Stacked Forgiveness

As I've mentioned before, I really don't like to re-preach my Sunday lesson on my blog, but since our web page is under construction and the online lessons aren't available, AND I truly feel these points are important and need to be remembered by every child of God - I want to share them with those of you who would appreciate them. Wow! Was that a long sentence or what?
The lesson was about forgiveness, and these points to remember are about understanding the nature of forgiveness. It's vital for at least two reasons: One, forgiveness is an integral part of God's love, and two, ignoring or forgetting about forgiveness may be the single biggest obstacle to our walk with God. Forgiven people forgive people! Our love for God IS our awareness of what being forgiven by him means. (See 2 Pet.1:3-10 & Rom.8:1)
Here is a stacking system that I came up with to help me remember these points about forgiveness. Maybe they will be of help to you too.
Visualize the scales of Justice - then on top of that visualize a band aid - on top of that a broken heart - on top of that a Cross - on top of that a red traffic light - and the last thing is a clean slate (a clean black board). Picture this stack in your head. Now, what do they stand for?
1. The scales of Justice = Forgiveness doesn't remove guilt! When you forgive, you don't let anyone off the hook, you're refusing to let what they did make you bitter. Bitterness doesn't punish anyone but you and those you love.
2. The band aid = Forgiveness doesn't remove hurt! That's not the point of doing it - though it does begin the process. Jesus forgave while still on the cross - the hurt didn't stop.
3. The broken heart = Forgiveness doesn't heal relationships! It makes it possible if the goal is reconciliation, but THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT FORGIVENESS THAT MEANS YOU MUST HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ONE FORGIVEN. Trust takes time and track record to rebuild - and a desire to rebuild it.
4. The Cross = Forgiveness has nothing to do with deserving it, but everything to do with grace! Needs no explanation!
5. The red traffic light = Forgiveness is essential to our forgiveness. STOP - when you feel tempted to not forgive! We are only forgiven if we forgive! Grace is given to be given!
6. The clean slate = Forgiveness is an essential part of love! Our sins are forgiven (clean slate) because God loved us so much he sent Jesus to died for us. We must have the same kind of love.
Maybe if we can remember these, it will help us be a little quicker to forgive instead of looking for a rationale to hang on to anger, bitterness, and malice.
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Eph.4:32

Mixed Bag of Pics

It's not the best picture in the world, but this is the display case in my office with my 'HERD' in it. The top two shelves have loads of little ones that are difficult to see. The biggest one on the top was from my brother-in-law Randy who carried it all the way back from his mission trip to India. It's heavy. I remember where, or from whom, most of them came from, but a few leave me clueless.

This is the view from one of my tree stands. Two weeks ago, while at another stand some thirty yards behind where I am while taking this picture, I saw a really nice ten point buck standing smack in the lower middle of this spot. He was beautiful, but I haven't seen him since.

This is just another picture from my trail camera. It was about thirty yards to the right of the last picture. Had it up for a week and got several pics of turkey, which I can't hunt in IL, and a couple of does who came by in the middle of the night. Even with trail cams, there's nothing easy about bowhunting.

The Herd Effect

In the Summer of 1970, right after my graduation from High School that May, I spent the entire Summer working as one of the Recreation Directors at a Christian camp named Camp Wamava. It included eight weeks of campers of different ages, and two weeks of pre-camp set up with brother Nelson Smith, the Camp Director. It was a wonderful time, and I have loads of great memories from that Summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I actually began going to Camp Wamava as a camper back in 1960 or '61, so it was fitting that my last Summer vacation before college, marriage, and ministry took over, was spent there.

Memories are truly special blessings. Even the bad ones remind us that we learned something, and that life's lessons aren't always about fun times and happy moments. That same Summer, while taking a weekend break with my good buddy Bruce, I bought a ceramic elephant at a gift shop. It was my first one. Then in July, Bruce gave me a marble elephant as a birthday present, and that really started the herd going. I don't know why I wanted to have an elephant collection. Maybe it was my Republican leanings. Can you imagine that in 1970, I was really excited about Nixon being in office. He was the first president I ever voted for. Ouch! I did say not all memories where good.

Anyway, over the next three to four decades, my herd grew. I bought some in Europe, while on campaigns and mission internships in college, and I picked up a few special ones a special places, like Disney World, and a coal carving in WV, but most of the - now large - herd is made up of gifts from people who have been special friends through the years. The whole herd has been in boxes in our basement for the last, almost six years now, and I finally got a display case for my office to place them in. In truth, I was more excited about clearing out space in my basement, but this morning, as I unpacked and unwrapped each elephant and placed it on a shelf, nearly each one triggered a special memory of a special friend and shared experiences from the last forty years. Wow! How blessed it that? Gifts from people who were thinking of me when they traveled across the country or around the world. Gifts from my Youth Group in Arkansas, from the church family in Virginia, from elders, from families, from my brothers travels in the Navy, from my wife, and a few from people who I never realized cared much about me - but they did.

And the stories I could tell about so many of those miniature pachyderms and the people who gave them to me! But, that's not why I wanted to write this. I just wanted to write a post that shared with anyone who reads it, how wonderful it is to have great memories. Memories of being loved and of those you love. I am thankful to God for each one.

Maybe it's fitting that elephants helped me remember to "never forget".

"It Ain't Easy!"

I agree with Rick Warren when he says that forgiveness my be the hardest part of love. We are in the middle of his "40 Days of Love," which is basically a study of 1 Cor.13. Part of what it means for love (the real kind of love that is God's love) to be patient and kind, is that it "keeps no record of wrongs." Love can not grow in an unforgiving heart. The refusal to forgive is the acceptance of bitterness, rage, and anger, which causes malice, and is not the kind of heart that Jesus lives in. (Eph.4:31-32) To seek God is to seek love because God is love, which means that forgiving those who hurt us is not an option. Our forgiveness depends on it!
With apologies to my high school English teacher, sister Smith, "It ain't easy!" Jesus never said that it was! In fact, the Cross shows us that it's usually very very hard and very painful. And to pile on to that Jesus' teaching that it be endless, limitless, and - if I understand Paul - countless, well - "IT REALLY AIN'T EASY!" How can it be endless when the hurt doesn't go away?
Forgiveness isn't about taking away hurt, it's about not letting what someone has done to you have any power over your walk with God. That is why it has nothing to do with what "they" need, want, or deserve. It's about us having a heart like Jesus.
I have always thought about Jesus' shocking reply to Peter's magnanimous willingness to forgive seven time, as being a little "over-kill" to make the point of endless forgiveness. After all, if you let some one hurt you four hundred and ninety times, and you have to forgive them four hundred and ninety times - shouldn't you have moved a long time ago?
As we studied that passage in Matthew 18 again this week, it suddenly dawned on me that it's not just about 490 trespasses that need to be forgiven, but maybe it's about the 490 times you will remember the hurt and relive the pain and disappointment in your head, and you'll have to refuse to let bitterness and anger seize your heart! You'll have to remember to forgive again - and again - and again, because forgiveness isn't about forgetting or about not hurting, though it helps with both, it's about growing in Jesus and learning to love just like he and our Father do.

Monthly Musings

I love November and December mainly because they cover Thanksgiving and Christmas, which for me means only one thing - family time. I love April and May too, with their comfortable warm days that seem so incredible after a long cold winter. And those spring flowers, and the re-greening of trees, and the return of birds singing, and all the things that just give you a sense of renewal, rebirth, and freshness.
That being said, nothing in my book compares to October. September toyed with nice weather, but October brings it. The cool mornings, the burst of color in the trees, and the comfortable evenings that make watching the sun set worth all the work of building a porch on the back of my house. Okay, so you're ahead of me, yes it's the start of bow hunting too! But it's the sitting in a tree stand in October that is so special. Everything is alive and moving, and every time you come back, new colors appear and new views materialize where leaves used to be.
There has always been something very special about being in the woods in October. I mean special in the sense of feeling close to God. It's a time and place for thinking, mulling over things, solving problems, reflecting on life, ministry, and family, and - most of all - just talking with God. I think I understand why Jesus would often climb a mountain or a hill, to spend some quiet time with the Father. I have so many memories of wonderful days in the woods of Northern Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, and now, Illinois and Missouri. Memories of sorting things out, planning next steps, addressing short-comings, and refocusing on what really matters. Those times have been a very important part of my spiritual journey, and I am deeply thankful for them all.
I don't know how many more times God will let me enjoy these October excursions. I've already had more than I deserve. So, if I don't get many more, it's really okay, because for some reason, I can't help but think that it's always October in Heaven.

Lighting Fires or Being Lights?

Since "I heard it through the grapevine" (Welch's, of course) that my last blog caused a few of my members to wonder if I was talking about our church family, let me clear that up quickly with a "NO". It was a generic observation about churches as I have been letting my brain chew on the topic of Church Growth over the last several weeks. I have been especially troubled lately with how far from the Word of God our perceptions and assumptions about church growth have come. I can't help but wonder what Jesus would say. He was far more concerned about the one lone sheep who wondered "away from the fold" that He was with the ninety-nine still there or the nine thousand who could be there.
After a couple centuries of evangelical traditions, followed by the post-war mushrooming science of church growth, it's normal and expected that we will focus on "getting people excited and involved" and "providing the church with a clear vision of who we are and where we are going" (as if Jesus wasn't absolutely clear) Church leaders are forced to meet in long sessions to hammer out "how can we light a fire under this church and attract our community to our services." Yes, for most of my ministry career, I've seen it as my job to create ideas, programs, and ministries, and to offer up "brands" and "slogans" that will ignite the imagination of members, build a sense of excitement, and challenge everyone on to greater works. Some have been good and some haven't. None have ever been sustainable for more than a few years.
Here's where my heart aches. "...love so amazing so divine, demand my soul, my life, my all." Can you even sing that and not feel the tug of truth in that song? If it's true and if we are honest when we sing it, why do we have to spent even thirty seconds discussing how to get church people excited?
Paul said, "The love of Christ compels us," and John said, "We love him because he first loved us". Paul's argument against Christians being cavalier about sin was that grace was so amazing, "how can we who have died to sin continue to live in it?"
I guess the question is, why isn't Jesus enough? Why isn't grace enough? I mean, enough to fire us up to give and do all the "one another" things the Spirit called on us to do when we get together? Enough to make us excited about Him and His family? Enough to cause us to witness for Him when He gives us the opportunity throughout each day?
I know, every one's not "mature in Christ" and many folks need neat ideas, new opportunities, and organized excitement. But still - one of these days - Jesus needs to be enough.

Sweeping Judgements?

If the minister of a church is the kind of people person a minister should be, then there is probably no one who has as good a perspective on the spiritual health of that church family as he has. Yes, there are always exceptions to any general statement like that, but no one, again assuming we're talking about an effective minister, mixes with more members, more age groups, and has more interaction across all segments of the congregation. The average member, including the shepherds, have a circle of church friends that they do most all their "church stuff" with and no one circle of church people has a complete or accurate perspective on the whole congregation. Unfortunately, many members, again including shepherds, don't realize how often they make sweeping judgements about the entire church family based on what their small circle seems to think and feel. If their circle has several disgruntled members who complain about things and seem to be constantly "bent out of shape" about something, many shepherds have concluded that "we have some serious problems" or "we've got to do something or a lot of people are going to leave." That leader's perspective is slanted, incomplete, and does not speak to the feelings of the vast majority of members.
Any of us can fall into the trap of assuming that if my few contacts are unhappy everyone is unhappy. Leaping from the specific to the general in a church family is very egocentric, paranoid driven, and unwise. It's probably one the single most important arguments for having multiple shepherds, who can compare notes, offer alternate view points, and slow down the rush to judgement. It's also a good time to ask the minister what he thinks.
I can't tell you how many times I've been in a leadership meeting and found myself wondering, "Are these guys going to the same church I'm going to?" Elders hear from complainers. They tend to get bombed with negativism, and sometimes that is overpowering. As the minister, I see those who are excited and those who are growing and doing things that encourage others - like me. I don't sit in one section and see the same group of people week after week.
The challenge is to slow down, observe, pray a lot, and truly try to objectively analyze the problem - if there really is one. I think every church and it's leaders needs to remember two simple things before making sweeping judgements about the spiritual condition of their church family. First, as mentioned, remember our circle of input is extremely small and often a grossly inaccurate way to measure the whole. And the second is, in most church families, we don't know how wonderful our church family really is because we have nothing to compare it to. Satan loves to take a loving family of God's people and sow just a few seeds of doubt, complacency, and pessimism. He loves to create problems where there are none.
God' wants us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," and that's not the same as the world's standards for church growth. It's also not about fabricating some activity that creates a sense of excitement that we incorrectly label as "growth." Events and ministries are just tools. We live between the events, because the goal is not excitement, but as Paul said, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love." (Rom.12:10) That's what FAMILY does.

Tired of talking about love?

I really try not to re-preach my Sunday sermon the next week as a blog, but sometimes there are some truly crucial concepts that stick in my mind and I just can't drop them and move on to the next lesson so easily. This past Sunday I posed the question, "Is is possible to be a loving church and not be an obedient church?" Depending on how you define love, the answer may be either yes or no for you. If you use the world's definition for love, and tend to think of love as the warm, fuzzy, and subjectively emotional feeling that makes ladies dream and gives men nightmares, you've seen loads of love that wasn't supported by loving actions. On the other hand, when you understand that agape, God's love, is choosing to love the way God loves, you understand that nothing of any true value to God actually happens without love. If it's real love - God's love - it's impossible to not be driven to please him.
There is no such thing as "just being a loving church" and not being a committed church. Maybe the problem is that we don't understand what it really means to love our Father with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as we love ourselves.
* Do we mistake friendliness for love?
* Do we mistake peace for love?
* Do we mistake talk about love for really being in love?
I have actually heard church leaders moan about "Too much emphasis on love and not enough on ministry, outreach, and giving!" Where do we think these things come from? REAL LOVE LEADS TO COMMITMENT! To demand commitment without building love is why churches can't get members to volunteer, witness, and increase their contribution!
We need MORE LOVE, but it must be THE RIGHT KIND OF LOVE. Here are the reminders I pointed out Sunday - they are but a few on the complete list.
1. Love is the ONLY command of God that is number one! Mk.12:29-31; 1 Tim.1:5
2. Love is the ONLY thing that gives value to every spiritual act! I Cor.13:1-3
3. Love is the ONLY answer for fear! 1 Jn.4:18
4. Love is the ONLY way to know God & live in God! 1 Jn.4:7-8; 11-12
5. Love is the ONLY thing that covers a multitude of sins! 1 Pet.4:8
6. Love always builds up! 1 Cor.8:1; Eph.4:15-16; Heb.10:24
7. Love motivates us! 2 Cor.5:14; 1 Jn.4:19
8. Love is the ONE thing that Jesus said identified us as his disciples! Jn.13:35
9. Love is why Jesus was crucified! Jn.3:16; Rom.5:8
Conclusion:
A. Nothing of value happens without love
B. Nothing is Christ-like without love
C. There is no commitment without love
D. Without commitment ALL the ONE ANOTHER stuff doesn't happen! (I have 24 one another passages on my list) With love/commitment - WHAT DOES HAPPEN? All of it!

More Trail Camera Fun

I placed my new trail camera on the same tree as my hunting stand, which is on the edge of a cut corn field where it's been for four years now. I put it in on opening day, Oct.1 and I checked it yesterday, Oct.8, before hunting that evening. There were over four hundred pictures on it. About half of them had noting on them. It was either the wind blowing vegetation and setting off the camera, or some critter (bird or ground animal) zooming across before the picture can snap. You can see the date and time of the picture on the lower right corner below the picture. I liked this picture because the doe is so still. She looks like a one legged 3D target, but she's very real. The following series of pictures are just part of the pics recording two bucks sparing. It's really neat. I've been blessed to watch it in person a few times, but most people never get to see it. Enjoy.

This was more of a playful pushing contest. The big boys, during the rut, actually get very vicious and deadly. There have been plenty of nice bucks found dead with antlers locked together. Below, there were lots of pics of the local raccoon, who left a couple of very personal mementos on my stand.

With mama standing guard, this yearling was very intrigued by the little box on the tree.

While there were several pictures of about 4 or 5 bucks, this big boy had several pictures, but this was the most complete and still. He's a nice ten point, probably three and a half year old buck. There are a couple of really nice buck scrapes about fifty yards to the left of this picture that he probably made. When you hear us hunters moaning about the really mature bucks being nocturnal, we're not just making excuses. Look at the time in the lower right corner. Hopefully that will change in just a few weeks as he gets a lot more serious about looking for some girl friends.

Once Upon A Time...

Fred and Mary were quiet folks. On Sunday mornings at church, they were as happy and friendly as anyone, but they never really took a lot of initiative to go up to members or visitors and just talk and visit. They were a little more laid back, and generally only responded to members who came up to them. Like I said, they were quiet folks - I guess you'd say shy, introverted, and meek.
After a quiet Sunday dinner at home, Fred and Mary just quietly got to work, doing things they did nearly every day of the week. Mary fixed a meal to take over to an elderly couple who had visited their church, but, because of poor health, hadn't been back in a long time. Fred and Mary knew they were both in poor shape, so they have been taking food over there two or three times a week. Fred cut their grass for them, and put their trash cans out front for the Monday morning pick up, and he always came back on Monday evening to check on them and return their trash cans to the back porch.
Fred and Mary left the elderly couple's house and drove to the Elder Care Center, to visit with the many folks, all of whom they knew by first name. They went straight to the central TV room where most of the folks spent the afternoon, and they just talked with each one and got them smiling and laughing, and did dozens of little things for many that the Care Center workers just didn't have time to do. At one point, Fred and Mary, sat with half a dozen folks and sang some of their favorite hymns for them. It was soft, but sweet, and the folks were all so appreciative of the attention Fred and Mary gave. They hated to see them go, but it was getting dark, and Fred and Mary always spent Sunday evening teaching Bible class for the small children in the inner city church about 45 minutes from their suburban neighborhood. They always got home late on Sunday night and fell asleep exhausted from all their labors of love.
After the evening service at their church that night, the elders had a meeting. After dealing with several budget concerns and figuring out how to keep some disgruntled members from leaving, they began to talk about the spiritual needs of members. They were deeply concerned about the seemingly weak faith of several families. They spent the rest of their meeting discussing how they could get Fred and Mary more involved in "church work" and thus, help them become "more faithful members of the Lord's church."
Be careful when you judge members as complacent and inactive. You may be judging their walk with God only by church generated ministries and involvement opportunities - but that's not all there is. Church is a tool to use not a standard to judge by. God is the only one who doesn't miss a thing. Leave the judging to Him.

Is It Even Mostly Most Important?

Just think back over the last several discussions you've had with Christian, or even the ones you just happen to overhear. If you're a church leader, add to that all the things all the other leaders have passed on to you lately about the "concerns" that members have. Now, blend them all together and come up with a concoction that summarizes what seems to be the most important one thing in the church today.
Many people, and this certainly doesn't include everyone, seem to still be driven by the extremely selfish and worldly goal of "keep me happy and comfortable," which translates in church-speak as "I want an uplifting and inspirational worship." It's selfish because it's all about what "I want" and what "makes me feel good." It's worldly, because it's the product of centuries of formalizing traditions, elevating the assembly, and changing a giving event into a receiving experience.
I have been saying that for a lot of years now. My wife might even say, "A little too often". For the folks who have had to hear it multiple times, that may be true. I am just astounded that we continue to major in minors and so completely miss the point of why God put the church in place. But then I think about how much and how long he has been saying what he wants, and how much and how often his people have ignored or forgotten it.
A teacher of the law came up to Jesus right after he had dealt with trick questions, one from the Pharisees and one from the Sadducees, and asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Your first inclination is to assume it's another trick question, but evidently it was an honest seeker, wanting confirmation of what he understood.
You know what Jesus said: "THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE is this..." and he quotes God's original command from Deuteronomy 6, that we should, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. THERE IS NO COMMANDMENT GREATER THAN THESE." (Mark 12:28-31)
God said it first and it was repeated by Moses, Jesus, Paul, James, Peter, and John, just to name a few, and the people of God continually seem to lose track of what the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO GOD IS! Love him and love one another, which is how we learn to love him!
The teacher of the law, in Mark 12, got it. He not only praised Jesus for his answer, but pointed out that it was "more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." These were the most important "acts of worship" to every Jewish worshipper. That makes me want to ask, "What things have we allowed to become more important than God's MOST IMPORTANT ONE THING? Again, has the tool become more important than the purpose? When do we start evaluating "church growth" by what God wants rather than by what the world says it is?

No Elk, But Lots of Coffee

This is for family and anyone who visits the Root house in the future.
It may not look like it, but this is an elk processing, or at least the cost of an elk processing. Since I didn't get an elk in Colorado last week, I decided to use the money I'd set aside to pay for the processing to purchase a Keurig Gourmet Coffee Maker. This is the Platinum version with a sixty once water reservoir. I really enjoyed seeing and using Pat and Deborah's Keurig when we were in Dallas last month, and decided I wanted to get one. Yes, it's not the most economical way to make a cup of coffee, but it's cool and it's quick and it's got lots of choices. Of course, being a plain-Jane kind of coffee drinker, with no tendency to experiment, you can clearly understand that this was something we thought family and friends might enjoy when they visited. There are literally hundreds of kinds and favors of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and fancy Starbucks-type drinks, but I also like the fact that it has an attachment that you can use (purchased separately of course) that allows you to use your own coffee if you want, and not one of the little pre-made packets that are made for it. You can set this one for five different sizes of cups, and I've already got ours programmed to come on early, about 5:30 AM, and turn off again about 9 AM. When it's on and ready, you have steaming, freely brewed coffee in less than one minute. Okay, it's fun to play with. I'm anxious to try the hot chocolate. It will be nice to have the week of Thanksgiving when all our family are here, and I'm not the only coffee drinker in the house. I'm not going to be using all those wild and fancy kinds of coffee, so somebody has to try'em.

Most of the time?

When is is okay for a child of God to be un-Christ-like? Don't be too quick to answer! Many people seem to believe that there are EXCEPTIONS to the rule of consistency in their walk with God. Yes, we all get angry occasionally, and lose it, which rarely means we exalt Christ in what we say and do during those times. As we grow, however, those times should happen less and less, and the self-control takes over more and more. Still, we're humans and sin is battle we will be involved in until we leave this world.
No, I'm talking about those time in life when we are in complete control, but for some reason, the event or the subject causes folks to forget they represent Jesus. While I'm not into pattern theology, I do believe I see some patterns in human behavior that I can't quite figure out. I've notice three things that seem to cause people to have spiritual dementia on a regular basis.
The first is pride. When personal pride is at stake - not the godly pride of righteous accomplishment, but the haughty pride of self-centeredness - people get testy, combative, unkind, and down right mean. The absence of humility causes some folks to say and do things that they know Jesus would never say or do, but "Hey - you just punched the wrong buttons on me" and somehow that makes it acceptable.
The second is preferences in worship styles. Of course, in the New Testament there is only one worship style and it's a life put on God's altar and totally given to him. I have seen nothing in my many years of church work that causes people to become more un-Christ-like than how folks react to changes in the assembly. They essentially become un-Christ-like about Christ centered things. Go figure! Some of the most unkind and ungodly things that I have heard come out of the mouths of Christians has been because of their expectations and preferences in the assembly not being met, kept, or increased. They are way too focused on the pep rally than they are the game.
The final area is politics. What is there about politics that makes Christians think it's okay to be mean spirited, vicious, unkind, judgemental, and un-Christ-like. I truly am bewildered and personally offended when brethren send me articles, videos, cartoons, and stories that bash our President, call him names, and make charges and accusations that any reasonable person knows Jesus would never make. As I said before, I didn't vote for him, but he is MY PRESIDENT, but more important - it's MY LORD YOU REPRESENT - ALL THE TIME - EVERY WHERE - EVERY DAY!
Don't say "For me to live is Christ" if you only mean it for part of the time. It's all or nothing. That's what a life given to him is all about.

The Myth of Multitasking

I have decided that multitasking, which to many is a symbol of productivity, is actually a euphemism for shoddy work, half-hearted results, and lack of focus. It is exalted as "the new work ethic", but in reality it just creates stress, belittles systematic accomplishments, and involves far more motion than quality results. In today's world of "image management," it looks impressive, but the truth is it drops more balls than it juggles, misplaces priorities, lets biscuits burn in the oven, and causes death and destruction on the highways.
Maybe I'm getting older and slower, but I find when I divide my attention by trying to handle multiple things at once, I sacrifice quality, thoughtfulness, and pride of accomplishment. When I slow down and ask myself, "Who am I trying to impress?" or "Do I want this done right or just done?" - I usually realize that what I'm doing needs more focus - and not to mention - more fun. If I take the time to plan and prioritize, then calmly work my way through my "To Do" list, I'm not only more productive, but the results make me happy, as opposed to just feeling relieved it's done.
Life is hectic and stressful, and most of the time I can't do anything about it, other than change the way I choose to perceive it. There are, however, plenty of things I can choose to give my full time and attention to, enjoy the journey, and feel proud of the end product. We need to learn the joy of being focused. If we don't learn, or remember, how to stay focused, how can we truly be seekers of God? Even Jesus pointed out that we can't serve two masters. Satan says we can, and I suspect he'd just call it multitasking.

They're Back...

We got home safe and sound, and tired, at about mid-day today - Saturday. We took two days to do the seventeen hour drive since we couldn't get away from Meeker, CO until later in the morning Friday. We had to wait for the deer processor to open up so we could pick up Danny's mulie. The above picture is from early Wednesday morning in the draw I was hunting in about midway up the mountain. The spot where I am standing is pretty close to were I arrowed my elk year before last. Not so lucky this year. I saw a lot of elk, got close to several on several occasions, but never had a clear shot. Such is bow hunting. It was a lot of fun - still.

This was a brief rest in our "tour of the ranch" that Kevin and I took the crew on in the middle of the afternoon last Sunday. This is on top of one of the mountain ridges, one we call "Bloody Nose Ridge." (Family will have to ask Uncle Kevin why it's called that.) It's a great spot to see miles and miles of God's beautiful creation. This looks a little like a used ATV park. Boy they're fun to ride around the mountains. Sure beats hiking.

Danny got is first buck with a bow and arrow. It's small for a mulie, but still bigger than most whitetails. It will be good eating for the Younger family. He made a great thirty-two yard shot, while sitting flat on the ground. Must have had a great coach. I'm really proud of him and happy for him. It's always nice to bring something home besides a T-shirt.

Have I mentioned how nice the ATV's are? We tossed it on the back of my Arctic Cat and I took it back to the bunkhouse and loaded it into Rob's pick-up truck.

This are my hunting buddies for this trip. From L to R is Zach Haugh, Rob Leasure, Kevin Haugh, and Danny Younger. Kevin and I have been going to CO to hunt this place since 1986. Why, I was only a kid! I mean, my kids were only kids. Anyway, we've been blessed to have loads of great memories and we added quite a few this year. I am especially happy that Kevin finally got to share a hunt with his son Zach. The one time my son Jonathan got to go with me is till one of my best memories of hunting trips to CO.

God blessed us with fun and safety, and it's good to be home.

From Meeker, Colorado

I am using the wireless connection in the Meeker, CO library, so this may be my only chance to do a blog this week. I forgot to bring my camera to town, so I don't have any pictures of the group of guys with me hunting elk this year. We are having a great time. Several times we have really been into the elk, and had a lot of fun chasing them all over the mountains. Nothing has been taken yet, though a couple of arrows have been unsuccessfully flung. The above picture is from my trail camera that I put up Saturday afternoon when we first got here. This early morning picture was taken yesterday and is an area I have been hunting a lot and seeing a lot of elk. Not many mule deer though.

This picture is from Sunday afternoon. We actually jumped these elk up as we road our atv's up the dirt road about 500 yard behind these elk. They just happened to run right by my trail camera. Yes, that is the mouth and tongue of a cow elk just coming into the picture on the right. It was actually a herd of about a dozen elk. Cool! Not as good as meat in the freezer, but cool.

Tomorrow is mine and Danny's last full day of hunting, but Kevin, Zach, and Rob will stay another day and leave on Saturday. We will be driving back to St. Louis early Friday morning and try to drive seventeen hours straight through. If we get too tired, we might stop for the night somewhere and get in early Saturday. It's been a lot of fun to hunt, be with good friends, and see some of God's most beautiful creation. Please keep us all in your prayers for us to have safe travel as we return to the real world. God is good.

Time For A Peak Experience - Again

Lord willing, I'll be seeing a sunrise like this again this weekend. This is a picture a took two or three years ago on the property we bow hunt on in Colorado. We leave early tomorrow morning and plan to put in about twelve hours of driving time and then finish off the last five hours Saturday morning. We begin our hunt Saturday evening and hunt through Friday morning before heading back home. Usually, we skip the Friday morning hunt and start back home getting in late that night or early the next morning. That's a lot easier to do when we already have an elk or a mule deer.
Anyway, I'm hoping to post a few pictures and updates about the hunt while we are there, assuming I can find a wireless spot in Meeker, CO. So I'll be out of town but not out of touch - I hope.

How Appropriate!

I love words. Duh! I wouldn't be writing a blog if I didn't, but I especially love words that clearly change with time. One such word is "appropriate". In truth, the definition hasn't changed, but the application has changed dramatically over my life time. I makes my heart ache to think of all the wasted energy, strained emotions, and damaged relationships that were part of my high school years because of the battle over what was and wasn't considered appropriate clothing, hair length, and accessories. Yes, we are talking about the late 60's, at a Christian school in deep south Georgia, but it just seemed like every member of the the church (many of whom were connected to the school also) was a self appointed member of the What's Appropriate Committee. Today, many people, young and old, walk into the church building wearing blue jeans, T-shirt, and sandals and no one gives it a second look or thought. Back then, where I was, that was a Tar & Feathering offense. I have so many memories and stories of comments and criticisms from "church folks" about my attire back then that it's amazing that I came away from all that with a passion for preaching. At the very least I've learned that what's appropriate is relative to the times and places we find ourselves.
James slammed the brethren for making distinctions between members and giving preference to the finely dresses wealthy members. The Corinthians were evidently cliquish even to the point of not waiting or sharing the Lord's Supper with those who were poorer or not part of their group. All this in spite of our Lord's clear warnings about judging others and defining them by externals rather than their hearts.
So what is appropriate today? We still have folks who think the assembly is a fashion opportunity, or who have some preconceived notion about what you MUST wear "in the presence of God" on Sunday morning. That's not only a incorrect theology, but a prescription for self-righteousness. We dress for God 24/7! Everything else image management.
I have said for years that the only things that have any bearing on what's appropriate for any Christian anytime, even during the assembly, is modesty and cleanliness. Even that, sometimes, is in the proverbial eye of the beholder. What is always appropriate is kindness, consideration, humility, and tolerance. I know Jesus wasn't a fashion critic, but a heart searcher. If we let looks keep us from learning about the heart of someone, we've stopped being like Jesus. And if we're more concerned about our outer appearance than we are with our inner spirit - well, that's just spiritually inappropriate.

The Lone Stove State

We left Dallas, TX at 5:40 P.M. Saturday evening and it was 100 degrees with high humidity from the flooding rain they had received that week. When we landed at St. Louis, we stepped out into a cool 79 degree low humidity evening and signed, "It's good to be back home." Now before the TX folks get riled up, the good thing is we were talking about the weather - not the state of the Lord's church in Dallas. That morning it was my great pleasure to do a four hour workshop/conference for the shepherds, their wives, and the staff of the Highland Oaks Church of Christ. It was a wonderful experience, and I'm not talking about the quality of the teaching they got. What a wonderful group of spiritual leaders! I was so impressed with the obvious love they had for one another and, most of all, their passion for wanting to truly be the kind of shepherds and ministers that the church family needs. The series of training sessions that they've all gone through to help the new and existing shepherds prepare for honest shepherding, is absolutely amazing. It's great to have a desire to change, grow, and follow a more people oriented path of leadership, but it's not ofter that I've seen that kind of effort and training put into learning how to do it.
This is a great church, doing some great things, and I can't wait to see how God blesses them. We are so happy that Pat and Deborah (our son-in-law and daughter) are working with such a wonderful group and being loved so completely by everyone we talked to. They have an impressive facility, but more import, they have an impressive plan to help every member develop a deeper relationship with Jesus - and that's what church is all about.
I was blessed to be with them and do something that I hoped helped. If you're ever passing through the north side of Dallas on Sunday, stop by and visit with these good brethren. You'll be glad you did.

Trail Camera

These are some REAL trail camera pictures. I put it up at my hunting spot in IL week before last, and left it up there for about ten days. I got it on Monday so I could take it to CO with me next week. I got some interesting pictures of does, bucks, raccoons, and, I think, some turkeys. The above buck is on several. He's young, and safe, at least from me. The tree my hunting stand is in is straight across the opening that he is looking at. Fifteen yards away. Pretty buck and still in velvet.

There were several pictures of raccoons. Notice the time on the right side. That's late afternoon but there were several night time pics.

Just at dark this nice buck showed up. There are several of him, but the night pics are harder to see. It's neat to not only see the critters, but to know exactly when they come through.

This was a mom and fawn that walked down the trail right beside the camera. This was the best one of the fawn.

He's getting an early start on his/her night time feeding. There were a lot of pics at night with nothing on them but vegetation and a few blurs. I think night birds or bats set it off. It's been fun already. I can't wait to use it during the hunting season to see what's moving at my hunting spots. Hopefully I'll get some nice pics in CO.

I Want It NOW!

I took this picture on Saturday as part of our rejoicing to finally have our driveway back, along with access to our garage. The County workers had put a note on our door warning us that our driveway would be blocked for up to seven days for road construction, but I guess that didn't count the driveway construction. We were blocked for two weeks. It really wasn't that bad except for Sunday evenings when our young adult One Another Group was meeting and they had to park a good ways away and walk a little rather than be right out front. But hey, they're all young and didn't think anything about it.
Did you ever think about the fact that being patient is just a theory until you HAVE to have it? It's easy to think of yourself as a patient person when everything is going smoothly and life is virtually stress free. An old Rootism of mine is "Red traffic lights are great when you're eating a DQ Blizzard." It's all a matter of perspective, or maybe more accurately, involvement. I know I am a lot more patient than I have been in the past, but just about the time I start feeling like I've got this baby conquered, I get smacked in the fact with my intolerance. It doesn't happen often. There is this genetic reality in the Root clan about what being hungry and tired does to some of our attitudes some of the time, but that has even diminished with age - at least for this Root.
We are the Captains of our own ship when it comes to smooth sailing in life. Impatience is a result of stress. Stress is a perceived lack of control. We decide whether or not we really need to be in control to begin with. Most of the things that stress us out and cause us to be impatient, really don't matter. Paul told us to be anxious about nothing and pray about everything. Boy, have we ever twisted that one around! But if you remember, the "peace that passes understanding" doesn't arrive until we get it right. (Philippians 4)

Skin & Bath?

Sorry, this is mostly for family. I understand if you don't feel inspired. Above, I mentioned to the kids a couple months ago that I saw a large Black Snake crawling in my front yard early one morning. I watched it slither under our front porch, and it was a chore since it had a huge lump from a recently eaten critter in its stomach and had to try a couple times before getting under it. Any way, I haven't seen it since, which is fine, since it was about three and a half to four feet long. While pulling weeds and trimming bushes this morning, I found this snake skin in the bushes just behind where I'm standing. He's still around, just with a new set of clothes.

Far more important than any snake skin is the fact that we finished the upstairs guest bath remodeling project this afternoon. We are really pleased with how it came out. If you don't know how it looked before, it may not mean much to you, but all our family will be glad to see the improvement.

That is one of those curved shower rods. Lot's more room now.

A touch of class! It is a square sink too. Wild isn't it?

To Go Or Not To Go?

I have written this blog before, but it's worth saying again - at least to me it is. From September through May, on the first Thursday of each month, I try to attend our area preacher's meeting. Without fail, I always find myself considering not going because I have things to do, a schedule to keep, and a shrinking week in front of me. But I go, usually reminding myself how nice it is to see good friends, share some things, have a good lunch together, and, just maybe, I might be a source of encouragement to just one of my fellow partners in the Gospel.
I don't know why, but there is just something about hearing a bunch of guys, not especially good and certainly with little harmony, sing some praise songs together. It has to be from the heart, because we don't care about sounding pretty. And then to pray together, often after sharing one-on-one, our joys and challenges in ministry and life. Then, we usually spend some time discussing some meaningful topic that each of us would rather be preaching about, but nevertheless - is always helpful.
These are good men, and it's encouraging to be with them and to share our weird world with one another. These brothers walk with God, love their church families, and live to see brothers and sisters grow in Christ. They're not "big names" in the brotherhood, or keynote speakers at University lectureships, and no one is a well know author or in demand as an after dinner speaker, though they are - at times - some of the funniest guys I know. Every time I go to our meetings, I'm just reminded that all over the world, there are thousands of servants of God working with average church families, making a difference, and just glorifying our Father with their passion for His people and His plan.
WAIT A SECOND! You don't suppose that God intended for us to get together so that we could encourage and be encouraged? Sounds like a wild idea to me.
A big thanks to all my preaching Brothers.

What A Shot!

Sorry about the steamy lens on my camera. This is a two inch group of four arrows shot at about twenty-two yards. I'm practicing for our hunting trip to Colorado in two weeks and for the bow seasons that open soon in MO & IL. No, this isn't about trying to impress anyone with my shooting ability. In fact, that's kind of the point. You can look at this picture and maybe be impressed with my "tight group," and maybe even be envious a little - if you shoot archery. What you don't know is how many times I shot that same group of four arrows before I was able to get that two inch group. (This was my second set this morning.)
I think all of us have times when we are with a group of brothers and sisters, on Sunday or some other togetherness activity, and we find ourselves reflecting on the spiritual maturity of someone, and wishing we could be like them, but instead, we feel weak, inadequate, and frustrated with our spiritual growth. We need to remember that those folks, as wonderful as they are as spiritual examples, all did a lot of missing before they starting getting it right. You just didn't see it. What you see now is the result of many years of walking, falling, getting back up, and seeking God in spite of their misses.
When people look at me, THE preacher, THE answer man, and the example to follow, they need to remember that what they are looking at is merely a little "tighter group" than what they would have seen in the past. NO ONE is on target every time - all the time! But, we are pointed in the right direction. Remember, it's not about perfection but direction! The one that is in THE LIGHT (1 Jn.1:7).

Wise Changes - Maybe?

Great memories of our Alaska trip a few years ago.

As badly as we'd love to plan a mid-winter vacation to a warm spot this next January, we have returned to our decision to have a really good vacation (i.e. cruise) every two years. It's soooo tempting right now to schedule something because the prices are coming way down - I guess because of the tough economy. However, for the same reason, we decided to skip 2011, get back on our two year plan (so we can save for it -there's a reason we are driving old, paid for cars) and plan something special in 2012. For several years we have been looking at a twelve day Med cruise that includes two day stops in Egypt and Israel, as well as some other neat places, some with biblical-historical significance. We hope (and hope is a key word) to do that trip in the Summer of '12 - now less than two years away. We are also hoping that the prices will continue to come down, but it's hard to wish for a continued tough economy. Anyway, just a little FYI in case anyone might be interested to joining us - planing is half the fun. The Panama Canal trip this past winter was incredible, with the canal itself being worth the price of the trip. But, I can see this trip even topping that. Hey, we're talking the Mediterranean, pyramids, and Jerusalem! Not to mention Rome and Athens and on top of that Fargle with friends! Does it get any better? Just think about it.

From Babel to Radical

In studying Genesis again for my Wednesday evening Bible Class, I found myself thinking more about God than any other time I've studied it in the past. I think we fall into the trap of seeing Genesis as a series of great stories and forget that it was written to tell us about God. Sure it gives some insights into history and some earth changing events (not to mention earth beginning events), but it's purpose it to help us see and understand God better. Now that I read it looking for things about God and how much he wants to have a relationship with man, everything is new and exciting.
I am especially intrigued by the lack of description of how God communicated with people at different times. He'd clearly had a very personal relationship with Adam and Eve that included some walks in the garden and some intimate discussions. He must have spoken to Cain and Abel because it's assumed they knew what he expected as far as sacrifices go. And how did God speak to Noah? Was it just a voice from the sky or visions in his sleep? I don't think so. And then you get to the Tower of Babel event in chapter eleven when it says, "But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building." How did he "come down"? Isn't he always there? Was he in the form of a person, animal, or thing? He does all three, in some form later. And then he reports - to whom - the Son and the Spirit obviously - and tells of his concern about the tower. Then he says, "Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." How did they do that? Did they stay invisible or did they, again, take on some form, and if they did, whey didn't anyone see or recognize them?
I know there are a lot of possibilities, but in the next chapter the Bible says, "The Lord appeared to Abram and said..." (vs.7) So not only did God speak to him but he appeared to him. How? What did he look like? It wasn't a burning bush or a talking donkey. I wonder if we've allowed our theology of the incarnation of Jesus to limit our thinking of God. Yes, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" but maybe the uniqueness of that is the "dwelt among us" part - the living with and experiencing every part of humanity. If we can entertain angels without knowing it, is it that far fetched that we might encounter God and not know it? I'm not talking about new revelations or still voices in the night. I'm talking about a Father who says he will draw close to us if we draw close to him, and who can do that anyway he wants. Besides, if we're going to be consistent with our doctrine of the Trinity, if the Holy Spirit can provide help, isn't that the same as God providing help?
I think we will be surprised to find out how much God has been involved in trying to keep and maintain his relationship with us.

Interruptions

You never think about how nice it is to keep your car in a garage, out of the hot sun or pouring rain, and where you can get into it just a few steps from inside your house - until you don't have it. We got a notice last Friday that our driveway would be blocked due to construction for up to seven days, so - come 7 A.M. on Monday morning we better move our vehicles out of the garage and to places not blocked by a NO PARKING sign. They weren't kidding! This is the front of our house Monday afternoon, and that's my van parked down the street in the second picture and Donna's car is down the street in the first one.

Interruptions are an interesting part of life. Jesus seemed to enjoy and even treasure them as he did some of his most amazing things for people who the apostles wanted to ignore. I've always struggled with interruptions because I am an organizer, planner, get-it-done-and-move-on-the-next-thing kinda person. I get things fixed in my head as to how it SHOULD go or how it SHOULD happen, and then - BLAM - I get hit between the eyes with an unexpected interruption (isn't that a redundancy?), and I have to adjust.

No - adjust isn't the right word. I have to grow. Growth doesn't take place in the smooth routines of life. It happens when we are forced to change, stretch, compensate, and adapt. In short, I have to think! That is one of the amazing ironies about church life. Church is always changing! Even in churches where people think it's a plague from Satan, they still change. However, it's not a spiritual growth kind of change. It's more a mindless evolution of culture impacting people's lives that slowly changes small things in small ways. They may think they are just like they were in the 1950's, but they look nothing like they did back then.

Our little Root residence interruption just reminded me that God usually has to interrupt our lives in a fairly significant way, many times, before we are sensitive to the next step in our spiritual development that he wants us to take. Comfortable people should be extremely thankful people, but unfortunately, they tend to be self-centered people.

Had in "road construction" in your life lately? What is God wanting you to learn?

Wild Life Pictures

Donna got me a Trail Camera for my birthday last month. I've been wanting one for several years so I could, hopefully, take pictures of the deer on the property where I hunt. They're not cheap, and I'm techno-ignorant, so I wasn't in a hurry to learn how to use one. But, now I have one, I've read the instruction book twice, and, as it suggested, I put the camera out on one of the beams of my porch. I just knew I'd capture some great pictures of wild game like deer, rabbits, skunks, and raccoons. Maybe even some ducks and geese who visit our back yard regularly. I left it out there for a couple of days and brought the SD card in this morning to view ALL THE WILD LIFE that got it's picture taken. I had lots of animal free pictures of the pond, and the only living creatures that I got pictures of were some kids who visited the pond one evening. And then there was the really wild creature below...

I guess you could call this a special species of deer. One where an "a" replaces the second "e".

At least it works! And no, I haven't set the time and date on it yet.

Keep The Change!

Church is changing. Certainly that is not a news flash to anyone. The church, in spite of the many who fear change and fight it with unmatched enthusiasm, has always changed and will always change. With all our spouting about unchangeable truths, historic Restoration, and imitating New Testament patterns, the church is people and people change. It is usually incremental and only discernible over a long period of time, but traditions change, expectations change, styles and preferences change, and priorities change. The church has always fought to keep the world out, but has still found itself compromising, blending, imitating, and evaluating itself a lot more by worldly standards then we'd ever admit.
We are impacted by the cultural values that every member lives, works, and plays in. Our culture, or our society, is materialistic. Most churches are made up of middle class affluent people who work long hours, feel insecure about their jobs and the future, want the nicer things in life for themselves and their families, and judge everything they spend money and time on by "Is it worth it" and "what will it do for me." We are consumers, comfort seekers, and committed to doing more of both.
Has that impacted, or brought about change in the church? You bet your debit card it does. When passions shift from seeking God and building loving relationships in His family, to seeking "the good life", the church becomes a burden, or a club, or sometimes just a bad memory.
There is a core group of dedicated church family members in every congregation, and praise God for each one. However, one doesn't need to be a social researcher to observe that fewer and fewer people feel committed to the family, feel responsible to participate and support family events, or feel the need to honor and improve their financial commitment to the family.
There has been a loss of passion for the church in the lives of many people. I guess it would be more accurate to say there has been a shift in passion from church family to worldly family - having the things the world says we all deserve and will make us happy. And that is nothing new. Satan has been using that line for centuries.
Change is coming - again. People are starting to see that money, things, and financial success is like riding a Jello horse. People are rediscovering that life is not about what you love, but who you love, and who loves you back. We'll be here, and we'll be remembering Paul's command, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love," and Peter's command, "Love one another deeply from the heart." That is what the church is here to do. The church is changing. Have I said that?

Fearless Trailer

Below is a link to the trailer Joe Woolbright and I did for Fearless: The Story of Esther DVD. I needed a promo to encourage our members to help us deliver DVD's to the nearly six hundred families who registered to receive one. Joe has done all the video work for all our plays and he's done a super job. This years is the best one. All I did was the voice over, and since I was only two weeks from my lastest voice shot, I didn't have the deep voice I wanted for doing the trailer, but it came out okay. Click on the link, turn your volume up, and enjoy. It helps if you saw the play, but it's still entertaining if you haven't.

http://www.woolbrightvideo.com/images/stories/videos/EstherTrailerWeb.wmv

Half-a-thousand

Wow! I hadn't noticed it until I logged on to do this blog, but this is blog #500 for me. That's a lot of stuff! Hopefully there were a few things over that last four years that were worth reading, or maybe pictures worth seeing. At any rate, thanks to all who have clicked in regularly or even occasionally - or rarely. Yes, I have family and friends who don't count the minutes waiting for words of inspiration from me. I've tried not to use my blog as a test of friendship or love, but I have been surprised many times to find out who checks it out and who ignores it. Oh well, we must not predetermine how people will express their affections. It's okay with me if they choose to remain in pits of darkness and ignorance.

I suppose for blog #500 I should say something profound and memorable. Something like "How on earth can people make an out-of-control airline attendant jerk into a folk hero!" Actually, I'm saving that one as an illustration for this Sunday's sermon. Oddly enough, we just studied anger/wrath in last Sunday night's series of The Seven Deadly Sins. If he'd only been a jerk a week earlier...maybe he was.

Back to profound and memorable. Here are a couple of things that I wrote down to think about this past week. I've been thinking about some things for a leadership seminar I'm doing in a few weeks, so these were some conclusions I reached.

1. The fatal flaw of preaching is believing that sermons can bring about giant changes. Spiritual growth comes in baby steps, and preaching is only a support system.

2. The fatal flaw of church leadership is the unspoken belief in the preeminence of decision making. It is the belief that it will solve all the problems, discover the magic bullet for church growth, and offset the lack of one on one mentoring that people really need.

And that - is half a thousand blogs.

"I Want It All!"

When the young rich guy asked Jesus about inheriting eternal life, in Mark 10, he surely wasn't expecting anyone to question his financial status. Yet, his wealth was the one thing in his life that was a barrier to what he claimed he wanted most - eternal life. I asked the question Sunday, "What's wrong with wealth?" and probably surprised some folks with the short answer of "nothing is wrong with wealth." It's just a tool, a blessing, a means to an end. It can accomplish incredibly wonderful things or it can be an obsession that twists life and steals eternity. The saddest thing about wealth is that we, like the young rich guy in Mark 10, define ourselves by our wealth, rather than our relationship with God. In fact, it's another illustration of a tool becoming an idol, like so many other things God has given us to help us live and grow.
Wealth is a weird thing when you think about it. First, it's relative. We never think of ourselves as wealthy because it is what those who have MORE THAN US are. And, in spite of how wealthy we really may be, we just know that happiness and contentment can only be achieved when we have MORE. Amazingly enough, we just know that we would be good stewards of MORE WEALTH and not abuse it, blow it, or hoard it, like so many others seem to do. And that is important for our theology of interpreting what Jesus said when he pointed out that it's hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. He didn't say impossible, but he did do that camel through the eye of a needle thing to illustrate his point. He also made it clear that God makes things possible. So - our logic about increased wealth just has include our belief that we would be (or are) the exception to the rule. In other words, God would be so pleased with how we used the wealth he gave us that he would save us in spite of our being rich.
Maybe the honest thing to do is to ask ourselves some questions about what kind of servants we have been with what he has already given to us. Why would we possibly think that God would be interested in giving more to servants who haven't been faithful with the blessings already given. There is that parable about The Talents - remember? Would you say you've been like the five and two talent guys, or maybe more like the one talent guy?
The good news is that the Master hasn't returned yet! So - what will we do with the wealth we have?

Fletch Lives

No, I'm not doing a commercial for NAP products, though I've used their broad heads for a lot of years. What you see in the above picture is a relatively new product that allows you to put new fletching on your arrows in seconds, when in the past, it has taken hours. It's amazing and it's a top quality product. Let me show it to you and close with a few comments.
As you can see above, the new "shrink tube" fletching simply slips over your arrow...

...then you place it into a pot of boiling water for just ten seconds, and watch them shrink down to a tight fit.

Let them cool and dry for a few seconds, and da-da-da-da, you have a newly fletched arrow that flies great and is tough as nails. Wow - repairing torn arrow fletching used to take a whole lot longer and was a lot more labor intensive.

Isn't that a good looking arrow? By the way, I've been using this arrow as a practice arrow for about five years now. Maybe I'll get five more - especially since I can put new fletching on them so quick and easy.

I just love it when someone figures out a way to do things better. When I began bow hunting in 1979, there were no archery shops around, I had no coaching, and the only camo clothing I could find was used military clothing a friend at church got for me. Now, bow hunting is big business, with bows that cost more than guns, tech toys that make it easier to do everything, and more choices of camo than you could wear in a life time. I love it. Every time I hear someone moaning about "the good old days" I think back to my first five years of bow hunting and learning by trial and error what not to do, and having equipment that did more to discourage new hunters than it do to appeal to them.
I'm just saying that I'm thankful to be here today, and enjoy anything and everything that makes life more enjoyable. "The good old days" are for memories, not for reliving. The "here and now" is exciting and fun, and I plan to not waste any of it looking back or waiting for what's to come. Every day is a gift from God to be appreciated and used to glorify Him.

I'm thankful I've got a pot to fletch in. Say that to a stranger and see what they say!

The Preaching Paradox

Sunday morning I was sitting at my desk studying the lesson I was going to present that morning, and I did my usual "honesty check" to make sure I was trying to make a difference and not just filling a time slot. Was I being true to the context of the scripture I was covering? Was I helping people understand and know Jesus a little better, especially since it was His Gospel I was preaching? And, as my little 3M sicker on my computer reminds me, what was the bottom line of my lesson? What's the point? And that other soul searching sermon spotlight, "SO WHAT?" Will it make a difference to the people who will be hearing it?
In the midst of all this reflecting, a profound thought came into focus that I want to share - especially with all my preaching buddies and relatives. Here it is:
The paradox of preaching is that we are trying to lead people to a place we've never been, and show them how to have a deep relationship with God that we are still building.
For me, that is a very humbling thought. We're not the know-it-all's or the "Spiritual Answer Man" or even an example of success. Like any child of God, we are in the process of becoming what God wants us to be. We are on the same journey. The difference is, as preachers, they (our church family) are on OUR journey whether they want to be or not, because our journey is reflected in our preaching. We are not the preachers we use to be - praise the Lord! As we've grown spiritually, our preaching changes so we can help others who are on the same journey. As I look back on over thirty-five years of preaching, all I can say is, "Thank you God for your grace."

Family Pictures

During our quick trip to Searcy for the Curtis family reunion, we got to visit with nephew Zach at the house on the lake where he and his wife Cass live. Here, uncle Kevin is giving some of our grand children a ride on the hand car, which is part of the train that circles the lake. Neat place.

That evening just about the whole family came to dinner at Donna's mom's place. It was a little crowded, but we had a great time. Lot's of great food and great fellowship. Afterwords, everyone packed the small living room to do some singing. Since I was unable to contribute, I can truthfully say it was incredible singing.

As you can see, the next generation is coming along just fine. Some of these little ones actually helped with the singing of some of the songs.

We were glad that our "family time" got extended as Deborah and Elizabeth came back to Florissant with us to spend a couple days scrap-booking with their mom. It's been a fun few days, and a huge "at-a-boy" has to go out to my sons-in-law Chad and Pat for being mom & dad for a few days so the girls could have some fun time. I was around to provide security - and the ride to Fritz's, Las Fuentes, etc. etc..