A Movie and A Play

This has been a week for entertainment. On Monday, due to my son's high recommendation on his blog, we went to see Iron Man. It's the first time we've been to a movie in a long time and, it was worth seeing. It's a real visual treat with lots of action and lots of explanation as to how he became Iron Man. It definitely keeps your attention. It's not for young ones, of course, too much violence and action, but one that I will be adding to my DVD collection to watch on a slow Friday night when I'm home alone - and wishing I had one of those suits.

Then Tuesday night we went to see Jersey Boys. Wow - what awesome music. It was like going to Mama Mia and hearing the music and saying, "I didn't know they did that song!" Great trip down memory lane and the much older audience reinforced that idea. The language is truly crude - Jersey, I guess, but personally it would have been more enjoyable for me if they had left it out. Still, it's a very entertaining look at the life of the group leader, Frankie Valli (I think that's how it's spelled - there's a line in the play about not having a "Y" at the end of a name if you're Italian). All I could think of all through the show about his life was how sad it is that so many successful celebrities know so little about how to build successful relationships - especially with their own families. I suspect there's an ego problem behind most of the failures. Anyway, it's worth seeing if you can put up with the language that everyone else seems to laugh at. You don't have to be a prude to not enjoy crude. I do love a good musical and this is one.

What's On Your Platter?

When the daughter of Herodias danced for the drunken Herod and he was so taken with her performance that he promised "to give her whatever she asked," with one writer adding up to half his kingdom, she ran to her mother for advice. Talk about the potential for a beautiful story? Wow! Just think of what she could have asked for and received! Just think of the riches, the land, the power, the notoriety, or even all the good she could have done. But because of Herodias's hatred for John the Baptist and the bitterness her guilt generated in her heart, she "prompted" her daughter to ask for the head of John on a platter. Because of a serious lack of backbone and an inability to withstand peer pressure, Herod gave her what she asked for.
Yes, this is a terrible story about how ungodly Herod's family was, but it's also a very convicting story about poor choices, misplaced priorities, wasted opportunities, and how Satan gains control of our hearts. I can't help but wonder how many wrong choices I've made through the years and how many opportunities I've blown? I don't think I've cause anyone to lose their head, or even worse, their faith, but I have caused a few to lose their tempers or their high opinion of me - just to name a few. We all make bad choices at times, but hopefully we learn and grow and praise God for His forgiving grace.
I guess I just can't help but think about how often "half a kingdom" has been lost or traded for cheap revenge or immediate satisfaction or instant greed or elevated ego. Some times the dance of anger and bitterness causes people to lose their own head and makes them trade the riches of a loving Father for the one evening of silver platter satisfaction.
Father, give us the strength we need to trust in you and follow your guidance. Thank you for forgiving our sins and giving us a whole kingdom.

It's Almost a Show!

We are getting down to the last three weeks of rehearsals for our play. As you can see, the set is under construction - actually it just needs painting and curtains. This is the court of the King and Queen of Nineveh when Jonah returns from being in the belly of the big fish. They are singing "Hello Jonah", which is my version of "Hello Dolly" and is really going to be cute. All the songs are really sounding great. I believe this is the best collection of songs I've ever put together in a musical.

This is a rehearsal after the rehearsal with the ladies who are doing most of the choreography for "Hello Jonah". Donna is the Queen and the others are attendants. The guys can't handle the movements, so I've called on our "real" dancers - I mean choreographers - oops.

This is grandpa and his granddaughter, Mary, fishing on our dock. They are the narrators of the story and allow us to skip things, as they fill in the blanks for the story. Our master builders, Ken Fester and Ron Ebker built the dock and it's really awesome. I'm not sure if the string lights will stay or not. I like the rustic look of the dock w/o it looking like a Vegas show. So, anyway, it's coming along wonderfully. I can't wait to see our audiences enjoy it - and they will. Everyone is doing a beautiful job. The best part is that we are staying true to our purpose: have fun, do our best, and glorify God. That'll preach!

The Inclusion Rule

I had occasion to be reminded of one of my favorite Rootisms this week. It involves what I believe to be the most violated principle in church work and group dynamic there is. It has been one of the most frustrating elements of poor leadership that I have seen in my whole career as a preacher. I call it "The Inclusion Rule" and I quote it often in meetings with leaders and workers. It states "Before you do anything, ask yourself who does this involve and how will they feel about it." Seems simple enough, but because it's ignored, it's a source of much hurt and discouragement amount good workers in the church. Unfortunately, I have been guilty of violating it myself. You see, in servant oriented, go-getter, self-starter, "If you want the job done right, do it yourself" dedicated church worker organizations - many of us just want to press on and "git'er done"! And while we have no business being territorial or egotistical about our work of service, we don't like it when someone oversteps their responsibilities and steps into ours. Not long ago I was directing and scheduling a major church function. I purposely planned things for specific reasons and intentionally left something out to make it easier on certain folks. (Is that diplomatic enough?) Anyway, some wonderful folks - hard conscientious workers - decided something needed to be added to the plan so they just did it - without asking me or even sharing their plans with me. I wish I could say it didn't bother me, but it did - for just a short while - until I realized that my ego wasn't as important as God being glorified by their good work. So, while it took a little bit of time for me to come around (hours only), I was able to choose to praise God for good workers doing good work.
Some times it's just poor communication and misunderstandings, but in a few occasions it may truly be thoughtlessness and ego. I've been on both sides and it's something Satan can really use to drive wedges between folks simply trying to do the Lord's work. I like to think of Jesus being asked by His apostles to straighten out some folks who where doing great works, but they were not part of their group. They thought someone was clearly overstepping. Jesus told them to rejoice in something good being done and stop being so self-centered about doing good works.
As long as church folks are actively serving others and glorifying God they will occasionally infringe on one anothers "areas" and give Satan an opportunity to create a conflict. That won't happen if we decide to simply be happy that good things are getting done and be thankful that God is glorified.
That having been said, The Inclusion Rule is still appropriate, reasonable, and thoughtful for all of us. Now - if I could just remember my own Rootisms when I need them.....

Movie Magic

In the midst of all our usual church family activities, and with only four weeks of play rehearsals, set construction, costume making, play advertising, etc, etc, left - and with me frantically trying to get our basement construction all finished - somehow (over that last couple of weeks) we managed to watch all five past Harry Potter movies. Getting to see them all so close together really helped me understand things much better and really helped me remember names - which is a constant problem for me when watching long movies (with a short memory). I really enjoyed each of them and I'm glad we own them. I was reminded how important and central the whole "right vs. wrong" thing or "good vs. evil" thing is in every huge movie. Isn't it interesting that in everything from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings to Star Wars, just to name a few obvious ones, the them is "good will triumph over evil" every time. We cheer for the "good guys" and we "boo" the "evil guys" or the "force of darkness".
Everyone wants to believe in values, but for some reason, they don't want to believe they come from God. It's easier and maybe more entertaining (and unbelievable) to have "the Force" or the "good wizards" or the "Brotherhood of the Ring". It seems to me that these movies are all showing us how the seed of goodness, service, sacrifice, and - dare I say it - God, are innately part of our DNA. That may help us understand why Paul said that those without the Law, the Gentiles, in Romans 1, had no excuse for not seeing Him.

Petal Power

Within days of taking this picture of our only azalea bush, they were gone. Their beauty blessed us, and anyone who walked by, for just a few days. I actually found it sad when I first saw all the petals on the ground, but then I decided to give thanks for how much I enjoyed them regardless of the short period of blooming. Boy, talk about a load of life lessons? Everything in God's creation is temporary, but just think about how hard it is to focus on the now? Enjoy the now - the blooming time - and not lessen it or cheapen it by thinking about dead petals on the ground! The value of our life is not found in the number of days we get but in the number of days we truly live. The only way we can enjoy the moment we have is to be thankful for the moment we have. Feel blessed! Feel fortunate! Feel loved - by people God put in our life and by Him - even if those people have to leave us - or disappoint us - or forget us. He doesn't. He made that azalea bush and He made you. Bloom - give - dazzle - enjoy! Yes - you could always have had more time, but then - you could have had less. Thank God for every moment you get to bloom for Him. You can't possibly feel cheated if you believe you'll get to bloom for Him for eternity. Wow! What a garden that will be!

Check Lists or Opportunities?

One of my favorite Rootisms is "Everyone believes it's more blessed to give than it is to receive until they walk into the assembly." What a sad indictment of Satan's power it is that we define ourselves by our style of worship rather than our love for one another! Our unity isn't based on relationships but on agreed preferences! So many congregations are full of miserable people who grudgingly stay together, but feel cheated because they're not getting the "Old Time Religion" they prefer or the new "happy - clappy rhythm driven praise songs" everyone else gets to have. Talk about missing REAL NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY! The assembly is no longer an opportunity to give encouragement, to edify others, and to help equip others, but a passive spectator sport that pushes the "feel good buttons" and allows us to get our "Do Church" item checked off the list. Do I sound negative? No doubt, but it's really more about being sad and disappointed. I really hate for Satan to continue winning and for Jesus to continue being ignored as the reason for the meeting. Congregations will continue to fight the worship wars as long as they continue to "Do Church" rather than elevate Jesus, and He is elevated through love and giving. Like I tell my folks regularly, if what you're doing this morning isn't giving, then what you're doing isn't worship. Let me add to that for any leaders who may read this: If what you're doing isn't helping people develop a deeper relationship with Jesus then you're playing church and not using it for the tool God intended it to be used for.

Why this blog? In our staff meeting yesterday we read 1 Corinthians 10 and I was touched (again) by what Paul said about our freedom in Christ. "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." (vs.23-24) Wow - talk about a perfect purpose statement for the assembly... Yes, this is talking about restricting what we do for the sake of brethren who don't understand their freedom, but even more important, it's about staying focused on being like Jesus. That's why he warned about mixing Christ and paganism. Keep your focus! Keep consistent! Fall in love with Jesus and "be Him" to others who are trying to do the same or maybe don't even know Him yet. Paul wrapped it all up with the call to glorify God in everything and follow his example as he followed the example of Christ. Ouch? Did you realize that Christians get together to help each other seek Jesus - and see Jesus?

This is a picture someone sent to me a while back that was titles "McDonald's Hits Africa". For some reason, after my visit to my doctor last Thursday, this picture spoke to me. Maybe it was the extra five pounds I've gained or the doubling of my PB medicine, but needless to say, we start on Phase One of The South Beach Diet again today. In truth, I sort of feel like that giraffe looks.

I tried to do a blog on Friday, before I left to go to Dallas to be with the leader of the Saturn Road church and speak for their retreat. I couldn't get the blog to post a picture, so I had to postpone it until today. I had a wonderful time visiting with the elders and staff of this wonderful church family. I was so impressed with their passion to grow, learn, and just do whatever God wants them to do. I dumped a lot of my Be Real material on them, with an emphasis on being real about being Jesus to those we are shepherding, and I think they truly enjoyed and appreciated the challenges I shared. Good men. I was blessed with be with these godly men again - for the third time - and I thanked them again for loving Pat and Deborah so much while they were working with them back a few years ago. The ones who were there with Pat and Deborah, clear still love and miss them very much. So what can I say, they must be really wise leaders!

One last random thought, I've determined that too many people live in fear. I have been shocked for some time now over the number of emails, forwards, comments, and media reports that everyone seems to thrive on having something to fear. I don't even want to give an example because someone will "fear" that I don't appreciate "a danger" or a "potential doom" or such. Read Matthew 6 again. Jesus didn't call us to paranoia but to peace. Peace that our Father is in charge and He STILL is the ONLY ONE we need to fear. Fear robs us of peace, fills us with negativity, and feeds our selfishness. Love God, love today, and live for now. I am committed to being thankful for the only day I still have a choice and can truly make a difference in - today. There's too much to do in glorifying God today to allow an ounce of fear about tomorrow creep in today.

Church Thoughts

I experienced my first earthquake last week. How cool is that? As long as no one was hurt, I'm glad I can claim it as another life experience that, up until then, I had missed. I've been in everything from tornadoes to typhoons, but never an earthquake. It was a weird feeling to be fully asleep in bed and wake up to the bed shaking for several seconds. At 4:30 in the morning, I knew it wasn't just a nervous leg twitching. When it ended, there were several loud pops from all over the house that sounded like some huge hail had suddenly hit. Neat, but I don't think I'd like to be around a bigger one.
Speaking of earth-shaking, here are some random thoughts about the purpose of the church. I've been jotting down some thoughts in my journal for quite a while and finally decided I had enough to call it a TOP TEN. How would you finish the statement "The church is..."? Here are some of mine.
* Church is a support system, not a system to support.
* Church doesn't define our faith as much as it defines our family.
* Church is not the object of our devotion, but points us to the object of our devotion.
* Church is meeting God through godly people, learning to love Him by loving others, and becoming aware of His presence rather than going to a special location to worship Him.
* Church supports living sacrifies to God, it doesn't define "giving".
* Church is a witness protection program that doesn't hide the witness.
* Since the proof of discipleship is loving one another, the church exists to make that happen.
* Church doesn't exist for outreach, but to build a passion for Jesus in the family members who then can't stop talking about Him.
* As the Body of Christ, the church's only ministry is to imitate the life of Christ.
* A church family should be known by what it does out on the playing field not in its Pep Rally.

A New Fear?

I've been receiving a lot of emails, mostly forwarded articles, about Oprah's "New Religion" or her "New Cult". All I can think of is that it's terribly hard to throw off the old mantel of paranoia that so many of us lived in with our legalistic, exclusive, and smug church thinking for so many years. The article from Fox News sounded amazingly like something from the old Contending For the Faith - which was always more about being contentious about faith than seeking it - then an objective look at a philosophical writers ideas. Remember when the mere suggestion that we could do something different in our assemblies got us labelled "New Change Agents"? Remember when even hinting that we might consider interpreting the New Testament from Jesus' perspective rather than a jigsaw puzzle perspective suddenly became "A New Hermeneutic"? Now a little paper back book that is challenging people to honestly look into their hearts and see the real person they need to be is "New Age," Scientology, and a "New Religion" headed by Oprah. It all sounds a little bit like jealousy, bitterness, and revenge towards a powerful celebrity who happens to support a democrat. I am not a democrat, but then, I'm not sure right now if I'm a republican either. It also disturbs me that people can be so hateful and mean about a writer who is different and was not a celebrity until Oprah read his book. What I really am is a seeker of anything that will help me draw closer to God. From what I've read in Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth, I've seen only things that will help and inspire anyone who is seeking God.
I'm not finished with the book, but I've read enough to encourage you to read it for yourself. Don't let the fear mongers do your thinking for you. If I were to sum up his book, which is a little different and not always easy to follow, I think two things jump to the surface. One, he helps the reader live in the now. Jesus said, "Don't be anxious about tomorrow" and Tolle echoes His teaching by simply pointing out that we lose too much because we live in the past or anticipate the future. His words are a little different, but the point is so true. Learn to appreciate - be thankful for today - this moment, and don't waste it.
The second thing I've been impressed with is his guiding the reader into seeing how we are controlled by the roles, the influences, the pressures, or the perceptions of what we think others, or our circumstances, require us to be. We are out of touch with the real, authentic person in our hearts. I would call it selfishness and he helps us see where it comes from, but he calls it ego. Six to one.... I would say that it's a call to Be Real or honest with ourselves. He calls it "awareness". ...half dozen the other.
It's silly paranoia to call it a "New Religion" or "Oprah's Cult". I like the open discussion of "What Jesus was really saying" and I like the challenge to discover what life is really all about. Like Oprah said, it will make you a better follower of Jesus and it should make every minute you spend in worship more meaningful. The only thing new about that is maybe a new honesty about what we are doing.
So before you panic and start fearing the "Church of Oprah", read it for yourself. And, as when you read your Bible, read it with the eyes of Jesus. What can it teach you about developing a deeper relationship with Him. Now there's a new idea. And sure, there are a few things that you will have to ignore or reject, but because you're a seeker not a robot you don't have to eat everything on the plate.

Quick Trip Report

Since we were with family in Nashville from Sunday evening until early Wednesday morning, I obviously didn't have time to blog much. We had a wonderful, if short, visit with the Bills & Miloms and got to hold those sweet grand kids a little bit. We haven't seen Chad, Elizabeth, and there three since Christmas and at that time, little Curtis was only a month old. Wow - they change a lot in three and a half months. Pat, Deborah, and their two were here last month for a short visit, but that's still not enough for grandparents who miss their kids and grand kids a lot.

All five grand kids have grown so much. This was Tuesday night after a wild game of "Go Fish" with Nana.

This is the youngest one - little Curtis, and it's so neat to see him become so expressive and responsive. Isn't it amazing what you will do to just make a baby smile? That's when you start realizing that the best things in life come from friends, family, and loving relationships. We can't wait to have everyone here for the play in early June.

Deeper Roots

Okay, there are clearly more important things going on in our life than the construction of our basement. Still, as I put our next vacation on a credit card and then looked at what the basement has done to our Lowe's card, which is paid off each month, I found myself thinking, "Maybe this basement thing could wait a while longer." Na! It kills me to have a partially finished basement and I'm so thankful for the help I've been getting from Ken Teson, Bill Lee, Ron Ebker, Paul Parrett, and Cary Paul that I don't dare slack off now. Besides, as you can see in these pics, we will be painting the walls next week. The two iron pillars will be boxed, dry walled, and mudded today, then we'll paint, and somewhere along the way we'll put doors in and bring the stairs up to code. Speaking of "code" - it was so nice to have the inspector come in on Monday and simply look around and say, "You're good to go. Call me when you're finished for the final inspection." Now it's all up to us. The goal is having it totally finished (with the exception of maybe carpet $$$$$) before the week of the musical, June 5-8. So if you want to come to the play and stay with us you can. The bedrooms are spoken for, but there will be plenty of space in the NEW BASEMENT!

The only visible window in the new basement. Unfortunately the other four are in the storeroom part behind the left wall. Hey, what's wrong with a well lit storeroom?

Can you believe that we are using Liquid Nails to attach these boards to the steel beams? Amazing stuff.

Picture the stairs with railing and slats or spindles of some kind. It will be safe - as long as you don't try to come down head first.

What in the world are You doing?

I've stopped trying to figure God out. I give up! Actually, I gave up - a long time ago. My job is not to "figure him out" but to know Him, seek Him, and love Him. To figure Him out, I would have to be God myself. I can't know how He works or why He does what He does. Besides that, I don't need to know. What I need to know is that He loves me! What I need to know is that I can trust Him! What I need to know is that He will take care of me no matter what this temporary life throws at me, and He will see me through every hard time and use it to help me draw even closer to Him.
I know what His ultimate plan is and that means I don't have to know how He will carry out His plan. I see the here and now. I want peace and happiness here and now. I want it fixed if it needs fixing, you guessed it - here and now. Our Father sees yesterday, today, and tomorrow on the same spiritual screen. He's in all three. He started things moving decades ago to answer a prayer I offer today so this His plan will be carried out tomorrow. How incredible is that?
So why does sad and terrible things happen to godly people? If you're a parent, you know that sometimes all you can say to your child is "because." Sometimes things happen just because we are living in a world with natural laws that include everyone of us. We're just visitors and we have no promise or guarantee of how many days we will have. We don't deserve any. Every single day is a blessing. Sometimes God intervenes to carry out His will, sometimes it's His will that His natural laws dictate what happens. Why? When? We'll never know in this life. But every day is a blessing from Him and that's always true whether it's decades of life or days in a womb.
"Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen"
Lord, help my unbelief so I will continue to stop trying to figure You out.

Wildlife In The Burbs

Donna was able to get a picture of this duck sitting on her nest of eggs right under our large picture window overhang on the back of our house. I suspected that she was sitting a nest of eggs when I watched her disappear under the window early in the morning a couple days in a row. When I tried to sneak around the side of the house and zoom in with my camera to get a picture, she flew out before I could. She didn't fly when Donna took her picture, so maybe she knew who the hunter in the family is. I thought she'd have a hard time keeping her eggs safe, with all the neighborhood cats I've seen prowling around, and with all the night-time wild critters that roam the night. Sure enough...

...these are her eggs, opened and eaten. Actually, whatever it was, my guess is a raccoon, came one night and got about four of them and she was back sitting on the remaining two eggs that day. Then the next night the eggs thief returned and got the remaining two eggs. Such is life. I wonder how many of all the eggs that are laid by wild ducks actually hatch? No one knows but God. Like I said, such is life - because this morning, Donna and I laughed to watch the drake chasing the nest-free hen all around the pond. That's wildlife! There's no grieving, remorse, or bad memories - just survival. That's they way God made them and when they, yes even ducks, function the way God made them to function, He is glorified by His creation. As I've said many times, how ironic is it that mankind, the only part of creation that is made in the image of God, is the only part that can choose to not glorify Him. Things are going to happen to all of us simply because we are part of nature, but we have the opportunity to live eternally if we will seek the One who made us.

Heart Songs

Between the usual "church work," the play, and the basement, there hasn't been any extra time to think about a blog, but I do want to just mention a couple of thoughts that have been running through my mind after having a disappointing discussion about fellowship with our Christian church brethren. And let ME be clear about my feelings. They are brothers and sisters - period - end of story! What part of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" do we have an issue about? And I'm sorry if some still think using instrumental music is a salvation issue. That's a terrible misunderstanding of scripture and a terrible understanding of grace.
That is a bigger discussion than I want to get into here and now, but I will say this. Since I've been getting my voice treatments now - I've had four - which involves botox injections into my vocal chords which causes me to be able to only whisper for about two weeks and not be able to sing for about five to six weeks - I have a new perspective on singing and making melody in my heart to the Lord. I have always loved singing with my church family. It has been the single biggest tool that I've used to get truly "pumped up" before I share my message every Sunday morning. Now, it has to happen more in my heart than on my lips. Now, I have to "be admonished" by others more than I can be a giver and speak to others through songs. I say all that to simply make this point: I am more convinced than ever that God meant for singing to be a matter of the heart, and ALL ELSE IS INCIDENTAL! It's a tool given by God to help edify one another and to make the tool a ritual filled with legal specifications is simply missing the point.

Down In The Pits!

This is a picture of our basement that I posted almost a year ago after I did the biggest part of the framing. Well, I hit a "rough spot" after that as I tried to figure out how to do all the electrical work without paying big bucks and still obeying the county code. Short story: I couldn't figure out a way so I ended up paying an electrician to come do all the basic electrical. After some "missing things" the inspector pointed out were fixed or built, I finally got the "thumbs up" to move to the next stage. Last week I did all the insulation and yesterday, with some great friends showing up to help, we began doing the dry wall work. Finally it's starting to look like a room in a house and not a basement cave.

You never realize how many pipes, vents, wires, etc. you have in basement until you start having to box them in so you can dry wall around and over them. Oh the little pieces and the little cuts! It's so nice to have helpers who know how to do it.

For some reason we have white foot prints throughout our house. Not really, but the dust from cutting the dry wall is everywhere.

That little room on the left will be our new pantry - when it's finished and when we figure out a place to put all my hunting stuff that now fills the room. See the stack of dry wall on the floor? I hoping I figured it out exactly so we don't have to make any more trips up and down the stairs with more sheets. Paul Parrett and I carried fifty sheets down yesterday as Ken Teson, Ron Ebker, and Cary Paul used the rented dry wall lift to raise sheets up to the celling. It sure was nice to have so many helpers. In fact, this was going to be a blog about why it's so hard for some of us to ask for help - especially when we are willing to give it. These guys asked me if they could help and I now I don't know how I could have done it with out them. I smell a future blog!

Ten Points About Sharing

I haven't pulled my bow back in three months now and I'm getting a little anxious to get out in the woods and chase some critters around. The above picture of my '07 IL deer was taken by Danny Younger when he met me at the processing place. It was really nice to pull up there and have a good friend waiting to see what took me three months to get. The best part of hunting, for me, is the fellowship and sharing with good friends. I remember learning how important that was when I did a short Colorado hunt by myself back about eighteen years ago. We've been going to Meeker, CO since 1986, and we've had from two to five in our group every year. That year I went back for a two day hunt and it just wasn't fun at all. No one to report to after each hunt - and there is ALWAYS something to tell even if it's not about deer or elk- and no one to share meals with, the hunting cabin with, or to get you pumped up at 4:30 in the morning when it's cold, dark, and your eye lids are made out of concrete.
As I applied for my '08 mule deer tag for Colorado yesterday, I thought about all the guys I've shared that trip with through the years and all the fun we've had. My brother-in-law, Kevin has been the only one who has been part of it with me since that first one in '86. There's probably another dozen names I could list who have been part of the group at one time or another. Kevin's brother Brian has been there quite a few years since he started in about '90 or '91. And Danny went for his first trip last year. Yes, I'm thankful for the few times I've come home with something for the freezer, and yes, it's a blast now to play with ATV's on the fourteen thousand acres of private property we have access to, but the best part is the sharing with friends. That's really what hunting is all about.

Lessons From the Village Idiot?

I love to make fun of myself. I guess I learned a long time ago that people love to hear the preacher make fun of himself. If you can't laugh at yourself you will not survive in ministry. Everyone has a preacher joke and everyone loves to "put the preacher in his place" by sharing it - and the more public the better. One of the reasons I enjoy doing my own self "buffeting" is that I like to remind everyone who listens to me that we are all on the same journey. If I'm an expert on anything it's how badly I need grace. I've never tried to be perfect authority on anything and have found it helpful to occasionally be the village idiot. I certainly have very little to brag about, but a whole life-time of things to be thankful for. So yes, sometimes you can learn a lesson from the village idiot - especially one trying to stay close to the cross of Jesus.
When I wrote the first draft of my last blog and then published it, the title which now reads "Nana's Fridge" was "Nana's Frig". When I read my daughter's comments I immediate thought "Why of course!" and then "Man, I'm a terrible speller!" I am and always will be. Discovering computers and spell check in the mid-eighties was an incredible liberating moment in my life. I didn't have to be shackled by my fear of writing something that people would laugh at or ridicule, or worse - simply not "get"- because of misspelled words. And even with a firm reliance on spell check and my mini-dictionary that rests beside my computer, I have to say to myself, "How many times do I really misspell a word?" One in a hundred - or two hundred - or more sometimes? Do you know how good it feels to hit the spell check on this blog and have it come up and say "No Misspelled Words"? It happens a lot. I know the spelling rules, but I just can't remember how some words are spelled. It just doesn't stick in my head. Double consonants? Is it "ence" or "ance" - or, and I have no idea why, I can never remember if "occasion" has two "c's" or two "s's" or both. If I can't remember, I spell phonetically (like I say it) or with logic. If you'd have given me 100 chances to spell "fridge" I never would have gotten it right. I never connected it with "ridge" with a "d" and I knew it was a slang word for "refrigerator" so I assumed it just transcended the rules and the context made it work. I certainly know that "frig" is just "fig" with and "r" in it. It was a logical call for me - especially since spell check didn't correct it and my mini-dictionary didn't have it (of course, since it's spelled wrong it wouldn't). So what do you do but laugh? I just really hate it when my memory losses keep someone from getting the real message.
You have to remember, I've been writing for five decades. I have six published books and I write every day. It's not like these are new words for me. There is just some mental block that keeps me from remembering certain words. I change words while writing sometimes, just because I'm unsure of the spelling. I'd love to use more proper names (i.e. stars, athletes, politicians, etc.) but I can never spell their names right. I'm envious of all my family who are great spellers and can write anything without worrying about looking dumb. Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not whining or offering excuses. It's just me and the brain God gave me and I'm thankful for all of it. HOWEVER, it scares me to think how easy it would be to let fear keep me from doing something God called me to do! And how many others are not doing things God gave them the talent to do because they focus too much on their weaknesses and shortcomings? What are you not doing because you fear ridicule, failure, or revealing your foibles? Maybe by risking being the village idiot occasionally you might help someone else learn a powerful lesson that could change their life.
Think about that while I go see what's in the frig.

"Nana's Fridge"

I was standing in the kitchen this morning, waiting for a second cup of coffee to brew before I descended into the basement to finish installing insulation in the walls, and I found myself staring at our refrigerator. It's just a typical frig like the one in most kitchens across the country, and yet, it's very different - very special. What makes it special is that it's "Nana's Fridge" - that's Donna for any of you who don't know her grandma name. Because it's Nana's Fridge, it's iconic to the Root family. It's were special pictures must be posted with magical magnets. Pictures of our children and grand children, of friends and their children and grand children. And of course, there must always be those amazing works of art that only little hands with crayons can make - where horses are blue and mice dance and lines become impossible to stay inside of. It's a great achievement to get your drawing placed on Nana's Fridge. It's not for just anyone. You have to have a sweet smile, an infectious giggle, and a pure heart. It's not required, but it's always the case - you have to think that Nana is the best thing since glazed doughnuts - and she is. Nana's Fridge hasn't always been Nana's Fridge. We bought it in 1990 when we moved to Texas. Back then, it was Mom's Fridge, and strangely enough, it pretty much looked the same then as it does now. Same kind of facial characteristics in the pictures, same kind of requirements to get posted, and the same kind of art work. And the best part of Nana/Mom's Fridge is that it always held wonderful things that she seemed to turn into the best food, the most fun, and the greatest memories. I am thankful for that and mostly I'm thankful for Nana. I am thankful for God's goodness and blessings, and of course, He is good whether or not life is good to us. I guess the reason I haven't paid a lot of attention to Nana's Fridge is because I'd much rather look at Nana.

The Easter Irony

Between having some special time with visiting family this week and dealing with the fog of head cold/allergies or just Missouri Crud, I haven't been able to even think about doing a blog. (By the way, did you ever think about how incompatible a runny nose and a mustache are?) Nevertheless (love those big theological words) I have been thinking a lot about this Sunday's approaching sermon topic: Be Real: Am I passionate about unity. The challenge being - am I as passionate about it as Jesus was - since He's the one I want to be like. Yes, I'm talking about unity on Easter Sunday and I think it's the perfect lesson for such a day.
I've been amazed and somewhat troubled to think about how differently I would have preached his sermon twenty or thirty years ago. I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there who would simply say that as "Old Root" has aged he's gotten liberal and started watering down the "pure Gospel". And maybe to such folks the "pure Gospel" means checking off the "five acts of worship" like it was done in 1950 in all faithful Churches of Christ nationwide. And those only count if you "obeyed the five steps of salvation". Don't even think about unity unless you are in full agreement with our formulas, steps, and patterns - not to mention a few hundred other potential battle lines that any rational student of the Bible can see drawn in the sand of truth.
I suspect that Paul, if he heard about all this, would feel like he was right back in the middle of his struggle with those brethren who were Judiazing teachers. Leave it to us to complicate God's plan. His will is simple - love Him and love others as we love ourselves. The Gospel? It's not a formula or some steps. It's Good News - remember? It's two words - HE'S ALIVE! Just look at what they said in Acts every time they had a chance to speak. GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD! It's a fact! Since it's a fact - it means He is the Son of God and the ONLY name under heaven through which we can be saved!
The irony of Easter, as I see it, is that on one hand it's one of the most divisive days of the year, with more people in more churches emphasizing more divisions! Yet, on the other hand, it's a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus which is the foundation - the heart and soul - upon which all unity must be based. Yes, there are some serious differences, but I am so thankful that so many realize how important the Resurrection of Jesus is! Easter is a celebration of The Gospel, which is Jesus! Have you ever thought about what a powerful witness it is that hundreds of millions of people around the world are declaring the Resurrection of Jesus to be a FACT? None of us is totally right about everything, but most of us are right about the most important thing. Remember what Paul said? "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Yes, there may be more - but there's nothing if it doesn't start with His resurrection.

Brother Root?

Donna took this picture of me Saturday evening when I came home after doing a wedding. The only reason I share it is to show "some" of my good friends that I really do own a suit and I do wear one occasionally - weddings or funerals (I know there's a joke there somewhere). The real reason I share it is because of the combination of two things that may never be seen together again - or at least for a long time to come. My white beard (which, yes, I do keep trimmed short) and the wearing of a coat and tie. Unless someone dies, my next wedding ceremony is in October and my three month old beard is not long for this world (which isn't connected to someone dying - thank goodness). I've used it as my Be Real reminder since the first week of January, but to be real about it, I'm already tired of it. I plan to continue my series of lessons on Be Real (about being like Jesus) through May, but our adult classes on this subject will stop at the end of March. It has been one of the most spiritually enriching things I have ever done. It's all about being completely honest about how passionate we are about building a deeper relationship with God and becoming more like Jesus. It's about breaking free from ruts and routines. It's about stopping the pretending and playing church. I hope others have been blessed as much as I have. Anyway, when you hear someone say, "That Mike Root never wears a coat and tie," which I'm sure you hear daily, just guide them to my blog and show them that I still know how a real preacher is supposed to look. OOPS! I forgot to hold my Bible up for the picture!

Church PC

We had a lot of great songs in our musical last year, but the one I had the most fun writing the lyrics for was "I'm So PC" from West Side Story's "I Feel Pretty". If you saw the play, it was sung by Valerie McBain. In fact, she's singing my favorite set of lyrics again this year's musical. She's doing "Pirate School Drop Out" from the Grease number "Beauty School Drop Out." Anyway, I say that just to introduce my Top Ten. Every one's obsessed with being PC (politically correct, for those living in a cave) and it dawned on me that we've been doing that in church for decades. I've always said, especially regarding "change" and "new things", that it's not what you do but what you call it. So - here is my Top Ten Church PC Language.

If you are going to be Church PC, it must be:

1. Choreography not dancing (especially at any Christian University or school)

2. Chorus not choir (this is where it's good to ignore the OT)

3. Baptismal Practice not a pool party (this varies depending on how close you are to a large body of water or living in a hot area of the country)

4. Stretching! Not raising hands! (and don't rock)

5. Elders not bosses (church CEO is definitely out of the question)

6. Chronologically Challenged not "long winded"

7. Closing Prayer not "The dinner bell"

8. Opening Prayer not "Shut up and sit down!"

9. "Traditional" not immovable

"Progressive" not entertaining

"Liberal" not totally wrong

"Conservative" not dead

10. "Offering the invitation" not "The Song-book-shuffle"

A Prayer That's On My Heart

Father, please put the best person in the White House. I feel so helpless to know who's right or best. Help me to rely on You, to trust in You, and to remember that Your Kingdom is not of this world. Father, I'm torn and confused. Do I side with the party that claims to have conservative values, but sometimes doesn't, or the party that claims to have compassion, but sometimes doesn't. Do I side with a party that is pro-choice as a platform, but has many who are pro-life, or a party that claims to be pro-life, but over half claim to be pro-choice. Do I listen to those who declare that one party is more righteous/Christian than the other, when both seem so godless at times? Father, I'd love to see a woman as President, but this one? I'd love to see a black, Christian man in the White House, but this one? I'd love to see a true hero lead our country, but this one?
Father, I don't want to be apathetic and I surely don't want to be cynical. Father, help me to be a good steward of all you've given me. You gave me life, you gave me an imperfect, but still the greatest country ever, and you gave me the opportunity to have a voice and a vote. But Father, my citizenship is not of this world. I am a stranger and an alien here. Help me to not be driven by self-interest or party interest, but by the spirit of Jesus. I know you'll guide me, and I know you'll still be in control no matter who is elected. Father, help us to show the world that no election is more important than your election - being added to your Kingdom. Thank you for listening. Thank you for answering.

Troubled Teens?

One of the saddest things to see in life is a young person who feels alone, rejected, or just isolated and misunderstood. Wait a second! Doesn't every child feel that at some point or points in their life? Of course they do - it's part of life - especially in those teen years. Why do some get over it like it was a brief virus while others seem to get trapped in it, overwhelmed by it, even to the point of being suicidal? I'm not a psychiatrist. I'm not even sure I can spell it right. I do know that the best way to overcome self-focus is to help others, give to others, and break the cycle of self-pity. As we teach our little children to have good manners, brush their teeth, and put a coin in the collection plate when it comes around - we need to teach them the joy of giving and helping others. Of course, if they don't see it in us they won't pay much attention to us. In a self-centered world with so much comfort, materialism, and unrestricted accumulation, if we don't learn to sacrifice and share we will be doomed to selfish misery and the pain of seeing our children fall into the same trap. "Trust Jesus" is not a motto or cliche' but the best parenting advice you'll ever get. He said, "It's more blessed to give then it is to receive." It's not just a nice truth but a fact of life. Don't you want your children to be blessed? It won't happen if we keep making sure that all they do is receive. You could be saving their life - not to mention their soul.

I Don't See No Stinkin' Pirates!

Let the rehearsals begin! These pics are from this past Thursday evening's rehearsal. We actually had a short rehearsal on Wednesday evening, but because of starting late and the usual announcement stuff, we're lucky to have 30 to 35 minutes of actual rehearsing. But Thursday was the real thing - two full hours of working on some of the 18 or 19 songs that will be in the musical this June. I am so thrilled with how well everyone did. I'm sure, with most of the 50 cast members being repeats, the confidence level is much higher sooner than it has been in the past, but they're doing really well. It also helps that most of our "group songs" are familiar to more people. I planned it that way because I want us on stage sooner so we can spent more time on choreography than we've been able to do with the last two productions. This is going to be fun, but we've got a ton of work to do to get everything ready for that opening night in June. Now, if Donna and her costume group can just come up with 50 different fish outfits for the belly of the whale scene...

Maybe The Last Snow This Year?

I thought you might enjoy seeing what a 12 inch snow looks like. I know, all you folks who live farther north are saying, "12 inches? That's nothing!" But for those of us who live in a part of the country where ALL four seasons are equally represented - it's a huge storm! It made the top five largest snow storms in St. Louis in March - and that was taking measurements at the airport where it was only 10 inches. We've seen bigger storms, especially in Northern Virginia.

Maybe the most amazing part of the whole experience was that it all fell between 9 A.M. and 3 P.M. Talk about a sudden dumping of snow! This is a foot of snow on one of our trash cans.

So, I was out scooping it up by four in the afternoon. Amazingly, just twenty-four hours later it was 46 degrees and the driveway and streets were clear and dry. I could have avoided the sore back I got from all the manual labor.

Another picture of our pond out back the morning after the storm and before the quick melt-down started. Just beyond the trees, in the next field, the fog was incredibly dense and the sun was shining through it. Wow! I love this spot. Now, if all our friends and family would just move to Florissant...

Winter Refections

As I look out of the windows of our house and see the heavy snow falling onto the seven inches of snow already on the ground, I am again impressed with it's beauty and it's ability to cover all the winter nastiness and grayness that still dominates our early March. Jesus makes my sinful heart look "whiter than snow" and that's even more beautiful than the landscape outside. But I'm also reminded about how quickly things change. Day before yesterday it was 78 degrees and we drove home from church with our car windows down! We had the windows of our house open and the ceiling fans running right up until we went to bed Sunday night. And now we're home on a Tuesday afternoon to keep from spending the night at the church office.

That's life. It's full of changes. Things can't stay comfortable, happy, and wonderfully healthy anymore than the weather can stay the same through four seasons. But life, like the St. Louis weather, no matter how bad or tough it gets - will change. With patience and trust and fortitude and people who love you, you can work through it and a season of blessed change will come. When God our Father and Jesus our brother are there to share, comfort, and encourage us, we not only "get through it" but we end up stronger, better, and closer to them. It's as much a part of growing up spiritually as growing out of our clothes is physically.

Think about that if you're having some relationship struggles in your family. One day they will be laughed at over a cup of coffee. Think of that if you're wondering when your child or children will ever move on to the next stage of maturity. They will, and you'll forget the worry that plagues you now. Think of that if you're worn out pinching pennies and robbing from Peter to pay Paul and listening too much to the nightly news. Some day you'll realize it was the wrong master anyway, and you'll be grateful that you're closer to the only One Master there can be.

New Wine in old Whineskins?

My brother sent me this drawing. I always knew they were "closet bikers"!

Obviously, things are not always what they seem to be, but sometimes that's true just because we're looking for the wrong things. I have been amazed at how my perspective on the Word of God has changed through the years. For too many years it was my "proof" book - my ammunition to shoot down the doctrinally misled and to bolster the acceptable orthodoxy of my group. Then it became a treasure - a pearl of great price, that I examined, polished, and started discovering the richness of God's Spirit all through it. I shook off some old baggage and discovered some new wine that needed to be place in a new heart-shaped wineskin. And when I started looking for Jesus - not at Him or about Him - but Him, what the Spirit was wanting me to see in every verse of every book in the Bible, it turned into a brand new Book. Did you realize that 1 Corinthians is about Jesus? The book that has been the battle ground for so many issues in the church - so many divisions, is really about forgetting our differences and focusing on Jesus. How ironic is that? How sad is that?

Two things that will change forever how you read scripture: 1) Always look for Jesus. What is the writer saying about Him? What is the Spirit really pointing to? What do you need to take away from the passage that will help you have "the mind of Christ"? 2) Remember how tough this all must have been for God. What? If you just consider how incredibly difficult, even impossible is must have been for God to communicate spiritual concepts, spiritual truths, and even the spiritual world, to folks who are totally worldly - you realize that we were never meant to understand everything. That is why the basics of what God wants - has aways wanted- is and has been wonderfully simple. Love Him with all our heart and love our neighbor as we love our self. It's there, in print, simple as can be - from cover to cover. Eternity, the end of time, what's going to happen, what we will look like, what will heaven be like, what is a perfect spiritual body, etc, etc...are all things that we probably can't comprehend even if He gave us more information. Did you ever notice John 3:12 while on your way to verse 16? Jesus said to Nicodemus, "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" Match that with the total mix-up of wisdom vs. foolishness in 1 Corinthians 2-3 and you begin to see that "We were never meant to get it all!" How can limited power, time, and space understand limitless power, time, and space? What we know about the nature of God wouldn't fill a celestial thimble! But it's enough! Enough to know, believe, live, be godly, and build a relationship with One who gave it all to us. Enough to see His Word as the love letter, marriage license, and life-guide He meant for it to be.

Yeah, it - the Book - hasn't changed a lick, but praise God I have. I can't wait to see what I'll discover next!

Moods & Movies

This is the time of the year when we have what is probably the longest stretch of being away from our family. We haven't seen our kids and grand kids since Christmas. When I realized that my schedule wasn't going to allow any trips for a long while, I suggested to Donna that she might go to Nashville alone so at least one of us would get to see some family. So she left yesterday afternoon, after our first meeting of the musical cast and first read through of the script. I'm jealous, but happy that she could go. I really don't like long stretches of not seeing our loved ones - especially those grand kids. At their age, two or three months is huge in terms of changes in their lives. I can tell just by seeing their pictures on Deborah's and Elizabeth's blogs that they have grown a lot just since Christmas - especially little Curtis. He's already starting to look like a little person rather than a bundle of joy. And then there's the two in New York, who we have been trying to figure out a way to visit, but schedules, costs, and large blocks of time just haven't worked to make that a reality yet. I guess it would be nice to be rich an retired, but frankly, I dearly love what we are doing. I've never felt more a part of God's plan in my entire life than I do right now. I feel like the last thirty-something years were all part of His preparing us to be right here, right now. So, while I dislike being away from our family, I am deeply thanking to be where we are and doing what we are doing. Still, while I miss my favorite co-minister, I'm glad the grand kids get to spend a little time with Nana. She's a lot more fun than Papa, and I know it won't be too much longer until they all can visit St. Louis.
Since Donna was gone last night. I watch God's And Generals again. I loved it. It's long and has some painfully slow spots, but the historical accuracy is wonderful. The battle scenes make my blood run cold, especially Fredericksburg. As terrible as they depicted it, it was much, much worse. The carnage was incredible as thousands of Union troops, wave after wave, assaulted entrenched confederates, behind stone walls, shooting down hill. The Union troops were dropped by the thousands. How in the world did Lee watch that and then do what he did at Gettysburg?
I share this just to say that there are some scenes in God's And Generals that just grab my heart. I'm talking about the passion for God and the strong belief in prayer that is displayed by Jackson. The scene of Thomas Jackson and his wife sharing a scripture before he goes off to war is powerful. And his prayer with his black cook, on their way to Chancellorsville, where he is wounded and eventually dies, is incredible. I can't think of another movie (short of The Passion of course) that depicts a passion for God in such a favorable light. No jokes, no ridicule, and no "alternative" representation. Just a deep love for God. Even if you don't like war or historical movies, it's worth seeing just for the positive perspective on faith in God.

Yesterday, Today, and Today!

OK - It's, a muskrat, but it's related!

Somewhere between Gladiator and Singing In the Rain is one of my all time favorite movies. I realized last night that February was about to get away from me and I hadn't seen Groundhog Day yet. I love Groundhog Day - I think I've mentioned that a few times in the past. I love it for at least two reasons. First, and most obvious, is the message. "Phil" takes what seems to be a curse and learns the secret of happiness. He goes from shock to depression to total selfishness to suicidal to finally discover that happiness and meaning come from serving others. His final day in "Groundhog" eternity is so powerful and transforming that it brings me to tears. Because of his unselfishness - his giving, servant, lifestyle - he, in one day, has become the most beloved person in town. Truly, happiness comes from helping others be happy. How nice would it be to learn that without aging in the process. I'm not begrudging the aging, just the wasted years we all spend learning the very lesson we heard as children.

The other special reason I love it is because it does remind my of my own spiritual journey. Back when I saw the movie when it was new, I got the point, but it was still primarily a comedy to me. Several years later, after I'd been doing a lot more thinking and praying about God, grace, and gratitude, it touched me. It's still hilarious - but mostly profound. And I think it's amazing that it was made by worldly people who had no intentions of having any spiritual or religious connections to the movie. The writer and director say as much in the Special Features.

So, if you haven't seen it in a while, check it out. I'll end this with a question. How many repeated days would it take you to learn the purpose of life?

Can You Hear Me Now?

In the last few years I have tried harder to listen to God's promptings in my life. I believe He guides us. It may be His Spirit doing the work, but I believe God put's word and thoughts into our ears and our hearts. Sometimes it's reading His Word or hearing someone else share their thoughts, or maybe it's just something that pops into my head that demands meditation. I especially try to pay attention when there are multiple "pops" over a period of time.
I share that just to say that I've been thinking a lot lately about how wonderful it is to know all my children love God and have a close walk with Jesus. Maybe it was the brothers I prayed with who were grieving over an adult child's ungodly choices. Maybe it was the news reports about sudden-unexpected tragedy in a government building or on a campus. Maybe part of was Heath Ledger. I've found myself thinking about Jesus' warning, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" That's not said to judge him, but to point out how meaningless success is without God.
Maybe it's the preparation for this Sunday's "Be Real" lesson about loving and caring for children like Jesus did. I'm going to ask some really tough questions about our focus, our success record, and our responsibilities.
I don't know were it all came from. I'm just so thankful that I have six adult kids (by birth and by law) who know that their soul is far more important than the whole world, and that is being passed on to their children - my grand children. It makes me really appreciate and personalize Johns comment in 3 John4. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." And Jesus is that truth (John 14:6). Thanks John, for saying it well and thanks Holy Spirit for whispering it in his ear. God is good.

Righteous But Not Too Much?

We must seek the character of Jesus and not His position. That was my main point yesterday as I tried to explain the difficult dance of how we correct the self-righteous, as Jesus did, and not become self-righteous ourselves. As sinners, who can't possibly know the hearts of other struggling sinners, how do we warn and correct without becoming the very Pharisees we're attempting to help. It's all about His spirit not His power. It's too easy to become self-righteous about not being self-righteous and risk the righteousness that God gives us because of His love - not our rightness. Did you follow that? Anything and everything we do can become an act of self-righteousness if we use it to compare ourselves to others, judge others, improve our image to others, or earn our salvation.
Time and space won't allow it here, but after a brief discussion with a friend of a friend about a friend (confused yet?), there may not be a better example of self-righteousness than how many today teach, preach, and practice their legalistic conclusions regarding marriage and divorce. Another case of an eldership dropping an edict on another desparate and hurting Christian, in an abusive, drug controlling, covenant mocking relationship, that since there was no known sex-out-of-marriage-adultery they must stay together or be single the rest of their life - "or the church will discipline" them guidance. There are a hundred points I'd love to list right here, about seeing laws and missing the Spirit. There is an ideal that God wants - one man for one woman for life and He hates divorce - always. There is an ideal that God wants - humble servants who love Him totally - He hates the proud - always. He hates to see covenants broken - period - always. But He's always the Father looking for the Prodigal to return and to give forgiveness. Laying aside those arguments and the sick Pharisees discussions about semantics, how can shepherds who have done nothing to guide, help, heal, pray with, and do everything possible to secure and protect a marriage, suddenly sit in judgment and pronounce sentence on God's children. "It's scripture!" someone screams. Well the Pharisees were corrected by Jesus for using scripture to "find life" without a real relationship with God. It's a crock of legalism. Couples or leaders who haven't sought God's guidance have no business seeking His justification for their position.
If you want to do something interesting, just make a list of all the Bible characters, men and woman of faith, who because of their marital situation or history wouldn't be allowed to set foot in some of our churches today. And don't hand me that "It's Old Testament" excuse. Jesus was still in the Old Testament when He spoke in Matthew 5 and 19 - and all He was saying was "Let's go back to what God intended in the beginning." He was pointing back to Genesis not the future. And who gave Moses the right to amend it?
One last thought. We can't be like Jesus when He cleansed the Temple, or spoke to the hearts of His apostles, because we can't see hearts. I can't help but feel like that's a good reason to not sit in judgment on broken marriages. We can't know what two people really think and feel in their hearts. We never know the whole story. God does. He's in the judging business. We're in the help and prevention business - the love and forgiveness business - well, because He's all about that too.

So here it is. The logo for our 2008 musical Jonah and the Pirates of the Mediterranean. The music has been picked out since back in late Summer and I finished the script in December. The casting list is posted in front of the church office and our first rehearsal starts the first Wednesday in March. I am really excited about doing this play. It's going to be so much fun. Yes, I took a few liberties with the story as I set up the reason why Jonah was so anti-Nineveh and yes, the ship to Tarshish probably wasn't a pirate ship - but it could have been! The music is going to be incredible. The usual mixture of Rock and Roll, Broadway hits, and praise songs will keep everyone entertained and inspired. If there is any chance that you might be in the St. Louis area the first week of June, please come and see it. I wish I could invite all to stay with us, but I'm hoping to have a house full of family. But mark June 5,6,7, and 8. We will do four performances that will all be the same. I am considering declaring Thursday night "Church Night" as a good night for area congregations to attend. I have purposely not invited sister congregations because our emphasis is on our community, but we have been having more and more "brethren" attend on Sunday night (good alternative to the usual PM requirement) and it has been our most crowded night. So maybe if we offer Thursday night (our smallest crowd night), it will give more space for Sunday. It'll work - one way or another. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Florissant won't even see this logo until Sunday morning - unless they read my blog. Wait until you see the choices of boats that Jonah had to choose from before he picked the one he did.

Portable Dishonesty

I used this in my lesson last Sunday, and it's so incredible that I felt like people thought I was making it up. It's a "Get Off the Phone Excuse Machine" that has recorded messages, one for each button, that you press when you're wanting an excuse to end a phone call. The six choices are static, siren, doorbell, crying baby, car crash, or "Knock, knock, Chinese food delivery!". They even advertise it as "And it's a key chain so you always have your 'excuses' handy." How nice is that? You can be dishonest and lie wherever you are! What is so amazing to me is that there is a basic assumption that there are enough people out there without integrity that this is a marketable product! Why is it so hard to just be honest? Now there's a wild idea. I couldn't help but apply this to how we treat God when He calls us. How big is our list of distractions? How many of our interruptions are self made so that we don't have to confront our lack of honesty about our relationship with God? How many times, maybe even while sitting in an assembly of saints, has God tried to get our attention and we pushed the mental button of static, crying baby, food, or life crashes?

Excuse machines were around long before this little key chain lying machine was invented. It's called the heart.

Three "G's"

A friend sent us this picture and I thought I'd share it since it's about two of our family's favorite animals. Today it's in the low teens outside, so this picture reminds me of how thankful I am to have a house and to be inside of it looking out rather than the other way around.
I've been reading an interesting book by Bill Hybels about sharing our faith, titled Just Walk Across the Room. I really like his emphasis on being sensitive to the Spirit's directions in our life. In one story that he shared, he talked about a couple who were far from God and who needed to start thinking about more positive and spiritual things before they would be ready to change their lives. He asked them to think about "grace and power" for a couple weeks, and just say those two words over and over. I really like the fact that he was preparing soil not trying to harvest a crop. But it also made me think about what words I'd challenge someome to dwell on.
What would you say are the two or three most powerful words you could share with someone? I immediately thought of three words that "say it all" for me, and, while "Jesus" is always first, for memory purposes I like alliteration. So my pick is God, grace, and gratitude. They sum up the who, what, and why of my spiritual journey. What would you use?

Being Real And Hairy

I decided about five weeks ago that letting my beard grow out would be a good daily reminder for me to "Be Real." After all, every morning I look at my white whiskers and have to say "It's the real me." I'm old enough that my beard is white - not even the gray it was the last time I did this about seven years ago. I've enjoyed using it as my own personal-can't-avoid-it-in-your-face reminder. I don't want to get distracted from my journey to honestly examine how passionate I am about being as much like Jesus as I possibly can. If I'm going to preach it - expect it from my church family - then I have to be real myself. That having been said, nothing a preacher does that is seen by everyone is personal or private. Every member has a comment, an opinion, and usually a joke to share about the addition to my face. So from that standpoint, it may not be the best personal reminder I could have chosen, but hey, that's what razors are for. Still, I plan to let it grow for awhile. I told some minister buddies at the preacher's meeting this morning that I was into the Moses look. Of course, from my loving brethren, I've heard comments about everything from Willie Nelson to Sean Connery. One teen did call me Santa, one brother called me Foster Brooks (that'll date ya if you know who he is), and fortunately no one has called me Kenny Rogers. Twenty years ago that might have flattered me, but today I might have to slug whoever says it. Personally, every time I catch a surprising look in a mirror I feel like I should be doing a TV commercial from a boat in Maine selling fish sticks. I really like our older folks. My beard is so light and white that many of them can't see it from their church seat. When I give them a big hug they say, "When did you grow that?" Oops, I just remember that I say the same thing when I look in the mirror on my first trip to the bathroom every morning.
Change is fun. I'm going to enjoy it for a little while longer. Maybe some Just For Men...

Saver or Sower?

Why do we love to invent religious beliefs and then try to convince everyone that we got it from the Bible? I could use several things to illustrate that point, but I have recently been thinking and praying a lot about outreach. Is it possible to go to the Bible with a completely open mind and not try to force our preconceived conclusions onto scripture? Let's start with a concordance. Let's see, how many times does "outreach" appear in the New Testament? Wow, it seems to appear the same number of times as personal work, evangelism, soul winning, and a few others. And after all the emotional whippings we've given each other through the years over this subject, there will never be enough grace available to make us feel okay with our spiritual journey. After all, if you baptized fifty people last year, you still could have and should have, done more!
Now before you think I'm developing an interpretive rationale to make us all feel good for our lack ot "outreach", that is not my intent. I just want us to handle the Word of God correctly. First, did Jesus really intend for His commission to His first missionaries to be a command for every Christian? We do call it "THE GREAT COMMISSION" not the "Pretty Good Commision." Again, He didn't call it that. In fact, other then the personally called apostle Paul, how many of the apostles actually did "Go"? Even after the persecution of Acts 8 - disciples went, but not the apostles. Like I said last Sunday, we have not been called to "go" but to "be". Forget our words and titles and look at the Bible words. Share! Testify! Witness! They are all "lifestyle" concepts. We sow seed wherever we are - every chance we get - as part of our life! The problem isn't so much a lack of "reaching out" but our failure to listen within - to the Holy Spirit nudging us to share, speak up, show compassion, and illustrate Jesus in our life. For me, that gives me a whole new way of looking at 1 Thessalonians 5:19 "Do not put out the Spirit's fire."
What would happen if we all listened to the Spirit prompting us to witness for Jesus in word and deed? Maybe we should forget the Great Commisions and focus more on the Great Parable. You know, the one about the sower, the seed, and the soils. (Matt.13) We can keep on developing Outreach Programs and Evangelism Ministries until the Lord comes and we will still feel like miserable failures. Being real about being like Jesus means that caring and sharing are just things that Christ-like people do. Maybe our real failure is not in outreach, but in not having members who are so deeply in love with Jesus that they can't help but be a witness for Him.

Our Biggest SL Snow

Yes, yet another picture of the pond-out-back, but I share this picture to show one of the big reasons we got this house in the first place. These are three of a five window block that make up the back wall of our living room. It's so nice to not look at another house when we look out our back windows. I raised the blinds to show how nice our view always is - except in the afternoon when we have to keep it closed because of the direct sunlight. This is the pond covered in ice and topped off with the snow we got Thursday night.

This is yesterday morning, before I started shoveling snow. Our street was empty with no movement at all. They said there was eight and a half inches at the airport - 20 minutes south of us, but we had at least ten or eleven inches on our driveway.

You can see how deep it is, but what's amazing is that I shoveled it off Thursday evening just before dark when there was already about three inches on the driveway. Notice how intently I'm staring at the snow. I'm thinking "How much does it cost to buy a snow blower?" It was a beautiful snow and with the temps going up today and more tomorrow, it won't be around very long. I love snow, but I especially love it when it hits and doesn't stay very long.