My dog

Do you remember the Kennelration commercial?  My dogs bigger than your dog, my dogs bigger than yours, my dogs bigger cause he eats Kennelration, my dogs bigger than yours.

This song is sung way too often my people that attend churches.  My church is bigger than your church, my pastor's cooler than your pastor, my church does more missions than your church, on and on we go.

Sometimes people sing this song because it makes them feel better to demean someone else.  That tells you something about someone who needs to do that, doesn't it? 

Please don't ever sing this song.  There are always going to be churches bigger and smaller than ours.  It isn't about any of that anyway.  We should be working together, caring together, loving together, living life together. 

Life is full of competition.  It doesn't belong in Jesus' church.

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

I am your pastor

I am your pastor.  I care about you.  If you are unhappy about something, please call me or email me.  Nothing is benefited by you feeling bad or mad.  It is rough on you and it usually won't go away by itself.

I am your pastor.  I love to talk with you.  The best use of my time is meeting with you.  So if you have questions, if you want to talk about life, if you don't like my looks, anything at all, please call me as I am more than glad to sit down with you.

I am your pastor.  I care about you.

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

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs.  1955-2011.  What an amazing man.  How sad that we only had him for 56 years.  Recently I was in a cafeteria and CNN was playing a clip from a speech that he made at the Stanford graduation in 2005.

Here is the video of his speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

Here is the text:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

During his talk, the noisy cafeteria became quiet.  Every eye was fixed on the TV.  Every ear was straining to listen.  Even the servers stopped their work.  You could have heard a pin drop.

Part of the deep grief of his loss, is that he was so brilliant.  If you own an iphone, an ipad, a mac of any type, if you use itunes, Steve Jobs is a part of your life.  Part of the loss, is that although very successful, he was also very wise, kind and humble.  Part of the loss is that he died at 56.  Wow.  That is pretty young.

His death makes me wonder about how much effort I am putting into my life.  Am I, are we, fulfilling our potential?  Life is fleeting and tomorrow is not promised to us.  How important it is that we live - really live.  L I V E live.  And care and love and make the very most of this precious gift that God has given to us.

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

Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams, 1902-1984 was an American photographer, noted for his black and white photos of nature.

Lately, I have been taking some pictures.   I have realized that seeing the good is one thing, capturing it in a photo is another, which allows it to be saved and shared with others.  Since real photographers name their pictures, I am naming the one on the left, "Seagull at Pigeon Point."

I have been taking pictures of trees, flowers, birds and buildings.  I don't know what I am going to do with all of this, but I have some ideas.

One of these days when I have time, I may take a photography class at Longview.  I may sit up at night and photo shop my pictures.  I may delete the bad ones and categorize the good ones and learn how to print them.

I may give them to friends as presents.  I have become Ansel Adams.

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

who is a saint

When I first heard the word, I figured that I would never know any saints in my life.  I figured that there are so few perfect people, I will never meet a saint.

Over the years I have learned a couple of things.  First of all, the saints are not that saintly.  Every one that I read about had doubts, sins, trials and trouble.  They were not saints because they were perfect, they were saints because of the way that they responded to life, and lived it out day by day.

The second thing that I would tell you that I have learned about saints, is that I am surrounded by them.  People that go the second mile.  People that turn the other cheek.  People that forgive what others think is unforgivable.  I have watched people love and love and love some more.  I have witnessed sacrifice, commitment and perseverance.

Although each of these people have problems, they qualify to be saints because their lives are not dominated by their problems.  Their problems are dominated by their desire to please God and do the right things, no matter what may come.

I you are reading this, you may be on my saint list.  If you say, "no not me."  Then you probably are.  God loves the humble, hardworking, gracious, forgiving, generous people.  It's ok to be a saint.  In fact, it is preferred.

I don't know about you, but I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.

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

why I don't like to fly

I don’t like to fly because I hate turbulence.  I don’t like to fly because there is always someone nearby that has a problem.  Their shower broke last year.  They can’t stop talking.  They fall asleep and snore.  They have a screaming child.

So here we are, all crammed onto this plane.  Six across, 30 rows deep.  180 people and there are only two bathrooms.  Whose idea is this?  And did I mention that it is a long way to the ground?

God did not intend us to fly.  If he did He would have given us wings.  Besides, flying is not scriptural.  Didn’t Jesus say, “low, I am with you always?”

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

beyond guilt

And so there are these passages in Scripture where the apostle Paul rails against the works of the flesh.  Oh, my.  The voices of my parents and my pastors rail and wail and warn me of such behavior.  The voices are so heavy that some days, I don't like the apostle Paul. 

As I work on the sermon for Sunday, I have had a thought.  What if the purpose of these sections was never to be a hammer?  What if the focus should not be on the negative, but on the positive?  What if our grovelling in guilt and delivering guilt to others is simply another work of the flesh?

There has to be something else, something better, something joyful, something good.  God wants us to focus on Him, not on how bad we are.  Let me turn the sentence around, so our last thought is not about us.... as Christ followers we are invited to live beyond mere humanness and move towards a loving walk with our Father. 

How does that sound?

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

the little pony grows up

Once upon a time a pony played in the pasture with his friends.  He laughed and hopped and galloped around.  He ate and drank whenever he wanted to.  He took naps whenever he wanted to.  He just pretty much did whatever he pleased.  Ahh, the life of a pony!

 As the pony grew up, he began to notice that all of the adult horses left the pasture in the morning and were hitched up to wagons.  They were gone all day, and always came back home tired.  The pony wondered what that was all about.

 One day, the farmer came for the pony.  He put a rope around his neck and led him to a corral.  There, the farmer forced a metal bit into the pony’s mouth and began to teach him the ways of the big horses.  The pony would learn later that this process was called “breaking.”  It was aptly named because the experience was not very pleasant for the pony.

 But the Farmer knew that the pony had a purpose that God had created him for.  Difficult as the breaking process was, the farmer stayed with it, because he loved the pony and wanted him to find the joy in life.  Soon, the pony was a young horse.  He was leaving the pasture every morning, pulling wagons to town and plows through the field.  On his way through the farm he would often look back at the young ponies playing in the pasture.  He would smile - he knew what was in store for them. 

 Once upon a time there was a child who played every day.  He watched his Dad go off to work every day and come home tired at night.  The child wondered what that was all about.  Then one day, his Dad got a hold of him….

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

rejection

We all know it and we all hate it.  Rejection is one of this life’s most painful experiences.  I was fired from a job.  My spouse left me.  A family that I love has left the church.  I have been thrown away by a friend.  I was passed over for the promotion.

 All of these things hurt.  Sometimes they hurt bad.  There is no escape, no getting around it.  The pain is real and it keeps coming back.  Every time I think of that situation, it hurts again.

 So what do I do?  What do we do?  Well, you pray.  You pray for the people that hurt you.  You ask God to bless them.  You imagine Jesus standing next to them, loving them.  That helps me.  The other thing that I do is to just press on.  Keep going, keep working, keep living.  There are new jobs, new friends, new opportunities.

 I cannot control what others do, but I can control what I do, and I am going to press on through the pain.  And you know what, life is good.  Life is still good.  There are some thorns on the rose bush of life, but oh, it is still so beautiful.

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

On Mormons and Christians

Whether your feet are on the left side or the right side of the isle, [maybe you have one foot on either side], I found the discussion of the past weekend interesting.  Is a Mormon a Christian?  Does the Mormon church stand within the larger Christian family.  Being as we live in or near Independence, you can ask the same question of the  RLDS church.

Although I am not an expert on the subject, I did attend Mormon school for a year when I was a sophomore in high school.  It was a requirement of me dating a particular girl that I really liked. :-)

If you read about the history of the Mormon church, you cannot deny that they are newcomers to the Christian family.  But for that matter, so is the Assemblies of God and several other groups.  There are a number of things within Mormon doctrine that do not fit with classic Christianity.  One example of this is that they have other holy books: the book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.  So, there are some pretty big differences.

However, in my experience, I have learned that most followers of various churches, usually have little idea of some of the finer points of church doctrine.  I have met and come to know personally Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses who were certainly believers in Jesus as their savior.  We have a number of former members of the RLDS at our church and most of them considered themselves Christ followers before they came to WCC.

So should a Mormon be disqualified from being president?  Romney probably doesn't know every detail of Mormon teaching, and may not agree with it if he did know, anymore that Obama agreed with everything said by his former pastor.  Faith is a broad expanse, and it a very personal thing.  I think there is a time to say who is in and who is out, but I think we opt for that option way too often. 

{joke} In my world of doctrinal purity, I have set aside everyone except for me and you, and lately, I have been a little worried about you.  {still a joke}

We have had a number of Presidents that were not Christians.  We have had a number of Presidents that professed Christianity but did unchristian things.  It is the responsibility for the voters to decide, and you will have your chance to participate in that process.  I am glad to live in a country where the debate, and the voting, are open to all.

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

Uncle John

My wife’s uncle John’s memorial service was last week.  He was a great man.  Tall and handsome, he was the proud father of three fine children.  He was not my Uncle, but you wanted him to be, and he took us all in.  He was kind and funny and normal.  He was a hardworking man. 

 Uncle John reminds me of the old saying, “an apple doesn’t fall very fall from the tree.”  His dad, Cathy’s grandpa was a great man.  John’s son, Jay is one of the finest men that I know.

 I pray for his family and thank God for his life.

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

thoughts on my father

This past Monday, October 3^rd would have been my father’s 84^th birthday.  He died in 2002.  Dad was a good man.  He was quiet and he kept to himself.  He made sure that his kids were in church every Sunday.  And you did not want to get him upset or he might just invoke the name of God when calling your name.

He was an engineer for the Ford Motor Company for most of his adult life.  He had some trouble early on and late in life with drinking, but he was a very good man. 

He had a few old sayings.  One of his favorite was, “the right thing to do is the right thing to do, even when you are the only one doing it, and the wrong thing to do is the wrong thing to do, even if everyone is doing it.”

When your loved ones are gone, they are gone, and you miss them.  Enjoy them while you can.  In fact, if this post reminds you that you have not talked with them in a while, call them up.  Just tell them that you love them and appreciate them.

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

it is me

Ok, following up on yesterday's posts.  If I am not my children's bad decisions, if I am not my friend's recent failure, if I am not the staff person's anger, if I am not the latest dumb decision that some politician made, if I am not these things, what am I?

Well, I am not bound by them, I am not identified by them.  I am not even going to lower myself to being drug down by them.

I am a child of God.  I live in a beautiful world.   I know wonderful people.  I celebrate people even when then are doing dumb things because life isn't perfect.  who am I?  I am alive.  I am alive to the good.  I am living in celebration of the good stuff.  Love, joy, peace, forgiveness.  I choose to see the good.  That's who I am, and when I am not being that, that is who I want to be.  Please remind me if you catch me worrying about something that is not me.

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

it's not me

Jesus asked us not to worry.  It sounds good, but it is more difficult than it seems.  Worry seems to be right around the corner.  I worry about my kids, I worry about our church.  I worry about our staff.  I hope everyone is doing well and I so want it to be so.

Sometimes when someone acts out, I am mad, or I am frustrated, or I am drawn into this in some way.  And Jesus says, do not worry.

The only thing that I have found that helps me to break free from this vicious cycle is a line from Anthony Demello, who said, "it isn't you."  My kid acted up.  It isn't me.  Someone did something stupid.  It isn't me.  Someone is fighting.  It isn' me.

This is not a cruel detachment from others, but simply a reminder that I do not need to be drawn into everything in the world.  My kid striking out in baseball to end the game should not ruin my day.  It isn't me.  My kid dropped out of college- their choice, not mine.

we can choose to free ourselves from some of life's worries by just remembering that some problems belong to other people.  They are not ours to adopt or fix.

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

out of the nest

There comes a day when every little bird has to learn to fly.  The momma actually pushes them out of the nest.   Some learn to fly, some don't, but staying in the nest is not an option.

We are right in the middle of these battles in our home.  You want to help them.  You don't want them to feel the pain.  But if I keep helping them, they never gain any self respect and they don't respect us either.  We actually do them a disservice when we help them too much.

It is painful to watch a child have to learn to take a second job or work to save money for some needed item, but these lessons are the lessons of life.  They will never stand on their own feet unless I stop carrying them.

I think God too, wants us to stand on our own two feet and make our life decisions.  I don't believe that everything is choreographed by God.  He is not an overprotective parent.  I believe that His greatest joy is to watch his children grow up, take responsibility and step out into life and exercise their free will.

To the extend that I forget this and keep trying to save my children from their problems, I am only contributing to their failure.  To the degree that I help them learn to stand on their own two feet, I do well. 

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

England- the British Empire

In 1900 the British Empire spanned the globe.  They were the only super power of their day.  The English controlled 25% of the world's population and 25% of the world's land mass.  They were the biggest dog on the block.  They were so big, they were almost the only dog on the block.

World War One put a good deal of stress on the empire.  It also saw the rise of other world powers.  World War Two just about put an end to England.  Hitler almost won the battle for Brittan. British outposts all over the world were overrun by the Axis powers.  After the war was over, those protectorates and overseas holdings began seeking their freedom.  England was a disaster after the war and could no longer take care of them anyway.

Today the British Empire is not an empire.  England has a few small holdings around the world.  They are all tiny islands of no real significance whatsoever.  England is a shadow of it's former self.

I have been wondering.  What did it feel like to be a resident of England during these times of transition?  I am sure that the people were afraid.  I am sure that they wondered what the future held.  I am sure that they wished for the good old days, but they were gone, forever.  The good news is that although their empire ended, the world did not end for the English.  Residents of England continued to live.  They still got married, had families, went to church, went to work, went to the pub and told their stories.

The moral of this tale should be clear.  Sometimes things change for nations, but we still have the opportunity to live.  Let us not be overcome with fear, but thank God for the gifts of this life.  May we do everything that we can to help America remain strong, but no matter what the future holds, we can live and we can thank God for the goodness of this life.

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

weigh in

Underlined in a book I read a while back is the following:

“It often appears that those who talk the most about going to heaven when you die talk the least about bringing heaven to earth right now, as Jesus taught us to pray: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” At the same time, it often appears that those who talk the most about relieving suffering now talk the least about heaven when we die.”

So how do you weigh in.....
Agree?
Disagree?
Know someone like either?
Are you more like one versus the other?


Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

our role

Saint Ignatius's wrote, "Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you."

Don't sit back...get in the game...you have a role to play

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

favorite quote

From the book, Managing Transitions, by William Bridges, pg 101.

Julius Caesar describing how he handled an unexpected, simultaneous attack by the Nervii [a Germanic tribe] at three different points on his flanks, while part of his troops were crossing a river and another part were setting up camp.

"Omnia uno tempore agenda." [everything had to be done at once.]

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

Standing tall

Leadership begins with character.  Leaders stand tall.  Leaders know where they are going.  One of my favorite quotes is from George Bernard Shaw:

“This is the true joy in life,

the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one;
the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap of life…  
and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod
of ailments and grievance,
complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

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