Where have all the cowboys gone?

Bring the Pain!

2010-11-06T21:27:00.005-04:00

“The very greatest things – great thoughts, discoveries, inventions – have usually been nurtured in hardship, often pondered over in sorrow, and at length with difficulty.”
Samuel Smiles (1812-1904)

Ezekiel 1:1-
1 In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2 On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— 3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was on him.
4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. 23 Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty,[b] like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
25 Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
I know…I know…you are thinking to yourself, “This kids, is why you should not do drugs.” This is how Ezekiel 1 begins. So if you are like me and think, A) How did this book survive over the past 2500 years and B) It is 2010 and what is there in this book for me as a “sophisticated modern”?
Before I get started on what I want to write about, I would like to point out to you the creature Ezekiel is describing a Cherubim, or what is known as an Angel. When we picture angels, do you picture them like 4 winged creatures with 4 faces of different animals or do you imagine a pretty woman with 2 wings and a halo? I just want to say that the image you hold of an angel is nowhere in the Bible. Your Christmas card is wrong as is all those paintings from renowned artists of the Renaissance. If you crack open your Bible a little more, you too might wonder where all these false images are created. Cherubs aren’t cute, fat little naked babies with tiny wings. Cool? Ok…I am done, just a small pet peeve of mine.
We read of a man named Ezekiel whose father is Buzi by a river somewhere who has this “sci-fi vision in 3D” and his response is he falls face down. Then there are all these fantastic over the top elements. There is a wind, a really ferocious wind, and there is lightning. It is bright and powerful. It involves the elements. It involves nature. Then there are these creatures. These creatures have 4 faces. One of them is a human face and it also has a face of an eagle. And one like an ox and one of a lion. You can try to track this in your mind with all sorts of images but it becomes really hard to see. Then my personal favorite verse in all the Bible is verse 18- “Their rims were high and awesome.” If you are like me, I know exactly what you thought of.

We know what rims are. This is how the book of Ezekiel opens. I don’t know if that is exactly what Ezekiel had in mind but for us we may see it that way. So in the middle of all this is a throne that is amazing with an unimaginably rare stone on it whose appearance flashes blinding light. All of this causes Ezekiel to fall face down and worship God. How does that work? Why did he?
As we have learned before…there is generally a story behind a story. This is why the Bible too often gets confusing to readers, or misinterpreted. The question you have to ask yourself is, “Is there some other thing going on?”
First off, in order to get at that we discover in verse 3, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel The priest. A priest in the Hebrew Scriptures worked in the Temple which was in Jerusalem. There are many artist renderings of what the Temple would have looked like. Just Google it and you can see for yourself. First, understand that in the Jewish consciousness, spirituality was oriented around geography. For you and I as Christians, the question of where is God would have been answered very differently than a priest in Ezekiel. The Jewish consciousness in this time was that God had a geographical place where God was essentially more present. God resided in a particular place, namely the Temple. Their sense of spirituality had a sense of geography. Where is God, oh…He is in the Temple there in Jerusalem. When Ezekiel is identified as a priest, Ezekiel’s job is to run and organize and facilitate the work of the Temple which was to create a place where people could come from all over the world and make sacrifices to make peace with and be connected to God. The priest had a code, a law, and a set of rules that they were to follow.
Like the book of Leviticus that describes the regulations and commands for the burnt offering. Leviticus 1:14 14 “‘If the offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, you are to offer a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He is to remove the crop and the feathers and throw them down east of the altar where the ashes are. 17 He shall tear it open by the wings, not dividing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is burning on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.

This is just one, but there are tons of them in there just like this. Read them for yourself one day. So when you hear Ezekiel is a priest, you should immediately understand the regulations that he follows are strict and precise. This is how he is commanded to run the Temple. Now if you went to the Temple one year and came back the next and wondered if it was ran the same way…you would not hear the priest say, “Well, we just thought we would spice it up a bit. We added a horn section to the band.” No! What does the priest do? The regulations. Year after year after year. To be a priest is to be about order, repetition, and symmetry. A priest is the ultimate company man. The priest has some TPS reports to fill out. The priest will do the paperwork on that one. As we get into the psychology of Ezekiel and we learn that he is a priest, we learn that a priest is somebody that did the same thing, year after year, creating a place where people could come to worship God. The world was chaotic. The world can be very dark. The world can be disorienting, and profoundly unsafe, but if you come to the Temple, there is order, stability, consistency, and this is what God is like.
In another part of Ezekiel we learn that Buzi, his father, was a priest as well. So this man is second generation Temple man. This man is a company man. Then in Ezekiel 8:1 you read 1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, why do the elders sit before him? That is because he is respected and has earned a reputation. It points out that this is a man who functions well within a set system that has been established for the worship for God and even others that have the same role come to him for advice. But then, what happens to Jerusalem? A foreign empire conquers Jerusalem. Notice what happens in 2 Chronicles verse 17 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 18 He carried to Babylon (700 miles across a desert) all the articles from the Temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD’s Temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire to God’s Temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.
When the book opens Ezekiel is by the river Kebar, the river Kebar is in Babylon. There is no Temple left. And he, along with those who survived have been enslaved and been hauled 700 miles across a desert to a foreign land. That is why the story begins by a river. Oh! And we also discover in Ezekiel Chapter 24 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. So not only has he lost his job, possessions, freedom, he also loses his wife.
When the book of Ezekiel opens, it jumps around a bit in time. This is a man who has lost everything. He is extracted from the world that he knows and is considered an authority. He has established this presence where people can come to him for wisdom, but that seems to be lost now. He has lost his family, and his Temple, his vocation, his homeland and he is now enslaved so he has also lost his freedom. This man has lost everything. It is not that he is distracted from everything that is familiar around him, it is because he is in Babylon.
The main god that is in Babylon is a goddess known as Ishtar. There was a massive Ishtar gate that when you were hauled into the city as someone who was conquered, you would be brought in through the Ishtar gate as a sort of way to say you are no longer home. You are in our house now. You are in Ishtar’s house now.
In the early 1900’s they dug up a portion of the Ishtar gates. These foreign slaves would have been dragged through it. This is a picture of the gates, it is now located in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

They would have brought them through these gates and said symbolically, “You are not in Kansas anymore. You are in Babylon. You are in the goddess Ishtar’s house.” This man Ezekiel, the company man, knows one God, his God. The God of his people in Israel. His temple has been destroyed. Where is his God now that the place his God resides no longer exists? It is not just that though, he is now in another god’s place.
A little background on Ishtar real quick. She was the divine personification of Venus, the goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. This is a quote from the Epic of Gilgamesh (which is one of the great classics) “If you refuse to give me the Bull of Heaven [then] I will break in the doors of hell and smash the bolts”. This is like the heavy metal goddess. She is ready to rip it up. This is not a kind loving god. This is Ishtar, and this is where he finds himself. And it is here by the river where this broken man receives this unbelievably fantastic, pulsating, vibrant, creative, imaginative, sci-fi, over the top vision in which he realizes God is present. It is here where he falls face down and worships not in the Temple in Jerusalem, but 700 miles away in Babylon. Do you now see why this book has survived? It is one of the first realizations that God is no longer locked inside this Temple but is amongst us everywhere.
Now, here are a couple of insights. Sometimes, God goes around the mind and goes directly to the heart and imagination. Some pain is too hard for our minds to comprehend and so God sometimes has to go around our mind and speak directly to our hearts. What you find in this vision is Ezekiel experiences something that blows his mind but it speaks to his heart. One scholar, John Taylor, says it this way, “This is how God revealed himself to Ezekiel, not by propositions regarding his character, but in personal encounter.” He says God does not show up by the river and say is a soft sweet voice, “Do you not recall that I am A) omniscient, B) omnipotent, C) good, D) nice?” God shows up in power and explosive creativity that says, “I am here!” Sometimes God has to go directly to your heart.
There is this great moment where Jesus is interacting with his disciples and they ask Him, “Why do you speak in parables?” Ya, why does Jesus speak in parables? Because a parable has a way of going around your mind and sneaking in and grabbing hold of your heart. All of a sudden you don’t really understand what is happening but you somehow identify with others at that moment. You are at that very moment seized with this idea that I am the Pharisee with all that judgment. You see yourself as others see you because the parable allows you to relate and see things in a different perspective. Do you know what I am saying? You don’t have a cognitive thought, but at some deeper level you can relate to a character flaw you see in yourself that is told in the parable. How about some song that you hear that captures you in your heart?
Think about the things that we say when we suffer. Think about the things we say to our friends. “But it doesn’t make sense. Someone please explain to me. I just don’t understand.” How many of you heard this? IN THE FACE OF GREAT SUFFERING YOU OFTEN HEAR PEOPLE SAY, “I JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND. I NEED MY MIND TO GET THIS” But this pain is too great. Our mind is never going to get it. God does this because He understands how we are wired, and understands that for many of us, our mind is our God. With God realizing this He knows that if He just tried to reason with you, it won’t work. He then goes around your mind and gets into your heart. He uses the parable to get into your heart to give you peace, to give you calm, to give you hope, to give you a vision of the future, and go right into your heart and give it to you there. Because if He gave it to you in your mind, you are just going to try and figure it out and you are going to screw it up. Are you following what I am writing? Do you see why this genre of literature in Ezekiel we read and think this is crazy? This is absurd. What the hell is he smoking? That is unless, you really really suffered, and then you totally get it. What happens to us is when we get spoken to; in some profound way we find there is life there. We meet somebody who is going through something that is horrible and you hear them say, “I can’t even begin to explain why it happened but all I know is there is I was given this picture of a calm body of water, and it somehow is sustaining me.” Why is that? Because, sometimes, God has to go to our imagination or go to a picture, or go to a vision, because that is where we really live from.
For Ezekiel, what easily happens by the river when you are 700 miles from home after everything has fallen apart is you make decisions about how things are going to go. It is never going to get better. It is never going to improve. It is always going to be bad and I am going to be here for the rest of my life. It is over. There is no God. Jerusalem will never be rebuilt. The God of Israel is a hoax and it is in those moments we have figured everything out and we have decided how it is going to go. But God says, “Really? I don’t think so because I am here now.”
Secondly, I would say this about Ezekiel. What you see here in chapter 1 is that some things can only be learned in exile. Before this happened, Ezekiel was at the top his game in the Temple with the elders asking him for wisdom, doing his tasks with great skill and expertise. If you would have said to Ezekiel, “You know what? The God of Israel is just as present in the Temple as He is in Babylon.” Ezekiel would respond, “What? Oh that’s BS. Come on. God is in Jerusalem. Our God dwells with us here. That is how it works.” I would assume Ezekiel would argue with you to the end. But he ends up in exile and it is there by the river he discovers the truth. To me it is as if God says to Ishtar, “I am in your house now.” God shows up in Babylon. Would Ezekiel have ever understood that until it happened? Some things you can only learn when everything falls apart.
In John 4, there is this fascinating discussion between this woman that Jesus runs into and Jesus. Our ancestors, she says, worshipped on this mountain but you Jews claim that the place that we must worship is in Jerusalem. Jesus begins to talk about her personal life and her choices in regards to this whole series of men she has slept with. Then SHE changes the subject. That is because women were totally different back then. They don’t do this anymore right? Not really…but that’s another topic. Moving along… She essentially says we worship on this mountain and you Jews worship on that mountain. Meaning, we think God is on our mountain and you think God is on your mountain. This is a huge difference, and how are you going to reconcile that? Jesus responds, “Woman, believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” She is like; you say God is there, we say God is here so let’s argue about it. Jesus says there is going to come a time when you’ll worship God on neither mountain. Now here is why this is so important and profound and why I would argue this has incredible implications for 2010.
There is a tendency among religious people to localize their God. “Our God resides here.” Too often people territorialize God. Too often people tame their God and fit Him into their place. This God is my God. We are terribly advanced but there are also baffling ways in which we are terribly primitive. We localize our God. What happens in the exile is God shows up in Ishtar’s house in a blazing, radiant, luminous, explosive way. Ezekiel realizes, yes I have spent my whole life in the Temple, but God apparently is just as much by the river as He is in the Temple. This God cannot be localized. Wherever you go there this God is.
This is the fear. This is the haunting fear that the action of God is somewhere else. Take whatever it is that you do each day, that haunting fear that God is somewhere else…He is not in this cubicle, or in the back room of the warehouse where we put things in boxes to send them around the country. God is not here in this bathroom cleaning the toilets with me. God is not in this classroom. He is not in this task. He is not in this apartment complex. I have been doing this job for 17 years and I will tell you, trust me, the divine action is somewhere else. There is no divine presence in this factory. There is no divine presence in the hallways of this school. No, you have got to understand, this is a dark secular place. God is over there or on Sunday morning, or in that school, or in that building, or…if I was just over there in that hospital I would be able to be closer to Him. If I was just at another base, or in another job. Sometimes we localize God in places that we aren’t. That fear that haunts us that the action is somewhere else. If anybody ever believed that, it should have been Ezekiel who is ripped from the Temple that is then destroyed and He finds himself by the river where God shows up with rims that are high and awesome. This is blowing his entire consciousness into pieces. “Ezekiel, I can show up wherever I want, whenever I want.” Can you imagine for a good company man whose company has just been burnt to the ground, a man who has done the repetition and followed the regulations every day of his life, can you imagine how this would have affected him? I would say this, for Ezekiel, God is that which comes after the Temple, after Jerusalem, after the alter, and after religion. That is what happens in Ezekiel 1. Ezekiel meets the God hanging around after Ezekiel’s “religion” has been blown into a thousand pieces. GOD IS THAT WHICH CAN SURVIVE EVEN YOUR RELIGION BEING BURNED TO THE GROUND! He had his construct, his paradigm of spiritual and religious beliefs about his God and it gets blown into a million smithereens. Who does he meet on the other end of all that but the God whose radiance shines with such beauty that he falls face down.
How does chapter 1 end? It ends with a priest falling facedown by a river in Babylon. Wow! This is not just about Ezekiel. God is that which is after our words, God is that after our theology, after our doctrine, after your view of the Bible, after Christianity as you understand that. God can survive even that. Because what will happen, and I have seen this happen hundreds of times, is that somebody was born, raised or taught, or picked up along the way a particular conception of God, Jesus, Bible, Salvation etc. and they encounter experiences and relationships in which that no longer works the way it used to. And so what immediately happens is, well maybe there is no God, maybe there is no hope, maybe there is no truth, maybe there is no grounding or center of my being. Maybe this is all just a man made lie. No…no…no…whatever it is you are taking apart, whatever doesn’t work like it used to and you are poking holes in it and you are realizing that pieces of it don’t work any longer. Whatever that process is and you find yourself on the other side; the one’s whose rims are high and awesome will be waiting for you.
There is nothing to fear. There is nothing to be concerned about. There is nothing to tremble over. The divine is just that. It is left over after everything else has failed you. We take great passion with our words. We love theology and uphold doctrines. We obviously open the Bible all at the same time and must say the scripture together out loud. For what? Knowing that if all we thought were true burns to the ground what would that mean to you? Because that is what happened to Ezekiel. He still found God on the other side holding him in His embrace. Leading us in our hearts and speaking to us with wild imagination is what we need to hear.
One last thought. The invitation in exile, this God that Ezekiel encountered doesn’t need a religion, doesn’t need an alter, doesn’t need a theological system or a statement of beliefs to show up in order for Him to have His power, glory and beauty. Our invitation is to let the pain be our teacher. Ezekiel is in great pain. He is miles from home. His whole world view has been shattered. His wife died. He is 700 miles across the desert from anything familiar. He is in Ishtar’s house. And there, in extraordinary pain he meets a God that is free from geography. That God assured him you are going to be ok. The pain of his exile becomes his teacher. The pain opens him up to all new realities about God. Is there any pain or exile you are feeling? Has anything been turned upside down? Has anything been lost or burned to the ground? Often when this happens, our temptation is to figure out how to avoid it, get around it, ignore it, or how to just get through it. But the pain can be our teacher. What we see with Ezekiel is a man that goes from deep despair to worship. Meet God by the river, in the disorientation, dislocation in the foreign land, after what you had clung so tightly to is lost. When there is no hope for you, open your eyes because God meets you there.

Don't be a fad

2010-09-10T11:50:00.012-04:00

"Aging is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength."
Betty Friedan (1921-2006)

I would like to explore a way of understanding age and particularly time and the ways in which time is connected with and is disconnected from our growth.

This is a picture of Joshua Slocum.
Joshua Slocum was a merchant sailor that traveled extensively. With the invention of the steam powered boats, his craft of sailing eventually became extinct and he was soon out of business.

In 1892 Joshua Slocum was given a sailing ship the owner did not want. The boat was called The Spray.

Here is a picture of The spray.

This boat was in horrible shape. Joshua went out to the woods with an axe, chopped down some trees and out of the trees made new planks and rebuilt this ship.
In 1895, he got in the boat harbored in Boston, and sailed around the world, 46,000 miles. He figured out how to rig it so it would sail by itself while he slept. He was often attacked by pirates. One of those stories he wrote about is once, he saw the ship preparing to attack so he himself visible to them, then ran down below deck, changed clothes, ran back up and made himself visible again. Ran back down below, changed clothes, ran back up and repeated this several times. They thought there were multiple people on the boat and decided to not attack. This was the brilliance of Joshua Slocum. Before bed, he would pour nails all over the ship so if anybody tried to board while he was sleeping they would injure themselves. He at one point had a whole family of dolphins for hundreds if not thousands of miles trailing him. One day a shark came behind the boat and was going to eat one of the dolphins. So he took an iron skillet and tied it to a rope. He knew the shark would think it was something it could eat, so when the shark got close, he held the rope with his foot and pulled out a shotgun and killed the shark. This was Joshua Slocum. There are many stories about him. He wrote am amazing book about his journeys. On the week of my birthday, I think back to it and inspired me to write about aging. The book is called "Sailing alone around the world."

When he left Boston in The Spray that he built by hand from logs he chopped down himself, he was 51. When you think about your life, do you think, wow, when I am 51 that is when the adventure is going to start? When I am 51, I am going to be in the woods chopping down trees, sailing the world, and shooting sharks with shotguns, all alone? When you think about your life, when will you peak? When does your adventure begin?

This is Sue Oldum

When she was 61, she became the oldest person to swim the English Channel. 16 hours and 3 minutes. She did it again last month, Aug 2010, at 64. When you are in your 60's is that when you say I am going to put on a swim suit and swim to a different country?

This is the great architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Much of his work was trying to create the most seamless integration between which humans build and what nature creates. So for him, the highest form of architecture was one that seamlessly blends into its natural surroundings. One of the places that really inspired him was on the prairies of central Wisconsin. Then, after spending years on the the open flat spaces of the Midwest, he took a group of his students to the desert in Arizona. He bought hundreds of aces of land from the government East of Scottsdale at the foot of the McDowell Mountains. This area back then was very harsh and had extreme weather. Today it is now a utopia of sub-divisions, but at his time it was not that at all. He took tools and spent hours upon hours of digging into the rocks. Think about this, back then there weren't public water fountains there. So, he had to get water in the middle of the desert. They lived in tents, and built a compound called Taliesin West. It is beautiful. One of his students is quoted as saying, "For a number of years we spent all day just digging rock." When FLW did this, he was 70. When you are 70, are you going to go out in the desert with a shovel, without little electricity and dig for years to build a compound? It now has water and a pool, electricity, and a massive dinner theatre area. When you are in your 70's, is that when you will start new adventures?

This video is of John and Polly Lewis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzlT5Obmsdo

They are in their 80's! Almost 90's!!! Do you think to yourself that when I am 89, that is when I will be at the top of my parenting game?

This is Georgia O'Keeffe.
She died at 98. One of America's most wonderful painters. Her friends say that up until the the weeks before her death, she was still painting at 98. Still painting at the top of her game. Have your best years gone by?

Is life a sort of explosion of youth? You hit your peak of relevance, connectivity, importance, and then from there a tapering effect occurs as you get older and older and then you die? How does the arch go?
2 Cor 4:16, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
It may look like crap on the outside, but on the inside God is not wasting a single day and is making new life. Not a day goes by without His unfolding grace.
The phrase lose heart in the Greek language is the work KaKa. You might have learned this word in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." KaKa is a negative word. Paul is saying to the church in Corinth that there is no KaKa here. There is no losing heart here. What God is doing is renewing us every single day. This word renewing is derived from the Greek Ana Kanu. Ana means again, Kanos or Kanu means new. This is used most of the time when speaking of a freshness. So together, Ana Kanu, is used to mean God is making us new and fresh again every day. And the next day, new again. And the next day, new again. That is why there is no KaKa here. God is making us new again.
Here is why it is significant to me. In the Greek, there are two words that literally mean new. The first is neos, or neo. That word is used when referring to something about time. For instance, when you are gone for a while and you return home and want some milk, and you question is it a new carton? That is the word used there. New, neos. By this you mean how old is it? This passage does not use that type of new. Kanu is the kind of new that has nothing to do with the relation of time. Somethings can be new in relation to time, and yet be very stale right away. It can be newly created and yet it is nothing new cause we have seen that hundreds of times before. The word kanu is something else, which is very old, and yet some surprising way new in regard to the redemptive unexpected life giving of God.
I am just feeling a strong pull to go away from the things we think are new because right now, I am in a place of life where an idea that is very old, feels so fresh and new. My new goal in life is to avoid becoming a fad, and attempt to bring new, and refreshing life to friends in an old fashion sort of way. I mean the small little details of time we desire to spend with each other. The cards, the letters, the phone calls, and the small concept of listening and caring what occurs in peoples lives. Why is that people are surprised that I remember what you told me last week? That is truly what our society needs right now. The popular cheerleader aint so popular as an adult. Do you understand what I am saying? Yet, we always knew this would happen. We have to understand that our time and how we spend it with others is what makes life amazing. Stop the Kaka and show your friends that you care. Bring new life in an old way.

Bring Me A Bowl

2010-07-02T03:42:00.020-04:00

"If you can solve your problems, then what good is worrying about them? If you cannot solve your problems, then why worry about them?"

-Shantideva

"Worry goes down better with soup than without."

-Jewish Proverb

Have you ever read a story in the Bible and thought, “I don’t get it.”? Short and to the point. I am going to cover one of those here by one of my favorite sections of the Bible. The first 4 chapters of 2 Kings.(My first being the first 4 chapters of Galatians)

2 Kings 2:19The men of the city (the city is Jericho if you didn’t know) said to Elisha, "Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive." 20 "Bring me a new bowl," he said, "and put salt in it." So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, "This is what the LORD says: 'I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.' " 22 And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.
I don’t get it. Hey, our land is unproductive because our water is bad so bring a new bowl with some salt in it. Throw in the salt…there, God says everything is taken care of. And that is the story.Here is a picture of Jericho.

As you hopefully read in a previous blog, there is always a narrative behind the narrative. There is always a story behind the story and a history behind the history. Jericho had a very complicated strange history. All this that happened with the salt, land, spring, water, Elijah, and the people is riding on top of another story. What we are going to look at is a story rooted in what I would call a pre-modern consciousness. Today, we have cars, computers, and massive technology which forces us to see ourselves as hyper sophisticated moderns. What happens when you read the Bible due to this pre-modern consciousness is that you have to realize the way they did things and how they thought can seem very strange to our modern minds. They had not yet been to the moon. So, as we go through some the history of Jericho keep that in mind and remember it is a pre-modern consciousness, which was strange and weird. Don’t try to dissolve it or make it sanctified. Just let it be weird. That may help bring some insight into this. Cool?
The history. Jericho had first off been conquered by a man named Joshua.

Joshua 6:26
At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates."
So way back in the history of Jericho, it had been conquered and the conqueror had essentially said, “Anybody who tries to rebuild this city will be cursed.” Now to us moderns, cursed is like voodoo, witchcraft sorcery crap. And the curse was specifically if anyone tries to do this, their firstborn (which is important to carry on the family name, legacy and bloodline, basically a huge problem) won’t survive. Fast forward a bit in the cities history.
In 1 Kings 16, 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in acordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.So Jericho has a history, it is a history of a curse that if you try to rebuild this city, it will not go well for you.

The idea of a curse was something these people were familiar with, as strange as it sounds to us. Now look at Deuteronomy 28 and you see how many curses and blessings come from following and obeying versus not. Things go well if you follow God. Or you turn away and things will fall apart.

1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

And so on…skip to verse 15. 15 However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. 17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. 18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. 20 The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. 21 The LORD will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. 22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. 23 The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. 24 The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed. 25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. 26 Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.

And finally in verse 29 if you don’t obey you God you will be forced to watch reality TV for life.

What I find interesting is the blessings are 14 verses and the curses just go on and on and on. But then in chapter 30 1 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes.

Now it is fascinating that we read the curses and think this is just craaazy sort of pre-modern superstitious horrible stuff will happen to you but, in the end, if you read that far, at any point you return to God you will be fine. When you return everything will be restored. You walk away and there will be all sorts of consequences but at any point you return, everything is fine. Hanging in this sort of consciousness at the time of Jericho with Elijah is this history they would have carried with them about Joshua, Ahab who tried to rebuild it, first born sons and youngest sons being stricken down, blessings and curses and all this crap swirling around this town of Jericho.

Example. How many of you have went to a new job and went into someone’s office space and wondered why is this person acting like this, or that person looking like that and not talking to them or…how about a friend’s family reunion and felt something strange in the air and someone says to you, “Well, let me give you a little bit of background.” Then you realize the history and are like, ahhhh…that is messed up. There is a history floating around the place. Jericho has that sort of history floating around. Elijah charges in. He is told the water is bad and the land is unproductive, which is language from the curses of Deuteronomy, “Bring me a new bowl.” He says.

Now let’s get into it. The word new is the Hebrew word Hadash. Hadash has all sorts of meanings. Sometimes it means to renew and can be found used for renewed heart, spirit, kingdom, life, youth. Sometimes it means to rebuild. You can find it used to rebuild a city, temple, or an alter. Sometimes it’s used to repair. It refers to new songs, new covenants, and new mercies. The word has all sorts of depth and meaning to it. Somebody bring me a new bowl and put salt in it. So they brought it to him.

Salt you find again and again in the scriptures as part of their ritual and sacrificial system. Salt had symbolic value. Notice the reference in Leviticus. Do not leave salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings. What was the covenant? The covenant was, no matter how bad it gets, no matter where you find yourself, no matter how complicated things get, no matter how hard your heart was, you can always return to God. No matter how much you have screwed it up. No matter how many destructive choices you have made. No matter how seriously you have lost your way. No matter how many other gods you have worshipped. No matter the regrets you have accumulated. You could always return and He will restore you. So you screwed up, the salt is symbolic of the restoration. You can always come home. You can always turn and say oops…and God will say, “Come on back, come on back.”

In Numbers it is an everlasting covenant of salt. People back then were just like us, textile-kinesthetic. We need physical things to remind of us of far larger realities. In the ancient world among these Hebrews, salt, had this symbolic power to remind you that no matter where you found yourself, this God says, that at any point you can turn and come home. Elijah steps into this very complicated system where the land is unproductive because of disease and he simply says bring me a new bowl and put some salt in it. Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt in and he said, this is what the Lord says, I have healed this water. Never again will it make the land unproductive and never again has the water been impure to this day. This is a picture of the Spring

Elijah steps in and says give me a new bowl and put some salt in it. He takes the bowl and throws it in and basically says we aren’t going to bother with that anymore. Let’s get on with it. And that’s the story.How do we begin to unfold it? First, let me give you a couple of insights. For Elijah, history does not decide, it merely describes. For Elijah, the history of the city does not decide the present or the future of the city; it just describes what happened, not what will happen. Your history describes what you’ve done, where you have been, what you’ve been involved in, who you were with at the time. It describes your past, but it does not decide your present or your future.

How many people let their history a confusing blend of describing and deciding? All this has gone on, so obviously this is where it is going to take me. Really? Well, I challenge that. I say that is not for sure. Elijah steps up says, “What? Curses? Oh come on, come on…give me that bowl and give me some salt. Game on.” Did he sit down with the city and say, tell me what your sin is. What have you been dealing with and how did you wear your clothes and how could have you been so dumb…no…it’s like he is saying, “give me some salt, come on, new day.” One scholar even says what Elijah does is simply usher in a whole new era for these people. “You are still bringing that stuff up? Come on, new day. Game on. Bring me some salt, and a new bowl. Here we go. God says everything is cean and taken care of. Let’s get on with it.”

You could perhaps look at it this way. According to Elijah, curses are meant to be broken. “I know the Bible says, but ya ya ya, come on people, no more.” What does Elijah think of Joshua’s curse? “Ahhhh whatever, bring me some salt. God’s everlasting covenant says that kind of stuff? Ahhhh *shrugs shoulders* I don’t know” New things can happen that break the patterns and cycles of the old. Can you imagine somebody being there saying, “No no no! The Bible says!” Well, actually no, God says. Or my favorite way to look at it. According to Elijah, new word can always be spoken. There is always space for a new word. You have told me situation is this? Ahhh…I think a new word can be spoken about that. You are describing things like this? I think a new word can be spoken about it. You are telling me no future is inevitable here? I think a new word can be spoken about that.

Now, when we as moderns read a story with a pre-modern consciousness about curses and people suffering their first born, there is a part of us that says ok, seriously? And for many there is the feeling like, see, this is why the Bible is ridiculous and this is why I don’t follow church sorts of things and don’t believe it. It is because we live in a new reality were these sorts of things don’t really have anything to do with our world. Unless, you think of the phrases people use…”I just can’t get a break. This kind of thing always happens to me. Just my Luck! Like I expected anything else. Always the inevitable.” How modern are we? How many people with a great sense of sophistication, enlightenment, education and a modern consciousness actually speak terribly pre-modern superstitious curse sort of language without even realizing it? How far have we come? Think about the phrase “Just MY Luck!” What? You have luck? Or you have a particular version of luck? Did you keep the receipt? Take it back! Think of the ways people are seduced into the thinking that it is just inevitable. How is it inevitable? “Well, because of what happened.” How in your mind did what has happened determine what is going to happen? This type of stuff always happens to me. It does? Is it documented? Is it tangible? You have evidence of the future? You have taken bits and pieces and selectively picked the parts out you have experienced and created a narrative based on that, but we could have just as easily picked out different parts of your story and crafted a narrative.

To what degree under the myth of objectivity is a terribly random and subjective way in which we guide things? And what Elijah does is charges in the midst of all of it and says bring me a new, “Bowl, bring me some salt, it is a new day.” And he ushers in a new era.

Perhaps you can look at it this way. What we think and believe matters. And often times with spirituality, or with communities of faith, what we believe people immediately go to big issues of doctrine and then you get into discussions, and then you end up with different churches on each corner. When you say belief, for many people immediately veers dogma sort of crap about these people are right, there people are wrong, they have their eleven statements and these folks have their 4 and they have their own pool for baptism and blah blah blah. For many of us, your exact stance on supralapsarianism isn’t something you probably think about much…but you do have narratives and scripts and patterns of thinking that actually determine the choices we make, each and every day of our lives.

When we talk about belief, the truth is we live from a very deep seed of sub-conscious belief systems that actually determine the way we live and move every day. It is those patterns, cycles, and rhythms of thought that actually determine your actions. If you have deeply viewed somewhere in your psyche “this kind of thing always happens to me” that is going to deeply shape the way you interpret events. If you believe deep in your bones, just my luck, then when things come along that is going to color and shape the way that you read the events of your life. Things that reaffirm, “see I have bad luck”, are going to get elevated at the expense of things that don’t confirm that. How you believe deeply shapes the way you interpret the world and the way that you respond. If you have decided somehow that you are unlovable then when you interact with others and are given opportunities to give and be loved by others, it will deeply shape at the everyday level how you interact with people.

Jesus comes along and he simply makes a statement by saying repent. Do you know what the Greek word for repent is? It is metanoia. Meta means change like a metamorphosis, a change of form. Metanoia means to exercise the mind. To think. To comprehend. The word has lots of nuances, but the literal word for repent in the Greek simply means to think about things in a whole new way. Phew. To think about things in a whole new way. Jesus says, leave from that, and see it in a whole new way. The first Christians took this idea and understood that they needed to take their every thought captive. They would realize what they just said when they would announce “Just my luck!” Wait! Did I just say that? What do I mean by that? Has that been shaping the way that I live?

Here is what Jesus wants to do. Jesus wants to break in to your mind. He wants to take the superstitions, the curses, that crap and those stories, and those messages you were sent, and drag them out into the light and create a whole new era where you don’t live by those thoughts and patterns. It happens in this inner dialogue that happens with us. If you were abused or were told abusive sorts of messages and that stuff is in there and it plays a role, Jesus wants to enter into that and invite you to repent, to change your thinking, in a whole new way.

Elijah charges into Jericho. The people say the land in unproductive and the water has a disease. He simply says bring me a new bowl, with some salt in it. Let me remind you of what God is like. Some of you have bought into the notion of a violent God who is just waiting to hurt you with vengeance. Some of you have bought into the God who is the God of the curse that puts spells on places. Apparently the history of this place has decided how the future is going to go. I want to get you some salt to remind you that God has said for a long long time, return to me and I will renew it. So anyways, he takes the salt in the water and says it is a new day. Enough of that. We are starting over. The water has been cleansed. Away we go. Game on. What Elijah does is a powerful message that we can always start a new cycle and that our toxic beliefs are dangerous and it is time to repent of those beliefs.

One of the gifts we do to each other as humans is interrupting one another. Sometimes that is the best thing you can do to someone. On a regular basis I meet people and loaded in their language is unbelievably destructive verbiage that they have bought into. Sometimes we need to be interrupted in the middle of our thoughts with a fresh new word that simply says no, you don’t need to live with that. You don’t need to carry that around. Sprinkle some salt in that water.

Don't Start The Movie Late!

2009-11-23T14:31:00.002-05:00

"Tardiness often robs us opportunity, and the dispatch of our forces."

Niccolo Machiavelli

Lets back this thing up to a big story overview kind of thing from a bird’s eye view. Not a 10,000 or 20,000 foot view but like an 85,000 foot view. The big picture. I hope you have a profound moment and go ahhhhhh and all sorts of lights come on. There are some things that I hear people say throughout the week, especially by believers that contradicts Christianity all together. Yet it is their deepest understanding of their faith and what is believed to be correct. I hope this makes all sorts of lights go off and opens your eyes to a larger broader sense of God.
This is my central premise. Where and how you begin the story and where and how you end the story shape and determine what the story even is. If you are reading this and consider yourself a Christian you usually say just tell me the story in 2 minutes. Just give me the short version in 1 minute. Quick. Just kinda give me the overview. The points. The highlights. You will so often here Christians say “Oh, you are just telling the Jesus story.” I think we all now have a sort of “Which Jesus story?” That is because in our present culture there are various Jesus stories floating around. I am going to take a bit of time, (well a pretty long time so go grab something to eat and drink because this one might take you awhile to get through) and ask, “Where does this story begin? How does the story end? And, what are the implications for how we understand what the story even is?”
Genesis chapter 1, verse 1 is very rhythmic. It has a cadence. A flow. Some even say it is a poem. I don’t believe this to be true. I see both sides of the question but I don’t speak nor read in Hebrew minus the words I look up as I go so I cannot form a legitimate opinion. It certainly has a meter and a sort of groove to it though. If you have never read it, it is in the Bible all the way to the left. It is easy to find, don’t worry.
In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. Verse 3 and God said. Verse 6 And God said. Verse 9 And God said. Verse 14 And God said. Verse 20 And God said. Of all the ways to speak about the creation, the writer uses this unique figure of speech. He wrote about God speaking because words create worlds. They create possibilities. You hear somebody say something to you and all of a sudden a whole new world opens up. Perhaps you were sent all sorts of destructive messages about who you are and how you’re unworthy, dirty, defile, and you were violated. Then somebody spoke a fresh new clean word of “Oh no, you are beautiful. You matter.” and those words created a whole new world. The whole thing is about God speaking.
Then in chapter 2 things change in form a bit. The writer uses this figure of 7 days of creation. Remember this 7 day thing…it is important! In chapter 2 it goes from this rhythmic creation of God speaking into a story. There are significant ways were the chapter 2 story of the event is similar to chapter 1 and there are ways from which they differ. 2 different approaches to some of the same events. Chapter 2:4 is the account of Heavens and the Earth and when they were created. Then it kind of retells this rhythmic passage about the garden. It is very vivid. The garden has these rare gems and it has a river and head waters. Then verse 18 God said “It is not good for man to be alone. Somebody has to show him what to wear.” Chapter 2 involves this relationship. Verse 25, then man and his wife were both nekked and they felt no shame. Couple of key words. Notice Chapter 1:11, “Then God said let the land produce vegetation.” The word produce is sometimes translated as sprout. Creation is endowed by its creator with the ability to create life. It is not just that the creator makes a tree. The creator makes a tree that is loaded with the ability to make more trees. You could say God makes all the trees or you could say God makes the trees that make more trees which would be equally true. Built into creation is this nuclear, life-giving ability to create more. Maybe you could call this progressive generativity. It is progressing somewhere. It is going to grow and sprout. It is going to leaf and create more. You know this because of the weeds growing in the cracks of your driveway. If you take a picture of creation one day, then come back a week later and take a picture and then do it again the week after you will have 3 different pictures which show the growth. If you are standing perfectly still in the midst of creation it will not look the same tomorrow. If you abandoned the house you live in and came back 20 years later you will say things like “It is overgrown.” It is loaded with the ability to create more. Creation is going somewhere. It is a dynamic reality, not a static one. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! The Garden of Eden is not perfect. We often import our understandings of things that aren’t there. The word is not perfect. The word is good. “God says it is GOOD!” By perfect I simply mean static and unchanging. When we say perfect what many of us mean is static and unchanging. It is frozen in its perfection and it will not change. In Genesis 1 and 2 it is going to change because it is going to grow and sprout and change. These people are placed in the midst of it and given work to do. Go to Genesis 1:26, Then God said “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea.” Verse 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. God gives these people responsibility and stewardship. God places these folks in the midst of the creation that is going somewhere and says take care of it. Do something with it. Make things. I just made all of this and now I am putting you in there to co-create with me. Let’s do something with it.
Those of you who are compulsive landscapers or designers and always have a shovel in hand, doing something with it are great examples of this. Those of you in music who want to take the chords and melodies and want to do something with them are as well. Those of you who love shape clay. Those of you who love words. Those of you who have an impulse within you to arrange it. To guide it. To massage it. To support it. To come along side of it. To nurse it. It is all there in Genesis 1 and 2. We were made to take it somewhere. There is a harmony here, and this is huge within hierarchy. God creates these people; these people are then given responsibility over creation. There is a strict hierarchy and everything knowing its proper place within the hierarchy is where the peace and harmony comes from. If these people begin to worship the creation instead of the creator then it is out of whack with the proper life giving hierarchy. If these people decide they are going to play God, and do not submit to a higher being then they are essentially messing with the hierarchy.
An addiction, in particularly of a substance is looking to that which comes from the earth to satisfy a deep need of the soul that can only fully be satisfied by the creator. A substance abuse is not a proper harmony within hierarchy. That is where the peace, or shalom comes from. Notice verse 28, God blessed them. These people are co-created and partnering with God proper stewardship in healthy relationships with each other and submission to God, this God blesses. Working with wood, God blesses. Growing crops and making sure everybody has enough food, God blesses. He said this, this is good. This is what I intended. Yes. Well done. God smiles and celebrates.
Watch this…Now; soil and spirit here are united. There aren’t 2 realms. A realm of the physical everyday sort of stuff and then somewhere out there a realm of the spiritual heavenly kind of stuff. Everything is deeply interwoven and connected. Soil and spirit are connected. Another way to think about it is that Heaven and Earth is the same place. In Genesis 1 and 2 Heaven and Earth is the same place. There isn’t somewhere else that we go when we die. A) Because there is no somewhere else and B) Because we don’t die. Are you with me? Stay here a moment. In Genesis 1 and 2 the goal is not to escape from here to some other more spiritual realm where God is. God is here. There is no higher realm. There is just the realm. Heaven is the realm to which God intends them to be in Genesis 1 and 2.
Pull back a second…let’s go to a higher bird’s eye view. Whatever it is that we love about life and taps into your sense of this is why I am here…"Oh I could do this forever”...and calls out deep into your spirit, “I was made for this.When I do this or observe this or appreciate this or interact with this it pulls out of me this sense of what life is all about." Whatever that is for you can be found in Genesis 1 and 2. Ascetics. Beauty. The appreciation of form. All in there. The food on the tree was pleasing to the eye. It’s beautiful. It’s not “It is beautiful so that…” No, it is just beautiful. It is stunning to gaze upon and that is its point. There is no larger point other than it just is. Ascetics. Making things. Take creation for instance, it is going somewhere, do something with it. Perhaps you have a woodshop in your garage and you have to go out there after work because you just have this joy when you carve stuff and make doorstops or whatever wood shop people make. Oh yea, pencil holders and stuff. If that is what you do then great! That is Genesis 1 and 2. Perhaps for you it is kids. You just love kids. Educating kids. Shaping young minds. All Genesis 1 and 2. Relationship, partnership, worship, exploration, organizing, naming, learning, responsibility. Maybe you are the kind of person who if we were to see your sock drawer it would be frighteningly organized. Or how about that drawer in the house near the back door that has things like duck tape and jumper cables and passports and markers and rubber bands and staples and paper clips and computer speakers, super glue, tweezers, a mouse trap, and a ruler. In everybody else’s house it is that drawer of junk that you have to shuffle things around just to get it to close but yours somehow is perfectly organized and labeled. That impulse to organize, to sift and sort, is all Genesis 1 and 2. That is you Mona. You are in Genesis 1 and 2. If you instinctively in every situation think how can I bring order to this? It is in there too. Maybe you are the kind that thinks don’t put me out front, I don’t want any attention drawn to myself…just give me a task where I can help plan the details. Let me do that and that is what I love. What is it? A Genesis 1 and 2 instinct. Obviously things like painting, drawing, art, and the common good are Genesis 1 and 2. Maybe you have a profound sense of justice. How about you want make sure everybody on Earth has enough food. 1 billion people don’t have enough drinking water in the world and you want to do something about it. Where does that impulse come from? Proper organizing and stewardship of creation is where. Whatever you love and makes you feel alive. Whatever makes you think you are tapped into something bigger, I guarantee can be traced back to its fundamental essence in Genesis 1 and 2. A story starts here. If someone says to you what is the Jesus story, the Bible story, the Christian story, it starts here in Genesis 1. Again, it is located all the way to the left in your Bible.

Now on to the end of the story, Revelations 21. It is all the way to the right in your Bible. The story ends here. Let’s ask a similar set of questions about the end of the Bible. Revelation 21 and 22.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
So if heaven is the place where things are as God intends them to be the story ends. It ends with Heaven essentially crashing into Earth and God now dwelling in the midst of people. Notice Chapter 22. The heading in my Bible says Eden restored.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.
See! San Antonio is in the Bible! A city with a river flowing in the middle! Amazing huh?! Ok, that’s ridiculous. Verse 5. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign *BTW the Greek word for reign means to participate with* with God for ever and ever.
We will participate with God forever and ever! How cool is that?! River, cities, trees, fruit. The healing of the nations. Proper healed relationship participating with God in ordering, stewarding and guiding creation. Sound familiar? The story starts there and ends here in the same way. Hmmmm. Just a side not, cause I love those…if you were to take sin out the Bible you would have 4 short chapters. Genesis 1 and 2 and Rev. 21 and 22. Quick read right?
Chapter 1 and 2 is about a garden, and Rev. 21 and 22 is about a city. If you took sin out of a city you get a large collection of gardens. You would still have a progression. A movement. If you have a garden and it keeps growing and it is properly cared for, eventually there will be enough gardens connected to each other to make a city.
Go back to the left of the Bible in Genesis 3. This chapter introduces something else to the story. We find the first people. The story is told that these people have an experience in which they violate the boundaries God has made for them. The way that it is told is a picture of a tree that if they eat from this tree it will be exploring outside the boundaries God has created them for. They eat from this tree. And they experience a disruption in the peace, shalom and harmony of Chapters 1 and 2.
Genesis 3:8-Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Does the creator of the universe have a difficult time finding 2 nekked people in a garden? “I have no idea where you are?” No! Where are those naked people running around? I can’t find you crazy kids. Marco….Polo…Marco….Polo…No. Well, you could read it that way if you wanted to…but no. Perhaps you could also read it like God is saying, “Where are ya?” “Where are ya now?” “You have violated our relationship. You weren’t satisfied with the world I placed you in and decided to create a reality outside of the one I created you for. You weren’t ok with the hierarchy. You didn’t like me on top. You wanted to be on top. So you chose to explore outside the boundaries you were created for. Where did that get you? Where are you? How is that working out for ya? How are things now? Where are you? Where did you end up with that decision? Is that what you wanted? Are you pleased?” You can read it sorts of ways.

How do you understand Geneses 3? Often times it is referred to as the fall of man. Are there ways to explore what sin is and the fall that might be a bit more helpful and obviously Biblical?
First off, sin is a disruption. One definition is simply the disruption of shalom. God created us to have peace with our maker, with each other, with the earth and with ourselves. Sin would be any way in which I have acted to disrupt shalom. Is this the shalom God intends for everything? Is this true to the beautiful picture God intends us to have and do or have I violated hierarchy and boundaries? Disruption. Sometimes it is defined as rebellion. I don’t like this setup with Him on top. I am rebelling against the order of things. I am rebelling against the world I have been brought to and God who made it, or, participation in the old order and way of death. Remember, Genesis 1 and 2 is active and dynamic…not static. It is moving so sin is a way in which I am taking it in an improper direction.

Here is an example. Tonight roughly 800,000,000 people will go to bed hungry. Right now in our world. That should shock and offend you. What experts are saying is that there actually is enough food in the world to feed everybody in the world. 6,000,000,00+ inhabitants of the world and there is currently enough food to feed everybody. Almost 1/6th of those people will not eat today not because there isn’t enough food to feed everybody but because the food hasn’t been properly distributed. The earth has produced but we have not properly ordered, managed, and stewarded creation so that everybody’s needs are met. We have disrupted the shalom God has intended for everyone. We have rebelled against the hierarchy and participated with creation in a way that is not the way God intended for us to participate. Sometimes the word Het translated from Hebrew is an archery term that means missing the mark. Genesis 3 introduces sin by showing us how we missed the mark.

You could perhaps say it this way, Genesis 3 is not how the story begins and Genesis 3 is not how the story ends. When people talk about sin, or you sinner!!! “TURN OR BURN!” wait wait wait…the story doesn’t begin with Genesis 3 and it doesn’t end with Genesis 3. When we tell the story we need to be very careful that all of the points in the story and the plotline are the plotline of the actual story. A few thoughts then on our participation in this realm.
1. Confession
It is a Hebrew word you should have learned from Seinfeld. Yadi yadah. It means our recognition, admission, our declaration and our agreement that we have participated in the other way. We have participated in the old world order and furthered the death and not the life that God intends for us. Confession is my realization that I have been caught up in, participated with and suckered by and I needed to see that and call it what it was.
2. Repentance
Confession is followed often by repentance not far behind. The Hebrew for that is Teshuvah. It means to turn or return. Confession is when we are brought to our senses and I now want to return to the true way. The way that I was made for that restores peace.
What then is the Jesus story? Let’s go to Matthew 19 and find out. At the center of orthodox, historic, Christian, faith has been telling the Jesus story how it begins one way and ends one way and in between there is this massive disruption in it, this could bring some depth, texture and body to the Jesus story.

Notice in chapter 19:28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the RENEWAL of all things, when the Son of Man sits on the throne.” So Jesus speaks about a renewal of all things. Turn to Acts 3 you have on one of the first Christians giving a speech. His name is Pedro. He is Spanish. Joking…it is not really his name. He is speaking to a crowd about the Messiah and how he has come. He believes Jesus is Messiah and has been appointed to rescue people from the old order and way of death. Acts 3:21 Heaven must receive Him until the time comes when God RESTORES. Jesus spoke of it as the renewal of all things and Peter here talks about God restoring everything. Colossians 1. Another one of the first Christians…a dude named Paul speaks of the cross and what exactly was going on up there on that cross. For him the cross is far larger than a good Jewish Rabbi being executed for subversion. For him there is a cosmic dimension to the cross. It extends as wide as the universe. He says in Verse 19, For God was pleased to have all of His fullness dwell in Him. (In Jesus). And through him to RECONCILE to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. He speaks of the cross as a massive universal wide movement. All things in Heaven and on Earth pretty much sums it up. A peacemaking act on God’s part to reconcile to Himself all things. Jesus speaks of the renewal of all things. Peter speaks of the restoration of all things. Paul speaks of the reconciliation of all things.

The Jesus story is then about the God who wants to put it all back together. This has HUGE implications for the story we are telling. If you begin the story in Genesis 3 then the primary issue becomes the removal of sin. People are sinners, how are we going to get rid of the sin problem. How are we going to get this out of the picture because it really messes things up? The dominant story begins with the how do we get rid of sin; well Jesus gets rid of sin. There. Done. You can see the bumper sticker “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” That’s it? Once we are forgiven then what? Is that all Jesus is capable of? Get you forgiven? If you begin the story in Genesis 3 then that is what you are left with. This is what Jesus does…He gets rid of the problem. But! If you start telling the story in Genesis 1, it becomes about the restoration of shalom. This obviously includes the removal of sin but also extends to the very ends of the cosmos. Are you with me now? Ok…get ready because I am going to dump it all out on you now. First, take a bite of the food I told you to get before you started. I need you brain working for this. Thinking caps on.

If the story begins in Genesis 3 then the fundamental posture towards people is to make sure they know what they aren’t. You aren’t good enough. Holy enough. Not reading the good book enough. You aint sanctified! Amen! You aren’t trying hard enough. If you begin the story late then you may be telling people what they aren’t. If you begin in Genesis 1, you will tell people what they are. YOU ARE A DAUGHTER, YOU ARE A SON OF A LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER AND FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME THIS FATHER HAS HAD UNCONDITIONAL, ALL EMBRACING LOVE FOR ALL OF CREATION. This God is a creator who makes things and says Awwww that is good! ONE OF THE THINGS GOD MADE THAT HE SAID IS GOOD, IS YOU! You are made in the image of this God and you contain the divine spark. You are created to be a co-creator. To be a partner with God in moving creation forward in ever increasing dimensions of shalom. You know this deep in your bones. You have participated in the way of death. You have rebelled. You have disrupted shalom and now your loving, heavenly father is standing in the driveway on His tippie-toes, arms wide open saying “I am inviting you to return home.”

It is fundamentally different. How do you tell people the story? A Genesis 3 type of person always has the chance that your posture may become I need to go up to strangers on the street and I need to convince them how wretched, depraved and sinful they are. If I can get them feeling bad enough about themselves I may be able to whip out a pamphlet and get them in. We wonder why it is hard to keep those converts. Maybe it is easier to understand the story when we start in the beginning because then it is more helpful to understand how we got where we are. If your story begins in Genesis 3 it is very easy to become about disembodied evacuation. It is about how to get somewhere else. It becomes an evacuation theology. Here is what you need in order to get out of this place so that some glad morning you too can fly away. It then locates the center of God’s redemptive activity somewhere else. What can then sink in is that the real point of this story is somewhere else. Then we have to use words like relevant to try and have it make sense now. It is very easy to sink in to the subtle belief that the real action is someplace else. If you begin the story in Genesis 1 it becomes about co-creating participation. God is looking for partners to help repair and restore the world. People who are so overwhelmed with the gift of rescue freely given in Christ that we can’t imagine anything but partnering with God to do our humble bit to see that through and come into existence.

It would be interesting to survey people, especially Christians about heaven. My experience has been when people are in a safe place they can be honest about their religion and you can really push them with questions on what they really think about Heaven. To them it sounds a bit boring. They don’t hold pitch real well singing. Maybe you feel this way. I can’t sing for crap. How am I going to sing in Heaven with the angels? Do you know how lame Heaven would be for the listeners? Perhaps it is you that when you truly truly think about Heaven, one of your questions is that you don’t know what it is going to be like in Heaven and what we will do for eternity. It actually sounds a bit boring. Well if your story is rooted in Genesis 3 and the goal of it is disembodied evacuation then it is a flawed view of heaven. I don’t know we will be in clouds strumming harps. I have no experience with harps. But if the story is about Heaven and Earth becoming one again and ends here then Heaven starts to make a lot more sense.

What are those moments now that I am most alive? Who is it that when you are with them, you feel like you would rather be right there than anywhere else in the world? When you lose track of time. When my soul flourishes and soars like ahhhh I could do this forever. Sometimes I find people who are really really passionate about a particular thing and because of their faith they feel guilty about it. “I just love to be out in the woods and I know it is not very spiritual.” But what is Genesis 1 and 2 and what is Heaven and the Earth other than the exploration of the world that God has created and declared it is good? Therefore sometimes it is possible for religion to actually produce in people this sort of guilt complex with the very things in which they can most find their creator. They somehow feel bad about it. Follow? Does the story begin in Genesis 1 or Genesis 3?

Is there a way to talk about this that transcends some of the stale categories that perhaps we have picked up over the years? We can go to the Bible and find out. How do the writers who first told the Jesus story talk about all of this. Let me show you something that when you see it will ping your head a bit.
I am going to get into in one second but let me first mention I have been studying a great deal lately on how to interpret the Bible. The main thing I learned from this is you can’t take the Bible only for what it says. You should try to understand the culture, the background, the people, the point, the language, the words used and many other things to fully get the point and context of its meaning. I am not saying that inspiration and the Holy Spirit can’t really hit that spot needed at that moment, but that is a different essence of the Bible. This has drastically helped me get a much deeper than surface level of how amazing God is and the word of God too.

A little background on Jewish writers. They would often write on multiple levels. They would tell a story and plant within that story very subtle and delicately clever language. Unless you were paying keen attention you would miss it but if you were paying attention you would notice they were telling a story stacked on top of another story with a hint of another story. It was a very prized Jewish ability to be able to tell a story and at the same time tell all these other stories just around the edges.

John 2. Pay very very close and precise attention to the words John uses. Jesus as His first miracle changes water into wine. If you are going to start somewhere that is a really great place to do it. Verse 11. What Jesus did here in Cana from Galilee was the first of the signs. (keyword in John’s Gospel, he loves this word signs) It was the first time to reveal His glory and His disciples put their faith in Him. Water into wine, not bad. The prophets spoke of wine as a symbol not only of God’s new world but of the blessing and favor of God. Wine for a Jewish reader would have triggered “that is like new creation…new Heaven and Earth sort of stuff and this is the also blessing and favor of God.” Jesus produces wine. See why understanding culture helps make the picture in a bird’s eye view so much more profound? It is not Jesus just doing a nice thing to help the ceremony not get spoiled.
Notice in John 4:44, Jesus heals the royal officials son . In verse 54 John adds, This was the 2nd sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee. I hope when you read this you notice a trend. I would hope that you are instantly thinking and racing to find out what the 3rd sign is. What is he doing here? Why is John numbering things?

The 2 things that he has numbered we might call miracles. A healing is a demonstration of how things are supposed to be in God’s world. If Heaven is the realm where things are as God intends them to be and God does not intend for sickness and disease, then what Jesus is doing in a healing is not demonstrating some sort of freaky new condition for this kid. He is displaying how things always were and how things will be. If you take this word signs you start to wonder what else you can find. Chapter 5 begins with a healing at the pool. He healed the paralytic which is the 3rd sign and then in Chapter 6 you have a couple of speeches and he feeds 5,000 men. You may have studied this before that in crowds, men are the ones who were counted. That is not including the women and children. Who knows how many truly ate from 5 loaves of bread. Not bad, because people should have enough food to eat. 4th sign. Then verse 16 Jesus walks on water and demonstrates a sort of command of creation. Well done. 5th sign. Then you have a speech. Then you have people visiting Him. Then He goes to a feast. Then He teaches. Then there is some division. Then there is the unbelief. Then there is the dispute. Then there is another dispute. Then He claims some things about Himself. The next sign or miracle happens in Chapter 9. What is the heading in chapter 9? Jesus heals the man born blind. He heals. Then the big one in chapter 11 there is a guy named Lazarus that dies. In verse 43, When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus! Come out!” The dead man came out, his hands wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them “Dang fool! You stink dude! Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Wait wait. 1,2,3,4,5,6. Raising a man from the dead is the 7th sign. You take the 7 signs that start with wine (a new creation and blessing from God), which is a pretty cool party trick and by the 7th sign people are rising from the dead. It is sort of a climax. People rising from the dead. After that in chapter 12 there are no signs. 13 nada. 14. Nope. 15. Guessed it…nope…16, 17, nothing. 18 arrested, put on trial, convicted, crucified, killed. Apparently once He has raised somebody from the dead, if you don’t believe now, then there is not much more He can do. More wine isn’t going to help. Maybe, but probably not.
It is interesting when you take a story like that and zoom out so you can see a higher altitude of the story it opens perspective up. Hopefully by now something happened for you when the signs were being counted. How many signs were there? 7. In Jewish consciousness is there anywhere in the story where the number 7 is kind of big? Genesis 1. It begins with the giant number 7 because in the creation 7 played heavily in to it. What might John be saying? Raising Lazarus from the dead is not really the last sign or miracle because at the end of the book John tells you about Jesus doing what? Resurrection. What might John be saying? Jesus does a miracle or sign for each day of the first creation and then the 8th sign which would make it "Sunday" of the 2nd week He resurrects from the dead, inaugurated, not an old creation but a "Monday", the first day of a new creation. Amazing!
What is John saying? He is telling this epic story as a way of saying resurrection is the start of a whole new creation. Let’s walk this through.
1. The story is about Jesus resurrecting and beginning a new creation right here in the midst of this one.
2. The story of the resurrection is about God restoring goodness of creation. God does not beam people up like Scotty to some other realm. God comes down in the midst of this creation, takes all of the death, destruction, and disruption upon himself to the grave, leaves it there and announces I am making all things new. This world was good when I made it and it is still good.

Let's make sure we make this distinction clear. There is a distinction between materiality and rebellion. This is HUGE especially if you grew up around religion. Materiality refers to the material realm. Physical things. Nowhere in the story is the material realm declared bad. The story is about human rebellion. Human rebellion is a different issue than trees, rocks, and wine. What has happened for many people is their tradition confused rebellion with materiality and said because humans have rebelled all of creation is in some way fallen, depraved, dark and bad. What this creates is physical bad, spiritual good. Do you know what I am writing about? The work is to separate those two. Scriptures speak of human rebellion that has deeply affected creation. In fact it is in a sort of bondage. The writer Paul speaks of it by saying it is a sort of pangs of childbirth, the redemption of all things. But nevertheless, for many people rocks and soil and whatever got imprinted in their brain to them that this Earth is bad but if we can just get out of here we will be ok. The resurrection is about Jesus reaffirming the goodness of creation. The story is about anticipating when Heaven and Earth are one again. Right now the realms are split. Earth and then there is a realm where things are the way God intends them to be. There are moments when the 2 seem awfully close. They interlock, and dance and hold hands and kiss but that isn't a good realm. The story, the resurrection, is the anticipation when God makes dwelling on Earth and Heaven the same place again like they were at the start of the story. Are you with me now?!
Moving to logical and practical uses…let’s get into business, art, and justice.

1. Business

If Genesis 1 is about the proper ordering of creation and making sure everybody has what they need, it is proper stewardship. If Genesis 1 and 2 is about making sure the earth produces food and is distributed in a way that everybody is not hungry it is proper stewardship. If it is about proper hierarchy and harmony, then what do you think business is? Business provides a good or service at a fair price so that people can take and consume or use that good or service and have their needs met. It is the exchange of goods and services for the betterment for the common good. That is what business is. It is taking what the earth is creating and properly organizing it and distributing it at a fair price so that people can have what they need. Business is a very Genesis 1 and 2 occupation. That impulse is right there. If your story begins in Genesis 3 and how people aren’t saved and begins with disembodied evacuation then what can happen is business people in that story are made to feel second class. "Well, ya know, I am not a pastor. I am just a business person but I can make a lot of money and give it to spiritual things." If you start the story in Genesis 1 and 2, your task is already sacred, holy and profound. We need you to do your work in a Genesis 1 and 2 way. Your work is not 2nd class and there plenty of other spiritual people who have been called to help get the message (or wrong message) out so they can evacuate someday. Your work is already holy. It is a divine calling like any other divine calling to properly work for the common good. A lot of destructive messages have been sent to business people. All you do is make money. Wait wait wait. The fair and proper exchange for goods and services is only about making money? We need that. We need you.

2. Art

Couple thoughts. If creation is producing, sprouting, and growing it is only natural then that we would creatively organize it. We would shape it and bring form to it. We would appreciate line, curve, and dimension. Art then is capturing those creations in a way that reflects the infinite creativity of the creator. Co-creators created by a creator who create. Art in Genesis 1 and 2 is declared good and God blessed them. This impulse is already blessed. Obviously you can create things that aren’t a reflection of the peace, healing and shalom of God. Obviously it is possible to make things that steer the project in a destructive direction. But the fundamental primal impulse God blessed. This is why black and white, overly simplistic classifications of art and asking whether it is Christian or not will always fail. When we need a Christian label to validate something we are trying to validate and bless something God already blessed. Let God do it, God is better at it. This is why for a lot of people, including me, a Christian sub-culture with Christian music or movies and Christian books and Christian coffee cups and Christian stickers produce a deeply confusing concept. No matter how things are labeled, you can endlessly find things in the non-Christian category that are humming with life and Godliness and Holiness. You can also find things with the Christian label that are TERRIBLE. Don’t get me started. Don’t feed the bears because this is my most touchy and biggest pet peeve about Christians. If it is a wonderful song and evokes a great sense of love, inspiration, joy, and happiness then there is not one single thing wrong with playing it in church. A lot of this work and effort and discussion about are they a Christian or is so and so a Christian band is rooted in a misunderstanding of Genesis. Those questions come out Genesis 3. You start the movie late and a bunch of stuff is not going to make sense. Don’t start the movie late! You start at the beginning of the movie you might get it.

3. Justice

Last one. This profound sense we all have. Again. 1,000,000,000 people in the world don’t have drinking water. That is not right. Illiteracy rates in the San Antonio are horrific. How many 6th graders can’t read? 9th graders? Seniors in high school? Here is a scary thing I just learned. 67% of black students are dropping out and the trend is now with the kids just entering school this year that 9 out of 10 black students will drop out. We have to do something about it. That sense of that isn’t right, that holy anger that rises within you when you think that is not right, the sense when you know people are deprived, oppressed, and somebody needs to help them…that sense of justice is Genesis 1 and 2. It is the proper ordering of God’s world. When people don’t have enough to eat it is not the proper ordering of God’s world. When basic education hasn’t been given to people it is not the proper ordering of God’s world. Your longing for justice is all right there in the beginning.
There are endless debates within the Christian community about is our message what we say or is it what we do? Is our message bringing people water or is it talking to people about forgiveness? Is our message rescuing people from slavery or talking to them about the state of their soul? When you find that sort of debate and discussion going on, after a while you find yourself thinking this is so old and so stupid, confusing and stale. When the question is it this or is it this. Maybe the answer is a great big hug with both hands. When you find people in the endless debate about the Gospel to either announce God's forgiveness through Christ or the Gospel bringing people water in Jesus’ name, I say group hug. Group hug. Everybody together. One giant group hug. When the question is, is it this or this you could think maybe, Jesus’ embrace is big enough for the whole discussion.
A couple more thoughts and then I am finished. A Christian can then continually insist that through the resurrection of Jesus a whole new world is bursting forth right here in the midst of this one and everybody, everywhere can be a part of it. Everybody everywhere! A Christian then is learning more and more how to see this new creation with their own eyes. I didn’t see it before. I was sleeping but now I am waking up. There are these people that I would have discounted but all of a sudden now I am planting within them the seeds of new creation. This is a situation where before I would have been angry, bitter, and would have filled me with despair but now I am waiting because I know that somewhere within all that cement, a flower is going to sprout. I am going to see it and I am going to call it what it is. Before I would have jumped all over that person and I would have said how dare you be so mean! Now I know to be a little patient. Show a little grace because a new creation may burst forth right here. A Christian then has hope not in escape but in engagement. The word hope. People can be talking about hope and they may mean waaaay different kinds of hope. Some say, "Well I have hope." What they may mean is that I have hope, because I have a ticket to Heaven and will get out of here at some point. My type of hope is rooted in engagement were God invites us into the muck and dirt and filth because in it we will find God working as God always is for a new creation right here in the midst of the old one. Our hope is rooted not in escape but in engagement. Not in evacuation but reclamation. It is not about getting out of here but about reclaiming it. Not in leaving but in staying and overcoming because through Jesus’ resurrection God is affirming the goodness of creation. Last thing. A Christian then is never surprised when grace, beauty, meaning, order, compassion, truth and love show up in all sorts of unexpected people, places and things because it always has been God’s world. It is God’s world and it always will be God’s world.

Man On Wire

2009-10-16T20:20:00.005-04:00

For facebook users, click here to read in full context.
http://myissuesanddrama.blogspot.com/2009/10/man-on-wire.html

The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.”
Edith Sitwell (1887-1964)

"They were so stong in their beliefs that there came a time when it hardly mattered what exactly those beliefs were; they all fused into a single stubbornness."
Louise Erdrich

Matthew 4:23
23 Jesus went throughout all Galilee (which is where Jesus was from), teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
Now the key to looking at the Sermon on the Mount is in this…
25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis (which means 10 cities. It was a Greek area settled by Alexander the Great. So it is not Jewish, not religious, not pure, not clean, not holy, they do not follow the scripture commands etc.)
25So large crowds from Galilee (a very Jewish area) and the Decapolis (a very Greek non-Jewish area), and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
The actual Greek word there is misse-masche…which means a confused collection or mixture. There would have been people in that crowd who would have been taught from birth that in order to follow God they were to have absolutely no contact with those people. Now they are all mixed in to the same crowd.
5:1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down.
His disciples came to him and he began to teach them all the while being surrounded by this mass of humanity
2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
I will say this again. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. I will get back to this in a minute.
This man named Christopher Moore wrote a novel called “Lamb, the Gospel according to Biff.” The central premise of this book is that God is upset with how the church is telling the Jesus story and so God resurrects Biff, Jesus’s little known best friend growing up to tell the real story of what happened. The Angel resurrects Biff and takes him to a hotel room in St. Louis and says write the real story of what happened. The angel then gets addicted to big time wrestling and soap operas on TV in the hotel room to which Biff says to the angel, “Now you know why you guys did not get free will.” Biff then opens up a drawer and sees that there is a Bible and sneaks it into bathroom to read it and precedes to find out what Matthew wrote. He thinks Matthew is absolutely full of it. He also reads Mark, Luke and John and is furious of the version they told because they all leave Biff out…Biff was so excited because Josh (Jesus) is celibate and Biff knows this is a great way to meet girls…just hang out with the celibate messiah. What Biff does is he tells the truth about what really happened during those unknown teenage years and what the messiah really did up to the age of 30. He tells about how they went to the Far East and learned Kung-Fu…it is fiction…relax. Then he tells in the end how they came up with what to give to the be-attitudes. I quote, “How are we doing on the be-attitudes?” Pardon me? You know the blessed (they didn’t call them the be-attitudes back then so he was confused, it’s really funny but you have to read it…I don’t have time to explain here) Well, we have got blessed are those who are hunger for thirst and righteousness, blessed are those poor in spirit, pure in heart, the whiners, the meek. Wait, what are we giving the meek? Lets see here, blessed are the meek and to them we shall say “that-a-boy” ummm..I don’t know if I like that. That’s a little weak. Let’s let the meek inherit the Earth. Can’t you give the Earth to the whiners? Well then, cut the whiners and give the Earth to the meek. I have got it. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. Ok, that’s better. What are you going to give them? A fruit basket! You can’t give the meek Earth and these guys a fruit basket. Give them the kingdom of Heaven. Well, the poor in spirit got that already.”
I think that for many of this sums up the attitudes. Nice things that Jesus said that don’t really mean much. It’s just a nice general phrases that things are groovy in a Gospel sort of way. How do you begin to unpack them? And, remember there is a massive crowd of sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, and really really religious people, and really really gentile people who aren’t really really considered religious by the really really religious. And there is this massive spectrum of humanity. It is in the midst of this crowd that Jesus begins “Blessed are the poor in spirit because theirs is the kingdom, the whole kingdom of God!” It’s theirs…its available to them. It is falling on them. It is crashing into Earth where they are. Now first the phrase poor in spirit is a negative term. In our language today the poor in spirit are losers. Those at the end of a rope. The spiritual zeroes. The pathetic, lame and out of it bankrupt sort of people. Those without a trace of good. The morally empty. The poor in spirit here is not a good term. It is not a condition to which we are to try and attain. Like if I could just become poor in sprit I can gain the Kingdom of Heaven. Sometimes this gets translated like blessed are those who know how much they need God which is incorrect because then that would mean that God’s blessing is for people who have attained a particular state of humility. People who are like, “Yes, I have the gift of humility.” Something about that doesn’t seem right. Let’s walk through this slowly because it might make things a little upside down for you. What Jesus is doing here is so upside down, so brilliant and ultimately so shocking, and I would argue that at the same time deeply comforting…it takes a while to absorb. First, again, poor in spirit is not a term to try and become. It is not a good term. Let me say it this way. There is nothing praise worthy, noble, good, honorable, or positive about being poor in spirit. He is not giving people a wonderful praise worthy condition that some people are to celebrate that they are that way. Secondly, When Jesus says blessed, He uses the Greek word mercurius. It could be fortunate. Some translate it happy. In the next verse it is translated that way, Happy are those mourn. Same word. How can you be a happy mourner? See the lost in translation? It is perhaps more like they are getting the full weight of the world. There is a scholar named Frederick Dale Brunner, who I admire, says, “To understand blessed is to understand it is a sort of divine I am with you. It is God’s way of saying I am on your side.” If you look at how the term is used throughout the scripture and how it is used by Jesus it is a larger holistic, epic, fortunate are you because God is with you. Fortunate are the losers, pathetic, depraved, the lame, the spiritual zeroes because God is on your side. What Jesus is doing here is an announcement which is a fundamentally different way of framing stuff. A completely different mode of rhetoric. He is not giving instruction. It is not a here is how to get God’s blessing in 7 steps. He is not giving a command. He doesn’t begin with here is what you need to do in order to be blessed. This is not advice; well go be poor spirited and God will love you. He is not giving good information on how the world works, and it’s not a teaching.
He begins the Sermon on the Mount with an announcement. He announces that God is on the side of everybody when there is no reason why God should be on there side (to include Al-Qaeda). This is fundamentally counter-intuitive. My good friend Roddy always uses the analogy of water skiing when it comes to counter intuition. In order to get on top of the water you must lean back and let the boat pull you up. Most people use their own arms and try and lift themselves up. If you do that, you will then fall on your ass all the while being video taped and laughed at. The goal here is for you to get up, so stay back. Don’t use your strength to pull yourself up, use God’s strength and let him do it. Does that make sense? This is in essence what Jesus is doing. It is counter-intuitive to everything we knew and know. When you do that you will begin to trust this counter-intuitive impulse. It does not work like it is supposed to work, but when it clicks and flips into gear you can’t imagine it the other way. When Jesus makes this announcement it is a sort of counter-intuitive announcement because if you are like me, your first impulse is what is the good thing in this condition of being poor in spirit that deserves the blessing of God. This is how religion actually functions. What good thing makes me deserving of God’s blessing. The announcement is Blessed are those who there is no reason why they should be blessed. Blessed are all the people who aren’t humble. Blessed are the pathetically retched sinners and alcoholics and thieves. Blessed are everybody who doesn’t believe in God and they too get the Kingdom of Heaven. How does that make you feel? Blessed are all the morally empty people who couldn’t tell the truth straight if they had to. All the people. The favor of God is now pouring down on people who do not deserve the favor of God. But this announcement by Jesus to this enormous crowd of people from across the spectrum of humanity is completely different than saying that everybody is blessed even though there is no reason why they should be. Don’t you get that? That, my brothers and sisters, is The Gospel and it’s terribly confrontational and disturbingly hard for religious people. I understand that it is very very easy to become convinced that God’s blessing is for these particular people over here because of this particular thing they have done or believed or accepted or they said or they expressed and portrayed or professed. No. Jesus destroys all of that. Blessed are the totally immoral losers without a wisp of religion for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. The immediate thing is why why why why why?! Our radar is instantly like why is the blessing for them too? What is the thing in the condition? Why? Well…turn to Luke 14. Jesus gives the reason…and the only reason is as simple as because God is like this. He tells story after story after story where there isn’t really an explanation given and there really doesn’t seem to be a point other than something intrinsic to which God is. The answer to why is because apparently God is like this. It is never rooted in because these people are really good. Oh. It is totally counter-intuitive.
Luke 14:15
15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' (Like you would buy a field without seeing it first, get real)
19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' (Like you wouldn’t try out the oxen before you purchased them, liar…would you buy a car without test driving it?)
20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' (no explanation is needed here…I guess we know what is going on) giggity giggity.
21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "
Why? Why did this guy give the banquet? I don’t know…perhaps he just likes to give banquets. No explanation is needed. He just does. What was the occasion? I don’t know. He just does. Why? Because apparently he is like that and enjoy to just throw banquets.
Luke 17
11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
Why did he cleanse them? Why? I don’t know. He is just like that.
Luke 19
1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. (which means he made tons and tons of money off of everyday sort of people and he was hated.) 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So Mr. Bernie Madoff (haha) ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him.
Think about that. This man is despised and he has become unbelievably wealthy on other peoples hard work and paid him through the complicated tax system. The unbelievable social stigma attached with Jesus saying I must stay at your house today. Why does Jesus need to stay at the house of someone like this? Why? Why? Why? Endlessly you find favor, grace, fellowship and embrace. Why? Why?
In 1974 a man named Philippe Petit and his friends snuck up to the top of the World Trade Center Towers in NYC. He shot an arrow to the other tower stringing a wire between the two. He tight roped between the towers for over 45 minutes. One point he laid down on the wire. Another point the police gathered on one of the towers and they were trying to arrest him. He walked up to them…and then walked back. A crowd gathered down below and said is a man tight rope walking a quarter mile up without a safety net and harnesses or wires? There is a great documentary called “Man on Wire” which I highly recommend which is an account how he and his friends dreamt of this for years. As a child he was in a doctor’s office and saw in a magazine a drawing of the towers that were going to be built. He took a pen out and he connected them with a line and he said, “Someday I will walk between these 2 towers.” And he did it. He spent 45 minutes up there and eventually he was arrested. On the form the police used where they put the reason of the arrest they said “Man On Wire.” When he was being questioned by the media as they went crazy gathering around the car with all of their microphones trying to get a reason and a quote from him he says…click the link to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAVj2IVC9ko
In one point he says only Americans would ask why. He did something magnificent and there is not reason why. Only because it is wonderful.
Why? To a large crowd. To a misse-masche of humanity. To all of these different people with all of these different world views and religious views, and Gods and practices. Why does Jesus announce the blessing of God is yours? Blessed are the poor in spirit. Those without a wisp of religion. Those who haven’t kept the covenant. Those who don’t believe all the right things. Those who have really really really screwed it up in an endless litany of way. To all of those, God is on your side. To all of those who don’t deserve the blessing of God, the blessing of God is here and it is yours. You can see why the first people who heard this said well, that is good news. You immediately go wait wait wait, no no no…no…no. God blesses the hard working. God blesses the morally upright. Right? God blesses all the people who make the right decisions. God blesses the people who do the right things at the right time. God blesses the people who go to the right schools and have the right professions. Try this on for size, God blesses the people who make the right confession of faith. That is who the favor of God is for. Which then means that God’s love is for the people who can earn it…if…
The moment we look down on somebody because they aren’t as disciplined, hard working, upright, smart, responsible, moral, God fearing, Bible believing and as Jesus trusting as we are because they made idiotic, stupid, immoral choices again again and again at that moment we are in fact rich in spirit and Jesus is not announcing anything to us. Come on people. Hear it. The Gospel is the announcement that in your pathetic bedraggled confused morally ambiguous state where nothing good is within you, God announces I am on your side! Perhaps this might help you get it…if you are a church then, and you are a gathering of people who takes seriously the Gospel pronouncement of Jesus, then you have to embrace the simple truth that before it is a theology or a system or a doctrine or a church or a movement or an institution or a world view or a way or a perspective it is an announcement. God has sent His son into the world. His one and only son because God so loved the world. And this son did not come to judge or condemn. He came to save and he began this epic Sermon on the Mount by starting not by high, but loooow with a shocking, jarring and strangely counter-intuitive exuberant healing comforting sort of message. All the people who think I am out, God’s blessing is now pouring out on you. The creator of the universe who you have been convinced is for all of the people who do it right doesn’t work that way. You simply stand in awe of it because it is an announcement. It is not a teaching, it’s not advice, it’s not blame, it’s not a neat way in which the world works. It’s an announcement that God’s love…the Kingdom of Heaven has now become available to all the people who have absolutely no claim to it and don’t deserve it.
Think through this then, a church being a place that begins first and foremost as an announcement. Not, yes God loves you for A.B.C.D then it gets really good. No. Announcement. He opens to all the people who have had an abortion that God is on your side. All the people who have been unfaithful to their spouse that God is on your side. All the people who have screwed it up at work that God blesses you. To all those who have certain websites they cant stay away from the Kingdom is available to you. If at any moment something in you says no, no, it can’t be…then in fact you are rich and the announcement isn’t for you. If you think no it can’t be, it’s for the good people who kept their noses clean, it is for them…then you are rich in spirit and Jesus’ announcement can’t make sense to you. If you think it says blessed are all the people who know how much they need God…well yes, that is true to a certain degree…but knowing how much I need God that then is a condition we work for. “I am humble and this is why God and I are so close…we get along…” Then we have in fact missed Jesus in His own teaching. You can take the Jesus part right out of it and just make it a here is how to live and miss Jesus message. God is to sit in the counter-intuitive shockingly confronting and yet strangely consoling vision of a pronouncement that says all of the zeroes, the morally bankrupt, the epically confused and ambiguous that…God is on your side.
David Croneberg made a movie called “History of Violence”. It is about a guy named Tom who runs a homely dinner in a little town. Then we find out Tom has a past. You as the viewer are at first like wait, does he have this past or not. Sorry to give it away but I doubt you’ll watch it anyway…then you begin to find out it is true. Then his wife begins to find out that her husband, this good honoring man Tom, has a past. Then you find out he has killed lots of people. People from his past are coming to get him and the only way to resolve it is to resort back to his way of killing and blood and violence. There is more and more blood and so his history of violence becomes his presence of violence. He realizes that unless he kills everybody, his past will haunt him forever. So he kills everybody. His wife’s heart is broken because she realizes for years he has not been honest with her. Once he has killed every person from his past the movie comes to its final scene where they are sitting at the dinner table. His family had been living without him and he comes home. Tom has just washed his hands of literal blood from his last killing. He has broken trust with his wife, daughter and son. He comes in the door and the question is how will this ever get fixed? Is this marriage ever going to get put back together? What about the trust with his son and daughter? He comes into the kitchen and she can’t even look at him and he can’t look them in the eyes. This man is poor in spirit. A dishonest killer. How will they respond? The path to reconciliation will be so difficult. His son can’t look him in the eyes. His daughter looks at her mom. Blessed are the poor in spirit because there is even a place at the table for them. Blessed are the murderers and the adulterers and the addicted and those with more crap in their present and screwed up life that is totally confused. Blessed are those who have recently washed the blood off of their hands. The question of course is what his son will say. Will his son have Gospel for him? What will his wife do? The son wants to know how he should respond in this moment. The son is torn and he takes the plate and puts it next to his father. The question is now will his wife pronounce Gospel? It is different from reconciliation and repair. It is different from the pain and hurt. It is just a simple question of will she announce blessing. She finally looks him in the eyes but he cant look because he is poor in spirit. His eyes essentially say, “Even me?” And then he receives from her some sort of yes and the is over.
This is us. This is the Gospel. Is it another list of things I have to do? Is it more commands that I have to follow to become righteous? Is it a list of requirements of what God demands so that we can be declared forgiven, justified, sanctified, and righteous? Jesus stands in the midst of a mass of humanity and announces fortunate and blessed are the poor in spirit. The deficient have God on their side.
God I ask you to and crush our religion and set it on fire. Rescue us from our religion so that we can have Gospel. Rescue us from all the ways we measure ourselves against others. Rescue us from the place we find our self-righteousness from the failures and stumbling of other people. Please rescue us from that religion into a blessing and favor that has no reason. That does not come from something good in us but from whom you are. Rescue us from asking why and help us know that it is because you are love.

7th Inning Stretch

2009-09-17T14:35:00.004-04:00

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. "
Clarence Budington Kelland

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty."
Author Unknown

There they sat watching the game as usual when this man did an amazing thing. It was a heroic act in an attempt to catch a foul ball by leaning well beyond the safety of the ledge in the 2nd level of stands behind home plate. What an amazing catch. All around him people applauded in sheer astonishment with his desire and will to achieve what every boy dreams to do since adolescence. Here this opportunity sat and he was ready.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqxSA73hGz8
Allow me to use this story as an analogy for God. The baseball game= life. The ball=gifts from God. The father and his open arms of love= God. The child=us making mistakes daily as we work through life. The crowd=the world.
God does amazing things all around us every single day. We witness this and think about how many wonderful things we get to experience. We make mistakes just as this little girl did by throwing the gift back…but there God was ready to love us still even though the crowd was shocked by our actions. What a great picture of how God loves us. He loves us without any conditions or terms like a father loves his children. When the world around us oh’s and ah’s with shock and disbelief by what we have done, He immediately opens his arms to comfort us in our insecurities even though we threw His gift back. We will be rewarded with more blessings just as this father was rewarded with another ball for his unconditional love.
I must admit, it sure is refreshing to actually see a positive story get national recognition...finally.

Stop and Hear the Music!

2009-08-15T13:00:00.004-04:00

"There's no bad day that can't be overcame by stopping and listening to a barber shop quartet; this is just truth, plain and simple."
Chuck Sigars

Sometimes when I hear somebody teaching or preaching or giving a message I think I have no idea what this person is talking about. This just makes no sense at all. I came across something recently and thought wow, I just have to show this to my friends. This is in a commentary and I quote J. Preston Eby who gives a clear pronouncement of this truth from his essay “Is Man a Free Moral Agent”. Now if you really want to appear smart just put an initial in front of your name. I assure you will become smart by just doing that alone. This is some long discourse and partway through it he says…and I quote “The first Adam is said to be the first man and the last Adam is declared to be the second man. The second Adam is also the last Adam and he is also the last man. Now if the first Adam is the first man it necessarily would follow that there were no man on Earth before him for he was the first. Then if the last Adam is the second man and there were no men on Earth between the first Adam and the last Adam for the last Adam is the second man there can be no man between first man and the second man. If there were even one man between the first man and the second man obviously the second man could not be the second man. He would be the third man or the 100th man or the 5 billionth man. And since the second man is also the last man there can not have been any man since him for if others have followed him he could not have been the last man. So then the first man was the first and the second man was the second man and the second man is the last man.” J. Preston Eby gives a clear pronouncement of this truth. How many of you have heard somebody talking religious talk and you thought I have no idea what you are saying? You seem very convinced of it and seem to be ok with its clarity and simplicity but I am in a fog of rhetoric and I cant even find my way out of it. So. Why do we gather? What is the point? I want to explain a way of seeing the world and as we explore this way I want you to be thinking, is this present in our world today?
Exodus 25…God was giving instructions on the temple…

8 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

So early in the story God says make me a house. A holy place. A Temple. A sanctuary and I will dwell in the midst of it. Exodus 28 gives specific instructions on this temple. Very specific instructions.
Exodus 28:29 "Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place

So within the Temple there will be places that are even holier than other places.
Exodus 29:6 “Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban.”
I am getting somewhere here just bare with me.
Exodus 29:31 “Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place.”
So there is a sacred emblem, sacred garments, sacred under garments, sacred places.
Exodus 29:33 “They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no one else may eat them, because they are sacred.”
So there is also sacred offerings and sacred foods too.
Exodus 30:25 “Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.”
Sacred oils now. The word sacred is the Hebrew word Kodesh. It means holy, set apart, consecrated. It’s different. It is distinguished from the other. There are these holy things, and then there are those things.
Remember Leviticus 10:10 since I know all my readers have these memorized anyway, if not shame on you. It is an explanation of why there are all of these sacred things. Sacred offering, oils, places, garments, emblems.
Verse 10 “You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean.”
What you have is a differentiation of a physical space. You have the common and then build a temple so a space other than regular space is a realm other than which you actually live. Then you have a place within that temple which distinguishes itself as sacred set apart from the everyday ordinary. This place will be holy. Actually within it is a gradiance of holy. There is holy, then a more holy place, then the holy of holiest place. Now this realm is to be distinguished from the realm. Unclean, clean. Common, sacred. This realm is for everybody, then there is a place where a select few who will wear sacred garments, have a sacred emblem, perform a sacred task, will use sacred oil in the sacred place to offer sacred gifts and offerings on the sacred day. Follow me? 2 realms.
As a little side note here, the word profanity comes from the word profane. We think profanity is just used to give movies certain ratings. The word profanity literally means in its ancient roots to cross the threshold. To profane something is to take something sacred and cross the threshold and treat it common and as an everyday and ordinary thing. Taking words which are considered crude and to use them in an ordinary everyday fashion is profane…hence, profanity. Nevertheless, in Leviticus, there is a world view that sees 2 realms. In the ancient world they saw things this way. In the ancient world they saw things this way. In the ancient world they saw things this way. In the ancient world they saw things this way. Understand? In the ancient world they saw things this way. Just making a point.
So what does Jesus do to this reality in which things are treated in sort of this special sacred and holy parted space? Special occupations, tasks, work, callings and then you know…the rest of us. Certain places where you could only say certain things because it’s in that holy place but since we are over here, all sorts of other things are ok due to not being in that space making it ok and different. Does Jesus uphold and affirm this understanding of reality or does he see it in a slightly different way?
Matthew 12:1 1At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath(sacred day uhoh). His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."
BTW, the job of religion is to keep this split view of the world in tact. That’s what religion does. And then it has its rules and its codes for keeping this view of reality preserved.
So you have the Pharisees who are freaking out saying you can’t you can’t. What are you doing?
3He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.
I just want to interject here. Keep in mind that the Pharisees are experts in the law.
5Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.
He sure schooled them.
Now remember Jewish consciousness was deeply shaped by this realm and then the center of reality was the temple. That is where God is. An entire system grew up around the notion that there are common ordinary places but then you go to Jerusalem, the temple area, you are essentially in the center of where God is in the world. That is how we order reality. The center is there. Jesus says, “One greater than the temple is here.” Jesus of course is speaking of himself and says that whatever He is doing there is something happening that is greater than the temple.

In John 2:18 Jesus pushes them to the edge. The temple is the most sacred, most holy place where they believe God dwelled with them in some sort of supernatural way. To use that kind of language would be speaking about the holiest of holiest of holiest places people could imagine in this world view. Jesus uses language that is extremely volatile and loaded. Verse 18 “Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
It took years for the disciples to understand what He means by this but they got it eventually, after He died of course.
22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
The light clicked on for John several years later and then he was able to write about it. Ohhhhhhh, now we get it. There is this view. Again some things are common, ordinary…blood, paycheck, sexuality, just the stuff that’s like life. Then there is this other realm. Holy, sacred, you watch your conduct. You only say certain things. If somebody told that joke in this realm you would just look at them and go hmmmm…I don’t approve. But in the other realm you would be like, “Dude! What was that joke again cause that is hillllareeeeus. Tell me, tell me, tell me.”
So He in someway associates Himself with the temple and system and its death with His own death. Keep in mind that temple was in fact destroyed 40 years after his resurrection.
Matthew 27- Matthew gives a small detail surrounding Jesus’ death. In a split view of reality there is a gradiance of holiness. So there is the outside place of the temple, then the priest, then there is the high priest. There is the holy place then there is the most holy place. So within sacred space there is a level of ascending hierarchy. In the temple there is a veil or curtain because God is somewhere at the center of this centered way of thinking of reality. If God is somewhere in there then there needs to be levels and this curtain in which only the high priest could go behind in the holy of holies only once per year.
Matthew 27:50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Now Matthew is a good Jewish writer and the audience would have been very familiar with the arrangement or the temple. There is this temple that essentially guards people from entering into the holiest of all places and that temple, that veil, the curtain was torn in two.
Later Biblical writers said that is because we can now have a direct relationship with God. People can go in. Which raises another point. If people can go in then God can come out. People now with Jesus have all sorts of new access to God through Christ’s death and resurrection. Again, God can now come out.
What does this mean now? Earlier Christians picked up on the idea that you yourselves are God’s Temple. This was a monumental shift in the way people viewed reality. It is how it was. There was the sacred, then the common. There is the clean, there is the unclean. There is the holy and then there is the everyday sort of thing. With Jesus, the whole thing comes crashing down in some sort of new reality in which the holy is somehow now to be found in the common. The sacred is somehow to be understood within the everyday. There is what you can see, and there are all sorts of depth. This has significant implications of what it means to be a Christian. In light of this, notice in Matthew 25 some of the things that Jesus says. He tells a story of sorts. It’s a parable of warning about when the Son of Man comes with all the Angels with Him and He sits on His glorious throne. He speaks of His judging and ordering of the world. He speaks of 2 different kinds of people. Sheep and goats. He places Himself as a sort of king. Matthew 25:37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Now what is He saying here? It is easy to be around people who are gentle and generous and honest and truthful and kind and creative and loving and say “I saw Jesus in them!” Perhaps you have felt this before. When I am around Karen it is like you can just see the living Christ in her. I mean that. She is the kindest, most gentle person I have ever met. It is obvious so has a certain peace about her. That is simple to see. Jesus says in this story His followers will be the kinds of people who can find Christ in the least of these. Karen, due to this essence is not the least of these. She doesn't fall into that catergory. So His followers will be the kinds of people who are more and more and more able through their interaction with the other, the least of these (He uses the example of the prisoner, which means you are actually identifying with the prisoner, the naked the sick, the thirsty) they will be more in tuned with the Christ who is present in that interaction. It won’t just be another bothersome thirsty person. They will see this person in their need as an opportunity to engage with the living Christ who will be present in that engagement. Click? Karen, that is for you. Click? It is easy to see people who are really Jesus like and say, there He is. He says His followers will be the kinds of people who will be increasingly in every day ordinary relationships specifically in their interactions with the least of these have an acute sense and alertness of the sacred holy nature of that interaction and they will act accordingly. So that means your boss, your ex-husband, your racist/pre-conceived notions in thugs, your interactions with the disease infested drug addicted homeless, and your mother-in-law too.
I am going to get touchy for some here so be forewarned.
The point of a sermon or message is to make us more aware of the Christ in the common. A teaching in a religious system, church or denomination can affirm some things are common and some things are sacred and if you would like to enter into our sacred club here are the rules. It either affirms a split world view OR it is alerting us to the Christ present in the least of these everyday common interactions. Particularly with those who we would be the quickest to dismiss. A sermon is about awakening us to the Christ in the common. If it does not and it further exacerbates a split view of the universe then it isn’t Christian no matter how many Bible versus it quotes. One step further. There is a medium in our culture. A technological medium that is designed to lower your IQ. It is called political talk radio. Now what happens in this medium is people from the extreme edges of both perspectives create caricatures of the other side and then with only one microphone turned on shred the caricature of the other side. And then people call in and say nice job. Click? If you are a Christian and I am not talking about particular specifics on policies, I am talking about broad sweeping generalization about people you have never actually interacted with one on one and you are growing in your heightened awareness of your Christ in the common then it will be harder and harder for you to speak of those stupid people over there. Because sweeping labels of people and generalizations is going the opposite way than finding the Christ in the common. What you will discover as you grow in your awareness of Jesus’ view of the reality that every person is an image bearer. Every person is a sacred precious creation of God. Every person is valued and loved in an eternal infinite sort of way by the maker of the universe. You will find it harder and harder to stick with the same old boring static categories of them and them, and us and them and right and left because what will happen is you will be having encounters with the least of these which by the way includes your enemies and you will walk away thinking there was something Jesusy about that experience and all I know is it was very real. Jesus wants to heighten our awareness. At a very practical level when we gather together for some sort of worship function as a church because what we have discovered as Christians is that on a regular basis it is very helpful to be reminded of the Christ in the common. What personally is my job? One of my jobs is to heighten our awareness of the Christ in the common. True of people and it is also true of places.
Genesis 28, this is one of my favorite passages. I so relate to it. Jacob is all over the place. He is a bit of a head case early on and makes some progress like the rest of us. Notice verse 12 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. I just want to point out here that it says the angels are ascending and descending, so does that mean there home is here among us? That was something Rabbis who had nothing to do would sit around and debate.
13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth.”
So this is some sort of massive epic dream. I don’t have dreams like this. Mine are more like I was walking in the grocery store and ran into my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Moore doing a handstand in the cereal section because we all got 100% on our spelling test. How many of you have those dreams where it makes no sense whatsoever? You write it down and the next day you are like I am one messed up dude.
15Behold,I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." 17And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

To me this is deep. To me this is what it means to grow as a disciple. To follow God. It means that you constantly find yourself waking up going, “Wow, God has been in this place the whole time and I missed it…until now.” When someone asks me what my definition of faith is I respond "It is waking up to a God who has been here the whole time." I just needed the shades pulled back a little bit. Do you know what I am talking about? We have our lives. We have the things that we do. We have the things that are very easy to see as common and then we leave our common life and go talk about other “sacred” things, and then we go back to our everyday sort of being. Think of the things we do…everyday you and I…it is groceries and gas and mowing the lawn, sitting in construction traffic and paying the insurance bill, the electric bill, downlpoading illegal music, painting the walls and surfing the web and vacuuming the carpets and washing the dishes and sitting in construction traffic and laundry and celebrating the new Maggiano’s in the Rim, and taking out the trash and recycling and sitting in more construction traffic and walking outside and saying damn another 100 degree day and jumping off the bridge into the Guadalupe and going to the dentist and another test back from the doctor and haircuts and Chucky Cheese and paying your taxes and going to work and sitting in construction traffic and coming home after sitting in construction traffic and filling out papers for license renewals and sitting on hold with Sprint and sweeping the floor and feeding the dog and then setting one day per week aside as a day of rest going to a church service and sitting in construction traffic on the way home from the building where the church meets. Ugh. No. We have a life that is very easy to develop the common stuff we do and then we gather together and talk about…God…that stuff. Jacob wakes up and says, “Surely God was in this place the whole time. I just wasn’t aware of it.” Do we gather so that somebody can spout off for awhile from the stage so we can say, “Yea, I think she did a great job? Not as good as last week but I enjoyed it.” Is that the point? Or do we gather in order to listen with the assumption and expectation and hope that in some way the shades will be pulled back just a little bit? I will hear something, I will see something, something that is said that will resonate with me in such a way that I will wake up in some small way. Perhaps you are going through a very difficult time and it’s a sort of storm and perhaps you hear something and you became aware that God has been in this storm the whole time and you never saw it that way until now. Do we gather in order to find God? There is this place where you can go and find God? Or is the point of a church service to gather together in order to listen and in order to learn how to find God everywhere else? This of course can change everything.
A split view of reality in which you have the common and the sacred actually disempowers because what it says is that certain places where the action is, the center is here, and certain people who are closer to the action, the Priests, the Pastors, The Rabbis, The Ministers, they are the ones who have access to the stuff. What you find with Jesus is that the center is everywhere. Remember if you were a good Jew in the 1st century you would not ask where is the temple? You would know. It’s there in Jerusalem and you would be able to face it and pray. And so for you, the action, the divine wasn’t there with you, it was in Jerusalem. South, North, East or West of where you were…17 miles away in Jerusalem up the mountain…but not…here with me. The center was there. How does Jesus view the world? Oh no not like that. The center when the temple comes down is now everywhere. So for a Christian to have this view that I have a job and it makes me want to vomit on myself, and there are these people and they make me want to vomit on myself, and this boss and he makes me want to vomit on myself. It is just a cubicle farm and it makes me want to vomit on myself. But then there is this place where I can go and there are all of these shiny happy Christians and there it is totally awesome. What is that? That is a view that the center is here, and then there is just my kind of life over here. What you find again and again and again in the scriptures with Jesus it’s oh no no no…the center has moved. There is no longer a center. The center is everywhere. This will change everything as it starts to kick in. Hopefully by now you will deconstruct some religious experiences you have had and actually thought wow God was always there.
Which brings me to my next question. Why is it when we have missionaries and are about to send them off to a foreign country we have these cards and pictures with contacts and how to support them and yet we don’t do this for people starting a new job at USAA or teaching or at the working at the gas station or in real estate about to make their first sale? Why don’t we come up and say, Mona here, she is starting her first year in the classroom and is serving 5 miles from here and we are going to commission her. Why do we only do it when it is this special sort of holy sacred stuff? What does that do actually? It disempowers. I am just kind of common everyday normal stuff and apparently there are others who do more. It is just exacerbating the same old world view that Jesus came to say One greater than the temple is here. We should start those support cards like we do for missionaries for our Christmas cards this year and be like "Jeremiah Nichols serving in San Antonio with Oak Hills" and send it to all of your friends. That would be awesome! They would wonder what you are doing now and you could say it is what you have always been doing, I just decided to be honest about it. That would be hilarious! We could get that globe picture in the background with a thumb tack pinned on NW San Antonio. I would laugh my face off…Anyways...so look for God everywhere.

Look at this picture. It is a young man in a hat, playing an old violin in the Washington DC metro station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played 6 Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately 2000 people went through the station most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing, slowed his pace, stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. After 4 minutes the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw some money into the hat and without stopping continued to walk. After 6 minutes a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him then looked at his watch and decided to walk again. After 10 minutes a 3 year old stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again but the mothers pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent without exception forced their children to move on quickly. After 45 minutes the musician played continuously and only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at a normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. After one hour he finished playing and silence took without nobody noticing. Nobody applauded, there was nothing nor any recognition. Nobody knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one the greatest musician in the world and lauded as a child prodigy around the world. He played one the most intricate pieces every written and with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. 2 days before Josh performed and sold out a theatre in Boston with seats that averaged over $100 per ticket. Why do we gather? Why do we listen to teachings? Why do we have lifegroups and house churches? Why do we take part in this thing called the Christian faith? I do because I believe there are Joshua Bells on every corner and our job is simply to be listening so that we don’t miss the music.
Make sure you watch this video!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw

Let's end disposable marriage

2009-07-02T11:48:00.001-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/07/02/sears.family.divorce/index.html

Leah Ward Sears stepped down this week as Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. In 1992, she became the first woman -- and youngest person -- appointed to Georgia's highest court.
After Tommy's sudden death, we found among my brother's personal effects a questionnaire he had completed in 2005 for a church class.
The very first question was a fill-in-the-blank that went like this: "At the end of my life, I'd love to be able to look back and know I'd done something about ....."
"Fathers," Tommy wrote.
When asked to identify something that angered him that could be changed, Tommy wrote, "Re-establishment of equity and balance and sanity within the American family."
My brother was born to be a father, and he grew into a good and loving one. Tommy was tall and handsome, smart, witty and fun. A graduate of the Naval Academy and a Stanford-educated lawyer, he married and fathered a little girl and boy who were the center of his life.
Tommy felt that one of the worst problems in our country today was family breakdown and fatherlessness. He railed against intentional unwed childbearing and the ease with which divorce was possible. He didn't like that we have become a society that values the rights of adults to do their own thing over our responsibility to protect our children.
As a judge I have long held a front row seat to the wreckage left behind by our culture of disposable marriage and casual divorce that my brother so despised.
No-fault divorce was a response to a very real problem. The social and legal landscape that preceded it largely prevented casual divorce, but it often trapped people in abusive marriages. It also turned divorces into even uglier affairs than they are today, forcing people to expose in court damaging information about their children's other parent. That system was intolerable, and we should never go back to that.
But no-fault divorce's broad acceptance as an unquestioned social good helped usher in an era that fundamentally altered the seriousness with which marriage is viewed. It effectively ended marriage as a legal contract since either party can terminate it, with or without cause. This leaves many people struggling to remake their lives after painful divorces that they do not want. It also left many parents cut off from, or sidelined in, the lives of the children they love.
When Tommy divorced, as in so many cases, a bitter struggle over resources and the children ensued. My brother came to believe that the legal system turned him into a mere visitor of his children.
Tommy eventually accepted a job as a lawyer for the State Department and went to Iraq (and later to Dubai) in order to make the money needed to support his children. Being in a war zone, under terrible conditions without the children he loved, was unbearable to him.
On November 5, 2007, my phone rang before daybreak. A U.S. Foreign Service officer was on the other line. Was I the sister of William Thomas Sears?
I knew before I was told what had happened. Tommy had died. But the cause took my breath away: My brother had taken his own life.
I know I'll never understand fully all that factored into his decision to kill himself. No doubt Tommy was wrestling with more demons than he had ever admitted to me or knew himself. But as a divorcee myself and, for a number of years, a single parent, I know the immense pain of divorce and its aftermath. The limitations the law placed on Tommy's right to raise his own children after his divorce magnified my brother's pain and was, I believe, more than he could live with.
Tommy was only 53 when he committed suicide. That was more than a year ago, and I am still learning to live without him and live with the fact that this man I looked up to all my life chose to end his own life.
Tommy's loss has catapulted me even farther down a path I was already on. This may sound like heresy, but I believe the United States and a host of Western democracies are engaged in an unintended campaign to diminish the importance of marriage and fatherhood. By refusing to do everything we can to stem the rising rate of divorce and unwed childbearing, our country often isolates fathers (and sometimes mothers) from their children and their families.
Of course, there are occasions when divorce is necessary. And not everyone should marry. But it has become too easy for people to walk away from their families and commitments without a real regard for the gravity of their decision and the consequences for other people, particularly children.
Removing no-fault divorce as a legal option may not be the right way to move forward, and the solutions we need may not be entirely legal in nature. But answers must be found. The coupling and uncoupling we've become accustomed to undermines our democracy, destroys our families and devastates the lives of our children, who are not as resilient as we may wish to think. The one-parent norm, which is necessary and successful in many cases, nevertheless often creates a host of other problems, from poverty to crime, teen pregnancy and drug abuse.
The loss of my brother has changed my life, as these losses so often do to people. This summer, after 26 years, I'm hanging up my robe as a judge to return to private practice.
I will spend some of my time teaching a course in family law at the University of Georgia Law School. And I have accepted a fellowship at the Institute of American Values in New York -- a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that contributes intellectually to strengthening families and civil society in the United States and the world.
At my request, the fellowship is named after my brother. As the William Thomas Sears Distinguished Fellow in Family Law, perhaps now I can truly do "something about fathers" -- a mission I'm on for Tommy and a critical calling for all of us.

Can You Keep A Secret?

2009-06-18T12:35:00.001-04:00

"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead."
-Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

She grew up in the 50’s. A young black girl raised in the south. This period of time was already difficult to deal with due to her race and no person should have to be confronted with that ever. But it gets worse for her. She was attracted to women, and a believer in God. Torn by this she did not know where to turn. She feared for years the repercussions that she’d face the day she would come out and how her family would react. How her friends would treat her. What would her church think? What would her pastor think?
She covered it up as many do for years. Going out and dating boys to conceal her sexual preference. Then the day came when she had a tale of two fates. Her long-term boyfriend was pressuring her to have sex with her. She did not want to speak with her parents about the boyfriends desires for fear of what would happen and how they would look upon the boy. So she turned to her pastor in hopes he would be able to give her wise advice with a more understanding nature.
She was ready and in need of help. She sat down with him and began to open up the inner conflict she had been dealing with while dating this boy for the past year. He listened as many pastors do. He at first did not fully understand her conflict because she began by just telling him how the boy wants to have sex. Though this may be wrong, it is typically normal for boys at that age, well at any age I suppose. He at first praised her for resisting this temptation. Then he found out why she resisted. It was not because she did not want to have sex, but it was because she liked women. This put a whole new twist on the conversation and how he thought he could advise her.
Being any man in the role he was, he first reassured her that this problem could be beaten. That this demon inside was evil and he knew exactly what to do. So they together prayed, and then opened the bible to that famous passage, Leviticus 18:22. You know it. It is the one that says ‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.’
Then they prayed together some more.
Now I am a firm believer in prayer, inward reflection, meditation…all that. I am also a huge believer in knowing that prayer alone without action is dead…useless…so what action did this pastor advise her to take next?
He told her that what he has learned from the past to break this demon was for her to have sex with a man which would help reinforce the fact that it is good. That would somehow convince her that sex with women was wrong. To make it even worse, he said to not have sex with her boyfriend she was dating but rather suggested she have sex with him right then and there. She was shocked. She immediately got up from her chair in disbelief to leave the room and at that very moment the pastor grabbed her and attempted to force himself on to her. The deacons heard the scuffle going on and came running. By the time they got into the room it had already been trashed from the fury of resistance. The story was not believable to the deacons and because it is easier to remove a member of the church than the pastor, you can guess who stayed.
I heard this story yesterday on NPR and was horrified. This is only a small recap and have not been able to find it online. It is no wonder people are afraid of Christians when leaders do horrendous things to the very people asking for help.
Anyways, I thought I would share this story. We all have our battles and when someone comes to you in hopes to gain insight and help, the first thing we need to do is comfort and love them. The last thing they need to do is be abused mentally or physically. Being made feel worse for what they already feel bad about does no good to anyone. They are coming to you for help and that is usually after they already beat themselves up enough. Who are we to make anyone feel worse unless of course their actions have some sort of intrinsic value to your relationship or effect on your life. But even then, do your best to love and show grace. I am working on that myself. It can be hard when others lives impact yours. Be swift to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

Think Memorial Day

2009-05-25T15:20:00.003-04:00

"An Honor Is Not Diminished For Being Shared."
Lois McMaster Bujold, "Shards of Honor" 1986

I am humbled to have an uncle who knows just about every cool person in the entire world. I was privileged this morning by waking up to this email from Leo to my uncle and thought on this day of honoring those who served, it would be fitting to honor the POW and Medal of Honor recipient Mr. Leo Thorsness for what he did. Not many people in this world served our country, and only an extremely small amount of those went through what he did. I just wish to share his words, not mine. Oh and if you have not read his book "Surviving Hell" please do! The link is here.
http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Hell-Journey-Leo-Thorsness/dp/159403236X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243279769&sr=8-1
You will find it...well...enlightening...and now you will be able to have an educated conversation versus just an opinionated one.

Memorial Day – Torture Thoughts ©
By POW and Medal of Honor recipient Col (USAF Ret) Leo Thorsness
Author of Surviving Hell – A POW’s Journey

Think Memorial Day and veterans usually come to mind. Think Veterans and our national debate about torture comes to mind.
Of the 350 “old timer” Vietnam POWs, the majority were severely tortured by the North Vietnamese. Ironically the Department of Defense did not formally study torture after the POWs were released in 1973. We provided our military an actual “torture database library” but to this day, the Pentagon has never tapped the resource to help clarify national debate about “what is torture.” 1
I and many other Vietnam POWs were tortured severely – some were tortured to death. Several POWs wrote books after our release in 1973 describing the torture in detail. Mike McGrath’s book had extensive drawings vividly depicting types of torture the North Vietnamese used.
When I wrote “Surviving Hell” in 2008, initially I did not include torture knowing that others had earlier described it. My book editors encouraged me to add it; if our younger population reads only current books, they may perceive that the treatment at Abu Grab and Gitmo was real torture. I added my experience being tortured so that readers will know that there is abuse and humiliation, and there is torture.
If someone surveyed the surviving Vietnam POWs, we would likely not agree on one definition of torture. In fact, we wouldn’t agree if “waterboarding” is torture. For example, John McCain, Bud Day and I were recently together. Bud is one of the toughest and most tortured Vietnam POWs. John thinks waterboarding is torture; Bud and I believe it is harsh treatment, but not torture. Other POWs would have varying opinions. I don’t claim to be right; we just disagree. But as someone who has been severely tortured over an extended time, my first hand view on torture is this:
Torture, when used by an expert, can produce useful, truthful information. I base that on my experience. I believe that during torture, there is a narrow “window of truth” as pain (often multiple kinds) is increased. Beyond that point, if torture increases, the person breaks, or dies if he continues to resist.
Everyone has a different physical and mental threshold of pain that he can tolerate. If the interrogator is well trained he can identify when that point is reached – the point when if slightly more pain is inflicted, a person no longer can “hold out,” just giving (following the Geneva Convention) name, rank, serial number and date of birth. At that precise point, a very narrow torture “window of truth” exists. At that moment a person may give useful or truthful information to stop the pain. As slightly more pain is applied, the person “loses it” and will say anything he thinks will stop the torture – any lie, any story, and any random words or sounds
This torture “window of truth” is theory to some. Having been there, it is fact to me. While in torture I had the sickening feeling deep within my soul that maybe I would tell the truth as that horrendous pain increased. It is unpleasant, but I can still dredge up the memory of that window of truth feeling as the pain level intensified.
Our world is not completely good or evil. To publicly proclaim we will never use any form of enhanced interrogations causes our friends to think we are naïve and eases our enemies’ recruitment of radical terrorists to plot attacks on innocent kids, men and women – or any infidel. If I were to catch a “mad bomber” running away from an explosive I would not hesitate a second to use “enhanced interrogation,” including water bordering, if it would save lives of innocent people. Our naïveté does not impress radical terrorists like those who slit the throat of Daniel Pearl in 2002 simply because he was Jewish, and broadcast the sight and sound of his dying gurgling. Publicizing our enhanced interrogation techniques only emboldens those who will hurt us.
1. Kepler Space University is beginning a study of Vietnam POW Torture, headed by Professor (PhD) Robert Krone, Col, USAF, (ret).

Oh Captain, My Captain

2009-04-26T22:58:00.004-04:00

Bob Dylan said, "I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." Day after day, hour after hour, my hero is spending her time saving lives in a hospital. Not just any hospital, but one that is frequented by the sounds of sirens due to incoming threats from mortars, rocket propelled grenades and all sorts of attacks. The sirens cause interruptions to the intense and already stressful environment where lives are on the verge of death and every single second counts. She is not just saving any life either, but the lives of our troops who are sacrificing everything so honorably for the betterment of others. My good friend is a Captain in the United States Air Force working tirelessly as an Intensive Care Unit Nurse at the Air Base Hospital in Balad, Iraq. She is assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing made famous by the Tuskegee Airmen. The troops that my hero is serving are both American and Coalition forces to include Iraqi troops who have been wounded by many different means. Their injuries range from close range gunshots to burn victims with missing limbs from Improvised Explosive Devices.Six months of her life will pass performing this incredibly tedious but honorable duty when all is said and done. So much of her life has been placed on hold in the meantime. But knowing lives are at stake, she was humbled to go and bring her gifted touch of calmness to those in traumatic times. She found peace in God’s omnipresence to guide her through this period and she has hope that His grace transpires vicariously through her.It is simple to meet my hero and be captivated by her smile and gracefulness. She not only lives but truly personifies a life of humility. Like any other hero, I am sure she considers it a normal duty that anyone in her position would do. I am not sure of the number of lives she will have touched in the end, but I am sure she will not seek one single bit of recognition for it, and that in itself is the reason why I consider her my hero. With that, I will end this with the words of Will Rogers who said it best. “We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” I am so glad to have such a wonderful hero and I look forward to applauding her job well done when she returns.

Nature Does Nothing Uselessly

2009-04-23T17:36:00.003-04:00

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
E.B. White (1899-1985)

“In all things of Nature there is something of the marvelous.”
Aristotle (384BC-322BC)

After 8 months of anticipation I had the wonderful pleasure last evening of watching the film entitled “Earth” by Disney Nature in celebration of Earth Day. And, it was as perfect as I had imagined. Oh! I am also excited to have a tree planted in my honor because of my ticket purchase.
Some critics have been labeling it a kids’ movie but I wholeheartedly disagree. I must admit that although it is being labeled such, many of the same critics rarely show this much enthusiasm for a “kids’ movie”. Here is a quote from one of the harshest movie critics of all time- the L.A Times- "It shouldn't be missed. What it does well is so remarkable that by the time the credits roll you likely won't want it to end." Some didn’t like James Earl Jones’s narration. Some of it was a little, ummm, unexpected and perhaps corny, but J. Earl Jones is one of my favorite guys alive today, so I enjoyed his narration very much.
I also read some people mentioning that Global Warming is an undertone theme or drive behind this movie but being a somewhat skeptic (emphasis on somewhat) of Global Warming and its causes, I did not find that in there at all. If you go looking for it, you will seek it just as anything you are searching for to fit and shape your already deeply engrained opinion. Even though Earth’s temperature rising is mentioned, it does not even acknowledge that the human race exists one single bit or the causes of the warming, not even a suggestive reason.
It was incredible to see our wonderful and incredibly vibrant planet on such a grand scale in the theatre. Species of beings I never knew existed and their uniqueness was completely captivating. We lose touch with our world and ourselves when we don’t take notice of all the life around us. That concrete jungle previously mentioned. I am so grateful to have people with such talent and vision in the world to create pieces like this that inspire all of us to live, not just be. Walt’s vision 65 years ago with True-Life Adventure Films have come so far and this only makes me a thousand times more excited about visiting Disney World once again next month. (yes Christy, Disney World is better than Disney Land, just as Florida is better than California).
As a brief side note, it appears this Earth Day film release will be an annual occurrence. Next year Disney Nature will release a film entitled “Ocean” and it looks just as incredible!!! I can’t wait, I hope you can make it.
You can view the trailer here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G06r7eKKjkI
or google Disney Nature Ocean.
What a wonderful world. Enjoy it and take care of it!

My Moment of Clarity

2009-03-14T12:41:00.004-04:00

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, commited citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead (1901-1978)

"God creates men, but they choose each other."
Niccolo Machiavelli(1469-1527)

The Kingdom of God isn’t a far away place on a cloud. It is in the here and now. It’s in the hug of a friend. It’s in the tears I have cried on the way to work listening to a teaching. It’s in a well in Burundi where water was once not readily available. It’s everywhere that can be touched by people who are forever changed by an encounter with the creator of the universe. The love of God is a celebration of discovery far more ancient that can’t be numbered in years. It’s a celebration of finding home. Of finding what it is like to be wanted and affirmed. Of finding faith that becomes tangible. Of finding faith when and where life is difficult. Of finding faith when there is nothing else left to tell. There are seasons where we are very tempted to allow our hearts to harden. Be encouraged and open to the healing process Jesus leads us through. Sometimes as you are moving out of the dull, cold, grey life, it takes something to pull you out of the old ways of thinking, feeling and acting. I just want to say thank you to all of my friends who have been a window to the outside for me. It is so refreshing for me to remind myself that church is doing life with people and sticking with them through whatever they are going through. Church is sharing a great meal with friends. Church is asking for support when you need it. With all the love I can muster from the deepest part of my gut, thank you for being a church with me.

It's A Concrete Jungle

2009-03-05T11:32:00.007-05:00

"Never to suffer would never to have been blessed."
Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."
Hellen Keller (1880-1968)

"Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves, after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good. So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers."
Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)

Up without down. Love without despair. Fast without slow. Success without perseverance. It is a measure of perspective. One without the other and their significance will cease. Yes, they are somewhat cliché. One we don’t typically enjoy thinking about is having joy without suffering. I remember when I was younger on some hot nights growing up in Tampa Bay I would put the even hotter cover over my head for a long period of time. After 15 minutes or so it would begin to become pretty difficult to breath due to the heat. It is funny looking back on it now, but when I decided to pull the cover off of my head that first breath of fresh, cool air was so refreshing. If I never placed myself in the heat I would have continued to not appreciate the blessing of cool, fresh air. Did you ever watch a movie or go on a ride that simulated going underwater and you instinctively held your breath to test yourself or make it a more fun experience? Why? We have to go through difficulties sometimes to reflect and appreciate the already occurring blessings. Your outlook on pain and suffering will either strengthen or break you. I am currently going through physical therapy on my left wrist. I have to tell you, it sucks. It is very painful. But I welcome it wholeheartedly because I know this will help me get the flexibility back. Otherwise I would have a pretty much useless wrist. My point is, life is not sustained without an occasional or sometimes unwanted and lengthy hardship. We so often walk through life without noticing the most minute blessings. You have to be reminded so often to slow down and smell the roses. Why do you not always notice them? That one flower growing in the grass.

This picture displays a flower that captured my imagination. But would I have noticed this one flower if it were growing in the grass? I really doubt it. Here it sits with the weight of the world on top of it. Literally. People walk on top of this flower every day on the sidewalk heading to work so often trying to suppress it and keep it down. Somehow, with the grace of God it has bloomed amongst a concrete jungle. This flower could have sprouted in the field of grass to be like all the other flowers never to be noticed. But this flower did not have that fate. It was placed in the hardship and now it becomes a wonderful blessing through realization that joy and suffering bring the essence of life. Do you feel blessed?

Put your life in perspective to others...

Enjoy this Nooma clip by my favorite eye opener-Rob Bell
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=588355778163

Childlike Faith

2009-02-01T00:18:00.004-05:00

Matthew 18:1
About that time the disciples came to Jesus, and asked Him. Which of us is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Aren’t these nice boys? I always feel good when you really read the bible in a non-prejudicial way. These guys are as common as dirt. Now Jesus is divine, but these guys are just like you and me. They need a lot of work.

"Who of us is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? And Jesus called a small child out over to Him and put the child among them and then He said, “That I assure you unless you turn from your sin and become like little children you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

A Buddhist monk who taught a Chinese Philosophy course at the University of Pennsylvania once said, “You Christians teach your children to pray wrong. You teach them to pray, if I should die before I wake. It would be much better if you taught them to pray, if I should wake before I die.” What a great thought. There are a lot of people 45 years old still asleep. Their heart is pumping blood but they are not awake. The monk went on to point out most of the people who he knew were half awake when they should be asleep, but even worse when they were asleep they were half awake. No body seems to be totally alive. Nobody seems to be turned on by what was going on around them in life.
How long have you lived? I don’t mean how long have your lungs been taking in air, but seriously lived? There are some folks that may say you’ve lived an hour. Maybe 5 minutes and for some they haven’t lived at all. For most people life is the meaningless passage of time between all too few moments when they are genuinely alive. Now that’s a sad commentary because most of us don’t live life like we should. We let it slip away from us. We don’t mean to, but our attitude is procrastination. "You know some day I am gonna get it committed." Someday I am gonna sharpen up, or lose weight or be a better father…and you never live today. In James he says, "Life is like a vapor, and whooooph it’s gone" leaving you to wonder what happened. All of us need to ask ourselves whether or not we lived life. And the only people I see living life with any kind of joyful spontaneity and passion are little children. That’s why Jesus said unless you become like a little child you will in no way enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is focusing on the characteristics of a child. You know their intensity. They cry with agony like you are gonna kill ‘em. They also laugh and scream with joy and delight too. Kids re not intimidated by anything; they are turned on to what life is all about. So Jesus said unless you change to become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, unless you can approach life with their kind of passion and enthusiasm you can’t be a part of what I am about.
What was it Jesus saw in children he wants us to know? Let me give you 3 things.
1.Children have no doubts about their real importance, their self worth or value.
I think Jesus saw kids who had no doubt about their self esteem. And people who are worried all the time about their self image, their self worth or value usually go through life being overly concerned with themselves. Self conscious, self centered, selfish and all the other S words you can think of.
One day during a thunder storm lightning was flashing; thunder was roaring and this father went to check on his 5 year daughter in the house. He found his little girl standing on the window seal leaning spread eagle with her face planted against the glass. The daddy said, “What are you doing?!” she replied, “Daddy, I think God’s trying to my picture!”
Here’s a little girl who knows who she is and she knows her value and she knows her worth. If you are gonna live life fully, I don’t care who you are, you’ve got to feel pretty good about yourself. I’m not talking about cocky pretentiousness. But I am talking about a feeling of self-esteem . Jesus said, “Love others as you love yourself.” For some people that I know I hope they don’t love anybody because they are dangerous. They hate themselves. They don’t like themselves. Unfortunately most people are down on themselves. That’s one of the reasons Jesus came. He came into the world to do something that would enable you and me to feel differently about ourselves. Most people can name everything in their lives that’s wrong. They beat themselves up and say there is so much wrong with me. Well of course there is a lot wrong with you and a lot wrong with me too. But here is the good news of the Gospel; Jesus came into the world not only to die for our sin, but to absorb everything that is dirty and ugly and negative about us and to free us from it. Jesus does not only cleanse you from the dark side of your nature and character and personality but also removes those things that ought not to be there. He will impute to you His own righteousness so that you are the righteousness of God. Now you think about that for a minute. The average believers do not think of themselves as the righteousness of God. But wow, that is a heavy thought. You know when I get to Heaven I am gonna tell the angels to get outta my way. Scripture says they are only messengers for us. “Ariel, you over there, go get me one of those hamburgers from Chesters loaded all the way with barbeque sauce”…wow those hickory burgers are good. And I am going to go before the seat of Christ and I am gonna look at God and just stand there. I’m not going to say one word and I won’t have to because Jesus will be seated at the right hand of the Father and He’ll say, “Father, I want you to meet my friend Ian, the perfect one.” And I sure hope all my friends are there to hear that. Especially Amanda, who does not think I am perfect...little does she know. You say how can you say such a thing? Because the Bible says, "If you are a believer in Christ your sins have been blotted out. They are buried in the deepest sea as far as the east is from the west I will remember them no more." Jesus said “He will present you faultless before His Father, spotless and without blemish.” So everything you don’t like about yourself, get rid of it. I quote the man again, "Let me take it on myself and make it my own. He who knew sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ." He became what you are so you can become who He is. In the old covenant, I mean the old Hebrew men covenant, they would cut an animal in two, symbolic of Jesus shedding His blood for us. They did not shed their blood, but the blood of an innocent animal. They would also exchange coats or garments. That garment symbolized who you were. Your character, your nature, your personality. And you would say I am giving me to you. You would give me your coat and I would be saying I am giving who I am to you. So Jesus gives us what scripture says is a “robe of righteousness”. He takes my sin, everything negative about me, He who knew no sin becomes sin so I can become who He is. That’s a legal transaction by simple childlike faith. That means when the Father sees me, He doesn’t see me like you do with all my flaws. That’s good! That’s really good!!! I have to be aware of that and you have to be aware of that or it is easy for the enemy to trap you into guilt, shame, and condemnation. So everybody can name everything wrong. But you need to listen what Jesus will make right about you. God wants to give you His own nature. You go see a psychotherapist because you feel horrible. All you end up doing is dumping all your crap on to them. You leave feeling good but now they feel horrible. Jesus is the ultimate counselor. That is what He was called in the book of Isaiah, counselor. The ultimate psychotherapist takes on Himself everything that is negative, shameful, condemning and ugly about you and makes it His own. That means you can live life like a child with passion, intensely, and with great excitement without all the crap.
2. Children have a quality of spontaneous joy.
Let’s put it this way all you Christian readers I have. KIDS ARE FUN! THEY LOVE LIFE AND ARE FUN TO BE WITH! Am I fun to be with?! What a great question to ask yourself today. Jesus did not screw you up. He did not make you unhappy; give you a bad haircut and a lousy marriage. You did that. He did not do it. Heck, I was fun to be with on my way to hell. Jesus did not mess that up. I’m still fun to be with. Every time I take a new person to church with me to Summit Christian Center, I usually get this comment. “Wow, I had fun at church, I did not know church could be like that.” And I always think, well, it was doing great when Jesus started it but we have kinda screwed the whole thing up and now its about how miserable you can look and unhappy you can be and how many things you cant do. No dancing? Are you serious? Now isn’t that a turn on. Maybe I would rather be a suicide bomber too if I had to live that way. But that’s not the way Jesus came to give us life, abundant, effervescent flowing life. So kids have spontaneous joy.
A daddy took his young son to Disney World. As they were leaving the park the young son said, “Daddy I want another ride on Space Mountain.” The dad a little bit frustrated says, “Now look son, Im outta money and we are outta time.” The boy replied, “But Jesus wants me to go.” The daddy said, “What do you mean by that?” The little boy said, “Well a pastor in church said whatever we feel Jesus feels. He is touched with our emotion. When we cry, He cries. The pastor said Jesus feels every emotion we feel.” And daddy said, “Well, theologically that’s right but so what.” And the little boy said, “Well daddy, if He feels every emotion I have, then when I am laughing on Space Mountain He is having a good time too. So I think He would enjoy it if I had another ride on Space Mountain.” Not bad theology. True story. I got to witness the conversation a year ago. I kind of feel like that myself. We have a God who wants us to be freed from the burdens that keep us from enjoying life and living it passionately and intensely. He wants to fill us with an excitement and a childlike joy that enables us to live life with incredible spontaneous enthusiasm and joy. Question. Do you have that in your life? That’s what Christianity is about. It’s not mainly about Heaven. Heaven is for dead Christians. Now a few of you could qualify but most of us are still alive. I don’t want to go anytime soon. It’s just getting good. I love everyday of life and when 4 friends have suddenly died in the last few months you realize how short it really is. But I think about kids celebrating that kind of a life as well. God wants me to enjoy it. And I want to enjoy it. God wants you to enjoy it and have some fun and have a good time. Do you have that in your life? Jesus came to invade you in your life here; you don’t need it in Heaven. He wanted to create in you an excitement about life. That’s why you need to surrender that life to God. Not to make you miserable but to really kick you into gear to live with self worth and esteem, joy and celebration whether you are looking at a sunset on Hawaii or you are standing victoriously on Yosemite Falls. There is so much to be alive about and yet Christians seem to be the unhappiest people you have ever met. Go rent a jet ski or rent a Harley and go ride up in the Hill Country for a day. You say, “Well I might get hurt.” Well you better get hurt, it might get some excitement out of you. You can tell everybody when you come back wounded, “Well Billy, I fell off my Harley ridin’.” It would be great! Seriously though, have some fun. Have a little bit of stimulation in your life.
Dr. G.K. Chester wrote, “I think God is the only child left in the universe. All the rest of us have grown old and cynical because of sin.” What a great line. You throw a kid up in the air and bounce him off your knee and you know exactly what that child is gonna say. “Do it again!!! Do it again!!!” And you do it again, and they say, “Do it again!” And if you do it 50 times on the fiftieth time that kid is yelling hysterically, “DO IT AGAIN!” That’s the excitement of a little child. How did God create daisies? Just like a child. He created one daisy and the Bible says “Creation claps and shouted to do it again!” So He created daisy number 3 and daisy number 4 and fifty billion trillion daisies later the great God of the universe is still creating with childlike excitement while creation shouts and claps and says “DO IT AGAIN GOD! Do it again” Can some of you remember when you were a kid and full of life and dynamic and actually fun to be with? Now your life has grown dull and slow and boring? No wonder Jesus said, “Do you like this boring color? Do not adjust your television.” Ok, he did not say that. But that is why Jesus said look guys, why don’t you come to me. Why don’t you let me give you a new birth? A spiritual birth. Why don’t you become like a little child once again? Surrender to me, let me in your life. I am the resurrection and the life. I will take possession of you. I will change you, I will free you from guilt and shame at the same time give you a sense of dignity. Then you will be free from all that burden of negativism. I will fill you with my joy in life and excitement and love. You will know joy like you’ve never known it before. That is why the Gospel is called Good News…helloooooo….
3. They have confidence in the future.
I think there is a 3rd like quality that comes to everybody who is fully alive in the Lord and it’s absolute confidence in the future. All young children whether they are born in a ghetto by a wealthy single parent or live in an orphanage have this in common. That is until they are tampered with or until society beats them down through racism, prejudice and bigotry will respond positively to the question when you ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” No child will say I want to be in jail at 21 for pushing drugs and have 3 kids, unmarried and on welfare at 28!!! Nobody says that because that is not their dream. They say I want to be a doctor, a fireman, an astronaut or a policeman, a teacher. I want to be a pro NBA basketball player. The dreams are always noble and good and it is always a greater place than where that little child is for the moment. They see a great future until we beat it out of them with our own negativism and the ugly realism begins to set in as they get older. The Lamborghini posters come off of the wall to only be replaced by a more “realistic” Honda.
Watch this clip from “Dangerous Minds”.

Ok, so how difficult is going to be for those 2 promising boys to break out of that cultural barrier? The parents don’t believe, momma doesn’t believe, the culture is pretty much against them. There is just a tiny ray of hope that’s faced every single day.
Watch this next trailer from the movie October Sky. It is based in the West Virginia hills. The only escape from the mines was a football scholarship to a university. Beyond that not one person could see a better future than a job in the mine. This boy wanted to build rockets and go into space. Try and see the problem he has to overcome.

I could not find the clip I was hoping for but I did find a website that had the script of the scene where his dad discouraged him and his “hobby”…and if you want you can read it here.
http://www.cswap.com/1999/October_Sky/cap/en/25fps/a/01_18
Basically his father wanted him to grow up and be like him in the mine and take his position. His daddy was too negative to see what his son was capable of. That young man by the way went on to get a scholarship to the university off of his rocket science project and as a result got into NASA and helped design and launch the first space shuttle. True Story. You can watch him talk about it here.

Thank God he was not discouraged enough to quit. He had a huge dream but his daddy could not see past the coal mine. Where would America be? Would God have intervened anyway? I am not God, but these are just things to ponder if you believe in destiny and purpose.
So what’s your dream? If you have never done it, it is difficult for you to imagine something better. The only way God can pull you out of the position you are in is to give you a dream of something better. And don’t EVER step on the dreams of your children even if they frighten you. Even if you can’t see how you will pay for it, “We don’t have the money” or will she be getting out of the military to pursue her singing career, “you have a better chance of getting a record deal in the AF Band, will you have health insurance" or…blah blah blah. Don’t worry about that part of the dream. If what they want to pursue is noble and honorable and legal, you encourage the child to dream big and to go for it! Because most of these children just give up early because daddy or momma or the culture or racism puts them down and they say yea, what is the use? They give in and the world isn’t a better place but it could have been had they listened to the dream inside.
Joseph wanted a better life than his brothers. His own dad did not believe in him. “Here comes the dreamer” is what they said about him. His brothers kidnapped him and wanted to kill him. Then they sold him into Egyptian slavery. He became a prisoner through false accusation. But the dream stayed alive in his heart until what God promised came true 17 years later. The dream. I am telling you if your parents never graduated from school, if they never owned a home, if they never owned a business, if they never went to higher education or could hold a job you can be the first one. Some of you are saying, “Well, I could never see myself in that position.” Then you probably won’t achieve that position. It is a vision, a dream that lets you see what your current reality isn’t. Genesis 13: Old man, I’m gonna make you father of many nations and I know I don’t have a whole lotta time to do it cause youre already 94. God says look north, look south, look east, look west. Genesis 13 folks. All the land you see, I will give it to you. Meaning if you can’t see it, you can’t have it. So what can you see? Can you see a better marriage, a better future, a better lifestyle or see yourself escaping from the bondage and addiction of drugs. Like that boy said, “Coal mining’s your life, it’s not mine. I am not against ya dad but it’s not my life. I want something bigger, I want something more challenging, and I want something better.” I would rather die and fail for something better than to just sit back and live complacent with what is. So the way God lifts you and changes the future in your life and makes life better for everybody is through a dream. And the good news of the Gospel is we have a Jesus who creates dreams and visions for us and who will empower us to fulfill them, no matter what the obstacles are. To paraphrase a proverb, when the young no longer dream dreams and the old no longer have visions, people perish. Children believe they can do something incredible. Children don’t think they are limited. Children believe they can become anything until parents beat it out of them or culture does. And I want to say Jesus can impart spontaneous joy, self worth and esteem and glorious visions of a future to children. Well He can impart to you too. And He can impart it to me. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old. God says just because you are old person doesn’t give you a right to drool and become grouchy, not to mention being judgmental to everybody else. God says I am going to give old men dreams and young men visions. So you should never stop seeing bigger and better things for the future just because you get old. It gets you out of bed and pushes when you don’t want to be pushed. Children have that. You can tell you are old when the memories of the past are more prevalent than your visions of the future. You’re like an old rock-n-roll singer who had a one hit special and now you’re singing in a Holiday Inn Bar on Tampa Bay’s Beach making $300 playing your 20 year old hit. That’s no life and that’s no future. I want to tell you about a God who gave Abraham a vision at 94. And you are never too old or too young to surrender to a God who will not only make you believe in yourself but believe the future can be better than the present. I personally think modern sociology, which I am studying right now for college is too oriented about the past. They say if you want to understand a person you have to understand where he has come from, you have to understand his background and what has happened to him. But when you study scripture what is more important than your past, and how you were treated or abused is your vision of the future. A person is more controlled by his vision of tomorrow than his hurt of yesterday. I will close with 2 thoughts.

How can you start dreaming big and never stop?
1. Believe God has a plan to do good things in your life.
Jeremiah 29:11. "I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future."
Not only do you have a future, God gives you a hope in that future. When you are worried about tomorrow and your situation ain't looking good for the moment, you stand on that word! Your situation may not look good but you stand on what God said. I have a good plan for your life. You claim that and say it in your prayer time for your children when your situation may not look good for that moment. So I believe I have a great future no matter what I am going through for the moment cause that is what God said.
2. Don’t let your circumstances stop you from dreaming.
You are never too young or too old. Mozart wrote a symphony at age 6. Marjorie Gestring won Olympic Gold at age 13. Ray Kroc founded McDonalds at age 57. Colonel Harlan Sanders founded artery clogging, trans-fat overload Kentucky Fried Chicken at age 65. He has been into more countries than missionaries with KFC. That’s why as long as I live I want to keep dreaming. When I am an old man looking good and fit, I want to pass dreams to a younger generation. You are never too old. Never concentrate on the shortages of resources or money. There is no shortage of money in the world. What there is a shortage of is dreams and vision and courage to go after it. Dreams will attract resources. Dreams will attract people. It’s obvious I don’t want to attract some religious people if all they want to do is measure how long your dress is or how long your hair is or what you don’t do or where you don’t go, or what you believe about the Easter Bunny or when Jesus is gonna come back, or who the white horse of Revelation is, or once saved is always saved. If that’s your life, you aint gotta life. You certainly don’t have a future here. I have bigger fish to fry. That may be something to talk about over a cup of hot chocolate but I am not gonna build my life on those stupid little nit picky legalistic issues that divide people and only hurt feelings and don’t amount to squat. And when you get to Heaven, you are not going to be asked what you believed about the Easter Bunny. Stop it! Did you take your kids trick or treating, or what you believed about the white horse in Revelation. Some of you reading this are thinking I did not know there was a white horse in Revelation. I don’t know. It’s not going to matter! It is not a criteria for going to Heaven, that is just something you learn from watching too much Christian TV and you start loosing perspective about where life and where people are and what’s important to them. We live in a little Christian sub-culture and we lose touch of reality. Don’t concentrate on what there is a shortage of. Every time you take a big step of faith, it is very easy to focus on what you don’t have. Focus on what you do have. God will always bless you. Have every confidence in the God who can do anything but fail and will help you fulfill your dream. I am not basing that on nothing. You have a legacy to lean on. God can make a way when you have no way. Stop looking at your past failures, skin color, your race, I don’t have that SAT score or I don’t have blah blah blah…4 out of the top 10 fortune 500 companies are run by immigrants and they don’t even have college degrees. They came to this country with a dream believing it would come true. Don’t stop dreaming!
Proverbs 16:3- Commit whatever you do to the Lord so shall your plans succeed.
Humor me a second, say this out loud. “My dreams will have an impact on my life, my children, my future, and my destiny.” I promise you with every ounce in me, they do.

"The Great Thing About The Dead, They Make Space"

2009-01-27T13:48:00.005-05:00

"Men are all heart and Women are all body. I don't know who has the brains. God maybe."
John Updike (1932-2009)

The 2 time Pulitzer Prize winning author John Updike passed away today. The title of this blog happens to be a quote from his first prized book, Rabbit Is Rich, so please know I am not saying it to be cynical, I am just quoting him. He was from the hometown of my father, Reading, Pennsylvania. Yes, the Reading Railroad from monopoly was also located there. I don’t mean to be anal but it is really pronounced Redding, not reading like the verb.
He was most famous for his Rabbit series and The Witches of Eastwick which also became a movie. This truly brilliant fiction writer also received one of the most prestigious sci-fi awards, the PEN/Faulkner Award.
I have mentioned in previous posts that you aren’t anybody until The Simpsons make you a character on their show. Well, John also received that honor as well, playing a ghost writer for Krusty the clown.
My favorite quote of his is, "Time passes in America and Asia; in Europe, history occurs" On the contrary sir, you will forever be in the history books as one of America’s most prized writers, and you will be missed.

Can You Hear It?

2009-01-09T13:04:00.003-05:00

"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought."
Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1893-1986)

Well well well…so there is something unique about mosquitoes after all. Growing up in Florida I could not sit on the front porch of my house without having my body bombarded by those little rascals. Hearing that high pitch buzzing noise created turmoil knowing I was going to be itching hours after I was simply trying to have an enjoyable moment in the nice weather Florida so often blesses. It turns out that the high pitch noise produced by their wings serves a purpose more than just some side effect of their maintaining flight.
According to a study by Cornell University Scientists have discovered mosquitoes produce pitches in order to mate. The study was published an article in the journal Science,
Science 9 January 2009:Vol. 323. no. 5911, p. 279DOI: 10.1126/science.323.5911.279b
To be honest, lots of animals and bugs sing or dance before mating but mosquitoes are different. They actually harmonize and sing perfect 5ths. The male sings a D and the female sings a G. When they sing together it will generate a harmonic pitch what is also known to us musicians as an overtone. Only when they hear the overtone created will they mate. If this does not occur…they won’t mate. So I feel bad for the tone deaf mosquitoes who don’t hear the pitch because they will never get to experience the joy of creating life. Like I said, many animals/bugs use sounds to mate but none are known to use pitch in the process.
Hear is what it sounds like. Enjoy.

5,000 But Who’s Counting

2009-01-05T15:52:00.002-05:00

“The truth is, marijuana probably isn't going to make you kill people. Most likely isn't going to fund terrorists, but pot makes you feel fine with being bored and it's when you're bored that you should be learning a new skill or some new science or being creative. If you smoke pot you may grow up to find out that you're not good at anything.”
Trey Parker and Matt Stone

“A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”
Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953)
It is so sad to see coward less acts of violence in one of the worst lawlessness places in modern times, and possibly in the world’s history. All due to drugs, lust and greed. In 2007 there were just shy of 2,500 murders in Juarez, Mexico. In 2008…it doubled to just over 5,000 in 2008. I have included 1 of a 3 day program called “Hearing Voices, Shooting Crime Scenes in Juarez, Mexico.” You can link to this on
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99010638
and I would strongly encourage you to educate yourself about the tragic happening by listening to the other 2 days on NPR.org.
I can’t believe the Mexican Government is taking no action on this matter and it is very frustrating. They send in the military to put up some fake front as if they give a damn. Nobody is ever punished or imprisoned. Now that nobody is investigating these lawful actions and punishing the criminal it has spilled over into mass raping and murder of women. Just because they know they will be able to get away with it. It is so sad. I don’t know what to say. I truly believe in the good consciousness of people but rarely get disgusted with what we humans can do to one another.

Being Friendless Taught Me How To Be Friends

2008-12-16T11:34:00.001-05:00

"Don't flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary tact and courtesy become. Except in cases of necessity, which are rare, leave your friend to learn unpleasant things from his enemies; they are ready enough to tell them."
Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809 – 1894)

I lost a good friend or someone I thought was a good friend. She decided to dump a bunch of built up aggression on me again. I did not deserve it and now realized she was not such a good friend after all. I would never hesitate to do anything for my friends. This person in particular would get my attention and I would drop anything I was doing to be there no matter what. But she continued to choose to take all of her anger and frustration out on me because “She knew I would take it and still love her anyway” or so she says. Well, after the third time of unloading every bit of anger and saying some pretty hurtful things I have decided to step away and move on to better friends who are uplifting and see the inherent good nature in me. I know I have faults and am not perfect and I have still lots of life to experience and grow with, but nobody deserves to be treated so harshly as friends, leave that for my enemies.
In the meantime I have made friends with a wonderful person and I am so thankful to have once again a person who I feel so free talking to. Someone I can talk for hours on end and not feel like I am running out of things to discuss…or just sit on the phone with in silence and not have that uncomfortable feeling. I am glad our paths have crossed. You have been such a wonderful addition in life. Your perspective is truly enlightening and I, like you, have been stretched to see things differently.

400 Years of Change

2008-11-17T15:11:00.002-05:00

"Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better."

King Whitney Jr.

Wow how far we have come. First let me make my position clear. This is not a post or blog of racism nor politics. I voted for McCain. Am I upset that a man who served our country so honorably lost? A little. Am I wondering what lies beneath our future? Absolutely. I serve our country in the United States Air Force so my political views and opinions sum up to this, the vote is over, the choice is made, I will gladly serve the new Commander-in-Chief.
So, change. Change We Need. Change was the theme for Obama and was a wise selection for his “motto”. This brings me to my history lesson on 400 years of change. Truth is what I am going to write about is actually a 400+ year progression from well before the founding of the United States.
400 years ago slavery was a way of life. There were other forms of forced labor known as indentured servants. If you owed a debt and did not pay your debt within the agreed upon time they would force you into manual labor. It was not slavery though. Once you worked off your debt, you are free. In slavery, you were property and never freed unless the owner signed off on your freedom.
In the 16 and 1700’s communities took on the debt of birthing children. It was not cheap then either. You weren’t expected as a parent to do it alone. If a woman was single and birthed a child out of wedlock it was so frowned upon so much that she was forced into manual labor to repay her debt to the community.
As time went on and more and more blacks were brought to the states, more laws came into effect preventing blacks from having sex with whites creating mulatto children. Black slave’s mulatto children inherited being enslaved as well. It became such a problem due to racism that they went to extreme measures to try and stop it from occurring. Legislation was written that if a mulatto child is born out of wedlock, then that child will be forced into labor for 30 years. Considering the fact that the life expectancy for a child not in slavery was 32-43 years, you are pretty much birthing a child in to slavery for his entire life just because you had sex with a white man or black man. Yes, it worked both ways. (Just to rule out the people who are upset about white men raping black women) White women had their share of fun too.
So change we need? 300 years ago Barack Obama would have been forced into slave labor just because his black father had sex with a white woman. I say we have changed a bit. I am grateful for that. I just pray this position which is now going to be held by a black man will make people pull their pants up, stop the dropout rate from going higher and higher, and keep teen pregnancy down. Not to mention black on black crimes. That’s the change we need and I pray people find their hope and belief in knowing the highest office in the world has been achieved by a black man.

You Have The Last Laugh

2008-07-23T11:09:00.000-04:00

“One should, perform karma with nonchalance without expecting the benefits because sooner or later one shall definitely get the fruits.”
-Rig Veda

So it has finally come to fruition. I get what I deserve. I fell in love only to be blindsided by dishonesty about something I am not sure if unfaithfulness came into play. I tried to do the right thing this time and be open, honest, and even cut people out of my past to protect and nurture my relationship for the future. It was the correct thing to do. Even though, I was only to be taken for granted. Now I am starting from scratch. I must go back to the drawing board to work on myself once again alone. I will not get too personal about what happened because it is between her and I so the public display of laundry would be an immature thing to do. All I can say was she was a sweet person and I will miss her. Such a shame because I felt so strongly for her.
Somehow I knew this was going to happen. I entered the relationship hoping to get my karma behind me and over with. After I did so much damage to someone else I felt I would have this occur to me. I do have to say I knew I could never put myself through all that I put Angie through. I learned from my mistakes and knew when a habit would continue to occur and cut it off before I let it become one. So, I hope this makes you happy out there knowing it has come full circle. You get the last laugh. I had it coming to me. I know I cut you from my life, but if you still happen to read this blog like you used to from time to time to check in and see how I am, you deserve a bottle of wine to sit back and relish in this occurrence. My Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, I suppose.

Now I go on with my future. I have purchased my first rental property and I am excited to start building some wealth. It is not much but it is a start. I purchased the house as a foreclosure. It is worth $119,000 and I got it for $85,000. I should be closing within 20 days and already have some renters lined up. Hopefully one will work out. My intentions are to accumulate at least 50 houses and have them paid off. That would generate roughly $50,000/month in income or $600k per year. It is not a great fortune, not even really a small one but it will definitely help me retire. We shall see. I just have to find the drive to keep going. I need God right about now. So sad and disappointed. Tired too. Aw shucks.

A Whole New World

2008-06-16T09:59:00.026-04:00

I don't think necessity is the mother of invention-invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness. To save oneself trouble.

-Agatha Christie (1890-1976)

4 years ago I dreamed of a day when the 4Runner would become hydrogen powered that emits only water. Well, today we are one step closer. Is it because people are tired of paying $4/gallon of gas? I am not so sure. Is it because people are becoming more environmental? I am not so sure about that either. Is it because people are tired of driving to gas stations and filling up every 4 days or so? Probably. But it sure will be nice filling up every other week and not having to smell all those fumes. Even though I have an addiction to unleaded fuel. The day will come when no emissions are common and those like me who wishes to own a muscle car will have to travel far ways to find a fueling station.

Honda rolls out fuel cell car
Japanese automaker's hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity promises twice the efficiency of gas-electric hybrids.

TAKANEZAWA, Japan (AP) -- Honda's new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday and is headed to southern California, where Hollywood is already abuzz over the latest splash in green motoring.
The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the gases believed to induce global warming. It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car, the company says.
Honda expects to lease out a "few dozen" units this year and about 200 units within a year. In California, a three-year lease will run $600 a month, which includes maintenance and collision coverage.
Among the first customers are actress Jamie Lee Curtis and filmmaker husband Christopher Guest, actress Laura Harris, film producer Ron Yerxa, as well as businessmen Jon Spallino and Jim Salomon.
"It's so smooth," said Harris, who played villainness Marie Warner on the hit TV show "24." "It's like a future machine, but it's not."
Harris, Spallino and Yerxa were flown to the ceremony, courtesy of Honda. Yerxa says he's excited to show off the car and believes there's "a lot of interest."
The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations. For the Clarity's release in California, Honda said it received 50,000 applications through its Web site but considered only buyers living near hydrogen fuel stations in Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine.
"This is indeed a historic day for both Honda and American Honda - a new chapter in our nearly fifty-year history in America," said John Mendel, a senior vice president at America Honda Motor Co. at a morning ceremony here. "It's an especially significant day for American Honda as we plant firm footsteps toward the mainstreaming of fuel cell cars."
Initially, however, the Clarity will go only to a chosen few starting July and then launch in Japan this fall.
Although Honda Motor Co. was the first Japanese automaker to launch a gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the U.S. in 1999, it has been outpaced by the dominance of Toyota's popular Prius.
Toyota announced in May that it has sold more than 1 million Prius hybrids, while both the Honda Insight and the hybrid Accord have been discontinued due to poor sales.
The FCX Clarity is part of Honda's plan to keep pace with rivals in green technology. It also plans to launch a gas-electric hybrid-only model, as well as hybrid versions of the Civic, the sporty CR-Z and Fit subcompact.

40 Years to When

2008-04-04T20:21:00.003-04:00

“Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate do not win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.”
Richard M. Nixon (1914-1994)
"Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."
-Aeschylus

So it has been 40 years since the assassination of Martin Luther Kind Jr. Where would the world be if RFK and MLK were still with us? 2 of the best speakers I have ever heard, through YouTube of course since I am but 25 years old.
Before his death he was in Memphis assisting with the Sanitation Strike. A true servant of people. Not a God, but a man who served one. 2 days before his death he gave a speech in support of the workers. He quoted this passage.

Luke 10:30-37
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[a] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
What a relevant scripture to show support of fellow men and women. It continues on with the Priest and Levite saying,
"If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
MLK uses this and says, “That’s the question for you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.”

What a beautiful man. A man of love.

Now on to Bobby,

So Bobby was in Indianapolis when the assassination occurred. He gave this speech. Now, when the country found out about the assassination, riots broke out in almost every major city. Who can not think that after hearing this RFK speech, why people in that city did not, nobody knows? A man of true inspiration. So sad we never got to live through a presidency with him.

Good Boss Bad Boss

2008-04-03T16:37:00.016-04:00

"So Much of What We Call Management Consists in Making It Difficult For People To Work."

Peter Drucker (1909-2005)

There is a dramatic change in the world with views on leadership. A certain paradyme if you will. Leadership in the industrial age or even further back to the agrarian age, leaders were viewed as the powerful. Those who "made it" must be smart or connected...or even kiss asses. Leaders viewed themselves as the ones who made decisions for the people and were in control. They told others their jobs and defined people without even knowing their capabilities. Well, this past decade there has been a dramatic shift in thought for the role of a leader. The leader is the servant. They are at the will of workers. And, they will have to learn this is they wish to be a good leader. This article below seems to share the views of many success based principles of the 21st century.

By Martha Beck from "O, The Oprah Magazine," January 2005.

Few things incite a frothing, wild-eyed rage like asking people to talk about bad bosses. People aren't just annoyed by poor leadership -- they sputter and snarl as they describe their superiors, lusting for the chance to hit that bad boss with a perfect, withering insult. Or perhaps a truck.

It's a little scary, then, to realize that we're all likely to occupy a leadership role, from motherhood to mogulhood, at some point in our lives. When we blow it, our imperfections will be magnified by our authority.

Leadership is simply too complex to do perfectly. I believe that the key to being a better boss lies in accepting that fact.

Ineffective leaders expect their role to be easy and think -- no matter what -- that they're doing the job just right. Although good leaders often begin with similar expectations, convinced they're natural-born chieftains, they soon run smack-dab into a little thing called Monday morning.

The best leaders let go of the fantasy and become fully present and responsive to the complexities of each new situation. They're the ones -- the few, the proud, the downright worshipped -- who earn their followers' respect.

To become one of them, you need to turn bad-boss behaviors on their head to find your way toward good-boss techniques.

Bad-boss self-concept: As a leader, I'll be a higher-up.

Good-boss self-concept: As a leader, I'll have to go lower down.

The bad-boss tales I've heard include many stories of managers demanding the undoable, responding to objections by simply reiterating that it had to be done. This creates nothing but hostility.

"If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them," said the philosopher Lao-tzu (who is my favorite management consultant, despite having been dead for centuries).

That doesn't mean you become a slave to your followers' whims. Great bosses acknowledge their own ignorance and ask questions of everyone to gain a better grasp of two important things: What's going on? What needs to be done?

Bad-boss target setting: Now that I'm the boss, I give orders to others.

Good-boss target setting: Now that I'm the boss, I bring order to what others do.

Many people thrill to giving orders or critiques but have unclear, uninformed or ambivalent ideas about what they're actually trying to accomplish -- that is, they know what they want this second, but the big picture is as fuzzy as a winter mink.

Leading well means forming a crystal clear image of what must happen and communicating that precisely. After giving an assignment, ask that person to describe the task in their own words. If they can't, or if the account they give doesn't match what you were trying to convey, you need to try a new tack. The first step could be as easy as clarifying your directives -- or you might have to rethink your organizational chart and who reports to whom.

Bad-boss position on feedback: Now everyone must tell me when I'm right.

Good-boss position on feedback: Now everyone must tell me when I'm wrong.

Most humans go through the world trying to elicit validation. Al Preble, a leadership consultant for Cambridge Leadership Group in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says this isn't the way to go. The most powerful way for leaders to communicate, he believes, is to use just three simple steps.

When a problem arises:

1. Clearly tell your subordinate what you really think.

2. Describe the facts that led you to this opinion.

3. Ask to be disconfirmed; in other words, honestly request that people tell you where you're wrong.

Bad-boss protection strategy: As a boss, I'll be protected from taking blame.

Good-boss protection strategy: As a boss, I'll protect others by taking blame.

The successful bosses I interviewed emphasized that a good leader helps her followers feel safe from the dangers that come from both inside and outside the organization.

An incompetent supervisor, on the other hand, feels that the best way to secure her position is to appear faultless, and works mightily to make clear who fouled up or even to lay blame on a scapegoat. But that behavior turns people into twitchy, record-keeping, blame-tallying masses of ectoplasm.

Bad-boss problem solving: Being the boss means I can avoid problems.

Good-boss problem solving: Being the boss means I must seek out problems.

You can tell if you're making mistakes as a leader because things go wrong -- not just one catastrophic computer snafu but repeated errors. Bad bosses turn away from these realities. They don't discuss problems; they just hunker down and hope the issue will go away. It won't. Untreated, a minor concern becomes a major issue becomes a catastrophe.

This is the core of good leadership, whether you're managing a corporation, your immediate family, or just your own life.

Lao-tzu puts it this way: "When [the Master] runs into a difficulty, she stops and gives herself to it. She doesn't cling to her own comfort; thus problems are no problem for her."

Embracing the fact that you'll encounter many obstacles -- and that this is all right -- allows you to understand, listen, give clear instructions, invite negative feedback, and protect those you lead. You'll be comfortable with leadership, even when it's uncomfortable. And that will make you an easy act to follow.

Just wanted to Share

2008-03-25T15:22:00.000-04:00

In Pursuit of Potential by Dr. John C. Maxwell

The enemy of great is good. The primary reason so few leaders or organizations ever become great is because they get good and then stop. They stop growing, learning, risking, and changing. They use their track record or prior successes as evidence that they've arrived. Believing their own headlines, the leaders in these successful organizations are ready to write it down, build the manual, and document the formula. This mentality shifts their business from a growth to a maintenance mindset.

Neither you nor your business ever "arrives." We never get to the place where there's nothing more to be done and nothing more to be said. In the words of my friend Dave Anderson, "Yesterday's peacock is tomorrow's feather duster." What you strutted yesterday; the next day is just cleaning dust off of shelves.

I like to distinguish between a "goal mindset" and a "growth mindset." A person with a "goal mindset" has very tangible, numerical goals to achieve over a specific period of time. Nothing is wrong with clearly defined goals, but there's a better way of thinking that I call a "growth mindset." A growth mindset recognizes goals on the journey, but only as part of a process—not as the end results.

When goal-oriented people hit a milestone, they have tendency to settle very quickly, but when growth-minded individuals hit a goal, they blow right on by because they're constantly learning and growing.

Success has a brutal side: It can make you arrogant, it can make you complacent, and it can close your mind. To survive the temptations of triumph, we must realize that success is not the point and should never be the ultimate objective of an enterprise. The goal of business is to strive to reach full potential. I define full potential as focusing on seeing how far you can go, how good you can get, and how many people you can bring with you. Reality dictates that you will most likely never reach your full potential, but the journey keeps you humble, hungry, and focused. What you become in the process helps you and your organization make the leap from good to great. Use your success as a stepping stone, not a pedestal.

Leaders of successful organizations are tempted to stop working on themselves. They continue to work hard on their job, but they have a tendency to neglect personal growth. They use their experience and track record as a license never to read another book and an excuse never to attend another developmental course in their field. They point to their acclaim and accomplishments and decide to rely on the skills they have learned in the past to run the rest of their career. They develop an arrogance of intelligence that creates a disabling ignorance. This ignorance disables them, their people, and, as a result, their business.

Growing people grow people. But when you don't grow, you plateau. It's just a matter of time. Once this happens, you plateau everyone working for you. When I as a leader go flat, my influence with everybody in my organization fizzles and fades. When the leader doesn't grow, the people don't grow. It's the Law of the Lid; a stagnant leader stunts the growth of the organization.

Let me give you four benefits of pursuing your potential, even during seasons of success.
• We have higher self-esteem. People that are constantly learning and growing have a good self-image.

• We are willing to change and risk. One of the obvious evidences of growing people is that they are constantly changing and risking. Show me a person that doesn't change, that doesn't risk, and I'll show you a person that's not growing.

• Our passion increases. When we begin to grow personally, our passion for life and learning begins to increase proportionately.

• We lift the lid for others. What a leader does determines what everybody else is going to do. The people don't pass the leader. An organization's growth doesn't outpace the leader's progress. As I lift the lid for myself, I lift the lid for others.

One of the most amazing things to me is how much room there is at the top. On the other hand, it's jam-packed and crowded at the bottom. On the streets of average, there's traffic and congestion, but success has so few people on the roads. It's amazing how the higher you go, the less people there are. Three percent of the people in the United States have a library card. Six percent of Americans believe Elvis is still alive. Trust me, there's a lot of room at the top.

As a leader you should learn like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow. Either way, you're covered.

Criminals Don't Obey Laws

2008-03-18T15:39:00.002-04:00

“The Framers of the Bill of Rights did not purport to "create" rights. Rather, they designed the Bill of Rights to prohibit our Government from infringing rights and liberties presumed to be preexisting.”

William J. Brennan, Jr. quotes

“Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.”
Bernard M. Baruch

I am a strong supporter of owning firearms for home protection, personal concealment for public protection, and recreational use like hunting and tactical training etc. But, I am a devil’s advocate and love a good debate. So let’s review the facts.
We must first start with the 2nd Amendment. It states

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Do not let people use it as it is commonly misused and out of context, “A right to bear arms”. It is not a right to bear arms just because I am a civilian in the U.S. It clearly states a well regulated militia for the security of a free state.

Now some of the controversy comes from people like me who try and dig into things a little deeper than necessary. What is written and approved by congress and the senate was not the same grammatical writing of what was dispersed to the states. I think this argument is total BS. But we will acknowledge it anyway.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

So, it is clear there is a difference in punctuation. What are the meanings and what is really supposed to be emphasized? Whether the word “people” is capitalized or not, you can’t argue that the first 4 words are not in the mix. And that is where I stand. Again, a well regulated militia. So what is a militia…well there are several changes to what it is over the last 230 years. State militia’s eventually evolved into the National Guard. There is a strong movement going on now to return back to militias regulated by civilians because the guard is beginning to be an army too controlled by the federal government. Militias are for civil protection against governments, and yes that includes the United States of America. You can read more about them here on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militia_%28United_States%29

Let me ask how many of you belong to a well regulated militia? How many times have other states come to your town to take over? Have you ever used your gun to defend your free state? This “right” is clearly used in the wrong context.

Now let’s move on to my own personal beliefs about the rights of Americans. This amendment has been in effect and has shaped our country for too long now to just go and say civilians who do not belong to a militia can not own firearms. Too many have guns and it has shaped our lives that we as civilians can own guns. The more and more rights we are used to having that get slowly taken away will create a huge problem. The government will continue to take and take and take. That is the one thing I do not believe is right. But I do think the laws regarding firearms should be reviewed for the current lifestyle we live in. So screw the damn debate and make new legislation that is for the protection of the people against criminals. Gun laws do not stop criminals. They help them.
The debate is also over whether assault rifles should be legal. I do not think it is necessary to own an assault rifle. They should be banned. They aren’t for home protection; they are for tactical assault and should only be issued by government agencies for such. Most attacks aren’t from assault rifles except in gang/drug related instances. Most are for handguns and hunting rifles. Handguns account for 81 percent of all murders. I would hate to live in D.C and not have the ability to own a handgun in my home and let a robber come in to rape my wife and she can’t protect herself because it is illegal to own handguns in the D.C. That law was past some 32 years ago. D.C. is continuously on the top 5 murder rate cities in the country. That is not right! They should be able to have one. The law is clearly not making a dent on the crime rate there.
Gun related crimes in Texas are lower (keep in mind the size of our state and the fact we have 3 major cities with over a million in population, and one very close to it) than any other state. Most states require you to attend a class, get a certificate/license and several week background checks before you can purchase a handgun. Here in Texas all you need is a driver license. You walk into a store, they will run a 20 minute background check, you sign some forms and pay. You can literally walk out the door in 30 minutes with your gun. Does the thought of how easy it is to own a handgun in Texas deter people from committing gun related crimes wondering if this person or that person might be carrying? I think it does. Not to mention we have the highest number of concealed permits here too. Just a plug, California has more cities in the US on the top 65 list of crime rate. Is it due their gun bans and “hippie” left wing mentality? I am all for peace. I would love to have no violence but I also believe in the devil and know it is not possible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

Now I am not saying we should have a complete arsenal in our house for protection. If the argument is you need a gun to protect yourself then you should be able to purchase one for that. If you want to go hunt deer or shoot birds then you should be able to purchase that. Maybe even get 2 or 3 guns for different areas of your house. I think your gun should be legal, certified, numbered and registered. I do not think you need an AR-15, a 50 caliber Desert Eagle, an M-16, an SKS, a 1911 45, 4 different gauge shotguns, a 30/30, a 30/6, a Glock tactical 9mm, and a .380 scattered throughout your house for home protection. That is BS. Get your certifications, get your concealment license, take some shooting classes and have a limit on how many guns civilians are allowed to own if you want to protect yourself. If you want to hunt, get a rifle and do it. That is what I feel. Guns deter crimes though. Look at the difference between the Virginia Tech shootings and the Appalachian School of Law Shooting. It was the difference between 32 dead because nobody was prepared and 2 dead because others went to their cars and had firearms to assist.
Your 2nd Amendment isn’t to bear arms wherever you please. The amendment is if you are in a well regulated militia, your militia can provide you arms for protection of your state against governments looking to overtake your state (again this includes your own government). So stop stretching it to do whatever you please and use this right to bear arms crap. That is not what the right is, but I do think we should have the right to guns but have a limit and a use. It is time to change the laws for the people.

Here is a link to the preceedings of the Supreme Court yesterday and several great points were made. They are viewing this Amendment as an individual right to bear arms. But one justice said "I can not imagine that in those days, the father would tell the son to get his arms to go and hunt some food." The word arms is for protcetion of country. Not for protection of your house. I am on the fence here. I do not believe the amendment is valid at all. I think new legislation shoudl be written to protect the people who wish to safeguard their belongings and safehood.

Enjoy article and podcast.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16476741

Who Determines A Hero?

2008-03-12T14:05:00.021-04:00

“We Can’t All Be Heroes Because Someone Has To Sit On The Curb And Clap.”

Will Rogers (1879-1935)

From CNN.com

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/nz.whales.ap/index.html

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A dolphin swam up to two distressed whales that appeared headed for death in a beach stranding in New Zealand and guided them to safety, witnesses said Wednesday.
The actions of the bottlenose dolphin -- named Moko by residents who said it spends much of its time swimming playfully with humans at the beach -- amazed would-be rescuers and an expert who said they were evidence of the species' friendly nature.
The two pygmy sperm whales, a mother and her calf, were found stranded on Mahia Beach, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) northeast of the capital of Wellington, on Monday morning, said Conservation Department worker Malcolm Smith.
Rescuers worked for more than one hour to get the whales back into the water, only to see them strand themselves four times on a sandbar slightly out to sea. It looked likely the whales would have to be euthanized to prevent them suffering a prolonged death, Smith said.
"They kept getting disorientated and stranding again," said Smith, who was among the rescuers. "They obviously couldn't find their way back past (the sandbar) to the sea."
Along came Moko, who approached the whales and led them 200 meters (yards) along the beach and through a channel out to the open sea.
"Moko just came flying through the water and pushed in between us and the whales," Juanita Symes, another rescuer, told The Associated Press. "She got them to head toward the hill, where the channel is. It was an amazing experience. The best day of my life."
Anton van Helden, a marine mammals expert at New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, said the reports of Moko's rescue were "fantastic" but believable because the dolphins have "a great capacity for altruistic activities."
These included evidence of dolphins protecting people lost at sea, and their playfulness with other animals.
"We've seen bottlenose dolphins getting lifted up on the noses of humpback whales and getting flicked out of the water just for fun," van Helden said.
"But it's the first time I've heard of an inter-species refloating technique. I think that's wonderful," said van Helden, who was not involved in the rescue but spoke afterward to Smith.
Smith speculated that Moko responded after hearing the whales' distress calls.
"It was looking like it was going to be a bad outcome for the whales ... then Moko just came along and fixed it," he said. "They had arched their backs and were calling to one another, but as soon as the dolphin turned up they submerged into the water and followed her."
After the rescue, Moko returned to the beach and joined in games with local residents, he said.

Well Mr dolphin man, I am clapping. What a hero. What a story. I truly wish all news around the world was more like this. It may get numb but it sure is ispirational. In spire, in spirit. I wish I was there to witness such an act. Dolphins are an amazing species with huge hearts. I can not wait until the day I take a trip to New Zealand off of the western coast to a place called Milford Sound. It is just north of Fiordland National Park and is the one the most peaceful places on earth. This place has not been touched by any development and probably will never. You go here and it looks the same as it did 10,000 years ago. What is really cool though is that the hum of the motorboat brings in dozens of dolphins to play and swim with. I look forward to the trip. Here is a picture of the Fiord National Park, New Zealand.

Can You Take A Yoke?

2008-01-15T00:15:00.000-05:00

Everybody has a yoke. It may not be the yoke of the Lord but you have one and you are wearing it. If you are weary Jesus will give you His work.
Matthew 11:28, Then Jesus said, “Come to me all who are weary carrying heavy burdens. Ill give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle and you’ll find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light.”
So what’s killing you? What are you picking up that God didn’t give you? He said my yoke is easy, my burden is light. All day throughout work I notice mostly overstressed people, weary people, and exhausted folks living at an increasing breakneck pace.
Neil Postman said in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death wrote that “Our culture is no longer print oriented but rather image oriented. The overload of all the information we are now getting is called info stress. You are getting so much input it is almost impossible to process it.” 100 years ago the only news we got was from an immediate family in a near a neighborhood. If something big happened in the U.S or a foreign country we wouldn’t know about it for months. What info people we got back then came in small doses. People had time to process it and handle the info. Today with satellites and instant global communication we are constantly bombarded with so much news and so many images from all over the world that as soon as it happens and are about to process it something else occurs.
Jesus says come to me. He says come unto me and I will give you rest, take my yoke and you will find rest. There are 2 kinds of rest. One rest is given and one is found. The one that is given is our salvation. So if you have been saved, you have been given the rest in God. You are forgiven and should not be working for his acceptance. Jesus called this good news. You don’t have to work for anything except a living.
There is another kind of rest. A rest you have to find. It’s a sense of peace and well being and comes when you know God and take his yoke upon you. In Exodus 33:13, Moses said “Lord, if I found grace in your sight show me your way that I may know you” and God said “My presence will go with you Moses and I will give you rest.” Can you take a yoke? Christ offers a yoke but you have to take it. If you receive something you must take it. It’s not passive; you reach out and take it. He said take my yoke, so it requires effort on our part. Jesus is saying, if you are tired, weary, broke, exhausted, come to me and I will give you more work. But it’s not just any work He is giving to you. It’s His work, and He says His work is easy, His burden is light…so what the heck did you pick up that is causing you to burn out, have psychiatric care and emotional due rest or be angry and upset, restless and frustrated? Unsatisfied, giving you Monday morning blues and the desire to shoot someone while driving to work or say thank God it’s Friday and I’m off. I had to learn recently that God loves me and everyone else has a plan for my life. But God’s plan is for my life and that yoke will fit me like a tailor made suit. His yoke requires you to submit to his will. It’s an analogy people. A wooden yoke put over the shoulders of plow animals. The neck in scripture has to do with the will. When God talks about rebellious people He says you’re a stiff necked. A yoke allows the plowman to turn the submitter left or right. It also goes over the shoulders to signify carrying a responsibility. So if you hear the saying he has big shoulders it’s because he carries heavy responsibility.
Now when I got saved I didn’t know Jesus as provider, or comforter, or healer. But when I took on a yoke in that area I got a revelation of Him that I couldn’t get from reading a blog, or listening to a tape or hearing that sermon. God is more than sitting in the chair every Sunday. Now we hear all the time he will provide all you need and it sure sounded nice but I was uncertain and insecure. I wondered if I would have enough. I always worried about if this or that happened. But when I got into the yoke of my provider and honored Him my tithe and generosity, I got to know Him as my provider. Strange and sudden things that make you wonder and go wow. Our tiredness, fatigue and weariness come from wearing our yoke, not His. Here’s an example, John 4…the disciples and Jesus were walking thru Samaria, they are tired and hungry, it is hot. Jesus sends them into the city to get food. When they came back Jesus had already witnessed to a Samarian woman. He led her to Himself as messiah and she ran into town to tell everyone Jesus is sitting on the well. And the disciples tried to get Jesus to eat food but He wouldn’t eat anything. They are baffled! He said I have food to eat that you don’t know anything about. He said my food is to do the will of Him whom sent me. Now Jesus had a secret we could learn from. He knew if He was doing the will of God, wearing that yoke He wasn’t going to lack energy, be hungry or unsatisfied for his life. Sticking to the analogy of food and doing His father’s will, let’s examine food. Food provides 3 values, sustenance, without food you can’t endure, you get weak. Food provides strength and energy; there are low energy foods and high energy foods. Stop living a low carb lifestyle. You need a bigger dream. And finally, it provides satisfaction. Good food well presented gives everybody a great feeling. So spiritually catch what He is saying. Jesus is saying my food meaning my sustenance, my strength and satisfaction is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish that work. So your design is to be self-sustaining, self-sufficient and self-fulfilling. Zoe, my ex’s dog never had blue Mondays, “Well its Monday, I am not chase that bird or run fast in the park. I don’t feel like getting excited when you come home and I certainly don’t want to play with you. Thank God it’s Friday! I am just going to lay here and won’t even scratch a flea.” No matter what time or what day, you just call her name and she’ll go crazy tail wagging nuts. Birds don’t have bad days, worms don’t either. Worms just worm away all the time or do whatever worms do regardless of Monday or not. They just do what they are made to do. Everyday it’s a good day. Only humans come up with this crap. That’s because you aren’t in the yoke God gave you. You’ll be better at it, you’ll be fruitful. Get satisfaction and a sense of esteem and pride. You’ll want to be, you’ll grow in it. Every person has an assignment. Ask yourself if you are pursuing a divine purpose. Your satisfaction depends on it. God yokes us for a work. Make a commitment. Put on the yoke and pull your load. Even in church. Parents want their kids to clean their room, make their beds, wash the dishes, mow the lawn, wash the floors, wash the car and have all kinds of responsibility in the household family but in the spiritual family the parents don’t want to do anything. They just come to church and sit. The issue is this, has God joined you to do his yoke with someone? If God has joined you let not man tear it apart. Now I know you use that in a wedding which gets all twisted and used in understandably applicable ways but if you read it, it reads Paul speaks of a mystery, a personal revelation from Jesus, about Christ and the church. He didn’t even mention a wedding. Again it’s true about marriage, but it’s about the church. If God joins you, don’t let the flesh and don’t let men break it up. My point is that being a Christian alone won’t change the world. Being yoked to the Lord and being yoked to those He calls you to will. Different races, different cultures, different backgrounds, different sex, beliefs and denominations. God says if I am going to use you to do a great work then you have to be bigger than African American or Anglo-Saxon. You’ve got to be bigger than Baptist, Assembly of God or 7th day. God is going to yoke you with different people and if the only thing that attracts you to someone is that you like the same music or hairstyle then it is not going to work. Don’t be so intolerant. Don’t tear so easily. Have a little flexibility and open-mindedness and less judgment. If you only meet with Christians then you won’t go were Jesus went. Truth doesn’t change but styles will. Sometimes you don’t know if God has yoked you together for a while. Don’t judge a person by appearance. Listen to their words and heart to see if there is wisdom you could learn from. Sometimes we just get complacent and dull due to our ignorance and can’t touch people because of our own beliefs, ignorance about cultures, racism and world differences. 1 Corinthians 12:18, God sets every member in the body as it pleases him. Not them…Him. God does the yoking and God does the placement. You get to choose whether or not you take the yoke, He chooses where to place you. Have you ever played sports and been chosen third? Did you choose to be picked third? You don’t get to chose in God. Does the furniture tell you where be placed in the house? No, you choose to put the ashtray next to the bible. Don’t get all worked up all the time because things don’t go your way every single time. Lose some battles. Not everyone is like you. I really believe I can lower my potential if I break the joining God brings to me. So for me, I am glad you read this blog or are in my life if God has joined you to me. We will find out sooner or later when I say something to offend you (which God says will always happen. It is in the bible read it) and then we will find out if God joined you to me or not. He says that he will send storms to wash out which is not meant to be in the body. So if you aren’t joined by God then we will see how long you stay. So point again is that God has a yoke for you and it will be a much better life if you choose to take it. I am done rambling now. Thanks,

6 Steps To Breaking Out Of Lifeless Routine

2008-01-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

“Winning is a habit and so is losing.”
Vince Lombardi

Occasionally winners lose but continue figuring out how to win, losers win on occasion but somehow screw it up and are determined to not change. Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the rite track you are gonna get run over if you just sit there.” James 2:17 states Faith by itself if not accompanied by action is dead. The purpose of life isn’t just to believe in something but also to do something. I once read that if more husbands were self starters, fewer wives would be cranks. All of us fall into ruts and routines. Kind of like watching television, the show isn’t that good but we are too lazy to change the channel. It’s not just when we see the light that makes us move, it’s the heat from the light that makes us move. We have to get desperate to make a change. In the story of The Progigal Son, he had to hit rock bottom before turning it around. Sometimes that is exactly what it takes. Some won’t go to the dentist until the pain is unbearable. Proverbs 20:30 says, Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our way. Most don’t know what it takes to get an eaglet to fly. Some think the mother just pushes the baby out of the nest when she thinks they are ready and poof…well…not true. In most cases after the eaglet is hatched and it just lays in the comfortable nest for a long time with its mouth open hollering feed me, feed me (Pray for me, Pray for me) And the mother does just that, stuffs food down the eaglets throat. There has to come a moment when the momma makes them self-sufficient in order to survive. They need to fly and defend themselves and feed themselves. So how does she do it? She afflicts pain to her children. She destroys their comfort zone. She makes the nest a painful experience. How? Well, she pulls all their feathers out. She goes berserk. She tears the down fur out of them and rips the nest apart. It’s too prickly and uncomfortable to lie on. The eaglets have no idea what’s happening. Mothers insane they think, she is gonna hurt us. Then she kicks them to get them flying. Until your misery factor exceeds your fear factor, you won’t change. It is not that God inflicts the pain, but He will use it to get you moving. It may take the well drying up for you to get working. Sometimes people want what others don’t appreciate and those people will take better care of you. (I am glad I can be the Halloween joke though…stings a little but whatever, I am infamous) So maybe pain that was inflicted on you turned out to be a great thing. Otherwise we might still be a comfortable and routine bleh…or as you say, flour.
Step 1-Assume responsibility for your own life
There are 3 kinds of people. Accusers; often heard saying it is not my fault. It is always someone else’s fault… Adam took it like a man and blamed his wife Eve. I have been married 3 times, divorced 3 times and the guys were always to blame. Of the 3 different guys she was with…well…she was the one thing in common with all of them. “If you believe you are a victim you are too dumb for help.” That is what Dr. Phil said.
Excusers, I didn’t marry the right person, if I just had her looks, my momma didn’t hold me enough, or worse, momma held me under the water for too long. George Washington Carver said, “99 percent of the failure comes from a bad habit of making excuses.” Now, of course there are those who are beat and assaulted. They are absolutely victims. I feel so much sorrow for them. As hard as it is, you have to move on. But when you stay and go through it over and over you can only accept fault. Accept personal responsibility.
And then there are Choosers who accept responsibility and admit mistakes. Proverbs 28:13, A man who refuses to admit mistakes can never be successful. Take responsibility, God gives grace. Admit the area(s) you were wrong in and you may get another chance.
It is not his responsibility to make you unhappy, you can be hurt by him but not be made unhappy. God works all things for good to all who love Him and that are called according to his purpose…even bad things.
Step 2-You have to believe you can change your circumstances
Yes, I know it sounds stupid but there are lots of people who don’t believe they can change. That is why they stay in the abuse for instance. What can I do on my own? Who am I without him? I can not survive by myself. Stop saying I can’t, start saying I can through Christ. Attitude determines ability AND THAT takes reprogramming your mind.
Romans 12:2 reads, Let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of mind. Success starts in your mind. A good attitude is paramount if you are on a team or coach a team. When I become an employer, if you have a bad attitude, you are gone. You choose your attitude, there is nothing worse than a bad attitude, bad things happen but you better have a good attitude. And parents, please don’t let your kids develop a bad attitude mentality. This is one of the hardest things I think to change. God came to Moses, what did Moses say? I stutter, I am the wrong guy, I have murdered. God went to Gideon; he said I’m the youngest kid here from the poorest family in the smallest tribe in the nation of Israel. Talk about an inferiority complex. God comes to Jeremiah he HeardI’m just a teenager. So when God wants to use anybody, it’s typical we put up excuses…I can’t, I’m not able, I’m the wrong one, I can’t do it…and he had to build faith in all of them. Mark 9:23, Everything is possible to him who believes. You have to believe your situation can change or you need to get out of Christianity and find another faith, try radical Islam since you are suicidal anyway. He gives you a new identity. What would you like to change about your life? If you won’t change it because you can’t believe it can change then stop complaining about it. If you are gonna keep it, don’t complain about it…at least do us that favor. Hush up. But, if you hate it and want to change let’s come together and be a force to do so.
Step 3-Clarify what you really want
(Wow this sounds like I am writing a Succeed in Network Marketing Book) Famous psychiatrists say after years of practice and experience in the field that the most important thing they could do to help get patients’ life in order and happy again is to help them establish personal goals.
James 1:8, A double minded man is unstable in all that he does. There are lots of people who can’t make up their mind and don’t know what they want. They are either half in or half out. I could be a real nasty ugly person without Jesus. Most people have no idea the anger and hatred I have inside. I can choose to love or hate. God can change your heart…you can’t live hating her and want to hold her…make up your mind. Clarify what you want and move towards it. But don’t sit there and bitch about him all the time and go home and cuddle. You look like a fool. God says you are unstable and let not that man think he shall receive anything from the Lord. So you have to decide for yourself basically. Offers come, opportunities come, enticement, seduction comes. You are in trouble if you have to make a choice on that day about the offer if you haven’t already made the choice of what you want. I know, trust me. Because I know what I want doesn’t seduce me, never doubt it. Now in business and hobbies, things may be fun. You may have your goal set on something but get distracted easily by other “ventures” without knowing what you want you will never achieve anything. If you had to make a choice on any day, at any time about what you want, you will have to know what must be expendable if it doesn’t assist in the progress of your decision for what you want. And one last note on this section, the only way to change other people is by changing yourself.
Step 4- DON’T WAIT FOR IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES!
You can’t wait for things to be perfect. If you wait for the wind and weather to be just right, you won’t plant anything and never harvest anything. Whatever you are decide to do, you will have to do it in less than perfect circumstances most of the time. It is never convenient to borrow money, buy a home, take that risk, volunteer, start a business or whatever. I’m gonna get married when it’s the rite one. You have to risk to say I do, you will never know even after you are married. It is something that unfolds over time. It is a calculated risk with faith you must take. It is never a convenient time to have kids. The thing is did Jesus say do it? Did the word of God say do it? Did He say come? Then you can walk on the circumstances. Interest rates will always go up and down; the President is going to change every 8 years. So why is waiting for the perfect circumstances dangerous?
1. Perfection makes us procrastinate. There is a great poem I use,
Procrastination is my sin. It only brings me sorrow,
I know I outta change my ways, in fact I will, tomorrow.
I’ll be generous when I make just a little bit more money. No you won’t, liar. Just decide to do your best now.
2. Perfection paralyzes your potential, if I can’t do it perfectly I am not gonna do it. Then what is the point of practice?
Step 5-Exercise your body
1 Timothy 4:8 says Exercise your body. Physical exercise has its value. Most people are too tired to change. It is not that they don’t know what to do; it is that they are too tired to do it. Most of what is done in the world is by people who didn’t feel like doing it. God made our bodies for movement and for activity. Fatigue is a major cause of procrastination. We live in a culture were we are either over committed or sit and do nothing and either way we vegetate and die. Ever notice now when you go to a hospital how quickly they make you walk after surgery or having a baby? As soon as you get that baby out they say next, kick you out and change the sheets. They want you walking. Back in the day you used to be in bed for 3 days. Now it’s off you go, surgery, stitch you up and get you moving because the quickest way to get healing is to get moving. Are you in a rut? Get moving! Something happening makes something happen. You feel better, look better, and live longer. Take care of your body. You need energy to change that and the only way to get energy is to expend energy. Most people suffering clinical depression are advised by psychologist to start walking. When you feel better you generally act better, but when you don’t feel well man it can be negative. It helps your attitude, creativity, makes you think, enhances your mental state, and your endurance. Acts 9:34 says, Get up and make your bed. So if you’re tired expend a little energy and get a lot, remember give and it shall be given to you, good measure, press down, shaken together and running over. It’s not only applied to money people. Go exercise and you come back home with a great new feeling, positive energy.
Step 6-Do it now!
3 words to that will change your life forever. When are you going to commit to Christ? When are you going to give up the hidden addiction before it becomes scandalous? When are you going become a better person? When are you going to be generous? Do it now!
Proverbs 27:1, Never boast about tomorrow. You never know what’ll happen between now and then, Luke 9:62, No procrastination, no backward looks. You can’t put the kingdom off until tomorrow, seize the day. You won’t find God saying, you know that’s a good idea…do it tomorrow. God says NOW is God’s time, stop aiming and pull trigger. Don’t presume on future, I don’t know the next hour much less the next day. Make that call, write that letter, and make that decision. None of us are guaranteed another day. Ever been around that person that says “I’m gonna do it one of these days.”? There is a good saying, thus say it the lord means none of these days. One of these days is none of these days. Stop praying about it, if it’s rite, do it. I think people and all this praying is messing folks up. You’ve prayed enough about it. It took 17 words to rain fire from brimstone. Stop waiting on something to sneak up on you. James Albry wanted to be a writer. When he died he had this on his tombstone, “He slept beneath the moon, he baked beneath the sun, he lived a life with going to do and died with nothing done.” Greatest tragedy in life is to waste your life. Everybody has dreams but dreams are a dime a dozen. It’s the person who takes action. Again, faith without action is worthless. What will it take to get you moving? Pain? Get moving! If you wait ‘till you feel like it you’ll never do anything. Motivation follows action. What will it take? Successful people are self-starters.
So, are you blaming anyone? What excuses are you giving for not growing and accepting responsibility? Have you decided to make your life count? Have you let the enemies whisper creep in saying, “I’ll never change; I like me just the way I am”? Let God transform your mind, clarify what u want. When time is rite? No! Don’t wait. What do you need to start doing it today?

He Who Laughs, Lasts

2007-10-23T18:55:00.000-04:00

"Laughter is the closest distance between two people."
Victor Borge (1909-2000)

Joy and Laughter. What an amazing blessing. Imagine life without laughter. I love being around the joyfullness of infants. They have few worries. So fresh and new. Innocent and hopeful. I look forward to the day when I can sit with my baby and laugh. Life has been a little down for the last well, little while...but this video was awesomely helpful and well...much needed. I hope you enjoy it too...

20/20

2007-10-15T22:34:00.000-04:00

“Cherish your vision and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”
Napoleon Hill

Everyone pictures children as being nice, sweet kids, but they aren’t. We live naively not knowing the torment and cruelty that goes on. Harsh words and bullying are common. Fist fights are common as well. I am not a fighter by any means. Some people are more natural but it definitely is something that is developed with training like anything else in life. My first fight was with this punk David Brink, and man…I remember it vividly. Wow did I get my ass whooped that day. After sometime I learned a little more about fighting. I eventually was able to hold my own and he learned to find someone else to mess with...I will leave the details out but there was one important lesson I learned during that phase that can apply to life. The lesson was that in order to win, you must open your eyes. No matter how hard you swing, how fast and wild you fight or how much energy and stamina you have to last, without vision you have no chance in success or victory. You have to open your eyes and see where you are going in order to get there. So many times we go through life swinging wildly, aimlessly, thinking we are getting somewhere but lack the vision to know. We stand there getting hit with blow after blow after blow. Fat lips, black eyes and bloody noses. We know life hits hard and yet we continue to stand there fighting blindly. Open your eyes and see! Take a moment and get some vision. See where you want to be in 5 years and start developing an action plan. Take small steps that will get you there over time. Get a mentor to help guide you. Try Jesus. As time changes, so will your vision, always reevaluate it. Make sure you are on track. This is what helps you feel you have purpose in life. Otherwise, you will be alone wondering when you are institutionalized and crystallized from life’s glorious miracles.

Who do you really say Jesus is?

2007-10-04T21:12:00.000-04:00

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me with so much."
Mother Teresa

We evangelize every day. Deliberately or not, consciously or not, we are evangelizers. The question is, what are we evangelizing about? What kind of Jesus are we teaching to others?
One of the most frequent ways that we evangelize about the truth is by genuinely living true faith, especially during hardships, in sight of those who are inexperienced at relying upon God. If we deal with problems without true faith, our behavior teaches others that God is not reliable and that he doesn't actually care.
It's not our words that make a difference; it's what our lives say. It's the message implied in our responses to everything that happens to us during the day. Jesus asks: "Who do YOU say that I am?" Did he mean, "Who do you SAY that I am?" as if he were more concerned about what comes out of our lips than out of our lives?
All too often, our words say one thing and our behavior another. People don't believe our words if our lives don't prove their validity. They can sense when our faith is not authentic. So let's start the unworded interrogation:
"Who do you say Jesus is? Who is he for you? How real is he for you? Is he everything that you tell me he is? Why should I obey the teachings of the Church when you haven't bothered to see if you can get an annulment after your divorce? Why should I trust God if you tell me you pray and yet you worry so much?"
You know what my pastor said one day that was pretty well...in your face. He was talking about all this gays in the church crap, during the sermon he said, you know I will tell all the gays to stay out and lets also kick out all the fornicating singles too... the point was that there would only be about 12 married people let inside the building, and hopefully those couples aren't cheating, or swinging, or deceiving his wife because he likes to be humiliated by a mistress. We all sin. We are all guilty of something every single day. So why come to church? To get better and learn and grow. Great point huh? Lets lock out all the sinners! He did say to not come in here recuiting people to gay, but hey...how many people go to church just for lust in looking for a pretty, young "innocent" girl?
What young people are looking for are authentic examples of God. Teenagers and young adults are in transition, moving from childhood's unquestioning acceptance of their parents' faith into an adult ownership of their own faith. They are "chadults"...all my friends know my made up words...no longer children but not yet true adults until they own the responsibilities of adulthood. This phase might last many years. It's hampered by every Christian they meet. And since we're all imperfect examples of what God is like, we shouldn't wonder why our youth stray from what we've taught them about faith.
Rebellion is strong during the chadult years. But, young people are not looking for ways to reject true faith. What they're seeking is proof that the faith they learned truly...well... true, truly safe to continue believing, truly worth building an adult life upon. And every person they encounter in the Church who fails to be Christ-like sends them off seeking God in other directions. The good news is: Our repentance from sin is a powerful way to show them authentic faith, the truth of God's mercy, and a faith worth believing.

He wants us back! Watch this great video on it.

That's MY King!. Inspiration Felt.

2007-09-23T19:38:00.001-04:00

My King is Amazing! It has been just one of those bad months. I guess we all go through them right? Sometimes we just feel so alone out here don't we?
I came to San Antonio with high expectations of friends being strong commited christians and I was under the impression that they were on fire for Him. Maybe God is trying to once again have me depend on Him alone. But why?! Why would you not have mentors, role models and friends to walk with too? It is up to God and me I guess. Thank God for God sometimes. He never gives up on people. People give up just the very moment you needed them the most. Time to move on and find new hope in different people? I don't think so. This month of September has been a true test of prayer. No need to get into details. It has a lot to do with my family though. I feel like Jeremiah. His prayer is so perfect for me this month. Read below if you truly dare to see inside my feelings inside.

Jeremiah 20-
14 Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, "A child is born to you—a son!"
16 May that man be like the towns the Lord overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?

Wow, now that is amazing how relveant it is. Can you imagine praying such a prayer. My closests friends know my birthday is the hardest time of my life. My loneliest time. I feel like my life should be so much further but yet I stay stuck in Shit somehow. I try to spend it with my closest friends but somehow each time, I feel like the ones who matter most are too busy. Well, not all of them so I don't want you to think nobody is there. But, how hard is a simple birthday call? For the longest time I never even sent cards or thank you notes to people. I sewed poor seeds then and am reaping it now, but I have since changed that because it is invaluable to me and wish to get more than the thought of wandering if anyone is going to even take the time to text. Nope. I need to give more though. Where do you want me lord?! Where am I supposed to be. This burden I carry is not lite and I know you said it should be. So, what am I doing wrong? What a prayer. To pray that the man who pulled you from the womb, who probably lit a cigar and popped the wine cork in celebration while shouting "It's a boy!" should be so cursed for it. Man, he must have had some serious strife in his life. Sometimes I feel the same way. Wondering what if I gave up and left this Earth, but knowing God has more for me. To never give up, but sometimes I feel so alone.

Psalm 46 says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble! Refuge!!! It is said that God created 6 cities where men can find refuge in the event of anything. Say for instance you make a huge mistake and commit manslaughter accidentally. You could run to this city for refuge before the avenger comes for execution. If to be found guilty at which point then you would be handed over to the avenger but this refuge saved many men who were innocent. Thankfully God is our refuge from the storm. But its asking for his refuge. Like I said, in my past life has been difficult at times. This past week in fact has been one of the most difficult weeks I have faced in 2 years. But, we all have our problems and I should not expect the devil to ignore me right? But then I have a great King!
Enjoy this wonderful video for one of the greatest ever. Dr. S.M. Lockridge. I did a search to find out what the S.M stands for...Know what the SM stands for? Shadrach Meshach. Crazy his mom had such an insightful vision to name him that. He is said to be the "T.D. Jakes" of the 60's. Enjoy.

First Step Towards Victory

2007-09-22T13:37:00.000-04:00

On Friday, a federal court judge in Utah denied an attempt by convicted felon Barry Minkow and his for-profit company to evade an expedited discovery order that was originally issued on August 1, 2007. As a result of this ruling, Mr. Minkow will be required to respond to written discovery requests, submit requested documents and sit for a 4-hour deposition.
As part of this discovery process and under the penalty of perjury, Mr. Minkow will be asked to reveal a variety of undisclosed information related to his and his unidentified partners' alleged attempt to profit from deliberately driving down USANA's stock price. Specifically, he will be required to identify his financial backers as well as any and all financial institutions, short sellers or individuals with whom he has shared involvement on this matter.
USANA has filed a lawsuit against Mr. Minkow and his for-profit company in U.S. District Court, District of Utah, Central Division, alleging that he has engaged in a public relations campaign to intentionally and illegally manipulate the market for USANA's stock for the economic benefit of himself and his undisclosed associates. USANA is demanding judgment against Mr. Minkow and his undisclosed financial backers and associates including among other remedies, injunctive relief, restitution, damages and recovery of attorney fees and other costs related to defending against the defendants' conduct.
"We are pleased that the judge has recognized the merit of USANA's position that it is entitled to expedited discovery to learn the identity of Mr. Minkow's financial backers and his associates in the investment community who have benefited from illegal stock price manipulation," said D.J. Poyfair, attorney with Shughart, Thomson & Kilroy P.C. and legal counsel to USANA. "We believe Mr. Minkow and his associates have been engaged in a well-coordinated effort to line their pockets through illegal manipulation of USANA's stock price. The fact that nearly 9 million shares, or approximately 125% of the public float, are shorted we think is evidence of stock manipulation. Minkow has already admitted that he will gain financially from a decrease in the company's stock price, and we believe the evidence will demonstrate a deliberate campaign to damage USANA with misinformation and false statements. We look forward to the discovery process and taking this first important step in exposing this crime against USANA."

Sincerely,

Dan Macuga
Vice President
Network Development & Public Relations
USANA Health Sciences, Inc.

I was reading a great book by Jim Cramer entitled "Real Money". In that book he talked about all the people he would manipulate into writting articles in the Wall Street Journal. I didn't know all the ins and outs and still don't but it's a shame that it happens. It is not fair, but all things good will prevail. There was a nasty article written up in the Journal about Usana that caused some serious damage. Amazingly, we are going to still make another quarter of consecutive record growth now of 20 quarters. When you are on top for 9 years in a row, people will do anything possible to bring you down. Damn devils. Do your due diligence and get to the truth before reading things at face value. It is not always as you perceive. I mean seriously, Dr. Myron Wentz just received the Albert Einstein World Award for Science. It is given as a means of recognition, and as an incentive to scientific and technological research and development", with special consideration for researchers which "have brought true benefit and well being to mankind." The Albert Einstein World Award for Science, salutes leaders whose vision and commitment have contributed to the critical advancement of vital life-saving and life-enhancing technology to benefit mankind. Dr. Wentz received the award in recognition of his contributions to nutritional science, as well as his many humanitarian endeavors.“I am honored and humbled to receive an award that bears the name of Albert Einstein,” Dr. Wentz said. “As both an extraordinary scientist and dedicated humanitarian, he serves as a great inspiration for my life’s work, helping people lead healthier lives through nutritional science.”That is a serious award people. But you know...maybe its a scam.

Break A Vase

2007-08-06T10:32:00.001-04:00

A compliment is a gift, not to be thrown away carelessly, unless you want to hurt the giver.
Eleanor Hamilton

The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.
Charles Dudley Warner (1829 - 1900)

1Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 2"But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot."
3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.
6"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Mark 14:1-9

Growing up I had such a terrible mentality. My father raised me to pay attention to how and where I spend my money. Let me first make this clear. I am not advocating being a ridiculous irrational spender here. I am simply stating in some heartfelt moving times you should be an extravagant giver. Be a wonderful giver of extravagant gifts and acts of love.
For at least the past 5 years I believed in abundance but obviously not a bountiful abundance. It took time for me to truly believe that anything was possible. Even then for sometime I felt it was only necessary to give to those who needed instead of giving for the love of giving. I am sure we all have felt the immediate thought of love and sacrifice to give. I just did not understand it fully.

It is funny looking back now on my immaturity and lack of understanding with true giving. Giving without any limits or writing a check for someone or some purpose that makes you feel uncomfortable. About 2 years ago I was sitting in a restaurant and Angie had this off the wall desire to just buy everyone’s meal in that restaurant. At the time it seemed like such a ridiculous action to me. Why? I thought. There is so much more opportunities in the world to do better things with money than to buy an entire restaurant their meal. I mean think of all the poor people in the world. My calculating mind determined the expense to be roughly $3,000. That would feed an entire village in Africa for an entire year. $3,000. But for some reason that day I ripped her wonderful feeling of giving a joyful, extravagant gift to shreds and called it ridiculous. I tore it apart with my calculating mind. Abundance. $3,000 is nothing to a lot of people in this world. To some, it’s 1/4th of their annual salary. To a couple of friends of mine here in Texas it’s a days pay. “There will always be poor.” That’s what Jesus said in verse 7. What does he mean by that? He is simply stating that no matter how much good you do there will always be poor people out there. I remember the scene in Schindler’s List where after all the wonderful things he did that saved thousands of people’s lives, he could only think of the things he did not do. I respect that thought, but sometimes you need to splurge on yourself and on others and realize there will always be poor people to help. Jesus was not condoning this act for every time you rather give to yourself or people who are more fortunate instead of the poor. Everyone knows all the wonderful things He did for them. But this lady wanted to do something for him. To pamper Jesus and this is the feeling she was given to do so. She poured pure nard (extremely expenssive fragrances) all over Him. It says this nard was worth her annual salary. Jesus recognized it as a true gift of love. I have since realized that people in higher statuses of life need gifts of extravagance and love just as much as the poor. Some people go through horrible things in life no matter what their finances look like. Jesus, the Son Of God could have had anything. He certainly did not need to be pampered by such extravagance. It was the heart of this woman He praised while others only thought of the action which could have been better spent on a more “worthy” cause. What a poor mentality. If you have been through something, say a friend has lost a loved one in their life and they are finally pulling through it, do something extravagant for them. Write a check that makes you feel uncomfortable. Give them an unexpected gift at an unexpected time.

Don’t Miss The Boat

2007-07-20T23:40:00.000-04:00

When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

-Acts 12:14-15

"Unless You Believe, You Will Not Understand."

-Saint Augustine (354AD-430AD)

You can say prayers in your mind but doubt in your heart. At times God will answer such prayers as He did when Peter was in prison, scheduled for execution. The believers in Jerusalem were powerless to free him, so they prayed. When God released Peter, their reaction revealed the doubt in their hearts. They argued that Peter could not possibly be free, even as he stood outside knocking on the door!
It is possible to be a “person of prayer” and yet still not have faith? Absolutely! If you study habitual liars, they actually believe their lies to be true. If you tell the same lie over and over again, you too will come to believe your lie to be true. Is it possible to fool yourself into believing that because you ask God for help, you have faith in His ability to meet your needs? Is your faith so weak that you are surprised when God answers your prayer? As a child of God, you ought to expect God to answer your prayers. Not play God like a puppet which is in your control but know undoubtedly that he will answer them the best way He decides. And…sometimes those prayers may be just the way you wanted, that’s where we see the true essence of faith. Are you surprised or are you grateful? Not, surprised and grateful. Just grateful. Do you ask God to do something without adjusting your life to what you are praying? If you are praying for revival, how are you preparing for its coming? If you are praying for forgiveness, are you still living with guilt and bitterness? If you have asked God to provide for your needs, do you remain worried and anxious?
Ask God to increase your faith, and then begin living a life that reflects absolute trust in Him. Out of His grace, God may choose to respond to your requests despite your lack of faith, but you will miss the joy of praying in faith.
I like the commonly used story about the woman stranded on top of the house where the waters are rising due to a massive flood. While waiting she prayed earnestly for God to come and save her. As she was praying a man rowed by in a canoe and asked if she wanted help. She declined and remarked “No thanks, God is going to save me.” So he rowed on. She continued to pray and a country boy came by in his air powered boat and asked her if she wanted help. She waived him on as well remarking the same thing. Then the Coast Guard came in with a helicopter. Again the same thing. Well, she died. When she went to heaven she asked God, “What happened? I prayed for you to save me and now I am here.” He looked at her, shook his head and responded, “I sent you 2 boats and a helicopter. What more did you expect?” God is not going to be this giant arm that comes through the clouds to do what it is you are asking…well, he might but it is highly unlikely. So live faithfully that he has an arm through the clouds right now helping but you just can’t see it.

And now for Napoleon Hill's Thought of the Day.

IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE DOWNTRODDEN.

We still live in the greatest country in the world. The United States is the great experiment in positive thinking; our entire system of government is based upon faith in the inherent goodness of the individual. It was a revolutionary idea more than 200 years ago when the Declaration of Independence was first signed. Borrowing from the greatest thinkers in history, our founding fathers established a form of government of the people that is today the model most imitated around the world. Economic and political conditions ebb and flow, but as long as we have a democratic society that celebrates the individual, we can achieve anything in life we desire. All you require to be successful in the United States is the desire to achieve success and the determination to stick with it until you reach your goals.

You Are Your Worst Enemy

2007-07-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

A Blog from Get Rich Slowly.

My friend Gillian called the other day — she’s been having money trouble and was looking for help. “I’m not really a financial advisor,” I told her. “I write about money, and I try to help people at my web site, but I’m not qualified to coach you one-on-one.” Still, she’s a friend, so I resolved to at least give her some advice. I asked her to explain the situation.
“Tom and I are working all the time, but we’re always broke. He just wrecked his car, but we don’t have money to get it repaired. We’ll have to use the credit cards again. We don’t have any other choice. There’s never anything left at the end of the month,” she said. “I need some help budgeting so that we don’t keep having this problem.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do. I guess the best place to start is with your monthly income and your monthly expenses. How much do you and Tom bring home each month?” I asked.
“About $4,000 after taxes.” That was about what I expected.
“How much do you spend?” I asked.
“All of it,” she said, laughing. I expected that, too.
“How much do you have saved?” I asked. “Do you have any savings at all?”
“No, we don’t,” she said. “There’s never been anything left over to save.”
They don’t have anything left to save because they’re very good at spending money. Gillian and Tom live well:
They have a nice custom-built home.
Each of them drives a late model SUV.
They have no kids.
They enjoy expensive hobbies.
I have friends who make half what Gillian and Tom do, but have built a nest egg because they maintain a frugal lifestyle. It should be easy for these two to reduce their spending to create a budget surplus. “Well, let’s see if we can find a way to free up some cash,” I said. “Let’s list your fixed monthly expenses.”
Gillian listed their bills one-by-one. I jotted them down, making note of anything that seemed particularly extravagant. “Okay, let’s see what we have,” I said. “You’re paying a housekeeper $50 a week. If you were to clean the house yourself, you’d save $200 a month.”
“But…” she began.
“I think you’d be surprised at how much difference $200 a month can make,” I said. “I know from experience that even a $50 positive cash flow can make the difference between feeling broke and feeling flush. A $200 difference is huge.”
“Yeah,” said Gillian, “but I don’t want to clean the house. It’s too much work.” I was puzzled. To me, this was a quick and obvious way to free up money. If I were in her shoes, the housekeeper would be the first thing to go — it would be worth some extra work on my part. I tried a different approach.
“You each have a cell phone,” I said. “Do you both need one?”
“Yes,” said Gillian. “I don’t know what I’d do without one. And Tom needs one for work. I need to be able to reach him.”
Her reasoning seemed thin, but I pressed on. “Well, what about the cable bill,” I said. “You’re paying $60 a month for that. That’s an easy one. What about cutting back to basic cable?”
“Oh, we can’t get rid of cable,” Gillian said. “We watch TV all the time.” I was silent. “Are you there?” she asked.
“I’m here,” I said. “I’m just trying to figure out what to do. In order for you to turn things around, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices.”
“Yeah,” she said, “but we can’t cut cable. Tom would have a fit.”
“Gillian,” I said, “this is a little frustrating. I thought you wanted to get out of your money situation.”
“I do,” she said, “but so far you’re just suggesting things for me to get rid of. Isn’t there something else we can do? Can’t we use a budget to get more money?”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” I said. “Cutting things like these is making a budget. I know it seems terrible to have to give things up, but you need to make sacrifices — at least in the short term — in order to get ahead. You don’t have any savings. Any disaster means you’re putting money on your credit card. You need to build up some savings. You need to pay off your existing debt. In order to do this, you need to spend less than you earn. Right now you’re spending exactly what you earn, and you’ll never get ahead that way. I know, because for years that’s how I operated. You’re going to have to tighten the belt, Gillian. It’s the only way.”
I paused, and then said, “You need to decide what’s important.”
It was obvious I wasn’t going to be able to help her. I hadn’t even explored the Big Ideas, like moving down to a smaller home or trading one of their SUVs for a used car. I had started with the medium-sized stuff — the obvious chaff. But Gillian wasn’t interested in making changes if it meant altering her lifestyle. I changed the subject.
We talked about summer. Gillian asked how our garden was. I described the knee-high corn, the ripe raspberries, and Kris’ monster tomatoes. “I’m jealous,” she said. “I don’t have time to garden. I did get a chance to go to the nursery last week, though. I was able to pick up five shrubs on sale for about $10 each.”
The shrubs were the final straw. There was nothing I could do to help her because she wasn’t ready to be helped. She wasn’t ready to listen. She said she wanted to change, but she didn’t really. She was looking for a magic pill, something that would make life easier without any effort on her part. That’s not how it works. Eventually Gillian will reach a place so bad that she’ll begin to see the need to take responsibility for improving her situation, but she’s not there yet.
Our conversation reminded me of an episode of This American Life I heard recently.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/files/Dave%20Ramsey%20clip.mp3

The show profiled debt guru Dave Ramsey, and at one point the reporter played a segment in which Dave experienced similar frustration:
Tina calls Dave because she’s upside-down on her car loan. She recently wrecked the car, but rather than use the money to repair the vehicle, she spent it. “Ooooo-kay,” says Dave, obviously flustered. “I’m afraid what you’re looking at is probably a really good part-time job, about six or eight months of 80 hour weeks.”
“Eighty hour weeks?” says Tina. “That’s too much work.”
“I can’t help you, Tina,” says Dave.
And I can’t help you, Gillian.

Once again, a great example of Ready, Able, and Not Willing.

What More Could Have Been Done?

2007-07-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

"What more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?"

-Isaiah 5:4

The prophet Isaiah told the story of a man with a vineyard on a fertile hill. The man cultivated the ground and removed the stones so that nothing would hinder the vines’ growth. He planted only the best quality vines. He built a tower in the middle of the vineyard so he could watch for wild animals and intruders. He constructed a wine vat so that he would be ready for the ripe grapes. Then he waited. Rather than producing good grapes, however, the vineyard produced worthless ones.
The story illustrates the relationship between God and His people. God has done everything necessary for us to produce an abundance of spiritual fruit in our lives. He saved us when we were without hope. He gave us His Holy Sprit so that we can produce fruit in our lives. (Gal. 5:22-5:23) He removed our sin so that we are free to serve Him.
We have access to more Christian books music, videos, conferences schools, radio and television stations, magazines, and seminars than ever before. There are churches of every kind and size. We have the bible in numerous translations. We have teachers and pastors to instruct us and encourage us. Most of all, we have direct access to God through prayer. Jesus said that to whom much is given, much is expected (Luke 12:48). One day God will hold us all accountable for all that He has done for us. He will ask us to show Him the fruit of all His bountiful provision for our lives. What will He find?

Well it is the Fourth of July! Happy Independence Day!!! The United States of America is absolutely the best country on the face of this earth for more reasons than one. The countdown has started. I have exactly one year from this day until my Financial Independence Day Party which will occur either here in San Antonio or Tampa Bay. Due to this wonderful country I have been blessed with the ability to create enough wealth to retire at such a young age of 25. You have to ask yourself one question. Am I pursuing His calling in my life? “We are all here blessed to be a blessing” as my friend Slim says. If you are blessing others you will be rewarded. The world is out there for you to grab it but we all conform in line and do what everyone else does and expect to get different results. I have chosen to walk a different path. I took the blue pill in the matrix and see things much differently now. What a wonderful world and what a great country we live in. God has blessed America and now it is time for us to receive it and plant new life for the next generations to come.

Who Declares The Path To Success?

2007-06-04T17:03:00.000-04:00

You don't need fancy highbrow traditions or money to really learn. You just need people with the desire to better themselves."
-Adam Cooper and Bill Collage

"America believes in eduacation: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week!"
-Evan Oscar (1899-1995)

"The First Rule Of Education Should Be:'Do No Harm'"
-Shaun Kerry, M.D.Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Article From http://www.education-reform.net/dropouts.htm

The present day educational system is damaging to young people. Evidence of this harm is being presented from psychological, neurological, sociological, statistical, and common-sense perspectives. There are many notable people, who did not complete their formal education, but accomplished great things. Bill Gates, founder of the software giant Microsoft, and the wealthiest person in the world, dropped out of Harvard in his freshman year. His incredible rise to prominence in the computer industry is testimony to the fact that formal education is not synonymous with success. In fact, his phenomenal knowledge of computers was not acquired in the structured environment of the classroom. Instead, Gates pursued this interest after school by studying the BASIC language from a manual with his friend Paul Allen, helping a local company debug its computers, and designing computer programs.
Many will dismiss Gates as an exceptional individual, who may have dropped out of college, but excelled in high school before being accepted at Harvard. There are, however, many other people who have reached the highest echelons of their profession without even completing elementary school, let alone high school. The following list offers a small sample of the thousands of individuals who have achieved tremendous success in their lives without completing their formal education:

• Albert Einstein: Nobel Prize-winning physicist; "Time" magazine's "Man of the Century" (20th century) (after dropping out of high school, he studied on his own and passed the entrance exam on his second try to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
• John D. Rockefeller Sr.: Self-made billionaire American businessman-philanthropist; co-founder of "The Standard Oil Company;" history's first recorded billionaire (dropped out of high school two months before graduation; took business courses for ten weeks at Folsom Mercantile College [a chain business school])
• Henry Ford: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; assembly-line auto manufacturing pioneer; founder of the "Ford Motor Company"
• Walt Disney: Oscar-winning American film/TV producer; animation and theme park pioneer; self-made multimillionaire founder and spokesperson of "The Walt Disney Studios/Company; "Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient; French Legion of Honor admittee/Medal recipient (received honorary high-school diploma from hometown high school at age 58)
• Abraham Lincoln: 16th President of the United States; (little formal education - Lincoln himself estimated approximately one year; home schooling/life experience; later earned a law degree through self study of books that he borrowed from friends)
• Carl Sandburg: Pulitzer Prize-winning American author (little formal education; later passed entrance exam to Lombard College and graduated)
• Diana, Princess of Wales
• George Burns: Oscar-winning actor/comedian (elementary school dropout)
• Dave Thomas: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder-spokesperson of the "Wendy's" fast-food restaurant chain (equivalency diploma)
• Martin Van Buren: 8th President of the United States (little formal education; began studying law at age 14 while an apprentice at a law firm, later became a lawyer)
• Andrew Carnegie: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman and philanthropist (elementary school dropout)
• John Chancellor: American television journalist; evening news anchorman
• "Colonel" Harlan Sanders: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder-spokesperson of the "Kentucky Fried Chicken/KFC" fast-food restaurant chain (elementary school dropout; later earned a correspondence course law degree)
• Samuel L. Clemens ("Mark Twain"): Best-selling American author and humorist (elementary school dropout)
• Christopher Columbus: Italian explorer (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; went to sea in his youth)
• Davy Crockett: Early American frontiersman; U.S. Congressman (Tennessee Representative); died at the battle of the Alamo (little formal education - less than six months; home schooling/life experience)
• Charles Dickens: Best-selling British author (elementary school dropout)
• Joe DiMaggio: National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Sir Francis Drake: British explorer; knighted in the United Kingdom (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; went to sea in his youth)
• George Eastman: Self-made multimillionaire American inventor; founder of the "Kodak" roll film camera, corporation, and chemical company
• Thomas Edison: Self-made multimillionaire, most famous and productive inventor of all time; invented the filament electric light bulb, phonograph, and motion picture camera; electrical power usage pioneer; Congressional Gold Medal recipient; knighted (France: bestowed the rank of Chevalier, (had no formal education - home schooled)
• Benjamin Franklin: American politician - diplomat - author - printer - publisher-scientist - inventor; co-author and co-signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence; one of the founders of The United States of America; face is pictured on the U.S. one-hundred dollar bill (little formal education [less than two years]; home schooling/life experience)
• Clark Gable: Oscar-winning actor
• George Gershwin: Oscar-nominated and most celebrated American songwriter-and classical composer; Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• Amadeo Peter Giannini: American-born founder of "Bank of America"
• Cary Grant: Oscar-winning actor
• W.T.Grant: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of the "W.T. Grant Company" department store chain
• H.L. Hunt: Self-made billionaire American oil industrialist (elementary school dropout)
• John Huston: Oscar-winning American film director-actor (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, etc.)
• Elton John: Oscar-winning songwriter-singer; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee; knighted by the United Kingdom
• Andrew Jackson: 7th President of the United States (no formal education; home schooling/life experience)
• John Paul Jones: Scottish-born American Revolutionary War U.S. navy commander; famous quote: "I have not yet begun to fight." (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; went to sea in his youth)
• Henry J. Kaiser: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of "Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation," "Kaiser Steel," etc.
• Kirk Kerkorian: Self-made billionaire American businessman
• Ray Kroc: Self-made billionaire American businessman; founder of the "McDonald's" fast-food restaurant chain
• Jerry Lewis: Actor-comedian-singer-entertainer-humanitarian; knighted (France: Chevalier [or Chev.] Jerry Lewis)
• John Major: British Prime Minister 1990-1997
• William Shakespeare: British playwright; best-selling British author
• George Bernard Shaw: Nobel Prize-winning Irish-born British playwright; best-selling author
• Frank Sinatra: Oscar-winning actor-singer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• John Philip Sousa: American composer-conductor (elementary school dropout)
• Zachary Taylor: 12th President of the United States (little formal education; home schooling/life experience)
• George Washington: 1st President of the United States; former general; Chairman of the Constitutional Convention; U.S. nickname: "The Father of Our Country"; face is pictured on the U.S. one dollar bill and twenty-five cent coin (quarter) (no formal education; home schooling/life experience; went to sea in his youth)
• William Faulkner: Nobel Prize-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning American author; screenwriter (dropped out of high school in second year; later attended University of Mississippi but did not graduate)
• Herman Melville: Best-selling American author and writer of Moby Dick, arguably the greatest novel of all time.
• Liza Minnelli: Oscar-winning actress-singer • Robert Mitchum: Oscar-nominated actor
• Claude Monet: French painter (elementary school dropout)
• David H. Murdock: Self-made billionaire American businessman • Florence Nightingale: History's most notable nurse; best-selling Italian-born British nursing book author (no formal education; home schooling/life experience)
• Thomas Paine: American Revolutionary War era political theorist; best-selling British-born American author; famous quote: "These are the times that try men's souls." (little formal education; home schooling/life experience)
• Millard Fillmore: 13th President of the United States (little formal education - six months; home schooling/life experience; studied law while serving as a legal clerk with a judge and law firm; later became a lawyer)
• Will Rogers: American author-humorist-lecturer-actor-entertainer; famous quote: "I never met a man I didn't like."
• Frederick Henry Royce: Self-made multimillionaire British businessman; co-founder-designer of the "Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Company"; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Frederick Henry Royce) (elementary school dropout)
• Edmond Safra: Lebanese-born billionaire banker-philanthropist
• David Sarnoff: Russian-born American radio and television pioneer; given the title "Father of American Television" by the Television Broadcasters Association
• William Saroyan: Oscar-winning screenwriter; Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright
• Vidal Sassoon: Self-made multimillionaire British businessman; founder of "Vidal Sassoon" hairstyling salons, academies, and hair-care products
• Walt Whitman: Best-selling American poet (elementary school dropout)
• Orville & Wilbur Wright: Aviation pioneers; Congressional Gold Medal recipients
• Grover Cleveland: 22nd and 24th President of the United States; face is pictured on the one-thousand dollar bill, which is no longer printed; (dropped out of school to help family earn income; studied law while serving as a clerk at a law firm, later became a lawyer)
• Irving Berlin: Oscar-winning American songwriter-composer; film story writer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient

Ultimately, what distinguishes the aforementioned individuals from the rest of us is their passion for learning that transcends the structured environment of the classroom. Instead of limiting their education to formal schooling, they were curious about the world around them. With their fearless spirit of exploration and their desire to experiment, these individuals discovered their true passions and strengths, which they built upon to achieve success later in life.
Imagine what a loss for the world it would have been had Thomas Edison decided to conform to the system, and invest his time in doing homework, rather than pursuing his love for invention. What if Walt Disney had confined his learning to the requirements of his school's curriculum, and followed only the guidance of his teachers, rather than his own internal motivation. His extraordinary animated features may have never been created.
Ultimately, formal education - by placing the control of learning in the hands of teachers and administrators, and imposing rules and requirements on students - stifles the natural love for learning. We must learn from these exceptional individuals who had the courage to defy the coercive force of formal education and carve their niche in our history.

• H.G. Wells.......best-selling British author (dropped out to help family earn income; later returned and went on to college)
• Jim Clark........self-made billionaire American businessman; founder of "Netscape"; first Internet billionaire (17, U.S. Navy)
• Jimmy Dean..........singer-songwriter-actor; self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of the "Jimmy Dean
Foods" brand sausage business (16, U.S. Merchant Marines; 18, U.S. Air Force) • Andrew Jackson......7th U.S. President; face is pictured on the U.S. twenty dollar bill (13, U.S. Continental Army; orphaned at 14; little formal education; home schooling/life experience; studied law in his late teens and became a lawyer)
• Leon Uris..........best-selling American author (Exodus, etc.) (17, U.S. Marines) • Walter L. Smith.....former president of Florida A&M University (equivalency diploma, at age 23)
• W. Clement Stone....self-made multimillionaire (some sources indicate billionaire) American businessman-author; founder of "Success" magazine (elementary school dropout; later attended high-school night courses and then some college)
• Jack London.......best-selling American author (dropped out at 14 to work; later gained admission to the University of California; left after one semester)
• Arthur Ernest Morgan....American flood-control engineer; college president-author; appointed by President Roosevelt to be director of the Tennessee Valley Authority public works project (left high school after three years; later attended the University of Colorado for six weeks)
• Ray Charles.........singer-pianist; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee
• Cher......Oscar-winning actress-singer • Maurice Chevalier.... Oscar-winning actor-singer; French Legion of Honor inductee/Medal recipient (note: rank bestowed in 1938
• Pierce Brosnan......actor
• Ellen Burnstyn......Oscar-winning actress
• Raymond Burr.......actor
• Sammy Cahn.......... Oscar-winning American songwriter-composer • Michael Caine.......Oscar-winning actor; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Michael Caine)
• Glen Campbell.......country music star
• Daniel Gilbert......Harvard University psychology professor (equivalency diploma)
• Dizzy Gillespie.....musician-composer (received honorary diploma from high school he attended)
• Patrick Henry.......American Revolutionary War era politician; Virginia's first governor; famous quote: "Give me liberty, or give me death!" (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; later studied on his own and earned a law degree)
• Peter Jennings......Canadian-born American television journalist; evening news anchorman
• Ansel Adams.........American wilderness photographer; photography book author; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Julie Andrews.......Oscar-winning actress-singer
• Louis Armstrong.....singer-musician
• Brooke Astor........wealthy American socialite-philanthropist-author; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Pearl Bailey........singer-actress; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Lucille Ball........actress-comedienne-producer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Bill Bartman........self-made billionaire American businessman
• Count Basie.........bandleader-pianist
• Jack Benny.......... comedian-actor-violinist
• Humphrey Bogart.....Oscar-winning actor
• Peter Bogdanovich....Oscar-nominated American film director-screenwriter (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, Mask, etc.)
• Whoopie Goldberg....Oscar-winning actress-comedienne
• Benny Goodman.....bandleader-clarinetist
• Lew Grade.........British film/TV producer (TV: The Avengers, The Saint, Secret Agent, The Prisoner, The Muppet Show, etc.); knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Lew Grade)
• Philip Emeagwali....supercomputer scientist; one of the pioneers of the Internet (high-IQ high-school dropout; left school in native Nigeria due to war conditions and lack of tuition money; continued to study on his own and earned an equivalency diploma; later won a scholarship to Oregon College of Education in the United States; transferred after one year to Oregon State University)
• Danny Thomas........actor-producer-humanitarian (actor: Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show; co-producer: The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, etc.); Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• Peter Ustinov.......Oscar-winning actor
• Hiram Stevens.......American-born engineering inventor; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Hiram Stevens)
• Patrick Stewart..... actor-writer-producer-director; former captain of the Enterprise on TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation and in films.
• Kemmons Wilson.......self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of the "Holiday Inn" hotel chain
• Kjell Inge Rokke.....self-made billionaire Norwegian businessman
• David Puttnam.......Oscar-winning British film producer (Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, etc.); knighted (United Kingdom: Sir David Puttnam)
• Anthony Quinn.......Oscar-winning actor
• Julie London....... singer-actress
• Sophia Loren.......Oscar-winning actress; best-selling Italian-born author; former model (elementary school dropout) • Joe Louis..........boxer; Congressional Gold Medal recipient • Roy Rogers..........actor-singer-guitarist
• Walter Nash.......New Zealand Prime Minister 1957-1960; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Walter Nash)
• Olivia Newton-John.... singer-actress; British-born Australian author
• Rosa Parks.........U.S. civil rights activist-pioneer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• Mary Pickford......Oscar-winning actress; early Hollywood pioneer; co-founder of "United Artists Corporation" (little formal education [six months]; home schooling/life experience)
• Sydney Poitier.....Oscar-winning actor (elementary school dropout)
• Frederick "Freddy" Laker.... self-made multimillionaire British businessman; airline entrepreneur; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Frederick [or Freddy] Laker)
• Tommy Lasorda...... baseball team manager; National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
• David Lean.........Oscar-winning British film director (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr .Zhivago, etc.); knighted (United Kingdom: Sir David Lean)
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek....Dutch microscope maker; world's first microbiologist; discoverer of bacteria, blood cells, and sperm cells)
• Richard Branson.....self-made billionaire British businessman; founder of "Virgin Atlantic Airways," "Virgin Records," etc.; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Richard Branson)
• Isaac Merrit Singer....American sewing machine inventor; self-made multimillionaire founder of "Singer Industries," "I.M. Singer and Company," etc. (elementary school dropout) • Alfred E. Smith.....New York Governor; 1928 Democratic U.S. Presidential candidate (elementary school dropout) • Charles Chaplin.....Oscar-winning actor-writer-director-producer; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Charles [or Charlie] Chaplin) (elementary school dropout)
• Sean Connery........Oscar-winning actor; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Sean Connery)
• Jack Kent Cooke.....self-made billionaire Canadian-born American media businessman
• Noel Coward.........Oscar-winning actor-director-producer-playwright-composer; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Noel Coward) (elementary school dropout)
• Joan Crawford....... Oscar-winning actress; former dancer
• Charles E. Culpeper....self-made multimillionaire American businessman; early 1900s' owner and head of "The Coca Cola Bottling Company"
• Robert De Niro......Oscar-winning actor-producer; knighted (France: Chevalier [Knight] of the Legion of Honor; Chevalier [or Chev.] Robert De Niro)
• Gerard Depardieu....Oscar-nominated actor; knighted (France: Chevalier [or Chev.] Gerard Depardieu) (elementary school dropout)
• Richard Desmond.....self-made billionaire British publisher
• Thomas Dolby........ musician-composer; music producer
• Joe Lewis........self-made billionaire British businessman
• Carl Lindner.......self-made billionaire American businessman
• John Llewellyn.....U.S. Labor leader pioneer; for 40 years until his retirement, president of the United Mine Workers' Union
• Marcus Loew........self-made multimillionaire American businessman; early Hollywood pioneer; founder of the "Loews" movie-theater chain; co-founder of "MGM" studios (elementary school dropout)
• Mary Lyon.........American women's education pioneer; early American teacher; founder of Mount Holyoke College (America's first women's college)
• Sonny Bono...........singer-songwriter-actor; U.S. Congressman (California U.S. Representative)
• Duke Ellington......Oscar-nominated American composer-bandleader; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Ella Fitzgerald.....singer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Aretha Franklin....singer; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee
• Horace Greeley.... American newspaper publisher-editor; U.S. Congressman; 1872 U.S. Presidential candidate; co-founder of the Republican party in the United States
• Thomas Haffa......self-made double-digit billionaire German media businessman
• J.R. Simplot.......self-made billionaire American agricultural businessman
• Robert Maxwell.....self-made billionaire British publisher
• Rod McKuen.........best-selling American poet (elementary school dropout)

I Spy A Happy World

2007-06-02T15:05:00.000-04:00

“Be Around The Change You Want To See In The World.”
-Kathy Sierra

Or the original version

"Be the Change That You Want To See In The World."
-Ghandi

It seems strange sometimes where you find advice and inspiration. I find myself stopping a lot more and really appreciating nature. Rumi said “The morning breeze has secrets to tell you.” Well, the breeze has been blowing here lately and I notice myself doing a lot of searching for those secrets in nature’s hidden mysteries. Everyone internally has a desire to be happy. To return to source is in essence true love and happiness. Even miserable people envy those happy people and shudder with disgust, jealousy and anger.
When I was a depressed boy, I asked myself what it took to be happy. I found that happiness in purpose personally. Yes I fully believe it takes Jesus, well that is what it took for me, but that alone was not enough because until I took Jesus’ purpose in my life only then did I decide to pursue my happiness with Him. You will often find many theories on the truth of happiness. And, each for somewhat are factual and help in their own ways. As I mentioned though, you need to find inspiration in everything and every word. It is there if you perceive it to be. Don’t expect others advice though to be the mold for perfection in happiness for your life. The best advice I hear in happiness often has nothing to do with happiness. I was reading my now new favorite blog to read www.headrush.typepad.com and in the blog she wrote entitled Angry/negative people can be bad for your brain

http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/04/angrynegative_p.html

where she reminded us of the flight attendants statement, “That You Must Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First.”
What a profound statement. So find inspiration in all things because unlike what you may believe, I believe God created everything therefore we are all connected to everything…goes back to the apple pie theory, so you can find inspiration in everything. But, if you find yourself in a place that is not inspiring to you, leave. What is the point of being in a place you find no inspiration?

Every Careless Word

2007-06-02T10:26:00.000-04:00

"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give you account of it in the Day of Judgment."

Matthew 12:36

Jesus spoke plainly about our idle words, yet His warning often goes ignored and unheeded. Jesus said that for idle word there will be a time of accounting in the Day of Judgment. We would expect Jesus to condemn profane and vile uses of the tongue, but idle words? Idle words are things we say carelessly without concern for their impact on others. We too quickly assume that the sins of our tongue are minor sins, sins that God will overlook Yet Jesus was fully aware of the devastating nature of our words, for the idle words that come from our mouths give a lucid picture of the condition of our heart (Matt 15:17-20).
The Book of Proverbs encourages us to speak less rather than risk saying something offensive (Prov. 17:28). Often when we have nothing significant to say we are tempted to speak injurious, idle words. The more time we spend in idle chatter, the greater the likelihood that we will say things that are harmful. James cautioned believers to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19) we are in much less danger to saying something offensive when we are listening than when we are speaking.
Think carefully about the words that come from your mouth. Christians should only use words that uplift and bring peace to others (Eph 4:29). Do you need to speak less? Do you need to be more careful about the kind of humor you use? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you evaluate your words build up others or whether they destroy and hurt others.

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

2007-05-19T19:09:00.001-04:00

"Whoso Neglects Learning In Their Youth, Loses The Past And Is Dead In Their Future."
-Euripides (484 BC-406 BC)

"We Learn By Example and By Direct Experience Because There Are Real Limits To The Adequacy Of Verbal Instructions."
-Malcolm Gladwell

Thankfully we can become different individuals above the influence of childhood by renewing our mind and faith, but damn it could be easier than ingraining our children with terrible aspects, traits, thoughts, actions, emotional outlets, social proof and examples. Where have all the cowboys gone? I hope this video impresses upon you some patience and makes you realize the ridiculous actions we humans do on our daily routine. Show some love. Please?

Perception Is Paramount

2007-05-11T14:55:00.000-04:00

"Money Is Either A Good Or Bad Influence, According To the Character Of The Person Who Possesses It."
-Robert Kiyosaki

It’s true. Money has no character, no personality, no values. Its actions only reflect the desires of its owner. Money can build great hospitals and schools, or it can be gambled away or squandered on meaningless possessions. Money may build museums to house beautiful works of art, it may construct beautiful houses of worship-or it may be used to create instruments of war and destruction. As you build your personal wealth, make sure you build your character by setting aside a portion of your income to help others. Choose a church, a charity, or a cause that you can enthusiastically support. Then give of your money and your time in support of that cause. The primary beneficiary of such noble actions is always the one who gives, not the one who receives.

"We Make A Life By What We Get, We Make A living By What We Give."
-Sir Winson Churchill

Man vs. Mind

2007-05-10T13:16:00.000-04:00

"If You Must Be Deceitful, Be Sure You Never Try To Deceive Your Best Friend-Yourself."
-Robert G. Allen

A better understanding of what you are about-your goals, your dreams, and your aspirations leads you to a better understanding of those around you. It is critical, therefore, that you be honest with yourself at all times. The moment you begin to deceive yourself is the beginning of the decline in your character; it is the beginning of a process of rationalization that permits you to justify unacceptable behavior. Make sure you are a person whom you like, a person of sound judgment and character. If you don’t like yourself, how can you expect others to like you? Step back and examine your behavior as logically as possible. Ask yourself, "Am I the kind of person I would like to be with?" Developing good character traits is like achieving any other objective. Determine where you wish to be and then develop a plan for getting there.

Why Don't You Act 'Black'?

2007-05-09T14:04:00.000-04:00

"When it comes to choosing my friends, I am still colorblind."
-Kamaal Majeed

From: This I Believe,
Read other essays at : http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138

Since my middle school years, I've been asked this question more than any other. It seems to me that too many people have let society program into their brains what should be expected of me, a black person, before ever interacting with me. But I believe in being who I am, not who others want me to be.
On my first day of high school, going into math class, two of my classmates pointed and laughed at me. I initially thought my fly was open, or that something was stuck in my teeth. But as I took my seat, I heard one of the students whisper, "Why is a black person taking honors?" So my fly wasn't open. An honors-level class had simply been joined by a student whose skin was an unsettling shade of brown.
Many people think my clothes should be big enough for me to live in, or expect me to listen exclusively to "black music." In seventh grade, a group of my peers fixed their cold stares on my outfit: cargo shorts and a plain, fitting T-shirt. They called out to me, "Go get some 'gangsta' clothes, white boy."
In one of my Spanish classes, as part of a review exercise, the teacher asked me, "Te gusta mas, la musica de rap o rock?" Do you like rap music or rock music more? I replied, "La musica de rock." The look of shock on my classmates' faces made me feel profoundly alienated.
I am now in my junior year of high school. I still take all honors courses. My wardrobe still consists solely of clothes that are appropriate to my proportions. My music library spans from rock to pop to techno, and almost everything in between. When it comes to choosing my friends, I am still colorblind. I continue to do my best work in school in order to reach my goals; and yet, when I look in the mirror, I still see skin of that same shade of brown.
My skin color has done nothing to change my personality, and my personality has done nothing to change my skin color.
I believe in being myself. I believe that I — not any stereotype — should define who I am and what actions I take in life. In high school, popularity often depends on your willingness to follow trends. And I've been told that it doesn't get much easier going into adulthood. But the only other option is to sacrifice my individuality for the satisfaction and approval of others. Sure, this can be appealing, since choosing to keep my self-respect intact has made me unpopular and disliked at times, with no end to that in sight. But others' being content with me is not nearly as important as my being content with myself.

Kamaal Majeed is a high school student in Waltham, Mass. In addition to his studies, he works part-time at the local public library, and enjoys studying foreign languages and writing a personal journal. Majeed hopes to pursue a career in journalism.

“My skin color has done nothing to change my personality… I believe that I -- not any stereotype -- should define who I am and what actions I take in life.”

-Kamaal Majeed

What an incredible outlook and insight on life. I just love his first quote. I am colorblind. I would like to shake his parents hands and buy them dinner. To Mr. and Mrs. Majeed, you are excellent parents! Thank you for creating such a nice gentlemen.

Be Generous

2007-05-09T08:45:00.000-04:00

Be Generous
by W. Clement Stone

Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I to you.
- (Acts 3:6)

Be Generous! Give to those whom you love; give to those who love you; give to the fortunate; give to the unfortunate; yes - give especially to those to whom you don’t want to give.
Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them. You will receive abundance for your giving. The more you give - the more you will have!
GIVE a smile to everyone you meet (smile with your eyes) - and you’ll smile and receive smiles . . .
GIVE a kind word (with a kindly thought behind the word) - you will be kind and receive kind words . . .
GIVE appreciation (warmth from the heart) - you will appreciate and be appreciated . . .
GIVE honor, credit and applause (the victor’s wreath) you will be honorable and receive credit and applause . . .
GIVE time for a worthy cause (with eagerness) - you will be worthy and richly rewarded . . .
GIVE hope (the magic ingredient for success) - you will have hope and be made hopeful . . .
GIVE happiness (a most treasured state of mind) - you will be happy and be made happy . . .
GIVE encouragement (the incentive to action) - you will have courage and be encouraged . . .
GIVE cheer (the verbal sunshine) - you’ll be cheerful and cheered . . .
GIVE a pleasant response (the neutralizer of irritants) - you will be pleasant and receive pleasant responses . . .
GIVE good thoughts (nature’s character builder) - you will be good and the world will have good thoughts for you . . .
GIVE prayers (the instrument of miracles) for the godless and the godly - you will be reverent and receive blessings - more than you deserve!
Be Generous!
GIVE!

And...Napoleon Hill's thought for the day.

PROFANITY IS A SIGN OF INADEQUATE VOCABULARY OR UNSOUND JUDGMENT-OR BOTH.

Thank you for trying so hard to make me understand this. I was both for the longest time and am glad to have been shown a better way. Mark Twain once observed that "the difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." It is never appropriate to use profanity, especially among people you do not know well. Instead, build your vocabulary by reading and studying so that you can express yourself simply and eloquently. When you expand the number of words you know, you also expand your mind, because understanding the words and their meanings necessitates understanding the concepts behind them. Make sure you allow time each day for study and reflection with words, but actions speak for themselves.

A Sad Parallel

2007-05-03T14:40:00.000-04:00

"From each according to their ability, to each according to their need."
Karl Marx

From a random reading article I found entitled "A Sad Parallel"

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere.

Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore.

I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory", are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

The Practical Application of Suggestion

2007-05-01T12:47:00.000-04:00

The Practical Application of Suggestion
by W. Clement Stone

You motivate others to action through suggestion. The quickest and most effective form of verbal suggestion is to give a command . . . start with an action word such as: stop, think, try, go.
Also, use positive statements with desirable key or trigger words if you want positive, rather than negative, results. Take for example the positive statement: "You can learn" as contrasted with "You can’t learn."
Now here are a few illustrations of everyday positive or negative suggestions. The key or trigger words that propel one to action are bold:
Mother: You’re a good child. Each day you’re trying to be better.
Mother: You’re a naughty child! You can’t keep out of trouble!
Wife: The Browns are coming for dinner, dear . . . try hard to get home by six.
Wife: The Smiths are coming for dinner . . . I suppose you’ll be late as usual.
Teacher: What a wonderful day to be inside! Now we’re going to take up a thrilling, exciting subject . . . the story of the electric light.
Teacher: What a miserable, depressing, rainy day!
Friend: You look so much better than the last time I saw you! You do feel better, don’t you?
Friend: I don’t think you look so well today. How do you feel?
These illustrations of suggestion are simple. But remember, universal truths are simple.

Thought Provoking Quotes

2007-04-26T15:00:00.000-04:00

"Man's Mind Once Stretched By A New Idea, Never Regains Its Original Dimensions."
Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)

The world is filled with inspiration. Inspiration comes from the Greek root inspira or in spirit. This word is far different from motivation. Motivation is self-created action to achieve a certain accomplishment. Inspiration on the other hand is a direct reflection when you are lined with His calling. Jesus said "My work is easy, my burden is light." When you are inspired or in spirit to do something you are aligned with your source from which you came and there will be very minimal if any stress associated with this calling. When stress appears, you have somehow wandered from the truth and faith to do you what you think is the best for your life. You have chosen motivation and as we all know, this wears off within a maximum of 30 days says Zig Zigler. God Realization acknowledged will pull you back to source of which you came and you will be able realign yourself with His will and things will then fall back into place. You will find an abundant source of people, funding, books, or what your are supposed to be presented with in order to further assist you in your yoking. Every time, no question forever undeniable.
I have recently revisited Dr. Wayne Dyer, an amazing mentor of mines audio program to were he makes some amazingly insightful revelations. Imagine yourself in a field. All around you are over 3 million pieces of parts ranging from rubber, metal, wire, clothe of all sorts, nails and glass. Over 3,000,000 pieces! then suddenly out of nowhere hurricane force winds upwards to 400mph comes and picks these pieces of debris up into the whirlwind and out of the blue a gigantic Boeing 747 lands completely functional. What are the chances? What are the odds? One in a billion? One in a trillion? What kind of amazing knowledge do we have in our minds to be able to use the science and math of chemistry, algebra, physics, geometry and amongst many other things that go into the beautiful creation of the 747? Do we question its source? Not at all. We are clearly intelligent enough to create this object. Do you know what it takes to build such a machine? Probably not, maybe you do...I don't. Do I doubt we can? No, I see the evidence all around me. Every time I take notice of a 747 flying I am blown away by the amount of intelligence that went into its conception and wonder how this thing can even fly. Now take the human eyeball and compare it to a 747. Makes the 747 look like a tinker toy compared to the trillions of cells that go into just one eyeball. Can we create a functioning eyeball? No. Imagine the endless knowledge that went into it. Every single minute 6,000,000 eyeballs are created in the world. Every MINUTE in the world 3,000,000 people die and 3,000,000 people are born. 3,000,000 times 2 eyeballs per person. That's 6,000,000 eyeballs every single minute created. That is not even including all the raccoon eyeballs, lion eyeballs, the fly eyeballs. Have you looked at a flies eyeball? Now, this doesn't include the livers, stomach, intestines, or the brain. We can't even fathom how to engineer such things. And this is just on Planet Earth. Our universe is endless or so we can't prove its end. How can we question in good consciousness that there is not something out there with infinite knowledge and this is all an accident compared to the tinker toy of a 747? I see miracles everywhere. Everywhere I turn there is another miracle. The problem is we have what is called an E.G.O, we Etch God Out of our lives and break the connection to source. From the first 9 months of our life when we are in utero we give God complete control to do what he needs to do to create us, then whammo. We are birthed and decide to take over and say ok buddy, I got this. Then we spend our lives searching for this connection not realizing the entire time it is already in us. Do you think if you took half of an apple pie and half of a blueberry pie and placed a slice of apple pie on the table you wouldn't be able to tell what the orginal source of the pie it came from? No, you would know where that piece came from. From the apple pie. We are out here searching without God and that is why we are a lonely society, a lost society, an uneasy, discontent society. Just my thoughts I suppose. I am not a trained clinical psyche major, nope, just a self-read philosopher who has tries to use his brain. Take it as you want, in the meantime enjoy these thought provoking quotes by great leaders of the world.

“I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.”
- Jack Benny

“Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair.”
- George Burns

“You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.”
- Dave Barry

"I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet.”
- Rodney Dangerfield

“Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.”
- Napoleon Bonaparte

“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”
- Thomas Jefferson

“Do, or do not. There is no 'try'.”
- Yoda

“Talent does what it can; genius does what it must.”
- Edward George Bulwer-Lytton

“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.”
- Walt Disney

“We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time.”
- Vince Lombardi

“A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship.”
- John D. Rockefeller

“The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”
- Samuel Johnson

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”
- Henry Ford

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
- Henry David Thoreau

“Few things are harder to put up with than a good example."
- Mark Twain

"Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work."
- Robert Orben

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."
- Mark Twain

“One of the most feared expressions in modern times is ‘The Computer is Down.’ ”
– Norman Augustine.

Free Hugs

2007-03-26T10:09:00.001-04:00

"Hope Doesn't Come From Calculating Whether The Good News Is Winning Out Over The Bad. It's Simply A Choice To Take Action."
Anna Lappe

Taking action. One of my favorite pastors, Casey Treat www.caseytreat.com who is pastor to the northwest in Seattle, Washington spoke at Eagles Nest one Sunday here in San Antonio. He spoke about will power. He made a simple analogy that has soaked into my mind for a long time now. He said most people break their own word the first thing right away, every morning. You ask how. Well, before we go to sleep we generally set an alarm clock. The intention of that alarm is to wake up. Not to snooze and get more rest before we feel awake. So you set your alarm and then break your own word by snoozing. That is just the downward start of you not having confidence in believing in your ability. Pretty simple concept but I realized that day it is not that easy to set an alarm and wake up. So as you lose that will power and as one thing after another does not occur the way you planned it due to your own lack of self belief it continues to beat on your belief in one self. And that is where you lose hope. Start with something small like forcing yourself to not snooze. It is a great start to success and finding hope.

I included this video because this man had a dream. An amazing, power thought and decided to put it into action. Now this campaign has taken root and people all over the world are doing what this man set his mind out to do. The power of thought...till then.

I Have A Dream

2007-03-22T17:26:00.001-04:00

You See Things; And You Say, 'Why?' But I Dream Things That Never Were And Say, 'Why Not?'
George Bernard Shaw

I have always talked about speaking things into existence, be careful what you wish for kind of stuff. It is all throughout the bible but for some reason people think it is a crazy concept. Habakuk 2 speaks about it. You pray and depending on God's timing will you receive it. This whole "The Secret" craze has certainly taken a frenzy lately. It is mostly all summed up in the book Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. But there is one thing that I always speak about that I decided to write on once again. There are 3 steps in the secrets "thoughts are things that manifest concept". Step 1, Declare it. Step 2 How (this step is not done by you) and Step 3, receive it. Also in the movie, Jack Canfield says when you have inspired thought, act on it. Otherwise you will be telling yourself subconciously that you do not deserve it and the thing you desire will not manifest.

Well I included this cute video to say that you dont have to die for your dreams. But you do have to work for them to happen. "Nothing worthwhile comes easy." Thats what Griswald said...so watch this clip and know if you want your dream bad enough, it will take constant, consistent effort. But you have the strength through God and ability to do everything you desire if you desire it.

Fail Forward To Success

2007-03-20T23:51:00.000-04:00

"If At First You Don't Succeed, Find Out If the Loser Gets Anything."
Bill Lyon

Hmmm....does the loser get anything? Lets ask the expert on failure. Watch this short video and find out what he thinks.

I find it amazing that as humans we tend to give up just before we are about to have a break through. We fail countlessly through our lives. As we fail and learn to become successful, we as losers if we can replace failing with losing do gain much. Knowledge to change for the better.

Can A Single Not Have A Date And Still Feel Love?

2007-02-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

"Just because you love someone doesn't mean you have to be involved with them. Love is not a bandage to cover wounds."
Hugh Elliott

For in Christ Jesus...the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Galatians 5:6

I heard an awesome story the other day about a story in John C. Maxwell’s book- The 21 Indisputable Qualities of a Leader. It goes like this.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, two strong view for leadership of Great Britain’s government: William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli. The two politicians were intense rivals. You can detect how they felt about each other, based on a comment made by Disraeli: “The difference between a calamity and a misfortune? If Gladstone fell into the Thames River, it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out again, it would be a calamity.”
Many people believe Gladstone, leader of the Liberal Party for three decades, personified the best qualities of Victorian England. A career public servant, he was a great orator, a master of finance, and a staunchly moral man. He was prime minister of the United Kingdom four different times, the only person in the nation’s history to achieve that honor. Under his leadership, Great Britain established a national education system, instituted parliamentary reform, and saw the vote given to a significant number of people in the working classes.
Benjamin Disraeli, who served twice as prime minister, had a different kind of background. In his thirties, he entered into politics and built a reputation as a diplomat and social reformer. But his greatest accomplishment was masterminding Great Britain’s purchase of shares in the Suez Canal.
Though both men accomplished much for Britain, what really separated them as leaders was their approach to people. The difference can be best illustrated by a story told by a young woman who dined with the two rival statesmen on consecutive nights. When asked her impression of them, she said “When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in all of England. After sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.” Disraeli possessed a quality that drew people to him and made them want to follow him. He had charisma.
Maxwell explains that the key to charisma is other-centeredness, putting the other person first. That’s also the chief characteristic of agape, God’s kind of love.

This is a passage a senior pastor at my church wrote for his Valentine’ Day Sermon entitled Can A Single Not Have A Date And Still Feel Love?

I have tried judgment and I’ve tried forgiveness. Forgiveness is better but there’s a problem. I don’t get to decide what the other person’s penalty is. I don’t get to decide how long they suffer. I have to be open to loving them and spending time with them. They get a better deal than they deserve and sometimes that irritates me. It requires that I trust God with the outcome. I have to let go to do that and letting go puts my selfishness to death. I don’t like the personal pain.
There are advantages. God really is a better judge than me. He sees the big picture clearer than I do. When I forgive, He forgives me. When I release the judgment, I am released. But my selfishness has to die for me to do it and I don’t like the pain.
I have tried lust and I have tried purity. Purity is better but lust has its advantages. Doing something secret has a strong pull. If I could fly and there was a rule against flying, I would still be sorely tempted to fly. Ah, the thrill of flying. There’s a similar thrill to doing something and not getting caught. The high of secrecy.
Beyond that, lust involves theft. I take someone else’s beauty or privacy or intimacy even though it is not mine or it’s not God’s time. I justify it because it makes me feel good or it satisfies my curiosity or it makes me feel like a little God, writing my own rules, determining my own time table, doing my own thing! Sure, it’s selfish; it’s all about me. I if I can find another selfish, secretive person who’s willing to share the crime with me, it seems totally okay, at least for the moment.
The downside is guilt and stress and the fear of being caught or exposed. But purity tells me to wait and I don’t want to wait.
Purity is best. It’s honest. It’s “Walking in the light.” It’s guilt free. It develops my character. It builds a firm foundation. It pleases god. It produces fruit. It leaves a great heritage. And, it leads to the favor of God. In the end I find out that His timing is better than mine even though I didn’t believe that on the front end.
Jeremiah 2:13 says “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug cisterns, broken cisterns that can not hold water.”
The enemy says, “You know what you want. You know what you need. You have every right to go for it. Dig your own cistern, your own storage facility. Judge whoever you choose. Lust after whoever you please. Eat whatever satisfies you. Do it as often as you can get by with it. If you get caught, it was worth it. You only go around once; grab for all the gusto you can get!”
The Lord says, “I created you. I have a destiny for you. I will give you the wisdom and grace to fulfill it. I have sent the Holy Spirit to intercede for you. I will test you but only to develop your character and maturity. I will lead you through dark places. Remember, I will go with you. Your enemies will surround you but I will serve a lunch for you right in the middle of them.”
The Greeks called the two types of love Eros, sensual attraction, and agape, other-centered love. Eros offers guilt pleasure, short term satisfaction; yes, the bill comes due and it’s at a very high price. In addition, God resists us. We seek our own picture of destiny and it is characterized by one night stands, an alcoholic buzz, followed by a hangover, stolen pleasures, followed by painful consequences, life that hopefully ends on Earth we won’t be prepared for eternity.
Agape offers joy when I don’t feel happy, guilt-free living, eternal reward, and God’s favor. He unfolds our destiny. It is characterized by life long commitment, healthy living, walking in the light, and God’s blessing. That life does not end on Earth because it prepares you for eternity.
However, agape is tough love. It requires that I trust God, that I seek His wisdom, that I rely on the Holy Spirit, that I seek healing, that I forgive and be forgiven, and I develop patience.
What about the question, “Can a single feel love and not have a date?” It all depends. If your goal is selfish satisfaction, you probably need someone, a certain someone, to respond to what gives you pleasure, to speak your love language-gifts, quality time, physical touch, words of affirmation, or acts of service-or possibly, all five. Your strategy may be co-dependant, a willingness to satisfy the other person’s self-centered desires. It may be fantasy, a willingness to believe that whatever brings you pleasure is therefore okay.
If your goal is agape, you’ll ask God to direct you to love in ways that please Him and that fulfill your destiny on Earth. You will do this out of faith, a belief that He will reward you in His way and on His timetable. This is God’s promise. “Don’t grow weary in doing well. You will reap in due season if you don’t faint!” The harvest He promises might be gifts, quality time, intimacy, words of affirmation, or acts of service. It might be His smile of approval. It might be enrolling you in a curriculum that will develop your character. And all of this will sometimes feel good right away and sometimes later.

Life or Death?

2007-02-23T17:47:00.000-05:00

"Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life."
Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956)

They were there for breakfast, and they were there to cheer New York Jets running back Curtis Martin. And it was Martin who received the Athletes in Action Barr Starr Award Saturday morning. But the hundreds of people who gathered in the fourth floor ballroom at the Marriott Renaissance in Detroit, Michigan on the morning before Super Bowl XL were clearly touched by the featured speaker.

That speaker was the Colts Head Coach, Tony Dungy.

Two hours in to the breakfast, emcee Brent Jones introduced Dungy, who was welcomed with a lengthy standing ovation. Dungy thanked the crowd, then adding with a laugh, “I just wish I wasn’t here in this capacity so many times of being just that close to being in the game and just being invited as a speaker. My goal is to have our team here one day and have a couple of tables with all of our guys here. Because we have a special group of young men, a great group of Christian guys. It would be wonderful to have them here so you could see their hearts and what they are all about.”

“It hasn’t quite happened yet. But we are still hoping one day it will.” He told them he was going to talk about lessons he had learned from his 3 sons. The crowd fell silent. Then Dungy spoke.

Although this was a breakfast-and although at many such events speakers speak over the clinking of glasses and murmurs from semi-interested listeners, for most of 15 minutes the room was silent except for Dungy’s voice.

He spoke of his middle son, Eric, who he said shares his competitiveness and who is focused on sports “To where it is almost a problem.” He spoke of his youngest son, Jordan, who has a rare congenital condition which causes him not to feel pain. “He feels things, but he does not get the sensation of pain.”

The lessons learned from Jordan, Tony Dungy said, are in many. “That sounds like it’s good at the beginning, but I promise you its not, we have learned a lot about pain in the last five years we have had Jordan. We have learned some hurts are really necessary for kids. Pain is necessary for kids to find out the difference between what is good and what’s harmful.”

Jordan, Dungy said, loves cookies. “Cookies are good, but in Jordan’s mind, if they are not good out on the plate, they are even better in the oven. He will go right to the oven when my wife’s not looking, reach right in, take the rack out, take the pan off the rack, burn his hands and eat the cookies and burn his tongue and never feel it. He does not know it is bad for him.”

“Jordan has no fear of anything, so we constantly have to watch him,” Dungy said, “The lesson learned is simple. You get the question all the time., ‘Why does the Lord allow pain in your life? Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is a God of love, why does he allow these hurtful things to happen?’

“We’ve learned that a lot of times because of pain, that little temporary pain, you learn what’s harmful. You learn to fear the right things. Pain sometimes lets us know we have a condition that needs to be healed. Pain inside sometimes lets us know that spiritually we are not quite right and we need to be healed and that God will send that healing agent right to the spot. Sometimes, pain is the only way that will turn us kids back to the Father.”

Finally…he spoke of his son James.

James Dungy, Tony Dungy’s oldest son, committed suicide three days before Christmas of 2005. As he did while delivering James’ eulogy in December, Dungy spoke of him eloquently and steadily, speaking of lessons learned and of the positives taken from the experience.

“It was tough, and it was very painful, but as painful as it was, there were some good things that came out of it.”

Dungy spoke at the funeral of regretting not hugging James the last time he saw him, on Thanksgiving of last year. “I met a guy the next day after the funeral,” Dungy said. “He said, ‘I was there. I heard you talking. I took off work today. I called my son. I told him I was taking him to the movies. We’re going to spend some time and go to dinner.’ That was a real, real blessing to me.”

Dungy said he has gotten many letters since James’ death relaying similar messages. “People heard what I said and said, ‘hey, you brought me a little close to my son,’ or, ‘you brought me a little closer to my daughter.’ “What a tremendous blessing.”

Dungy also said some of the James’ organs were donated through donor programs. “We got a letter back two weeks ago that two people had received his corneas, and now they can see, that’s been a tremendous blessing.”

Tony spoke of a letter he received from a girl that attends the family’s church in Tampa. She had known of James for many years. She went to the funeral because she knew James.

“When I saw what happened at the funeral, and your family and the celebration and how it was handled, that was the first time I realized there had to be a God. I accepted Christ into my life and my life’s been different since that day.” Dungy said “That was an awesome blessing, so all of those things kind of made me realize what God’s love is all about.”

Dungy was asked often how he was able to return to the Colts so quickly after a James’ death. James died on December 22nd, and Dungy returned to the team one week later. Dungy said the answer was simple. “People asked me, ‘How did you recover so quickly? I told them I am not totally recovered. I don’t know that I will ever be. It is still very, very painful, but I was able to come because of something one of my good Christian friends said to me after the funeral.” “He said, ‘You know James accepted Christ into his heart, so you know he’s in heaven, right?’ I said, ‘Right, I know that’ He said, ‘So, with all you know about heaven, if you had the power to bring him back now, would you?’ When I thought about it, I said, ‘No, I wouldn’t. I would not want him back with what I know about heaven.’

That’s what helped me through the grieving process. Because of Christ’s spirit in me, I had that confidence that James is there, at peace with the Lord, and I have the peace of mind in the midst of something that is very, very painful. That’s my prayer today, that everyone in this room would know the same.”

Written by John Oeshner. “NFL Insider”-Feb. 2006 at www.colts.com

This is a powerful message I received about the ex-football coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current Super Bowl Champion head coach for the Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy. He is an amazing man and a wonderful inspiration for our society. His view on death is very similar to mine. I have never been totally devastated by someone dying. I always ask myself, “Why am I sad? I am truly a believer, I should be rejoicing.” Now don’t get me wrong. Death is difficult but it is only difficult for selfish reasons. You will miss that person in your life because of how they are not there any longer. You are not rejoicing because they are finally free and home. It still hurts though because you know they are gone from your life forever. Bitter sweet.

You deserve the ring Tony! You are an
inspiration and icon for masculinity!!!