the end of the world, part 2

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Mt 25:13

I am sorry but I cannot let this go by.  I heard a noted religious figure say on TV the other night that since all of these bad things are happening to America, the end is near.  We are living in the last generation.

So, let me get this right- America has debt problems, we have financial problems, unemployment problems, hungry people problems, and fearful for the future problems, so those are signs of the end of time.

Really?  Is America the only country that God cares about?  Why were not the financial problems in Greece a sign of the end?  Why were not hundreds of thousands murdered in  the Sudan a sign of the end.  Why wasn't the fall of Rome a sign of the end [I am sure that someone in Rome was saying so at the time.]  Hungry people in Ethiopia for years, but that was not a sign of the end.  But bring a little heart ache to the streets of America and it must be a sign of the end.  [it's all about me.]

Jesus will come back some day, but his signs are not centered on America.  He has the Whole World in his hands.  America has problems, but our problems are not a sign of the second coming.  Our problems are a sign of selfishness, consumerism, and bad management by politicians on both sides of the isle.

Faithful and mature Christians do not run here and there with every wind of doctrine, trying to figure out when Jesus is coming back.  Love God and love every one you come into contact with.  If you do this, you will be ready, whenever Jesus returns. 

As far as America's problems go, I hope that we can bite the bullet and get them fixed.  But either way, good times or difficult, we Christ followers are called to love God and love one another.  It's not necessarily the end of time, anymore than it was before.  Nothing has changed.  Keep trusting Christ.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

the end of the world

It's all about me.  It's all about us.  It's all about the Big 12.  Can you believe it?  Nebraska is leaving the Big 12 for the Big 10.  Then Colorado leaves for the Pac 10.  How frightening.  But it gets worse.

Texas, Texas AM and Oklahoma are all talking about leaving.  The big 12 might become the little 5.  Who will Missouri play?  What will happen to our TV revenues?  Who will we have left to hate?

There is only one answer to this.  It must be the end of the world.  There is nothing  in the world worse than this.  It is a sign of the end.

Somebody moved my cheese.  Surely life cannot go on.  It's the end of the world.  No Big 12 - lets go out and stand on the mountain and wait.  Or..........

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

other places - part two

Last night I thumbed through a book I had read a few years back. I glanced at what I had underlined and read the notes I had written. It was like reading a journal and it brought back some thoughts I hadn't had in a while. It took me to an old place but also a new place. Before I knew it the thoughts and concerns that had filled my day had been replaced by new thoughts and ideas. Sometimes it is just a simple thing that can trigger a bigger and better thing... a new day a new view a fresh outlook.


Peace,
Lion's Den Man

other places

I've been other places as of late so I'm a little out of touch with the things that I let surround me each day. That's not a bad thing. It was almost like a vacation... only better. Vacations, for me, always seem to take a few days to settle in and then a day or so before they are over I start thinking about the stuff that lies ahead again. So this was better...a quick exit for a few days to spend some time doing other things with and for people I care about. My head...my mind...went off to a different place in time. I'm not one to live in the past, but I do value what the past has brought into my life. I thoroughly enjoy hearing stories from the past, especially ones that I either have never heard before or ones that are shared from another persons vantage point. So it was good and it has me thinking and seeing life in a different way...at least for now.

Sometimes we just need a little shake up in the routine to get us out of the rut, so life can show us a different picture.

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

a break

My dear wife has been on the road every single week except for one, this year.  But there is good news.  She is home this week and next!  :-)  It's like a homecoming, like someone returning from the service.  What great joy!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

An Old Farmer's Advice

I received this from a friend -  it all reminds me of the kind of things that my father told me over and over while I was growing up:

Old Farmer's Advice

 

• Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
• Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
• Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
• A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
• Words that soak into your ears are whispered…...not yelled.
• Meanness don't just happen overnight.
• Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.
• Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
• It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
• You cannot unsay a cruel word.
• Every path has a few puddles.
• When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
• The best sermons are lived, not preached.
• Most of the stuff people worry about, ain't never gonna happen anyway.
• Don 't judge folks by their relatives.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Live a good and honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
• Don 't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.
• If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
• Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
• The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
• Always drink upstream from the herd.
• Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
• Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
• If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
• Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

another song in my head

The last few days a Bob Marley song has been stuck in my head.  "Don't worry, about a thing.  Cause every little things- gonna be alright."  Most of the songs that pop into my head, I spend the rest of the day trying to get out.  This one, I am trying to keep in.

Rise up this mornin',

Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', This is my message to you-

Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."
Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

adult children

This week has been a good week for my adult children.  Do you ever stop worrying about them?  My oldest is so dog gone independent, I often don't hear form her for weeks at a time.  I have to text her and ask if she is still alive.  Daughter #2 sold her car, bought a car, took care of all the paperwork, and survived the DMV.  Son in Kentucky is now gainfully employed in two jobs.

I have always believed in work.  It sounds a little boring, but if you can get a job and hold a job, you can solve your other life problems on the nights and weekends.  Today, for the first time in a long time, all three of my kids are in the saddle, 40 hours per week.  For some reason, as a father, that makes me very happy.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

enjoying it

Where ever you live - do you enjoy it?  Do you make time and  take time to sit in a chair and enjoy your home or apartment?  Or are we so busy doing something that we never take time to rest.

Some spend their free time with the tv or playing video games.  Again, we have missed a chance to rest and enjoy life.

A friend was looking for silence - he was looking to find the place where his heart would find God.  He could not do it.  His mind was so full of the things that he had to  do.

Don't be so busy with life that you forget to live.  Don't be so busy with things that don't matter that the things that do matter just pass you by.

Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy is about more than Sundays. It is a reminder from the good Lord that we all need rest.

Take a break.  Sit in a chair.  Put your feet up.  Give thanks for whatever God has given you.  Relax.  Breathe deep.  See it.  Sense it.  Appreciate it.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

manipulation

Manipulate, manipulation.  Ugh - one of my least favorite words.  Having grown up around the church I have seen it all.  People taught to praise God in certain ways.  People taught certain things to keep them passive and in submission to the church.  Guilt.  Shame.  Guilt. Yeuch.

When people are being manipulative they don't take questions.  In fact, questions are not allowed by manipulators.  Behavioral expectations are made clear and anyone that chooses to live outside of those expectations is severely punished or shunned.

The church should not be a place of manipulation.  The church should be a place where our differences are celebrated.  Where disagreement is welcomed.  After all, we only learn from people who are different than we are.

Please feel free to ask any questions that you have, anytime.  If you expect people to trust you, you must live by a policy of full disclosure.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

more on the hard parts and the good parts

What is required of us is that we love the difficult and learn to deal with it. In the difficult are the friendly forces, the hands that work on us. Right in the difficult we must have our joys, our happiness, our dreams: there against the depth of this background, they stand out, there for the first time we see how beautiful they are.”               

 —  Rainer Maria Rilke

Given the choice, would you rather turn the cheek or strike back?  Given the choice would you rather work for what you have, or have it all given to you?  Take someone else’s flat screen TV, or work for your own?  Would you rather take up a cross, or wear a crown? 

Can we wear the crown without taking up our cross?  The two a day practices for the football team is what makes game night so rewarding.  The studying and working to fix a car yourself makes the driving of it all the more joyful.   The rehab after surgery makes me appreciate that shoulder in ways that I never did before.  The sacrifices that one makes for their family sets the stage for great moments later.

Life.  It is good.  All of it.  The hard parts and the good parts.  It is all one big beautiful canvas that God gives us to paint on.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

the hard part

Yesterday I wrote about the good part.  I think I inadvertently shortchanged the hard part.  Think about it – life is a journey, not a destination.  The good parts are good, but the hard parts are good too.  Sure, it was hard to save the money, but doesn’t it feel good to engage yourself in something that matters?  Sure it was hard to dig the hole for that tree, but doesn’t if feel good to sweat?  And the long drive to the vacation spot – isn’t there some beautiful scenery along the way?

We will always enjoy the good parts of life.  I hope that we get better at enjoying the hard parts of life, because they are part of life too.  Who would want to lay on their death bed and not know what it was like to put in 50 hours a week for forty years?  In some ways, in many ways yet undiscovered, the hard parts too, are the good parts of life.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

the good part

I know that today is the ten year anniversary of 9-11.  I am intentionally not writing about it, because I do not want the rest of our lives to be dominated by an act of hatred.  With that said, I offer today's post:

Sometimes in life there is the hard part, and then there is the good part.  The good part is what comes as a result of your hard work.  We have to remember during the hard times, that the good part is coming.  I always tried to teach my kids – work first, play second.

And so, we go on a long drive to arrive somewhere.  We save money to make a purchase, and then we enjoy it, debt free.  We struggle through college, and get a degree.  We dig a hole to plant a tree, and then sit in the shade.

Almost every good part has a hard part that comes with it.  You can’t have one without the other.  That is what makes the good part the good part.  The moment of rest that you come to when you know your labor is done,  and it was worth it.  Savor the good moments, they are the fruit of your labor.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

I want a smaller church

I hear it a lot from folks at Woods Chapel.  I want a smaller church.  Some of them that tell me this, never even attended the old church!  Well, just for the record, I want a smaller church too.

The church was the most comfortable to me when we had about 300 people.  I still knew everyone and still delivered all the mugs.  I did all the hospital visits.  I knew everyone’s name.  Heck I knew their dog’s names.

But, Jesus has other ideas about our church.  We are called to invite. To care for those who are here, but to continue inviting others.  That means that if we are serious about following his purpose, we might get uncomfortable. 

So, it’s a toss up.  Do I want to keep it how I like it, or do I want to keep trying to do what Jesus asks me to do.  I guess since he died on the cross for me, I can suffer with some of the discomfort that I feel in a church that is a little different that what I would personally prefer.  How about you?

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

blind to the beauty

I recently sat at a restaurant overlooking the ocean.  The view was spectacular.  Spellbinding.  Awesome.  I asked the server what it was like to have such a view every day when you come to work.  She replied apologetically that she doesn’t even see it anymore.  Wow.  I am around the beauty so much, that I don’t even see it anymore. 

We both agreed that this was sad.

What beauty are you around every day that you no longer see?  A tree?  A flower?  A home?  A spouse?  How sad. 

Let’s agree to open our eyes.  To see what is.  To see the gifts of today.  The gifts that God has given to us.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

nothing stays the same

When you are young, everything seems to stay the same.  Then you are out of high school.  New places, new friends, new stuff.  You start to make your life.  You go through some stable times.

 Then all of a sudden you wake up, and everything is different.  The old boss is gone.  Your parents are gone.  Your softball team is gone.  You family moves to different places. 

Such changes give me a sense of instability, of fear, of discomfort.  I wish for the old days.  I remember how it used to be.  I tell the stories of yesterday.  I even organize reunions.  I drive past the old house.

Sad.  The old house isn’t the same anymore.  The softball guys have moved on.  My old boss doesn’t connect with me the way that I connected with them.  There is a new reality for me.  Nothing stays the same.

And so you are left with a choice.  To pout, to struggle, to talk of the glory days, or to look at today and believe that today is good.  And today is good.  New, different, not the same as yesterday, but good in its own right.  May we always see the good in today.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

a little ditty

I heard a bit of a John Cougar song the other day.  Let's forget about some of the racy lyrics for a few minutes.  The song is Jack and Diane.  For all the times that I have heard this song, something stuck in my head for the first time the other day.

The chorus says, "Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone."

I stopped.  This is what is being said - there is a time when you are young when life is thrilling.  When you look forward to it all.  But then you get disappointed.  After that, life just goes on.  On and on, with no more joy, no more thrill.

I will never hear that song in the same way again, because I don't believe that the thrill of life is ever over.  Life is amazing.  Life is wonderful.  Even the bad parts, the hard parts are good.  It is joyful and opportunistic. 

Our chance as humans is to get our eyes off of our comfort and find the thrill of life, no matter what the circumstances.  And so I say once again -

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.  When we do, it is simply thrilling.

things

We like to talk about how much change we have seen in our life times.  When I was a kid, phones had rotary dials, now people are dropping their home phones and carrying personal cell phones.  I saw my first microwave when I was 15 years old.

There are many things that we grew up on, that don't exist anymore.  Do you remember having snow tires?  That special pair that sat in the garage all summer and you put them on the back in the winter?  Everything changes.

Well, not everything.  The other day, I picked up an ironing board to fold it up and put it away.  I had not done this for a long time, so I wondered how it would work.  Amazingly, this brand new ironing board in a brand new hotel room is exactly the same technology that existed when I was a kid.

So, the moral of the story is, the younger generations can feel smug about a lot of improvements, but my generation still holds the only patent for ironing boards.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

noble things to do

There are some things that are just good to do.  Noble things.  Opening the door for someone.  Mowing your neighbor's grass.  Welcoming someone to join you at your table when the restaurant is packed.  Fixing the  shared fence without being asked.  Capturing a run away dog and returning it to the owner.  Picking up someones things that they have dropped.  Cleaning up a mess that you did not create.

And of course when we do such things, we want to attract as little attention to ourselves as possible.  The nobleness of an adventure disappears when we turn it into something about ourselves.

I have found that kind actions are a sure cure for the doldrums.  Next time you are feeling malaise, step out and do something kind, something noble.  Go the second mile.  You will be glad that you did.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

love, part 4

I mentioned in church last week, one of my favorite sayings of Anthony Demello.  Demello was a Catholic priest who died in 1986 at the age of 56.  His ideas challenge me to be a more faithful Christian.

One of the things that he said was, “if I want something from you, it’s not love.”  I have been stuck on this idea for years.  It runs so contrary to everything we were taught, but it also explains so much.

It explains why selfish “love” only ends up hurting people.  I love you because you do something for me.  I love you because you fill the aching gap in my heart.  I love you because I don’t want to be alone.  I love you because you make me feel good.  All of this is selfish love.

Do you hear the “me” in all of htat?  How can love be like that?  All centered around me?  It isn’t.  True love is selfgiving.  True love invests in others.  True love is more interested in your joy that in my own.  True love finds its joy in your joy.  True love hugs you because you matter, not because I need the hug.  True love gives people room to grow.  It does not push them too hard.  It does not force them into a square hole.  True love wants to bless others.  It divests itself of it’s stuff for the benefit of others.  Those who love are in love with love, not in love with stuff.

Gosh, talking about love is so cool.  Why is that?  Why is it that when I write or think about love, I am happy?  I am full.  Why?  Because God is love. 

If you find yourself loving people in ways that wants to take from them, try a different approach.  See yourself as full, able and caring.  Receive the gift of the spirit of love.  Then just go and care about others.  Anyone, anywhere, anytime. 

That’s why we are here.  God is love, and we really are the happiest when we are about his business.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

Kentucky

Random Question -
do any of you have any friends or relatives in Morehead Kentucky?  If so, please email me at jeffb@woodschapelchurch.org

thanks

the life cycle of First Church

Once upon a time a group felt called to start a church.  They were passionate about their desire to create a fellowship where they could find Christian friends, raise their children in the faith, and win others to Christ.  They worked tirelessly to provide programs and invite others to join them.  After struggling for a few years, they finally built a building and settled in. 

After a while, they had reached enough people to pay the bills and run the programs so the folks began to take a Sabbath from their mission.  Sure there were spurts of mission activity or passion around some program or cause, but for the most part, their view of their church had changed from a passionate desire to win others for Christ to an attitude of rest.  They became consumers.  For most of the next thirty years things went well.  Year after year, Lent and Advent came and went.  Children grew up and were confirmed.  Some moved away.  Some were buried.  As time went on, baptisms became fewer and further between.  The church starting hosting more and more funerals. 

One day someone noticed that the church no longer had any young people.  The very group that they were when they started, the passionate 20 and 30 year olds, were no longer present at First Church.  In fact, as they looked around, they began to realize that the core of the congregation was now having grandchildren. 

This problem was discussed at board meetings over the next 10 years.  Some suggested that the church hire some younger staff.  Some suggested that worship styles be changed to reach younger people.  Ultimately the suggestions were all rejected because the status quo had set in and no one wanted to disrupt their community, which had become quite comfortable for the original visionaries, now in their sixties and seventys.

All of us know churches that this happens to.  If you look closely at Woods Chapel, you can already see a bit of it at work.  This is the fate of every church that puts its own comfort before the mission of reaching others.  Churches that continue to thrive need a healthy focus on winning the next generation, even if it means creating an atmosphere that younger folks prefer, and I tolerate for the sake of reaching them.

I have heard folks my age ask "so does that mean that people my age don't matter?"  Of course not.  Everyone matters.  But if we do not work to take steps to reach the next generation, we will simply ride the wave of our comfort, as many churches have, to their demise. 

Effective decisions require that the congregation never rest for very long.  Our brand can never be consigned to one generation.  We must continue to morph.  We cannot simply invite young folks to join our church – we must allow them to shape the church.  Without new visions, without new passion, the handwriting is on the wall.

May you, may I, may we as Christ followers, always be willing to take the steps needed to reach others for Christ.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

Rev. Goodpastor

Everything has a life cycle.  We think things will live forever.  We think that nothing will ever change, but everything has a lifecycle.  My dog Lou is now ten years old.  That is 70 in dog years.  The handwriting is on the wall for him.  My grade school was built in the 50’s and torn down in the 90’s.  That is a sad moment when your grade school is gone.  Some of you come from small towns that are dying.  Some of you grew up in churches in small towns that are now closed.

Churches have life cycles.  Lets visit about this for a moment.  First lets talk about what happens when the church lands Rev. Goodpastor as it’s minister.  Rev. Goodpastor is loved by many and under his leadership the church thrives.  Rev. Goodpastor is seen as the only one that could ever be there for the people.  Many cannot imagine their church without him.  [Maybe there is a picture of him in the foyer.]  Everyone enjoys the ride, but then one day Rev. Goodpastor retires.  Then there is a huge vaccume in the church.  In their grief, people get unhappy. The next pastor can never replace Rev. Goodpastor and many leave the church.  The church goes through a downturn. 

Sometimes churches find a new Rev. Goodpastor and things pick back up after a while, but often, no replacement is found and the church continues to decline until it finally closes.  Such churches tend to talk a lot about the good old days – "remember when", opens almost every story about the church.  Their best days are in the past.

Now, no one wants this to happen to their church, but without an alternative way of looking at the church and church leadership, this is hard to avoid.  To keep this from happening we first have to understand that the church is more than Rev. Goodpastor.  Second, the church needs to find strong associate pastors that can develop a healthy following, and everyone needs to allow and encourage this.  That way when Rev. Goodpastor goes out to pasture, the church may miss him, but they will also be able to say, “thank God we have our other pastors still here.”

 The church also needs to get used to the preaching styles of other pastors.  Different from Rev. Goodpastor, but good in their own right, healthy large churches have several pastors that deliver the message.

 Such practices set up the church for continued cycles of health.  Good planning and big picture thinking helps the church thrive from generation to generation.

 [I hope this little parable helps you to understand what I am trying to do as your Pastor.]

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

building in these times

Some have asked, why should we build in a bad economy and when we are constricting our budget?  The answer is very simple.  Our building is directed by our need to fulfill our mission.  The funds have been raised and the building addition will be paid for in cash. 

Do you remember when we built on the highway in 1999?  We did not do that because we had lots of money – we did not.  We had little cash on hand.  We had pledges for 1/3 of the project, and we borrowed the rest of the money – around 2.7 million.  No we did not build because we had lots of money, we built because we believed that by doing so we could win others to Jesus Christ and his church.  Because of those actions, today our worship attendance is up over 800 people from those days. 

This addition will be paid for in cash.  We are inviting new people to come join us in space that is paid for.  They will want to join us in our mission, and their gifts will surely cover the extra cost of keeping the new space heated and cooled.

Change is always difficult, and it is scary, especially in scary times.  In a few years when this project is completed, we will have a time when we ask those to stand who started attending Woods Chapel after the new worship center was built.  We will look around at their faces and we will love them.  They will have become our friends.  At that moment we will understand that the process of travail was more than worth it.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

finances

You may have heard that the church has made some budget reductions.  That is true.  Whatever you call them, reductions, cost saving measures, constrictions, they are difficult.  They are most difficult for the people that are caught up in reductions. 

For several reasons, your church has taken steps to reduce its expenses.  This has resulted in some changes to the budget and the elimination of a few staff positions.  Please know that the departure of staff is very painful.  We have a wonderful staff and they have done a wonderful job for the church.

Let me explain why this has taken place.  There are three reasons.  The first is the economy.  Everyone understands that the economy has affected almost every aspect of our lives.  We hear that Sprint or Ford are laying off and we seem to understand.  It is more difficult when it is our church. 

The second reason that we needed to make changes to our budget is because of our building campaign.  Significant monies that would likely have been given to the general fund in the walk to the manger last December, have instead gone into the building fund.  The other thing that happens in capital campaigns is that you explain to your folks that capital giving is over and above.  But there are still many who simply take what they gave to the general fund last year and give half of that to the building campaign.  That can place considerable pressure on the general fund.

The third reason that we have amended our budget is because of the rise in our conference apportionments over the last five years.  Because of some changes in the way that apportionments are calculated, ours have gone up by $30,000 per year for the last 5 years.  That is an increase of $150,000 hard dollars to the budget that we have worked to absorb.  Our apportionments were artificially low because we grew so fast.  When we moved into the building in 1999 our apportionments were 25,000.  Today they are $230,000. 

The fact of the matter is that we were staffed successfully for a church in a thriving economy with apportionments of $60,000.  In order to operate in our new reality, some changes needed to be made.

We could have done nothing, and just waited until there was a disaster.  [I have seen churches do that.] Then I could get up in the pulpit every week and ask for more money.  We did not want to do that.  That is not good leadership.  The budget team, the staff parish team and lead staff chose to act proactively to manage these issues and keep us in a position where we can lead the church as you would expect.

I thank you for your faithful support of your church.  If you have any questions, please call or email me.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.

building

Sunday night at the all church conference, the building addition was unanimously approved.  I want to thank all of you for your hard work.  Thank you for giving to this project so that it can be built debt free.  Thank you for believing in our future.

I  know that there are some that are not sure about this building.  That is ok.  We all don't have to agree, and we are still family.  I love you all.  What I have been trying to do with this addition is put us in a position where we can reach the next 200-300 people.

The raising of needed funds is never easy.  Thank you for bearing up under this process.  From here on out, we are looking at the good parts.  Tractors on the property are exciting.  Soon we will be inviting others to join us in our new space.  Thank you for believing in your church.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

back or feet

My Dad used to say, "never hurt your back or your feet."  You can hurt your arm and function.  You can hurt your knee and function.  But when you hurt your feet, you are immobile.  When you hurt your back, you are..... well, you are like me right now.  I feel like the Pillsbury dough boy.  I am just kind of rolling around waiting to feel better.

The older I get and the bigger I get, the easier it is to hurt my back.  And so I do my exercises and take celebrex.  I also keep trying to do the things that I did ten years ago.  Maybe if I stopped trying I would stop hurting my back.  But I am not ready to give up on life yet.

If I am grumpy, please understand.  And do not tell me that I look like the Pillsbury dough boy. I will feel better soon.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

saying goodbye

It is never easy to say goodbye.  It is hard on adults.  It is really hard on kids.  Thursday night, a fine young man, Nick Lee was killed in a car wreck.  Nick was a friend of my 22 year old daughter Jenny, and a friend to all of her friends.  Nick worked for the church for many years in our We Care program.  He will be missed.  He will be grieved.

Losing a friend is hard, but you are not prepared for it all when you are 22. 

Please join me in praying for Nick's family and his friends.

I am thankful for the comfort that we get from our savior who reminds us that death is not the end.

A tough day, but still a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

on my day off

Friday is supposed to be my day off.  Sometimes that works well and sometimes it doesn't.  Just recently a famous preacher told everyone what he did on his day off, so I think I will give it a try as well.

7am - up and at it.  shower.
730 coffee and blog
800-10am church meeting
10am-12 purchase rock for flowerbed in back yard
noon - lunch
1230 - 330 working on flower bed
330-430 visit with wife who arrives home from her trip
430-6 shower.  work on sermon
6-9 dinner and hanging out with wife
9-1030 hanging out with kids
1030 - night time.

[I typed that up early in the day.  It is what i was hoping would happen.  Here is what actually happened.]

7am up and shower.
730 - coffee and blog
8-1030 church meeting
1030-12 noon pick up rock for flowerbed in back yard and install
12-1 lunch with church member who called to visit.
1pm picked up some supplies and worked in the yard.
4pm - took a nap.  yeah!
my wife's plane is delayed.  she wont be home until midnight. yikes!
430-6pm work on sermon.
eat dinner
the kids i thought I might hang out with have ditched me.
listen to music.
go to bed.

Not nearly as exciting of a day as my famous counterpart, but each life is beautiful in it's own way.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

some things

There are some things that are hard to fix.  They tend to be classified as the hard things of life.  You see it coming, you feel the fear.  You step into it [because you can't hide your head in the sand.]  You do the best that you can.  Some will be happy, some will not.  Some will understand, some will not.  Still you must do what you know, to the best of your knowledge, is the best thing.

When we were kids, the sky was mostly blue and the sun was mostly shining.  No shirt, no shoes, no problems.  When we became adults, we had to face adult problems.  The challenges of adulthood are mandatory.  Facing them is optional.  We can either be mad and complain because things are not going our way, or we can step in and do everything we can to navigate the pitfalls of the real world.  And in case you haven't noticed, the real world has gotten a little bit more real in the last two years.

So we trust God and go to Him in prayer.  We lean on our friends.  And we wish.  We wish we were still 11 years old, sitting at our parents table.  We wish that life was free and easy.  We wish that we did not have to deal with adult problems.

But you know, there is a joy, a freedom, when we do face life.  There is a richness and a savoring that only comes from stepping into the batters box, even when we are facing the toughest pitcher in the league.  God is good, and life is good, and as we rest in Him, it will all work out.

Pray as is everything depends on God.  Work as if everything depends on you.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

over 30

When I was a young man, the hippies said, never trust a person over 30.  I remember thinking that 30 was or would be pretty old.

Then 30 arrives.  You are gaining some life experience, you still have all of your strength.  You still look good.  30 is ok.  Looking back on it now, 30 is great.

Somewhere after 30 you start to understand that you are becoming the establishment.  What you have created in the world as an outflow of your youthful dreams, has finally become the establishment that the next generation seeks to set aside.  And time marches on.

I want my kids to understand that I was once young.  I was once a visionary.  I also challenged my parent's world view.  I matter.  And so do they.  And so do their 75 year old grandparents.  Each generation is different, they all have their own gifts to give to life.  We can and should learn from each other, and care for one another.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good. 

first world problems

First world, second world, third world.  We are most acquainted with the notion of the "third world."  What is the first and second world?

The first world designation refers to the United States and its allies, all highly modern, developed, free countries.  The second world used to refer to our opponents in the cold war, the Soviet Union and its allies of communist countries, all trying to catch up to us in some way or another.

The third world was every other country after that.  Little places around the globe where there was little development and massive human problems.

So what is a first world problem?  A first world problem is anything that annoys us, that the rest of the world would either laugh at or not understand at all.  here are some examples:

"I had to wait 15 minutes to get my Starbucks" first world problem [the rest of the world doesn't have Starbucks]
"gas is $3.40 per gallon" first world problem [the rest of the world pays $6/gallon]
"my daughters car has another problem!" first world problem [most daughters around the world, don't have cars]
"my flight was delayed" first world problem "most of the world will never fly on a plane"
"my mom died at 62" [my mom really did by the way] first world problem [the average life span in Mozambique is 42]
My air conditioning is out.  first world problem.  no explanation needed.

God is a global citizen.  He stands with every human being, every human being, every human being.  Isaiah 66:1 "Heaven is his throne, the earth is his footstool."  Do we live as if every person in the world is our brother and sister?  Isn't it easy to get caught up in our problems, that really are, in the long run, very trivial by world standards?  When I remember this, I get a little bit less worked up when I get a flat tire on my car.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Westboro Baptist "church"

I join each of you that are flabbergasted and disgusted by the actions of Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist "church."  Recently a funeral for one of the Navy Seals that was killed in Afghanistan was held at the Church of the resurrection in Leawood.

Adam Hamilton sent out a message and encouraged everyone to ignore the protesters. As always, I found his thoughts to be very helpful.  His message stated the following, "On Wednesday morning The Church of the Resurrection is hosting the funeral for Matt Mason, one of the Navy Seals who died in Afghanistan last week. Several of Matt and Jessica's friends are member of our church and we are honored to serve the family and to make our building, volunteers and staff available to care for them. I will be assisting with the service but the Mason's pastor from San Diego will preach.

We understand that the Topeka "church" that seems to specialize in spreading hurt and hate plans to protest from 135th Street. We've discussed a variety of options for addressing these protesters but in the end we believe that the best approach is to ignore them. They come seeking publicity and attention. We'd rather not give it to them. I'm hoping the media, too, might simply ignore them. They are a very small group that shows up at funerals because it gets them noticed. I wonder how long they would do this if no one paid them any attention.

I am told there are some planning to counter-protest. I would discourage you from participating - it only makes for a bigger media event. The Patriot Guard Riders will be here ensuring the family doesn't see the protester's signs.

Please pray for the Masons and pray for the protesters as Jesus called us to do. Ultimately I think Paul offers us the best response to those who do evil in Romans 12:17-21:

Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' No, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

a visit

Yesterday was a bonus day. I saw a friend I hadn't seen for some time. Maybe you saw him wandering around the church, too. Friendly guy, easy going. I can't remember a time being around him that I didn't laugh. Not that he is always telling jokes...he just enjoys the lighter side of life and people...he has a way of keeping things in perspective. So we talked a little and caught up some and then others came up to visit with him. When he left a friend and I started to talk about him...not gossip, but the good stuff, the stuff we miss because he is not living here anymore. I hope he knows that about himself. What a great way to be thought of... to be remembered.

Anyway it makes me think about what kind of impression I leave with people. How about you?

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

out of nowhere

that is where it came from.........out of nowhere. At least nowhere I could see. I was blind to things because I had a limited view. A limited understanding. What I thought about this person, what they were about was not true. I guess because I only knew a little and not the whole story... the whole person. What they did behind the scenes. What they cared about and who they cared for....I had only seen one piece of them. We are all so different so unique and created that way, I do know that much, but I put that knowledge aside because I let the situation take hold of me. So out of nowhere this person came to help. They did something without thinking. They showed compassion and understanding. It blew me away. As Jeff stated yesterday " everyone deserves the benefit of our not knowing. We owe it to them to reserve judgment." So a lesson learned and hopefully not forgotten. You just never know, do you.

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

benefit

The benefit of the doubt.  That means, that when you hear something about someone, instead of judging them, you realize that you don't know everything that might be going on.  You give them the benefit of your doubt.  You pray for them, you understand them, you wait to hear the other side. 

This is easier to do with people that we care about.  We love them.  There must be more to the story.  It is harder to do with folks that we don't know, or folks that we know and don't like.  But, everyone deserves the benefit of our not knowing.  We owe it to them to reserve judgment.  Pray for them and give them the same grace that we want for ourselves.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

fear

Fear is a powerful emotion.  About the time that you think it is gone, it sneaks up on you again.  I have been afraid of just about everything at one time or another.  Fear of failure, fear of illness, fear of the future, fear of my past, fear-worry for my children, about bills, about friendships, about what someone thinks.  On and on it goes, it just never stops.

On the topic of fear, I have found some comfort in 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Fear is not in God arsenal.  It is a human entity.  God wants to remove our worry, our buying of trouble.  He wants us to stop imagining what might be.  In fact, we rob our selves of the joy of this day when we only worry about tomorrow.  God wants to replace our fear with trust and with love.

May he be big enough in each of our lives so that can rest in him.  Let us trust in Jesus who said, come unto me all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good. 

Bicycle

I love bicycles.  My first job was at a bicycle shop.  I came into possession of a bike about a month ago that I really like.  When I got it, the tires were flat and the bike was filthy, but I worked on it, and resurrected it.  The other day we went for our first ride.

My son has disassembled our air compressor, so I am unable to fill the tires with air.  They are a little low, but I decide to make a go of it.

Up the driveway, up the hill.  Turn right.  Along the flat, turn left, past the pool to the top of the hill.  I am already winded, and my calves are burning.  I am in terrible shape.  Right turn onto the Northgate loop.  Up and down.  I don't remember there being hills here, but on a bicycle, you feel every one.  Coasting now towards the clubhouse, I see four people hitting balls on the driving range.

Swoosh.  Bash.  Ouch.  What is that.  One of the players has sliced a ball and it took one hop on the street and hit me in the chest.  No one even said fore.  I wanted to say something back, but I restrained myself.

Up around the bend.  Past the little park.  Past Ash Grove.  Down the hill into farmville.  I am riding on Maybrook road.  Across the wooden bridge.  I am feeling pretty good.  Misty Meadow.  Behind the school.  Anderson, Emerald and now the big hill.  Maybe the biggest hill around.  I am determined to make it all the way up to the top.

I am tired.  My tires are almost flat.  I am 54 years old.  Then disaster.  I can't get the bike to shift into the low gear on the front sprocket.  I make it most of the way.  Then I have to stop.  I walk to the top.  It was the right thing to do.

My legs are wobbly.  I coast the rest of the way home.  My wife laughs at me.  What is that about?  Tomorrow, if I can walk, I am going to try it again.  If any golfer tells you a story about hitting an old guy on a bicycle, I would like to have their name.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

option 4

In a post a bit back I asked that you think of the three things that you consider the most important in life.  Someone posted a comment that they wanted to add a 4th option for the thing that you don't know about yet.

This is a good call and a very important point in terms of understanding how we think.  In any given situation, we can usually come up with some alternatives.  Option A, B, C, and D.  We should always list an option E which is "something that we have not thought of yet."  It is a sign of maturity to know that we don't know it all, and that our brains are not going to think of everything.

This is the joy of discussing things with people and friends.  Sometimes they have an Option 4 or an option E.  Something that you had not thought of, but may just hit the mark.

Quoting Shakespeare, As my mother used to say to me when I was young, "there is more Horatio than is dreamt of in your philosophy."

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

one time

There is the quote from the movie little giants.  The team is getting crushed.  It is half time and the coach is giving them a pep talk about getting up when you are getting crushed.  One of the kids wants to be on the injured list.  Here it is:

Danny O'Shea: [When the Giants, losing at the half, want to be put on the injured list] You know, there is something you guys should know... when I was 10 years old, I put myself on the injured list. I never got off.
Timmy Moore: Why?
Danny O'Shea: Cause I didn't get picked a few times, so I started hiding under the bleachers.
Marcus: That's where we belong, under the bleachers.
Danny O'Shea: No you don't. You guys belong out there with those Cowboys. You know how I know that? Because I belong out there with my brother.
Rudy Zolteck: Give us a break, coach. You could never beat Kevin O'Shea at *anything*!
Danny O'Shea: That's not true. I did beat him once.
Jake Berman: When?
Danny O'Shea: When we were kids. We used to race our bikes down Cherry Hill every day after school. We raced every day and he always beat me, but one time, one time... I beat him.
Jake Berman: You beat Kevin down Cherry Hill?
Danny O'Shea: Yes, I did. He ate my dust.
Johnny Vennaro: Big deal. One time.
Tad: You know, one time at Randy Cooper's swim party, I did a backflip off the high dive, and my brother chickened out.
Marcus: Roger chickened out? He's a Marine!
Rudy Zolteck: Ah, that's nothing! One time at the spring carnival, I beat both of my brothers in the Cow Dung Toss.
Tad: You beat Matt and Brett in the cow pie toss?
Jake Berman: You know, one time I went fishing with my entire family, and I was the only one that didn't throw up.
Marcus: So, what? It still doesn't make us good football players.
Danny O'Shea: Well, wait a second, guys. Who said you had to be good to play football? You play football because you want to. You play football because it's fun. You play football so you could pretend you're Joe Montana throwing a touchdown pass, or Emmitt Smith going for a long run. And even if those Cowboys are better than you guys, even if they beat you 99 times out of 100, that still leaves...
Tad: One time.
Rudy Zolteck: One time.
Junior Floyd: [Smiles] Yeah... one time!

So, I am not a very good athlete, but occasionally I get my "one time." Last week I beat a professional athlete in a game of pool.  I was as surprised as he was. 

I think God gives us those "one time" moments every now and then.  They help us so much.  Keep getting back up.  Never give up.  You just don't know when your "one time" will be.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

change

A few thoughts from the book, "Common Sense for Community Change" by Julie Battle.  I found them helpful.

“Here’s another heads up about thinking. If you are trying to change the way things are done in your community, you are going to go against popular thinking. People may look at you like you have lost it. (You haven’t – you found it.) The radical truth is this – popular thinking is often not only wrong, it’s also restrictive. To challenge popular thinking you must be willing to go outside the norm, But here’s the upside – unpopular thinking is visionary. It cracks open opportunity. And it is a requirement for progress.”

“The reason you are doing this work is because you can’t not do it. When any big change takes place, there are always at least a half dozen people who drive it. They are a force of nature, a small but mighty army. They see the possibilities in every situation – even the negative ones.”

“People have their own agendas. Others get self absorbed. You know it isn’t about personal glory, it’s about achieving the vision.”

 “Nothing exceptional was ever accomplished because people folded at the first sign of fear.”

“Even the most confident people will tell they were uneasy and they had their doubts, but they pushed through it. They gathered the facts, surrounded themselves with good people, anticipated the naysayers and stayed the course.”

 “The difficulty lies not so much  in developing new ideas as in escaping from the old ones.” John Maynerd Keynes

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

the resurrection

I have a friend that I dearly love who is not sure about the resurrection.  I understand, this is not a normal happening in our lives.  People don't usually die and then come back to life.

However, I am trying to get my mind around the Christian faith without a resurrection.  I have to tell you, I can't do it.  I can't conceive of any way that the faith makes any sense to me without Jesus' resurrection.

If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, there is no way that the disciples would have given their lives for this cause.  There is no way that the early Christians would have put up with the persecution that they faced if they knew Jesus did not rise.  Who makes such sacrifices for something that they know is a lie?  No one does. 

There is only one explanation for the behavior of the early disciples. Only one explanation for their willingness to suffer and die for this faith.

Jesus rose from the dead.

It doesn't make sense and it is not our normal human life experience, but God doesn't live by our rules. 

It is a beautiful day in God's world, and Jesus rose from the grave.  Be sure to see the good.

Goethe

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1749-1832, philosopher, scientist, pretty sure a non-believer, none the less penned these words:

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized.-

With God's help, we know what our choices will be.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Your paradigm

Paradigm- the way you see the world.  the systems and organization of ideas and beliefs that a person has that allows them to make sense of the world.  [my definition]

Someone asked me why I was pushing on their paradigm.  Why was there pastor pushing on their belief system?  The answer is simple.  I want you to know the God that is beyond your paradigm.

Any human belief system by nature is going to limit God.  But God cannot be contained in our paradigms or systems.  To the degree that we hold fast to our paradigms, we attempt to condense God into our brain power.  To the degree that we allow our paradigms to be opened, we begin to consider the greatness of God.  As we open our paradigm, we see that the Creator is greater than our inklings of Him.  We see that he is awesome and amazing.

Toward the end of the book of Job, Job is tired of not getting his fair shake in life.  He cuts into God and begins to ask why.  God answers him in chapters 38-40.  Here is how it starts:

1 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: 2 “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—

The next few chapters of Job contain some of the most humbling challenges to the human paradigm.  God reminds Job and anyone else who reads 38-40, that God is God and he lives quite comfortably outside of, beyond our human paradigms or notions of him.

So, I know that it is painful when your pastor challenges your life paradigms, but it is the only way for us to come to know the God that lives beyond them.  I want you to know the God that causes us to worship as we consider His mystery.  I want you to know the God who is amazing and fantastic and awesome and indescribable.

I hope that helps.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

someday

Someday, your parents will be gone.  You will wake up in the morning and have the urge to call them, and realize in that moment that you are alone.  It takes some time to adjust to those feelings, but in time you do.

Hopefully, your parents gave you enough support and direction so that you are prepared to some degree for life in the big world.  We all grow older, we have no choice.  Some of the passages that we face in this life are painful, but with prayer and time, and friends, we adjust.  Many have done it, and each of us can transition too.  It is what our parents would want.

So, if you miss your folks, lean on a friend.  Give your feelings time.  Call your pastor for a cup of coffee.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

mobility

A few days ago I got on a plane in San Francisco and flew home.  The trip that it took pioneers months to make, I flew half way across the country in a matter of hours. 
One of the great gifts of our country is the gift of mobility.  To be able to cross state lines without being hassled by police.  To be able to travel in and out of the country to visit places or go on mission trips.  These are some of the gifts of a free society. 

Then there is the benefit of modern methods of travel.  To drive.  To fly.  Gosh, it is possible that in the near future, regular people may engage in space travel.  It is hard to imagine.

So much has changed in my life time.  When I was a kid, our cars were worn out piles of junk by 100,000 miles.  Most of our cars were worn out when we got them.  The furthest we went when I was little, was St. Louis, and we drove on 40 highway through every little town, because I-70 did not exist then.  No seat belts, no air conditioner, no cup holders.  AM radio.

Those were the days.  Mobility.  It is the gift of a free society. 

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

3 things

If someone asked you what were the three smartest things that you knew, what would be your answer?  What would be your list?

A great theologian was asked upon his deathbed, what is the greatest truth that you know?  He answered, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

What would your list look like?  Can you narrow it down to three?

How is this-
1.  Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so
2.  People are more important than ideas.
3.  Love covers a multitude of sins.

What does your list look like?  What are the three smarted things that you know?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

a few words from Wesley

During a time of particular suffering and duress, a friend shared the following quote with me.  I believe it provides a good perspective and good advice for all.

"Some may say, however, that I have misunderstood the way myself, although I presume to teach it to others. It is likely that many people will think this way and it is quite possible that I may have misunderstood at some points. I trust, though, that where I am in the wrong, my mind is open to being changed. I sincerely desire to be better informed. I say to God and others, “What I do not know, teach me.”

Are you convinced that you see more clearly than I do? It is not improbable that you may. If so, treat me as you would want to be treated yourself under the same circumstances. Lead me to a better way than I have yet known. Show me my mistake by plain proof of Scripture. And if I delay on the path I have been accustomed to taking and if I seem unwilling to leave it, work with me. Take me by the hand and lead me as I am able to accept it. Do not be angry if I beg you not to beat me down in order to quicken my pace. I can move forward only feebly and slowly at best. If you belittle me, I might not be able to move forward at all. Also, may I ask you not to call me cruel names in order to bring me into the right way? Suppose I was ever so much in the wrong, I doubt that scolding would set me straight. Rather, it would make me run so much the farther from you. In that case, I would move out of the path of truth still more and more.

Indeed, if you are angry I will become angry also, and then there would be little hope of my finding the truth. Once anger arises (“like a puff of smoke,” as Homer somewhere expressed it), the smoke will so cloud the eyes of my soul that I will not be able to see anything clearly. For God’s sake, if it is possible to avoid it, let us not provoke one another to anger.  Let us not ignite this fire of hell in each other, much less fan it into a flame. If we could discern truth by the dreadful light of anger’s fires, would it not be a loss instead of a gain? Even with many wrong opinions, how much more is love to be preferred before truth without love? We may die without the knowledge of many truths and yet be carried into Abraham’s bosom. But if we die without love, what good would knowledge be to us? It would do us no more good than it does for the devil and his angels!

May the God of love keep us from anger. May he prepare us for the knowledge of all truth, by filling our hearts with the fullness of his love and with all joy and peace in believing." 

 John Wesley 1746.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

you will be grieved

I think I was watching the original Superman movie.  Superman's earthly father had died.  At his funeral, Superman [a teenager at the time] said of his father, "you will be grieved."

A few years before my father died, we were talking and I told him that story.  I told him that he would be grieved.  He said it was the nicest thing that anyone could say about him.  Thank you, he said.

I still miss my Dad.  Does that ever end?  One time he told me that he still missed his parents and he was 70 years old! 

There is something about your parents.  They have such an impact on you.  They mark you.  You can't get them out of your head.  They were happy, and you were marked.  They were sad, and you were marked.

It makes me want to work harder to be a good parent.  It makes me want to reach out to my kids and let them know how very much they are loved.

Alli, will you grieve your old man when he is gone?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

that song

That song.  That song is stuck in my head again.  Arugh!!!!  Where did it come from?   When did I hear it?  How can I get it out of my head?

Sometimes they are good songs, sometimes they are bad.  If I like the song, I am ok with it being stuck in my head for a while.  But even good songs, get old.  Then, I have to get them out.  Out.  Out.  Out of my head.

I have a secret to do so.  I turn on the radio or MP3 player and listen to some music.  I write over the song that is stuck in my head by putting a new song in it's place.  Tricky move.  The problem is, one of these might get stuck in my head as well.

The same thing happens with ideas and thoughts.  When I find myself stuck on some thought, some idea, some something that is bothersome, after a while I have to help it move on.  So I find something else to think on and I keep doing it.  I find a positive thing to focus on, and I think of it.  OI think of all of the goodness and all of the joy.  And so I keep the old songs and the negative thoughts at bay.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

tipping part two

Someone left a comment on my post from July 29th.

Here is their comment:

Wow,although I do agree in leaving a tip when deserved, but leaving a scripture or tract is an eternal tip. Some servers may not see it that way, but you never know when there is someone that needs that note or truth from God's Word. He is the one who blesses. We are to allow Him to work through us and bless others.

While I agree with caring for them and being kind, it can be done in many ways. Rather than encourage friends to leave a tip, we should encourage each other to pray for what God would want them to do in that moment. Leave a tip? Or leave a tract? Or leave both?

Here is my response. 
I am glad that we can talk to each other anonymously, and banter on this blog.  Because I need to speak frankly.   I am certain that you have never been a server.  If you had, then you would know that these people do not make any money unless you tip them.  They are counting on your tip to pay their bills.  A tip for normal serviced should be 15%.  20% if the service was good.  If the service was really bad for some reason, I might leave less, but it would have to be awful, and be the servers fault.

Leave a tract?  Is that the best we have for a witness?  The server that you leave the tract for will never want to see you again.  If your church's name is on the tract, they will hate your church. They won't feel loved, they will feel belittled.  There may be a place for tracts, but it is not when we go out to eat.  Frankly, anyone that doesn't want to leave a tip should not be going to restaurants.  Eat at McDonald's.  Their employees at least make minimum wage.

There are several servers in the area that have become a part of our church.  None of them because we left a tract.  All of them because we were kind to them, and generous to them.  Our actions showed our love for them by being friendly and tipping them.

How would you feel if your pay was based on a tip, and the person that you just helped, left you nothing?  Please tip the servers or don't go out to eat.  Figure it in, in advace, as part of the cost.  It's that simple.  Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's and render to God the things that are God's. In our culture, servers are to be tipped.  There is no praying about leaving a tip.  What God would tell us not to tip a server in this culture?  Leave the tip.   It's simply the right thing to do.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, please help a server to see the good.

the woods

Imagine that you are walking in the woods.  Deeper and deeper you go.  The trees are so thick that the sun barely flickers through the canopy.  Close your eyes.  Imagine that you are there. 

You realize that you are lost.  You have no idea which direction to go.  And then there are those noises.  You hear them just beyond your sight.  Raccoons?  Deer?  Mountain Lions?

This goes on for hours.  You are terrified.  You can feel your heart beating.  The sound of your breathing is adding to your tension.  You don't know what to do.  You are totally vulnerable.

Then you hear it.  A noise for sure. 
Louder than the background noise. 
Something is there for sure.
You strain to see.
Your heart is racing.
Your bladder in on point.
Every muscle in your body is tense.

Then you see it.
An arm.  Then a leg.
It is a person.
Then to your surprise, it is someone that you know.
It is your worst enemy.  Your mortal enemy.

At first you feel a sense of loathing.  But then, you see the look on their face.  They are lost in the woods too.  They are petrified.  They have been crying.  They are glad to see you.  And the moment that you see them in their vulnerability, you are glad to see them too. 

The woods takes back over.  You are both terrified.  Clouds cover the sky.  The same noises return.  But  now, it all feels a little different, because I am not alone.  My enemy has become my travelling partner.  All of the worries and drama that separated us in life, are now completely meaningless.

We wander together for hours.  We talk about life.  Our families.  Our hopes. 

Finally we come upon a well worn path and follow it.  Each releases a sign of relief.  Soon we are back in familiar territory.  The incident is over.  I am no longer lost in the woods.  But, something else has changed too.  Along the journey I have lost an enemy, because we walked in this life, side by side, through the darkness.

The past was released.  Our vulnerability brought us together.  It will never be the same when we meet.

Is there someone that you need to get lost in the woods with?  See them as a person.  They are trying to make their way in a very dense forest too.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

the void

I was reading an author who spoke of the void that exists inside each of us.  He is referring to the fact that if we are really honest with ourselves, we come to the end of ourselves.  We realize and have to admit that we don't have it figured out, we don't have the answers, we stand in this life as travellers on a mysterious journey.

The problem with most folks is that they never acknowledge the void.  They never admit it is there.  Pretending to know it all, they press on with life, hiding from the truth that we are all broken beyond repair.  Others, know that the void is there and allow it to depress them, but never quite know how to deal with it.

What if we faced the void?  What if we found a quiet place and honestly told God that we are broken.  We don't get it.  We are lost in a world that is beyond our control? 

You see, that is the moment that we can begin to depend on him.  When we totally come to the end of ourselves.  Our ideas, our theologies, our bullet points.  When we realize that without him we are nothing, then the door begins to open to an authentic relationship with God.  The wounds of the mystery are salved in the joy of embracing the master. 

We are nothing without him.  We are everything with him.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

wise words

I was exchanging email s with my friend Bill C who is in Paraguay. He shared with me this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer.


Bonhoeffer had been in prison for a long time towards the end of WWII. Two weeks before Hitler killed himself and the war ended Hitler ordered Bonhoeffer hanged.
These are Bonhoeffer's words on death while in London before the war:


"No one has yet believed in God and the kingdom of God, no one has yet heard about the realm of the resurrected, and not been homesick from that hour, waiting and looking forward joyfully to being released from bodily existence.


Whether we are young or old makes no difference. What are twenty of thirty or fifty years in the sight of God? And which of us knows how near he or she may already be to the goal? That life only really begins when it ends here on earth, that all that is here is only the prologue before the curtain goes up--that is for young and old alike to think about. Why are are we so afraid when we think about death? .... Death is only dreadful for those who live in dread and fear of it. Death is not wild and terrible, if only we can be still and hold fast to God's Word. Death is not bitter, if we have not become bitter ourselves. Death is grace, the greatest gift of grace that God gives to people who believe in him. Death is mild, death is sweet and gentile; it beckons to us with heavenly power, if only we realize that it is the gateway to our homeland, the tabernacle of joy, the everlasting kingdom of peace.


How do we know that dying is so dreadful? Who knows whether, in our human fear and anguish we are only shivering and shuddering at the most glorious, heavenly, blessed event in the world?


Death is hell and night and cold, if it is not transformed by our faith. But that is just what is so marvelous, that we can transform death." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1933

I chased this a bit in a sermon on Sunday. The time of our lives when we will know the most about God is the moment of our death. For in that moment, we cross over the river. The veil is lifted. That which has been know in part, become completely known.

May we all live each day with greater joy because we see that there is nothing to fear. Today, tomorrow, next week, next year. When ever we go, we go to be with our Lord.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good

forgetting

I had a professor in seminary, Bob Tuttle.  A brilliant guy who was also so very down to earth and relevant.  He was very popular as a teacher because he helped everyone understand that the Christian faith was accessible to normal people.  He had a knack  of helping you know that God loves you and accepts you just the way that you are.

I thought of him last week because of something he used to say.  He would be referring to someone that he had a great deal of respect for, and he would say that the person "had forgotten more about God than I will ever know."  The point Tuttle was making was that there are some people that are so deep.  Deep in the very best of ways.  People that we want to honor and stand in great appreciation of.  And I also think about all of the things that we forget.  All of us.

forgetting.  I think sometimes that the older we get, the more we tend to forget things that we used to know.  It is sad in a way, because sometimes I think we lose touch with some really valuable things that are in our minds, but just beyond our ability to retrieve them.  But I guess it also keeps us wanting to learn.  At least, I hope it keeps us wanting to read and learn.  To fill our brains back up and regather the things that we have forgotten.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.