Goodbye, Goodnight

Hey, May 2005 ...


GOOD RIDDANCE!!

The Reality of Dreams

There are dreams that captivate. They feed the soul, direct the mind and unleash the heart. These are the dreams from which we do not desire to wake. These are the dreams which propel us into a dimension of possibility, thereby making the improbable, probable.

It is in these dreams that we explore the question of "what if?" In some ways, asking such a question is dangerous. Yet, it is a product of our deepest desires and our innate curiosity that leads us to broach such a matter. Asking such a question is not simply unregulated conscious thinking imposing its will on our unconsciousness. It is more than simply nerve endings flitting about in our brains. The heart, though often torn, is speaking in such moments.

Then reality hits, and it hits hard. We awake, the dream vanishes. We reach for ut, but it glides through our fingers. There we lie, both comforted and afflicted by the present reality.

Maybe you are one of the fortunate ones. Your dreams and your reality are the same. Or maybe you are one of the searchers. Delving into the vast depths of a philosophical, emotional, and spiritual universe, you attempt to find a way to join the two. Yet, you are still without an answer. Slowly, the reality sucks the life out of you. Your greatest fear is to end your life with an enormous burden of regret.

Such fear (pardon the reference) leads to the "dark side." Fear can paralyze us or cause us to make unwise decisions. However, fear is not altogether bad. If someone breaks into your house, your fear causes you to take action. But how often have you made decisions born out of your fear that have led to pain?

The reality (though often obscured) is that Jesus merges our dreams and our present reality. What I desire the most, He provides. My deepest needs, He meets. And He can do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).

Unfortunately, this is where things get complicated. We are presented with, on a daily basis, at least two sets of reality, which sometimes overlap, but are generally in conflict with one another. On the one hand, we have the reality from God. This reality is chalked full of promises, life applications, and other tidbits of life-sustaining wisdom.

On the other hand, we are presented with a reality from Satan (despite the help from the "church lady" to conceal him). This reality is one full of double-talk, broken promises, selfish motives, and lies.

The difficulty comes in the harbingers of both realities. Sometimes, those who proclaim the reality of God make you want to run in the other direction. And sometimes, those who speak about the reality that Satan offers (though never using his name), seem the most comfortable people to be around. It brings to mind the story of the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah. God gave him a message of doom and gloom (not actually what people want to hear). Entering this picture was another prophet (not from God) who told the people that Jeremiah was overreacting and full of crap. He said everything was fine and Jeremiah was just an angry preacher who wanted to make everyone's life miserable. Guess to whom the people listened?

So, how can I differentiate between the realities? Easy. Ask which one is giving, motivated by love, willing to sacrifice, and has grace and mercy as its foundation. Trust me, the other one will be clearly marked by deception, selfishness and lots of empty talk.

Two realities. One choice. It makes all the difference.

Do No Harm

Aristotle defined malice as “the spirit which always supposes the worst about other people.”

As a journalism major in college, I was taught that malice incorporated a desire to do someone harm. This is one of the major themes in a Paul Newman movie about a reporter called, Absence of Malice.

The challenge for journalists is to conduct their reporting and present their writing in an objective and detached manner. Certainly some stories will lead to more attachment than others. Stories of abuse and family difficulties touch the hearts of even the most hardened reporters. Yet, good news writing is unbiased and, therefore, balanced. Malice has no place in journalism.

However, it appears that malice has taken root in churches across the world.

Synonyms for malice include “spite” and “meanness.” What links these three words is an underlying desire to do harm to others, which breaks that universally important rule of “first, do no harm.”

The close cousins of malice are slander and libel. Whereas gossip is often done secretly, slander is a public action. It is speaking untruths about someone for the purpose of harming their reputation and their standing in the community. In other words, it is compulsive lying with an agenda. It is not simply calling someone names. Slander is when I purposely speak things about someone that I know are not true. For example, if I become mad at someone and claim that she purposely does faulty electric work to ruin peoples’ lives, then I have slandered her. I have spoken an untruth about someone else in order to harm them. One Bible translator terms slanderers “stabbers-in-the-back.” We all know what kind of people those are.

The other cousin of malice is libel. Slander is orally-communicated character assassination and libel is the written form of such rhetoric. The same principles apply.

What makes slander and libel cousins to malice is the necessity of uncovering malice to prove slander or libel. If malice is proven, then it becomes clear that slander and/or libel have occurred.

In church circles gossip runs amok. Some churches resemble more of a nosy neighborhood club, then a community of redeemed people. The inherent danger is that Satan uses our gossip (which is sin) and capitalizes on any malice that we may have kept suppressed under the surface. The result is that the malice spews forth like a volcanic eruption, hurtful interaction takes place and harm (sometimes untold amounts of harm) is done.

If my desire is to harm you, then I have either chosen to ignore the Spirit of God or the Spirit has left me. Gossip is not acceptable Christianity. Slander is antithetical to the Spirit of Christ. Libel has no place in the pages of Christendom. And malice is much closer to the heart of Satan than the heart of God.

Thus this list of biblical imperatives continues to sound an alarm for Christ-followers today: Let no rotten word come out of your mouth, but only a word that will do good in that it will build up and meet the need of the moment in order to give grace to those who hear it. Do not grieve the Spirit of God who has sealed you for the day of redemption. Get rid of every single bit of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander, along with every inclination of malice. Be kind to one another, with tender hearts, which will enable you to forgive each other just like God has forgiven you through Jesus (Ephesians 4:29-32).

First, do no harm.

Prayerful Questions

If prayer at its most fundamental level is communication with God, then how are your communication skills?

Questions to ponder:
1) When have you prayed the hardest?
2) What drives you to your knees in prayer?
3) What is one prayer that you refuse to pray?

Memories and Plans

With today being the last day of school and tomorrow marking the beginning of summer break for children everywhere (almost), I have a question:

What is your favorite summer vacation memory?

If that one stumps you, then try this one:

What are you most looking forward to this summer break?

Me? I'm going to the best place on the face of the earth: the farm! I do not plan to do any farming, but included in the visit will be some mowing, fishing, and shooting (empty milk jugs, bottles, etc).

Now c'mon, who can top that for a summer get-away?!

By the way, congratulations, Drew on your graduation! I'm proud of you!

Smashing Wasps

Everything was pretty normal until a most unwanted intruder entered my routine.

Trimming the hedges in the backyard is a therapeutic experience for me. The time is used to reflect on my relationships with God, family and friends. This particular day was no exception. With every swipe at the hedges more tension eased from my body.

Then it happened. A fly (or so I thought) buzzed around my head. I swiped at it with my hand and out of the corner of my eye I noticed that this fly was red and had a big stinger. Fearing for my life I quickly ran around the yard attempting to escape this killer insect that obviously intended to harm me (maybe I owed him money).

From a safe distance I surveyed the scene I had just left. Evidently I had inadvertently invaded the personal space of a group of wasps. Obviously, one of them had a bad temper and wanted to impress his girlfriend so he came after me.

By now my fear had subsided and I was mad. Grabbing the spray can of wasp killer I covertly approached the wasps. Getting close enough to attack, I sprang from my position and began spraying the poison at the wasps. Several of them sustained direct hits. This was going to be a quick battle. However, the wasp with the bad temper ambushed me. I am not sure where he was hiding, but he showed up directly in front of my face. Startled by this recent development I dropped my weapon of choice (poison spray) and again retreated (running wildly, waving my arms in my backyard).

After a few quick turns I lost my pursuer. Then I made a mad dash for the poison spray. Retrieving it in one fell swoop (pretty dramatic, huh?), I prepared for the final attack. My dog, Sparky, was sitting on the porch minding his own business during this sequence of events. In a few minutes, the wasp with the bad temper reappeared. I slipped off my shoe with the intention of smashing this tiny killer once for all. Sparky sat there watching me and not noticing that the wasp was coming toward him. Then it happened. The wasp landed on Sparky and stung him! Spark yelped and his face conveyed an expression of "what was that for?"

At that point I snapped. The wasp came at me and I promptly swatted him with my hand and as he laid stunned on the ground, I bent down to bid him farewell and enthusiastically smashed him into oblivion.

Sometimes, like Sparky, we go throughout life minding our own business and someone comes along and stings us. The sting hurts and we wonder what we did to deserve it. We wonder why God did not prevent it. And when we begin to wonder why God has not chosen to act we fall susceptible to wondering if God even cares at all. What if, like Sparky, we saw our owner (in our case, God) near us when we got stung? What feelings would such an experience produce? Confusion? Sadness? Doubt?

There are going to come times when life stings us. But remember this: God has the final say. The evil done to you will not be left unpunished. A day of reckoning is on the horizon. On this day, God will smash evil into oblivion.

This is Truth

Surrounded by lies the truth holds firm. Raised voices cannot shake the truth. Angry expressions cannot unhinge the truth. Displays of rage cannot unnerve the truth.

The truth holds its own.

Oh, there are times when it appears that falsehood wins the day. There are moments when it looks as if the lies perpetuated by cold, Spirit-less hearts will take captive those whom they oppress the most.

Yet, the truth shines on.

No slanderous accusation or damaging lie can block the light of heaven. This is truth.

No abusive rhetoric or careless threat can impede the work of the Spirit of God. This is truth.

No deception or vengeful action can destroy a Christ-follower. This is truth.

Bring your threats, your lies, and your well-crafted deceptions. Bring them all and I will sacrifice them on the altar of truth.

Though those who are too young to understand hear the pains of the present, truth will still guard and transform even their tender hearts.

The truth is out there. And it is nonnegotiable, eternal, and powerful enough to make its most ardent foes tremble.

This is truth.

Smashing Wasps

Everything was pretty normal until a most unwanted intruder entered my routine.

Trimming the hedges in the backyard is a therapeutic experience for me. The time is used to reflect on my relationships with God, family and friends. This particular day was no exception. With every swipe at the hedges more tension eased from my body.

Then it happened. A fly (or so I thought) buzzed around my head. I swiped at it with my hand and out of the corner of my eye I noticed that this fly was red and had a big stinger. Fearing for my life I quickly ran around the yard attempting to escape this killer insect that obviously intended to harm me (maybe I owed him money).

From a safe distance I surveyed the scene I had just left. Evidently I had inadvertently invaded the personal space of a group of wasps. Obviously, one of them had a bad temper and wanted to impress his girlfriend so he came after me.

By now my fear had subsided and I was mad. Grabbing the spray can of wasp killer I covertly approached the wasps. Getting close enough to attack, I sprang from my position and began spraying the poison at the wasps. Several of them sustained direct hits. This was going to be a quick battle. However, the wasp with the bad temper ambushed me. I am not sure where he was hiding, but he showed up directly in front of my face. Startled by this recent development I dropped my weapon of choice (poison spray) and again retreated (running wildly, waving my arms in my backyard).

After a few quick turns I lost my pursuer. Then I made a mad dash for the poison spray. Retrieving it in one fell swoop (pretty dramatic, huh?), I prepared for the final attack. My dog, Sparky, was sitting on the porch minding his own business during this sequence of events. In a few minutes, the wasp with the bad temper reappeared. I slipped off my shoe with the intention of smashing this tiny killer once for all. Sparky sat there watching me and not noticing that the wasp was coming toward him. Then it happened. The wasp landed on Sparky and stung him! Spark yelped and his face conveyed an expression of "what was that for?"

At that point I snapped. The wasp came at me and I promptly swatted him with my hand and as he laid stunned on the ground, I bent down to bid him farewell and enthusiastically smashed him into oblivion.

Sometimes, like Sparky, we go throughout life minding our own business and someone comes along and stings us. The sting hurts and we wonder what we did to deserve it. We wonder why God did not prevent it. And when we begin to wonder why God has not chosen to act we fall susceptible to wondering if God even cares at all. What if, like Sparky, we saw our owner (in our case, God) near us when we got stung? What feelings would such an experience produce? Confusion? Sadness? Doubt?

There are going to come times when life stings us. But remember this: God has the final say. The evil done to you will not be left unpunished. A day of reckoning is on the horizon. On this day, God will smash evil into oblivion.

The Call

This is a call to those who navigate through cyberspace looking for a cause to join, an effort to join and a prayer to pray.

This is a call for all those who believe that might does not make right, that fear is a tactic of those who desire to maintain control, and that love, though beaten and bruised, will triumph at the end of the day.

This is a call sent to all of those who believe that Christ-followers are engaged in spiritual warfare, not with each other, but with an enemy so deadly and deceptive that he will use any means necessary to steal, kill and destroy.

This is a call that echoes throughout the invisible halls of the internet. It is a call for those who believe that the battle can be won, will be won, and has been won.

This is a call to all those granted the divine gift of the Holy Spirit. The call goes out to those whom God's Spirit indwells and empowers.

This is a call to fall on your knees in prayer and fight the demons that wage war against us. This is a call to join the battle and to fight not against "flesh and blood" but against unseen powers that threaten to undo us.

This is a call to intecede for family and friends. Dear Jesus, you never let us go. Protect this family. Watch over this godly mother. Shelter her children. And convict a father who has turned from You.

Display Your power in unmistakable fashion. Hear my prayer. We need you, Father God.

We need You.

Facing Evil

"For still our ancient foe/Doth seek to work us woe
His craft and power are great/And armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal"

These are the words that the great reformation leader Martin Luther penned in 1529. The words come from the familiar church hymn, "A Mighty Fortress." The lines, quoted come from the first verse of the hymn, seem to in an alarming way, give respect to Satan.

Satan is a foe we face on a daily basis. He invades our thoughts. He questions our motivations. He provokes our fears. And he prods at, debates, and ridicules our faith.

What was it that prompted Luther to write such a chilling description of Satan? His words are a far cry from the current depictions of the devil. His words cause a chill to run down my spine. They frighten me.

One reason they frighten me is that I have seen the truth of these words recently. I have attempted to minister in a situation in which evil has assumed a stranglehold. In the company of lies and deceit, I have attempted to use the truth to bring balance. But I feel that my efforts have been in vain. Evil has reared its ugly head and, for the moment, is enjoying its status in causing destruction, misery, and heartache.

There is no doubt in my mind that we are waging spiritual warfare. The Bible talks about such warfare (to quote from an older translation): "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses" (II Corinthians 10:3-4).

The other night I believe God's Spirit spoke to me. He told me to pray. He warned me that something bad had happened. The next day, through conversations with those involved, the prompting of the Spirit the night before was confirmed. This is spiritual warfare.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ... With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:12, 18).

My knowledge will not win the spiritual battle. My desire will fail miserably. My heart will give out. My emotions will get the best of me. My steps will falter. To borrow "Tolkien" imagery, the one ring of power will enslave me.

Yet, there is hope. Luther realized this and that is why he wrote these lines that follow the lines describing Satan's power:

"And tho' this world with evil filled/Should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear for God has willed/His truth to triumph through us"

God, let your glory shine. Penetrate the darkness with the light of heaven. Look with mercy on your servants. And empower your people as they encounter Satan.

May Your truth triumph, God.

Random Musings

Okay, right about now the mind is thinking much faster than my fingers are capable of typing letters on the keyboard. A tsunami of thoughts has exploded inside my brain and I am attempting to sort them out while at the same time typing a new blog entry.

Revisiting the piece on passive-aggressive people was a thought, since I am really having trouble in this area. But, my thoughts raced past such a topic.

Dealing with people in a compassionate and loving manner was another entry into my mind, but again, my thoughts simply raced past this topic as well.

What about forgiveness and repentance? Those two things captivated me and I resolved to write about them at a later date, but something inside me told me to move on.

So here I am wondering what to write and how to write what I think I want to write but am not sure of what I really want to write. Huh? This "real-time" quest has now come to an end and here are some truths that have found me:

1) Love, love, Love -- find someone or something to love. Love your spouse. Love your children. Love your friends. Love your relatives. Love your friends' friends. Love you neighbor. Love the people with whom you attend church. As Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sang, "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with." The point is to make the choice to love and to receive love.

2) Laugh, laugh, laugh -- have a good time for goodness sakes! Rent a comedy or better yet watch your children for a few hours. Instant laughs! Self-deprecating humor is also a good thing. Poke fun at yourself every once in a while! At least this way you'll beat others to the punch.

3) Live, live, live -- someone once told me that "life is too short to be miserable." Dream big dreams. Make big, hairy, audacious goals. We live by faith and merely exist by fear. Pursue your heart's desire. As Sheryl Crow once sang, "If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad." Oops! Bad illustration. Take a cue from the Author of Life and truly learn to live!

This concludes this blog of assorted, random thoughts. Please remain seated until this blog comes to a complete stop. We know you had a choice today and you chose this blog. Thank you for your patronage. Now, please, go catch a dream, fulfill a desire, and dance to the sweet music of life. All songs written and performed by God. Copyright reserved.

Elvis has left the building.

Rules for Compassionate Engagement

For all you people out there who are looking for ways to maintain your compassionate spirit and still engage friends, family and co-workers who have a habit of making poor decisions, here are some (hopefully) helpful guidelines. I call them the "Rules of Compassionate Engagement."

Since I subscribe to the Christian faith, these rules are based on the ministry of the founder of Christianity: Jesus Christ.

#1 -- Love the person. When Jesus confronted the confusion of Nicodemus, He chose to love him (John 3). When Jesus interacted with the Samaritan woman at the well, He chose to love her (John 4). When Jesus confronted Peter about his three-fold denial, He chose to love him (John 21). And when Jesus engaged the ungrateful invalid whom He had healed, He chose to love him (John 5).

#2 -- Address the problem. Jesus told Nicodemus, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5). Jesus spoke plainly to the Samaritan woman, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water" (John 4:10) Jesus also wasted no time in getting to the heart of the matter with Peter: "Simon son of John, do you love me" (John 21:17)? And then there is the confrontation between Jesus and the ungrateful, healed man. Jesus told him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you" (John 5:14).

#3 -- Safeguard your efforts. Newsflash: you cannot fix someone else. Try as you might, you simply cannot. Each person makes her own choices. Your job is not to fix other people, your job is to compassionately interact with people in the spirit of Jesus. This does not mean that you turn yourself into a perpetual doormat. What it means is that you learn from Jesus how to engage people who choose to make poor decisions. Jesus is the only one who can truly fix a person. You cannot make choices for someone else. What you can do is love the person, address the problem (don't avoid the elephant in the living room) and set all of your efforts upon a foundation of prayer. Let prayer be your first, and not your last, resort. "If you need wisdom -- if you want to know what God wants you to do -- ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer ..." (James 1:5-6).

One more example for the road. When Jesus saved the life of the woman caught in adultery, He did not accuse her. Have you ever thought about the lack of accusation? Jesus had all the right to pronounce judgment, yet He chose to go down another road. Listen to what Jesus did, "Then Jesus stood up and again and said to her, 'Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?' 'No, Lord,' she said. And Jesus said, 'Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11).
Judgment suspended. Commandment given. It is now her choice. Did she respond to the love from Jesus? Or did she choose to spurn His attempt to change her life?

Choices, choices, choices that not even Jesus could make for her.

Conflicting Peace

For those of you caught in the storm, I offer this word of hope: peace. It is not the absence of conflict, but the continual presence of God. It is the beam of light shining from a lighthouse to warn ships of impending danger. It is the navigational system on your new car. It is the directions given by the attendant at the gas station that lead from a state of lostness to a condition of salvation.

It is the peace that comes with familiarity of the unknown. It is the peace that passes understanding. It is the peace of God. And it is through this peace that God crushes, yes crushes, all enemies of such peace. This is the reminder we have in Romans 16:20, "The God of peace wil soon crush Satan under your feet."

There is a notion that peace is congruent with passivity. The belief comes from those who think that passive, do-nothing individuals are those who love peace the most. However, this belief is far from the truth. Those who love peace are willing to fight for it. Those who crave peace are willing to wade through dangerous waters to reach their destination.

If peace truly is the presence of God and not the absence of conflict, then perhaps we feel God's peace the most when we are faced with conflict, especially conflict that we did not generate.

If conflict is removed could we really understand the peace of God. Could we truly take to heart what the apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Be at peace, friends. Embrace the peace offered to you by your Creator. He who calms the storms offers you peace beyond your understanding and comprehension.

Be at peace, even in the middle of the storm.

Be at peace.

Fight the "Good" Fight

Fighting is not something at which I was ever very good. My forte was in instigating fights and then letting others exchange blows. Of course, there were times when the blows came in my direction and I threw a couple of wild haymakers, but no one ever mistaked me for Mike Tyson in his prime.

The problem with my inept fighting skills is that the Christian faith I embrace uses a lot of fighting or "battle" imagery. There are verses in the Bible that mention warfare, battles, and other things associated with military action.

Now I have never been in the military and I'm not very good at fighting, so what is a guy like me to do with this Christian battle imagery? Maybe God is calling me (and others who aren't prize fighters) to instigate some battles with our culture.

On one hand, Jesus calls us to interact with our culture, but on the other hand, there are some things in our culture that are simply "anti-God." I realize that God does not need us to fight His battles, but there is a point when worldviews collide and battles follow.

The apostle Paul mentioned this to a young preacher named Timothy when he told him to "fight the good fight" (I Timothy 1:18)

Notice the word "fight" implies conflict. Let's get this straight: we live in a sinful, fallen world. That is the bad news. The good news is that the gospel only shines in a sinful, fallen world. People who are already good have no need of God's grace.

We do fight a battle, but it is not against flesh and blood. The parents who agonize over the direction their teenager daughter has chosen understand they are in a fight. The middle school student who attempts to live his faith at school understands that he is in a fight. The grandmother who prays on a daily basis for the salvation of her grandchildren understands that she is in a fight. The wife whose husband has left understands she is in a fight. Those of the Christian faith who serve in public office or in positions that directly affect public policy understand they are in a fight. The preacher who stands before hundreds of spiritually-seeking eyes week after week knows that he is in a fight.

The fight, though, is not the end of the description that Paul gives. He calls the fight a "good fight." It is good because of its foundation. It is good because of its end result. It is good because it beckons from the doors of heaven itself and declares the supremacy of the eternal over the temporal.

"Fight the good fight," is more than a catchy line, it is a call to press forward, to seek action, and to remember what it is that makes the fight "good."

Rik Emmett put it well when he sang, "Fight the good fight everybody, every minute, every day. Fight the good fight everybody, make it worth the price we pay.

For those of you in a fight, I offer you these words of advice:
1) choose your battles by making sure you are fighting the "good" fight
2) remember that our fight is real, but it is not against flesh and blood
3) remember that the battle still belongs to the Lord

Since the Christian faith uses so much battle imagery, then there must be a General in the mix somewhere. Oh yeah, His name is Jesus and He has earned the right to lead, not to mention He is currently undefeated in battle.

I think I'll side with Him (those are pretty good odds). And, as a friend of mine said recently, "winning is everything."

Say Now That You're Sorry

Okay, so I have gained inspiration from another song title. This one comes from a group named Plankeye who can flat-out rock! Unfortunately, I am not even sure if they are together anymore. Oh well, such is the fate of the bands I choose to embrace!

The song is about forgiveness preceded by repentance. It is a call to a friend to admit he's wrong, to exhibit genuine remorse, and to cry from a broken and contrite heart (all that from one rock song? Sure beats country music).

Someone said that we must forgive by not penalizing people for past mistakes, but that trust must not be given unconditionally to someone who has broken that trust.

So I am to forgive, but not trust? It seems that forgiveness affects the offender as well as the offended. My failure to forgive becomes an indictment of my self, and by failing to forgive I hurt my spiritual, physical, mental and emotional health.

On the other hand, trust is something that is not easily given, and when broken, is incredibly hard to regain. My high school basketball coach once told me and a few of the other guys that he would always defend us and be our advocate, but if we ever lied to him he would never trust us again.

I remember those words. I can tell you the exact place where I was standing when coach made those statements. It revealed to me the precious nature of trust and the power of honesty.

Unfortunately, friends don't always tell the truth. Is it because of stress? No. Is it because of problems at home? Not really. Is it because of fear? Nada. Lying is a sympton of a deeper problem, a problem that begins in the heart. And that is something none of us can transform. Doctors can perform heart transplants, but only a Savior can transform the human heart. In order for Him to perform such a transformation, the heart must first be open.

If the heart is changed, the man is changed. If the man is changed, his wife is changed. If the man is changed, his children are changed. It all goes back to the heart, which the Bible describes as "the wellspring of life."

Guard your heart and while you're at it, open it to the original heart surgeon. He does not fail (and you don't have to show Him proof of insurance or pay a deductible).

Cranberry Salvation

"Salvation, salvation, salvation is free ..." At least this is what the Cranberries sang in the 90s during the emergence of a period of authentic music that closed the door on the "me-me-me-money-money-money-party-party-party-80s."

Considering the journey my mind and heart has embarked on these past three weeks, I have begun to mull over the meaning of "salvation." The basic questions entered my mind:
from what do we need to be saved?
What prevents salvation?
Who is saved?
Are there conditions to salvation?
How is salvation provided?

Other questions also surfaced much like the ones listed above in that the answers, for those of the Christian faith, are pretty easy. Yet, what is the meaning of salvation?

What does it feel like to be saved and to live a "saved" life? How does a relapse into sin affect my salvation? How does this forgiveness-thing work?

I suppose most Christians would view these questions as no-brainers. I guess I probably would have as well in my recent past. However, I have discovered this past week that there are matters concerning salvation which I cannot get my head around. There is a mystery with how God saves, starting with His securing our salvation and His providing second chances when we violate the conditions of salvation.

All of this matters to me because, in the end, it is all that matters. Sure, Linkin Park surmise that "in the end it doesn't really matter." It is like my actions carry no weight and my efforts are in vain. But that thinking seems to run contrary to salvation. In looking at salvation we are reminded that actions do matter, choices must be made and the efforts of God toward reconcilation with us was far from in vain.

What does all this mean? Brace yourself ... I think I know, but the words are not coming off the keyboard. It is a mystery, or better yet, an "X-file."

Quick, someone call Mulder and Scully.

The Late Show

Tonight is one of those nights. Tossing and turning. Staring at the ceiling. Knowing there are a lot of things on my mind, but unable to concentrate on any of them. It is an odd feeling to have your mind in overdrive, while your body begs for sleep.

So here I am typing a new entry into this blog. Everything is quiet here except for the sound of my fingers hitting the keyboard. There are no dogs barking outside. No cars racing down the street. No kids riding by on their bikes. Everything is quiet. The atmosphere is one of reflection.

Reflecting on my life causes me to realize there are things I would like to change. God has blessed me tremendously, but I do not always recognize His blessings in my life.

Teach me God how to have a grateful heart.

The job which I currently have has prepared me to test-drive rollercoasters. It is up and down. I believe it is a calling from God, but I wish that calling did not come with a bullseye.

In my profession there is much criticism. I'm in the people business and every person has an opinion about how things should run and be done. Every person has an insight to share and usually those who sit on the sidelines have everything already figured out for those of us who are on the frontlines. Sometimes you just want to yell, "Screw this!"

Then, there are moments when someone offers praise. Someone who, unknown to you, has been touched by something that you have said or something that you have done. At those moments you are reminded that your calling is not in vain.

Yet, the criticism does not negate the calling and the praise does not endorse it. The calling is from God, regardless of public perception.

Teach me God to be faithful to the calling.

There are emotions and thoughts with which I struggle. Communicating those in coherent fashion is difficult. There is a danger that those who read or hear such thoughts will misinterpret them. There is a likelihood that being so candid will push people away. There are definitely pitfalls to transparency. However, is not the authentic life a transparent one?

Teach me God to live a transparent life.

Maybe typing a blog at 4:00 a.m. is not such a good idea. Maybe the mind is not correctly processing all the thoughts that are clamoring for attention. Then again, maybe this is when thoughts are at their purest.

How to use those thoughts to glorify God (a basic human obligation) is the challenge. My feelings often betray me and the reality I construct is not always the reality in which I live. Some dreams are not worth pursuing. Some perceived needs are simply selfish desires.

Teach me God to live in Your reality.

Random thoughts filter through my mind, as the mind speaks to the dancing emotions of the heart.

Teach me God to sort my thoughts.

We are all afflicted by different things. As much as I wish my affliction would be removed, I know that sometimes God will not remove our afflictions. Sometimes, we have to learn, that God's strength is most clearly seen in our weakness. Or as the apostle Paul learned, God's grace is sufficient.

Teach me God to trust in the sufficiency of Your grace.

And grant me a few hours of restful sleep.

I Can't Explain

Explain what it is that makes a person willingly give up what means the most to him.

Explain what it is that makes a person run away from those who love him the most.

Explain what it is that leads a person to turn his back on his wife and kids.

Explain what manner of evil, what dark side of our nature prompts someone to leave paradise and travel through hell.

Someone, please, explain how evil can capture the human heart despite the calls of love from God, family and friends!

I despise the sin that so easily entangles and ultimately destroys. I hate it for the false impression it gives of pleasure and release when, in essence, it only enslaves.

And my heart breaks at the innocent people who are left hurting by someone else's selfish decisions. A person never hurts only himself when he chooses evil. No, the innocent people (often the ones who love him the most) are forced to bear the emotional turmoil caused by one person's decision to feed the carnal side of our nature.

Why must a loving and faithful wife endure emotional blow after emotional blow and heartache after heartache?

Why must innocent children who love their father unconditionally suffer time and again?

God, if you read blogs, please speak to me through your Spirit. Help me understand why these things happen. Remind me that your power still trumps anything evil can muster.

And protect, guide, defend, and strengthen those who hurt from no doing of their own.

Passive-Aggressive Christians

Passive-aggressive people are the type who, when offended, publicly react one way and privately react a different way. For instance, if you are a passive-aggressive person and I do or say something that offends you, the classic response on your part is to do one (or more) of the following things:
1) ignore me
2) avoid speaking to me
3) seek to create an image that makes you feel better about yourself and (you hope) makes me feel worse about myself

These are private passive-aggressive responses. The difficulty in dealing with a passive-aggressive person is the public response that you get. When crowds are around, the passive-aggressive person is complimentary, or at least goes to great lengths to not be critical of you to large numbers of people. The MO of the passive-aggressive person is to work behind the scenes. He (or she) does this to protect his own wounded self-esteem.

Another tricky thing with passive-aggressive people is that they will never debase you to your friends. Instead, they will attempt to maintain (or create) a very good image with them. This is part of the method of passive-aggressive people. This way, if you address the person's behavior toward you, he can plead innocence and those around will tend to agree that he (or she) has done nothing wrong. And, worse yet, they might even view him (or her) as the victim.

Now I write all of this to ask (and yes, I do want a response), what happens when passive-aggressive people inhabit the church? How can the behavior of passive-aggressive people mute the gospel? And how can we break this harmful behavior? Can Jesus truly transform a passive-aggressive person?

I ask that last question in light of the apostle John's words, "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen" (I John 4:20).

Obviously, passive-aggressive behavior is not compatible with the Christian faith. So, give me some feedback: what happens when passive-aggressive people inhabit the church? How can the behavior of passive-aggressive people mute the gospel? And how can we break this harmful behavior?

Southern Fried Religion

Down here in the land of plenty (church buildings and fried chicken restaurants), the religious atmosphere is pretty thick. Even in the worst parts of the city, church buildings adorn every street corner. In most cases, the most crime-riddled sections are the ones boasting the largest number of congregations.

Despite the over-abundance of houses of worship, there is a surprising lack of unity. To find the main cause for this lack of unity one needs look no further than to the clergy. Senior ministers (or pastors) guard their flocks and look for ways to ensure the Sunday morning attendance numbers and financial contribution totals. We build great structures and increase the number of ministries (mostly geared toward white middle-class families) but we turn our backs on those who need help the most.

Sometimes a major initiative is proposed that has the potential to truly address some of the problems in our community. Just when it seems that the project will take flight, the clergy steps in. One pastor is not included so he determines to not support the new effort. Another minister is not given a large enough role so he decides to turn his attention elsewhere. Instead of celebrating unity, we succumb to jealousy (kind of like that song by the Gin Blossoms).

What is perplexing about our divisions is that unity does not and never has demanded that we all see things eye-to-eye. Unity does not mean that I must agree with you on every point and you must agree with me. Unity is not uniformity. In fact, unity is best realized when there is disagreement. Unity is most beautiful when people with opposing viewpoints fiercely maintain the unity they share in Jesus.

The apostle Paul makes such a point in Philippians 2, when he writes about the "attitude of Christ." Considering the needs of others first. Giving totally of self. Having the same love.

These things are the remedy for our jealousy. These are goals worthy of our attention. This is the standard to which every pastor and every church member is called.

Maybe this seems too simplistic. Or maybe it is just much easier to ignore and get on with "doing church our way."

Tribute

Today was a tough day for me. It was a day of remembrance, a day in which memories collided with a painful loss and produced both thanksgiving and extreme sorrow.

One year ago today (May 4) my grandfather died. J.B. Adkins was the only grandfather I ever knew. He was the only grandparent I had since 1988.

The painful memories of last year came roaring back today. The last visit to Kentucky (where his farm is), the phone call from my Dad telling me that Grandpa Adkins had died, the subsequent trip back to the farm, and the excruciating goodbyes at the funeral.

O, how I wanted to blame God for my loss! O, how I wanted to direct my anger at Him! Yet, I found myself unable to do so. How could I curse the God my grandfather served faithfully throughout his life? How could I rail against the Savior who my grandfather loved and followed? I simply could not.

Instead, I thank God for the grandfather He gave me. I thank Him for the years I had with my grandfather. And I thank Him for the promises which my grandfather has now claimed.

In my sorrow, the only place to turn was God. In my pain, the only shoulder to lean on was the shoulder of my Creator. And in my inability to understand why some things must happen, I found myself seeking after the Author of my faith.

My grandfather was not perfect. I clearly saw his faults. Yet he was my grandfather. And I chose to love him in spite of his faults.

I am not perfect. God clearly sees my faults. Yet I am His child. And He chooses to love me in spite of my faults.

Grandpa Adkins, I miss you! I am selfish enough to wish you were here, but trusting enough to believe that God has you in a place you would never want to leave. I loved you in your best moments and I loved you in your worst moments. And I love you still.

Grandpa, the goodbyes we shared last year were not "forever" goodbyes. I will see you again when I see you with Jesus.

Java Jam, Part 2

The good the bad and the ugly is seen in Scripture (the good), tradition (not always bad, but often abused), and ugly (our usually overbearing and inept methods).

The place of Scripture is not (and never has been) up for debate in my religious heritage. Tradition has often been used to shame those for suggesting we look at things differently. And our methodology has often been placed on the same level of Scripture (at least that's our primary reason for not exploring other methods).

My concern is that the cyclical nature of history reveals a tendency for us to make the same mistakes of our religious forebears. Why do our most vehement arguments come over issues like: times of worship assemblies, styles of worship, translations of the Bible, and other hot button issues?

I fear that our arrogance in believing we have it all figured out, along with our egotistical belief that we are so much more wiser than those who have gone on before us has led us to the edge of a cliff. We are teetering on the edge. Some churches notice this more than others. Unfortunately, bigger churches usually don't notice this dangerous condition because the building is still relatively full on Sunday mornings.

As Ed Roland (Collective Soul) so thoughtfully writes, "Change will come and change is here."

Two questions:
1) How do we survive the change?
2) How do we ride the wave of change to greater heights?

Third question: anybody up for some coffee?

April Soccer on the Frozen Tundra

By the time we reach the final days of April, the hot days in Louisiana have returned and the infamous humidity in the Pelican State begins to send reminders of what is to come in July, August and September. But this past Saturday (the final day of April) bucked the trend. Temperatures were in the 50s and rain fell from the sky.

On paper, the day called for "inside-only" activities. However, life is not lived on paper, which means when it is cold and rainy you are destined to have an outdoor activity planned.

The activity this past Saturday was a girls' soccer game. This was our sixth game in an eight-game season. We (coaches and parents) look forward to the games as do the girls on the team. Unfortunately, on this day, the weather was not in a mood to cooperate.

Throughout the game there was a light drizzle, but by halftime the rain was steadily falling. Since the temperatures were not rising, the rain caused normally independent people to huddle with their neighbors. Fortunately, all of our parents like each other (I think).

Our team of second-grade girls, though cold from the rain, continued to have fun playing soccer. As I watched crowds from other games at other fields running to their cars to get out of the rain, I looked back at our fans. No parent left. No grandparent budged. And not one single girl on the team asked to go home. Did our parents duck to cover? Not a chance. Did they lose connection with what was happening in the game. Don't think so. Instead they immersed (no pun intended) themselves in what their girls were doing out on a field that was quickly becoming rain-soaked.

This game on the last day of April reminded me about some basic truths:
1) the days we live are not always sunny days
2) rain only puts a damper on things when we allow it to do so
3) cold temperatures are no match for the warm hearts of parents watching their children play soccer
4) and when faced with the cold, rainy days we can go home or finish what we started.

The Bulldogs soccer team chose the latter. I'm proud of them. Cold, rainy days are no match for a group of fearless second-grade soccer players (girl players no less). Now if the rest of us could seize such moments and roll with the punches!

By the way, any cold, rainy stories out there?