Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.