possibly, to change our perceptions of Jesus teaching, especially the implications for us. But what a definition for us to use to describe a life lived in the kingdom of God! How does this definition change how we live for him, NOW? How can this change who we are now?

... why so many questions, Jesus?

2006-05-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

More thoughts from the Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren: The more I read the more questions I have. It’s an invigorating and sometimes frustrating experience. Mostly invigorating though, which means refreshing, stimulating, and revitalizing, by the way. One of McLaren’s ideas is that Jesus’ message was less like an advertising slogan – obvious and loud - and “more like a poem whose meaning only comes subtly and quietly to those who read slowly, think long and deeply, and refuse to give up”. I love that. It makes me want to read Jesus’ words differently from now on.

The most fascinating part I am reading now deals with why Jesus didn’t just speak in plain terms for folks coming to him (Nicodemus, woman at the well, rich young ruler). McLaren said that he has asked himself those questions for a long time. "In conversation after conversation, there’s hardly ever a question that he simply answers; instead, his answer comes in the form of a question, or it turns into a story, or it is full of metaphors that invite more questions.”

McLaren goes on to say: “I’ve asked my self questions like these for years now. I’ve read and reread the stories. I’ve consulted commentary after commentary and listened to more than my share of sermons and lectures. Frankly, few experts seem to even notice this pattern of unclarity, of hiddenness, of secrecy – and those who do tend to offer answers that don’t ring true, for me anyway.

What could possibly be the benefit of Jesus’ hiddenness, intrigue, lack of clarity, metaphor, and answering questions with questions? Why risk being misunderstood – or not understood at all? If the message is so important, why hide it in evocative rather than technical language?

For McLaren, he is becoming convinced that Jesus did this in order create “real” followers; ones who would follow him anywhere that his message might take them. Stay tuned tomorrow for a discussion of the very biblical phrase “kingdom of God”, what that meant then, and what it could possibly mean for us now.

... about the comfort of our Christianity

2006-04-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

Network probs yesterday and today. Only have time for a short post before our router kicks us off again...

I read an interesting thing yesterday in a religious journal I receive.

"People today want to feel moral. But they do not want objective, transcendent absolutes - such as the Ten Commandments - whose authority comes from God... they prefer to construct an ethical system that does not make them feel guilty." (Gene Vieth, World Magazine, January 14, 2006)

My only comment is: since when does anyone want some sort of system that confronts, challenges, and changes us? Never! We may not want it, but we have it. That's how God chose to keep us on track. Not with rules mind you, but a relationship with him. We follow those "rules" because of our redeemed relationship with him!

Have a great day!

... about looking good on the outside

2006-04-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

Beijing's mayor wants to speed up of the demolition of poorest neighborhoods in China's capital as part of preparations for the 2008 Olympics. Part of the effort targets destitute areas known as "inner city villages" — where many of the residents are rural migrants. The Beijing Daily, the authoritative (and only, I believe) newspaper of the city's Communist Party committee, said about a third of these areas designated for destruction have been torn down, with the rest to be finished by the end of 2006.

We have to look good at all costs!

No mention is made in the article of what the people that lived there are going to do now? Wow.

It brings to mind 1 Samuel 16:7, Samuel is asked by God to anoint the next king of Israel. After looking at Jesse's first son, Eliab, Samuel remarks, "Surely this is the Lord's anointed." God replies: "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. GOD judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; GOD looks into the heart."

Do we concentrate too much on what's outside?

... if our speech is seasoned right (with grace)

2006-04-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have been asked on more than one occasion lately to comment on what seems to be an overabundance of literature and media focusing on disproving Jesus, “new” findings that cast doubt on long-held beliefs, and other “attacks” on Christianity. I must say right at the beginning that I do not believe we are heading for the apocalypse or end times because of any of these things. If you take a look at church history it doesn’t take long to find that these kinds of happenings have been happening since the 1st century.

It is odd how Da Vinci Code, The finding of the Gospel of Judas, books like Bart Ehrman’s “Misquoting Jesus, all seem to have produced at one time. I do not think this is an organized attack, however. It seems like everywhere I turn I find Christian people in a war of words (not in a respectful way either). This only succeeds in causing a great rift between believers and unbelievers in America to get even bigger.But I do believe we need to stand for the truth. I do believe we need to respond. Here's what I really believe though:

I believe it is a test and a challenge for Christians:
To step up to the plate,
To reach down deep and find some missing-until-now boldness,
But mostly an opportunity to engage anyone and everyone in a dialogue about our faith in a respectful, caring, gentle way!

Listen to what Paul says to the church in Colossae about engaging their culture in a discussion about Christ, or the opening of doors to tell of the mystery of Jesus:

Pray diligently.

Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude.

Don't forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ…

Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders.

Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity.

Be gracious in your speech.

The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation,

not put them down, not cut them out.

(Col. 4:2-6, MSG)

... about vigilante justice and Jesus?

2006-04-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Today, just a comment and a question or three. In the news this past week, someone (I'm afraid to say a fellow Canadian) found the sex offenders list on a website for the State of Maine, traveled there, apparently took the law into his own hands and murdered two people. Wow, scary. Now believe me, I want justice for extreme offenders like anyone else but we are in the 21st century I believe, not the Wild West of the 1800's. I have worked with sex offenders as a therapist when their presenting problems were drugs and alcohol, and they were court-referred. Not a real hopeful and happy population to work with. But...

What do we think about what this young man did?

What does Jesus say about how we treat people? Even these offenders? And the killer?

What do we do with the killer now?

... about the dangers of playing God

2006-04-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

For all of you video game fanatics out there, I found this bit of information. It seems like there is a new game that could turn every American into an omnipotent creator. The game- designed by Will Wright, who also developed the popular game SimCity- allows players to build their own universe. The creator of the hugely popular Sims game is working on an ambitious title in which you can truly be God. Called Spore, the game allows players to determine the evolution of a species, from an amoeba to an inter-stellar race. Beginning with a swirl of gasses, players induce a series of chain reactions to create stars, planets, life forms, and societies. Beta testers said, “You (players) can zoom in on a unicellular organism or zoom out to watch the birth of a galaxy that is 100,000 light years across.” If playing the game is anything like creating it, it could become, to use Wright’s description, “almost a religion”.

OK, I have one question (maybe 3): haven’t we already done a marvelous job in Western culture of making the average person believe that they are already an omnipotent creator? Aren’t we already good at playing God? Now we need more practice from a game? Oh well. It may be just me, but I think man has already elevated man to a position far above God's intention.

... about Phil. 2:5-8?

2006-04-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

I’ve included this story today from Donald Miller's, Blue Like Jazz. It is a extremely open, vulnerable book about finding God (actually more God finding him). He talks honestly and frankly about his search and how different events helped shape his view of God. This story is one of those events.

A long time ago I went to a concert with my friend Rebecca. Rebecca can sing better than anybody I’ve ever heard sing. I heard this folksinger was coming to town, and I thought she might like to see him because she was a singer too. The tickets were twenty bucks, which is a lot to pay if you’re not on a date. Between songs, though, he told a story that helped me resolve some things about God. The story was about his friend who is a Navy SEAL. He told it like it was true, so I guess it was true, although it could have been a lie.

The folksinger said his friend was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world. His friend’s team flew in by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months. The room, the folksinger said, was filthy and dark. The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified. When the SEALs entered the room they heard the gasps of the hostages. They stood at the door and called to the prisoners, telling them they were Americans. The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but the hostages wouldn’t. They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear. They were not of healthy mind and didn’t believe their rescuers were really Americans.

The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do. They couldn’t possibly carry everybody out. One of the SEALs, the folksinger’s friend, got an idea. He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was touching some of theirs. He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them. He was trying to show them he was one of them. None of the prison guards would have done this. He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes. The Navy SEAL whispered that they were Americans and were there to rescue them. Will you follow us? he said. The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, until all of them were willing to go. The story ends with all the hostages safe on an American aircraft carrier.

Isn’t this what God did? Isn’t this the metaphor that describes John 1:14 and Phil. 2:5-8? What a great visual to remind us of Jesus and what he did and what he is doing through the Spirit!

... and Reading More Troubling Questions About Jesus!

2006-04-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

OK, after yesterday's post, I was reading in McLaren's The Secret Message of Jesus and I found even more troubling questions about Jesus. Here are just some of them:

What if Jesus was right - more right, and right in different ways, than we have ever realized? (then yesterday's question) What if Jesus had a message that could truly change the world, but we're prone to miss the point of it?

What if we have developed a religion that makes reverent and honoring statements about Jesus but doesn't teach what Jesus taught in the manner he taught it? What if the religion generally associated with Jesus neither expects or trains its adherents to actually live in the way of Jesus?

What if the core message of Jesus has been unintentionally misunderstood or intentionally distorted? What if many have sincerely valued some aspects of Jesus' message while missing or even suppressing other, more important dimensions?

What if many have carried on a religion that faithfully celebrates Jesus in ritual and art, teaches about Jesus in sermons and books, sings about Jesus in songs and hymns, and theorizes about Jesus in seminaries and classrooms... but somewhere along the way missed rich and radical treasures hidden in the essential meaning of Jesus?

What if Jesus had actually concealed his deepest message, not trying to make it overt and obvious but intentionally hiding it as a treasure one must seek in order to find? If that's the case, why would Jesus ever do such a thing? How would we find his message if he had indeed hidden it?

What if Jesus' secret message reveals a secret plan? What if he didn't come to start a new religion - but rather came to start a political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual revolution that would give birth to a new world?

What if his secret message had practical implications for such issues as how you live your daily life, how you earn and spend money, how you treat people of other races and religions, and how the nations of the world conduct their foreign policy? What if his message directly or indirectly addressed issues like advertising, environmentalism, terrorism, economics, sexuality, marriage, parenting, the quest for happiness and peace, and racial reconciliation?

Would we want to know what that message is? How much? Would we be willing to look hard, think deeply, and search long in order to find it? Would we be willing to rethink our assumptions?

What if the message of Jesus was good news - not just for Christians but also for Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, New Agers, agnostics, and atheists? And what if the message of Jesus also contained warnings - for Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, New Agers, agnostics, and atheists - and for Christians too? What difference could it make in the lives of individuals, in their families and neighborhoods and circles of friends, and in the world at large?

WOW. Good questions. Hard questions. But it's always good to ask, struggle, and wrestle with questions. It's what makes our faith stronger! If you want to find out where McLaren is going with all of these questions, you'll have to buy the book (or borrow my copy when I'm done with it!).

... If We Are Getting It?

2006-04-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

Brian McLaren, in his new book, The Secret Message of Jesus, challenges readers with a million questions about Jesus’ central message. It is a demanding read about the search for what Jesus was really teaching, are we getting it, or could Jesus say to us like he did to his disciples so long ago, in Matthew 15:16, “Are you still so dull?” He asks this question is his first chapter, “What if Jesus had a message that truly could change the world but we were prone to miss the point?” Here is a short excerpt from a chapter on revolutionizing the Lord’s Prayer that was made available on his website and was not included in the book. He said that the feedback he got on it made him put it out there for everyone.

The average person—committed Christian or non-Christian, Catholic or Orthodox or Protestant—most often first encounters the secret message of Jesus in a line of what we often call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Sadly, the prayer has been so often recited in such a bland, thoughtless, autopilot monotone that few people realize what a revolutionary, challenging, and well-crafted work of art it is. How many millions of people have mouthed the words, “Thy kingdom come” with little or no idea of what they were saying?

The prayer, you’ll remember, comes in the section of Jesus’ kingdom manifesto (Matthew 5–7) dealing with three spiritual practices—right between giving to the poor and fasting. Jesus emphasizes the secrecy needed for these practices to have their full impact. Don’t do them for show, Jesus says, to be seen as pious by other people. Instead, do them secretly, with God as your only audience. Then, your spiritual practices will be truly rewarding. Jesus then gives specific guidance as to the content of prayer for participants in the kingdom of God—and in that context, “The Lord’s Prayer” is presented. Interestingly, in other Gospel accounts, the prayer comes in answer to a specific request from the disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray.” In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus answers their request with these words:

This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

If you want to read the rest of this chapter go here

It will ask for your name and email, and then you can download the whole article.

Have a great day serving our Savior.

... How Jesus Would Respond to a Homosexual?

2006-04-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

I don't often do just a link to someone else's site about issues, but I had to today. Mike Cope's article homosexuality on Wednesday at his site, preachermike.com, was really good. It is challenging, it will make you think, it might make you uncomfortable, but the call is the same. "Love God, Love Neighbor..."

I have been doing a lot of studying lately about Jesus and the people he was around. It's an interesting and convicting look. Interesting because he chooses to hang around with no one of status. In fact, most of the people Jesus came into contact with were people in the margins, the outcasts, misfits, as Rick McKinley puts it in his book, Jesus in the Margins,(jesusinthemargins.com). It has been a convicting look because it confronts my status quo, my comfort zone, my convenient life! Would the "sinners" that he ate with be the homosexuals in today's religious climate? What should I do about that? What should the church do? If we, as individual Christ-Followers and His Body here on earth (the church), are serious about things, when do we go out and live as he lived? Read Cope's article.

I hope to find some useful articles about relevant Jesus-Follower issues that I can post every once in a while (mostly on Fridays - Hey, it's my day to reconnect with Mr. Fairway, Mr. Green, and hopefully, Mr. Birdie!)

Have a great weekend!

... About the Dust of my Rabbi?

2006-04-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

(I had a request recently for me to put my "Apprentice" sermon on this blog, so here it is. I've edited it down a little but left the main points. This sermon appeared during my "God's reality" series last fall when I used different Reality TV shows as a springboard for each lesson.)

This week we want to use as a springboard the show The Apprentice. Donald Trump’s (and now Martha Stewart) attempt to get into the reality TV biz, with a competition style show with the prize being a “lofty” appointment to one of Donald’s many businesses. I guess it’s a good opportunity for someone to fight tooth and nail for a prize. It misses the mark as far as the Old World definition of what an apprentice is though.

An apprentice was someone (usually a young male) that signed away his life for a couple of years to learn a trade. After finishing, he was gainfully employed and took on the responsibility of the job. With the technological revolution, our mobile society, and public schools taking on a lot of these ”Industrial Arts” programs, Our culture has gotten away from that whole concept of “learning at the feet of” someone else. It is making a comeback though. There are a lot of corporations that want to start doing this type of program for younger potential employees. It’s an interesting aside here but some of the driving forces behind getting “apprentice” back in our vocabulary are video games such as Star Wars (Jedi apprentice).

There is a biblical word that fits pretty closely to the definition of apprentice. The words actually have a similar ancient meaning. The word is: disciple. Now, I know that over the last generation this often-used-in-scripture word has taken on some extra meanings, not all positive. A long time ago disciple would bring to mind “winning souls to Christ – evangelism” but for others it meant social action, doing what Jesus would do for others. In our fellowship, some reacted so strongly to the use of the word by movements within our group that the word is no longer used in some circles. This is unfortunate.

I would like to study DISCIPLE today and find a challenging common ground where we can look at how to be a follower of Jesus at a deeper level. The way to do this is to embrace the word as scripture does. Some definitions – a learner, a follower of one’s teaching, not only a pupil but an adherent, accepts the teaching AND puts it into practice.

My favorite definition comes from an old Jewish blessing called the “Dust of the Rabbi”. Part of it reads this way: “May you always be covered by the dust of your Rabbi”. Think about following Jesus this way. Some of you may be wondering though, “Hey Jim, that’s fine for the super-Christian that can grow, and learn and do all of that, but I have trouble with that. Well, let me answer the Super-Christian thing by looking at Jesus disciples: who they were and who they weren’t. Do you remember picking teams at school – some were the ones you wanted and others were left to last – even now – we still choose the best. And when Jesus was picking his team of twelve he probably could have had the pick of the crop at the time. He could have influenced society through its key leaders –But it seems he didn’t go chasing those guys. Other Rabbis were also keen to select their disciples from only from those who were strong adherents to the Law – the ceremonially clean – those with sufficient intellect to study the Torah - who had shown themselves to be potential future rabbis themselves. The intellectual and religious upper crust. Not Jesus!

But Jesus seemed to bypass the elite of society and the elite of the religious system and he picked ordinary blokes. And just by the way, if he were around today I think he would have had some women in his group as well – (he would have had to otherwise the equal opportunity board would have been on his case!) But the fact that its an all bloke squad is a 1st Century cultural thing and not a gender bias in Jesus – just in case you are wondering.
Ever looked at who Jesus did pick? If we’re honest it’s a pretty mixed bunch – a fairly motley crew – an unusual group to change the world with. Some were down to earth fishermen – maybe tradesmen types. James and John were sons of a zealot. The other Simon, not Simon Peter is almost certainly believed to have been a zealot himself. There was Matthew a tax collector and considered a traitor to his country men and we know that there was probably a mix of ethnicity with there being both Jewish and Greek names among the list. Just a cross section of society.

This was no elite crack squad – but Jesus chose them. He spent a night in prayer and then hand picked them. These were the ones he wanted. Ever wonder why?!Let’s look at some NT characteristics of disciples
• Love for the each other. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." JOHN 13:35
• Love for Jesus. "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” LUKE 14:26
• Be like Jesus. "It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.” MATT 10:25
• Commitment to Jesus. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” LUKE 14:27
• Abide in Jesus. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “JOHN 15:4
HOW ARE WE DOING?

Kierkegaard once said, “To become an ‘admirer of Jesus’ is much easier than to become a follower. ”You can admire from a distance and be relatively unaffected – but followers have their lives turned upside down. If the gospel doesn’t turn our live upside down then we need to ask why? Quaker writer, George Fox, “We are involved in taking people off men and onto Christ.” You never get fired following Jesus! And you’re not ultimately hired either, you’re loved!

Well, how do I grow, learn, follow and keep doing this over the long haul? My answer is to put one foot in front of the other and follow in the dust of the Rabbi – Jesus.

... About the New Lefty Domination at the Master's!!

2006-04-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

I love golf. I love watching golf on TV, reading about it, studying the game, and learning the history. I am a golf geek (I am thankful for my Tivo).

OK, I just had to do it. After all, a left-handed golfer has won three of the last four Masters! Phil Mickelson wins again. For those of you who are not aware, I am left-handed (I know, I've heard all the jokes at the first tee - "You mean you're "wrong"-handed?" and my favorite: "Hey, you're on the wrong side of the ball, why don't you turn around and swing the right way") . I know that all the joking is good-natured but I have never understood why there is so much prejudice in golf, and why lefty golfers weren't winning as many tournaments as "proper"-handed golfers.

Well, if winning three of the last four Masters (the best show of whether you can play at the highest level or not) means anything, I guess, and I quote Bob Dylan here: "The times they are a changin'..."

... Why Things I Liked Were Discontinued?

2006-04-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Just some fun today. Name a product that you absolutely loved but they (whoever “they” are) discontinued it on you. Here are some of mine (in no particular order):

NIV Bible, One Column, NO Study notes, NO cross references, Just the Text, Man! This really burns me. I’m using a Bible that is taped together. I just don’t like all that stuff in my Bible! Zondervan doesn’t make them anymore! (the pic isn't the one I have: They don't even have a picture of it!)

Adidas Stan Smith Tennis Shoes. Somewhere in the late 80’s these disappeared. I was incensed! I loved my Stan’s! I know, I know they made a comeback last year (albeit with a new “Urban” marketing scheme and fruity colors, not just the white with green), only to disappear again I believe!

My Favorite Daytimer© Format. I used the same format for about 20 years. I know, I know, I need to get with the times and geta PDA. I do have one and it is my phone too, but I still like writing things down.

(this isn't the format; Again, I can't even get a picture of the one I like!)

Flying Toaster Screen Saver. Mostly a MAC thing but I did have a PC version about 7 years ago. There were great, fun screen savers. Anyone know where I can get an updated copy?

Do you have anything that was discontinued that you really liked?

You know, this exercise just made me realize I don’t like change as much as I thought I did. I thought I could handle new things. Truth is, I like my stuff the same (at least for a while).

... Why some people have the need to explain away Jesus?

2006-04-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hey, check out this Article

No explanation needed. This is amazing! Ice?

OK, wow, after all these years we have the answer to everything.

What do we do now with this incredible bit of information?

I know what I'm going to do.

Trust even more that Jesus was who he said he was.

Believe that God is sovereign.

Tell others to believe.

... if Someone Could Make the Bible More Convenient For Me to Read? (my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek!)

2006-04-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

I was reading one of my emails the other day. You know, the emails that come weekly that are supposed to help me in my ministry. This one came from Michael Duduit, editor of PreachingNow online:

In an age of declining attention spans and busy lives, British churchman Martin Hinton has come up with a solution: a Bible you can read in 100 minutes.

The 100-Minute Bible, in the words of Hinton's website, "picks out the principle stories of the life and ministry of its central character, Jesus Christ. The social and theological context of these stories is provided by outlining the ups and downs of the history of his nation, the Jews. It then proceeds to record the story of the growth of Christianity during the first century; firstly amongst the Jews themselves; then amongst the other peoples living in Israel and then throughout the eastern Mediterranean, even as far as Rome."

Hinton adds, "The 100-Minute Bible is primarily intended for people who have an interest in Christianity but not the time (nor tenacity!) to read the whole Bible. As the title indicates most people will only take 100 minutes to read it, making it ideal for an upcoming rail or aeroplane journey." (Click here if you'd like to read a sample -- a brief sample)

In the spirit of The 100-Minute Bible, I thought of some other literary works that could be abridged for a modern, attention-deprived reader. Perhaps I should publish The 10-Second Classic, with such entries as:

Romeo and Juliet. New version: "Two crazy Italian kids from warring families fall in love, sneak off to get married, then die."

Don Quixote. "A crazy old Spanish guy tilts at windmills to right wrongs."

The Iliad. "Greeks fight Trojans because of a woman, then ride a wooden horse to victory."

Moby Dick. "Captain Ahab chases a great white whale to the ends of the sea. The whale wins."

My thoughts: When will we realize that there are some things that we cannot and should not make short-cuts on (i.e. "In the age of declining attention spans and busy live"). Scripture is one of those. Part of becoming a disciple in today’s world is to learn to slow down, take scripture, pray about a passage, and let it work on you for a little while, in order to bring about the transformation to be like Christ. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that somebody will read this Bible and get something out of it, possibly even coming to Christ because of it, I don't want to limit God here. I just want to make sure we move to the "real" thing eventually. While I am all for conveniences, making the Word of God "convenient" to read, like some time-management tool, misses the point… (I do like the 10 second classics idea though…)

... what the future holds?

2006-04-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

In the March 15 edition of the Dallas Seminary Daily Devotional, Chuck Swindoll writes: "It had been a long time since Horace Walpole smiled. Too long. Life for him had become as drab as the weather in dreary old England. Then, on a grim winter day in 1754, while reading a Persian fairy tale, his smile returned. He wrote his longtime friend, Horace Mann, telling him of the "thrilling approach to life" he had discovered from the folk tale.

"The ancient tale told of three princes from the island of Ceylon who set out on a pursuit of great treasures. They never found that for which they searched, but en route they were continually surprised by delights they had never anticipated. While looking for one thing, they found another.

"The original name of Ceylon was Serendip, which explains the title of this story -- 'The Three Princes of Serendip.' From that, Walpole coined the wonderful word 'serendipity.' And from then on, his most significant and valued experiences were those that happened to him while he was least expecting them.

"Serendipity occurs when something beautiful breaks into the monotonous and the mundane. A serendipitous life is marked by "surprisability" and spontaneity. When we lose our capacity for either, we settle into life's ruts. We expect little and we're seldom disappointed.

"Though I have walked with God for several decades, I must confess I still find much about Him incomprehensible and mysterious. But this much I know: He delights in surprising us. He dots our pilgrimage from earth to heaven with amazing serendipities."

Call them blessings. Call them what you want. I like that word: serendipity. It helps me with something I have a hard time with: spontaneity (I like things planned). Seeing the spontaneous and serendipitous things that come from God is an amazing blessing!

... about the power of prayer (for 2.4 million dollars)

2006-04-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

Prayer doesn't work, if you can believe a pair of medical researchers whose paper appears in today's edition of the American Heart Journal. Then again, what it may instead prove is that the Templeton Foundation's grant review process isn't working quite as well as it should.

A March 30 Associated Press article reports on the $2.4 million study which involved 1,800 patients at six medical centers. Apparently, the research team decided to test the effect of having three groups of Christians pray for particular patients, "starting the night before surgery and continuing for two weeks. The volunteers prayed for 'a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications' for specific patients -- their identities known only by first name and first initial of the last name."

What was the result? "The study looked for any complications within 30 days of the surgery. Results showed no effect of prayer on complication-free recovery. But among patients who did receive prayers, 59 percent of the patients who knew they were being prayed for developed a complication, versus 52 percent of those who were told it was just a possibility." (Click here if you'd like to read the AP article.)

The primary outcome of the study is actually the recognition that some people don't understand prayer. Apart from a few televangelists who may describe prayer as a magical or mechanical process that can be turned on and off (if you've got the right prayer cloth to lay atop your TV), most believers know that prayer is an intimate communication with God, and that the God we serve doesn't participate in research studies.

(FYI - the article last week on John Wooden was written by Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated)

... how we can be heard in this world?

2006-04-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

The following story came from Em Griffin’s, The Mindchangers, Tyndale House, 1976, p. 151. It is a pretty compelling experiment.

“We conducted a three-phase experiment at Rockford College, and used over 100 college graduates who were preparing for youth ministry.”

In the first phase: We took a young volunteer from the room and blindfolded him. We simply told him that when he returned, he could do anything he wished. He remained outside the room while we instructed each audience member to think of a simple task for the volunteer to do. When the volunteer returned, they were to shout their individual instructions at him from where they sat. Prior to this, we privately instructed another person to shout a very specific task at the blindfolded volunteer as though it were a matter of life and death. This person was to attempt to persuade the blindfolded volunteer to climb the steps at the back of the auditorium and embrace an instructor who was standing at the door; he had to shout this vital message from where he sat in the audience. The volunteer was oblivious to all instructions and previous arrangements. The volunteer represented our young people, the audience represented the world of voices screaming for their attention, and the person with the vital message represented those of us who bring the message of the Gospel to youth. The blindfolded student was led back into the room. The lecture room exploded in a din of shouting. Each person tried to get the volunteer to follow his or her unique instructions. In the midst of the crowd, the voice of the person with the vital message was lost; no single message stood out. The blindfolded student stood paralyzed by confusion and indecision. He moved randomly and without purpose as he sought to discern a clear and unmistakable voice in the crowd.

The second phase: We told the audience about the person attempting to get the volunteer to accomplish the vital task. At this point we chose another person from the audience to add a new dimension. This person's goal was to, at all costs, keep the volunteer from doing the vital task. While the rest of the audience was to remain in their seats, these two people were allowed to stand next to the volunteer and shout their opposing messages. They could get as close as they wished; however, they were not allowed to touch the volunteer. As the blindfolded volunteer was led back into the room, the shouting began again. This time, because the two messengers were standing so close, the volunteer could hear both messages; but because the messages were opposed to each other, he vacillated. He followed one for a bit, then was convinced by the other to go the opposite direction. In order for young people to hear our message we must get close to them. Even then, there are others with opposing messages who also are close enough to make their messages clear. Sometimes they are peers, relatives...The main lesson: only the close voices could be heard. Even though the volunteer took no decisive action, at least he heard the message.

The third phase: The response to the third phase was startling. In this phase everything remained the same except the one with the vital message was allowed to touch the volunteer. He could not pull, push or in any way force the volunteer to do his bidding; but he could touch him, and in that way encourage him to follow. The blindfolded volunteer was led into the room. When he appeared, the silence erupted into an earsplitting roar. The two messengers stood close, shouting their opposing words. Then, the one with the vital message put his arm gently around the volunteer's shoulder and leaned very close to speak directly into his ear. Almost without hesitation, the volunteer began to yield to his instruction. Occasionally he paused to listen as the opposition frantically tried to convince him to turn around. But then, by the gentle guidance of touch, the one with the vital message led him on. A moment of frightening realism occurred spontaneously as the one with the vital message drew close to the goal. All those in the audience, who up to this point had been shouting their own individual instruction, suddenly joined in unison to keep the volunteer from taking those final steps. Goose bumps appeared all over my body as students began to chant together, "Don't go!" "Don't go!" "Don't go!" So many times I've seen the forces that pull our youth in different directions join together to dissuade them from a serious commitment to Christ. The chant grew to a pulsing crescendo, "Don't go!" "Don't go!" But the guiding arm of the one with the vital message never left the volunteer's shoulder. At the top of the stairs in the back of the lecture hall, the one with the vital message leaned one last time to whisper in the ear of the volunteer. There was a moment of hesitation, then the volunteer threw his arms around the instructor and the auditorium erupted in cheers and applause.

When the volunteer revealed how he felt as he went through each phase, it became apparent that if our message is to be heard, we cannot shout it from the cavernous confines of our church buildings. We must venture out and draw close to those with whom we wish to communicate. If we really seek a life-changing commitment from our young people, we also must reach out where they are and in love, gently touch them and lead them to that commitment. We asked the volunteer why he followed the one with the vital message, the one who touched him. After a few moments he said, "Because it felt like he was the only one who really cared."