Grace Focused Ramblings

Scott Skelton's Story Gaining Traction

2009-02-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

I'm so amazed at Scott's gift of a new kidney, the sacrifice Keith made - and the story that is emerging. You can read it here:

http://www.lufkindailynews.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/02/25/kidney_transplant.html

Scott's blog is at http://sskelton.wordpress.com

He is passionate about the gift Keith gave him.

Transplanted to Live

2009-02-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

My good friend and Christian brother - Scott Skelton - received the true gift of life through his recent kidney transplant surgery. Everything went without a hitch.

Great story:

http://sskelton.wordpress.com

The most interesting aspect of the story is that his donor - Keith Langston of Longview - was an opposing attorney in many arduous cases over the past several years. Keith and Scott developed a professional friendship through adversarial, but respectful positions.

The whole thing has been incredibly emotional for me and my family - just hard to believe.

Spiritual Journeys

2009-01-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

I admit it I'm judgmental. Very much judgmental towards those that never seem to embark on any significant spiritual journey. Somewhat judgmental on those that seem to never think to much on the spiritual plane. They just give you that quizzical look when you mention anything with spiritual under-tones.

I confess.

I guess the reality is that no spiritual journey is, in itself, a spiritual journey.

Updated Blog - Weird stuff at Mike Cope

2008-11-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hey, I say.... hey.

I finally updated this 'Ol Blog to current template and formats, and added a lovely picture.

Weird stuff going on over at Preacher Mike. I never understand people that go somewhere to argue, and then label others as "libelous" for responding.

Weird.

Where is the Lord (in that)

2008-07-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah in the first part of Jeremiah and asks the Israelites why they did not ask this question:

"Where is the Lord?"

Profound little group of words. It's a short statement I haven't been asking too much lately to be frank - "Where is the Lord?"

Just how many demands or requests do I get daily?
How many "opportunities of a lifetime" do I see weekly?
How many non-Lordly things do I see, do or speak hourly?
How many fires to put out come up regularly?

I need to ask that question much more frequently

"Where is the Lord?"...... in any of that?

Israel Forsakes God
1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:"
'I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,'
"declares the LORD.
4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, all you clans of the house
of Israel.
5 This is what the LORD says: "What fault did your fathers find in me, that
they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became
worthless themselves.
6 They did not ask, 'Where is the LORD, who brought us up out of Egypt and
led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and rifts, a
land of drought and darkness, [a] a land where no one travels and no one lives?'
7 I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you
came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.
8 The priests did not ask, 'Where is the LORD ? 'Those who deal with the law
did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied
by Baal, following worthless idols.
9 "Therefore I bring charges against you again,"declares the LORD.
"And I will bring charges against your children's children.

RIP - Terrence Kiel

2008-07-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

Terrence Kiel passed away last Friday in San Diego. A former starter for the Chargers, TK had run into legal and drug problems, and was released.

A sad day for Lufkin and the Kiel family. His funeral is Saturday in Lufkin and I'm sure will be attended by many NFL stars and lots of friends and family.

This has really bummed me this week. So many work so hard here to keep folks on the straight and narrow.

My favorite City

2008-07-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

In the words of Willie Nelson - Hello walls.... as my blogging friends are long dispersed.

It was so wonderfuly to see my college daughter, Megan, at ACU this past weekend. As happy as I was there - it saddens me I don't get to Abilene, my hometown, more often. I realize the six hours between Lufkin and Abilene - coupled with my heavy workload - means we won't witness much of her college life. And, it means I just won't see my parents or my hometown friends much.

I miss Abilene. I miss big church with big Accapella singing. I miss young Christians on fire for change and for Christ. I miss the people and church of Abilene.

And, I guess I even miss alot of the city of Abilene. What would my favorite city look like? It would look a lot like Abilene. But, it would be further east in the Winter, and further north in the Summer. And, the water would be so much softer, and tastier. In the end, I don't know if perfect weather, or traffic, or work, or water matters. Maybe it does - I've never lived in a perfect city. Maybe I tend to miss those things that I can't change.

But, I do miss home.

Lowdown on "The Secret"

2007-10-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

The NY Times bestseller list would seem to clearly suggest there are lots of folks interested in the mega-best-selling book The Secret. For those interested, I just read the most reasonable review of the Secret I can recall - and pretty funny stuff too.

Here's the link:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/mindbodyandsoul/personalgrowth/articlegh.aspx?cp-documentid=5569524&page=1

I can think many can relate to this review. We probably believe most of what's in the book, but we are prone to raise an eyebrow at many of the "testimonials". Not to give the article away, but the writer does a wonderful job of telling how she implemented everything from the book - but she still did not get her No. 1 wish. However, at the end of her month-long journey - she realized her life was much improved.

I said "bingo" as I read her article, and I think it relates back to life, business and the reality or lack thereof of the Secret for most folks. I'm thinking of the scene from the movie version of the Secret where a guy was really mad because his bike was ripped off even though he chained it up. Hogwash if you think his bike was stolen because he was sending out negative vibes to the world as evidenced by taking the precaution of locking up his bike. His bike was stolen because we live in a fallen world with some really scummy people that go around stealing things.

If we would simply implement even half of the suggestions in most any "how-to" books out there on business, finances, health, relationships, etc., we would most assuredly be well along, or at least somewhere on the bumpy road to success. But, we all raise an eyebrow at the guy that says "I Made $8,000 in my sleep" or "this is so easy, an un trained monkey could do it", or "I always get the best parking spot".

I found the article refreshing. If implemented - with conviction and real energy - the things in the Secret are helpful, and worthy of implementing. But...keep your BS meter firmly on full alert when sifting through "Testimonials". And, don't let yourself get off-track because someone chooses to exaggerate, and certainly don't give up because you do hit the big or small bumps in the road on the way to success.

Obeying the Bible

2007-09-25T05:42:00.000-07:00

A blogger friend posted this recent article from Newsweek in which an agnostic attempted to keep every law in the Bible for a year. Here's the article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20910659/site/newsweek/page/0/

And, it got me thinking....

What if we Christians really tried to keep all of Jesus' commandments for a year? Forget everything else - just try to act and live exactly as Jesus did for a year. I think it would be profound and I think we'd see miraculous things.

Think about it...How many people try to act as Paul acted, or Peter? Or worse, how many Christians pick and choose those New Testament "commandments" they feel are most important, yet forget others. Or, how many churches spend countless hours debating how they are more exact replicas of the first century Church than the next church which is "too denominational"?

The writer of the article said his life was changed in important, measurable ways simply by attempting to obey these laws. What if we tried to emulate Jesus, the perfector of faith, for a year?

Deceit

2007-06-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, God has placed strongly on my heart the desire to be honest and not be deceitful. My business dealings run head-on into this issue daily, if not hourly. In my profession of real estate appraisal I find myself struggling to maintain a successful business and do what I feel God has called me to do in this field - keep good folks from being deceived and be honest each and every day.

Just yesterday I was literally being asked by a loan officer to be marginally deceitful as I was watching a Senate sub-committee hearing on-line about Predatory Lending Practices which are robbing people of their hard-earned home equity and threatening our entire economy. As I was watching an appraiser describe how he's pressured daily to be deceitful, I had someone asking me on the phone to be deceitful - an almost an out-of-body experience as those two events went on simultaneously.

As is so often the case, my daily Bible reading presented two scriptures right before my nose yesterday and today. I've long since given up the notion this was just some odd coincidence.

Psalm 32:2
Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Leviticus 19:13
13 Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.

God has made it clear to me in Scripture and in His Spirit's prompting of my heart - He hates deceit.

Posting about Not Posting

2007-05-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe a post about not posting will re-start the creative juices. Is it just me, or has blogging lost its edge? My dull edge is non-existent right now - just too busy. God bless.

Run Barrack Run

2007-01-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

Looks like my man Barack Obama is leaning toward running for Prez. in 2008 - could be interesting between Barack, Hillary and a host of others:

http://www.barackobama.com/video/youtube/index.php

What does Eternal Friendship look like?

2007-01-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

The words from John 15 are powerful. Jesus is my friend. The eternal Son of God, my Saviour, my King - is also my friend. What does that friendship look like? What are the requirements on my part?

John 15: 9 and following:

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

It's more than Jesus

2007-01-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

It's too simple to just point to Jesus. There's more to it - there's doctrine, religion, church, Church, religious politics, political religion, evangelism, and the list goes on and on. Joel O'Steen and James Dobson have something in common - neither rarely mentions the name of Jesus.

I think that's largely how We - the Church - have lived for the past 2,000 years, certainly the past 100 years. We've lived, acted, worshipped and carried on as if there is much more to life than the spiritual connection to Jesus.

That's just too naive and simplistic.

God is Ever-giving

2007-01-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

Continuing in my devotional theme from a few days ago:

God's giving never ceases - Genesis 1:29

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

While I appreciate God's blessings, I don't know if I really consider them as eternal here on this Earth, or as never-ceasing. God's creation has indeed never stopped - He laid the frame work for germination, for duplication and compounding - for Eternal Creation.

He is the Creator and He has never ceased giving us what we need, and largely even what we want.

Work of the Hoy Spirit

2007-01-04T05:52:00.000-08:00

When Jesus left his disciples, he sent the Counselor, the Holy Spirit to help them in his absence. What did the Holy Spirit do?

John 16:5-16

1) Convicted them of their sin.

2) Guided them toward truth.

3) Speaks only words of God.

4) Prophecy.

5) Reveal Jesus' will for their lives.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

5"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
16"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

God is Merciful

2007-01-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

God is so full of mercy that His plan included an act of mercy after the fall of man in Eden. His mercy is never-ending, just as life in Christ is never-ending. His love is merciful because it saves us even though we don't deserve saving. His patience is merciful because we commit a lifetime of sins, yet He still loves and nurtures us into a deeper relationship with Him. His creation is merciful because it never ceases - regardless of how we use or abuse it.

God is merciful. I am blessed by His mercy.

2007 Blessings!

2007-01-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year friends! I'm going to start the new new year with a few small devotionals.

There are tremendous blessings in my belief because________? Hopefully, we can all meditate for a moment and fill in that blank.

1. Because God is merciful
Deut. 4:31 - 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.

2. Because God is ever-giving
Gen. 1:29 Then God said, "I've given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food."

3. Because the Lord Knows Me
John 1:48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree. I saw you there before Philip called you."

4. Because Jesus is my Friend
John 15:13 No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends.

5. Because the Holy Spirit will Help me.

John 14:26 But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.

The Gift for the Loved one that has Everything

2006-12-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

Aren't gift cards great - they've eliminated the hassle of shopping for that person that has everything, or are they? Here's a great little video on Christmas Consumerism in America put together by a couple recently returned to the States from Africa - it's an eye opener.

Watch here

Prayers for Megan returning home from her first semester in college.

What do you believe?

2006-12-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

The church we attend has the following set of beliefs. I really like them - they speak strongly to me right now. I'm wondering how many believers have a "set of beliefs" that is far different than those espoused by the church they attend?

______________________________________
Open Communion

The Lords Supper, or Communion, is celebrated weekly in worship and it is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

The Oneness of the Church

All Christians are called to be one in Christ and to seek opportunities for common witness and service.

Freedom of Belief

As Disciples, we are called together around two essentials of faith: a belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and that Christians are free to follow their conscience guided by the Bible, the Holy Spirit, study, prayer, and are expected to extend that freedom to others.

Baptism by Immersion

In baptism, the old self-centered life is set aside, washed away and a new life of trust in God begins. Although Disciples practice baptism by immersion, other baptism traditions are honored.

The Ministry of Believers

Both ministers and lay persons should lead in worship, service and spiritual growth.

And above all that, Jesus Christ is the son of the Living God, who offers saving grace to all who seek it through His Son.

Jesus as a Figure-head

2006-11-29T05:46:00.000-08:00

On occasion I listen to a daily radio program here in deep East Texas called "Bible Answers". If you're imagining a radio host that has the "right" answer to every possible Bible-based debate or scenario - you would be correct. What amazes me is how this commentator/preacher will go days, even weeks, without mentioning the name Jesus. He'll discuss/preach on divorce and remarriage; correct doctrine; speaking in tongues, or a host of other issues, but he rarely speaks about Jesus.

Here are some profound words Oswald Chambers wrote on this issue well over 100 years ago:

The New Testament example of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other kind of so-called Christian experience is detached from the Person of Jesus. There is no regeneration— no being born again into the kingdom in which Christ lives and reigns supreme. There is only the idea that He is our pattern. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is the Savior long before He is the pattern. Today He is being portrayed as the figurehead of a religion— a mere example. He is that, but He is infinitely more. He is salvation itself; He is the gospel of God!

I just don't get how one can believe that living the "right" Christian life involves replicating how someone worshiped in New Testament times. If we'll do exactly what the New Testament church did (in our minds) 2,000 years ago - nothing more and nothing less - then we'll be fine. I don't get that form of thinking, it is foreign to me.

Prayers for "Preacherman"

2006-11-22T06:36:00.000-08:00

I just learned that one of my blogging friends and a Texas minister - Kinney Mabry, aka Preacherman - has fallen quite ill. Please follow the link below and place Kinney and his family in your prayers. God bless and Happy Thanksgiving.

Here's the link:

Preacherman

Mary's Song

2006-11-21T05:56:00.000-08:00

As Mary, the mother of Jesus, was contemplating news of her pregnancy, she paid a visit to her relative Elizabeth, who was also pregnant with John, to be known as John the Baptist.

Luke tells us in his first chapter that, after a wonderful visit in which Elizabeth and Mary embrace and the elderly Elizabeth gives Mary a wonderful blessing, Mary sings this song known as Mary's song:

Mary's Song
46And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

We don't really know Mary's age, but I find the words of this song to be well beyond the maturity of her likely age of 16 to 22. Mary is very concerned about what? With those things Jesus will be concerned with - social justice; caring for the poor; and food for the hungry.

Did Mary teach Jesus his ministry? Possibly so, but Mary was clearly concerned for a her community and ALL of it's people at an early age.

OBAMA - 2008

2006-11-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

On rare occassions my blog takes a religious/political spin, and, I thought on this election day of 2006 I would do so again.

Until further notice is given I am hereby aligning myself with the yet-to-officially-be-named-candidicy of Barack Obama, junior democratic senator from Illinois. This decision was made after watching THIS video today. I cannot recommend highly enough that you invest about 50 minutes of your time and watch or listen to this speech Barack made last June entitled "A Call to Renewal". The video camera position is static throughout the speech, hence, it's not great viewing, but it is absolutely required listening. So, download it to your Ipod, however you do that, and listen to it at your leisure. But, as we say here in deep East Texas - I double-dog dare you to listen to this speech - and not be moved.

I found the speech not only enlightened me to Barack Obama the man, but allowed me to see that his moral, spiritual and political planes are directly aligned with mine at this moment. I don't think that is just a random coincidence.

Lest you think this is just another blogging liberal, look at my political track record since 1980 just in terms of who I voted for in the presidential race:

1980 - Reagan
1984 - Reagan
1988 - Bush
1992 - Bush
1996 - Dole
2000 - Bush
2004 - Bush

My transformation to a more mainstream way of thinking began earlier this year and it has led me to Barack Obama should he choose to run, and it looks like he will. Again, listen to his message and see what you think.

Prophecy for the Poor

2006-11-02T06:11:00.000-08:00

Ezekial 34 is a haunting prophecy to Israel as to how they should deal with the poor and downtrodden in their society. The Israelites were obviously most concerned about themselves and God warns them of this form of idolatry and self-centeredness.

What did they not do?
1) They did not take care of the flock
2) They did not help the weak become stronger
3) They disregarded the sick and injured
4) They let the sheep stray with little concern

How does that relate to us today? What percentage of your church's budget addresses these issues? Are we accountable for the poor, weak and hurting in our community of sheep?

Shepherds and Sheep

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
7 " 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD : 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD : 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

11 " 'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

The Cross & why

2006-10-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

Why can't we just accept the cross?

Why do we minimize the cross of it's radicalness?

Had we rather decorate with the cross or accept it?

Guilt is so strong in our life that it strips the cross of power - why?

How could we possibly compartmentalize the cross?

Why do we think we can pay God back? Why do we feel like we should pay God back?

Why are we so ashamed of our shame?

Why do we want the cross to be so much cleaner and more sanitized?

Worship Rules

2006-10-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Hebrews writer tells us this in the first part of Ch. 9:

1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.

He goes on to describe the arrangement for worship among the Israelites, the description and meaning of sacrificial blood within that worship, and then the new worship and the blood of Christ that was offered once for all and for all sins.

So, clearly, this new temple and worship does not have the old rules of worship, but does it have new rules?

The only rule(s) I can truly see is a weekly observance of the Lord's Supper that appears clear. But, even when we call it a rule, haven't we diminished it?

So, what are all these worship rules people debate over?

What is this rule of "silence" in the Bible?

Why has the church split so many times over worship rules?

Be Still

2006-10-19T05:35:00.000-07:00

The Psalmist told us "be still & know that I am God".

And, yet, in this frantic-paced, information-overloaded life - we look for peace, joy and happiness in busyness.

Oswald Chambers penned these words well over 100 years ago:

The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ today is the idea of practical work that has no basis in the New Testament but comes from the systems of the world. This work insists upon endless energy and activities, but no private life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation . . . . For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" ( Luke 17:20-21 ). It is a hidden, obscure thing. An active Christian worker too often lives to be seen by others, while it is the innermost, personal area that reveals the power of a person’s life.

We must get rid of the plague of the spirit of this religious age in which we live. In our Lord’s life there was none of the pressure and the rushing of tremendous activity that we regard so highly today, and a disciple is to be like His Master. The central point of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship with Him, not public usefulness to others.

It is not the practical activities that are the strength of this Bible Training College— its entire strength lies in the fact that here you are immersed in the truths of God to soak in them before Him. You have no idea of where or how God is going to engineer your future circumstances, and no knowledge of what stress and strain is going to be placed on you either at home or abroad. And if you waste your time in overactivity, instead of being immersed in the great fundamental truths of God’s redemption, then you will snap when the stress and strain do come. But if this time of soaking before God is being spent in getting rooted and grounded in Him, which may appear to be impractical, then you will remain true to Him whatever happens.

When's the last time you heard of a church promoting stillness, solitude, and contemplation? It really doesn't sell too well today. Maybe we need to rethink our busyness.

Shawn McDonald - Inspring Performer

2006-10-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

Shawn McDonald
Originally uploaded by amp6775.

A couple of years ago, my older daughter gave me a Shawn McDonald CD - a contemporary Christian artist I had never really heard of prior to this gift. After listening to it all the way through dozens and dozens of times, I can definitely say it's one of the best cd's I've heard and has really ministered to my spirit - not something you feel very often in this world of consumeristic music. I often listened to Shawn while driving to church as I was mentally preparing to teach a class.

Needless to say, when my younger daughter told me Shawn was coming to Lufkin and she wanted to go with me to the concert, I was surprised and delighted (trust me when a 15 year old girl asked her dad to do something, it's big). The concert was awesome. The best way to describe it would be to think of the old MTV Unplugged show - and multiply that by 10. Shawn and his three musician buddies were definitely the most talented group of musicians I've ever seen in concert from a mastering your instrument perspective.

The music, message and lyrics were profound. Shawn seems to be a humble, no non-sense guy who just loves writing deep, spiritual lyrics and performing his craft. Go see Shawn if you have a chance.

Divorce Christian Style

2006-10-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

Recently I was searching for research on Christian giving and poverty by the Barna Research Group and stumbled across some past research Barna did on divorce several years ago that raised a firestorm of controversy. Barna concluded that the least likely group to divorce was Atheists, and the most likely group to divorce was conservative Christians from the South. Many conservative Christian groups objected loudly, but Barna stood by his findings. Due to ongoing criticism, he eventually took the information down from his website, however, it is still found numerous places including on the Religious Tolerance.org site here .

I don't have a lot of astute observation in this area, but I do find it interesting that, it would appear those that preach "family values" the loudest are more also most prone to fall prey to the No. 1 wrecker of the family unit - divorce.

Maybe we Christians should spend more time working on our marriages rather than preaching against the dangers of those things that we think might do harm to the family - like rampant pro-homosexuality literature being spread in our public schools. I would say that the fact that so many complained so loudly about the research underscores there it was most assuredly accurate.

Henri Nouwen on Leadership

2006-10-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

I found some interesting thoughts on church leadership recently. The quote was attributed to Henri Nouwen. I must confess I don't own a Nouwen book, nor have I read a complete Nouwen book - but I've read quite a bit from him here and there and he's certainly on my Amazon list - it will happen!

The quote by Henri Nouwen was on biblical servant-leadership, and this was it:

"The servant-leader is the leader who is being led to unknown, undesirable, and painful places. The way of the Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which our world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross."

That statemeent really hit home. One of the easiset things in the world to do is find fault in a church. A church is going to have difficulties of some type at it's very core on a consistent basis. It's either growing or dying. If it's growing, it will eventually need more land, more buildings and lots and lots of more money. If it's dying - which most are - it's got a whole new set of problems that have been discussed at length.

But, the core issue, and a core problem, I see in the church, is the lack of true biblical servant-leadership that Nouwen discusses. At it's focal point, the church's leadership is far too often either authoritarian or missing. Most church leaders either want to be a part of all decisions or no decisions.

Leaders need to get back to Jesus -- what is your true missional calling from Jesus? They need to make every effort to rid themselves of sectarian or secular-styled leadership - for it's fruits are not of God. Do all church leaders have it wrong? No, I am somewhat optimistic today that many leaders have been humbled enough to return to Jesus, but many more have not.

What's the answer? Nothing that is pristine and clean cut. It's a perplexing dilemma that requires much thought. More thoughts later.

How to Become a Billionaire off Poor People

2006-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

As my profile indicates, my line of work is real estate appraisal and consulting. I'd like to think I know what I'm doing and that knowledge has allowed me to work on some big and interesting projects. Though I haven't sought it out, I've worked on several low income housing projects. The purpose of these projects is obviously noble - to provide good, safe, affordable housing to folks making well less than the median income. What I've discovered, sadly, is there is incredible profit in these projects. Investors set up shell "not for profit" companies to avoid paying real estate and other taxes, and then proceed to make large sums of money due to a variety of reasons with greed certainly being one of them.

One of the newest members of the Forbes 500 is billionaire real estate mogul John Manning . I don't know Mr. Manning, but I certainly raise an eyebrow at someone who "brokers" low income housing "deals". I just don't like that, but I'm sure it's not against the law.

So, does the "rich get richer and the poor get poorer" apply here? Reach your own conclusions.

God, Riches and Joel O'Steen

2006-09-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

Mike Cope's blog is a good one today (no need for a hot link to a blog with 90,000 monthly views) on God and riches. As I commented there, God and riches is definitely a user-friendly sermon to the Christian consumer of today. And, I will admit that Joel O'Steen's sermons are easy on the ears and eyes. I've flipped through channels before and stopped on his sermons and listened for a few to several minutes.

In the past few years, however, I think I've matured and changed quite a bit in the area of God and riches. Oh, I'll certainly admit I'd like to be making more money, working fewer hours, and doing more for the Lord. But, my thought process is usually in that exact order - and that can lead to troubles.

I do believe that Jesus' message is not O'Steen's message - I think they are in total contrast to one another - and for that reason I do have a problem with Joel's ministry. It does not matter how many it attracts, it really doesn't. Is it somewhat unsettling to me that hundreds of thousands of Houstonians worship at his church in a given month? Somewhat, but not surprisingly so.

Jesus knew his words would not be attractive to everyone, but his message was very attractive to those we are to be ministering to - the fringe, the oppressed, the downtrodden, and, yes, to even the disillusioned, but the disillusioned are often looking for worldly answers to make their life richer - richer in every sense.

Crowded Houses without Enough Doors

2006-09-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

As I dive into the Gospel of Mark in my daily reading, I've found it interesting that Mark starts off quickly, and gets it going with crowds, healing and a general "buzz". Early on in Chapter 1, Jesus left the synagogue to go see about Peter's mother-in-law at her house. Mark says "the whole town" gathered at their door. How many is that? - 200, 1,000, more?

A little later just as Chapter 2 commences, we have the story that we've heard many, many times if we've grown up in the church, flannel-board lessons and all. The story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man that his friends let down through the roof to see Jesus. We have another crowded house with only one door, so, the only way to Jesus was through the roof.

The second story is interesting because Mark initially says Jesus "had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door." Question - was this Jesus' own home? I honestly had not read that before - I always assumed it was someone else's home.

Lots of teaching, healing, crowded houses and insufficient doors to get into the house to see what everyone was talking about.

Mark 1

32That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Mark 2

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Josh & Joel

2006-09-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

I ran into Jesus (Hay-zeus - see previous posts) yet again -this time at a local bank. Uncanny is such an understatement. I've run into Jesus now three times in totally differing settings. We had chatted before about his sons doing some work for me, and I brought the conversation up again when he was lamenting that Josh did not have the money for driver's education.

I suggested to him again in this meeting that his two sons - Joshua-16, and Joel (pronounced Jo-el)-14 come do some work with me on Saturday. Due largely to the short work week, I more or less forgot that I told him "this Saturday". He told his sons the news - and obviously they thought I meant it - thank goodness.

Joshua called me out of the blue Friday evening to ask if we were still on for the workday. I was surprised to say the least, but happy he called. We discussed the scheduling - and agreed that Sunday afternoon worked much better for everyone. So, I picked up Josh and Joel Sunday afternoon - and we did some painting and work around my house for three hours. I paid them each $6/hour - and they seemed delighted. They worked hard, are great young men - and we made it back home in time for them to attend Sunday evening services at Salvation Army.

A great Sunday afternoon for all.

The Church with a Choice

2006-09-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Nice ring to it. No, really, it is and does have a nice ring. Our local, very popular Methodist church had this slogan on it's sign today. I have no real problem with it. I also have no problem with this church having a gym complete with changing/work-out areas; a separate facility just for youth worship, and a multitude of other space.

But (you knew a but was coming) - I wonder if this is what the church has become in 2006? Has it become primarily, or exclusively a place where the Christian customer can be filled with his/her "choice" of vendor services? Nice digs, nice choices, nice song selection, nice temperature, nice provision of consumer services for the local church-goer? What exactly is a missional church, and is "choice" anywhere near a Top 10 list for such a church? My good minister friend Mark Love has an excellent article discussing the missional church of today. Choice is o.k. - in moderation; Missional is Jesus. Here is the article .

Acting as If.....

2006-09-05T06:09:00.000-07:00

I was reading the road to Emmaus story in Luke this morning and noted something interesting. Luke tells us in Chapter 24 that Jesus appeared to Cleopas and a friend as they were walking toward Emmaus to find the others. Jesus inquires and elicits thoughts and feelings from Cleopas about the recent events of Jesus' death. After a long journey, several hours of walking and talking, they reached the village, but Jesus "acted as if he were going further".

He is then persuaded to stay and eat with them, and, at that point he reveals his resurrected self to them.

I find it interesting that the world tells us to "act as if":

We are richer than we are - which brings about the burden of unwanted debt.

We are younger than we are - which brings about costly and sometimes hideous looking plastic surgery and other un-needed procedures.

We are more successful than we are - which brings about phoniness and compromised ethics.

And, yet, here Jesus "acts as if" to determine the level of one's committment and to more deeply and clearly expose their heart. He then reveals himself to them, and they confess "were not our hearts burning within us..."

Heart exposure - the purpose of most of what Jesus does. Rather than "acting as if" - we need to "seek Jesus as if". Jesus does not agree with the world's lingo of "fake it 'till you make it".

On the Road to Emmaus

13Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him.
17He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"

They stood still, their faces downcast. 18One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"

19"What things?" he asked.

"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

25He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

28As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

the Katrina Poor

2006-08-31T05:59:00.000-07:00

Newsweek has run a follow-up story to it's Hurricane Katrina cover girl - Taphina Jefferson from a year ago. Interesting insight into the life of one of New Orlean's many poor people.

The first question you ask is - how on earth can a single woman have seven babies, and pray tell, how many dads are involved? Unfortunately, that's where we so-called Christians usually end it - with a flippant, judgemental question and nothing more. The bigger question we should ask is - how, why and where did Taphina's life get off-track and what can we do to help?

Let me first confess I did not drive to New Orleans to help, nor did I drive to the Astrodome and bring Taphina and her kids home with me. But, someone should have. This was a truly golden opportunity to help someone that needed food, clothing and shelter - but so much more.

I applaud the Mosaic Center here in Lufkin and so many other groups that have started a local division of the Christian Women's Job Corp. We need to do so much more.

Giving to the Poor Again

2006-08-25T05:42:00.000-07:00

"Those who oppress the poor reproach You, our Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors You" (Proverbs 14:31)

"Those who are kind to the poor lend to You, Lord, and You will reward them for what they have done". (Proverbs 19:17)

We probably don't think of the wisdom of giving to the poor, but clearly that's what the book of Proverbs is pointing out. I ask again - what percentage of your church's budget goes to the poor? I'm wondering if there's any research on this topic, from Barna or another top church researcher? There should be.

There's a great opportunity for giving to the poor. Central Dallas Ministries, CDM, has been awarded grant funding for re-developing an old Dallas downtown building into an apartment for the truly poor of Dallas. I believe every church in Texas should give to this cause. Why? Simply because it's a ground-breaking endeavor and opportunity for churches to step up in a big way and do something for the poor. Here's the link for giving through Larry's blog:

Central Dallas Ministries - Larry James, CEO

Weak Men

2006-08-24T05:46:00.000-07:00

I agree with blogger and theologian Ben Witherington that it takes a really weak man to be concerned about a woman doing the Lord's work in His kingdom. The recent news of a Southern Baptist church in Watertown, NY, dumping a woman Bible class teacher after 54 years for "scriptural reasons" is indeed disturbing on numerous levels.

The fact that Pastor LeBouf commented a woman can carry on any job "outside the church" shows just how compartmentalized some people erroneously lead their lives. As Ben pointed out - what if this woman were teaching Christian adults in, say, college? To me, it just highlights again how rampantly Satan is working in our churches today - dividing and conquering, puffing male leaders up with ego, pride and haughtiness. God help us - here's the link:

Church dumps Sunday school teacher

My Rain Stinks

2006-08-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

It's raining in southeast Texas. A cool, soaking August rain that comes so rarely. My apologies if it's not raining there in your world as the southern U.S. is still in a drought.

My attempt at creating rain on my own is beyond stinking, or sucky, or any other adjective - it just really doesn't work. Limited water pressure, evaporation, kinked garden hoses and lack of time are just a few of the problems in keeping a lawn and vegetation alive in a hot drought. I suppose I could spend $300/month on water and do a little better job, but it would still be a weak attempt to replace God's moisture - it would never work long term.

We just can't do it - we can't replace God and His blessings here on Earth. Our attempts will always be limited, temporal and just generally weak.

So, why do we try so hard to create our own rain?

The Pay Gap

2006-08-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

My blogging friend Larry James has a good post today on unequal pay in the U.S. I've been ticked off about CEO pay for years now - and it has gotten so much worse in the past 5 years it's amazing more haven't questioned this ridiculousness. The CEO of Exxon steps down and gets hundreds upon hundreds of millions (if memory serves me his payout exceeded $500M, but I don't recall exactly), and the only thing he really did was watch gas prices rise and smile about it. Meanwhile the poor gal working the midnight shift at the c-store selling gas gets shot at and makes minimum wage.

Understand I have employees, and paying a worker a really good wage is not easy in the service sector. I will concur with anyone on that issue. But, the fact of the matter is, the gap is widening between entry level hourly pay and upper level executive pay at an incredible rate.

I highly recommend Larry's article - here's the link:

http://larryjamesurbandaily.blogspot.com

Jesus (Hay-zeus) Part 8

2006-08-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I dropped by Jesus' house to see about taking Jackie shopping. Jackie, Jesus' 14 year old daughter, just started high school this week. Jackie is a cute, shy girl living with a single dad who has struggled financially all of her life, and two brothers. I dropped by and caught Jesus just getting off work, tired and hot, but in a warm mood. I had talked to Jesus the previous day about this possible shopping trip. I asked him again about scheduling the Saturday shopping trip and we agreed 4 pm would be a good pick-up time. As we were chatting alone, I asked Jesus what Jackie thought of the shopping trip and he said she wasn't too excited about it. I can understand that - a teenager is going to be more sensitive to poverty than a 6 year old. She was just generally nervous about people she really didn't know making too much over her not having plenty of school clothes.

Well, the set-up could not have been better. Susan and I would pick up Jackie, go back to our house and let her pick out a new school pride t-shirt and then Susan, Jackie, our daughter Macey and a friend, would head out. We arrived at Jesus' house a little before 4, and... no one was home. We knocked, walked around the house, and waited several minutes - and then finally left. I was beyond disappointed, just really bummed out. Susan and I both agreed this is typical, unfortunately - people's plans change - or they changed their mind on the whole thing. My guess is Jesus' mother came up from Beaumont and took Jackie, Joel and Josh back to Beaumont to shop - I hope that is the case. I haven't called back - and I'm still bummed about it.

Greed in the Church

2006-08-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting, but sad AP wire story in the paper a couple of days ago
regarding scams going on in churches. The reason, at least in part I believe, that scams like these are on the rise is because greed is on the rise in churches, particularly the mega-churches where wealth, idolatry and the church being seen merely as the "vendor of religious goods and services" is so pronounced.

The article is sad in that the scammers are so successful in the church environment is because the wealth with ease (i.e. no effort) is the next logical step on the road to earthly success. In other words, church-goers in 2006 have worked very hard and accumulated some wealth, so isn't the next logical step to put some or all of this money in an investment vehicle that will double in the next 30 days? After all, look at the good I could do with the money.

Now, there is certainly no harm in earthly success in and of itself, but, unfortunately, so many churches are becoming nothing more than places to find more personal fulfillment on the journey to success. The whole "missional church" theme and idea is really nothing more than the lastest catch phrase to most, if it means anything at all.

Jesus did not preach against money or wealth, but he did have a lot to say about money and wealth, which leads to greed and idolatry. Such as this lesson:

The Parable of the Rich Fool
13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Giving to the Poor

2006-08-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

I found this hidden gem in Luke reading this morning, from Luke 11:

37When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.
39Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41But give what is inside the dish [j] to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

I think the foremost point of disillusion with me and "the church" right now is we pay little more than lip service to the poor. Jesus was about ministering to the poor, and we really aren't. What percentage of our/your church budget goes directly to the poor? What percentage should it be?

Jesus (Hay-zeus) Part 7

2006-08-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

I've been unbearably busy at work and have not contacted Jesus in a couple of weeks unfortunately. I tried him once about 10 days ago and he wasn't home. However, I am very happy he's got a phone now. I reached him yesterday and was a bit nervous to get an update...but Jesus told me he has landed a job! Wow, that news made my day, week and month. He had a couple of good leads working at two big companies as I've noted before, but he needed work. The Workforce center was made aware of a Dallas construction company in need of "mudders" - guys that tape, float and texture sheetrock - at a large project at one of the local hospitals.

Jesus hired on this past Monday and is working about 50 hours a week at a good wage. He really pushed for more money and the company baulked, but they observed his experienced, hard work for a day and agreed to a solid wage. Jesus is happy, but he still struggles with attitude issues I think. He's still bummed he needs subsidized housing and food stamps to make it work here, and I think he really wanted to get out of the construction business. But, he needed work desperately - and he has it - praise God!

Susan and our girls will take Jesus' daughter Jackie shopping on Saturday. I'm kind of nervous about it. And, I'm wondering how we'll get his kids in school supplies - but it will work out - just not sure how at this moment. I wish we had unlimited personal funds, but we don't and won't for several years as we have one going off to college and one a few years from college. But, it will all work out in time.

Layin' it on the Line - 1960 and 2006

2006-08-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

I've read two incredibly compelling tales of "walkin' the walk" in the past few days. First, Mike Exum on his blog gives a riveting account of taking the message of Jesus to the inner-city of Lubbock. If someone called me and said "hey, let's go have a communion service tomorrow night at midnight on Gang-bangers Drive" - I'd probably think the person was crazy - yet, that, in a nutshell, is what Mike is up to right now in his radical ministry. As I stated in a previous post - I seem to be wondering more frequently these days if Jesus' ministry and the actions of the 2006 church jive. Clearly Mike is about what Jesus was about 2,000 years ago.

And, I was incredibly moved by a story today in the Lufkin Daily News by contributing writer Jim Moore. I would love to meet Jim, a Houston lawyer who grew up in Lufkin, after reading this gripping story. As a young boy Jim's father, a local preacher, would get him up on Sundays and they would walk from a white part of Lufkin to one of Lufkin's inner-city black churches -Lubbock Street church of Christ, where Mr. Moore would preach. Almost incomprehensible to me that a white East Texas preacher from 1960 would have such a compassion for African Americans and the racial scourge going on at that time. I was very moved by Jim's article and would love to speak with him about it. The story, which is a short, but moving piece, is located here.

What was Jesus' Ministry?

2006-08-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

Jesus announces his ministry in Luke through scripture - specifically from the prophet Isaiah. I find it interesting that we don't dwell too much on what the ministry of Jesus was about. We seem more concerned with "how" Jesus established his church. But Jesus clearly showcases what he was going to be about through the fulfillment of Isaiah. I'm wondering if we should be more interested in being like Jesus in ministry, or if we should continue to try to precisely duplicate what we think the church was about after Jesus left - as we perceive it.

Luke 4:14 and following:

14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."[e]

20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Ann Coulter - Right Wing Mouth and Plagiarist

2006-07-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

I listened to the third part of a series this morning on Focus on the Family with Dr. James Dobson. He was speaking with two political/religion historians whose names escape me just now and they were engaged in a lively debate regarding the religious/political history of America that was actually stimulating for a change.

In regards to the claim that the religious far right is always angry - Dobson stated something to this effect - "Everything I have stated on this show has been recorded and is available on tape. I've written 30 books, and I've spoken thousands of times. And, not once I have said something hateful to someone."

To my knowledge, that is correct. I've never heard Mr. Dobson speak hatefully. As the liberal spokesperson immediately and correctly pointed out, however, Dobson is not the lone voice for conservatives. And, this is the hypocrisy of the issue. Right wingers will gleefully tell liberals they must get Howard Dean, Jesse Jackson, or whoever is generally making a supposed fool of themself at the time, to shut up. But, they don't say the same thing about similarly-foolish right wingers like Ann Coulter, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Mr. Dobson apparently does not see this irony.

The loudest voice right now without a doubt is Ann Coulter. I first started paying attention to Ms. Coulter several months ago when Harding University dropped her from their speakers series list after an uproar caused by Harding alumni bloggers largely. Bravo for bloggers!

Coulter is in the news these days because she's been accused of
plagiarism
- a charge she has apparently done little to defend herself against. To say that Ms. Coulter is filled with anger and hate-speech is an understatement. I, for one, believe it's all a schtick of hers to make major bucks, but it is sad nonetheless - and very harmful for the religious right that is being painted in the same light as her.

Hey Ralph Reed - you Lost - get over it

2006-07-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Ralph Reed, former Christian Coalition kingpin lost in his bid to become Lt. Governor of Georgia last week, possibly marking the end of Mr. Reed's quest for public office. Seems those direct ties to one fairly evil-dealing Jack Abramoff were a little too much to overcome.

Any research of Mr. Reed generally reveals and reflects much of what is wrong with the Christian Coalition. What's the old saying "power corrupts" and "absolute power corrupts absolutely", well, I can't remember it exactly on this rainy, lazy Saturday, but Ralph has a fairly checkered past that is not too becoming for anyone, let alone someone directing a Christian organization. His nickname among insiders, not critics mind you, was Ralph "Greed".

Absolutely nothing wrong with Christians voicing their opinion in the marketplace - that's what it's all about. But in this day and age you throw in power, money, a few Jack Abramoffs, and stir gently - and you have Ralph Reed. Not pretty, and not a good loser either.

President Bush and the NAACP

2006-07-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

After five years of rejection, the NAACP finally received a yes from President Bush that he would accept the civil rights' group invitation to speak at their annual convention yesterday. Better late than never? Doubtful - President Bush has never been good at playing politician and to finally agree to show up after five years of no thanks during a crucial election year is just too obvious.

I remember vividly Jim Dobson pouting because President Clinton would not invite Jim or Shirley to the National Day of Prayer during his 8 years in office. Dobson acted as if Clinton were sinning by the snub. Seems the far right has forgotten those days and I heard several times yesterday it was Bush's "right" to turn down the invitation since the group had been so critical of Bush. No hypocrisy there at all.

Tony Snow - Bush's Press Secretary - really reflected President Bush's and the Repub's attitude toward the group with these words:

"It is clear that in this nation, racism and discrimination are legally unacceptable, but there are also residues of the past that we have to address," Snow said in previewing the speech. "We have to find ways to make sure that the road to opportunity is clear for one and all."
Snow denied claims that this was Bush's way of atoning for the government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina. The Rev. Jesse Jackson and some black elected officials alleged that indifference to black suffering and racial injustice was to blame for the sluggish reaction to the disaster. In September 2005, Bush's top advisers met with black leaders to discuss their concerns.

"I think the president wants to make his voice heard," Snow said about Bush's speech. "He has an important role to play not only in making the case for civil rights but, maybe more importantly, the case for unity."

You can just feel the apathy dripping off those sentences. After six years in office, the Prez has done nothing to bring anti-racist legislation into the 21st century. Not surprisingly, President Bush got 11% of the African American vote in 2004. His predecessor will get half that in 2008 - and deservedly so. The Republicans have written off the African American vote in favor of the far right Christian vote. And the far right wing clearly has no interest in African Americans - their interests are in whiter schools, wider roads and lower taxes - preferrably in that order.

Racism on the Golf Course?

2006-07-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

I've talked about Jeffrey here several times. Ever since I began the process a few months ago to help him I've become more sensitive to possible racism issues. I attended the Undoing Racism Taskforce meeting here in Lufkin once and have just generally raised my antennae more on this issue. To say the process has been sobering is an under-statement.

A couple of incidents happened in the past month I wanted to share - both dealing with possible racism and both happened on a golf course, which is somewhat odd to me.

The first incident happened to me and a friend and I was ticked about it for several days. I'm not a great golfer - but I've played alot of golf - low-90's golfer - and this has never happened to me - not once.

I was playing with my friend James. James has only played a few rounds of golf, but he is picking it up fast - catching on very well. James is my friend who helped me with Jeffrey and James happens to be African American. I usually don't announce that, but it's needed information unfortunately.

I knew the golf on this day would be slow going because James is just catching on, but, due to rain, the course traffic was very light - so I knew was glad traffic would not be a problem. Plus, I'm overly sensitive to slow play because I hate getting held up - so I knew this could have been an issue with a newbie on the course that was packed. So, this was good. James started slowly, but was improving with each shot and we were actually doing fairly well on time. We teed off on hole 3, a par 3, and James found out he had lost a head cover, so we zipped back up no. 2 and found it in the fairway. We passed three guys moving to the 2nd green, one of which I knew to be a scratch golfer. So, I said -- we'll let those guys play through when they catch us.

Well lo' and behold James starts really striking the ball well. I continued to monitor the guys behind us and I saw the other two guys with the scratch golfer were both bad golfers - like pretty bad hackers. I noticed they weren't bumping up against us - and it was clear that was the reason - the other two golfers were about like James - maybe worse. On hole 7, a long par 4, James had a bad hole, and the guys behind us just started bumping up against us really pretty good for the first time. As we were putting out - they were waiting in the fairway - so we actually just picked up and went on to No. 8 - a long par 5. I said let's tee off and see where these guys are. We both smoked 225 yard tee shots right down the middle. I noticed they were just starting to putt - so I said let's keep trucking.

As we were driving down the fairway - a young employee in a cart zipped past us - u-turned and came back to us as we approached our balls in the fairway. He said --"hey, can you guys speed up or let the guys behind you play through". Sure I said, no prob. The three behind us walked up to the tee box - and I looked back, waived them through and then we pulled behind a tree. The employee was with us was looking kind of sheepish -- and that's when it hit me - and it hit James as well. Those guys had called the clubhouse and complained they couldn't play through us several minutes prior! It was at least a 4 or 5 minute drive from the clubhouse. I immediately got pissed off, and James said "man, that just is not right". I said "you are correct". The three guys came through - the scratch golfer - who is obviously the one that called, had outdriven me by about 15 yards. He approached my ball and I said "you're the one past me". He didn't say a word - no thanks, nothing. Well, this is a first for me in 25 years of golf. Unbelievable. What possessed this guy to call the clubhouse - and was it, could it have been racially motivated. I think it was. I think this guy was either a class A butthead, scared, or just downright didnt' like the fact that he was going to play golf behind an African American. I'm still ticked by this incident.

The second incident was relayed to me by Malcolm, another African American friend that works at a local bank. Malcolm called me into his office when I was making a delivery recently and we started chatting about golf. We started talking about various area courses and he said he was "finished" with one course in particular. I asked why. He said he and some friends arrived at the course to play at 5 pm one Sunday evening - and the gal working stated the green fee was $40/person. That immediately sounded high to me for this course - even for a weekend. I asked Malcolm if he inquired about a twilight rate. He said yes, he did ask about a later afternoon rate, but was re-buffed with "we did away with the twilight rate recently". Call me mis-directed, but I think this gal simply wanted to send a message to four African American men that they weren't welcomed on this course. I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt she would have charged me $40 for the same round of golf at that time of the day.

Jesus (Hay-zeus) Part 6

2006-07-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

Well, hard to believe it's been a couple of weeks. In reality this could be Jesus Parts 6, 7 and 8 - there has been so much going on lately. Jesus and his family got moved in to their new home - a significant step up for them. I never thought I'd say this - it reflects my continued transformation from conservative Republican to moderate Democrat - but thank God for rent subsidy programs. In a perfect world we could keep these tax dollars and the church could help subsidize poor people's rent - but the church, in my opinion, is too wrapped up in membership consumerism these days - another post for another day.

Jesus has continued his quest in landing a job at Temple Inland. It is amazing how much more difficult this process is than it would seem. He finished up a second interview yesterday with them. A little mind-numbing to me that a hard, hot manual labor sawmill-type job would require two to three interviews - what in the world do you question or discuss after awhile?

I directed Jesus to my good friend and state representative Jim McReynolds' office a few days ago and Jesus had an informative conversation with Susan there. Jim's link is below:

http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist12/mcreynolds.htm

Susan called me back and we chatted for several minutes. The general topic of the conversation was -- is Jesus really seeking out employment as desperately as he should be? I don't know - but I know he desperately wants a good job that pays the bills, and I also know he's terribly frustrated by the plight of his poverty right now.

In the midst of my busy schedule over the past two weeks and this rather dismal thought of Jesus' desire for work - I had a big breakthrough yesterday. I was sitting by a couple of friends at a weekly Lions Club luncheon, and Jay, the warehouse operations manager for Brookshire Brothers - a major employer in the area - informed me after I asked that he was definitely looking to hire right now. Wow - amazing how news like that will brighten your outlook!

I ran Jay's contact info. by Jesus last night - and we both got excited about it. I was also thrilled that Jesus had taken my prompting and went and got telephone service. I told him I would front his cost until he became employed - but we really didn't discuss money then. He also had a new, but quite old, truck in his driveway - a semi-gift from his parents in Beaumont. He has no money for gas or insurance now - but that is still a huge plus right now to have transportation available.

The boys, Josh and Jo-el were doing well and Jackie, the daughter, remains in Beaumont with grandparents - which troubles me - but I can't start letting things totally out of my control like that bother me.

I'm feeling much better today about Jesus' outlook today. He has a decent home, food, a phone, potential transportation, and - most importantly - hopefully he gets in touch with Jay - and lands a job at Brookshire Brothers.

Jesus (Hay-zeus) Part 5

2006-07-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Part 5 of Jesus is a mixture of good news/bad news. The good news is Jesus and his three teenage kids moved into a much nicer house that is subsidized by the Deep East Texas Council of Governments, or DETCOG as it is referred to around here, rent subsidy program. Jesus needs help in rent payment - sad but true to him. As he told me - "even at $10/hour, I can't make ends meet for my three kids". I think this house will be a much better place to establish a home in Lufkin for the DeLeon's. A second bit of good news in a bit....

The bad news is Jesus is still not employed. He called me last week from a State office where he was (begrudingly) applying for food stamps. You may recall he had an interview at a local manufacturing shop, and indications were a job would be offered. It was -- somewhat... Jack, the employer, instructed another worker to pick up Jesus last Monday at 6:00 am for work. Jesus was dressed and ready for work. Unfortunately, the other worker couldn't find his house and Jesus was never picked up. Jesus has no phone, no phone book, and he actually forgot the name of the place that Jack owns anyway. As bizarre as this sounds to me, these types of events are apparently fairly common for folks on the fringes. Jesus does not know his way around Lufkin at all because he has no car. He's not real good with remembering some details and he just simply didn't know what else to do other than wait - and no one showed up. So, he simply sat and waited.

The other bit of good news complicates things somewhat. Later that day Jesus got a call from the Employment agency that he had an interview with Temple Inland - a major area employer and Fortune 500 company. This would literally be a dream job for Jesus. Much better pay, benefits, and stability. The downside is this is shift work - meaning he may work a lot of midnight to 8 a.m. type hours. Not terrible - but with three teens at home that is tough.

I picked up Jesus at the State office and took him to pick up his driver's license - which had lapsed during this time and didn't have a correct address anyway. He filled me in on the interview process - and told me he did have a ride there and back. The next day Jesus called me from the employment office. I went and picked him up and drove him to the grocery store. The interview went with Temple well, and he has a second interview - but not for two weeks - ouch. Jesus needs work today. The dilemma now is -- does he work for Jack for a couple of weeks and hope for the Temple job - or wait? His food stamps request went through - great news - but it doesn't kick in for 40 days. They gave him $52 for emergency funds - which bought his groceries, but that's it for a month.

Another bit of bad timing is the Salvation Army is now between ministers. A new Captain is apparently on the way - but it will take him awhile to get up to speed with the DeLeon's dilemma. The Maldonado's were a true God-send for the DeLeon's - but they are moving on to a position in Waxahachie with the SA. They will be missed tremendously.

Jesus needs work, he needs money and he has little time. Things are coming together it appears - but time is not a friend right now.

I dropped by their house Friday for an update and no one was home. It bugged me all day Saturday and Sunday. I'll try again today.

The Parking Space Mentality

2006-07-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

As I write this I'm watching "the Secret" - an online movie that does a good job of detailing a popular subject referred to as the Law of Attraction. I'm a big believer in positive thinking and positive thoughts/actions, and I would recommend the Secret.

Invariably if you're listening, watching or reading on this subject, which I do a lot, some "guru" will mention the "perfect parking space" theory. This theory is....you pull into the mall or supermarket and you begin looking for a good parking space - or, one that requires limited walking on your part. The theory goes that - if you're in the right frame of mind - the perfect space will always open up for you. The guru always, and I mean always, states "it works for me 95% of the time".

In other words - this theory is - you're driving around the mall parking lot waiting for hidden forces to open up the perfect parking space for you because, frankly, you're lazy. And, the older lady right behind you looking for a close parking space because she's 80 and just can't walk very far is out of luck, right?

First, for the good part - this theory doesn't work for the guru 95% of the time. Well, I guess it actually could if the guru spends an hour driving around waiting for that perfect space. But, in reality it doesn't, it can't. BUT, to the guru, it does. It does because the guru believes it does, and, therefore he/she only chooses to remember the times it does. They blot from their memory the times it doesn't work. This is actually a good thing - focus on the good, and blot out the bad from your mind.

Now, here's a better way of thinking - to me any way.

Think "win/win" at all costs. If this activity doesn't benefit others around me - don't do it. If it is good for me and good for my fellow man - then it really is good. Outside of me being in poor health or being with an injury - taking the perfect parking space doesn't benefit others - it is only good for me. Now, obviously if passengers are with me - a pregnant wife, a small child, an elderly parent - this rule does not apply. The win/win now is that this good parking space benefits my passenger that needs it, and that other person would likely give us that space if they knew of my passengers needs.

But, if I'm alone - here is the attitude I take...

I pick the worst parking space and say this -- "I need the exercise. I'm in good shape because God has blessed me, because I'm energetic, and because I make the committment to good health and physical well-being. And, I choose to give up the good parking space to my fellow man that needs it much more than I do."

Try it. I guarantee you that you will go into the mall or supermarket with a good or better attitude than you would if you tried to "manifest" the perfect parking space for you.

Give and it will be given back in abundance. That is a law you can take to the bank.

Bren, Bryan and a Million Hits

2006-06-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last things first...

Receiving a million views or hits on your blog is a bit staggering to me - incomprehensible is more like it. I just looked at my viewer profile counter - 1,033 hits in about 15 months - probably well above average for the Joe Blogger out there. I post comments on several big time blogs - and people bump over and check me out - no biggie. But, I think my total comment count might be in double digits now - just barely.

But...as I type, Mike Cope's blog counter is spinning like a turnstile at a U2 concert - and will pass one million visits today at some point. Staggering. Just for grins -- I did a page "refresh" after stepping away from my computer while on Mike's blog. The count increased like 47 hits in 10 minutes - wow!

I consider Mike the godfather of bloggers for those in my denomination - the churches of Christ. Even though he wasn't the first, he is clearly the biggest. His site is here:
http://www.preachermike.com/

Mike gave a link one day to Bren Hughes blog - Piercing the Membrane. I read Bren's post - and immediately liked his style and felt a connection there. Bren oozes coolness. He's a theology grad student, member of an alternative rock band, and has a limited concern for making a buck tomorrow - all coolness to me. Bren takes a ministry position in Florida in a few weeks after getting a bit of a cold shoulder from the upper-crust seminary PHD programs. No biggie to Bren, he'll take the gig and try back later. I felt honored that me mentioned me by name as a "reader" of his - which I am. Bren's blog is here:

http://www.brenhughes.blogspot.com/

Lastly, my friend Bryan Tarpley is also a younger guy I think like. He actually thinks quite a bit more than I - so maybe I enjoy reading what he thinks about. Bryan and I go to church together behind the pine curtain of deep east Texas. I stumbled across his post on gregkendallball's blog. Greg is a unique, loose-cannon-ish kind of guy that gets lots of chatter going. I linked to Bryan's name - yep, it was my friend Bryan. He's teaching a class at our church now and Bryan and his family will likely end up being missionaries in Latin America soon. Here's his site:

http://www.teamarequipa.net/blog/bryan/

A million hits - hard to comprehend. I''ll bet it's close - I'll go take a peek.

Jesus (Hay-zeus) Part 4

2006-06-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

I picked up Mike Thursday evening and we drove the short distance to Jesus' home. We met the kids - who are just really warm and friendly. Mike, Jesus and I chatted for about 30 minutes - and ended with a short prayer. After numerous conversations with Jesus, I learned for the first time with Mike that Jesus had been injured somewhat in Hurricane Rita - and was having some lingering vision problems. We left in somewhat of a fog wondering what to do next. I'd like to get Jesus into a opthamologist long-term, but this dilemma really just kind of added to the overwhelming-ness of it all. I still felt employment was job No. 1.

One thing I've learned through the process of helping Jeffrey and Jesus is -- you become unbelievably sensitive ways in which you can help people in despair - and you in a way are a lightning rod of resources to these people. It's really unbelievably impressive - not that you, yourself are doing something - but that God is working through you for their situation.

We got a huge break Wednesday in Jesus' employment situation. I was working on a project with Jack - a man I've known several years. Jack manufactures synthetic marble in a warehouse here. He told me yesterday he was looking for help. Again, the lightning rod of sensitivity bolted me upright.

I immediately started asking several questions and realized quickly Jesus was the man for this job. Jack was more than eager to meet Jesus with his shop foreman. So, this morning I picked up Jesus at 7:00 and drove him over to Jack's shop - a really nice facility. I introduced them and we spoke briefly. Jesus went into a bit of a rambling mode and I kind of helped direct the conversation back to the issue at hand. I knew this was not my purpose here - so I bowed out and left it up to them.

Say a short prayer with me that we get Jesus this job today.

Jeffrey - Part 4

2006-06-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's been two months since I posted about Jeffrey. The last time Jeffrey came around, which was early May, I told him he really needed to not loiter around our building - I was beginning to sense this was not a good thing. It would eventually catch up with him. This was an early-May Saturday we were last speaking and I told him to come around the following Wednesday. I picked Wednesday solely because it was at least several days out - it had gotten to the point where I had really done all or most of what I could for a person that just couldn't really get moving forward - particularly in the desire category.

Well, Monday morning comes rolling around and Jeffrey comes back. I suppose he decided he would visit me - but I was out doing work in the field - so he just kind of hung around awhile. The office I rent is comprised of 4 suites which all have exterior entrances and a covered area. Jeffrey was hanging out in the covered area when another tenant called the police. The police came by pretty quickly and questioned Jeffrey. He stated he had an appointment with me. One policeman came in my office to confirm this. My assistant reported there was no appointment but that I had been helping Jeffrey some. Not surprisingly, the policeman instructed us not to help anymore - it only encouraged people like this. They gave Jeffrey a citation for loitering and told him if he came back around he would be put in jail.

I later found out Jeffrey had been hanging around the office all day Sunday as well, and I really am still not sure why. The easy answer is Jeffrey was on cruise control and had no interest in work - and there is significant truth in that. Another part I'm sure is that Jeffrey liked me. I didn't judge him and tried sincerely to help - and he liked that. But, what good I was doing Jeffrey was beyond me. In hindsight I guess I'm glad I just tried to be his friend.

Part of me also understood fully that this was a talented, but direction-less man that had been turned away countless times by all sorts of people - and he just sank into a self-pitying lifestyle that was compounded by the racism prevalent in this world. Throw in the fact that he relocated here from Houston five years ago and never developed a local contact base - and you have a perfectly healthy, bright individual essentially living on the street.

Late one evening a few nights later I saw Jeffrey walking down the street with his gear as I was heading home after another long day of work. I kept driving....I really didn't know what else to do - and that saddened me.

I haven't seen Jeffrey in over a month.

Jesus (Hay-zeus) Part 3

2006-06-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

Jesus (pronounced Hay-zeus) called me yesterday - out of the blue. We hadn't talked since our encounter at the eye doctor. I was surprised, but welcomed his call. He was having a tough time.

You may recall Jesus is a single dad with three teenagers at home. They moved here from Beaumont after having been displaced by Hurricane Rita. They were living on the edge to begin with - Jesus has moved around some and had just gotten settled in Beaumont when Rita took his only car and his job for several months. They decided to make a go of it here after fleeing the hurricae - and it has been tough. He finally found a part-time maintenance job, but lost it when the company cut back staffing again. It is brutally tough finding a job without transportation.

Jesus is trying to re-establish his family in a better home with subsidized rent - and that's why he called. I picked him up at the Salvation Army and went to look at the home with him he was trying to rent. He was worried because the government home inspector was coming Monday morning and there were several things the home needed. Jesus is very resourceful and he had already done things like get all bedroom windows operational as most had been painted shut over the years. I think my tour with him helped calm his fears somewhat - then we went to grab lunch. After a hearty lunch I took him home and met his three kids again -- Josh, Jackie and Jo-el - all very friendly and attractive teens. My heart aches for these kids - they are just at the absolute bottom right now. They love school - but they have nothing else to speak of. I chatted with Jackie a bit and told her she would love high school next year as she'll start her freshman year in a few weeks. Jesus and I worked up a bit of a game plan and I left to get back to work.

Even though this project stripped out about three hours of my day - I took opportunity to call a couple of employers to get some feedback from them on getting Jesus employed full-time - that is priority number 1. I'm a bit puzzled why this has taken him so long to get a job since he's a very a smart, resourceful man and a hard worker. But, you factor in 1) no transportation; 2) no local contacts; 3) and, parenting three teens full-time - and your day gets shot in a hurry.

Later that evening I took Mike - a good friend and elder in my church - to visit the DeLeon's to get his perspective. More on that later.

The Lord is Near

2006-05-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:6 is one of the more quoted New Testament verses. "Don't be anxious." Yet, these are anxious times to me it would seem. Gas prices are up. "Up" is too kind a word to describe college tuition prices these days.

So, why wouldn't we be very, very anxious - nervous if you will. Don't forget the verse before Philippians 4:6 - verse 5 states very plainly - "the Lord is near". He is here...calming nerves, providing guidance and counseling, ready to hear us. But, we can't forget He's right here - and not way, way out there somewhere.

5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Tribute to Megan

2006-05-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, I mean really hard to believe...it was just yesterday I was walking you to kindergarden class. Now, you're heading on to college. To graduate salutatorian takes much more than just smarts, genes or test-taking skills. Above all I've come to realize it takes an incredible mental attitude - and I applaud you for keeping that through the ups and downs you've experienced. It also takes a mom that is so in tune with what classes and teachers to take - it truly becomes a collaborative effort. So, say thanks to Mom one more time. This English/Biblical text major has me nervous, but pre-med had me nervous too - I'll learn to deal with it. I will miss you Megan, but I love you and am very, very proud of you for being you.

Here's her story.

http://www.lufkindailynews.com/

Jesus (Hay-zeus) Part 2

2006-05-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

You may remember Jesus DeLeon from my April 24th post. Well, I'm in the eye doctor's office this morning, and lo' and behold but who walks in and sits right beside me? It's Jesus!

I immediately said "hey, Jesus, how ya' doin'?!" I think I startled him a bit at 7:45 in the morning - but remembered me pretty quickly and we began to chat. Jesus needed glasses and fortunately the Workforce Center was picking up the tab. I asked him how he got here and he said a friend brought him and pointed outside. He did say he had secured a part-time job as a maintenance man at a local apartment complex which was great news, really good to hear and not surprising. He gets there by City bus and the Workforce center provides him a daily bus ticket.

I told him I had dropped by a time or two and ran into his son. He seemed kind of embarrassed by that for some reason so I scaled back my conversation. I was really hoping he'd be around when I came back out but he was gone. I need to go visit Jesus in the evening when I might catch him there. Made my day to hear he's hanging in there and working now.

Bizarre coincidence or God continuing to move in my life?

Oswald Chambers

2006-05-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

Oswald Chambers, a preacher from the late 20th century, must have been one of the deeper thinkers of his day. His book My Utmost for His Highest has some profound thoughts and ideas in it. I found this daily devotional site, which takes one excerpt per day from his book and presents it, along with tags to other similar subjects of Oswald, if one desires more study. I've been reading it almost daily for about 5 months now - and have enjoyed every reading. Here's the link

http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php

Jeffrey Part 3

2006-04-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey and I left the Workforce center, aka the Unemployment office, around 11 am. I talked him into letting me take him to the Salvation Army. I introduced him to the captains - Mario and Lola - told him to eat lunch with them and hang out and I'd be back. About mid-afternoon I picked Jeffrey up and took him to Godtel. He mumbled to me earlier in the day he had tried Godtel and didn't like their "rules". Godtel is our only homeless shelter in Lufkin, which is pretty sobering really. We have a shelter for abused women and a few other little operations, but they are tough to get into - and that means trouble for homeless people.

Yes, Godtel does have fairly strict rules. Mandatory Bible study at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.; required job searching all day long; and, inside and ready for bed by 9 p.m. After 17 years, Martin the Director, knows what does and doesn't work at Godtel, so I certainly respect his rules and understand full well as he does that many simply can't abide by any rules. I talked Jeffrey (and Martin) into giving it another try.

During the day I talked with an African American friend James, a successful local businessman that has lots of social worker skills. Wednesday morning Jeffrey came calling again, so I loaded him up and took him to see James. Jeffrey warmed to this setting in James' office moreso than I had seen before. James began a probing conversation that was really nothing short of amazing - trying to determine what was really going on in Jeffrey's life.

Well, to cull a two hour conversation down into a few words - James finally got a phone number out of Jeffrey and called it. The person on the other end was Jeffrey's father. James found a caring man who preceded to unlock alot of hidden-ness Jeffrey was unwilling to talk about. Jeffrey has a mother and father living here locally who work hard at their business and have exhausted all possibilites trying to discover "what's wrong with Jeffrey". They finally asked him to leave the house, and he's been here, there and everywhere for a few years now. It was sobering knowing he's not only a mystery to me, but also to his own father. One fact we learned that didn't surprise me one bit -- Jeffrey is only a few hours shy of a college degree.

I learned alot through this process I'll write more on later. James and I bonded through it and I've joined a local task force on racism. More thoughts later.... and, another update on Jeffrey.

Media Hound

2006-04-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of living in a city of 40,000, versus, say, living in Dallas (our previous hometown) is the local news. Sorry, but I'll take a lead story where Frank, the local town eccentric, passed away any day of the week over another drive-by shooting incident -- any day.

So, while it's a little less than glamorous, your's truly was caught on film at the first two lead stories from our local news station yesterday. I am a local Donald Trump.

The lead story was taken at Lufkin High, where my oldest was recognized as one of four senior commended scholars. She was highlighted, and I was one of several proud parents looking on. Clip time - at least 10 seconds. The second story was our local Lion's Club, of which I am an esteemed Board member, is hosting our annual rodeo this week. Read with gripping interest here: http://www.lufkindailynews.com/

Well, you could barely see me in a corner shot for like 2 seconds - but, no matter, there I was in both lead stories. Wow, you like me - you really, really like me. Maybe I should run for the local daylilly club presidency.

Jesus (Hay-zeus) DeLeon

2006-04-24T05:48:00.001-07:00

As I noted in my last post, Jesus and I struck up a conversation as I was waiting on Jeffrey to fill out some paperwork at the unemployment office. Jesus was a warm man, very open for direct and heart-felt conversation. He had walked about 40 minutes to the unemployment center and had done so numerous times over the past few months. Fortunately, Jesus (a single parent) and his three children had housing. They had been living in Beaumont for a few years - Jesus was working with several of his brothers in a family painting business.

Then came Hurricane Rita. The storm spared Jesus, his family and their home, but not his only vehicle - it was gone and insurance wasn't covering it. The DeLeon's had made it to a Lufkin shelter barely ahead of Rita, and Jesus was skilled enough to secure FEMA-paid housing for his family. But, he hasn't found work. No, he feels he can't go back to Beaumont and his family business. He will start anew. He is a fine painter and drywall repair-person, but everyone with a job requires you get to the job site on your own - and Jesus has no car....

Our conversation was interrupted by a case worker. She informed Jesus he had come on the wrong day - his meeting was not until the next day. "No problem" Jesus stated, "I'll come back tomorrow". I quickly asked him "what now"? He shrugged and suggested he would simply walk home and then walk around this afternoon in a ongoing quest for work.

I went and informed Jeffrey I'd be back. He wasn't thrilled as his life's belongings were in the back of my truck. I told him not to worry - I'd be back - I don't know if he believed me or not. I took Jesus home and told him I'd be back tomorrow at the same time to give him a ride back to the unemployment office. He said he really wasn't looking for a lot of help - just a job. I said I wanted to help my find a job.

I came back the next day and Jesus was gone. I drove all the way to the unemployment office looking for him walking - but no Jesus. A few days later and I've gotten too busy to go visit Jesus. I need to find him and help him - it's really making me uneasy knowing Jesus wants so desperately to provide for his family. I wished I had a car to loan him or give him.

I'm working on it, and God is working on me.

Jesus (Hay-zeus) DeLeon

2006-04-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Part 2

2006-04-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

Monday morning rolled in and there was Jeffrey at a few minutes before 8 knocking on my office door. I met him outside - we chatted uncomfortably for a few minutes....the area was beginning to bustle as Monday mornings do - people looking oddly at me talking to a poorly dressed man with his gear surrounding us. I told Jeffrey to let me make a few calls and come back to see me in two hours.

What to do...who to call....I called my state representative's office - who happens to be a good friend and co-deacon at my church thankfully, but he was in special session. I called the Workforce Center/Unemployment Office; called our local shelter - Godtel; called a local Christian service organization that does great work - Love Inc.; and, made a few other attempts at what to do - the question of the morning. To say this morning rocked my typical Monday morning schedule was an understatement of huge proportions.

A co-worker came in and said there was a homeless man behind our building brushing his teeth. Good Lord, I thought, I need to act now. I went out back, and told Jeffrey to come with me.

As we headed toward the Workforce center I began the first of numerous conversations with Jeffrey. He was very quiet, mumbled most of his responses and generally acted in a peculiar way that obviously played a part in him being on the street, and having spent a good deal of time there over the past 3 to 4 years.

We arrived at the Workforce center and I began helping Jeffrey get into "the system". He seemed somewhat interested in the process. An hour later, he headed back to meet with a counselor and I sat down - absolutely exhausted for a Monday morning at 9:00.

Jesus (Hay-zues) was seated next to me and he immediately struck up a conversation. In a thick, but clear and understandable Spanish accent - "hey, what about those tornadoes, man?" Jesus and I quickly were in a warm conversation. Our conversation would likewise take a turn toward the weird. Wow - so much excitement for a Monday morning - I can't handle it. Stay tuned for Jesus......

Jeffrey Part 1

2006-04-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey was hanging out behind my office this past Saturday. It was immediately obvious to me Jeffrey was living on the street. I went in to work, locked the door behind me (as I always do on Saturdays) and quickly forgot about it. As I was leaving work around noon I saw Jeffrey again walking down the street with some type of drink in his hand. Good, I thought, he got something cold to drink for this record-setting hot day.

Late Easter Sunday afternoon I came to the office to pick up a couple of things and vacuum the floors. Jeffrey was again behind my office sleeping on the sidewalk - gear in tow - and looking horrid. It was record-setting hot here in Texas on Sunday - it got even hotter through the week - and I was concerned. Understand my office is in an o.k. part of town, but it backs up to a creek and heavy woods. It's not too uncommon to see strangers resting behind my office or to see someone wonder in from the woods area - not often, but it does happen. This part of town was essentially deserted on Easter Sunday, but... I gathered some confidence, said a prayer and went around back to meet Jeffrey. He was only partially coherent, tired and obviously very hot. I offered him a bottle of water - he refused; offered him a few dollars - he refused. I told him to meet me Monday morning and I'd try to help him. He nodded and I left. A few minutes later Jeffrey knocked on my door, which I had since re-locked. I opened it up - he said he would like to meet me Monday morning - maybe I would have work for him - he was looking for work. I said come back and we'd talk. I assumed he wouldn't.

I left the office shaken by the incident. I'm not sure why, but I was. Un-nerved, guilty, insecure about what to do - all those things flowing through my mind. A weird Easter Sunday - it would get weirder.

Hail & Frogs!??! - Tennessee Tornado Alley

2006-04-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

I just left my blogging friend Bren Hughes' blog. Bren and his family live and work in Gallatin, Tennessee, which has been part of the new tornado alley over the past couple of weeks. Scary -but they are all o.k.

Bren has a funny post about hail as large as "ceramic frogs". Check it out.

http://www.brenhughes.blogspot.com/

Mike Cope, Max Lucado, Rick Atchley, Chris Seidman, Tim Spivey, Donald Miller - All at One Event!

2006-04-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, sorry to disappoint right off the bat, but that's a stretch. Or, it's hype, or it's me seeing if I can actually register some type of double digit blogger count for once in my life. Pathetic? Yes. Lame? Guilty. I'm truly not aware of an event on the immediate horizon where these men might all be speaking.

However, with the exception of Don Miller and Max Lucado, I do listen to each of these preachers on a regular basis in the comfort of my home or office. Never would I have dreamed just a few years ago you could go online and listen to powerful, inspiring lessons regularly - and for free! Each of these speakers have unique, God-given abilities to teach from the Bible and it is truly a blessing to be able to dial them up as often as possible and have some really constructive ideas coming out of my computer speakers.

While I won't give specific instructions for each website, the varous links/sites are very easy to follow to find the respective speaker's sermons online. Most are under Resources or Listen. You'll likely need a few audio players such as Real Player, Windows Media, etc. to play the sermons. Here are the links:

Mike Cope is the senior minister at Highland church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. Highland is fairly new to the podcasting world, but they are coming around and getting pretty reliable in delivery. Mike is certainly one of my fav's, but, when he's not in town, Dr. Jerry Taylor, professor at Abilene Christian, delivers some incredibly powerful lessons.
http://www.highlandchurch.org

Rick Atchley is senior minister at Richland Hills church of Christ in Richland Hills, Texas (Fort Worth area), one of the largest churches in the nation. Rick could be considered the online sermon granddaddy I suppose - his lessons have been online at least two years, maybe longer, and they are now videocast - cool! In addition to Rick - a great speaker - guest speakers on archived files include Max Lucado, Bob Russell (senior minister at the largest Christian church in the US) and Dr. Ken Green.
http://www.rhchurch.org

Chris Seidman is one of the more sought after Lectureship speakers and is senior minister at Farmers Branch church of Christ, one of the fastest growing churches in the southwest.
http://www.thebranch.org

Tim Spivey is the young, senior preacher at Highland Oaks church of Christ in Dallas. I've only heard a couple of Tim's lessons, but both were awesome.
http://www.hocc.org

And, last, for a different twist and direction from these speakers, how about "Pastor Rick" from the Imago Dei church in Portland. Imago Dei is the home church of Donald Miller, one of my favorite authors (Blue like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What). Pastor Rick is a bit different to say the least. Be prepared to "be stoked", and hear from a different, but passionate voice.
http://www.imagodeicommunity.com

Hopefully all of those links work (if not, let me know), and I'll correct the issue. You'll be blessed, and maybe so will your co-workers or family members. And, please, direct some links back my way - I don't think you could have too many.

Not to end on a negative note, but I do wish Max Lucado at Oak Hills church in San Antonio and Rick Warren at Saddleback church in California, had their lessons available online. Here's hoping that changes in the future.

God Knows your Why

2006-03-29T05:35:00.000-08:00

Motives are varied. Ask a church-goer on Sunday morning what their motivation was to get up, get dressed (often dressed up) and come to church and the truthful answers would be as varied as the Sunday weather changes in March. God knows - that's all that matters, and it matters greatly to Him.

I Chronicles 28:9,10

9 "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work."

In the Moment

2006-03-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago pro golfer Greg Owen blew it - a total choke job. Greg had a two stroke lead in the Honda Classic and was standing over a 4 foot putt on the next to last hole he needed to make the final hole a formality. Unfortunately Greg's putt missed slightly and slid a foot past the hole. He quickly went around to the other side of the hole to tap in the 1 footer - and he missed that putt too! Youch! He went on to lose the tournament on the next hole - he was obviously beyond shaken up by the complete mental meltdown. He admitted later he would likely be remembered as "the guy who choked".

This week I was reading my Sports Illustrated cover to cover - a weekley ritual I picked up from my father. A golf instructor/writer commented on Greg's meltdown with this statement - "Greg was in the tournament when he blew the putt - but he wasn't in the moment." That statement immediately made me do a double take. Being in the ______ event (fill in the blank - worship, job assignment, etc.) but not in the precise moment of that given activity. Aren't we all guilty of that. Or, worse, thinking beyond the moment - which takes the joy out of that moment. Why don't we live in the moment?

I think true Christian joy is in the moment, not the event.

Longing for Home

2006-03-15T05:36:00.000-08:00

Nothing quite feels like home regardless of where home is. Come home from a journey, short or long, and you're eventually glad to be back on comfortable soil. The writer of Psalm 84 talks about longing for the final home, the ultimate home. I need to find that same longing. I need to feel less comfortable here, I need fewer desires here and more longing for there.

Psalm 84
For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. [a]

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. [b]
7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah

9 Look upon our shield, [c] O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

A Salt Ministry?

2006-02-01T05:35:00.000-08:00

I was laughing quite wildly when my blogger friend Joe Hays commented on this article about the Liberty (aka Jerry Falwell U) University debate team.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11078887/site/newsweek/

As noted at the end of the article - it seems Mr. Falwell stated he wanted his debate students to have "a salt ministry", but the quote came out in Newsweek as an "assault ministry".

The question of the day is:

Is there a difference in these two ministries styles to a hard-line debate student from Liberty University?

Lying - which is worse

2006-01-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

It is my impression that... you shouldn't scare Oprah....
Originally uploaded by Reynaud.

I'm wondering which sin is worse:

Lying to God or Lying to Oprah?

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=213584>1=7654

I think Oprah has become a religion in America.

Being Crafty

2005-10-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Spanish Fox
Originally uploaded by Prora.

I'm not sure where the notion that foxes were crafty came from - but the title fits - Crafty like a Fox.

God condemns craftiness -- Prov. 12:2 -- A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condemns a crafty man.

Is there much worse than a crafty person? God tells us to not be that way - don't deceive, mislead, contrive or sneak around for the betterment of yourself at the detriment of others.

Rita Hits East Texas

2005-09-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

Rhonda & Willie's Place 4
Originally uploaded by Michael T. Gilbert.

I'm not sure where this picture was taken, but it resembles my neighborhood in Lufkin, Texas, thanks to Hurricane Rita.

Thanks again for the notes. I'm still concerned for those in the Golden Triangle area of Texas and those in Lake Charles, LA, which is still in flood-type conditions - that area got hit hard.

We finally got power back at home today about noon - a very welcome site as it was approaching 100 degrees in Texas today. I'm still concerned for the elderly here, particularly those in outlying areas without power.

It appears as those we had 5 deaths related to Rita - one due to a falling tree, two to car accidents and two elderly patients that just couldn't handle the move.

It's the little things that bring happiness. I'm looking forward to crunching on a piece of ice this evening for the first time in days.

Hurricane Rita Update

2005-09-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all, My first official check-in online. Sunday at 10:15 am - we have power and computers back up and running at my office - and unbelievably cable for internet.

The home is still totally without power. We are all alive and well. Lufkin got hit hard, but not near as hard as Jasper Texas, just 45 miles southeast of us. Lake Charles, LA got the brunt of this storm - so, keep that area in your prayers.We had a minor leak from wind/water, some missing shingles and just mess. My neighbor across the street got a major oak through his house. Everyone's ok, but we spent all afternoon getting that tree off his house -- and he's looking at a $50,000 repair job easily - thank God for insurance.

Lots of downed trees and downed power lines. My Admin's daughter attends college at Lamar in Beaumont - she'll probably be home for a couple of weeks as the Golden Triangle took the bulk of the Texas damage. But, all is ok, nobody hurt, just some sore muscles and lots of clean-up to do. Thankfully, the business will be cranking at full speed tomorrow a.m.

Appreciate all the prayers and positive energy - I felt it yesterday. We effectively got a Cat. 2 hurricane through our city, it was no fun, lots of stress on everyone, but, again, we are all fine.

Any reports you hear regarding shelters shutting people out in Lufkin are totally false. I'll go into that more later, but I can tell you I saw day care centers, gymnastic centers and homeowners bringing total strangers into their places/homes -- which is totally ill-advised by the Red Cross. But, we had probably 3,000 stranded people here as the storm was bearing down.

Keep far southwest LA, and the Golden Triangle of SE Texas in your prayers.

Hurricane Rita

2005-09-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

At the ripe young age of 44 I'm about to experience my first major hurricane. Rita is about 10 hours from landfall and appears she'll be crashing in between Galveston and Beaumont/Port Arthur. My prayers are really with the Port Arthur area, they are far less equipped to take this storm. It appears the eyewall will come very, very close to Lufkin and we'll get heavy winds and rain. My only real personal concerns are a couple of big oak trees near my back yard and getting water into my office. The family will hunker down and stay safe.

The uneasy feeling you get in times like this is eery. Our fair city of 35,000 appears to have doubled. There are cars, RV's, trucks everywhere with their hoods up, folks have crept through and just run out of gas. Today, Friday, Sept. 23rd, we are hoping/praying that fuel trucks make it here and get these folks up and northward before nightfall. Of course, this scenario plays out in a dozen other Texas cities as well.

I have a feeling my next post will find me with a newfound respect for hurricanes.

Beautiful Song

2005-09-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

One of the two or three most powerful contemporary Christian songs I've listened to has got to be Shawn McDonald's Beautiful. What a powerful proclamation of God's sovereignty.

Beautiful

Written by Shawn McDonald

As I look into the stars

Pondering how far away they are

How You hold them in Your hands

And still You know this man

You know my inner most being, oh

Even better than I know, than I know myself

What a beautiful God

And what am I, that I might be called Your child

What am I, what am I

That You might know me, my King

What am I, what am I, what am I

As I look off into the distance

Watching the sun roll on by

Beautiful colors all around me, oh

Painted all over the sky

The same hands that created all of this

They created you and I

What a beautiful God

And what am I, that I might be called Your child

What am I, what am I

That You might know me, my King

What am I, what am I

That You might die, that I might live

What am I, what am I, what am I, what am I

What am I

You can listen to a cut from it here:

http://www.shawnmcdonaldmusic.com/media.php

New Orleans Poverty Map

2005-09-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

New Orleans Poverty Map
Originally uploaded by tonguetyed.

Lord, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty..
II Chronicles 14:11.

This map highlights the abject poverty conditions in New Orleans. Seems these people have been somewhat forgotten. Millions pour in, but where does the money go. So many questions remain.

Relationship built on Mercy

2005-09-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

Nailed to the Cross
Originally uploaded by pashellabarger.

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us, he took it away, nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:13-14

"...Christ came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst." I Timothy 1:15

We know that Paul had a very personal encounter with Christ. He was moving from one place to the next, devouring Christians like a man possessed by Satan. Then Christ simply ask Paul why he was hurting him. Jesus asked for and received a very personal relationship with Paul from that point forward. For that reason, Paul always knew his heinous past sins had been erased because he believed the message of the Gospel.

So, the question is -- why do we have such trouble receiving the same pardon and mercy from Christ? The question is not -- why do we continue to struggle with sin because Paul continued to struggle with sin - he tells us that in his writings. No, Paul received mercy and then moved to the deep, quenching waters of a mercy-filled relationship with Jesus. And, because of that, Paul moved well passed the pettiness of superficial churchy-type issues.

And, much more importantly, Paul was able to fully embrace and understand the message of Christ - that Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Tear the Roof off the House

2005-09-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where that hip, slang phrase came from, but it should have come from the Gospels. As Jesus was teaching in a crowded home - people were pressing in, cramming in, doing anything to be near this great Rabbi. Some men - probably early engineers - decided the only way to get their crippled friend to Jesus was down through the roof. So, they literally tore the roof off the house to get to him.

His healing hand, comforting words, strong spiritual presence - whatever it takes was the cry of many stories we read about in the Gospels. A great idea conceived by such a great spiritual hunger? It appears so. Surely we can discover a route to the nearness of Christ - but only if we seek him.

The answer

2005-09-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

If you want to know the answer....
Originally uploaded by omj.

Reading through I Samuel I'm reminded that God gave the people what they wanted (a king) even though he knew it was the wrong answer for the wrong reasons and would certainly produce painful results.

The Israelites never really believed that God was big enough. 2000+ years later do we believe Jesus is big enough and "the" answer - or is our "king" our denominational doctrine/agenda?
Kind of like the old 8-ball we used to play with. Turn over the ball for a standard answer to whatever question we dreamed up.

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." -Dr. Seuss

Give us a King

2005-09-13T06:01:00.000-07:00

Pavilion
Originally uploaded by elsie!.

In Samuel Ch. 8, the Israelites ask God's prophet Samuel for a king. Demand is really a more appropriate word - they had to have a king. God responds to this request in vs. 18-24 in a direct, painfully wise, and not too kind response.

God knew the end result - the Israelits yet again wanted something "real" to worship - a king. And God was yet once again apparently not big enough on his own for a full worship experience.

Samuel told the Israelites what the result would be - in short, an over-bearing government and a loss of personal freedom. Hmmmm, could that be repeating itself today? I'm not getting all political here, just wondering if we want so badly for things to be "just right" here in our community at world at large, that we make requests of God that have no eternal bearing.

I Sam. 8:4-22

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have."
6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle [b] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."

The Storms of Life

2005-09-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

I began this post several days before people had Katrina on their minds constantly. Kind of funny in a way almost, the pictures of the most ferocious looking storms I could find digging around online prior to Katrina were weak at best.

The devastation by Katrina has left me speechless. The acts of kindness shown by the good folks of Texas and so many other places has rekindled my belief in the Christian community.

In a simple group of words - "Peace, be Still" - Jesus calmed a major storm on the sea, eased fears and moved on. His power brings peace - if we let it. His presence brings communion with him - if we find the time for the presence. His love brings healing - if we accept his unconditional mercy and pardon.

Our personal storms are usually self-inflicted - the fruit of some bad decisions or chronic sin. Jesus seems small and far during those times. The storm brings pain and, hopefully, him into so much clearer focus.

Katrina - Lord Bless Them

2005-09-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

orleans-mother-katrina
Originally uploaded by indi.ca.

Proverbs 10:3 - The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

John 16:33 - It is in you, Lord Jesus, that we have peace. In this world we will have tribulation, but we will be of good cheer, because You have overcome the world.

Lord, we pray for this family and the thousands of others grieving right now. I pray for Eleseanne Coco and her mother and grandmother who were transported to Houston. Give them peace.

Travel the Road for Christ

2005-08-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

I guess it was back in June when I was teaching the young(er) couples class at my church that I started watching Travel the road (http://www.traveltheroad.com) on my local Trinity Broadcast station. I was pretty geared up on Saturday night, couldn't sleep and found this show as I was surfing. It's kind of a cross between Survivor and, well,..... I really don't know what. These two guys - Tim and Will - cross the Third World globe with a really phenomenal camera guy in tow, and all are absolutely fearless for the Lord. They are truly doing some pretty wild and zany - off the wall stuff -- and I love it!

I highly recommend it, although I can't really say I'd be crazy if these guys were my kids. But, I am officially hooked on this show. Tim and Will are an inspiration in servanthood for Jesus, and every step they take is based on faith. Yes, they could have a far better plan, yes the organization is essentially non-existent, but it is so Jesus it grips you.

Anybody watched Travel the Road or heard these guys speak?

Being a Man of God - Mark Richt

2005-08-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

I was listening to ESPNRadio a few days ago and clicked on an interview with a head coacha bout midway through. I didn't recognize the voice or the player names he was discussing, but, within just a few minutes I heard this man give 2-3 incredibly warm and authentic witnesses for his Lord. The topic quickly turned to the two eastern European children he and his wife had adopted. While this sounds a bit over-the-top, I might say this was the most sincere witness for God I've ever heard, certainly the most memorable in a long time.

Based on the title and pictures, it's no mystery I'm referring to Mark Richt, head football coach at the University of Georgia. I didn't know his identity, however, until the 3-4 minute interview was almost over. But, I had absolutely no doubt early on where his allegiance lay. Wow, it was powerful for such a short interview I can't quite put a finger on it, but I just felt I had really heard from authentic man of God. I'm now a Mark Richt fan. Here's one of dozens of links for Coach Richt and his witness.

http://poptop.hypermart.net/testcmr.html

Another Special Life in Christ:
Coach Mark Richt: On advice of our nephew, Paul Seybt, Betty and I watched the Georgia-Auburn football game on 16 November 2002. We were on a weekend get-away in Charleston, S. C. and watched the game on TV. UGA made a tremendous come-back to win the game in the last minutes. The sports person hurried up to coach Richt immediately post-game, "Coach, what is your reaction to your team's great come-from-behind victory?" "It's great! But first I'd like to give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." Wow...I sat up...who is this man? Not knowing anything about Mark, I couldn't wait to get home and do an internet search in hopes of finding his testimony. Here, from Atlanta Christian Weekly .com is a start:

UGA's Mark Richt is a Head Coach with a "Higher Calling"by Kyle Watson
The University of Georgia not only has a fine football coach. They have a man who has his priorities in the right place. Last Thursday, July 19 at First Baptist Church of Snellville men's dinner, Mark Richt shared his testimony before almost 900 men. After speaking with him and listening to his testimony, I learned that he is very sincere, humble, humorous and stern. He spoke of struggles after his first dreams didn't come true. He told us how his quarterbacking days in college were stalled by Jim Kelly, a star quarterback. His days at the Denver Broncos were ended by young John Elway's arrival at football camp. Later he tried his chances with the Miami Dolphins, only to have Dan Marino show up on the team. "This must have been God's way of showing me what a good quarterback looks like," said Richt, who later became a quarterback coach at Florida State University. Before becoming a quarterback coach, he coached a high school team that ended up with a 0-10 season. His struggles had gotten so bad that when he attempted to be an insurance man, he showed up on his first day of work only to see cops arresting and taking away his new boss. Some time later, he gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ after becoming a graduate assistant coach/quarterback coach. An incident where a FSU football player was murdered during a confrontation caused a meeting by Head Coach Bobby Bowden, where he spoke to the players about Christ. After that meeting, Bowden led Richt to the Lord. Although his parents divorced when he was a teenager, it is amazing how God has made him into such a loving family man. He really loves his wife and children. He works hard to divide his time between them and football. Richt spoke of how time consuming his position as Head Coach is. He praised his wife for being such a supportive spouse. With some of the off-season problems involving players getting in trouble, Richt spoke of how his goal is to be a role model for them. He doesn't just want to coach them on the field, he wants to teach them principles and disciplines. He hopes to teach them life lessons so that they will become better men. He strives to prepare them spiritually by his own example. He really cares for his players and wants them to "be great fathers one day." Coach Richt really loves Jesus. He seeks Christ in decisions by constant prayer and fasting. His motto is love and obey God. This coach spoke from his heart. As he said it best he wants to "serve the people instead of himself."
!!!give meyour commentsabout this true story!!!

Building a Family

Richt married Katharyn in 1987. They have four children. Two came along the usual way -- Jon and David. But two came in a very special way.
"We were in Sunday School class one day talking about the ills of society," said Richt. "We explored questions like `who's in charge of taking care of the poor and the elderly.' We felt like the church should do its share."
Also, Katharyn's brother and sister-in-law had previously adopted children from the Ukraine.
Months later, Katharyn was in the Ukraine, a former republic of the Soviet Union, arranging the adoption of two children, classmates in the same orphanage. She spent 31 days there while Mark spent about eight days. When they returned in July, 1999, they had Zack and Anya, in tow.
"They have been a special blessing to all our family," said Katharyn.

A Plastic Jesus to the World?

2005-08-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

plastic jesus love you
Originally uploaded by eecue.

"Hey Bob, how goes it?"

"Just fine and you?"

"Fine. Hey, how about that Tiger Woods?"

"Awesome, man. Later."

"Yeah, later".

What does it take to be real and authentic? We know Jesus was real. He touched lepers, fed the hungry, spent time with the poor and oppressed, taught patiently and generally emptied himself completely for humanity.

But, what else? Didn't he speak in often plain, spiritual truth to people in the marketplace? Seekers like Matthew, Zachaeus, the woman at the well and Nichodemus responded. So, too, however, did the religious zealots. They responded with fear and loathing. He was real and he wasn't concerned if certain people didn't like his realness.

Being authentic is attractive, almost magnetic to those with aching hearts. It's uncomfortable to those consumed by the falseness, the plasticness if you will, of this world. They are controlled by plastic in their wallets, and they at times almost want to look plastic - no sags please.

What's on your heart? What has Jesus done for you?

Let someone know.

Jephthah and other Wacky People

2005-08-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Reading through Judges in the Bible can be kind of head-trippy -- there are some seriously dysfunctional people in that book. Realizing Leadership Training for Christ this year ( http://www.ctltc.net ) covers Joshua, Judges and Ruth in the Bible Bowl section, I guess it's a favorable coincidence that in my daily reading I just moved from Joshua to Judges in my Two Year Bible.

For that reason, maybe I'm paying special attention to each character, and, I gotta tell you, there are some oddballs. Most of us are familiar with the travails of Samson, but how about Jephthah in Chapter 11? Jephthah's (calling him Jeph for short) father was Gilead, who is also prominent in Judges, and his mother was a prostitute (11:1) - certainly not Jeph's fault to have that mixture of mom and dad.

Cutting to the chase, Jeph leads the Gideonites into battle and becomes a bit panicky. He swears to God that, if He will deliver them in this battle, Jeph will pledge in sacrifice whatever walks through his door to greet him as he returns home. Well, obviously not real brilliant there on Jeph's part - was he expecting a young bull to walk through his front door? So, who walks out into the front yard to greet Jeph on his return - his one and only daughter. And yes, sadly, Jeph keeps his word and sacrifices his daughter (see pic above).

I sat in absolute amazement as I read that story - how could a father do that? Why would someone make such a senseless pledge. Below is a great commentary from Dennis Bratcher which debates this issue far better than I.

It is amazing the people and stories that God put in his Holy word.

Jephthah's Rash Vow(Judges 11:21-40)
Dennis Bratcher
There are some stories in Scripture that present us with challenging questions, often because they come from a world and a culture far removed from our own, and because we have certain ideas about Scripture that prevent us from hearing the stories in that context. One of those Old Testament stories is the story of Jephthah and a foolish vow he made that cost his young daughter's life (Jud.11:36-40). With our modern sensibilities, we recoil from the story. Why did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter? Since God would never receive a human sacrifice, does that mean that if we say stupid things we should do them even if it is against what we understand about God?
In this case, an unfamiliarity with the nature of Scripture and how the Israelites used narrative to communicate theology causes us problems in hearing this story. There are many things in Scripture that recount past events that are not meant to be presented as positive or as models for our actions today. The book of Judges is an especially good example of that. The entire book of Judges is basically a negative book to show how Israel failed to live up to what they were called to be as God’s people. It is the negative counterpart to the book of Joshua in which the Israelites did respond faithfully to God. In Joshua, they were faithful and gained possession of the land. In Judges they blended the worship of God with the worship Ba’al and began to lose the land as well as fall under the oppression of surrounding people. Recall, the summary statement of the book of Judges (21:25): "all the people did what was right in their own eyes." For most of the stories in Judges, the point of the story is not made with a single verse summary. We are left to conclude the message of the individual story from the whole context of the book, read in light of this concluding theological statement at the end of the book.
Throughout Judges, most of the leaders (called a shophet, a "judge" or tribal military chieftain) that emerge are seriously flawed. They were only able to accomplish anything because God worked in spite of their failures. For example, Gideon, who is often presented as a hero, was most likely a Ba'al worshipper, was certainly a coward, was greedy, and finally led his entire family into the worship of Ba'al with the result that his entire family was killed. Samson, who is often the subject of heroic children’s stories, was a weak womanizer, and too often drunk, who simply could not control his sexual impulses (Ba'al worship was a fertility religion; see Ba’al Worship in the Old Testament). He ended up a pitiful slave whose final act was suicide. The most positively portrayed of the judges was Deborah, with the deliberate irony that the best of leaders during this period was a woman!
We are supposed to recoil from the monstrosity of Jephthah’s actions. The later community of Israel who included this story in the biblical traditions knew how wrong child sacrifice was, so there would be no mistaking this for a model of right behavior. It would be another example of what happens when God’s people become confused in their thinking about who is really God and how God works in the world. This becomes another lesson for Israel that God will not be manipulated by magical incantations or bargains that we strike with him on our own terms. That is precisely what Jephthah tried to do in making his vow to sacrifice the first thing that met him on his return home, if only God would help him win a battle. God did not need that bargain to aid Jephthah. Jephthah was yet another tragic figure in Judges who had not yet learned enough about God to know that God does not respond to magic or bargains, which lay at the heart of Ba’al worship. Jephthah’s battle against the Ammonites was not won because of his vow, but because of God’s presence (11:32). His lack of faith in God, and understanding of who God is, cost him his daughter.
The biblical traditions recall that as a great tragedy (11:39-40): "So there arose an Israelite custom that for four days every year the daughters of Israel would go out to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite." There is nothing positive about the story of Jephthah. Except it is a heartrending model of what not to do.
-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright © 2005, Dennis Bratcher, All Rights ReservedSee Copyright and User Information Notice
Related pages
Judges of Israel
Bible in the Church
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Jesus' idea of a banquet-goer

2005-08-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

Street corner man...
Originally uploaded by portseye.

Jesus said invite the poor, oppressed and downtrodden to your banquet. The elite party-set may be too busy.

Luke 14:7-24

7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
The Parable of the Great Banquet 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.'
19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
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.' "

What we want / What He wants

2005-08-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

Luke 14:7-24

7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
The Parable of the Great Banquet 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.'
19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
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.' "

Don't you just love it when a really sharp person, couple or family migrates to your church? It often feels like an answered prayer, and indeed, in many instances it is a true blessing to receive more workers at just the right time. But, how do you feel when someone less fortunate, or downtrodden stumbles into your church life?

At first, we're polite and friendly, maybe even helpful. But, let's be honest, after awhile we can find we spend most of our church time catering to these, rather than chatting up our real church friends.

It's a delicate balancing act. We all need to be refreshed and enjoy fellowship with our friends and believers. Yet, maybe we look a little too hard for refreshment from our friends rather than from the Lord. Praise God for more workers, and praise God for bringing those to us that need Jesus.

Humble Faith

2005-08-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Luke 7:1-9
"When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one "Go" and he goes; and that one "Come" and he comes. I say to my servant "Do this" and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Faith of the Centurion

Aren't you amazed at the humble spirit of this army leader. His reputation exceeds him, yet he remains humble. He gladly places himself under Jesus authority and leadership. Yet, even so, he has a tremendous belief - a "can do" faith. He likens Jesus to a leader that simply makes the "command" - and it shall be done.

Why does humbleness produce such great faith? Because you place yourself under the order/direction of a higher one - you acknowledge you cannot do it all - yet, you know it can be done.

The centurion placed his value (vs. 1) in people, not in traditions or things. Thus, his FAITH was in people, not in a PROCESS.

God places tremendous value in each of us - thus, we should do likewise with others.

This value equates to a "can do" attitude.

Those Pesky Chairs

2005-08-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

You gotta love the guy that came up with "It's like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic".

My quick Google search says it may have been one Rogers Morton (1919-1979), a U.S. Public Relations Officer (not sure what that officer does), who was quoted in the Washington Post on May 16, 1976 as saying:

"I'm not going to rearrange the furniture on the deck of the Titanic."

In actuality, I think Jesus said it first when he told the religious biggots of his day "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness." (Luke 11:39)

I love that scripture. In all frankness, it's probably because I have a strong measure of cynicism running through my veins. I find much of the pomp and circumstance we perform in church buildings on Sunday morning as not much more than window dressing. Tired exercises that mask a frustrating life of wondering why we continue to sin and act foolishly, yet we perform religious acts on Sunday in our best threads as if our lives are very near perfect.

What Jesus is saying of course to this highly "religious" man is -- you perform outward acts of traditional worship without a thought or concern of what's going on in your heart - and that is dead wrong (literally).

Why can't we be authentic and honest and quit doing pretend worship?

I attended a youth conference a few weeks ago and one of the senior ministers - a fine, sincere man - pleaded with the young folks to be more authentic and sincere than what they observe.

Kinda like - do what I say, not what I do I suppose.

Here's my take - it's fear. The legalistic fear that if we actually obey scripture and confess our sins, others will think less of us. And, we certainly don't want that now do we. For others, pride masks the fear, thus, they scoff at the notion they're fearful of something.

Having said that, I do see strong glimmers of hope all around me. Many missional and growing churches have this figured out. Smaller urban churches are based purely on the love and authenticness of Jesus -- and they are flourishing.

The Titanic (our body) is going down -- let's focus on what matters.

Friday Questions

2005-08-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

How many of the 72 that Jesus sent out in Luke 10 were still around at Pentecost? I'm assuming most, but I bet a few gave it up before then.

Why is the discipline of prayer such a struggle? Maybe it's because we don't really embrace the need to pray regularly.

Why do the disgruntled 1% have a stranglehold of control over many churches?

Do we really have faith? When someone says "but, we've tried that before" do we help that person out with their insufficient faith -- or, do we shrug and agree with them?

Free will

2005-08-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

A few days back I posted about Levi (Matthew) dropping everything to follow Jesus just because Jesus said "follow me". The same is true for Peter, Andrew and the other fishermen. They dropped net and followed.

But in Luke 9:57 and following, one unnamed man says he will follow Jesus no matter what. Jesus questions if he really means it. Then Jesus asks two more men to "follow me". Unlike the disciples, both beg off -- far too busy to follow him just right now.

Jesus gives us total freedom everyday to do our own thing. It's pretty rare to find someone who has never turned that freedom into personal stress, strife, or even a complete meltdown from time to time. He continues to ask us daily to follow him, but maybe we get so busy just like these two men we don't even hear the question.

Freedom is great, but it certainly has it's price.

The Cost of Following Jesus

57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
61Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good bye to my family."
62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Jesus in our Thoughts

2005-08-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

Luke 7:36-47

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.

41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[d] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

The first thing I notice and have emphasized here is that Jesus is answering Simon's thoughts, not his statement! Simon is thinking these things - and Jesus answers him. Simon throws the prophet-thing up in Jesus' face in his thoughts - and, despite this sarcasm - Jesus teaches him with love. How often do we do this? If Jesus really loved me, he would..... If Jesus really knew my needs, he would....

This story highlights the fact that sinners need Jesus. It also highlights the fact that a debt that cannot be repaid is simply that - if it can't be repaid, the size or scope of the debt is irrelevant. It's kind of like me getting upset because I can't run a marathon in 2 and 1/2 hours. I couldn't run a marathon in 3 and 1/2 or most likely even 4 and 1/2 hours either, so what difference does it make?

We all sin and fall woefully short of salvation on our own. It doesn't matter how close to perfection we may be, or (heaven help us) we think we may be - we still don't make it without Jesus.

Thank you Jesus for erasing my huge debt and having mercy on my soul.

Pleasing People

2005-08-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

"We played the flute for you

and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge

and you did not cry."

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, "He has a demon." The Son of Man came eating and drinking,and you say, "Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners" '. But wisdom is proved right by all children."

Luke 7:31-35

I do wonder why we work so hard to please others? I've read some really good comments on this topic lately, but the book and author escape me right now, and the topic frankly leaves me more baffled than anything. But, Jesus is clearly teaching us in this passage that we can't please all the people, or maybe even some of the people, any of the time. We tried to please you once with false cheeriness and that didn't work. So, we tried moaning and groaning next time, and that failed to please you also.

The saddest stories to me are when grown children develop an authentic walk with God that differs slightly (in some cases ever so slightly) from their parents and the parents express displeasure with their children's actions in this movement away from tradition.

Jesus was authentic, truthful, and, above all, loving of others where they were. Jesus never asks us to please him, only to love him, accept him and serve him by treating others in this same way.