Sleigh Ride

Just made it safely back home with four hours to spare this snowy Christmas Eve -- emphasis on just.

For a few, terrible seconds along the way, this Christmas Eve might have ended in spectacularly, unspectacular fashion. It's never good to crest a hill and find two trucks pulled to the side of the road with a car perpendicular to said road in between. And it's even less good to tap the brakes and feel the vehicle you're driving start to wiggle, then try it again only to feel a waggle -- even at 30 miles per hour.

So I aimed for the opening at the double yellow lines as traffic passed in the opposite lane, knowing there were three possible outcomes and two of them we will not mention out loud. But with my wife in the passenger seat lofting quick, audible prayers, our sleigh somehow slid through trouble and safely back onto the darkness of a road illuminated by only the driving snowflakes.

Call it one final reminder to be thankful for Christ, thankful for salvation and thankful for Christmas miracles.

Long expected

For me, one of the blessings, and curses, of the so-called "liberal arts" education was the Art and Music Appreciation class.

Those that know me would never dare say that art or music are one of my strong points. And those that don't know me would take only five minutes to figure it out.

But as one of the requisites for that course, I had to learn to play the piano. And I use that term, play, loosely here, because 15 years later, I could no more play a piano than I could tuna fish (little joke, there ... very little).

Anyhow, it became my quest to figure out a way to plunk out the song, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus," in a way that one might almost consider to be music. And though remembering the how has become problematic, I shall never forget the whens or wheres. Dark rooms, usually after dark, were where I practiced interminably to perform that song well enough to pass the class.

And the words of Charles Wesley's Christmas-oriented hymn have never departed either. We sang it at church this past Sunday, and I was reminded once again how perfect for Christmas this song is. Here are the lyrics in case you have not had them drummed into your brain in the pew of a church, or, as in my case, the pew of a piano:


Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

How apt that we feel the way we do about Christmas. Nearly from the moment one Christmas ends, we anticipate the moment that another will begin.

We know it's coming, but it takes so long to arrive. We even try to fool ourselves with Christmas in July, but it's not the same. It doesn't have the same spirit, the same consolation.

But when it finally does arrive, we feel that hope, desire and joy well up in us all at once. We want to share it, shout it, live it forever ... and we shall. But not because of anything we have felt or done or said. Only by His merit, His grace, His freedom ... Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.

The Last Christmas

Typically, talk around this time of year centers around the arrival of Jesus heralding the first Christmas. But I just wanted to share this moving song by Sixpence None the Richer that takes a different tact -- the last christmas without Jesus.

And listen for my favorite lyrics of all late in the song:

I feel your heart beating inside my own skin
And I think of Mary in Bethlehem
When darkness was shattered, the dawn of god's grace
And the journey began to the first easter day

On this last christmas the last christmas
The last christmas the very last christmas
The last christmas the last christmas
The last christmas without you

Christmas Amusings

So less than a week before Christmas, and I find myself thinking of the last few such holidays.

A couple of years ago that I woke up on Christmas morning, but instead of unwrapping gifts, I unwrapped my intestines. That is, I got down on my knees and bowed before the porcelain god and puked, yakked or whatever your favorite term may be right in the toilet. (Don't worry, this isn't a lesson in not worshipping false gods, because the porcelain god is not worth the effort, trust me.)

In some ways I was like Ebenezer Scrooge, visited by the ghosts of Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner past. And when I was through, I was changed because if any man ever wanted to keep his Christmas ham well, it was me.

Well, by the time the next Christmas rolled around, I no longer gave that dreadful experience much thought. But my daughter did. She mentioned it on Christmas Eve, concerned that Daddy not be sick this Christmas. I assured her I would not be (then thought carefully before I ate anything else, lest I be made a liar) and the holiday proceeded as it should have.

But the point was well-made. For all the hoopla and the hype that surrounds Christmas, it's easy to take the entire celebration for granted. As a matter of fact, we may sometimes make ourselves sick on all the sweets that accompany the season both literally and figuratively -- i.e.: shopping, Santa, pageants and presents.

But what we really need to do is appreciate the gift of it simply being Christmas -- the chance to celebrate Jesus' birthday, to celebrate his gift to us and to reciprocate by giving Him the gift of our lives. No tree necessary, no lights required, just us and God.

Because there's nothing greater than his presence being in us -- even if our last meal is not!

The Social Network

In this age of new technology and information overload, it sometimes seems like the Gospel story is stuck in a time capsule. ... If you want your dose of old-time religion, go dig it up from under that tree out back.

But that's not how Jesus shared the most important message in the Universe, and it shouldn't be how we do things either. Jesus showed up where the people were from that first miracle at the wedding in Cana to the woman at the well to the triumphal entry. And he presented his message with a twist, so much so that the church elders of the day (i.e. - Pharisees and Sadducees) wanted to choke the life out of him ... literally. He taught the Scriptures, but in a personal way. He presented salvation, often with a parable or allegory.

Well, in their own way, that's what the folks in charge of The Natwivity are doing. They are using the social network of Twitter to re-tell the Christmas Story. Not the one with the Red Ryder BB gun and the kid with his tongue stuck to the flag pole, but the original Christmas Story of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men, and don't forget ol' Herod.

Even if you're not a Twitterer, just visit this link to ready what is being done. The most recent tweets are at the top, so scroll all the way down the page if you want to start at the beginning.

The story is being told from the viewpoint of the various characters, tweet by tweet. It's creative, it's fresh and it's a tale 2,000 years old that doesn't sound like it. Who says evangelism has to be boring?

A Song for Christmas

One of my guilty pleasures in the month of December is hauling out those Christmas CDs, or downloads, and enjoying some cheesy, schmaltzy and moving tunes.

The song for which I posted the video below -- Hero, by Abandon -- doesn't quite fit the classic Christmas song mode. Well, as you will see, it seems a bit more Easter. But when I listen, I hear Christmas.

I hear the Christmas spirit in Jesus' every move. We needed a hero, a Savior, and he's the only one that fit the bill. Giving of oneself is Christmas in a nutshell.

Back to the Rock

After the last week, I know I could use something more fun, and I'll assume that's true of you the faithful reader as well.

So I embedded this YouTube video of the classic Christian rock band Petra, performing on the Beat the System tour, which would eventually become the Captured in Time and Space video/live album. This was before CDs and DVDs you know?

Watching lead singer Greg X. Volz reminded me of the time, a few years after this, while he was touring solo, that he was the feature act at youth camp. One year at youth camp, we got this fresh new act with their first album out called DC Talk. Another year, it was the legendary Volz doing the solo struggle.

Well, Volz was good, as you might expect, though nobody was dancing like they were with DC Talk -- 'round, round, spinning round, round.'

But I have always remembered less about his music and more about him playing frisbee football with us ... He might have had a second career there!

Anyway, in case you haven't heard, Greg X. Volz, Bob Hartman, Louie Weaver, Mark Kelly and John Lawry have reunited, are releasing a CD, going on tour and doing a live TBN show on Nov. 20.

The disc -- Back to the Rock -- are newly recorded versions of classic Petra songs with two new ones mixed in. The track listing is as follows: Adonai, Angel of Light, Back To The Rock, Bema Seat, Clean, Godpleaser, Grave Robber, Let Everything That Hath Breath (PraiseThe Lord), More Power To Ya, Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows, Too Big To Fail, Second Wind. So enjoy the nostalgia.

Freak out

Remember when you were a kid, and you tried to wrap your mind around the idea of forever? Come on, admit it, I know I wasn't the only one who found trying to grasp that idea simply ended up making you freak out.

It wasn't that there was anything all that horrible about forever. Most of the time, it was on the heels of a church discussion about living forever in heaven. Sounds good, but when you can't grasp something, that means you're not in control, hence the freak out.

A lot of years have passed, and you and I both probably found ourselves with little time to contemplate such mysterious ideas as forever. But that doesn't mean the things we do contemplate don't bring about the inevitable feelings that we're not in control.


The outgoing bills are more than the income ... freak out.

The tasks at work take more time than the 40 hours you are allotted ... freak out.

Seeking health care requires choosing an option with no guarantees of success ... freak out.

That's where I find myself this week, and not for the first time. I'm sure you can relate. But the one command I just can't find in the Bible is: Thou shalt freak out.

No, it's the complete opposite. The exact phrase "do not be afraid" appears approximately 70 times in the Bible, so I wouldn't call that a license to freak out.

Instead, Proverbs 3:5 offers a simple concise alternative: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

And Matthew 6:33-34: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Ahhh, guess that means trying to figure out forever will have to wait until eternity.

Walking Dead: Getting rid of the zombies

Zombies are suddenly popular again, though they've got some catching up to do with the recent spate of vampire books, movies and TV shows.

Most recently, the new show "The Walking Dead" -- based on a comic book series -- is a story of an apocalyptic event where zombies suddenly take over the United States. As usual, that means mindless, flesh-eating, back-from-the-dead creatures who must be shot or beaten in the head to be stopped.


So what in the world does that have to do with this blog?

Well, as I was watching the premiere episode of this new show, it occurred to me the spiritual parallels that can be drawn from the world of zombies -- and I'm not just talking about zombies being rooted in voodoo.

In "The Walking Dead" the show's central character, a sheriff's deputy, is injured in a shootout on the job and enters the hospital in a coma. When he awakes, it's zombie apocalypse. He is searching for his family and friends, anyone still living and breathing.

It kind of reminded me of a Noah or an Abraham in the Old Testament, people who suddenly found themselves surrounded by bushels of sinners and non-believers.

And that's what really stood out -- sin. Sin makes us all the walking dead. It makes us selfish, mindless of anyone but ourselves. And sin craves the taste of human flesh -- kind of like 1 John 2:16:

"For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world."

And if sin even takes one little bite out of us, it can destroy us -- just as one bite from a zombie infects the previously uninfected.

However, the spiritual cure is less dire than a bullet to the brain. Instead we must fill our mind, yea, even our heart with the Word of God -- after all, it is sharper than a two-edged sword as Hebrews 4:12 says:

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

So take heed of the zombies that surround you and the zombie-like infection sin can bring, and give it a beating with the Bible.

Finding the blog ... and forgiveness, Part II

Well, apparently I took so long finding forgiveness, that I lost my way back to this blog at some point as well.

Hope you'll forgive me!

When last I left whatever readers may be left out there, I was talking about expressions of forgiveness, particularly as it related to others.

To shift gears a bit here, lo these many months later, I think that it may be even more difficult to forgive ourselves.

See, when we forgive others, the job is made easier in knowing that it is they that are guilty of wrong doing.

But when it's us that is the transgressor -- dare I say more plainly sinner? -- things are different. We may ask God for forgiveness, we may ask others for forgiveness, but always lurking in the backs of our minds and the corners of our hearts, is that guilt. Guilt that tells us, 'Look what you did, look what you are capable of, look at what you might do again.'

So how do we get past that? How do we find the peace that sometimes eludes us when our head hits the pillow at night?

Let's look at the example of Peter. Simon Peter, the rock upon whom Christ built his church, likely had a far more difficult time forgiving himself after Jesus' death than anyone outside the home of Pontius Pilate. Denying someone three times will do that to you, you know?



But in John 21, we read how Jesus "reinstated" Peter, or you might say, how Jesus helped Peter forgive himself. Staring in verse 15 and continuing to verse 17:

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?'
'Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you.'
Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'

Again Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me?'
He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.'
Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.'

The third time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?'
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' He said, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.'
Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep ...'"

So how did this episode help Peter transform himself from a disappointed fool to a faithful follower?

First, Jesus asked Peter to affirm his commitment, three times over. When you realize you're committed to something, it's hard to let past failures slow you down.

Second, Jesus gave Peter responsibility. Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep. There's no better way to get over what you didn't do than to focus on what you will do.

Third, Jesus never brought up the past. Psalm 103:12 says "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Peter was already forgiven in Jesus' eyes, he just needed to be reminded that if God was over it, then he could be too.

Think it over and come back soon. I won't wait another three months to post again!

Finding Forgiveness: Part I

So where to start with this forgiveness thing. Well, besides the parable I cited in the previous post, maybe the story of the adulterous woman in John 8 is as good as any.

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

We tend to look at this story as a cautionary tale against judgment. But if that is all we were to learn, then once the others had all left, Jesus could have bashed this woman upside the head with a rock. For unlike those who walked away, Jesus was perfect and without sin.

But he extended her forgiveness ... the same forgiveness he extends to each one of us. For although we deserve death, he offers life.

We in turn -- created in his image and re-created in Christ -- should mirror that offer ourselves, offering forgiveness even when unwarranted.

Want an example? Stay tuned ...

An Introduction to Forgiveness

Remember last week when I said there was ideas rattling around my head?

Well, here's the start of those ideas, and it's on the subject of forgiveness. Some of my previous posts the last couple months have discussed the idea of mercy and grace, particularly as God gives his forgiveness to us.

But us giving forgiveness to others, now there's the rub. Because with all due respect to Tom Petty, forgiveness -- not waiting -- is the hardest part.

I guess this all started with a sermon on the Unmerciful Servant a couple months ago. Read it for yourself in Matthew 18.

Here's the short of it. This is the parable Jesus told after Peter asked how many times he should forgive those who sin against me. Peter suggested a generous seven times, but Jesus said, 'How 'bout 77' or 'How 'bout 70 times 7?' -- depending on what translation you read. Then Jesus told the story of a servant who begged his way out of a monstrous debt, then threw the man who owed him just a little in prison when he asked for the same mercy.

Just in the last few months, I've heard stories about a preacher in India who was beaten but kept responding with love until her converted his torturer, a lady whose husband was murdered visiting the murderer in prison and gave him her husband's Bible -- counseling him until he was converted or the Jewish girl who was experimented on in Auschwitz and finally met one of her captors then wrote him a letter granting forgiveness.

Spectacular displays of love all ... yet I can't get over my annoyance with the guy a few cubicles down, I refuse to speak to that person who was once my friend and I reserve my best biting sarcasm for that neighbor that rubs me the wrong way.

Heck, I hold grudges against restaurants where I got poor service, against the bag boy that doesn't know that a loaf of bread and canned goods don't mix ... and I certainly won't forget that time the cat or dog chewed up something that wasn't a toy.

We are astonishingly good at withholding forgiveness. Granting it? Not so much.

So in the coming days and weeks, I hope to explore some stories, movies, TV shows, life examples, etc. of forgiveness and how meaningful it can be. Stay tuned, there may be some hope for us yet.

Hello again ... Happy 4th!

Whooops! I just realized tonight that I managed to go a whole month without updating this blog. And that's really a shame, because I have some interesting thoughts rattling around this head that I shall share with you sooner or later. Looks like later at this point.

Anyway, just a short thought as the Fourth of July fades into the Fifth. The choir at church this morning sang The Battle Hymn of the Republic, which has long been one of my favorite songs. I recall memorizing the lyrics out of the hymnal during a few select Sunday evening services, but now I'm just telling on myself.

But that song tends to make the chest swell and brings out both patriotic and Christian pride, though I'm not sure that's exactly a good thing.

Our pastor today did a nice job with his phrasing in one part of his message. He was talking about how God was neither liberal nor conservative, Republican or Democrat, American or any other nationality or race. And he added this, forgive my paraphrasing:

"We often ask whether God is on our side, when we should be asking, are we on God's side?"

Hmmm, now that's worth singing "Glory, glory, hallelujah. God's truth is marching on."

Heaven and Hell

Last week marked the death of legendary rock and roll singer Ronnie James Dio at age 67.

That typically would not be enough to make this blog, but it jogged a memory of an article I read about Dio, as he was simply known, some years ago.


A little background for those readers who never heard of Dio and don't feel like they're missing much. He sang for several rock bands in the 1970s and 80s, most famously replacing Ozzy Osbourne as the lead singer of Black Sabbath. Dio went on to a highly successful solo career as well. He is credited with originating the devil horns gesture (seen at right) and gained a fair bit of notoriety with the cover art on his Holy Diver album (below).


All that being said, the article I remembered was from HM magazine. They used to do a series of interviews with famous musicians that covered a lot of territory, but ultimately included their views on the Bible, Jesus and Christianity. Here's a link to the interview, if you're so inclined as to read it in its entirety.

But the part that I always remembered was his spiritual relativism, if you will. You see, Ronnie had what was probably the classic Italian Catholic upbringing. And he says the morals he learned were essential ... and by the way, by all accounts Dio was one of the nicest "stars" you might ever want to meet, at least with the fans.

But Dio is also very open about his religious feelings and says this, "My feelings are that the teachings were great, but in my mind, my religious beliefs are that you are God, and you are Jesus Christ, and you are the devil, and I am, and all the people I know around me are. But I don’t need to go to some place and listen to somebody else to tell me whether I’m good or bad, or whether I’m right or wrong. I am my shrine. You are your shrine. We are all Jesus Christ, and again, I have no problem with anyone thinking Jesus Christ is this deity, someone up there. It’s cool.”

I went back and looked at Dio's career and lyrics in light of that statement again this week. And the results are fascinating. One of his signature songs was the title track of his debut album with Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell. Here are the lyrics:

Sing me a song, you're a singer
Do me a wrong, you're a bringer of evil
The devil is never a maker
The less that you give, you're a taker
So it's on and on and on, it's heaven and hell, oh well

The lover of life's not a sinner
The ending is just a beginner
The closer you get to the meaning
The sooner you'll know that you're dreaming
So it's on and on and on, oh it's on and on and on
It goes on and on and on, heaven and hell
I can tell, fool, fool!

Well if it seems to be real, it's illusion
For every moment of truth, there's confusion in life
Love can be seen as the answer, but nobody bleeds for the dancer
And it's on and on, on and on and on....

They say that life's a carousel
Spinning fast, you've got to ride it well
The world is full of kings and queens
Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams
Its heaven and hell, oh well
And they'll tell you black is really white
The moon is just the sun at night
And when you walk in golden halls
You get to keep the gold that falls
Its heaven and hell, oh no!
Fool, fool!
You've got to bleed for the dancer!
Fool, fool!
Look for the answer!


Re-reading the interview and then listening to Dio sing these lyrics, I feel like maybe he wasn't as mysterious a rock and roll figure as many thought.

Ronnie had seen agents of heaven acting like agents of hell within the walls of his church growing up. And then he no doubt found fellow artists and musicians with reputations worthy of hell to be the most heavenly people he ever met. So life began to blur that line between heaven and hell, so much so, I'm not sure even Dio knew which side he was on anymore.

In the interview, he talks about the controversial Holy Diver album cover as well. He says this, "The question I was always asked about that album was, ‘Why do you have a monster, or a devil figure, killing a priest?’ And my reply has always been, as far as I’m concerned, it was a priest killing a monster. It’s all in what you’re told. I wanted to do it that way, because I wanted people to ask me that question, so I could say, ‘Why don’t you look inside the package?’ That was the whole point of it. Why couldn’t that devil look like he could be God. Why couldn’t he? Do we really know what God looks like? No, we don’t. We have no idea."

And the irony is not lost on me that even as I type this, Ronnie James Dio now knows, for better or worse, who is the devil and who is God, what is heaven and what is hell.

And my admonition to you and myself is simply this: Don't let the injustices and inequities of this world cloud your vision for right and wrong. The semantics will be debated from now until eternity, but in the end there does exist just one Heaven and just one Hell. And your allegiance, or lack thereof, commits you to one side or the other.

Jesus puts it this way in Matthew 12:30: "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

Life less ordinary

I was scrolling through the program guide on the TV recently when my eyes lit upon a movie called A Life Less Ordinary.

So I got to thinking about this notion, and I realized that a less ordinary life might be the reason I like the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Heroes, Lost and a million other sweeping dramas, books, sci-fi stories and the like. Because in each one of those cases, the characters are living anything but an ordinary life.

Meanwhile, we mope and meander, busy enough in our lives but feeling oh so ordinary. And then I caught a documentary on the National Geographic channel called Eye of the Leopard. It followed the cat from birth through the first three years of its life, while I and my daughter watched mesmerized as the leopard sought shelter from a storm, hunted for food, fought to preserve its territory, leaping up trees, down trees and generally doing things a wild cat does.


Truth be told, this cat was living a very ordinary leopard life. But ordinary to it seemed extraordinary to us.

Our lives are not so different. We go shopping, go to work, eat, play, mow the yard, talk to a neighbor and on and on. Ordinary things, but when done with the love of Christ and the power of God, they can take on extraordinary implications to those who are observing and being served.

Don't wish for a trip to outer space or to be reborn in a world of hobbits and trolls, simply find a way to live a life less ordinary in the three blocks to the end of the street, down the grocery store aisle or across the cubicle.

What you didn't do

This post will be fairly short, because I'm going to recommend you spend more time reading an outstanding article called Kermit's Song.

Read it all and come back, even if it takes a day.

OK, done? Wow, what a story. Have you ever been like Kermit Alexander, quick to proclaim, "Somebody should do something," but oh so hesitant to be that somebody? I know I have. I guess that's why the story is so powerful. You never know the impact on your life or on someone else's that just one person could have.

And then there's the guilt, the guilt that lies in each one of us for our sins, our mistakes, our things we didn't do. But just like Kermit, we all are offered a second chance. It is in every breath we take, every morning we wake up and every step we move. We have the chance to make a difference to somebody that day in the same way that one man made a difference for eternity with a crown of thorns sitting on his head.

We spend a lot of time in our society worrying about what we have to do, what's on our list, what's the schedule? But maybe the question shouldn't be what do we have to do, but what haven't we done?

And like Kermit, we can then pray, "Lord, don't let us miss someone."

Not what I deserve

I've had ideas, nearly made it to the keyboard a few times, but just haven't updated this blog in a while.

Funny thing is, sometimes I think things like that happen because God's not done with a previous idea yet.

That notion came full circle for me with this week's Sunday morning sermon. It was about Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. Oh boy, heard this one a few times before, right? Wrong.

As the pastor spoke, he emphasized this crazy notion of grace. The idea that we don't pay the penalty for our wrongs. Instead, someone else -- Jesus -- pays the penalty despite doing everything right.

It's not fair is it? But that's just it. The prodigal son came home knowing what he deserved, but instead of an "I told you so" and being sent to live with the servants, he got a feast and a festival. He got grace.

And so it goes for us. Heaven knows we don't want what we deserve, yikes! We want grace ... which brings me back to my post about Easter being for me and my plank-eyed soul.

What I was really trying to say is that Easter is about being offered grace, even when I don't deserve it. It's about someone else paying the penalty for my wrongs. It's about a father, a Heavenly Father, that not only welcomes me home but runs to meet me.

He knows I've been slopping hogs and squandering my gifts. He knows I deserve nothing more than a swift kick to the posterior and that I am inferior.

But he gives me a party hat and some presents, and says, "Welcome back."

That's not what I deserve, but that's grace, that's Easter, that is a miracle!

Happy endings

The stage was set Monday night in Indianapolis. Underdog Butler had a chance to win the NCAA men's basketball championship against perennial power Duke. In fact, the Bulldogs wound up with not one, but two shots at victory.

But as many say, sports is a microcosm of life, and that means no one should be surprised when both shots missed and the happy ending of a movie script was not to be.

For all of us on this earth are headed to an unhappy ending. It is inevitable -- "the wages of sin is death." Even Jesus as he took on our sin was forced into an unhappy ending on the cross.

But that celebration we just had on Easter Sunday gives us hope. The resurrection of Christ tells us that all those unhappy endings can turn out to be new beginnings.

Death is not the destination, it is the doorway.

Easter is for me

From Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday and Good Friday to, finally, Easter Sunday, we've probably heard and will hear no shortage of meditations, sermons and thoughts on Easter. So here's mine.

Let me start with Matthew 7:3-5, not your typical Easter text:
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

I quote this passage because it is the basis for one of my favorite songs, "Easter", by an obscure band called Raspberry Jam. It is preceded by the recitation of the George Herbert poem, Easter. The chorus is this simple thought:

"She whispers support and I scream judgment,
You see Easter is for me and Plank-eyed soul."

The simplicity and truth of this floors me. Jesus died upon the cross for the thousands who offered support as he rode into Jersualem on a donkey then screamed judgment days later when offered a choice between the criminal Barabbas and their former messiah.

He died for Peter, who told Jesus "I will never fall away," and within 24 hours had denied every knowing the man.

He rose again for the very same, and for Thomas, who would not believe until he had seen and touched the scars for himself.

He rose again for a man named Saul, who persecuted Christians in the name of the Lord until a blinding light on the road to Damascus changed his name to Paul and his mission to salvation.

He died and rose again for me, who would scream judgment at the tiniest speck of sin in the life of my friend, family or even a stranger while a plank the size of Texas obscured my own vision of God.

Jesus' resurrection on the third day -- on Easter -- is all about second chances, and sometimes third and fourth, even 999th chances. That empty tomb gives every man the chance to one day return to the Garden of Eden, to perfection.

Every plank in my eye was the wood Jesus' hands and feet were nailed to.

On one side of him, a criminal whispered support, "This man had done nothing wrong. ... Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

On the other side, a criminal screamed judgment, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

There, but for the grace of God, go I. You see, Easter is for me and my Plank-eyed soul.

The Whirlwind

We've all been there. The to-do list is longer than the hours in the day, the bills are higher than the balance in the bank and our relationships are strained to the breaking point.

It feels like we're caught in a whirlwind, being blown to pieces by the pressures of life.

It's an idea I've been thinking about a lot this last week -- largely brought on by my purchase of a CD called The Whirlwind, by Transatlantic.

The title piece is broken into 12 parts spanning 77 minutes with this cohesive theme of the whirlwind. Some sample lyrics if you will:


And we got caught in the whirlwind
Torn by the storms of our lives
We counted - counted on something
That never could hold up our lives

...

And we got caught in the whirlwind
Torn by the storms of our lives
And just when we thought we had something
It turned into dust in our eyes

So curiosity got the best of me and I checked to see how many times the word "whirlwind" appeared in the Bible. And the answer I came up with was 15, all in the Old Testament.

Most often, whirlwind might bring to mind the story of Elijah being taken up to heaven in 2 Kings 2.

But primarily, the message these passages conveyed is the same as the lyrics above. For example, Isaiah 40:23-24:

He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

So what will we do when the whirlwind begins to blow us around? Attempt to cling to the things of this world or grab hold of something more substantial, something eternal?

The CD concludes with an idea that I believe Elijah found to be true:

There is in the heart of the whirlwind
One who has been for all time
And he was sent to deliver
And bring forth the river of life
And we are here in the wilderness
Seeking some shelter inside
And now that it's done
Out of the whirlwind
Comes forth the true breath of life

Snow White

The thing about being around a kids is that you often have the chance to go back and see games, books or movies that you haven't given much thought to in years. And along with that, you see those things from a wiser (maybe?), more jaded (likely) adult perspective.

Such was the case in watching Walt Disney's animated classic, Snow White. The story is a fairy tale that may be as old as the Middle Ages and was first put to print by the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800's. The tale has certainly had its fair share of revisions over the years, but nonetheless, in this most popular animated version, I observed a great deal of Christian symbolism.

Snow White is so good and perfect that when the evil Queen is told by her magic mirror that "Snow White is the fairest one of all," it enrages her. Like Lucifer, the angel of light, she seeks to destroy this perfect creation (mankind).

And, of course, the evil Queen does eventually appear to succeed with her poison apple -- OK, that one is a bit obvious.

There are seven dwarfs, a popular number for symbolizing completion/perfection in the Bible, that are Snow White's friends.

After she eats of the apple (sin), the dwarfs put Snow White in a glass coffin and mourn her death until the Prince arrives to unlock the power of that death with his kiss. Snow White is awakened and walks arm in arm with the Prince toward a golden castle gleaming in the clouds on the horizon -- a perfect picture of our resurrection and ultimate destination. And don't forget the dwarfs chased the evil Queen until she fell off the cliff to the bottom of a pit.

There's certainly greater detail that could be explored, but these are just some of the big picture highlights.

While none of this is breaking new ground, I was reminded once again that we can see God's hand many places if we only open our eyes.

And may we all live happily ever after!

Loss is gain

It's a funny thing. It seems like the moments of life we remember most often center around the loss of something.

When you're sitting around with family or old friends, you don't say, "Remember the time that lady gave me a stick of gum?"

No, you say, "Remember the time Junior tried to climb over the fence and lost his pants?"

Of course, many memories are more serious: a broken arm, the loss of family to divorce, the death of a loved one. But it all speaks to the fact that there is no satisfaction is what is given to us, but in what shapes us and molds us, even in the most difficult times. It's the reason that when we read a good book or see a good movie, there is always a conflict, a challenge, a hole to get out of.

Speaking of holes, my daughter has a new hole in her teeth -- right there in the front, bottom left center to be exact. It's the result of the loss of her first tooth. Now that's a memory.


So may it be for us as Christians. We don't think much about the times when life cruised along, but it's the times of loss that stand out. It's the reason why Paul wrote as he did in Philippians 3:7-9:

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

And more simply in Philippians 1:21:

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Ode to Joy ... sort of

And now for a comedic, musical blog interlude:

Evil or Divine

I was recently listening to a song which posed the question, "Are we evil or divine?"

I found the question rather appropriate for these days in which our society is so polarizing.

So many times, which team you root for, which political party you support, which side of town you live on, what kind of music you listen to or even what's in your recycle bin is the difference between being labeled friend or foe, evil or divine.

And the correct answer for both our society and our spiritual lives is often: both. Just listen to Paul in Romans 7:19-25:

For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Evil or divine? No, evil and divine.

Peace that passeth understanding

If you're a parent, you know the look -- that cherubic expression on a child's face when they are asleep. A sort of smile that says all is well.

I saw it pass over my daughter's face tonight, and, for some reason, the phrase, "peace that passeth understanding" leaped into my mind.

The expression comes from Philippians 4:6-7: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

I think that child-like contentment is the peace Paul is talking about. The knowledge that when I'm unaware of all the things swirling about me, and even when I am, I rest comfortably, peacefully ... past all understanding.

May you rest easy now -- peace.

More football

Blame it on the Super Bowl, but I seem to be stuck in a rut of ideas centering around football. I even put this post off a bit to try and break things up. No luck.

By now, it seems almost certain you've heard about the Super Bowl ad involving Tim Tebow and his mother promoting the fact that she did not have Tim aborted as doctors suggested after a being diagnosed with a medical condition.

Now, just for the record, put me down in the camp of people who have grown really tired of hearing how great Tim Tebow is, on the field or off. But also put me down for the camp that appreciates his honesty when it comes to faith and what he believes in.

An Associated Press article about this "controversial commercial" last week had a couple of quotes from people that rubbed me the wrong way, so here goes my latest rant:

Terry O’Neill, the president of the National Organization for Women, said she had respect for the private choices made by women such as Pam Tebow but condemned the planned ad as "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning."
"That’s not being respectful of other people’s lives," O’Neill said. "It is offensive to hold one way out as being a superior way over everybody else’s."


This just drives me nuts. Nobody's right and nobody's wrong, except the people who claim to be right, who are then declared wrong.

But hey, you want to throw yourself off a cliff? Go ahead. I don't think that's right, but if I try and stop you, I'm being disrespectful and demeaning. So have a nice fall!

OK, and one more quote:
A national columnist for CBSSports.com, Gregg Doyel, also objected to the CBS decision to show the ad, specifically because it would air on Super Sunday.

“If you’re a sports fan, and I am, that’s the holiest day of the year,” he wrote. “It’s not a day to discuss abortion. For it, against it, I don’t care what you are. On Super Sunday, I don’t care what I am. Feb. 7 is simply not the day to have that discussion.”

So let me get this straight. This is a perfect day to find 500 ways to entice people to drink beer, light beer, vodka and most any other form alcohol comes in. Alcohol that can damage your liver and your brain cells, including the ability to interact with other people responsibly. And don't forgot the drunk drivers that kill over 15,000 people a year in the United State.

But heaven forbid somebody take 30 seconds to suggest it might be a halfway decent idea not to kill people before they're born, trying to prevent well over 1 million abortions in the U.S. alone.

At least this crazy backlash comes as no surprise to Jesus, who in John 15:18-19 said:
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

Jerseys for Jesus

So I was at church this morning and saw Peyton Manning, Percy Harvin and Drew Brees ...

Well, not them actually, but their jerseys were there. And I guess you'd call it a pet peeve, but is it really necessary to wear a football jersey to church, especially if you're older than a fifth grader?

I think sometimes people don't really think about what they're doing, or they might realize what a slap in the face it is to God. You think so much of another man that you wear that man's name and number on a shirt while attending the one (for most people) religious, God-oriented event of the week.

How can you worship God with somebody else's name on your shirt?

I don't know, maybe I'm just well on my way to being a grumpy old man. But in the meantime, I did think of one condition on which people would be allowed to wear football jerseys and the like to church.

OK, get an image of Jeff Foxworthy doing "You might be a redneck ..." jokes and then follow along.

If you wear a jersey for Jesus to an NFL stadium, you might be able to wear an NFL jersey to church.

And I think such a jersey would be gold (for heaven) with a red (for Jesus' blood) infinity symbol in place of a number and the name 'I am' printed on the back. I mean, really, if Peyton Manning is so important you can wear him to church, why not wear Jesus to the Colts' game?

If you wear a shirt and tie so you can leave the game early to attend church, you might be able to wear an NFL jersey on Sunday morning.

If you put on headphones to listen to a sermon during the game, you might be able to wear an NFL jersey to church.

If you rent a big screen TV to celebrate Super Church Sunday by watching your pastor's sermon, you might be able to wear an NFL jersey to church.

If you actually play in the NFL and have your own uniform, you might be able to wear an NFL jersey to church.

I Want To Know What Love Is

Well, as this blog is prone to do, it's time to take a detour from my ramblings to spotlight some musical meanderings instead.

The video above speaks for itself, but the reason I've posted this interview from November 2009 is because I've been recently listening to the new Lou Gramm Band cd. And it makes me realize what a testimony Lou Gramm has. It would be enough if he was just a famous rock singer turned Christian. But add in the brain tumor and wow!

The interview above (please watch now) doesn't really do justice to the seriousness of Gramm's 1997 illness.

"You know, when you find out you have a tumor in your brain the size of an egg, it changes everything," Gramm told the New York Daily News in 2007. "Even though it was benign, it threatened my life. All of the best minds in Rochester and New York City shied away from it -- and that kind of shook me up."

He actually was watching 20/20 when he saw a segment about a new laser surgery by this one doctor (Peter Black), so he called.

"I got a hold of his office that day and by that Thursday I was in the operating room. For 19 hours," he told the Daily News.

Gramm was already a Christian by that point, but the tumor put the halt on building the momentum Foreigner had from the success of its previous album, Mr. Moonlight.

Gramm hurried back and went on tour with Foreigner again from 1998 to 2002, while still recovering. The surgery impacted his voice, his adrenal glands and caused him to gain a great deal of weight before he quit Foreigner for good in 2002.

Two years later, he formed the Lou Gramm Band, including two of his brothers. His health is the best it has been since the surgery and while he still plays his solo and Foreigner hits, the words of the infamous I Want to Know What Love Is take on a different meaning, just as the video hints at:

I'm gonna take a little time
A little time to look around me,
I've got nowhere left to hide
It looks like love has finally found me

In my life there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
I can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me

Whiter than snow

OK, I'm back from my blogacation and ready to roll.

Two days over freezing in a row, and we are finally rid of last week's 5-inch snow dump -- except for those lingering piles in the parking lots, of course.

But the snow reminded me of one of the many metaphors Christians like to throw around ... whiter than snow.

The origin of the phrase comes from Psalm 51:7b: "... wash me. and I will be whiter than snow." And I'll bet more than a few of you out there remember singing the hymn of the same name that determined to drive its point home with the chorus: "Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow. Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." OK, got it.

I even have one of those "salvation bracelets" hanging in my car. You know the ones with a black bead for sin, red for Jesus' blood, white for washing away our sins, green for growth and gold for heaven?

But unfortunately, our beautiful metaphors don't allow for carrying out a complete comparison. Because while our hearts can be washed whiter than snow, like the piles in the parking lot, they don't stay that way.

Once the snow has stopped falling, the pure white coating begins to fade under the tread of boots, the pushing of shovels and snow plows. As time passes, the snow fades into slush and those piles in the parking lot display specks of dirt.

In fact, today a wise 5-year-old asked me, "Daddy, why is the snow rotten?"

And the same question could be asked of our hearts, once whiter than snow, now specked with the dirt of life and sin and struggle. But the good news that unlike the snow, which ultimately fades completely away, our hearts can be purified again and restored to the whiteness they previously knew -- a sort of miniature resurrection until the ultimate day of resurrection when they will be permanently pure.

Just a few verses later in Psalm 51:10, David writes these words: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

It's all in the bristles

I had an epiphany while brushing my teeth ... really, hang with me here.

I have one of those toothbrushes that requires a AA battery (see picture) so that with a flip of the switch, the bristles begin rotating to help clean your teeth better -- supposedly. While that is up for debate, here's what struck me.


I stuck the toothbrush in my mouth and commenced to spiffing up those pearly whites when suddenly I realized, 'Hey, that feels different. It even kind of hurts. When did those bristles become so sharp?'

Well, it turns out my wife ... unbeknownst to me ... had replaced my old, worn out and soft bristles with new ones. But I liked my old bristles. They were comfortable. They did what they were supposed to do although I didn't really have to feel anything. These new ones are sort of painful, like they're cleaning a little deeper than before.

And that's when I realized that I had just stuck a metaphor for the spiritual life in my mouth.

I settle for a routine of doing the same old things, going to the same old services, singing the familiar songs, saying the appropriate prayers. But I get comfortable and soft, and before long I don't even realize the compromise I've made.

At least not until I hear something new in a sermon, a song or a scripture -- and it feels different. There is a sharp edge to it, even kind of hurts.

And, yeah, suddenly I'm cleaning off the grime underneath that I let build up. An appropriate resolution as it turns out for the New Year -- digging a little deeper, feeling something more, letting God's bristles do their work.