Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." (Matt. 16:24-25)
Many of us are much more committed to following things other than Jesus. School is back in session and parents are following their children from activity to activity to activity to activity to activity, to...well you get the point. Lately we have followed the Olympics and millions of us are following the presidential race very closely. Football season is starting, baseball season is moving quickly toward the playoffs and we’re following our favorite teams. Some of us are just blindly following the crowd.
I watched the Olympics and celebrated the victories every night. From beginning to end I was mesmerized and impressed by the incredible, wonderful spectacle and performances. Did you see those opening ceremonies? I have never seen anything like it in my life. I was truly in awe of everything from the technology to the choreography to the sheer mass of humanity that it took to pull it off...and at the same time saddened and appalled by the incredible expenditure of financial and human resources. I couldn't help but wonder...with those resources: How many hungry could have been fed? How many thirsty could have been given water? How many lost could have been found? How many educations could have been funded?
This past week I watched the Democratic National Convention and became part of the largest audience in history to ever witness an acceptance speech. There was a moment after Obama's speech; 80,000 people stood (millions more joined them by TV) and they worshiped him. I will watch the Republican National Convention and witness many of the same things. I will see men and women who love their country, are devoted to their country, and would probably die for their country. I will see banners waved…flags flown…songs sung…confetti dropped…allegiances sworn.
And I will be asking myself, at the end, the same questions. When will we swear our allegiance to Christ like that? Will we ever, in mass, celebrate Jesus like that? When will we follow Christ in that way? When will the church become one and pour itself into doing what the Olympics and the politicians will never be able to do - as hard as they try - because it’s our job to change the world, we have been given that mission!
We Christians want salvation without sacrifice. We want to wear the cross on a chain around our neck or look at it hanging on the wall. But, we don't want to feel the weight of it on our backs as it digs into our shredded flesh and, as a result, our Christianity becomes weak and pathetic.
Deny self? Take up my cross? Lose my life in order to find my life? Hmmm......do we have any idea what any of that even means?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
anniversary moment
Wanda and I have enjoyed watching the Olympics together over the last two weeks. We have cheered for our favorites, celebrated their victories, and been bummed out over their losses. There were times when we threw up our hands in disgust over the poor efforts of those who were "supposed to win" and didn't (okay, that was just me doing that). We have also celebrated the efforts of those who came to compete; those who sacrificed and gave it their all knowing they had no shot at the medal podium.
I think the most exciting thing for me was to see a world record fall, no matter the winner. It was best when it was a record that had stood for 15 or 20 years. You knew that it took a special athlete and a special performance to better a standard that had stood the test of time and had beaten all challengers...until now.
Tomorrow - August 26, 2008 - is the 8th anniversary of my marriage to my sweet little girl, Wanda. I know, I know, that's far from a world record but it's a new record for me! It's my all time personal best! Two other marriages (that produced the three best children ever) that couldn't go the distance. I can blame no one except myself and my previous spouses.
Eight wonderful years and I can thank and praise no one except Jesus. Thank you Jesus for sending me Wanda. Thank you Wanda for loving Jesus first and me second.
Jesus gets the gold...Wanda the silver...I don't care if I make the podium, I just want to give you both my best for another year.
I think the most exciting thing for me was to see a world record fall, no matter the winner. It was best when it was a record that had stood for 15 or 20 years. You knew that it took a special athlete and a special performance to better a standard that had stood the test of time and had beaten all challengers...until now.
Tomorrow - August 26, 2008 - is the 8th anniversary of my marriage to my sweet little girl, Wanda. I know, I know, that's far from a world record but it's a new record for me! It's my all time personal best! Two other marriages (that produced the three best children ever) that couldn't go the distance. I can blame no one except myself and my previous spouses.
Eight wonderful years and I can thank and praise no one except Jesus. Thank you Jesus for sending me Wanda. Thank you Wanda for loving Jesus first and me second.
Jesus gets the gold...Wanda the silver...I don't care if I make the podium, I just want to give you both my best for another year.
Monday, August 18, 2008
a word moment
I found this painting at draw near to god dot com. (Go to the HeARTS Gallery) It is by a wonderful prophetic worship artist by the name of Gwen Meharg. I believe that she paints on the canvas, during worship, what she sees and feels the Holy Spirit showing her through the proclamation of the word or the reading of the scriptures. On her website you can find many many wonderful works of art and the artists own explanation of the art and the vision that she had when she created it.
The text last week was Jesus and Peter walking on the water and I discovered this website while looking for a picture for last week’s bulletin cover. Monday morning I was showing Wanda my discovery and we spent some time looking at all of the prophetic paintings and reading the artist’s descriptions of them and the scripture or message that inspired them.
After looking at those paintings of visions and so forth I turned to the lectionary readings for the day and as I often do began to read them out loud to Wanda. I soon came to these words, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person...” (Matt. 15:18-20 NRSV)
After reading those words I turned to Wanda and said, “You won’t believe what I just saw.” She said, “Me too.” “I wish I could paint it,” I said. She asked, “Arrows?” I said, “Knives and daggers” We both said, “Yes.”
What we both saw in our mind's eye were word daggers; words coming from the mouth of an individual and piercing the hearts of everyone who was standing near them. In that moment our hearts were broken at the thought of what we do to one another – or have the potential to do to one another – every time we open our mouths.
Remember this playground rhyme? “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!” How about this one, do you remember it? “I’m rubber. You’re glue. Whatever you say, bounces off me and sticks to you!” Have you found either of those statements to be true in your life? I haven’t. Words can hurt me.
It’s back to school time. There is sometimes no crueler place in the world than our schools and playgrounds. Think back if you can – or if you want to – to your childhood. For some of you that time is now. Remember growing up and you’ll remember, words did hurt and still do.
We've all heard this saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” A sword in the hands of someone who means harm can do much damage, words are no different, words can kill. Take the word sword itself. Move the letter “s” from the beginning of sword to the end and what do you have…words.
A person who is skilled with words and is passionate about a subject can tell you a story and make you feel as if you are there. They could describe to you the sound of horses hooves galloping across an open meadow in a way that you can hear them too. They can tell you about the sound and taste of water from a cold mountain stream in a way that you feel as if you took a drink from it.
We share with each other about life's journey, our joys and sorrows, so that we can relate to one another. What I say affects how you feel. What you say affects how I feel. And just as words can take us around the world to experience magnificent mountain tops and river valleys, words can also bring us extreme pain.
Words that cause pain are called what? A"knife through the heart.” Some words make us feel as if we have been "kicked in the gut." A word of kindness or praise is a "ray of sunshine." If you talk trash about my Dallas Cowboys or my mama, "Them's Fightin' Words."
Ivan Pavlov was a Nobel Prize winning physiologist, psychologist, and physician. Pavlov said, "Man is more influenced by language than by the facts of surrounding reality."
In other words we can look at the facts of a situation and see with our own eyes; I am not lazy, I am not stupid, I am not unattractive, I am not whatever negative thing someone might say about me - but we will be influenced more by what someone says is the truth rather than what we can see is the truth with our own eyes.
Napolean said, "We govern men with words." Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, "Words — so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become, in the hands of one who knows how to combine them!"
Jesus said, “…it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”
It's back to school time in my small communities. In many ways our schools have turned into battle grounds. We want to think that our small schools are immune to some of the problems of the larger communities and maybe they are...I have my doubts. I know they are not immune to many of them. They are not immune to hatred, teasing, bigotry, racism, sexism and many other abuses that are expressed in the form of hurtful words.
Words can cause us to roar with laughter, break down into tears, fly into a rage, sink into depression, or float on cloud nine. Pretty strong stuff.
Do words do more than just describe situations and events? Do words actually have an affect on our future? Is it possible that what I am today is the result of the words I or others have used in the past? Or could it be that what I will become and experience tomorrow, depends on the words I use today.
Paul said to the Corinthians, “When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.”
To the Romans he said, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
Luke said, “Bless those who curse you.”
We can speak curses into our own lives and the lives of those around us OR we can speak blessings into our lives and the lives of those around us.
The author of James has this to say about our tongues: "With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so." (James 3:9-10 NRSV)
Jesus said, "I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:34b-37 NRSV)
Words; more than just entries in a dictionary – there is life in them and there is death in them.
Sticks and stones may break my bones – but they will heal – words can curse me or bless me forever.
The text last week was Jesus and Peter walking on the water and I discovered this website while looking for a picture for last week’s bulletin cover. Monday morning I was showing Wanda my discovery and we spent some time looking at all of the prophetic paintings and reading the artist’s descriptions of them and the scripture or message that inspired them.
After looking at those paintings of visions and so forth I turned to the lectionary readings for the day and as I often do began to read them out loud to Wanda. I soon came to these words, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person...” (Matt. 15:18-20 NRSV)
After reading those words I turned to Wanda and said, “You won’t believe what I just saw.” She said, “Me too.” “I wish I could paint it,” I said. She asked, “Arrows?” I said, “Knives and daggers” We both said, “Yes.”
What we both saw in our mind's eye were word daggers; words coming from the mouth of an individual and piercing the hearts of everyone who was standing near them. In that moment our hearts were broken at the thought of what we do to one another – or have the potential to do to one another – every time we open our mouths.
Remember this playground rhyme? “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!” How about this one, do you remember it? “I’m rubber. You’re glue. Whatever you say, bounces off me and sticks to you!” Have you found either of those statements to be true in your life? I haven’t. Words can hurt me.
It’s back to school time. There is sometimes no crueler place in the world than our schools and playgrounds. Think back if you can – or if you want to – to your childhood. For some of you that time is now. Remember growing up and you’ll remember, words did hurt and still do.
We've all heard this saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” A sword in the hands of someone who means harm can do much damage, words are no different, words can kill. Take the word sword itself. Move the letter “s” from the beginning of sword to the end and what do you have…words.
A person who is skilled with words and is passionate about a subject can tell you a story and make you feel as if you are there. They could describe to you the sound of horses hooves galloping across an open meadow in a way that you can hear them too. They can tell you about the sound and taste of water from a cold mountain stream in a way that you feel as if you took a drink from it.
We share with each other about life's journey, our joys and sorrows, so that we can relate to one another. What I say affects how you feel. What you say affects how I feel. And just as words can take us around the world to experience magnificent mountain tops and river valleys, words can also bring us extreme pain.
Words that cause pain are called what? A"knife through the heart.” Some words make us feel as if we have been "kicked in the gut." A word of kindness or praise is a "ray of sunshine." If you talk trash about my Dallas Cowboys or my mama, "Them's Fightin' Words."
Ivan Pavlov was a Nobel Prize winning physiologist, psychologist, and physician. Pavlov said, "Man is more influenced by language than by the facts of surrounding reality."
In other words we can look at the facts of a situation and see with our own eyes; I am not lazy, I am not stupid, I am not unattractive, I am not whatever negative thing someone might say about me - but we will be influenced more by what someone says is the truth rather than what we can see is the truth with our own eyes.
Napolean said, "We govern men with words." Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, "Words — so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become, in the hands of one who knows how to combine them!"
Jesus said, “…it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”
It's back to school time in my small communities. In many ways our schools have turned into battle grounds. We want to think that our small schools are immune to some of the problems of the larger communities and maybe they are...I have my doubts. I know they are not immune to many of them. They are not immune to hatred, teasing, bigotry, racism, sexism and many other abuses that are expressed in the form of hurtful words.
Words can cause us to roar with laughter, break down into tears, fly into a rage, sink into depression, or float on cloud nine. Pretty strong stuff.
Do words do more than just describe situations and events? Do words actually have an affect on our future? Is it possible that what I am today is the result of the words I or others have used in the past? Or could it be that what I will become and experience tomorrow, depends on the words I use today.
Paul said to the Corinthians, “When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.”
To the Romans he said, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
Luke said, “Bless those who curse you.”
We can speak curses into our own lives and the lives of those around us OR we can speak blessings into our lives and the lives of those around us.
The author of James has this to say about our tongues: "With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so." (James 3:9-10 NRSV)
Jesus said, "I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:34b-37 NRSV)
Words; more than just entries in a dictionary – there is life in them and there is death in them.
Sticks and stones may break my bones – but they will heal – words can curse me or bless me forever.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
"the one" moment
I have been kicking these thoughts around in my head for a couple of days and finally decided to sit down and type. I think too long sometimes instead of just acting. How can I blog about moments if my moments turn into...well, many moments. But, I guess that's what life is, just a bunch of moments strung together.
I watched a clip on my son Weston's blog. To see it go here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html.
What Mr. Kelly is telling us in this video it that the web as we know it did not exist 5,000 days ago and he talks about what to expect the web to become in the next 5,000 days. At about the 16:30 point of the video he compares the technology of "the machine" or "the one" (the web) to the technology of the alphabet and writing. He says, "We are totally dependant on the alphabet and writing, it has transformed culture. We can't imagine ourselves without the technology of the alphabet and writing." He then says that is the way we will be with "the one" (the web) in the next 5,000 days; we won't be able to function without it. It will change the world the way the alphabet and writing has changed the world.
That's quite a statement. Where would we be without language? How much has the ability to communicate with each other changed the world? To say that "the one" will be to us what the alphabet and writing has been to us is a tremendous statement.
The things that he said that really caught my attention were ...we are totally dependant on it...it has transformed culture...we can't imagine ourselves without it.
My question to those who belong to Jesus and seek to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ is; how are we going to use "the one" to do what we have been called to do? How are we going to use this world changing technology to point to "THE ONE?" Not to just point to Jesus but to get to the point that...we are totally dependant on HIM...HE has transformed culture...and we can't imagine ourselves without HIM.
My daughter-in-law, Francey, said in her blog, "I imagine my children being older and getting a grasp on the grace of our sovereign God and saying, 'I can't live without Him.'"
In 5,000 days Hannah and Corban will be 16 and 15 years old respectively.
When that time comes, who or what will we be totally dependant on? Who or what will have transformed our culture? Who or what will we not be able to live without? I pray it is "THE ONE" not "the one."
I watched a clip on my son Weston's blog. To see it go here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html.
What Mr. Kelly is telling us in this video it that the web as we know it did not exist 5,000 days ago and he talks about what to expect the web to become in the next 5,000 days. At about the 16:30 point of the video he compares the technology of "the machine" or "the one" (the web) to the technology of the alphabet and writing. He says, "We are totally dependant on the alphabet and writing, it has transformed culture. We can't imagine ourselves without the technology of the alphabet and writing." He then says that is the way we will be with "the one" (the web) in the next 5,000 days; we won't be able to function without it. It will change the world the way the alphabet and writing has changed the world.
That's quite a statement. Where would we be without language? How much has the ability to communicate with each other changed the world? To say that "the one" will be to us what the alphabet and writing has been to us is a tremendous statement.
The things that he said that really caught my attention were ...we are totally dependant on it...it has transformed culture...we can't imagine ourselves without it.
My question to those who belong to Jesus and seek to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ is; how are we going to use "the one" to do what we have been called to do? How are we going to use this world changing technology to point to "THE ONE?" Not to just point to Jesus but to get to the point that...we are totally dependant on HIM...HE has transformed culture...and we can't imagine ourselves without HIM.
My daughter-in-law, Francey, said in her blog, "I imagine my children being older and getting a grasp on the grace of our sovereign God and saying, 'I can't live without Him.'"
In 5,000 days Hannah and Corban will be 16 and 15 years old respectively.
When that time comes, who or what will we be totally dependant on? Who or what will have transformed our culture? Who or what will we not be able to live without? I pray it is "THE ONE" not "the one."
Saturday, August 2, 2008
a friend moment
I had the opportunity yesterday to work on a project with a colleague. I had been around this person a few times before and most of the time I came away from those encounters thinking that this person didn't like me. I didn't know why. I had searched my brain and couldn't come up with anything that I might have said or done to offend. In the past, my efforts toward friendship seemed to be in vain. Yesterday began no differently. Try as I might to be cordial; I sensed coldness in return.
The activity that we were involved in required us, at one point, to drive from one venue to another in separate vehicles. As I drove, I prayed. I began with, "I don't want to be around this person ever again. Can you make that happen God?" But soon I was saying, "I don't mean that. Whatever the barrier between us, can you remove it?"
Who knows, maybe the same prayer was being said in the other car...about me. Maybe I was the problem. Maybe I'm not as wonderful as I think! I don't know who changed or what changed, but what I found on the other end of that five minute drive was a friend. Prayer changes things.
The activity that we were involved in required us, at one point, to drive from one venue to another in separate vehicles. As I drove, I prayed. I began with, "I don't want to be around this person ever again. Can you make that happen God?" But soon I was saying, "I don't mean that. Whatever the barrier between us, can you remove it?"
Who knows, maybe the same prayer was being said in the other car...about me. Maybe I was the problem. Maybe I'm not as wonderful as I think! I don't know who changed or what changed, but what I found on the other end of that five minute drive was a friend. Prayer changes things.
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