Saturday, January 31, 2009
PEACE
I started by visiting someone at the E.R. He's had some fairly mysterious things happening in his body of late and the docs aren't sure what is going on there. We talked about how different it must be not to know Christ in this life and how others get on - or not - without the peace that comes at moments like these from knowing Him.
As soon as I drove away and stopped at the corner red light, a young man pulled up next to me in a little red Beetle. His driver's side window was open slightly and he was flicking the ends of his cigarette butt outside. I watched him for a minute at least and noticed he was extremely jittery. He had a cell phone in the other hand and was looking one way and then the other, left to right, almost as if he expected someone to jump from the street into his car any second. He seemed very agitated by the phone conversation he was having. His head kept flicking from side to side and I wondered if he was 'on' something. The entire time sitting at the stoplight he did this, extremely nervous.
I picked up my own cell phone and placed a call to a friend who is near death. Her family talked with me. They told me they knew God was in control no matter what happened. I could sense a rest and comfort coming right thru the phone. I hoped they were gathering the same from my end thru their phone.
I went to the do-it-yourself car wash. Very busy today. Long lines waiting. Everybody cleaning their cars what with the warmer weather. The guy two cars in front of me whose turn it was to wash his car was having problems. He was giving some wild gestures to his car or someone inside. I had my window rolled up so I couldn't hear him, but he was reading the riot act to whatever or whoever as well. He turned around and gave the money receptacle a good swift kick. It worked just fine when I finally got my turn in the wash, no thanks to him.
On my way out of the car wash, I placed another phone call ... this one to a lady on the edge of life if she doesn't receive some help for her liver and a bone marrow replacement. She told me how confident she was that God was able to not only see her but help her. There was no doubt in my heart that she meant what she said.
Five people. Two different responses to life. One full of peace; one oozing frustration. Even in the most dire circumstances of life, the one filled with God receives the coveted gift of knowing rest. May it be yours.
And be blessed.
Friday, January 30, 2009
TREE
And be blessed.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
DIY
It is the biggest trend in American health care right now ... researching your own symptoms ... diagnosing your own illnesses ... administering your own cures. Americans are flocking to complementary and alternative medicines like acupuncturists, chiropractic and massage therapies in record numbers.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
KIDS
I was reading an article today and I so closely identified with it. It said, "The truth is ... ministry can be very hard on pastors' children." Very true. You needn't feel sorry for us because of that, but it' is so.
Your kids will hear you criticized.
Your kids will watch you hurt.
Your kids may see you wrongly strike back.
Your kids may see and hear your hypocrisy up close.
Your kids may reject the church because you’re there way too much.
Your kids may enjoy the extra attention when they are young and despise it when they mature.
And so, it is with great thanksgiving that I watch them thrive spiritually and be reasonably balanced from the 'in a fishbowl' upbringing they had to endure. In fact, both of them and their husbands are involved in ministry in churches.
Strange? I don't know.
Ironic? Possibly.
Blessed? Most definitely.
YOU be blessed, too.
Monday, January 26, 2009
RESOLVE
So in an addendum to my January 2, 2009 blog, here are some promises with a purpose worth considering:
1 Every week I will commit to doing something I don't want to do. (It's just a good discipline and stretching exercise.)
2 I will invest my life in something that will outlive me.
3 I will ask less often, "What's in it for me?" and ask more often, "What's in me for it?"
4 I will remember that the best things in life aren't things.
5 I will enjoy the little things.
6 I will commit myself to be the person God wants me to be.
And be blessed.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
LETTERS
It's going to be exciting to see what God will do in the lives of an army of men who want to be better husbands and fathers.
And be blessed.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
CLS
4. Inventor Thomas Edison. He left public school after only three months because his mind wouldn’t stop wandering. Today, he would most likely be an easy ADHD diagnosis.
Friday, January 23, 2009
BLENDING
I did two kinds of blending today.
ONE: I put some ingredients in a blender and made myself a smoothie. I'm big on that. I love smoothies and I've been making them for health reasons and just sheer pleasure for many years now. I'm kind of back in the swing of it full force after slacking off for awhile.
There are a THOUSAND combinations of fruit smoothies you can make. I've created dozens of them on my own without consulting a book. Here's the one I made today ...
3/4 cup of orange juice
1 cup crushed ice
1 frozen banana (peeled)
2 oranges (peeled)
2 small scoops of low fat vanilla ice cream
1 single-portion container of lemon yogurt
Some protein powder
BLEND THE SNOT OUT OF IT -- and you have two nice, tall glasses of scrummy fruit smoothie.
TWO: The other case of 'blending' happened at the grocery store. I was walking in (to buy fruit for my SMOOTHIE), when I approached a woman who looked very familiar, but I wasn't sure. Happens to me all the time. She lit up once I got close enough for her to see the whites of my eyes and she said, "Pastor Kevin ... you blend right in with everyone else" (i.e. - just like a "NORMAL" person).
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to make of that or what to do with it. I just smiled and said, "Why, thank you - so nice of you to say."
But INSIDE, I was thinking -- WHAT?!!! I'm not sure how I'm SUPPOSED to look. Truthfully, after I walked on, I was glad she had said it. That's exactly what I want to do - I want to blend in - at least with how I walk and dress and just 'do life.'
Where I DON'T want to blend in is how I show compassion and love for people - how I might stop to help someone in need - the words of grace and blessing I might give, even to a stranger - the smile toward someone in the grocery aisle - the values I ascribe to and how they are played out in my life daily.
Jesus said, "You are to be IN the world, though not OF the world, yet sent TO the world."
IN it -- that's the blending.
Not OF it -- that's the shaking.
Sent TO it -- that's the spreading.
It isn't difficult doing ONE of those. Accomplishing TWO at once is trickier. But trying to live out all THREE simultaneously - well - we sure do need God for that one.
And be blessed.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
TWO POLLS
POLL A (LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED?):
Right - handed = 73% of our respondents
Left - handed = 18%
Equally adept using either hand = 9%
** (In the United States, the percentage of right-handed people is about 90%.)
POLL B (HOW MANY HOURS OF SLEEP DO YOU GET EACH NIGHT?):
Less than 5 hours = 2% of our respondents
5 - 6 hours = 18%
6 - 7 hours = 32%
7 - 8 hours = 34%
8 - 9 hours = 9%
More than 9 hours = 2%
** (It depends on some factors, including age, but generally speaking, 7-8 hours is necessary for optimum health for most people. Only 45% of our respondents get more than 7 hours nightly. I'm not sure who the 2% are who get more than 9 hours every night or what they do for a living -- and I'm very concerned about the 2% at the other end who get less than 5 hours.)
And be blessed.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
REMNANT
Doing what honors God, rather than men, is the only yardstick of success. But to do that, we need Biblical worldviews. We need to be able to think the way Jesus thinks.
According to George Barna, a HUGE percentage of America's born-again adults do not possess either the foundation or the beliefs to qualify as having a Biblical worldview. A HUGE percentage. GUESS how huge.
A lacking Biblical worldview means they do not fully believe that:
* God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe.
* When Jesus was on earth, He lived a sinless life.
* Satan is not just a symbol of evil, but is a real entity.
* A person cannot earn his or her salvation by being good; that it is the free gift of God.
* Every person who believes in Christ has a personal responsibility to share his/her faith with others who believe differently.
* The Bible is totally accurate in all its teachings.
Those six statements are not, of course, a complete inventory of a person's belief system, but they come close to some irreducible minimums.
So - here's the answer to the above question. Ninety-one percent of all born-again adults do NOT have a Biblical worldview that would include even those six statements; 98% of all born-again teenage students do not believe all six of them.
If your heart did not just drop to the floor, then you don't understand the implications of those chilling facts. When people wonder why the American church is losing its influence in society today - which 7 out of 10 American adults currently contend - the reason is so very few really believe or think what Jesus believed or thought.
Here it is, said another way: The U.S. has about 225 million adults. About 175 million of them claim to be Christian. About 80 million are 'born-again' Christians. Roughly 7 million have a Biblical worldview. That is one out of every 30 adults in this nation.
God doesn't need a huge team to help Him 'make it up the hill,' but those figures do give new meaning to the Biblical description of believers as 'the remnant.'
The TRUTH is: JESUS applies to everything. Whether the issue is clothing, divorce, vocation, voting, media content, relationships or family issues -- it doesn't matter; He has something to say about all of it.
And be blessed.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
COMMUNITY
I believe the best possible chance for life transformation happens within community. When people in the first century accepted Christ, it was inconceivable that they would accept Him and not tie in with community – which was defined as ‘the church.’ No one lives in isolation. It’s not even scriptural. We need the body of Christ.
As time has gone by, some churches have gotten away from the New Testament model of bringing people together in such a way that you know what’s going on in my life and I know what’s going on in your life – where there is a natural sense of belonging and where individuals can authentically care for and care about one another because they’re doing life together.
There’s a temptation to believe there’s God – and there’s me – and we’re mostly on two different planes. I pray to God, but He usually ignores me. Every now and then He answers a prayer or two and shows up in some unique way – but then over THERE, I have my marriage and my friends and my business and my work – and hopefully, occasionally, God shows up over THERE – but there is this barrier between God and everything else in my life.
But not only does the Bible not teach that – the Bible teaches AGAINST that. Even though your relationship with God is PERSONAL, it was never intended to be PRIVATE.
More than FORTY times in the Bible the words ‘one another’ are written. That means there are more than forty commands from God you can't fulfill without authentic community.
Our greatest regrets at the end of our lives will be that we failed to have meaningful relationships with people who would really love us and give us a sense of value and belonging.
AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY … SMALL GROUP LIFE … is where its at. Get on board.
As a very special P.S. – TODAY is Joelene’s birthday – and her first day back from 11 days in Thailand – CONGRATULATIONS and WELCOME HOME!
And be blessed.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
PIPES
Friday, January 16, 2009
SOUTHPAW
I was at a store today and the cashier was writing something on a piece of paper. His arm was at such an odd angle as he was writing, I honestly thought he might have some disability - but then I realized he was just LEFT-HANDED and he was writing in that contortionist way it seems many lefties do.
Only 7-10% of the country is left-handed. I've heard that left-handed people have a suspicion that they are 'less-than' in some way or another. I used to think it was all nonsense until some people started telling me about all the advantages righties have without even realizing it.
I do remember way back in Latin high school class that the word for 'left' was 'sinestra,' where we get our word 'sinister.' Similar translations are also found in Italian and Spanish. In many European langauges, "right" is not only a synonym for correctness, it also stands for authority and justice.
If you go WAY, WAY back - the "hand" was a symbol of power. The left hand symbolized the power to shame society, and was used as a metaphor for misfortune and evil. This metaphor survived ancient culture and was integrated into mainstream Christianity. Being right-handed has also historically been thought of as being skillful: the Latin word for 'right' is 'dexter,' as in 'dexterity.' You've heard of someone having 'two left feet?' In other words, they're real clumsy. You get the idea.
A left-handed individual is sometimes referred to as a southpaw. The term comes from the game of baseball. Ballparks were originally designed so batters would face east. That way, the afternoon or evening sun wouldn't shine in their eyes. That meant left-handed pitchers would be throwing with their south-side arm.
Left-handed people are sometimes placed at a disadvantage by the prevalence of a right-handed society. Many tools and devices are designed to be comfortably used with the right hand. Scissors, for instance. They do make left-handed scissors, but for scissors to function in a truly left-handed manner, their blades must also be mirror-inverted, so the leftie doesn't have to make a blind cut because the blade obscures the paper from view - most aren't. The computer mouse is sometimes made to fit the right hand better. Even a lot of kitchen knives are designed for the rightie. Left-handed adaptations have bridged the world of music, too. Special guitars have to be made for left-handers. They cost more and they're tough to find. The vast majority of firearms are designed for right-handed shooters, with the operating handle, magazine release and safety mechanisms set up for manipulation by the right hand.
When we went to India, we were told it was rude to shake hands with your left hand, because in India, the left hand was more unclean than the right. This would be for sanitary-slash-excretory reasons and that's all I'm going to say about that.
In his book "Right-Hand, Left-Hand," Chris McManus argues that the proportion of left-handers is rising and left-handed people as a group have historically produced an above-average quota of high achievers. He says that left-handers' brains are structured differently in a way that widens their range of abilities. In 2006, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that left-handed men are 15 percent richer than right-handed men, on average.
Four of our last six U.S. Presidents were left-handers, as were Henry Ford, Helen Keller, Mark Twain, Michelangelo, Joan of Arc, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Queen Victoria and Ehud (the left-handed judge in Judges chapter 3). Oh yeah - and my grandmother is left-handed, too.
So, which are you? Rightie or Leftie? Vote in the top poll at right.
And be blessed.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
SLEEP
One of the SMALL FORCES behind tomorrow's BIG CHANGES is what we call the '30 Winkers.'
Everybody knows you're supposed to get eight hours of sleep. Even as the nutrition experts go back and forth on how many carbs we're supposed to have, and the alcohol experts go back and forth on whether we should drink red wine every day (I don't) - the Sleep Experts have been singing the same song for 150 years. People need 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep per night.
I don't suppose I have to tell you that we're failing at that. The average American now gets somewhere between 6.4 and 6.8 hours of sleep nightly. Thanks to 24-hour-a-day electronics and expectations, we're awake more than any Americans in recorded history. Unfortunately, because of the drivenness of society, our ability to 'manage' our lives on 5 hours of sleep has become a badge of honor for many. And the number of people who sleep LESS than 6 hours per night is quickly rising - 34 million are currently burning the midnight oil. Or midnight Internet solitaire.
As tired as Americans are, the rest of the world is faring no better. In a 2005 survey, 7 out of 10 night-owl nations were Asian nations. We didn't even make the top ten. 75% of Portuguese go to bed after midnight ... as do 69% of Taiwanese, 68% of Koreans, 66% of Hong Kongese, 65% of Spaniards, 60% of Japanese, 54% of Singaporeans and Malaysians, 43% of Thais and 39% of Italians. Of course, Portuguese and Spaniards integrate siestas into their daily routine.
It's a big concern - people who walk around tired - their lives continuously drained - not even a moment to spend with God or hear from Him - too worn out to spend time with family - trying to forever catch up on much-needed rest and never catching it.
How can we change the world if we're sleepwalking all day?
So this is a CALL - for what it's worth - to balance the rhythm of life -- hard work -- free time -- deep rest (rinse and repeat). Whaddaya say?
(By the way, Australians take the prize for MOST sleep per night - 31% of them get more than 9 hours nightly. Aren't you jealous? If you had the courage to admit it, you would be.)
Participate in the poll at right. Thanks.
And be bleszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
TWINKIE
Saturday, January 10, 2009
7 POUNDS
Tonight my daughter Olivia and I went to see "7 POUNDS" with Will Smith. I have not in recent memory watched a movie so difficult to get a handle on for so long in - and then once you did - found it so emotionally moving.
I won't give it away, but remember the phrase, 'a pound of flesh?' It means, 'something which is owed that is ruthlessly required to be paid back.' The phrase is derived from Shakespeare's 'Merchant of Venice' and it comes at the insistence of the character Shylock about the payment of Antonio's flesh as the central plot of the play.
SHYLOCK says: "The pound of flesh which I demand of him is dearly bought, 'tis mine and I will have it."
During '7 POUNDS,' Will Smith says to one of the characters: 'You are a good man. You are even a good man when no one is watching.'
How I want that to be able to be said of me ... when no one is looking ... good man. But we have a tendency to want to extract our pound of flesh from those who have hurt us and sometimes we are ruthless about demanding it.
But what if we could turn that around the opposite direction, much like the motivation of the movie? What if we endeavored to give ourselves away in such a manner that - every day - we were looking to find ways to 'give away a pound of our own flesh' for someone who needed it ... someone who needed us. How would it change the world in which we move and live? How would it change our family? How would it change our neighborhood? Our workplace? Our church? How would it change us?
I just wonder.
And be blessed.
Friday, January 9, 2009
PAIN
I agree with Brad Bright in 'God is the Issue' when he says he is often 'perplexed by the way Christians in the West think. Somehow we have gotten the nutty idea that God's blessing means we will be free from pain ... but Jesus didn't think that. He sweat great drops of blood before being beated and killed. Peter didn't think that. He rejoiced that God had found him worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. Paul didn't think that. He was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, hungry, thristy, cold and naked - by his own account. They all understood firsthand what pain was.'
I'm still going to pray for a miracle for my friend - but I will not let my faith in God waver over it no matter what happens - or what kind of personal pain comes as a result of it. That is not fatalistic thinking; I'm asking God for faith to rise in my heart for my friend ... and then be a very firm believer that 'all things work together for good to them who love God and who are called according to His purpose.' That is exactly the way my friend feels about it, too.
And be blessed.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
THAILAND
And be blessed.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
You've heard of "TWITTER," right? If not, TWITTER is a free, social networking, micro-blogging service that allows users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as 'tweets'), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. OK - better?
A few months ago I created an account that allowed me to TWITTER. You do it by texting thru your phone mostly. That information is sent to a variety of phones, websites, etc, that you have hooked up to where other people can see what you're doing or thinking at that moment - if they've decided you're someone worth listening to. You might be brushing your teeth, eating dinner, playing in the snow, about to have surgery, driving (oops! No. I never do that while driving), sitting in church bored, part of a staff meeting, grocery shopping, thinking about life --- and a host of other occasions. AND ... you are notified when others decide they want to update you on what THEY are doing - if you've decided they're someone worth listening to. It's both 'cool' and 'annoying' at the same time.
So, recently I came across a concept that asked: "What Would JESUS Twitter?" And here are some of my own offerings ...
'Adam is one spectacular specimen I have made.'
'Cancel yesterday's TWITTER ... EVE is one spectacular specimen I have made.'
'How does 969 years sound for the oldest person on the planet?'
'Noah needs more wood.'
'Noah needs more wood.'
'Noah needs more wood.'
'Joseph is really preening over that new coat.'
'Sent some food down from the sky to the desert-dwellers today. They asked what it was.'
'Decided to call the food falling from the sky MANNA - since that means, 'What is it?'
'I wonder if 3 plagues is enough to make that Pharoah listen.'
'I wonder if 7 plagues is enough to make that Pharoah listen.'
'I wonder if 10 plagues is enough to make that Pharoah listen.'
'You should see those walls of Jericho falling right now. That is SOOOOO cool.'
'I'm putting 20:1 on David over Goliath.'
'I'm feeling so bad for Job right now, but I know he can take it.'
'Now THAT is one honkin' song book.'
'Solomon ... dude .... is writing some sick stuff.'
'Well, TODAY Solomon is writing some pretty wise stuff.'
'Whenever a donkey talks to a man, the man should listen.'
'Daniel should really have been a lion-tamer.'
'I'm debating what the next weird name will be that I give to a prophet.'
'This manger hay is itchy.'
'My cousin, John --- he's kinda OUT THERE.'
'B-R-R-R-R-R! That Jordan River water is COLD and SMELLY!'
'Out of 12 followers, 12 are knuckleheads.'
'Peter is sinking fast ... but at least he got out of the boat.'
'I've had a great time here.'
'These nails really hurt.'
'Just resting.'
'I'M B-A-A-A-A-A-C-K!!!!'
'See all those people everywhere around you. I love them.'
'You should see this awesome place I'm making for you.'
And be blessed.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
G-PA POLL
The winner? Well, the WINNER was 'None of the above' (38% of you), but of those who left alternate names, none were universally accepted by the 'None of the aboves.' 'Grandpa Manilow' had some steam early on, but that petered out, thank goodness. A few got on the 'G.K.' bandwagon (stands for Grandpa Kevin). Some thought the child should just call me 'P.K.' like everyone else (COME ON, PEOPLE!). Other assorted ideas were 'Grandad,' 'Papa' and 'Pop-Pop.' The Honorable Mention Award has to go to the suggestion 'Grand Poobah,' which was strangely and dysfunctionally appealing to me.
That said, the votes came down this way: "G-PA" (26%) - "BOPPIE" (19%) - "BUMPA (15%) - "OGGY" (11%) - "BAMMY" (3%).
I'm told that the entire poll was a moot point anyhow because the little guy/girl will end up calling me whatever he/she wants to and I'll not only be stuck with it, I'll love it. We'll see about that.
Be blessed.
Signing off, G-PA.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
TORTOISE
How do you climb a mountain?
Friday, January 2, 2009
RESOLUTION
Thursday, January 1, 2009
YEAR
As the first word from me to you in 2009, can I encourage you to read the Bible thru with me this year? There are plenty of tools out there for this, but we've been promoting 'THE DAILY BIBLE.' It walks you through in chronological order and takes away some of the inevitable drudgery that comes when you get to certain spots throughout the year. Mixes it up a little -- and it's available in Spanish as well. In fact, a good friend of mine has posted daily devotionals to go with the readings from 'THE DAILY BIBLE.' You can find those at http://heartofareadywriter.blogspot.com/
Take care of yourself SPIRITUALLY this year. Read thru with us. Get to church.
Take care of yourself PHYSICALLY this year. Eat right. Exercise. Rest well. Play some. Take time off.
Take care of yourself RELATIONALLY this year. Get in a small group. Forgive and let go.
Take care of yourself FINANCIALLY this year. Stop the credit card spending - get out of debt. Tithe and give. Live within your means.
And just as a reminder of how vital all the above things are, remember how fast it all goes by.
And be blessed.