Faith from J2P

Wind at my Back

2012-01-05T20:57:00.003-05:00

This seemed the most apropos song for the new year, as we'll all need God's wind at our back to make it through.

Everything and Nothing

2011-12-28T02:30:00.002-05:00

I've toyed with various ideas for a Christmas blog post, but as you might've guessed by this point, didn't settle on much of anything. But even if it's a few days after the fact, here is what I've settled on -- everything and nothing.

I think the lyrics of the song above capture what Christmas is all about:
"I'm lost and found, I'm saved and drowned,
I'm everything and nothing all at once.
I'm so far gone, but I'm already home, with everything and nothing but Your love"

Keep repeating those words as you picture in your mind the Christ child. He was everything -- the son of God, the child about whom angels sang, the child for whom a star shone to guide the Magi.

And yet he was nothing -- a helpless ball of flesh lying in a trough in some barn, born to fearful, trembling parents and facing a future that dictated he would be betrayed, beaten and killed.

He was both those things, because he was love. Love great enough to humble himself, to sacrifice himself and ultimately to rise again -- to be everything and nothing all at once.

Merry Christmas, indeed!

Forget What You Came For

2011-10-07T23:38:00.005-04:00

They say if you can't do something right, don't do it at all. So for the past few months, I haven't been blogging. I have high hopes of more frequent posting ahead, but who knows?

Anyway, I was listening to some music for the first time in a while this week and ran across this song from a group called The Myriad. It's called "Forget What You Came For." In a nutshell, this song is about putting aside your worries and your hurries to focus on what matters -- just being still and listening to God.

For The Myriad, I imagine this song took on new meaning last November when drummer Randy Miller died after a two-year battle with cancer at age 39. Take a listen and may it move you to "quit making noise."

forget what you came for
and give up what you have
forget what you came for
and give up what you have

as all the lights go down you'll see
that things aren't what they seem
for the sounds that spin you around
will crush your bones

quit making noise
and lend an ear to the silent voice
and trust in the hope of a thousand ships
crashing down on the sea

forget what you came for
forget what you came for
forget what you came for
and give up what you have

unhealthy rust in your blood stream
a lifeless frost to plague your dreams
then all the ghosts that chill the air
come and jolt your bones

quit making noise
and become still for the silent voice
and quit making noise
and wait

...

forget what you came for
and give up what you love

Time doesn't stand still

2011-06-17T01:42:00.003-04:00

It was the rock band Rush that sang:

(Time stand still)

I'm not looking back
But I want to look around me now

(Time stand still)

See more of the people and the places that surround me now
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger
Experience slips away

Another piece of my experiences slipped away this week with the passing of my lone remaining grandparent.

The generational clock has struck midnight and the roles officially changed for the next psuedo-24 hours, if you will. My parents are my grandparents, I am my parents and my daughter is me.

Day-to-day, does much change? No, not when you were already a thousand miles away. But it's still a reminder that time doesn't stand still. The temporary clock is ticking, but there is an eternal clock, too.

So while I'm left with memories of storytelling in bed, "nippers" off the bat in the backyard and an Arizona snowman for Christmas, that is all just a mist (James 4:14).

And I am reminded of the lines of the famous poem by C.T. Studd:

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Little Boy Lost

2011-06-11T00:50:00.003-04:00

The following is a true story in poetic form.

I found a boy in the street today.
Who he was or where he was from, he could not say.
His shoes were muddy and pants were wet,
No more than 3 years old, just he and his trusty pet.

It was not safe, but he knew no better.
Not a care in the world, he was light as a feather.
I picked him up, at first he resisted.
But sitting in the backseat, he finally desisted.

His toy car in one hand, mine in the other.
He chitted and chatted as we looked for father or mother.
At last a neighbor came riding to the rescue,
The boy returned home safe and sound, it is true.

As I left the relief came with a friend in tow,
A sort of grim disappointment, just a feeling, I know.
But it seems likely this won't be his last taste of trouble,
Will he escape next time, or will disaster burst his bubble?

And it hit me as I thought about this, is this not what God feels for us?

He sees us meandering aimlessly among life's temptation and sin's pitfalls, often oblivious to the danger. And he tries to guide us safely back home, but he knows that soon enough we will again be flirting with danger, playing 'Frogger' with sin's onrushing headlights and slowly walk further and further from safety.

Not that this is new to God. Adam had but one pitfall to avoid in the Garden, and he couldn't do it, so how much more surprising is it that we can sit in church, sing the songs, read the scripture and still stray?

We are all a little boy lost, and we all need a Savior.

Isaiah 53:6 says: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way ..."

But it goes on to add this: "and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
That's Jesus, our shepherd, the finder of the lost.

That's not Jesus

2011-05-23T00:58:00.004-04:00

Well, the weekend has come and gone, and we're all still here. Another attempt by man to know the mind of God has failed as the predicted rapture/end of the world did not arrive at 6 p.m. on May 21.

Surprised? Not really. Disappointed? Yes and no.

Mainly I'm disappointed because all those skeptics have added another big log to their fire of doubt. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I find the rapture jokes not so funny. I guess that's because even though I don't believe Harold Camping, I do believe Jesus Christ, and He says one of these days it's going to happen.

But most of all, I find myself thinking of a Wayne Watson song called 'That's Not Jesus' off 'The Fine Line' album. The chorus goes:

"That's not Jesus, He doesn't carry on that way.
Just some flesh and blood like you and me, Somehow gone astray
That's not Jesus, no, No matter what they say
He doesn't need me to defend Him, He just wants me to obey."

And that's the problem, that when the world looks at ol' Mr. Camping, they just put the Jesus label on him with an asterisk that says: MAY BE CRAZY.

But that's not what Jesus looks like, and not the way he's going to be introduced when he comes either. In Matthew 24:23-24, Jesus warned his disciples to be wary:

"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive ..."

Later in the same chapter, Jesus tells us what we should be doing when he comes, and it doesn't say anything about buying billboards or trying to scare people into heaven. Jesus say simply:

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns."

After 2,000 years and nearly as many wrong guesses as to the Lord's return, maybe we should all stick to following Jesus instead of predicting him. As the song says, he just wants us to obey.

A Living Prayer

2011-05-09T00:41:00.002-04:00

Ran across this video of Alison Krauss and Union Station playing Jay Leno a couple of years ago. The song is fantastic, as is the response of the audience, who were no doubt being shown the applause sign, but still ... Anyway, enjoy.

Staying the course

2011-05-02T23:25:00.004-04:00

"When in the course of human events ..."

So begins the infamous Declaration of Independence, that revered document emblematic of American freedom and the signing of which forms the basis for our annual Fourth of July celebrations.

But did you know that eight delegates of the Continental Congress never signed the Declaration? Three were away with other duties at the time and never did sign, two voted against the document and were replaced, one voted for it but was replaced before he could sign, one resigned rather than sign it and one refused to sign, calling the Declaration premature, but remained in Congress.

Over the next seven years of the Revolutionary War, you can bet the wisdom of that document and those signers was questioned more than once, but in the end the mission was accomplished.

More recently, on May 1 it was announced that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden had been shot and killed, just four months shy of 10 years after the plot he masterminded resulted in approximately 3,000 deaths on Sept. 11, 2001.

In the intervening years, there was a fair amount of grumbling and disagreement of the pursuit of bin Laden. On May 1, there were flags waving and people chanting. Another mission accomplished.

The Bible tells similar tales, most notably the people of Israel, who followed Moses out of Egypt to freedom, then spent the next 40 years grumbling, stumbling and bumbling their way through the wilderness before finally reaching the Promised Land.

It's a good reminder for us as Christians as well. Christ died some 2,000 years ago, and since then has come a fair amount of arguing, debating and worse as the days pass without his return. But he's already told us it's going to happen, so we must stay the course, do the work, fight the good fight until he comes, until one more mission is accomplished.

Do cats have armpits? ... and other mysteries

2011-04-25T23:38:00.003-04:00

One of the most beautiful things about kids is the questions they ask, unless you're the one that has to answer the question.

About a month ago or so, my daughter was petting our cat, who was enjoying a nice nap at the end of the bed and welcomed another reason to purr. But suddenly out of the blue, she blurted, "Do cats have armpits?"

My wife and I just looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter. Put that on the list of things to ask about in heaven.

A few weeks earlier, this same inquisitive little girl had a different question. She asked her mother first, then me. "When's God's birthday?" she inquired.

"Christmas," was my nearly automatic answer and no sooner than I spoke, I realized my error. So did the 6-year-old.

"No, that's Jesus' birthday," she corrected. "When is God's birthday?"

Oh, dear. There's no theology textbook for stuff like that.

I paused a moment, then plunged ahead with a response.

"God doesn't have a birthday," I said. "God has always been and always will be. He lives forever and never changes. That's why we know he's always with us."

Was this enough to satisfy a child's insatiable curiosity? As it turns out, yes.

With a simple, "Oh, okay," the conversation was over. She may or may not remember it, but I will. You never know when or where you'll learn about God, but whether you're 6 or 96, his mysteries never cease.

Now if I can just figure out whether the cat needs to wear deodorant!

The Killing

2011-04-25T00:38:00.002-04:00

It's been a while but here I am again. And as has been customary on this blog, I begin with a reference to a TV show.

One of my recent favorites is AMC's new show -- The Killing.

And I warn you now, it's not for the faint of heart. The root of the show is the mysterious death of a teenage girl, but the title alone should tell you a bit of how the subject matter is treated. It's not just a homicide, crime scene investigation or whatever, it's a killing.

The girl's death is not simply a basis for building a whodunnit, but it's portrayed as a painful, haunting thing, particularly for her family.

That's what draws me, I suppose, the pain and grief is so real, you truly feel for the characters.

The same is true this Easter weekend of Jesus' death on the cross. Sometimes we make it so sterile, so tame, so laissez-faire. But it was real, it was painful and it was for you, it was for me.

One song that really captures this for me is a song that is 20 years old now from a group called The Violet Burning. Also called The Killing, this song really helps make Christ's crucifixion personal. And the video below uses clips from Mel Gibson's Passion to back up the lyrics.

Returning Christmas

2011-01-09T00:05:00.002-05:00

Christmas was two weeks ago now. By this point, you've likely spent some time in line for the refund desk somewhere, exchanging or returning a gift for yourself or someone else.

Maybe the situation is not so different spiritually. All that peace, goodwill, joy and sharing/caring spirit you had just a few weeks ago is gone. Perhaps the warm, fuzzy feelings about the true meaning of Christmas have been exchanged for questions about the true meaning of life.

The Christmas story in the Bible mirrors that experience. We like to talk about stables and shepherds and wise men, about angels and gold, frankincense and myrhh, but what about what came after? What about vengeful Herod and his killing spree of the young boys in Matthew 2? What about Joseph and Mary and Jesus fleeing to Egypt at the angel's warning?

Things didn't stay warm and fuzzy for them, and they won't for us either. But if there's one piece of advice or example we should follow, look no further than Luke 2:19: "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Christmas is something to be treasured in our hearts and its miracles and blessings to be pondered -- not taken lightly or momentarily enjoyed -- treasured.

Then when the doubts come and times don't seem so warm or inviting, we have an anchor to fall back on. Call it the assurance of Christmas, and that's non-refundable.

Not Who I Was

2011-01-01T17:16:00.003-05:00

I find Brandon Heath's song, "I'm Not Who I Was" (see above) undeniably appropriate as we start a new year.

We all undergo changes in life, sometimes the changes are physical, sometimes mental or even spiritual, but rarely are we the same person from day to day, let alone year to year.

So the question for the new year is this: How will you let life's changes impact you?

They can make you stronger or they can make you weaker. They can make you more positive or more negative. You can be more faithful or more hopeless.

Either way, you're not who you were.

Sleigh Ride

2010-12-24T20:14:00.004-05:00

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

2010-12-22T23:44:00.003-05:00

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

2010-12-22T00:31:00.004-05:00

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

2010-12-20T00:09:00.002-05:00

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

2010-12-13T01:07:00.005-05:00

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

2010-12-07T01:53:00.003-05:00

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

2010-11-17T23:07:00.006-05:00

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

2010-11-10T01:08:00.004-05:00

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

2010-11-05T00:19:00.002-04:00

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

2010-10-28T23:24:00.003-04:00

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

2010-07-19T01:27:00.003-04:00

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

2010-07-12T00:39:00.006-04:00

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!

2010-07-05T01:16:00.004-04:00

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

2010-05-27T23:45:00.004-04:00

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

2010-05-21T00:25:00.003-04:00

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

2010-05-18T00:15:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-26T01:45:00.003-04:00

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

2010-04-06T15:40:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-02T23:40:00.003-04:00

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

2010-03-11T00:49:00.005-05:00

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

2010-03-06T23:49:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-24T23:44:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-22T22:44:00.006-05:00

And now for a comedic, musical blog interlude:

Evil or Divine

2010-02-17T23:40:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-08T01:57:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-04T15:01:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-24T14:26:00.003-05:00

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

2010-01-21T00:04:00.003-05:00

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

2010-01-16T00:19:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-01T02:04:00.003-05:00

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.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T01:36:00.004-05:00

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house
The only creatures that were stirring were my keyboard and mouse.

The child was all snug in her bed as visions of Rudolph danced in her head.
Ma with her icepack, and I with my webcam, had just finished eating our Christmas ham.

When on instant messenger, there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my ergonomic chair to see what was the matter.
I turned on the monitor and cranked up the sound, away to my sign-in I jumped like a hound, when what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a host of heavenly emoticons saying, 'Don't fear.'

They spoke with such power and blinked with such force, I knew in a moment they came from the Lord.
More rapid than pop-up ads I clicked, following the links to the one God had picked.

He was dressed in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger, But he was a King, not just a stranger.
Giving a nod was Mary his mother, Joseph was there too among others.

Then the connection was lost, the portal was closed,
But I heard the angels before it faded from sight, 'Peace on Earth, Good Will to men on this first Christmas night!'

Surgeon needed

2009-12-19T12:41:00.003-05:00

I think, err, I know I could write a boatload of entries on hospitals.

Spending some time in one — as a visitor, not a patient — you see so many ways in which a hospital is a metaphor for the church and spiritual life.

The first thing I notice is the wide variety of people who arrive for surgery. Some have a noticeable limp or some other physical defect that belies their need for help. Still others, you can't tell who is the patient and who is just along for support.

Not so different is the condition of people's hearts. Some have noticeable anger, sadness or other giveaways. And so many more just go along appearing perfectly normal while there is something — sin, guilt, etc. — eating away at the inside.

But they all need to be saved and they already have a Savior (surgeon): For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

What faith can do

2009-12-17T17:36:00.002-05:00

As I think I've pointed out a time or ten already, sometimes a song expresses what we are feeling better than any attempt at words, spoken or written.

And while I'll leave out the why, the words of the song, "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless seem to work the best this weekend in our house. Just an excerpt:

Anyone can feel the ache
You think it's more than you can take
But you're stronger
Stronger than you know

Don't you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

So, if you would, take a moment to say a prayer when you read this and let's see what faith can do.

Jimmy V

2009-12-12T15:01:00.002-05:00

It was Jimmy V Week on ESPN and in honor of the occasion, I'm posting Jim Valvano's famous 1993 speech. The lessons imparted are timeless, and are perhaps even more relevant when it comes to faith. Enjoy:

Calculating God: Part III

2009-12-09T00:18:00.003-05:00

Well, I come to the final installment of this little trilogy where I have described the struggle for belief, then understanding. And the final conclusion of Robert J. Sawyer's Calculating God is not unlike that of many people, who settle for acknowledging God's existence but not his presence. From Chapter 34:

"God was the programmer.
The laws of physics and the fundamental constants were the source code.
The universe was the application, running now for 13.9 billion years, leading up to this moment."

There it is. God is an ancient Charles Babbage (considered father of the computer), who did some programming, pressed a few buttons and away creation went.

It's a nice thought, and perhaps not entirely incorrect. But if that is all God is, then the Bible we read and quote is a mere storybook. The Bible is resplendent with tales of God's intervention in people's lives. It's a tapestry of interaction between God and his creation.

It cannot be real if God is merely the programmer. Maybe just an outdated instruction manual or even just there for the Bible Code or DaVinci Code or something.

And if God is the programmer, Jesus is merely anti-virus software, meant to clean us up a bit so the source code can keep working. A Saviour? No, not possible. Because a Saviour would require direct intervention on God's behalf.

So to bring it all back home from this alien place in which I started, is Christmas real or is it just part of the program? Read again from Luke 2:10-11:

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Calculating God: Part II

2009-12-03T00:02:00.005-05:00

Now in our first post, we noted the character from Calculating God struggling to acknowledge God despite the evidence.

Next, he begins to admit that there could be a God but questions the nature of that God as you will see in this excerpt from Chapter 13.

“How do you explain the existence of cancer? What kind of god would create such a disease?”
“He/she/it may not have created it,” said the deep, translated voice. “… Nor are there an infinite number of possibilities from which God may choose. The specific deployment of reality that included cancer, presumably undesirable, must have also contained something much desired.”
“So he had to take the good with the bad?” I said.

And once again, for the second time in as many posts, I agree with an alien, sort of.

Let me explain. It's not that God desired for things like cancer to exist. In fact, his original creation was perfect and included no such thing. But the possibility for that existed in the balance of his perfect goodness with the possibility of evil.

And after creation, his allowance of free will made the potential for the bad to enter his good - no, make that perfect - creation.

So did God create things like cancer? No. Were they a possibility? Yes.

And what is that something "much desired" that made the risk worth taking? You and me.

God was willing to take the risk of evil, the risk of Lucifer's rebellion, the risk of the snake's seduction of Eve for the chance to commune with his creation. And while the fall banished us from the garden and his perfect presence -- temporarily -- he still desires our communion ... enough to send his own son to suffer evil for our redemption.

Part III coming soon.

Calculating God: Part I

2009-12-01T00:53:00.005-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a science fiction fan, much to my wife's dismay. We'll save that discussion for another day, though.

I just finished a book called Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer. Short version: An alien arrives at a museum in Toronto, begins working with a paleontologist. The aliens believe in God. The human does not. Thus begins a conversation that does not merely center on creationism vs. evolution (and that's yet another topic for another day), but really becomes about multiple races searching for something greater than themselves.

Now, quick disclaimer. Don't expect this book to support a Biblical perspective. It does stereotype fundamentalist Christians as abortion clinic bombers. But the conversations that take place are well worth the read, and there are a few passages I want to touch on over the next few entries.

I'll start with a passage from chapter nine:

"There is no indisputable proof for the big bang," said Hollus. "And there is none for evolution. And yet you accept those. Why hold the question of whether there is a creator to a higher standard?"
I didn't have a good answer for that. "All I know," I said, "is that it will take overwhelming evidence to convince me."
"I believe you have already been given overwhelming evidence," said Hollus.

And I agree with a fictitious alien. We have been given overwhelming evidence of a creator, just as Jesus says in Luke 19:40, "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."

All the earth testifies to the presence of God. And once the hurdle of God's presence is cleared, the next challenge is often to understand what kind of God it is that exists. And that is where we will pick up in the next excerpt.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T00:59:00.003-05:00

OK, maybe I'm a few days late, but it took a while for the tryptophan to wear off.

Anyway, I can't embed the video here, but I'm linking to a video I think is worth watching or at least listening to while you surf the web.

It comes from Topeka Bible Church in Kansas. The first section is about six or seven minutes of a woman sharing her testimony from church to teen pregnancy to bulimia to drug use and, finally, back to Jesus.

The second section is another five minutes or so featuring Kerry and Vicki Livgren. You might recall Kerry from a post I put on here a few months back as he talked about his search for God as a member of the rock band Kansas. Well, he and his wife have a new testimony. Just about three months ago, Kerry suffered a stroke that nearly killed him. But this video can't help but move you as you see he and his wife talk about their thankfulness to God. And if you've ever known a stroke victim, you realize that his ability to move and speak as clearly as he does is remarkable, even if as he says, he never plays music again.

The third section is the testimony of another fellow who has battled lifelong physical ailments, literally from the moment he was born.

And it concludes with about a nine-minute message from the Pastor on Thanksgiving.

Don't feel obligated to sit down and watch it all at once, but I really do recommend you check out at least the first couple of segments to remind us all to give thanks.

Humbled

2009-11-17T00:07:00.002-05:00

If you're a sports fan, and even if you're not, you are aware of the topic of the week: The decision by New England football coach Bill Belichick to go for it on fourth down at his own 28 with a six-point lead against Indianapolis. His team didn't make it and they lost the game.

I heard a sports radio host describe it this way. Belichick had no one to humble him. He's divorced, so no one to humble him at home. No veterans on his defense to humble him on the field. If you aren't humbled by someone, then you get pretty arrogant. And so that left only his own mistake in judgment to do the humbling.

It seems a pretty apt description of each of us. If there is no to humble us -- to say there's a better option or a better way -- we will eventually make an error in judgment out of our arrogance.

So the question is: Who's humbling you? Don't wait to do it yourself, humble pie doesn't taste very good. Just ask Belichick.

Veterans Day

2009-11-11T02:54:00.002-05:00

In honor of Veterans Day, I've posted this video story from ESPN. It's the story of how soldiers in the DMZ of Korea find refuge in sports.

But there's a great section a minute and a half in where they talk about how the two sides are still at war since no peace treaty was ever signed. One soldier says, "We're always prepared, we're always ready to deter North Korean aggression."

And so should our approach be spiritually. Though to the outer eye all is quiet between God and Satan, no peace treaty has been signed and good & evil remain at war. We must be always prepared and ready to deter the devil's aggression.

Resplendent

2009-11-10T00:38:00.002-05:00

From time to time, I have posted music videos on this blog. Some of you might wish for a few less of those, but I'll tell you why I do it: Music is perhaps the most powerful and influential tool ever.

Songs take the best of the written word, then put a sound to it. It is the reason movies have soundtracks, the reason TV shows play music as scenes build to a climax, the reason the Bible has angels singing around God's throne. Music allows us to convey emotions and feelings in ways simply speaking or writing words cannot.

Today's featured video comes courtesy of one of the best, Bill Mallonee. Some of you reading this will say, "Bill who?" But if I tell you he is the driving force and vocalist of Vigilantes of Love, you'll know who I mean.

This song (lyrics below) is entitled, "Resplendent", from the excellent Audible Sigh album circa 2000. It features country superstar Emmylou Harris on vocals, and captures the best of Bill's work. In the story of a Dust Bowl-era family, he contrasts the creation of God with the fallen world resulting from sin, and the existence of that same contrast in ourselves. We are made in the image of God, but our selfish nature is quick to compromise and betray.

I remember the dark clouds raining dust for days on end
Blew all the Earth out to California
Just left us here with the wind
Desperate times, you know everybody's part
It's your own lines you'd like to forget
Till what you were meets what you've now become
And grins and says Hey, haven't we met

Lost my first born that Winter
My wife on the first day of Spring
So I poured my sweat to the Earth
to see what that harvest would bring
And I remember how the fury
just like a plague of locusts
Egypt's punishment for sins of pride
Is that now what has come over us

How much of this was meant to be
How much the work of the Devil
How far can one man's eyes really see
In these days of toil and trouble

Honey, we're all resplendent,
Yeah honey, we are all thrift store
Like a wine-o with a $20 bill
Yeah, forever and eternally yours

And I can make you promises
If you don't expect too much,
Yes, and I will run the distance
If you'll please, please excuse my crutch

How much of this was meant to be
How much the work of the Devil
How far can one man's eyes really see
In these days of toil and trouble
How much of this is failing flesh
How much a course of retribution
My, my, how loudly we plead our innocence
Long after we made our contribution

Book Preview

2009-11-04T23:07:00.003-05:00

OK, I'm going at this a bit backward. You usually wait until after you read a book to talk about it. But there I was at Barnes and Noble, just killing time. (And without more than a dime in my pocket which is the best way to make sure I don't buy a CD or book or DVD or something).

Lo and behold, this book catches my eye. It is called, "Biblical Literacy" by Timothy Beal. The book has been out about a month and here's how it sells itself:

Whether watching political candidates quote Jesus or tracking court cases on how the stories of Adam and Eve should be taught in schools, we are surrounded by the legacy of the Bible in our contemporary world. Every person needs to know the core Bible stories — those biblical stories that have cultural, historical, or literary significance — that lie at the foundation of Western civilization. Professor Timothy Beal argues that without knowing these core stories, we cannot fully participate in the popular, political, and especially spiritual worlds that surround us.

Have you ever been told that you are the apple of someone's eye? Have you ever described a disastrous situation as the blind leading the blind or easily predicted the future by reading the writing on the wall? Unbeknownst to most of us, all these common expressions have biblical roots.

In Biblical Literacy, Beal showcases the Bible stories that have most shaped history and our world and provides the key information we need to know for how to understand these profound stories.

What a novel idea, reminding people just how much of our culture and our world is shaped by the Bible. It's on my to-read list. If you get to it first let me know how it goes.

Swine Flu humor

2009-10-27T19:17:00.005-04:00

I liked this cartoon courtesy of The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus.

Love Broke Through

2009-10-26T14:28:00.003-04:00

Phil Keaggy - "Love Broke Thru" (Live) - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

I'll take a break from my recent sermonizing for a little musical serenade, a song called "Love Broke Through" by Phil Keaggy, written by Keith Green as you'll hear him say at the start of the video. The song comes from the album of the same title released in 1976, and since I was 2 at the time, I can't say I've been behind this one from the start. But it is one of my favorite Phil Keaggy tunes, so enjoy.

Keaggy has long eluded being put in a box, other than being known as one of the world's best guitarists. If you're curious to read his full story, check out Wikipedia.

It has to be a gift

2009-10-20T23:13:00.002-04:00

Well, I guess it's obvious the fall TV season is in full swing by now on this blog. For better or worse, here comes another one of those meditations brought on by the briefest of exchanges.

This time the source is a new show on CBS called Three Rivers. As I've mentioned before, the fact I'm referencing a show on this blog is not necessarily a ringing endorsement, just an observation.

Anyway, Three Rivers is yet another medical drama, courtesy of CBS. We've come a long way from Trapper John, M.D. don't you think? An organ transplant team travels from Pittsburgh to Cleveland in pursuit of a heart.

When they arrive, the man's daughter is not so sure organ donation is the best idea (maybe that's a blog debate for another day?). A member of the transplant team is upset and accosts the young lady saying, "Don't you know a woman is dying? She needs that heart."

One of his colleagues intervenes, grabbing him and says simply, "It has to be a gift."

And what a line that is. Woven throughout the Bible, we see one unfailing example after another of people that give a gift in service to God, first in a foreshadowing of the gift of Christ, then as an attempt to follow in his footsteps.

From Abraham's sacrifice of his only son Isaac to Rahab's scarlet thread, on through the generosity of Boaz to Ruth and Esther's great risk ... it has to be a gift.

From the infant in swaddling clothes to the perfumed washing of Jesus' feet, from Gethsemane and Calvary to the day of Pentecost ... it had to be a gift.

From the striking down of Ananias and Sapphira to the stoning of Stephen, continuing through the Reformation and the Great Awakening, even unto the martyrdom of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot and others throughout history ... it has to be a gift.

And on a smaller scale, the same is true within our hearts. Jesus does not come demanding, "Don't you know you're going to die? You have to give me your heart."

He knows that he can only use a willing heart. Just ask the rich young ruler. He followed the commandments, he believed in God. But Jesus offered him a simple proposition: "Go sell all you have and give it to the poor. Then come follow me." And the man simply walked away.

It's easy for us to do the same. We believe, we attend church, we follow the rules. But we're holding back, we're having second thoughts about donating one of our organs for God. We want it for ourselves, but we need to give it away to truly live.

It has to be a gift.

AM Radio

2009-10-14T23:56:00.002-04:00

On the drive home this evening, I engaged in one of my favorite pastimes -- scanning through the AM radio dial.

This night's journey took me from Chicago to Cincinnati to Pittsburgh to New Orleans to Minneapolis and a few other unknown stops along the way.

And I started thinking about what made AM radio fun. It's something I've done since high school when I donned my Walkman headphones in bed and tuned in basketball, baseball and football games, and occasionally just news.

The attraction lies in the ability to magically be transported to another place, another slice of life through the magic of radio waves. I am able to experience not just games, but commercials and personalities that convey information about a place I've never been.

Then I thought about the Bible. I used to let it do the same for me. While some boring sermons droned on, I used to read the stories surrounding the chosen biblical text. Or at home, I read through books of the Bible that took me places I'd never been, gave me a window into life as I'd never experienced.

As time has gone on, I admit some of that wonder is lost. Some of it is my hurried, harried life and some is a more jaded, cynical outlook. But most of it is just not taking enough time to get lost in God's Word and experience something new all over again.

I think it's time to turn the dial.

Faith and the Future

2009-10-09T01:40:00.002-04:00

This is an interesting exchange of ideas about faith and the future from the new ABC show, "Flash Forward." And, no, I'm not getting kickbacks for my promotional work.

Just give it a watch and a think!

Not enough

2009-10-05T00:54:00.003-04:00

This week, our pastor was talking about two of the most significant conversions recorded in the Bible. That would be Saul, soon to be Paul, (Acts 9) and Cornelius (Acts 10).

He pointed out that Saul, though we have a very negative image associated with that name, was a well-respected, well-intentioned man. In fact, the very reason he persecuted Christians was out of his zeal for God and protecting God's name. He was sincere, but sincerely wrong.

Cornelius, a Roman centurion no less, was a devout man. He prayed to God, he sought to do what was right. He was a good man, but he wasn't good enough.

These days, sincerity and goodness are two of the most admirable traits a person can have. But as the stories of Saul and Cornelius point out, that's not enough. Both needed to undergo a personal conversion experience through Jesus Christ.

For Saul, it was a bright light, a voice and blinded eyes that made the difference.

For Cornelius, it was his vision of an angel, Peter's vision of unclean animals lowered from heaven and the broken taboo of Jew associating with Gentile that brought change.

Locally, there was a recent flap about some signs being put on city buses. An atheist group paid to have signs saying, "You can be good without god." Other groups rallied against it, lawsuits were filed, but ultimately the atheists got their way.

When I see those words on a bus, I think that in a way they are right. You can be good without god.

But I also know, you can't be good enough. Saul wasn't, Cornelius wasn't, I'm not and you're not. But Jesus was, and that's enough for all of us.

Trauma

2009-10-02T00:36:00.003-04:00

I was watching one of the new fall TV offerings this week. It was named "Trauma."

The jury's still out on whether the show is any good, but as things I watch are prone to do, one scene stood out.

A paramedic and an ER doctor were having a conversation at the end of a difficult day. She lamented the death of a patient and he responded, "People get hurt, some get saved, and a lot die."

She said, "I wish I hadn't come to work today."

"You don't get to choose the days or the results," he said.

That just about describes trauma of all kind ... physical, spiritual, mental. All of us get hurt, some of us are saved, and a lot die.

We all wish we could have avoided those traumas. If life offered us a skip day, there are days we would take it in a heartbeat.

But we don't get to choose. The day Adam and Eve ate that fruit in the Garden of Eden, trauma was destined to be a part of this world from beginning to end.

But that's no reason to quit either. We have to continue to try ... to try and heal, to try and trust, to try and understand our God and our fellow man. When we quit, that's when a lot die, including ourselves.

We must strive to be agents of mercy. It reminds me of one of my favorite songs, Mercy Lives Here, by The Choir.

A girl in the corner is crying
The silver haired lady’s alone
And the queen of the boulevard’s trying
To hustle somebody home
The smokin’ man shakes
While the broken girl aches
And the clown starts to sing his song

He sings mercy lives here
Oh Mercy lives here
At home with the saints and the sinners
Mercy lives here

Time

2009-09-24T23:33:00.003-04:00

In this age of technological advances, scientific research and innumerable methods of communication, time is the final frontier.

No, space is no longer the final frontier, not really. Pop culture is actually quite an accurate indicator of this progression. Thirty or forty years ago, we had the original Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica on TV, Star Wars in theatres and a real-life man on the moon.

These days, it's shows like Lost, Heroes and a new series I watched earlier tonight, Flash Forward. This newest entry is based on the notion that everyone in the world blacked out at the same time, for the same amount of time and during that time experienced glimpses of the future.

You see, time is the one thing none of us can get a handle on. No matter how much science, how much intellect or even spiritualism we apply, time is beyond us. We can't stop it from marching on into the future and we can't change what has already happened in the past.

The Bible offers us little more on the subject. It actually confirms time's elusiveness:

Isaiah 46:10: I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Matthew 24:36: No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

All we are offered is the knowledge of who it is that controls time as stated simply in Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

And if we remember that truth in the present, we can live without being bound to our past, as in Psalm 103:12: as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

And we can also face the future, certain of who will still be there.

One phone call away

2009-09-11T01:10:00.003-04:00

There is a current song out by a fellow named Matt Kearney. The opening verse of "Closer to Love" begins like this:
She got the call today, one out of the grey
And when the smoke cleared, it took her breath away
She said she didn’t believe it could happen to me
i guess we’re all one phone call from our knees

Man, those words hit me every time.

Just this week, I've seen a high school sports official be carted off a field on a stretcher, I've talked to a high school freshman just five chemotherapy treatments away from remission and I've read about a local teenager being struck and killed by a car.

I can promise you that not a single one of them thought something like that could happen to them. And when something like that happens to you, and it will, you'll hit your knees, but how well will you know the one you bow before? Will it be the honest, earnest words you would speak to a friend, or will it be the desperate, raving pleas for help you'd make to just about anyone still upright?

The answer could make the difference -- not necessarily in the outcome or answer to your prayers -- between losing a piece of your heart and mind or losing your soul.

Comfortably numb

2009-09-02T23:53:00.006-04:00

So I heard a radio commercial today for a dentist. But not just any dentist. No, this one was special.

Not only could he fix your teeth, but he will sedate you so that all your dental work can be down in one sitting and without feeling a thing.

Near the end he says, "You wouldn't think of having your tonsils or appendix removed without sedation, so why not your teeth?"

Call me cynical, but this is emblematic of our society, of ourselves. We are eager to wrap ourselves in anything that prevents us from feeling.

Think about your life. The heating/air conditioning keep us from the cold/heat outside, not to mention having to chop wood for the fireplace. We watch TV or read books as a means of escape. Some of our greatest societal ills are the result of trying not to feel anything, or at least only what feels good: Alcohol, drugs or even caffeine, anyone?

And maybe most hypocritically, we insulate ourselves in the church. We have our feel-good songs, our once or twice a week visits for positive reinforcement and more. But we rarely allow ourselves to feel the pain, the hurt and the disappointment from those outside those walls. And the second we do, we run back inside our air-conditioned houses to listen to our Jesus Loves Me music and rest in our easy chair.

It makes me think maybe classic rockers Pink Floyd were on the right track 30 years ago with their song, "Comfortably Numb."

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown,
The dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

Feline theology

2009-09-01T00:40:00.004-04:00

Cats, I think, are by definition strange. Mine is no different.

He chases bugs, chews strings, meows at the wall, plays dead better than any dog ever could and is given to occasionally doing sprints from end to end of the house.

What that teaches us about God, I'm not sure, other than He must have a sense of humor.

But the other thing about my cat is this. Sometimes he is stand-offish and indifferent, even disappears. Other times he is my best buddy, laying on my lap or rubbing his head on my leg.

It is in those times that I feel a bond, a closeness that allows me to forgive all his other antics -- even if I just squirted him with the water bottle.

And I think it's not so different in our relationship with God. At times were are indifferent to His presence, uninterested in his intrusion.

But when we spend some time with Him, sharing a bond that began when we were created in His image, He loves it. It's then we can feel the gentle caress of His love, the one that says no matter how far you roam and how many times I must discipline you for your sins, You are mine.

Now that just makes me want to purr.

He's Alive

2009-08-25T00:53:00.003-04:00

One of the fun things about blogging is the chance to make everybody reading take a trip down memory lane with you. Of course, it's really more to my benefit than yours, but who knows?

Anyway, tonight I was listening to the classic Don Francisco song, "He's Alive." Most of you have probably heard it some time or place, even if you didn't know it. The song is told from the viewpoint of Peter in the days after Jesus' death. He talks about of the disciples gathered in the upper room, expecting to hear the sound of soldiers' feet coming after them. Then he talks of the empty tomb and ensuing puzzlement including the excellent line, "Even if He was alive, it wouldn't be the same."

And in the end, Jesus appears to the disciples and Francisco sings, "He's alive, He's alive, He's alive and I'm forgiven, heaven's gates are open wide. He's alive, He's alive." It is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful, spine-tingling songs you'll ever hear.

But back to memory lane. I was reminded of the first time I heard this song. It was third grade if my memory doesn't fail me, and I went over to my friend Preston's house for a sleepover. There were many charms to that adventure: the magnificent miniature train set in the basement would have been enough alone. We also had these really cool cap guns we played with. But at some point, I recall his family getting this Don Francisco record out -- this was post 8-track, very early cassette and pre-historic CD era -- and playing "He's Alive." It was my new favorite song, at least for a few weeks.

Along every memory lane there are also some pot holes, one of them being that some time later, Preston's dad was found guilty of essentially stealing money in a pyramid scheme.

And the irony strikes me that just as with many Biblical characters, one who knew God and, in my case, inspired faith in God, had personal flaws that he just could not overcome. I don't know which way this man's faith went since, but I know that Jesus is alive and he's forgiven, heaven's gates are open wide.

Mid-life crisis

2009-08-19T22:49:00.003-04:00

So I turned 35 last week. I don't think that's over the hill, but you can at least see the crest of the hill from there. I look back and see a path littered with life's building blocks and obstacles. Ahead? The same shroud of mist as always, keeping me from seeing much further than my next step.

But it is a matter of who directs that step, even takes that step with me that is important. I have no need to go try to buy a Ferrari, not that a sack of pop cans would get me very far, but I do have a need, perhaps more than ever, to know He that walks with me.

And so, you might say, this blog is my mid-life crisis. It's a haven for relating thoughts and feelings. It's a cathartic attempt to bring meaning to my life and those of others, for the internet gives us an extra reach into all the world.

It also forces me to take a longer look sometimes at the sights and sounds that I have in the past let wash over me with no further thought. I will admit it. Not always, if at all, have I spent the amount of time I ought contemplating the mysteries of God.

Maybe that's true for all of us. Maybe it's more true for those of us who have known of God and experienced his presence for all of our lives. We easily take for granted what others may never know.

But there's still the chance to pierce the mist with the Light of the world, both for them and myself.

Pass, punt and sing

2009-08-13T21:38:00.002-04:00

No deep thinking this time around. I just thought I'd promote what seems to be a pretty good Christian band called Connersvine.

It's a duo made up of Chris Wilson and Hunter Smith. If that last name rings a bell, that's because Hunter Smith has been the punter for the Indianapolis Colts for the last however many years and will be kicking for the Washington Redskins this season.

Anyway, here's a video of a song of theirs called 'Live for You.' And for those who know what I mean, close your eyes and tell me Wilson doesn't sound just like Geoff Moore on this one.

A matter of trust

2009-08-10T23:48:00.004-04:00

A while back, the doctor suggested sinus surgery for my wife. Now, surgery is not usually one of people's favorite activities. Even less so when it's the 11th (or is it 12th) surgery in the past five years, and much, much less so when you just had sinus surgery four months ago.

So needless to say, Mrs. J2P was less than thrilled by the notion. What if this didn't work, too? What if the pain was for nothing? Those were the negative questions.

On the flip side, could this finally be it? Is the long-term result worth a little short-term pain?

Well, ultimately she went through with it a couple weeks ago. So far, there have been moments of doubt, even regret, but also hope. Time will tell the ultimate outcome, but my wife did what needed to be done, trusting in the work of the surgeon.

With that fresh in my mind, I was fascinated by a passage I read today that relayed some of the same feelings. My current book, or more accurately trilogy, of choice is The Dragon King Trilogy by Stephen R. Lawhead. If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien, I recommend his work. This passage comes from the second book, The Warlords of Nin. Listen to the exchange between the would-be hero, Quentin, and his priest friend, Durwin:

D: "To accept the crown of priest king would mean placing your trust totally in the Most High. It means that you must trust him to know what is best for you, to know you better than you know yourself. It would mean trusting him beyond all trust, even when the way is unclear -- especially when the way is unclear.
When you trust like that, you necessarily test the god's ability to keep you. You are -- we all are -- unwilling to make such demands of our gods. If we trust but little, we will be disappointed but little, eh?"

Q: If I do not believe, but follow anyway, does that not mock the Most High and defeat his will?"

D: "On the contrary, my friend. To follow without seeing the end -- in unbelief, as you say -- is really the highest form of trust."

Q:"It is but blind trust."

D: "Not blind trust. Not at all. Those who trust the powerless gods of earth and sky -- they trust blindly.
"Quentin, look at me. You cannot serve the Most High without trusting him totally, for there always comes a time when he will put you to the test. He will have all of you or nothing at all. There can be no middle ground. It is a demand that he makes of his followers."

Yes, sometimes in life -- both physical and spiritual -- we must do things we do not want to do, trust in those we do not want to trust and let go of parts of ourselves we do not want to let go of. It is called faith.

Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Two journalists, one man

2009-08-10T00:22:00.004-04:00

So there was no power for a couple of days this week, but I saw this story on TV elsewhere during that time and I come back to it now that we're plugged in again.

As I'm sure most of you saw, two American journalists were released after being held prisoner by North Korea for several months. But here's the part of the story that I grabbed onto. Listen to the words of Laura Ling as she describes the release.

"We feared that at any moment we could be prisoners in a hard labor camp. Then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. When we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton. We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. And now we stand here home and free."

Think of that. One minute, you're fearing the very worst and in the twinkling of an eye, you see one man that guarantees freedom.

That's the very promise of what will happen to us if we believe in Christ. When our time on earth is through, and we head to that meeting realizing that we deserve the worst punishment for our sin, we will see Jesus standing there as a guarantee of our freedom.

And we need not wait until that moment to make the most of this assurance. Not so coincidentally, the text for this Sunday's sermon fits most perfectly.

Hebrews 10:19-24: Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Take that confidence, that assurance, that unswerving hope of ultimate freedom and make a difference here and now that will last forever.

Bumper Sticker of the Day

2009-07-27T00:56:00.002-04:00

On the way home from church Sunday, I look over and read this:

God bless our troops,
Especially the snipers.

I don't even know where to begin with that, but it strikes me as having an Old Testament mentality. Just something to think about, I know I will.

Crickets

2009-07-23T00:46:00.004-04:00

So all of a sudden I realize, it's been a while since I blogged. As a matter of fact, I posted two weeks and since then? Crickets.

In case you're confused, crickets is a popular term for silence in response to something. For example, somebody tells a really bad joke, and everybody just sits and stares ... crickets.

So along this line of thinking, it seems to me that this is the way a lot people see God. I pray, I go to church, etc. but then ... crickets.

And sometimes they're right. But I was also reminded of a "cricket" analogy by Max Lucado in his book, "In the Grip of Grace." He writes of seeing a cricket in church as he was taking communion, then imagines life from the cricket's point of view:

Perhaps the best question is, who does a cricket worship? Does he acknowlege that there was a hand behind the building? Or does he choose to worship the building itself? Or perhaps a place in the building? Does he assume that since he has never seen the builder, there was no builder?

Sometimes all we get is evidence of God in the things he created, but nothing else ... crickets. And sometimes so it goes for long periods of time. But eventually, like the cricket interrupting communion, we suddenly run into the Creator, and he's bigger than anything we've ever seen, sometimes more quiet, too.

Consider the story of Elijah in I Kings 19. Elijah ran for 40 days and 40 nights so he could hole up in a cave. When God asked him what he was doing, he said, "I'm the only one left, and they're trying to kill me, too."

Probably muttering under his breath and shaking his head, God said, "Go stand on the mountain, the presence of the Lord will pass by."

First came a great and powerful win that shattered rocks, but no presence of the Lord ... crickets.

Second came an earthquake, but no presence of the Lord ... crickets.

Third came a fire, but no presence of the Lord ... crickets.

Finally came what the King James Version calls a still, small voice or what the NIV calls a gentle whisper. It was the Lord.

The point is sometimes we're looking for the miraculous, the incredible, unbelievable, earth-shattering response when what we really ought to be listening for is ... crickets.

King of Pop vs. King of Kings

2009-07-07T22:15:00.004-04:00

I didn't mean to. It just happened. But I'll admit it now: I watched the Michael Jackson Memorial Service.

And I definitely wasn't going to blog about it. But I guess I've blown that one too.

I watched as people lauded the "King of Pop" for his message of love, his stand against racism, his charitable work and his bravery in the face of criticism. It saddened me.

I was sad for the misguided talk of God and heaven, for all the nice sentiments sailing wide of the target and for the lost soul of whom they spoke.

In Michael Jackson, I see a man made in the image of God who never saw himself that way, and it is sad. For all his worldly success, Jackson sought security by changing the hue of his skin and the shape of his face -- not to mention owning a chimp, wearing a glove, etc. His lyrics sometimes hinted at a belief in God, but other lyrics as well as actions spoke otherwise. It reminded me of 2 Timothy 3:5, "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."

And this applied to many of the people I saw on stage as well. Many professed to believe in a God and a heaven, though many of their own actions, words and music testified differently. It was a sad echo of society at-large, but not an entirely new phenomenon.

Romans 1:21-23: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles (might we substitute Grammys and Emmys?)."

But in the end, it was a story told by Michael's brother Marlon that captured me.

He told of entering a record store where he saw a man with long, curly hair, blackened teeth and baggy clothes buying a pile of CDs. He said he walked up behind the man and said, "Michael, what are you doing here?"

Michael replied, "How did you know it was me?"

And Marlon said, "I know you. I know the way you walk, your body language. I'd know you anywhere."

And that's the message of love that God, the King of Kings, was speaking to Michael Jackson for 50 years, and to each one of us who will listen still today: "No matter how you try to disguise yourself, I know you. ... I'd know you anywhere.
"You belong to me."

Huh?

2009-07-07T01:35:00.003-04:00

From the "Huh?" files:

A Christian outreach organization recently received a letter from a church saying that their support was being cut by 50 percent.

In the attached bulletin, it said, "The pastor and his wife, along with 20 other couples, are going to play a golf tournament in the Bahamas, please pray for them."

Now that's good stewardship!

Proof is in the ...?

2009-07-04T01:57:00.003-04:00

It's funny. Not funny haha, more like funny hmmm.

I can watch an entire movie, and when it's over, there's often just one scene that stands out in my memory. Strictly speaking for myself, and not the general lemming-like moviegoer, those scenes are almost never things going ka-blooie. It's those simple, earnest exchanges that stick.

In a scene I was watching tonight, the exchange went something like this, give or take a few words:

MAN: You keep saying, 'Give me proof that you love me.' And I do. Where's your proof that you love me?
WOMAN: All I have is me, that's your proof.
MAN: Proof is not what you say, it's what you do.

Next thing I knew, a couple of Bible passages sprang to mind.

First, James 2:17-18: "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."

Second, it reminds of the exchange between the resurrected Christ and Peter in John 21:15-17: "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.' "

How many times has God shown us proof of his love, and how much clearer could it be than the cross?

But when it comes to our love in return, the proof is much harder to find. As Jesus pointed out to Peter, and James pointed out to the early church, the proof is in the doing. Not the actual salvation mind you, just the proof.

Texting gone bad

2009-06-29T17:05:00.005-04:00

Vacation is over, the blogger is back. You may all breathe a deep sigh of relief.

While I was gone, I heard a story of two teens sitting next to each other sending text messages, or texting for short, during school. When asked why they were texting just inches away from each other, they said, "We don't want anyone to know what we're saying."

Now some of you may find texting rude (How hard would it be to just look at me instead of the Blackberry during a conversation?), dangerous (I hear you are four times more likely to be in an accident with a texter than a drunk driver) or technologically too much (What button do I push again?).

But the above story illustrates the greater problem. We've found just another way to sin: a new way to gossip and slander, an even more gentle way of sliding the knife into people's backs.

No one may ever see the "words" we type, but the poison fills our hearts and minds just the same, leaving a black stain on our soul. Or to paraphrase James 3:6, a treatise on the tongue: "No man can tame the keyboard. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

Passion

2009-06-21T02:05:00.003-04:00

Pardon my lengthy blog absence. It's not that I didn't have anything to say, just that there were too many bits and pieces. But what I think I've meant to focus on is passion.

Passion is what drives people, for better or worse, for good or evil. When people start talking about losing their passion for something, it usually means quitting or giving up. It means the end of a job or a marriage, a loss of faith or friends.

And the result is usually that we continue carrying out our daily duties, but we are no longer engaged. We are going through the motions.

And that is really why this blog exists. I can go through the motions of faith on autopilot, but I need to do more. I need to, I must, find a way to kindle not only my own fire, but those around me. I pray you feel the same.

So with that in mind, I offer a song that captures passion with more eloquence than my pecking at the keyboard: The Motions by Matthew West.

Of Milestones and Tombstones

2009-06-10T22:19:00.004-04:00

The milestones start with the day you are born -- your birthday -- and continue for the rest of your life.

Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, graduations, moving in, moving out, moving up, retiring -- the milestones only end with a tombstone.

I've experienced a bit of both this week.

Today, I celebrated my 9th wedding anniversary with my wife. Anniversaries remind us of previous events in our lives, and in this case that's a good thing. And the higher the number of the anniversary, often times the memories are all the more pleasant because for one, we remember less clearly, and for two, because it reminds us of different times in our life. Times when our dreams and expectations for the future were different. Not necessarily better, just different.

Of course, the other nice thing about wedding anniversaries, at least, is the chance to spend a few hours reacqainting ourselves with that person we fell in love with in the first place.

Now, for all the memories piling up anniversary milestones brings, it also draws us ever closer to that tombstone.

That I was reminded of with the death of a co-worker this week. Mr. K, as I shall call him, died at the age of 59 after a year-and-a-half battling cancer. And might I say, even 59 seemed much too young to die.

But the good news is Mr. K was well-prepared for that tombstone day. "I won't live one day less or one day more than the Lord says," he often stated. He had a faith that was unshakable no matter the circumstances, and enjoyed the milestones of his life all along the way, down to one of his favorites, the Indy 500 just a few weeks ago.

And while I don't know what his tombstone might actually say, the things I have heard and read all echo a respect for the man, respect for someone who not everybody agreed with, but for taking a stand for who and what he believed in, for daring to be different.

May the milestones of our lives lead people to say something similar about each of us.

Home

2009-06-05T17:12:00.005-04:00

I was driving home last night when the song "This is Home," by Switchfoot came on. The song is on the movie soundtrack to "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" (Highly recommended by the way).

I never fail to be moved by this song as it captures the allegorical nature of C.S. Lewis superbly.

If you've had that nagging feeling, like the Pevensie children, that you just don't belong in this world, if you've felt the pull toward someone or something higher, then you understand.

And if you've allowed the Lion of Judah to reign in your heart, you've already found a sense of home even now that will be far greater when you leave this world and arrive in a place not ruled by a tame lion.

The Point

2009-06-03T00:18:00.003-04:00

So, how long has it been since you asked, "What's the point?"

Five minutes, five days, five months ... Sooner or later you're gonna ask.

The boss mistreats you, the husband/wife misunderstands you or you just misremember (a word according to Roger clemens).

What's the point?

Well, when it gets right down to it, there's only one good answer.

As a matter of fact, it's written on the inside jacket of Paul Alan's 2008 album, Drive It Home.

Redemption was the point.
The line comes from the album's title track. The chorus goes:

Come on and let it go
Let me drive it home
You wanted set free
But all you are is alone
Come on and let it go
Let me drive it home
Redemption was the point
When I rolled away the stone
Let me drive it home

It's a powerful thought, really. Think about it. There is no better story than that of redemption. The story of a troubled kid that eventually helps others in trouble, the fallen athlete that resurrects his career, the reformed criminal and the list goes on.

More often than not, about the time we are asking, "What's the point?" is about the time we need to follow the song's advice and let go.

When we're driving, we miss the point. When God's driving, the point is redemption.

Our redemption, the redemption of our friends, family and neighbors, the redemption of a sinful world with a holy God.

Point taken.

The sound of silence

2009-05-29T15:51:00.002-04:00

After an idea came to him one recent morning, a colleague asked, "Why do these things come to you in the morning?"

And the answer came to me today, but not in the morning. It didn't come while I was watching SportsCenter or twittering, not while I was e-mailing or reading and most certainly not while playing 'Princess' with a 4-year-old.

No, it came to me as the steady drone of the lawnmower drowned out all distractions. And there you have it. These things come to us in the morning, or mowing the grass, or in the shower or lying in bed because these are the times when we are silent. Even when the world is not silent around us, our minds are free to think, to wonder, to create.

As I plowed from one end of the yard to the other thinking about this, I was reminded of an experience in high school. A small group of 8 or 10 of us went on an Easter weekend retreat. For a portion of Good Friday afternoon, each person was sequestered in a room by themselves. No TV, no radio, no conversation. Just a Bible and a notepad.

I don't remember coming up with any radical theology during this time, but as the rain pelted down outside, it seemed I never better understood what it might have been like on a hill outside Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. In the silence, I found an emotional connection that's nearly impossible in a sound-saturated world.

It turns out the Bible was onto something: "Be still, and know that I am God."

A bridge too far

2009-05-27T15:37:00.004-04:00

You might have read or heard this story last week about the Chinese man threatening to commit suicide who was given a push by a passer-by to speed up the process. Of course, the bridge was only about 26 feet high, and the man suffered only back and neck injuries.

But there is a passer-by on another bridge in China that seeks to save those seeking to commit suicide. Meet Chen Si (pictured). A manager in a transport company by day, he is a super hero on evenings and weekends on the Nanjing Bridge.

The bridge was completed in 1968 and won a place in the Guiness Book of World Records as the longest highway and railway bridge. But it is now notable as a place where more than 1,000 people have killed themselves in the last 40 years.

Chen Si does his best to prevent that number from rising. In one story, Si talks about how he sometimes tackles the men to prevent them from hurling themselves over 100 yards into the swirling waters of the Yangtze River.

Si has been called a Good Samaritan, a guardian angel, a lifeguard and a one-man crusade.

Maybe we could all learn something from this Chinese man who began his patrols after his own grandfather starved himself to death to keep the family from squabbling about who should look after him. As of last summer, Si had saved 144 lives by his own count.

There are plenty of lost souls out there committing spiritual suicide. Are we like the first passer-by, simply giving people a shove because they are inconvenient to us?

Or are we daring to look for those who need help? Are we willing to even tackle those embracing the path to destruction?

Most of the time, I am neither. I am simply the hustle and bustle of traffic going my own way with the neither the time nor the interest in finding out if those souls on the side of the road need my help. And by default, that puts me in the camp of the pusher.

Jesus said, "For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in. I needed clothes and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."

And he might have added, "I was standing on a bridge and you did nothing."

Who's on first

2009-05-22T18:37:00.004-04:00

Sometimes in the game of life, you feel like you're playing a part with Abbott and Costello. You might be getting answers, but you don't realize it. And even when you know the answers, they don't make any sense. So the only thing you can really do is have a good laugh. So here you go, I dare you not to at least have a smirk on your face by the time this is done.

Living on Death Row

2009-05-18T13:14:00.004-04:00

"It is appointed unto man once to die." -- Hebrews 9:27

Mark Allen Wisehart understands that as well as anyone. Wisehart was sentenced to death on Sept. 26, 1983, for murder (Details here). Twenty-six years later, he still lives on Death Row in the state of Indiana. His hair is gray now, and the malice seen even in his 1994 mugshot is now replaced with wistfulness.

Wisehart was one of several men featured on MSNBC's Lockup a few years ago, an episode I only just caught over the weekend. In the TV interview, Wisehart said he thought death would come within five years and then it would all be over. Instead, he watched his "friends" die, knowing that his day was inevitably coming. He talks about hanging on to his sanity by a thread, and they even showed how he adopted a cat. Asked if the cat knew it was imprisoned, Wisehart said he knew cats preferred to roam free, but when the calico cat lifted its chin to be scratched or rubbed its head on his face, that was his connection to humanity.

Since that show aired, Wisehart had a federal appeals court overturn the sentence, but the law process continues. Wisehart technically no longer has a death sentence, but still lives on Death Row (or at least he did last year), knowing that any day could bring his freedom, be it life or death.

Few of us realize just how much we have in common with Wisehart. We are all living under a death sentence which may be carried out sooner or later. We are surely guilty of crimes against each other and our God -- though surely more discreet than those of a man on death row.

We've seen acquaintances come and go, sometimes wondering, 'Why them?' or 'Why not us?' Our sanity may occasionally hang by a thread, and we seek a connection to others. We search for it in bars and churches, in sporting events and on the internet, and even in pets.

And we all have also had our sentence overturned. Overturned by the execution of Jesus Christ and sealed by his resurrection. We have only to choose to file our appeal with God above.

And when we appeal, it means our eventual death will actually be our freedom and the start of life eternal.

Word of the Day I

2009-05-13T01:08:00.002-04:00

No, I'm not going Sesame Street on you here ... at least not yet. I'll save the lesson Cookie Monster teaches us on temptation for another time.

This is about one of those times you read something and a word just jumps out you. In this case it was a quote from Charles Darwin and the word was "enfeebling". Darwin was describing how he no longer drew a sense of delight from things such as pictures, poetry and scenery.

"The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness, and may possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character, by enfeebling the emotional part of our nature."

What a great word -- enfeebling. To deprive of strength, make feeble. Causing debilitation.

How many times do we enfeeble ourselves? We think we're doing something important but we're so busy we enfeeble our relationships with others. ... We want to prove we're strong, we're tough but rather we enfeeble our emotions. ... We want to make a statement for God and in our zeal we enfeeble His ability to be seen.

It reminds me of this recent news story involving the Ohio teen attending a private Christian school that was suspended for going to the public school prom. And when it was over, he went on national talk shows, being hailed as a hero.

While both sides were claiming victory for their beliefs, there was no winner to be found. The school was painted as close-minded legalists and held up the Bible-thumping stereotype all the way. The boy and his stepdad/handler looked like publicity seekers who found a way to one-up those Puritanical school administrators.

And the God they all claimed to serve was enfeebled. Well, to be fair, God wasn't actually enfeebled, but his message was.

My challenge to you and to myself? Go and enfeeble no more.

The Great American Novel

2009-05-11T02:03:00.004-04:00

I was listening to Larry Norman tonight. If you don't know, Norman is considered the father of Christian rock. He wasn't necessarily part of the Jesus People movement of the late 60s and early 70s, but he looked like he belong (see album cover at right).

From what I've read, Norman didn't particularly like to be labeled, and that included his music. He sound was sometimes the Beatles, sometimes Bob Dylan or sometimes the Rolling Stones. But it was definitely Jesus.

In one interview, the question was asked, What does your audience expect of you?
Norman said, "I don't know. I only do between 5 and 15 concerts a year. So I don't build up an exceptional rapport. I don't do what they tell me to. If they cracked a whip and said, 'Smile and do a back hand-spring,' I have an idea I'd just go home.

"I'm going to tell you something you probably don't want to hear. Because I'm not here to fulfill your expectations. I'm here to tell you that if you're not a Christian then you should become one. And if you are a Christian then you better stop putting expectations on people.

"Start getting rid of your own limitations, your own preconceptions and your own repressions. Stop coming to these concerts. Go out into the world and preach the Gospel. I'm not coming to entertain you, I'm coming to inspire you; to be so filled with Christ that you stop listening to Christian records because you don't have money for it because you're giving your money to people who don't have food."

Right on! Anyway, I was listening to his song, The Great American Novel off the 1972 album above, Only Visiting This Planet. And you know what's neat is when something written 37 years ago sounds like it could have been written yesterday? Listen to this:

You are far across the ocean
but the war is not your own
and while you're winning theirs
you're gonna lose the one at home
do you really think the only way
to bring about the peace
is to sacrifice your children
and kill all your enemies

the politicians all make speeches
while the news men all take note
and they exaggerate the issues
as they shove them down our throats
is it really up to them
whether this country sinks or floats
well i wonder who would lead us
if none of us would vote

and your money says in God we trust
but it's against the law to pray in school
you say we beat the russians to the moon
and i say you starved your children to do it
you say all men are equal, all men are brothers
then why are the rich more equal than others
don't ask me for the answers, I've only got one
that a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T15:02:00.001-04:00

And sometimes you just need to say the obvious. No deep thoughts here, just a Happy Mother's Day wish for all to whom it applies.

Wayward Son

2009-05-08T00:23:00.004-04:00

I'd like to keep this interesting by changing things up from time to time, so this post I'm going to let you hear from somebody else.

Kerry Livgren was a member of the highly successful rock band, Kansas. He became a Christian in the late '70s, changing the subject matter of his songs and eventually leading him into a role as an '80s Christian rock pioneer. He has some interesting comments on the whole notion of "Christian" music, but we'll save that for another time. For now, listen as he shares the story of his spiritual journey from the set of an independent Christian film called The Imposter.

The Variable

2009-05-05T22:21:00.002-04:00

So it only took until the fourth post before I referenced the TV show, Lost. I'll go ahead and apologize now for the next 20 times it happens. Anyway, fan of the show or never seen it, I think you'll understand why this struck me.

In last week's episode (5.14), a character named Daniel Faraday (learn more about his namesake, Michael Faraday here) makes the following statement.

"I've been spending so much time focused on the constants that I forgot about the variables, and do you know what the variables are? Us. People. We seek the reason, we have choices, we have free will."

How much time do we spend focused on the constants? The constants of work, family, TV shows ... the things that make up the routine of life. And we forget about the variables ... the people, us.

In an internet age, it's surely easy to forget about the variables, and it's sometimes harder to think about the variables, a.k.a. people, across the street than the ones across the world.

For example, I have a neighbor that I would often rank somewhere between plant life and my cat for value to society. Yet, it seems to me that I could be his variable. The constants in his life seem largely of the destructive kind. But he has choices, he has free will ... (pause to let the Calvinists think about it) ... and perhaps I could do something to sway those choices. Or at least I could if I ever stopped worrying about my constants long enough.

Romans 10:14: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

Slumdog (Spiritual) Millionaire

2009-05-04T01:29:00.003-04:00

Slumdog Millionaire was 2009 Picture of the Year and winner of 8 Academy Awards. It is the story of a teen from the slums of India who goes on that country's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and knows the answers to the questions as a result of his life experiences. Or at least that's the short version.

Anyway, this morning at church, our missions pastor told of his experiences in the slums of India where he recently visited.

He spoke of Pastor James, a man that was kidnapped by the authorities, jailed and beaten. Pastor James eventually was able to get a note to a maintenance worker who told his family where he was being held. A group from the church got together, marched on the police station and demanded his freedom.

On the evening of the third day (imagine that?), Pastor James was released, his face puffy, bruised and bloodied from interrogation tactics. Well, our missions pastor went to visit Pastor James the day after he was released, to share some words of encouragement. As the driver pulled up to the house, he said, "Oh, no." Not because something was wrong, but because Pastor James had set up a stage with lights across the street to take advantage of the foreigners' presence to show that he had a message that could not be stopped.

Another story described a church that is to be bulldozed in a month. Some members of a higher caste are building some high rises next to the church and they are going to clear away the squalor of the neighboring slums. A church bought and paid for with wedding rings, heirlooms and other valuable jewelry is going to disappear, but still they meet.

Slumdog millionaires indeed. These people need no game show because they are already rich beyond measure. They are spiritual millionaires and I imagine that when it comes to storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), their barns are overflowing while mine looks rather unused.

All truth ...

2009-04-30T23:28:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd begin by letting you know where I am coming from.

In college, I had a professor -- of sociology to be exact -- make the statement that "All truth is God's truth." Well, truth be told, I wasn't sure I was on board with that notion at first. It sounded sort of relativist, not a real cut and dried world view. But it grew on me and while I may no longer remember as much sociology as I should, I never forgot that.

For what he intended by that statement was that when you see the world from a Biblical perspective, there is truth to be found. Evaluate a movie, a book and even personal experience with a Christian eye.

It's not really a new concept. When it comes to seeing a flawed world through God's eyes, we're late to the party. The Bible is filled with stories of imperfect people, deceitful people and untruthful people ... people that delivered God's truth, sometimes willingly and sometimes unwittingly. Abraham, Jacob, Samson, David, Rahab, Judas, Peter, Saul/Paul just to name a few. And even today, just in reading their stories, we learn God's truth in spite of and because of their sin.

So it is with that critical eye that I approach things, so while you may wonder in future posts, "Where in the world is he going with this?", sooner or later I hope to arrive at God's truth.

Of course, Jesus said it best in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

In the beginning ...

2009-04-29T23:02:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the debut installment of this blog. It's pretty much safe to say that anyone reading this knows me, but for the purposes of this blog, I am heretofore known as j2p or J2P. Consider it my pen name.

And that is the origin of the blog name. I thought about telling you it meant from Jesus to the Pentateuch, or Joseph to Paul, or even justification to prophecy. But it's just not that complicated.

I hope this becomes a place where you can check in for some devotional thoughts, stories and ideas.
It is intended for those who need more faith, need sustained faith or are just needing any faith at all.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next post!

J2P