"Welcome to Wherever You Are" is one of the latest tunes released by Bon Jovi on his new album "Have a Nice Day". As I listened to the album I was particularly struck by this song. I was thinking how I put pressure on myself to be something else from time to time and even try to be someone other than I really am. Y'know what I mean?
I'm not saying we shouldn't try to be better husbands, wives, friends, etc. But I am saying we ought to take the time out to enjoy where we are right now. Be who you are and have a good time. That's the way God made you.
Kind of a diferent spin on Paul's writing on wherever I am to find myself content.
Enjoy life.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Friday, August 26, 2005
Life as a Cat
I want to be my cat.
Recently my family left for several days on a trip back east to visit family. I was home working, traveling, and getting the mail and taking care of the cat. I mean cat(s). We have two.
After a few days of being the sole caretaker of these animals I discovered how much effort they take. I mean you got a litter box, food and water. (Well…I did discover a cat can go awhile with out food…!) I have to buy a special food so they eat properly. I need to give them fresh water everyday and buy cat litter. When I was growing up we threw the cat in the backyard and they ate what varmints they could find and we would supplement that with some cat food (whatever was cheapest).They got their water from the garden hose in an upside down hubcap. And if it rained they drank that water. It wa a simpler pet era… but then again our cats never lasted very long either…
Back to present day…
One cat wants to go outside then come back inside at his discretion. Several times a day or night. The other cat wants to snuggle up and let you pet her….just don’t pick her up. The other cat has decided he will continue to let us live with him. Time to get more food and fresh water.
I discovered these animals really do what they want and have no care in the world for what they are going to eat or drink. They totally expect me or my family to take care of the details. They just go through life. And for the most part without concern. Although being chased and dressed up in a dress by my seven year old daughter has got to be somewhat stressful. (I do take some joy in watching this happen…)
Did you ever notice that that is exactly how God built us? Not like cats but without the concern for what they need or want…they just go through their day living life… one day at a time. Ask any doctor or health professional and they’ll tell you our bodies were not designed to handle the stress we live under today. I know! I’ve had physical issues that are directly related to stress including high blood pressure and digestive problems. Of course I’m sure that extra 45 pounds had a little to do with it.
The point? Stress is always going to be around. Take life one day at a time and enjoy the journey. You’ll be in a better mood, people will like being around you more, and you’ll be healthier.
I gotta go. I need to let the cat out and change the litter box.
Recently my family left for several days on a trip back east to visit family. I was home working, traveling, and getting the mail and taking care of the cat. I mean cat(s). We have two.
After a few days of being the sole caretaker of these animals I discovered how much effort they take. I mean you got a litter box, food and water. (Well…I did discover a cat can go awhile with out food…!) I have to buy a special food so they eat properly. I need to give them fresh water everyday and buy cat litter. When I was growing up we threw the cat in the backyard and they ate what varmints they could find and we would supplement that with some cat food (whatever was cheapest).They got their water from the garden hose in an upside down hubcap. And if it rained they drank that water. It wa a simpler pet era… but then again our cats never lasted very long either…
Back to present day…
One cat wants to go outside then come back inside at his discretion. Several times a day or night. The other cat wants to snuggle up and let you pet her….just don’t pick her up. The other cat has decided he will continue to let us live with him. Time to get more food and fresh water.
I discovered these animals really do what they want and have no care in the world for what they are going to eat or drink. They totally expect me or my family to take care of the details. They just go through life. And for the most part without concern. Although being chased and dressed up in a dress by my seven year old daughter has got to be somewhat stressful. (I do take some joy in watching this happen…)
Did you ever notice that that is exactly how God built us? Not like cats but without the concern for what they need or want…they just go through their day living life… one day at a time. Ask any doctor or health professional and they’ll tell you our bodies were not designed to handle the stress we live under today. I know! I’ve had physical issues that are directly related to stress including high blood pressure and digestive problems. Of course I’m sure that extra 45 pounds had a little to do with it.
The point? Stress is always going to be around. Take life one day at a time and enjoy the journey. You’ll be in a better mood, people will like being around you more, and you’ll be healthier.
I gotta go. I need to let the cat out and change the litter box.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Mistake Makers
Do you ever get frustrated with your computer? Does it take forever to boot up? Does it ever lose your documents when you were so close to finishing them? What about software conflicts? Viruses? Hard drive problems? Interestingly enough we expect our computers to operate flawlessly when these very machines were created by human minds. Sure they get more powerful, faster and look better. But they always have issues…and don’t even throw out the “MAC vs. PC” issue. They all break…period.
It’s funny how we humans have the same idea we should operate socially like a piece of machinery. We expect perfection from human minds when everything we create is flawed!
When I was 19 the world was black and white…right and wrong were easy to determine. But as I got older some of those issues became “gray”. Experience with others and mainly dissatisfaction with myself has taught me we’re all one decision away from a mistake. Maybe it’ll cost us a little pain or maybe it will cost us our life. But one thing is for sure: I’m going to make another mistake. No matter how much I want my friends and family to think I’m God’s gift to Man…I keep proving I’m not. I think I understand the Apostle Paul in the New Testament when he is frustrated that “I do the things I don’t want to do and I don’t do the things I want to do”. Sounds like a mistake maker to me. In fact every person we read about in the Bible is quite human. In other words, they all screwed up at one time or another! Guess what… we’re all in that same club: The Mistake Makers.
When I was growing up my father had a statement he would say right after I had made some stupid mistake: “Well, did you learn anything?” I hated that statement. It never made me feel any better. In fact I usually felt like more of a failure! But the premise of it wasn’t bad. I made a mistake, learn from it, and go on from here. Not bad advice to a kid that almost set the house on fire in the kitchen. But that’s another story…
I used to think that one day I would get it all together and be smarter and the mistakes would be fewer. I’m not sure I’ve done any of that. Sometimes I feel like I’m going backwards! But I keep going…
So what’s my point? You are going to make mistakes. You’re going to regret them, be embarrassed by them and want to stick your head in the sand until the pain goes away. But when you eventually pull your head out of the sand you will still be stuck with the same problem: you.
So give yourself a break. Forgive yourself and move on. If God decided to include others mistakes in the Bible then there must be something to be gained from making them. Mistakes are a part of life and hopefully along the way others will learn from what we do wrong. Just remember what Dad said: “Well, did ya learn anything?”
It’s funny how we humans have the same idea we should operate socially like a piece of machinery. We expect perfection from human minds when everything we create is flawed!
When I was 19 the world was black and white…right and wrong were easy to determine. But as I got older some of those issues became “gray”. Experience with others and mainly dissatisfaction with myself has taught me we’re all one decision away from a mistake. Maybe it’ll cost us a little pain or maybe it will cost us our life. But one thing is for sure: I’m going to make another mistake. No matter how much I want my friends and family to think I’m God’s gift to Man…I keep proving I’m not. I think I understand the Apostle Paul in the New Testament when he is frustrated that “I do the things I don’t want to do and I don’t do the things I want to do”. Sounds like a mistake maker to me. In fact every person we read about in the Bible is quite human. In other words, they all screwed up at one time or another! Guess what… we’re all in that same club: The Mistake Makers.
When I was growing up my father had a statement he would say right after I had made some stupid mistake: “Well, did you learn anything?” I hated that statement. It never made me feel any better. In fact I usually felt like more of a failure! But the premise of it wasn’t bad. I made a mistake, learn from it, and go on from here. Not bad advice to a kid that almost set the house on fire in the kitchen. But that’s another story…
I used to think that one day I would get it all together and be smarter and the mistakes would be fewer. I’m not sure I’ve done any of that. Sometimes I feel like I’m going backwards! But I keep going…
So what’s my point? You are going to make mistakes. You’re going to regret them, be embarrassed by them and want to stick your head in the sand until the pain goes away. But when you eventually pull your head out of the sand you will still be stuck with the same problem: you.
So give yourself a break. Forgive yourself and move on. If God decided to include others mistakes in the Bible then there must be something to be gained from making them. Mistakes are a part of life and hopefully along the way others will learn from what we do wrong. Just remember what Dad said: “Well, did ya learn anything?”
Saturday, July 30, 2005
I've been gone awhile...
The month of June was a hard month. July has been strange as well. We all go through times in our lives that are hard. Whether it's health issues or emotional issues or work issues...they all come. And all of them came in the past 60 days for me.
Thanks to all of you who have supported me....and you know who you are.
Friends...we all need 'em!
Thanks to all of you who have supported me....and you know who you are.
Friends...we all need 'em!
Monday, June 06, 2005
Pride in Beverly Hills
Well here I was driving in Los Angeles on my way to meet some very important people in the entertainment capital of the world: Beverly Hills, California. I felt good. I had rented a new 2005 Mustang Convertible and tried to shed any notion I lived in Dallas, Texas.
As I turned into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel I was immediately shocked when I saw about 10 willing valets and belhops ready to attend to my every need. Now I must tell you I was looking good. No, I was looking very good. I had a hip blue shirt on with the french cuffs unbuttoned and new striped slacks that Rod Stewart would appreciate. Then it happened...
I pulled to a stop at the door. I put the top back up on the car and got out. And there she was. A beautiful young woman was standing there smiling at me. Now I could have been her dad. You know what I mean? So don't get any screwy ideas rolling around in your head. She expressed: "Wow, cool outfit. You look very nice!" Okay, I admit it. I was flattered and my ego was stroked. This young lady had made my day! Maybe I could have been her father... or maybe I still had "it"!! Regardless, it was a great feeling.
So I took my ticket and strutted a little more (now that I had been complimented so...) over to the front door. I was feeling pretty cool right up to the point I tripped up the 2 steps to the door.
And then the moment was gone. Back to reality...
I couldn't help but laugh...and no, I didn't turn around to see who was laughing with me. Suddenly that old familiar bible verse came to mind..."Pride goeth before a fall."
Next week I'm in Tulsa.....I'm not worried....
As I turned into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel I was immediately shocked when I saw about 10 willing valets and belhops ready to attend to my every need. Now I must tell you I was looking good. No, I was looking very good. I had a hip blue shirt on with the french cuffs unbuttoned and new striped slacks that Rod Stewart would appreciate. Then it happened...
I pulled to a stop at the door. I put the top back up on the car and got out. And there she was. A beautiful young woman was standing there smiling at me. Now I could have been her dad. You know what I mean? So don't get any screwy ideas rolling around in your head. She expressed: "Wow, cool outfit. You look very nice!" Okay, I admit it. I was flattered and my ego was stroked. This young lady had made my day! Maybe I could have been her father... or maybe I still had "it"!! Regardless, it was a great feeling.
So I took my ticket and strutted a little more (now that I had been complimented so...) over to the front door. I was feeling pretty cool right up to the point I tripped up the 2 steps to the door.
And then the moment was gone. Back to reality...
I couldn't help but laugh...and no, I didn't turn around to see who was laughing with me. Suddenly that old familiar bible verse came to mind..."Pride goeth before a fall."
Next week I'm in Tulsa.....I'm not worried....
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
First Church of the Front Porch
I was in Haiti.
Not in the bustling city of Port au Prince but far outside any normal civilization that we would recognize. The land is barren, the temperature is hot and humid and the sky is darker than anything you’ve ever seen at night.
While I was there I had the chance to slow down and chat with new friends I had made on the front porch of the building we were staying in. Some brilliant soul had brought rocking chairs from America. There’s something about a rocking chair that says “Chill…sit down for a spell. Let go for a few minutes. Relax.” So we did that. We sat. We rocked. And we talked.
Over the next few hours we talked about our life experiences, our triumphs, our tragedies and our dreams. We got to know each other. We encouraged each other and we laughed at each other.
It’s been a few days since we all left and went back to our individual lives in different parts of the States. But I realized something. Out there on that porch in between swatting mosquitoes and trading stories we had experienced something that brought us all closer together. We had church on the front porch. We didn’t sing songs, have announcements or even take up an offering. But nevertheless we did indeed have church. Confessing your faults to one another, encouraging each other, and having good relationships with those around you. Isn’t that what church is supposed to be? Maybe we didn’t crack a bible open but we did more “church” in that time than I’ve experienced in some 4 hour “church” services. Didn’t He say He’d be there in the midst of 2 or 3 that are gathered in His name?
Maybe we ought to return to the front porch concept for church. Put down all your religion and all your pre-conceived ideas of church and just be real. Let God use you in the most “real” way He can. Get to know new people…make friends. After all, it’s not about you is it?
Funny how I had to go to Haiti to have good fellowship… Maybe I just slowed down long enough to recognize it when it came “rocking”.
So here are my new 4 Steps to Success for a Happy Life:
Sit. Rock. Relax. Share.
The First Church of the Front Porch…come on... pull up a rocking chair…
Not in the bustling city of Port au Prince but far outside any normal civilization that we would recognize. The land is barren, the temperature is hot and humid and the sky is darker than anything you’ve ever seen at night.
While I was there I had the chance to slow down and chat with new friends I had made on the front porch of the building we were staying in. Some brilliant soul had brought rocking chairs from America. There’s something about a rocking chair that says “Chill…sit down for a spell. Let go for a few minutes. Relax.” So we did that. We sat. We rocked. And we talked.
Over the next few hours we talked about our life experiences, our triumphs, our tragedies and our dreams. We got to know each other. We encouraged each other and we laughed at each other.
It’s been a few days since we all left and went back to our individual lives in different parts of the States. But I realized something. Out there on that porch in between swatting mosquitoes and trading stories we had experienced something that brought us all closer together. We had church on the front porch. We didn’t sing songs, have announcements or even take up an offering. But nevertheless we did indeed have church. Confessing your faults to one another, encouraging each other, and having good relationships with those around you. Isn’t that what church is supposed to be? Maybe we didn’t crack a bible open but we did more “church” in that time than I’ve experienced in some 4 hour “church” services. Didn’t He say He’d be there in the midst of 2 or 3 that are gathered in His name?
Maybe we ought to return to the front porch concept for church. Put down all your religion and all your pre-conceived ideas of church and just be real. Let God use you in the most “real” way He can. Get to know new people…make friends. After all, it’s not about you is it?
Funny how I had to go to Haiti to have good fellowship… Maybe I just slowed down long enough to recognize it when it came “rocking”.
So here are my new 4 Steps to Success for a Happy Life:
Sit. Rock. Relax. Share.
The First Church of the Front Porch…come on... pull up a rocking chair…
Monday, May 02, 2005
The Four Seasons
I’ve had the opportunity to live in several places here in the good ole USA. From Georgia to North Carolina to Texas to Florida then on to California and back to Texas again. All of them had their pluses and minuses.
Every place had its own unique version of the four seasons (for you city slickers I’m not referring to the hotel chain). North Carolina had a spectacular Fall and Winter. If you blinked in Texas you’d miss Fall completely but you’d cherish the bluebonnets when they were blooming in the Spring. And who doesn’t like an eternal summer in California with snow skiing as a bonus…in the same day? How about those laid-back beautiful beaches found only in the summers of Florida?
We humans do the same thing. We have our own versions of the seasons. I’ve noticed as I’ve grown older a lot of things have changed. Time is more precious. I try to let things go quicker and take risks more. Laugh more with friends and most of all try to not act like I have all the answers. Surprisingly enough I discovered I don’t!
Sometimes I catch myself longing for a time in the past when I knew all the answers and life was simpler. But back then I wanted more wisdom…the kind that only comes from experience. Now…I think I’m done with the whole wisdom thing…you can keep it. Life is too hard sometimes to learn from it!
It’s so easy to let our lives get so cluttered with stuff that we miss the seasons changing right before our eyes. We may not even like the changes but they come anyway. Instead of kicking and screaming that we don’t want a “summer” to end maybe we ought to look at what God is doing and just embrace it. Sound like a total surrender? Absolutely.
Funny thing is…when you surrender you don’t care about the battle anymore. It’s just over. And you move on.
Embrace the changes in your life when they come. You might see something you overlooked earlier…after all “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens.”
Every place had its own unique version of the four seasons (for you city slickers I’m not referring to the hotel chain). North Carolina had a spectacular Fall and Winter. If you blinked in Texas you’d miss Fall completely but you’d cherish the bluebonnets when they were blooming in the Spring. And who doesn’t like an eternal summer in California with snow skiing as a bonus…in the same day? How about those laid-back beautiful beaches found only in the summers of Florida?
We humans do the same thing. We have our own versions of the seasons. I’ve noticed as I’ve grown older a lot of things have changed. Time is more precious. I try to let things go quicker and take risks more. Laugh more with friends and most of all try to not act like I have all the answers. Surprisingly enough I discovered I don’t!
Sometimes I catch myself longing for a time in the past when I knew all the answers and life was simpler. But back then I wanted more wisdom…the kind that only comes from experience. Now…I think I’m done with the whole wisdom thing…you can keep it. Life is too hard sometimes to learn from it!
It’s so easy to let our lives get so cluttered with stuff that we miss the seasons changing right before our eyes. We may not even like the changes but they come anyway. Instead of kicking and screaming that we don’t want a “summer” to end maybe we ought to look at what God is doing and just embrace it. Sound like a total surrender? Absolutely.
Funny thing is…when you surrender you don’t care about the battle anymore. It’s just over. And you move on.
Embrace the changes in your life when they come. You might see something you overlooked earlier…after all “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens.”
Friday, April 22, 2005
Trust Airways
I was chatting with a colleague the other day. We both fly a lot for business and we've had our share of mishaps on the airlines. Lost baggage, 1 hour trips that turned into 8 hour trips, screaming kids....you name it.
Did you ever notice our airline system is totally set up "one way"? The airlines ask us to prove who we are several times. And don't think of going by your middle name on the ticket. It's gotta be the whole name. And what about those people at the security line? Some of them still don't know English. I'm not sure they should even be here. We disrobe to go through security. God forbid you set off the metal detector. At that point your carry-on goes one way and you go the other for some "friendly frisking." Hopefully you and your luggage will re-unite. By the way I need to see your boarding pass.
They ask us questions about what is in our luggage. They rummage through our luggage at will. Did you ever see one of those cards in your bag when you arrived at your destination? It's supposed to make us feel more secure they rooted around in our bag somewhere in the bowels of the airport when you weren't looking. (Another reason Mom was right..always have clean underwear.) Somehow I just feel violated.
I know it's just a sign of our times. But why do we have to do all the trusting? I don't know these people checking me or my luggage. Much less the neanderthal downstairs putting his grubby hands all over my clothes checking for a rogue fingernail clipper, and a can of hairspray.
But if I'm going to fly..... this is my walk to work everyday!`We live by this system everyday day-in and day-out simply place all my earthly gathrings togetheer; and let a stange person runmmage through them.
Sometimes it's just plain easier to drive.
Did you ever notice our airline system is totally set up "one way"? The airlines ask us to prove who we are several times. And don't think of going by your middle name on the ticket. It's gotta be the whole name. And what about those people at the security line? Some of them still don't know English. I'm not sure they should even be here. We disrobe to go through security. God forbid you set off the metal detector. At that point your carry-on goes one way and you go the other for some "friendly frisking." Hopefully you and your luggage will re-unite. By the way I need to see your boarding pass.
They ask us questions about what is in our luggage. They rummage through our luggage at will. Did you ever see one of those cards in your bag when you arrived at your destination? It's supposed to make us feel more secure they rooted around in our bag somewhere in the bowels of the airport when you weren't looking. (Another reason Mom was right..always have clean underwear.) Somehow I just feel violated.
I know it's just a sign of our times. But why do we have to do all the trusting? I don't know these people checking me or my luggage. Much less the neanderthal downstairs putting his grubby hands all over my clothes checking for a rogue fingernail clipper, and a can of hairspray.
But if I'm going to fly..... this is my walk to work everyday!`We live by this system everyday day-in and day-out simply place all my earthly gathrings togetheer; and let a stange person runmmage through them.
Sometimes it's just plain easier to drive.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Cat Scratch Fever
We have two cats. One is quite the lover existing to jump in your lap and spend quality time; the other bristles at the notion we are in charge and not him. He lets us live with him.
My seven-year-old daughter just can’t help herself. She is on a life-quest to make the disinterested cat her friend and playmate. Of course, he isn’t interested. In fact, when he hears her coming he panics and runs to his best hiding place possible.
Not too long ago while I was away on business, my daughter screamed out one of those earth-shattering screams. She came running to my wife, Faith, with her hand dripping in blood. As Faith cleaned the wound she noticed it was quite deep. When asked how the cut occured a brief explanation was given about how she had cut it on the corner of a piece of furniture. Hours later I returned home. She replayed the dramatic events of the day the way only a drama queen daughter can to her father. I was attentive and tried to console her that it would heal and leave no lasting scar.
Then I asked how the cut had become to be. Sheepishly she confessed the cat had bit her while she was trying to play with him. Realizing she had told me another story than her mother eight hours before…her conscience began to bother her. Time for damage control! She immediately confessed to the lie admitting she knew she wasn’t supposed to hold the cat hostage in her room.
The next morning after church Faith discovered the cut was looking very bad…Red, inflamed and quite painful. A very bad infection had set in. So off to the minor emergency “you’re really going to pay for this” center. A shot in the hip and an aggressive round of antibiotics was given. More pain, more drama, more tears. If she had only confessed the truth to her mother; Faith would have aggressively cleaned out the wound much more thoroughly. A little hydrogen peroxide would have probably made the difference. This was going to take much longer.
We do the same thing. I make mistakes all the time. We hide them from the Father thinking we can take care of it all ourselves. We don’t want to admit we knew we were doing wrong in the first place. Why? It’s not as if we’re getting away with it. That’s for sure. Pulling the wool over God’s eyes never works.
So what happens? We carry it around for days, weeks, months or years letting it fester into some sort of spiritual infection. The pain of carrying it around is harder and more painful than the wound itself. The fever has set in.
It’s so much easier to take it to the cross, admit we screwed up, and ask for forgiveness right away. Then the healing can begin. But not until we do so and let God’s healing salve remove all the infectious properties.
We were not concerned with our daughter making a mistake as much as not coming to us in truth so we could make sure her wound was properly cleansed. Forgiveness from the Father is always available and it’s not contingent on what we do. It just is.
By the way, my daughter survived but the cat is still nervous and very disinterested. Cat scratch fever has passed.
My seven-year-old daughter just can’t help herself. She is on a life-quest to make the disinterested cat her friend and playmate. Of course, he isn’t interested. In fact, when he hears her coming he panics and runs to his best hiding place possible.
Not too long ago while I was away on business, my daughter screamed out one of those earth-shattering screams. She came running to my wife, Faith, with her hand dripping in blood. As Faith cleaned the wound she noticed it was quite deep. When asked how the cut occured a brief explanation was given about how she had cut it on the corner of a piece of furniture. Hours later I returned home. She replayed the dramatic events of the day the way only a drama queen daughter can to her father. I was attentive and tried to console her that it would heal and leave no lasting scar.
Then I asked how the cut had become to be. Sheepishly she confessed the cat had bit her while she was trying to play with him. Realizing she had told me another story than her mother eight hours before…her conscience began to bother her. Time for damage control! She immediately confessed to the lie admitting she knew she wasn’t supposed to hold the cat hostage in her room.
The next morning after church Faith discovered the cut was looking very bad…Red, inflamed and quite painful. A very bad infection had set in. So off to the minor emergency “you’re really going to pay for this” center. A shot in the hip and an aggressive round of antibiotics was given. More pain, more drama, more tears. If she had only confessed the truth to her mother; Faith would have aggressively cleaned out the wound much more thoroughly. A little hydrogen peroxide would have probably made the difference. This was going to take much longer.
We do the same thing. I make mistakes all the time. We hide them from the Father thinking we can take care of it all ourselves. We don’t want to admit we knew we were doing wrong in the first place. Why? It’s not as if we’re getting away with it. That’s for sure. Pulling the wool over God’s eyes never works.
So what happens? We carry it around for days, weeks, months or years letting it fester into some sort of spiritual infection. The pain of carrying it around is harder and more painful than the wound itself. The fever has set in.
It’s so much easier to take it to the cross, admit we screwed up, and ask for forgiveness right away. Then the healing can begin. But not until we do so and let God’s healing salve remove all the infectious properties.
We were not concerned with our daughter making a mistake as much as not coming to us in truth so we could make sure her wound was properly cleansed. Forgiveness from the Father is always available and it’s not contingent on what we do. It just is.
By the way, my daughter survived but the cat is still nervous and very disinterested. Cat scratch fever has passed.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Mysteries Among Us
Recently I was discussing childhoods with a family friend. There was a group of us and we were discussing different things about where we grew up, our families, how goofy we looked (okay maybe how goofy I looked) etc... It was in the middle of this conversation I found out startling information about one of our group.
She was from a broken home. Not one that split amicably either. In fact it escalated to the point her mother kidnapped the children and lived on the run. They would dye their hair and change their names. The father would get close and then they were off to another state to live another life. Wow, I was stunned. I never expected to hear that coming from her. She was the last person I would have suspected to have lived such a life. But here she was in my kitchen re-telling her story.
For days I could not get her story out of my head. Not just the details of a life on-the-run but how I really didn't know her at all. Somehow I think we are all closer now. Sharing your life experiences can do that.
How well do you know those people you see everyday? Your friends? Your spouse? I bet there are a lot more stories that haven't been told than we'll ever know. And they're playing out right before our eyes...just behind a thin veil of secrecy. Those walls that we build mentally and emotionally for protection keep us from those who love us best knowing us completely.
And that's what we all really want isn't it? Acceptance...friendship...love. C'mon, tear down those walls and let somone know you better. You probably won't end up on the Jerry Springer Show!
Get to know those people God has put in your life... they might just be a mystery among us.
She was from a broken home. Not one that split amicably either. In fact it escalated to the point her mother kidnapped the children and lived on the run. They would dye their hair and change their names. The father would get close and then they were off to another state to live another life. Wow, I was stunned. I never expected to hear that coming from her. She was the last person I would have suspected to have lived such a life. But here she was in my kitchen re-telling her story.
For days I could not get her story out of my head. Not just the details of a life on-the-run but how I really didn't know her at all. Somehow I think we are all closer now. Sharing your life experiences can do that.
How well do you know those people you see everyday? Your friends? Your spouse? I bet there are a lot more stories that haven't been told than we'll ever know. And they're playing out right before our eyes...just behind a thin veil of secrecy. Those walls that we build mentally and emotionally for protection keep us from those who love us best knowing us completely.
And that's what we all really want isn't it? Acceptance...friendship...love. C'mon, tear down those walls and let somone know you better. You probably won't end up on the Jerry Springer Show!
Get to know those people God has put in your life... they might just be a mystery among us.
Friday, April 08, 2005
The Paper Chase
I don't get it.
In my high school there were no such things as calculators. Computers were the size of mobile homes. And vinyl was the only real form of music...an album. I was pretty forward thinking with the addition of new technology in my car: an 8-track. Very cool. Those days are gone.
I asked one of my kids the other day to figure out how many miles per gallon we got on our last tank of gasoline. We were on a short vacation and I wanted to know the mileage my SUV was getting. It was the "Dad" kind of thing to do. In fact, I remember my dad pulling out a piece of paper and figuring up how many miles per gallon we were getting in his new 1966 Chevy pickup. Did you get that? P.A.P.E.R. Unheard of nowadays...
Well, my brilliant child instantly whipped out a cell phone to access the calculator feature. I was stunned. "That's cheating" I said. "Figure it out on paper, this will be a good life-lesson for you". Groans ensued we had a nice little chat about it. He finally figured it out and I was satisfied. But it got me thinking...
8-track - cassette - CD - mp3 - Ipod - cell phone - camera phone, etc. I was part of them all. In fact, I was tech junkie. I love the stuff. We neeeed the stuff. But it's driving me crazy.
I had an organizer, I had a Palm Pilot. What do I use now? A notebook.
I have one of the latest camera phones. My complaint? It's not loud enough...I'd trade it for a phone I can hear in a restaurant.
I can afford to buy a new luxury car. I paid the one I had off instead.
I could buy a bigger house. All I want to do is pay this one off before I'm 65.
Email on a Blackberry? Nah, too fat to carry in my pocket.
and the list goes on...
Gee...I sound like my father. I remember when designer jeans first came out several decades ago. My dad commented: "If I'm going to pay that much for a pair of jeans, It's going to have MY name on them, not Calvin Klein's."
I laughed then. Now, I agree. Incredibly insightful.
Enjoy all the new things we have in life... but never lose sight of common sense, spending too much money on things you didn't know you needed, and paper.
Sometimes simpler is just plain better. No matter how cool it is.
Does anyone know where my tablet PC is? Forget it...I'll just use the original version.
In my high school there were no such things as calculators. Computers were the size of mobile homes. And vinyl was the only real form of music...an album. I was pretty forward thinking with the addition of new technology in my car: an 8-track. Very cool. Those days are gone.
I asked one of my kids the other day to figure out how many miles per gallon we got on our last tank of gasoline. We were on a short vacation and I wanted to know the mileage my SUV was getting. It was the "Dad" kind of thing to do. In fact, I remember my dad pulling out a piece of paper and figuring up how many miles per gallon we were getting in his new 1966 Chevy pickup. Did you get that? P.A.P.E.R. Unheard of nowadays...
Well, my brilliant child instantly whipped out a cell phone to access the calculator feature. I was stunned. "That's cheating" I said. "Figure it out on paper, this will be a good life-lesson for you". Groans ensued we had a nice little chat about it. He finally figured it out and I was satisfied. But it got me thinking...
8-track - cassette - CD - mp3 - Ipod - cell phone - camera phone, etc. I was part of them all. In fact, I was tech junkie. I love the stuff. We neeeed the stuff. But it's driving me crazy.
I had an organizer, I had a Palm Pilot. What do I use now? A notebook.
I have one of the latest camera phones. My complaint? It's not loud enough...I'd trade it for a phone I can hear in a restaurant.
I can afford to buy a new luxury car. I paid the one I had off instead.
I could buy a bigger house. All I want to do is pay this one off before I'm 65.
Email on a Blackberry? Nah, too fat to carry in my pocket.
and the list goes on...
Gee...I sound like my father. I remember when designer jeans first came out several decades ago. My dad commented: "If I'm going to pay that much for a pair of jeans, It's going to have MY name on them, not Calvin Klein's."
I laughed then. Now, I agree. Incredibly insightful.
Enjoy all the new things we have in life... but never lose sight of common sense, spending too much money on things you didn't know you needed, and paper.
Sometimes simpler is just plain better. No matter how cool it is.
Does anyone know where my tablet PC is? Forget it...I'll just use the original version.
Runaway Jury
Okay, I admit it.When I received a summons for jury duty I groaned. This was not working into my busy schedule. In fact, it could not have come at a worse time. Reluctantly I appeared downtown at the courthouse at the appointed time to try and not get picked.Out of several hundred people present I thought I had a great chance of getting out before noon and back to my own schedule. But I got called.Then about 35 of us left for the courtroom to be grilled by lawyers for the case to see who would be eliminated. This was my chance! Great ideas came to me as to what I could say to eliminate myself from the running. But...they were lies and I couldn't bring myself to do it. I still had a good chance to be passed over. I was juror number 22. Hey, they only needed 12!You know what happened..I was selected as juror #8 on the panel of 12. I was about to go ballistic when I realized the honor I had to be able to serve on a jury...after all that's the essence of America's judicial system. It's what we were all about.... I still didn't want to be there.Three days later we were done. Twelve citizens had appropriately passed a verdict on a case. I met some great people and left almost a little sad it was all over. It felt good to have been a part of our judicial system. And yes, I did feel pretty guilty I wanted out of it so badly.So when you're called the next time for jury duty I encourage you to buck up and do your civic duty. It beats the heck out of living in a country where there is no democracy run by a Saddam Hussein-type leader.Hey, I'm $6 a day richer too.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
A Day Late
I have had the opportunity over my life to meet incredible people from all walks of life in countries with cultures unique to my western way of thinking. One such person was Madame Glacidia in the mountains of Haiti.
I didn’t travel there to meet her specifically but she was there waiting on me when I arrived with a medical team one day. The group I was working with, Love A Child, holds medical clinics in small villages in Haiti away from the mass population of Port-au-Prince. Here, medical supplies were nonexistent and the hope of seeing a doctor or nurse was only a dream. Yet, nonetheless, we were here.
When you hold a medical clinic in these villages the power of “word-of-mouth” advertising is seen in it’s most powerful and efficient form. While the village may only have a few dozen residents, there are always hundreds present to receive medical care. They come from neighboring villages. Some close and some far. Some travel through the night to just have the opportunity to possibly see a doctor or nurse. There’s no HMOs, PPOs, or Assisted Living here. It’s just life…in its most primitive form.
Barely able to walk, Madame Glacidia approached the clinic. It was clear this woman was in excrutiating pain. She was delirious. She had a blood disease and it was bad. It had progressed so much in her body that her skin even had the stench of death. She was literally a dead woman walking. Unless a miracle happened…she would die. With her was her 6 month-old baby, her son and her husband. They were obviously very concerned. Sherry Burnette and the medical team did every thing they could that day to help her.
Two weeks later she was dead.
It’s overwhelming to witness such a needless death when all that was needed was proper nutrition and hygiene in the first place. But so many more die each day here in a country that is so close to the coast of Florida. We might as well have been on another planet.
What seemed to be a day late for Madame Glacidia was a day in the nick-of-time for so many others that day. From children suffering from malnutrition to worm infestations in almost every person the team encountered... medical miracles and wonders were wrought that hot summer afternoon. Lives were changed.
I don’t think I’ll forget Madame Glacidia. To me she represents how fragile every life is and how fleeting our time on this planet can be. And I don’t think I’ll forget the children I met that day either. They’re alive because a medical team came to their remote village one day in the mountains of Haiti.
For them, this was truly a life-defining moment. I think it was for me too.
I didn’t travel there to meet her specifically but she was there waiting on me when I arrived with a medical team one day. The group I was working with, Love A Child, holds medical clinics in small villages in Haiti away from the mass population of Port-au-Prince. Here, medical supplies were nonexistent and the hope of seeing a doctor or nurse was only a dream. Yet, nonetheless, we were here.
When you hold a medical clinic in these villages the power of “word-of-mouth” advertising is seen in it’s most powerful and efficient form. While the village may only have a few dozen residents, there are always hundreds present to receive medical care. They come from neighboring villages. Some close and some far. Some travel through the night to just have the opportunity to possibly see a doctor or nurse. There’s no HMOs, PPOs, or Assisted Living here. It’s just life…in its most primitive form.
Barely able to walk, Madame Glacidia approached the clinic. It was clear this woman was in excrutiating pain. She was delirious. She had a blood disease and it was bad. It had progressed so much in her body that her skin even had the stench of death. She was literally a dead woman walking. Unless a miracle happened…she would die. With her was her 6 month-old baby, her son and her husband. They were obviously very concerned. Sherry Burnette and the medical team did every thing they could that day to help her.
Two weeks later she was dead.
It’s overwhelming to witness such a needless death when all that was needed was proper nutrition and hygiene in the first place. But so many more die each day here in a country that is so close to the coast of Florida. We might as well have been on another planet.
What seemed to be a day late for Madame Glacidia was a day in the nick-of-time for so many others that day. From children suffering from malnutrition to worm infestations in almost every person the team encountered... medical miracles and wonders were wrought that hot summer afternoon. Lives were changed.
I don’t think I’ll forget Madame Glacidia. To me she represents how fragile every life is and how fleeting our time on this planet can be. And I don’t think I’ll forget the children I met that day either. They’re alive because a medical team came to their remote village one day in the mountains of Haiti.
For them, this was truly a life-defining moment. I think it was for me too.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Orange Coke
There’s nothing as special for a first time father as the time when his child is able to talk and to carry on a conversation. It’s our first glimpse into who they really are and what is rolling around in that little head of theirs...
I remember when my oldest son began to really talk. But one day is especially memorable. We were in my little red Nissan pickup heading off on a Saturday morning to do errands. Now remember Seth was only a little over a year old and just beginning to talk.
On this day I was driving down the back roads of North Carolina to pick up grass seed for our yard that I was determined to grow correctly into the showplace of our neighborhood. It’s a rite of passage in manhood you know. That fine balance of water, sun, fertilizer and weed killer to obtain the perfect yard. True American male. The only problem was I was failing miserably. I couldn’t afford the sprinkler system, in fact, in those days it was almost unheard of to have such a contraption buried in your yard unless you were a golf course. And the blazing North Carolina sun wasn’t helping me out much. Everything I planted seemed to burn up overnight. I was a man on a mission...gotta get that yard right. Maybe more nitrogen and water it a little longer every other day...hmmm.
Anyway, as we’re cruising down the road, Seth blurts out; “Hey Dad, know what?” “What son?” I replied. “I love you.” he responded.
Whoa! An arrow straight to the heart! I about swerved the truck off the road. Three little words from a toddler had just re-inserted me into the here and now from my venture into HGTV unconsciousness. Wow, my son told me he loved me! This was incredible! I didn’t even coax him or make him repeat those words after me. I was beaming, glowing, grinning and purely enjoying the moment. And then it hit…
“Dad?” Seth asked. “Yeah buddy, what’s up?” Here it comes I thought... another wonderful phrase of affirmation of me as a father from my son. “Can I get an orange Coke?” This was his term for the drink “Orange Crush”. And if you’re not from the south you probably won’t understand that everything carbonated falls into the “Coke” heading.
Suddenly, I realized I had probably been slyly manipulated. Outwitted by someone less than two years old. You know what? It didn’t matter. We stopped and bought that “orange coke” at the very next store.
That day has long passed and my son is off in college now making his own way, learning the ropes of everyday life. I don’t know why but I still remember that moment in the truck vividly. Maybe because it was unexpected. Maybe because it touched my heart so deeply. Or perhaps it was the first time I was manipulated and really didn’t care. Either way that day was a defining moment for me. Three little words that I still hold onto from a little boy barely able to talk.
God wants that same relationship with us. Just a little one-on-one time from us lights him up. Conversation, heart felt words… a relationship. Sure, he knows when we’re asking for something what our motivation is. But then again I think he just wants us to spend time with him, to let him into our lives. I wonder what would happen if we spent less time trying to figure out the latest doctrine, pondering and cracking the DaVinci code, or scouring scriptures only to prove our position on some theological argument and just spend time with our father. A relationship. I’m sure we’ll discover who he really is.
And we might just get an occasional “orange coke” along the way.
I remember when my oldest son began to really talk. But one day is especially memorable. We were in my little red Nissan pickup heading off on a Saturday morning to do errands. Now remember Seth was only a little over a year old and just beginning to talk.
On this day I was driving down the back roads of North Carolina to pick up grass seed for our yard that I was determined to grow correctly into the showplace of our neighborhood. It’s a rite of passage in manhood you know. That fine balance of water, sun, fertilizer and weed killer to obtain the perfect yard. True American male. The only problem was I was failing miserably. I couldn’t afford the sprinkler system, in fact, in those days it was almost unheard of to have such a contraption buried in your yard unless you were a golf course. And the blazing North Carolina sun wasn’t helping me out much. Everything I planted seemed to burn up overnight. I was a man on a mission...gotta get that yard right. Maybe more nitrogen and water it a little longer every other day...hmmm.
Anyway, as we’re cruising down the road, Seth blurts out; “Hey Dad, know what?” “What son?” I replied. “I love you.” he responded.
Whoa! An arrow straight to the heart! I about swerved the truck off the road. Three little words from a toddler had just re-inserted me into the here and now from my venture into HGTV unconsciousness. Wow, my son told me he loved me! This was incredible! I didn’t even coax him or make him repeat those words after me. I was beaming, glowing, grinning and purely enjoying the moment. And then it hit…
“Dad?” Seth asked. “Yeah buddy, what’s up?” Here it comes I thought... another wonderful phrase of affirmation of me as a father from my son. “Can I get an orange Coke?” This was his term for the drink “Orange Crush”. And if you’re not from the south you probably won’t understand that everything carbonated falls into the “Coke” heading.
Suddenly, I realized I had probably been slyly manipulated. Outwitted by someone less than two years old. You know what? It didn’t matter. We stopped and bought that “orange coke” at the very next store.
That day has long passed and my son is off in college now making his own way, learning the ropes of everyday life. I don’t know why but I still remember that moment in the truck vividly. Maybe because it was unexpected. Maybe because it touched my heart so deeply. Or perhaps it was the first time I was manipulated and really didn’t care. Either way that day was a defining moment for me. Three little words that I still hold onto from a little boy barely able to talk.
God wants that same relationship with us. Just a little one-on-one time from us lights him up. Conversation, heart felt words… a relationship. Sure, he knows when we’re asking for something what our motivation is. But then again I think he just wants us to spend time with him, to let him into our lives. I wonder what would happen if we spent less time trying to figure out the latest doctrine, pondering and cracking the DaVinci code, or scouring scriptures only to prove our position on some theological argument and just spend time with our father. A relationship. I’m sure we’ll discover who he really is.
And we might just get an occasional “orange coke” along the way.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
The Cost
When we’re young we really don’t think much about life altering decisions. In fact, most of the time we are consumed with our careers, promotions, future mates, family and so forth. Mainly, it’s all about ourselves.
But decisions do come and they come in all sizes. Who you marry, what job you take and where you live are all big decisions. But sometimes it’s the decisions we didn’t see coming that affect our lives the most. And sometimes we didn’t even know it was coming when it happened.
Take George Mifflin for example. Most people have never heard of the man these days. But at one time he was present on the lips of most Americans. Politics always incite heated debates and opinions from all of us. The most polarizing is the presidency and who will be the next leader of the free world. George Mifflin was in line to be that man.
That’s right. In fact George Mifflin was already the Vice-President of the United States. His political history could not have been better. He came from a respected Philadelphia family, graduated from Princeton, mayor of Philadelphia, US District Attorney, US Senator and now in 1848 he was Vice President. President James K. Polk had announced he would not seek a second term. Absolutely nothing was in his path to keep him from winning the Democratic presidential nomination.
What happened next determined the future for George. There was split vote over a tax bill that was prominent in the nation’s attention: 27 for and 27 against. As presiding officer of the Senate, George would be the deciding vote.
Here was his dilemma. If he voted in accordance with the current administration’s policy, he would lose the support of the states he needed to win the presidential nomination. George Mifflin’s defining moment. Whether to do what he knew was right in his own heart and risk losing the political position of a lifetime or succumb to popular opinion and do what was the most beneficial for George Mifflin. What would you do? Sure we all like to think we’d make the right decision and take the high road. But when it’s you, that decision isn’t always easily reached. But George did know what he was doing and he voted the way he felt was right anyway, regardless what it might cost him. Well, you guessed it. One day he was the favorite son and the next he was bottom of the barrel. His own state, Pennsylvania, turned against him. The response in his hometown was so violent the state Sergeant at Arms had to be dispatched to rescue George’s family.
At the Democratic convention in 1848, he received three votes. Did you get that? THREE votes! I don’t know but I bet George thought often about his decision on that vote.
George Mifflin is long forgotten by most but his name is not. Surprised? George had become vice-president the same year the great state of Texas had joined the Union. The following year a handful of Texans got together and decided to name a village after George. It was so small that by the time George had died people were just beginning to call it a town.
And that town grew. And now when you travel by air across the country chances are you pass through that little village named after George. That’s George Mifflin Dallas.
Defining moments come in all forms and they don’t always end they way we think they ought to. But, they come anyway. Until you’ve faced a defining moment like George did you never can quite appreciate the quote: “To thine ownself be true”.
Good job, George. Thanks for the example you left us.
But decisions do come and they come in all sizes. Who you marry, what job you take and where you live are all big decisions. But sometimes it’s the decisions we didn’t see coming that affect our lives the most. And sometimes we didn’t even know it was coming when it happened.
Take George Mifflin for example. Most people have never heard of the man these days. But at one time he was present on the lips of most Americans. Politics always incite heated debates and opinions from all of us. The most polarizing is the presidency and who will be the next leader of the free world. George Mifflin was in line to be that man.
That’s right. In fact George Mifflin was already the Vice-President of the United States. His political history could not have been better. He came from a respected Philadelphia family, graduated from Princeton, mayor of Philadelphia, US District Attorney, US Senator and now in 1848 he was Vice President. President James K. Polk had announced he would not seek a second term. Absolutely nothing was in his path to keep him from winning the Democratic presidential nomination.
What happened next determined the future for George. There was split vote over a tax bill that was prominent in the nation’s attention: 27 for and 27 against. As presiding officer of the Senate, George would be the deciding vote.
Here was his dilemma. If he voted in accordance with the current administration’s policy, he would lose the support of the states he needed to win the presidential nomination. George Mifflin’s defining moment. Whether to do what he knew was right in his own heart and risk losing the political position of a lifetime or succumb to popular opinion and do what was the most beneficial for George Mifflin. What would you do? Sure we all like to think we’d make the right decision and take the high road. But when it’s you, that decision isn’t always easily reached. But George did know what he was doing and he voted the way he felt was right anyway, regardless what it might cost him. Well, you guessed it. One day he was the favorite son and the next he was bottom of the barrel. His own state, Pennsylvania, turned against him. The response in his hometown was so violent the state Sergeant at Arms had to be dispatched to rescue George’s family.
At the Democratic convention in 1848, he received three votes. Did you get that? THREE votes! I don’t know but I bet George thought often about his decision on that vote.
George Mifflin is long forgotten by most but his name is not. Surprised? George had become vice-president the same year the great state of Texas had joined the Union. The following year a handful of Texans got together and decided to name a village after George. It was so small that by the time George had died people were just beginning to call it a town.
And that town grew. And now when you travel by air across the country chances are you pass through that little village named after George. That’s George Mifflin Dallas.
Defining moments come in all forms and they don’t always end they way we think they ought to. But, they come anyway. Until you’ve faced a defining moment like George did you never can quite appreciate the quote: “To thine ownself be true”.
Good job, George. Thanks for the example you left us.
Monday, February 07, 2005
"Who wants to be BALANCED?"
"True Balance is in the Body of Christ"by Don Nori
Web: http://www.radicalgrace.org/ http://www.mercyplace.com/
I hate balance. There is nothing more boring than listening to a balanced person. He spends so much time building walls around what he says that he says nothing at all. People who say they are balanced are too concerned about being acceptable. I am not concerned about being acceptable. My concern is yielding enough to the One who possesses me from within that He can do through me whatever He wants to do. I hate balance. Folks who are balanced never change the world. They never affect society. They live safely within the boundaries of the status quo, never challenging the forces that control society, the culture, or the church system. They believe that by reinforcing what is, they will encourage folks to move on. Fact is, balance is the bane of progress. It leads us to believe everything is as it should be, when in reality we are desperate for change, anxious to see and hear from the Lord concerning the things still locked in the heavens. Though the heavens are pregnant with His purposes and eternity dips into time and space, balanced folk explain away the restlessness within. Balanced folk redirect our focus to what has always been. They have the uncanny ability to make the hungry feel guilty for their hunger and the restless feel rebellious for their questions. Balanced people are what everybody likes to have under their control. Balanced people don't ever rock the boat. But the Reformation never would have happened without imbalance. The Renaissance never would have happened without imbalance. The great revivals never would have happened without imbalance.
Imbalance is the key to our growth. It questions what we have done, why we are doing it, and where we are going.
An Adventure Waiting to Happen
Balance tries to convince us there is nothing new under the sun - when in fact everything is new under the sun. Balanced folk love to quote a frustrated and depressed old man who cries out in his depression, "There is nothing new under the sun!" But to our tiny masses of gray matter, everything is absolutely new. God may know everything, but I sure don't. For me, every day is an adventure waiting to happen. Every day is an irreplaceable opportunity to see, hear, and do things I have never even imagined could happen. Each day holds the possibility...no, the probability...no, the certainty that the heavens will open above me, and His Presence will flow within me creating an atmosphere of wonder and awe that will most certainly change me and the world around me. To be sure, there is nothing new to the Lord, but for us there are new mercies, new hopes, new possibilities opened to us every day if we are unbalanced enough to be open to them.
God Talks to Us Outside of the Box
God always talks to us outside the box we have constructed for ourselves. You know that box. It keeps you safe and assured that you are fine just as you are. Our nature is to always define circumstances, feelings, dreams, hopes, and possibilities within the parameters of what has always given us contentment. This box assures us that we are, well, balanced. But this thought is not new. Humans have always tried to re-box what God has un-boxed. Jesus warned us not to put new wine into old wineskins. Yes, the most boring person in the universe is a balanced person.
Church as We Know It is Over
The true pastor must minister from two perspectives. He will always be a pastor, looking out for the well-being of the people. But he will also be open to the new things God will speak to the people, even if what God says is out of the pastor's experience. His concern is for the safety of the flock, but his concern is also for the Church coming into the dream God has dreamed for each individual. He understands that heaven is our destination, but it is not our destiny. The Lord will send many to him to train, equip, and send off to who-knows-where. Not everyone God sends to him is there to expand his ministry. Believers should mostly come to go. They come to be trained and go to fulfill their destiny. The pastor must be sure of who he is and where he is, without feeling threatened when God sends someone with a greater gift than his own. He must always be secure and free enough to equip, train, and then release. He will most certainly have a base of permanent folks whose ministry it is to care for the needs and train those whom God sends. The Church becomes what God intended it to be - a school for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. The five-fold ministry are not the ones that travel the world. They equip and send out those whom they have trained.
Spiritual Specialists?
Why is it that when doctors study a specified medical area they are called specialists, but when Christians give themselves to a specialized area they are called unbalanced? Doctors must rely on their relationships with other doctors whose specializations are different from their own, thereby having experts in areas they know little or nothing about. Specialists in the medical profession build relationships with other doctors whose opinions they not only trust, but rely upon. This is a normal and expected practice. A doctor who tries to be individually thorough in his understanding of the intricate workings of the entire human body is, ironically, considered ineffective. He dismisses himself from the treasure of information and technique available to those who accept their own personal and professional limitations. The day of the general practitioner is quickly coming to an end. The day of the church system's one-man-show is too.
God Sounds Outrageous
God speaks to us outside of our paragons. Everything He says to us sounds outrageous. Our tendency is to dismiss those things that are risky. But when we dismiss the outrageous, we too often dismiss God. When God says something to us that we have never heard before, it often sounds exciting, even though it may bring fear to our hearts. Sometimes that fear turns to exhilaration at the thought of doing something so different. Subconsciously, however, we take a familiar course of action. In our minds, we visit all the people who are important to us to determine how they will react to this outrageous thing we have just heard. Once the votes are cast, most of the time we dismiss this outrageous, albeit exhilarating, thing we have heard, simply because most of the people we care about and who are important to us dismiss it. Even though we believe it, even though it made our heart sing and burn within us, we reject it because our friends have too. That is why so many end up doing what has always been done. Too many people fear the outrageous. They fear anything that God says outside the box they have created for themselves, which, by the way, they have secretly learned to despise. We all like to think of ourselves as so open-minded, so charismatic, so Spirit-filled, when in fact we have created a box in which everything we believe is locked. It keeps us balanced.
Balanced people never change the world. They put you to sleep.
Balance is not in the person.
Balance is in the Body of Christ.
Go Fly a Kite
When I was a kid, I loved to fly kites. My mom would often say to my twin brother, Ron, and I, "Boys, why don't you guys go fly a kite?" So we would. We spent hours in the golden meadows and fossil beds next to our rural Pennsylvania home. A kite is an awesome thing. Even in a shallow wind, it is determined to fly. As the wind grows stronger, the kite's paper panels stretch out as it soars for the heavens, as though never to return. Did you ever notice that a kite never seems to be content as it responds to the wind? As it pulls the string from the one holding it on the ground, the kite goes up as though on some secret mission. The kite has no concept that there is a limit as to how far the string will allow it to go. I was often the one holding the roll of string as the kite pulled away from us on its quest to go higher. The roll burned my fingers as we heard the whiz of the string chasing the kite heavenward. The wind often carried the kite until all the string was off the roll. We could barely see the kite, now only a dot against the sun-lit sky. I always hated when I was out of string, for it created a dilemma. It is never the kite that limits its own flight. The string is always the bad guy. When the string was out, I either had to run with the kite or pull it back down. The kite usually pulled so hard that I feared for the kite. I never really was certain how much stress the string could take before it snapped. So I would run with the kite. I would run until there was some sort of danger. Power lines, a tree, another kite, a highway...all were hindrances to the kite's ability to soar with the wind or my ability to give it what it really wanted: more string.
The Kite is Completely Sold Out to the Wind
All that kite wanted to do was fly, and there was no convincing it that imminent danger was ahead. The kite had captured the wind and wanted nothing more than to go with it, to yield to it, to go as far and as high and as fast as the wind dare take it. But when the string was gone, tension would mount and the exhilaration of the day quickly turned into stress as the battle to pull it back in ensued. I had to somehow work the string so as to gently bring the kite safely back to the ground. As many of you know, this is not an easy assignment. The kite is completely sold out to the wind and has no intentions of responding to someone earthbound and unable to experience the exhilaration of this kind of flight. I can still almost hear the kite as it battled for its life, "What are you doing? I thought you loved to fly! Let me go!" So the tension on the string grew as I called the kite back to earth. In my desire to give it string and yet protect it to fly another day, I found myself taking risks I would normally not take. I wanted it to soar on, but I did not want to lose the kite. Although I knew the string was essential to the kite's survival, it seemed the kite was begging to be released from what it perceived as unnecessary bondage. It was as though the kite wanted to cut its only connection to the ground. The irony is amazing. As soon as the kite gets its way, is freed from the string, it is doomed to crash, usually broken beyond repair.
Who Wants to be a Kite?
God-breathed friendships are like boys flying a kite. Sometimes you are the kite and sometimes you are the guy on the ground holding the string. I am free to be Spirit-blown into whatever God is calling me to be. I am free to catch the highest wind and go to places in the Spirit that I have never explored. But this is because I am in relationship with one or two who I know have my best interest at heart. Their only desire is for my well-being. I am convinced they have no personal agenda, no secret desires, or need to profit from any success I may have. I never have to be concerned that they will become jealous or envious of how I am used of the Lord. I am at peace with the knowledge that their prayer for me is pure and their desire for my success is genuine. The counsel I get is intended to bless and encourage, not to dominate or control. Their motivation is not jealousy or envy. It is love. As in any true covenant relationship, their hands are open, willing either to release or be wrong. Their love, prayers, and support do not waver by my decisions. Conversely, they carry in their heart the same understanding and confidence about my intentions toward them. This kind of relationship cannot be legislated or assigned. It cannot be determined by geographic region or personality test. It is determined by a heart-to-heart covenant that is tested and proven in the crucible of trial and fire. It develops over time as men and women make a daily conscious decision to respond to others as they themselves want to be loved and cared for. This place of trust in the heart of another can never be imposed; it can only be earned. To these folks, prayer is more than laying on of hands. To them, genuine relationship is in the laying on of the heart. The relationship that allows you to be everything you can be is born out of mutual respect, mutual honor, and of course, genuine love. These individuals believe in the calling that is on one another's life. They love, pray, trust, and give room to fly even when the skies are not so clear.
The balance is in the Body. It is not in me.
Out of String
Yes, there are times when the person on the ground is out of string. He feels the pressure of the kite pulling on his better judgment as it flies into uncharted skies. Sometimes it takes all his strength and faith to hold onto that relationship. Sometimes he will run down the street so the kite has more room to fly. When he runs out of street, he runs across the field, holding onto that kite string and praying that soon the kite will catch a smooth wind and settle in. Sometimes the way comes to an end and the strength of the string is tested to an extreme measure. But this situation is exactly why they have been forging a strong bond of covenant all this time. The relationship can stand the test of love and commitment when the mutual sense of covenant has been seared into their hearts. A broken string benefits no one. Without its tension, the kite falls to the ground. The very thing it wanted and desired becomes its downfall - its destruction. Instead of soaring higher and higher, it finds itself broken on the ground or torn by the limbs of a tree. The thing that gave it the power to soar is the one and same relationship that ultimately keeps it in touch with time and space. But the kite is not the only one affected. The one on the ground never would have looked up had the kite not been flying. He never would have been challenged to peer into things he has never before seen. If he were not looking up to the kite, he would never see the world as his friend sees it. He would have missed an essential element of God's heart for the nations. Because he is holding the kite, he cannot help but be affected by the wind that carries the kite heavenward.
We All Need Someone
Of course, this example will work in nearly every relationship in which we find ourselves engaged. I need the ones God puts in my life, and they need me. The prophetic slobbering of a prophet alone will drown the hearer in mystical saliva. The dusty words of a didactic teacher will choke even the most fervent believer. But when the prophet's slobber is mixed with the teacher's dusty words, they form a salve that will always open the eyes of the blind. We must let the ones we love fly. For we will never be satisfied until we ourselves are freed to fly. So we bathe one another in prayer with full confidence in the One who sends the wind and blows it under our wings. This is the freedom to soar. The balance is in the Body. Not in me.
by Don Nori
Web: http://www.radicalgrace.org/ http://www.mercyplace.com/
I hate balance. There is nothing more boring than listening to a balanced person. He spends so much time building walls around what he says that he says nothing at all. People who say they are balanced are too concerned about being acceptable. I am not concerned about being acceptable. My concern is yielding enough to the One who possesses me from within that He can do through me whatever He wants to do. I hate balance. Folks who are balanced never change the world. They never affect society. They live safely within the boundaries of the status quo, never challenging the forces that control society, the culture, or the church system. They believe that by reinforcing what is, they will encourage folks to move on. Fact is, balance is the bane of progress. It leads us to believe everything is as it should be, when in reality we are desperate for change, anxious to see and hear from the Lord concerning the things still locked in the heavens. Though the heavens are pregnant with His purposes and eternity dips into time and space, balanced folk explain away the restlessness within. Balanced folk redirect our focus to what has always been. They have the uncanny ability to make the hungry feel guilty for their hunger and the restless feel rebellious for their questions. Balanced people are what everybody likes to have under their control. Balanced people don't ever rock the boat. But the Reformation never would have happened without imbalance. The Renaissance never would have happened without imbalance. The great revivals never would have happened without imbalance.
Imbalance is the key to our growth. It questions what we have done, why we are doing it, and where we are going.
An Adventure Waiting to Happen
Balance tries to convince us there is nothing new under the sun - when in fact everything is new under the sun. Balanced folk love to quote a frustrated and depressed old man who cries out in his depression, "There is nothing new under the sun!" But to our tiny masses of gray matter, everything is absolutely new. God may know everything, but I sure don't. For me, every day is an adventure waiting to happen. Every day is an irreplaceable opportunity to see, hear, and do things I have never even imagined could happen. Each day holds the possibility...no, the probability...no, the certainty that the heavens will open above me, and His Presence will flow within me creating an atmosphere of wonder and awe that will most certainly change me and the world around me. To be sure, there is nothing new to the Lord, but for us there are new mercies, new hopes, new possibilities opened to us every day if we are unbalanced enough to be open to them.
God Talks to Us Outside of the Box
God always talks to us outside the box we have constructed for ourselves. You know that box. It keeps you safe and assured that you are fine just as you are. Our nature is to always define circumstances, feelings, dreams, hopes, and possibilities within the parameters of what has always given us contentment. This box assures us that we are, well, balanced. But this thought is not new. Humans have always tried to re-box what God has un-boxed. Jesus warned us not to put new wine into old wineskins. Yes, the most boring person in the universe is a balanced person.
Church as We Know It is Over
The true pastor must minister from two perspectives. He will always be a pastor, looking out for the well-being of the people. But he will also be open to the new things God will speak to the people, even if what God says is out of the pastor's experience. His concern is for the safety of the flock, but his concern is also for the Church coming into the dream God has dreamed for each individual. He understands that heaven is our destination, but it is not our destiny. The Lord will send many to him to train, equip, and send off to who-knows-where. Not everyone God sends to him is there to expand his ministry. Believers should mostly come to go. They come to be trained and go to fulfill their destiny. The pastor must be sure of who he is and where he is, without feeling threatened when God sends someone with a greater gift than his own. He must always be secure and free enough to equip, train, and then release. He will most certainly have a base of permanent folks whose ministry it is to care for the needs and train those whom God sends. The Church becomes what God intended it to be - a school for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. The five-fold ministry are not the ones that travel the world. They equip and send out those whom they have trained.
Spiritual Specialists?
Why is it that when doctors study a specified medical area they are called specialists, but when Christians give themselves to a specialized area they are called unbalanced? Doctors must rely on their relationships with other doctors whose specializations are different from their own, thereby having experts in areas they know little or nothing about. Specialists in the medical profession build relationships with other doctors whose opinions they not only trust, but rely upon. This is a normal and expected practice. A doctor who tries to be individually thorough in his understanding of the intricate workings of the entire human body is, ironically, considered ineffective. He dismisses himself from the treasure of information and technique available to those who accept their own personal and professional limitations. The day of the general practitioner is quickly coming to an end. The day of the church system's one-man-show is too.
God Sounds Outrageous
God speaks to us outside of our paragons. Everything He says to us sounds outrageous. Our tendency is to dismiss those things that are risky. But when we dismiss the outrageous, we too often dismiss God. When God says something to us that we have never heard before, it often sounds exciting, even though it may bring fear to our hearts. Sometimes that fear turns to exhilaration at the thought of doing something so different. Subconsciously, however, we take a familiar course of action. In our minds, we visit all the people who are important to us to determine how they will react to this outrageous thing we have just heard. Once the votes are cast, most of the time we dismiss this outrageous, albeit exhilarating, thing we have heard, simply because most of the people we care about and who are important to us dismiss it. Even though we believe it, even though it made our heart sing and burn within us, we reject it because our friends have too. That is why so many end up doing what has always been done. Too many people fear the outrageous. They fear anything that God says outside the box they have created for themselves, which, by the way, they have secretly learned to despise. We all like to think of ourselves as so open-minded, so charismatic, so Spirit-filled, when in fact we have created a box in which everything we believe is locked. It keeps us balanced.
Balanced people never change the world. They put you to sleep.
Balance is not in the person.
Balance is in the Body of Christ.
Go Fly a Kite
When I was a kid, I loved to fly kites. My mom would often say to my twin brother, Ron, and I, "Boys, why don't you guys go fly a kite?" So we would. We spent hours in the golden meadows and fossil beds next to our rural Pennsylvania home. A kite is an awesome thing. Even in a shallow wind, it is determined to fly. As the wind grows stronger, the kite's paper panels stretch out as it soars for the heavens, as though never to return. Did you ever notice that a kite never seems to be content as it responds to the wind? As it pulls the string from the one holding it on the ground, the kite goes up as though on some secret mission. The kite has no concept that there is a limit as to how far the string will allow it to go. I was often the one holding the roll of string as the kite pulled away from us on its quest to go higher. The roll burned my fingers as we heard the whiz of the string chasing the kite heavenward. The wind often carried the kite until all the string was off the roll. We could barely see the kite, now only a dot against the sun-lit sky. I always hated when I was out of string, for it created a dilemma. It is never the kite that limits its own flight. The string is always the bad guy. When the string was out, I either had to run with the kite or pull it back down. The kite usually pulled so hard that I feared for the kite. I never really was certain how much stress the string could take before it snapped. So I would run with the kite. I would run until there was some sort of danger. Power lines, a tree, another kite, a highway...all were hindrances to the kite's ability to soar with the wind or my ability to give it what it really wanted: more string.
The Kite is Completely Sold Out to the Wind
All that kite wanted to do was fly, and there was no convincing it that imminent danger was ahead. The kite had captured the wind and wanted nothing more than to go with it, to yield to it, to go as far and as high and as fast as the wind dare take it. But when the string was gone, tension would mount and the exhilaration of the day quickly turned into stress as the battle to pull it back in ensued. I had to somehow work the string so as to gently bring the kite safely back to the ground. As many of you know, this is not an easy assignment. The kite is completely sold out to the wind and has no intentions of responding to someone earthbound and unable to experience the exhilaration of this kind of flight. I can still almost hear the kite as it battled for its life, "What are you doing? I thought you loved to fly! Let me go!" So the tension on the string grew as I called the kite back to earth. In my desire to give it string and yet protect it to fly another day, I found myself taking risks I would normally not take. I wanted it to soar on, but I did not want to lose the kite. Although I knew the string was essential to the kite's survival, it seemed the kite was begging to be released from what it perceived as unnecessary bondage. It was as though the kite wanted to cut its only connection to the ground. The irony is amazing. As soon as the kite gets its way, is freed from the string, it is doomed to crash, usually broken beyond repair.
Who Wants to be a Kite?
God-breathed friendships are like boys flying a kite. Sometimes you are the kite and sometimes you are the guy on the ground holding the string. I am free to be Spirit-blown into whatever God is calling me to be. I am free to catch the highest wind and go to places in the Spirit that I have never explored. But this is because I am in relationship with one or two who I know have my best interest at heart. Their only desire is for my well-being. I am convinced they have no personal agenda, no secret desires, or need to profit from any success I may have. I never have to be concerned that they will become jealous or envious of how I am used of the Lord. I am at peace with the knowledge that their prayer for me is pure and their desire for my success is genuine. The counsel I get is intended to bless and encourage, not to dominate or control. Their motivation is not jealousy or envy. It is love. As in any true covenant relationship, their hands are open, willing either to release or be wrong. Their love, prayers, and support do not waver by my decisions. Conversely, they carry in their heart the same understanding and confidence about my intentions toward them. This kind of relationship cannot be legislated or assigned. It cannot be determined by geographic region or personality test. It is determined by a heart-to-heart covenant that is tested and proven in the crucible of trial and fire. It develops over time as men and women make a daily conscious decision to respond to others as they themselves want to be loved and cared for. This place of trust in the heart of another can never be imposed; it can only be earned. To these folks, prayer is more than laying on of hands. To them, genuine relationship is in the laying on of the heart. The relationship that allows you to be everything you can be is born out of mutual respect, mutual honor, and of course, genuine love. These individuals believe in the calling that is on one another's life. They love, pray, trust, and give room to fly even when the skies are not so clear.
The balance is in the Body. It is not in me.
Out of String
Yes, there are times when the person on the ground is out of string. He feels the pressure of the kite pulling on his better judgment as it flies into uncharted skies. Sometimes it takes all his strength and faith to hold onto that relationship. Sometimes he will run down the street so the kite has more room to fly. When he runs out of street, he runs across the field, holding onto that kite string and praying that soon the kite will catch a smooth wind and settle in. Sometimes the way comes to an end and the strength of the string is tested to an extreme measure. But this situation is exactly why they have been forging a strong bond of covenant all this time. The relationship can stand the test of love and commitment when the mutual sense of covenant has been seared into their hearts. A broken string benefits no one. Without its tension, the kite falls to the ground. The very thing it wanted and desired becomes its downfall - its destruction. Instead of soaring higher and higher, it finds itself broken on the ground or torn by the limbs of a tree. The thing that gave it the power to soar is the one and same relationship that ultimately keeps it in touch with time and space. But the kite is not the only one affected. The one on the ground never would have looked up had the kite not been flying. He never would have been challenged to peer into things he has never before seen. If he were not looking up to the kite, he would never see the world as his friend sees it. He would have missed an essential element of God's heart for the nations. Because he is holding the kite, he cannot help but be affected by the wind that carries the kite heavenward.
We All Need Someone
Of course, this example will work in nearly every relationship in which we find ourselves engaged. I need the ones God puts in my life, and they need me. The prophetic slobbering of a prophet alone will drown the hearer in mystical saliva. The dusty words of a didactic teacher will choke even the most fervent believer. But when the prophet's slobber is mixed with the teacher's dusty words, they form a salve that will always open the eyes of the blind. We must let the ones we love fly. For we will never be satisfied until we ourselves are freed to fly. So we bathe one another in prayer with full confidence in the One who sends the wind and blows it under our wings. This is the freedom to soar. The balance is in the Body. Not in me.
by Don Nori
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Story of Two Frenchmen
Several years ago I visited Egypt. It was incredible! The site of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids was absolutely stunning. You can’t help but be overtaken by the sheer genius of the projects. Without modern machinery men had left an indelible mark on the world with creations that have lasted for thousands of years.
When you see such great accomplishments that have been made so many years ago, we are often encouraged and motivated to do something ourselves that we’ve never done before. To leave a mark on the world. Two Frenchmen had that very same feeling when they visited Egypt in 1856. While they didn’t know each other before their journey they were on a course of destiny to meet each other in a country so far from their home.
Both men shared how the sight of the marvels of Egypt had moved them. One of the men, Ferdinand, shared his own dream of a modern day marvel that he could leave behind. Shipping lanes that traversed the oceans had to travel around the southern coast of Africa to travel east to west. The voyage took thousands of miles to complete. If there was a way to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea through a man-made canal the trip would be reduced to a startling 105 miles! Most considered Ferdinand’s plan somewhat entertaining but it wasn’t taken very seriously.
But here in Egypt, another Frenchman had taken his plan quite serious and suggested a contribution of his own. He would design a lighthouse that would be twice the size of the sphinx. It would stand at the entrance of the canal welcoming travelers traveling eastward as a beacon of western civilization. Both men agreed their dreams deserved to come true.
In 1859, Ferdinand won the approval of the authorities and began the project that lasted ten years. Now we know it as the Suez Canal. On the other hand the Frenchman that Ferdinand had befriended in Egypt spent years designing his lighthouse for the canal. Countless sketches and models were constructed until at last a design was satisfactory.
The design was quite original but he had one problem. The one thing he needed most for his lighthouse to be completed was the funds to build it. And they simply weren’t there.
Two dreamers. One with a fulfilled dream and one so close but so far from ever being realized. I’m sure he was devastated. To have come this far and not acquire the funding would’ve been be disastrous. Embarrassing to say the least.
But things did change. Several years later another country inquired about the need for a design from the Frenchman. He accepted and was finally able to deliver his dream lighthouse for the world to see. It wasn’t where it was designed to be but then again it was a good place to be. Today, you would agree this was a much better place for such a lighthouse.
That lighthouse, twice the size of the Sphinx, that was supposed to be a beacon of western civilization welcoming voyagers as they traveled through the Suez canal would find another home instead. The designer was Auguste Bartholdi and the lighthouse stands in New York Harbor and is a sign of freedom for all that travel there from around the world, The Statue of Liberty.
Defining moments. Sometimes they land where we didn’t plan them to.
When you see such great accomplishments that have been made so many years ago, we are often encouraged and motivated to do something ourselves that we’ve never done before. To leave a mark on the world. Two Frenchmen had that very same feeling when they visited Egypt in 1856. While they didn’t know each other before their journey they were on a course of destiny to meet each other in a country so far from their home.
Both men shared how the sight of the marvels of Egypt had moved them. One of the men, Ferdinand, shared his own dream of a modern day marvel that he could leave behind. Shipping lanes that traversed the oceans had to travel around the southern coast of Africa to travel east to west. The voyage took thousands of miles to complete. If there was a way to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea through a man-made canal the trip would be reduced to a startling 105 miles! Most considered Ferdinand’s plan somewhat entertaining but it wasn’t taken very seriously.
But here in Egypt, another Frenchman had taken his plan quite serious and suggested a contribution of his own. He would design a lighthouse that would be twice the size of the sphinx. It would stand at the entrance of the canal welcoming travelers traveling eastward as a beacon of western civilization. Both men agreed their dreams deserved to come true.
In 1859, Ferdinand won the approval of the authorities and began the project that lasted ten years. Now we know it as the Suez Canal. On the other hand the Frenchman that Ferdinand had befriended in Egypt spent years designing his lighthouse for the canal. Countless sketches and models were constructed until at last a design was satisfactory.
The design was quite original but he had one problem. The one thing he needed most for his lighthouse to be completed was the funds to build it. And they simply weren’t there.
Two dreamers. One with a fulfilled dream and one so close but so far from ever being realized. I’m sure he was devastated. To have come this far and not acquire the funding would’ve been be disastrous. Embarrassing to say the least.
But things did change. Several years later another country inquired about the need for a design from the Frenchman. He accepted and was finally able to deliver his dream lighthouse for the world to see. It wasn’t where it was designed to be but then again it was a good place to be. Today, you would agree this was a much better place for such a lighthouse.
That lighthouse, twice the size of the Sphinx, that was supposed to be a beacon of western civilization welcoming voyagers as they traveled through the Suez canal would find another home instead. The designer was Auguste Bartholdi and the lighthouse stands in New York Harbor and is a sign of freedom for all that travel there from around the world, The Statue of Liberty.
Defining moments. Sometimes they land where we didn’t plan them to.
Welcome!
Well, here it is!
Years in the making, I've stepped "over the line" and I'm posting some of my writings that I've accumulated over the years. I hope you'll find them interesting, thought provoking and encouraging.
We all have a tendency to plod our way through life oblivious to "life opportunities" around us everyday. This is a chance to read something that might just be about someone you've heard of, someone you never heard of or something that makes you think about your life and the life of those around you.
I hope you enjoy the blog and I appreciate your comments!
-Gene
Years in the making, I've stepped "over the line" and I'm posting some of my writings that I've accumulated over the years. I hope you'll find them interesting, thought provoking and encouraging.
We all have a tendency to plod our way through life oblivious to "life opportunities" around us everyday. This is a chance to read something that might just be about someone you've heard of, someone you never heard of or something that makes you think about your life and the life of those around you.
I hope you enjoy the blog and I appreciate your comments!
-Gene
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