Movie Idea.

Okay, I am officially switched over to the "new blog" format and it was relatively painless. I survived the "clicking" and kept on ticking. I still don't know what it means and the instructions still sound like a foreign language to me, but hey, it's the first step. I'm learning! Besides, I talked to two "really old" friends last week and neither one had ever even heard of blogging. Go figure! Maybe I'm not such a techno-dummy after all.

We had a wild Saturday evening at the Root house. We actually had nothing pressing and no where to be, for a change, so we stayed home and watch DVD's. I told you it was wild. Are you ready for this? We actually watched Ghostbusters 1 & 2 back to back and really enjoyed every minute of it. What fun movies! Nothing deep or bloody (or Donna wouldn't be watching it with me), but just funny, entertaining movies that were still funny after all these years. I loved noticing the differences between the two. The second one supposedly happens five years after the first and, I think, was an improvement. The comedy improved, they all quit smoking, and the new characters really added to the story. The walking statue of Liberty was a stretch, but so was the whole movie - not to mention happy-sing-a-long New Yorkers. And what a rich cast of characters? I'm ready to see Ghostbusters 3! Really! Wouldn't it be great to see how each character has developed over the last twenty years? How about having all of them coming back together to save Dana Barrett's, now adult son, from some new hideous monster that the new CG experts could truly do something fantastic with. They are all big name actors now and would really create some excitement about finishing a Trilogy. Whatdoyathink? I can hear the theme music cranking up all ready and it's gotta have Rick Moranis, the nerdy Louis Tully as an older, mellow husband, married to Annie Potts, the GB's old secretary. How about "The Revenge of Gozer".

Post Sermon Trauma

I like it when people tell me that my lesson from the previous Sunday caused them to think about it all week long. Well, sometimes I'm a victim of my own preaching. I usually think about the lesson all week prior to the delivery and then unload it on Sunday and start focusing on the next, but this week has been different. I've been thinking a lot about my opening quote in last Sunday's lesson. I introduced it as one of my favorite saying, and it is, and I've spent plenty of time thinking about it in the past, but this week, for some reason, it has come back to haunt me several times. He it is, "The greatness of a person in not found in their talents, but in what discourages them." It's a truly different, and challenging way to look at our character. I forgot where I heard it first, and I've changed it a couple of times, so now I'm claiming it as original to me (originality is forgetting where you got it). What does our discouragements say about us? As I said in the lesson last Sunday, it speaks to our sense of purpose and our priorities in life. If every little thing that comes along that we don't like or want discourages us, it that not an indictment of our priorities in life? Does it show us how self-centered we are, or maybe how ungrateful we've become? My next question was, "What discourages God?" It's not just sin and ignorance, because that's common to mankind (Romans 3:23). It's how we think about him, when we reject him and his gracious love for us.

So why have I been thinking about "what discourages me" this week? I've just realized that when I focus on what God has done for me and continues to do for me, that should dramatically change how I see life's potential discouragements! Let people complain, let the news media sensationalize the mediocre, and the let the temperatures stay in the single digits too long! So what? God loves me! I love him! If I'm breathing, I have another second to glorify Him. How can I let anything that doesn't impact my hope of spending eternity with Him discourage me?

Yet, I do. Sometimes. But I'm not going to let that discourage me, because it's really not about my character as much as it is about His grace!

Beautiful People?

Is church a social club for all the beautiful people? Of course not, but they are just the ones we like to spend time with. I love my church family and I can't wait to see them every time we get together. I like being around smiling, positive, people, who love me and tell me how wonderful I am. It's nice to be loved! Duh. It's nice to have people seem so thrilled to have me pay attention to them - and it's no chore for me to do it because I DO love them and I DO enjoy letting them know that I love them. It's why God told us to get together! It's what "doing church" is really all about - not the ritualistic performance of five man-made acts! BUT, and this is a personally disturbing "but" for me, I know that if Jesus walked into our auditorium, he would talk to each person he met, be encouraging to everyone, BUT his real attention and compassion would be directed to those few who are not "the beautiful people" of church. You know who they are. Every church has them. The socially inept. The unfashionable. The coarse, the crude, and the unclean. The folks who are super shy, or obnoxious, or just different. They may even be demanding, embarrassing, and complainers. Whatever the description, they are hard to enjoy and usually only get our attention when we "run into them" and have to acknowledge them. But spend time with them? Give with no hope have receiving any warm, tingly feeling whatsoever? I wish I could be self-righteous at this point and shame "others," but I am too convicted by how unlike Jesus I can be at times - when it really counts - when no one knows but him, and me. It's nice to have a wife who doesn't know how to be that inconsistent. I've been working on it lately because I hear God speaking to me through repeated reminders. If you want to be like Jesus - look for the people he would look for. Seems like I remember someone talking about "loving only those who love you" being a selfish love. Surely I didn't imagine it.

Prayer Giants?

If you want to make someone feel like a real spiritual dwarf just talk about the "hours" you spend in prayer. You do spend "hours" at a time in prayer don't you? Why that's got to be one of the clearest and purest signs of spiritual maturity, right? Let's see, the sum total of prayer training that most Christians receive consists of a two minute Sunday morning "formal" prayer and a ten second offering of "grace" before devouring a meal. Then we talk about "hours" of prayer and utterly squash any sense of spirituality that young or immature Christians have. Do most Christians understand that seeking to know God is building a relationship with God? It's not just gathering info about Him, but creating a closeness that makes Him real, present, and powerful in our life. If that is true, do you know of any relationship that started out with long periods of communication? Eventually, yes, but to start with, most relationships are learning, sharing, asking, and usually lots of short discussions over a long period of time. AND THAT IS WITH TOUCHABLE FLESH AND BLOOD! How much more time is it necessary for a relationship based on faith? Once a relationship is established and strong, the deeper and longer periods of communication happen naturally. It's not forced, it's part of an intimate relationship. Prayer is the most important element in building a relationship with God. By it's very nature, it must start out short and simple, but as often as we can make it. Prayer is simply inviting God into the thoughts of our heart. The more we do it, the more real and present He becomes. The "baby steps" become mature adult steps and we talk about all kinds of things without any regard to time. If it's not part of a natural growth in our relationship to God, it simply becomes a forced ritual for the purposes of self-righteousness. Anyone wanting a relationship with God, who doesn't know how to make it happen, must think "baby steps" when it comes to prayer. Talk to God all day long in short, but intentional efforts to make Him an integral part of your life. It will grow as you get to know Him better.

Two things to chew on. How much praying did the apostles do during their three and a-half years of walking with Jesus? You say, "Well, they had Jesus" but even Jesus felt the need to spend a lot of time talking to His Father and He was disappointed with their inability to pray in the Garden. And secondly, why is the "Model Prayer" one of the shortest prayers in all the Bible? (Jews, who needed to be taught how to prayer? Go figure?) Maybe the point is that it's not the "hours" of prayer, but the heart of prayer that God is looking for.

Sweating to the Coldies

Weather is weather. That may not sound super intelligent, but we all tend to try to explain why weather happens like it does. How many people have explained our resent ice age as our "paying for the mild winters of the last few years" or "paying our dues for the mild late December early January we had." Hey, it's winter! Cold happens! It won't last much longer, and besides, in a short time we'll be looking for some mythological explanation for why it's too hot. I personally like four distinct seasons and I really like the fact that no single season is too long. Hang in there it will change. In the meantime, we can turn ice into a hockey game, like the kids in our neighborhood did on the pond behind our house this past Saturday. I took the above pictures from our kitchen window. They zoomed up and down the full length of our pond for well over an hour. It's pretty solid, but there is a small, about four foot opening on the far side where a muskrat family lives. Obviously, they had to avoid it. Hmmm! I wonder what an ice hockey game looks like from underneath the ice? I bet there are some seriously frightened muskrats living there now.

Parenting Pop-Ups

One of my Rootisms is "If something keeps being repeated, maybe God is trying to tell you something." Ever notice how a subject just seems to stick around and keep popping up as if to say, "Pay attention to me?" Well, I've had several "pop ups" about parenting in the last two weeks. Donna and I studied and prepared to do a presentation on parenting last week, and somehow, in my Wednesday night class on Psalms we started talking about it, and then yesterday Donna showed me an really thoughtful article that Mike Cope wrote in his blog about parenting. All I can think of is, "Okay God, you have my attention. Just what am I supposed to do with it?" Do I need to teach my Pillars of Parenting Seminar here at Florissant? Are we supposed to seek ways to help our young families here? Why do I feel like He is saying, "share it before you forget it?" My Pillars Of Parenting Seminar has eight sessions. I don't know if I've forgotten a lot or not, but my eight points have been reduced to three. After lots of reflecting and studying, I see only three essential elements in parenting: love, clear direction, and consistent discipline. I fought the urge to change love to charity so I'd have three "C's". That being said, it's still true that the most valuable gift any couple can give their children is a strong, healthy marriage. The ironic part of it all is that no matter what our rules, values, or principles of parenting happen to be, our children will be more effected and molded by the character of our hearts, what we have a genuine passion for, and what kind of attitude we approach life with. The right spirit will always cover for mistakes in parenting, but correct parenting can't overcome a negative and inconsistent life-style.

Why do I feel like this isn't going away anytime soon?

Let There Be Understanding?

At the risk of sounding supremely negative, I can't help but reflect this morning on several things that just don't make sense to me - things I see or hear regularly and just don't understand. For example:
* I don't doubt "global warming" but I don't understand why folks try to get people to CARE when they are freezing their...toes off! We could use some global warming right now!
* If a man can be an incredibly successful business man, governor of the second largest state in the nation, win a national election, and be in his second term in the White House, I don't understand how can anyone call him "dumb"? If that's the most intelligent way I can disagree with him, it says more about me than it does him.
* I don't understand, and NEVER have, why anyone, but especially players and coaches, would yell at a referee. Here's a news flash! IT NEVER WORKS! IT NEVER HELPS! ALL IT DOES IS PREJUDICE HIS THINKING AGAINST YOUR TEAM!
* I don't understand why people don't use their turning lights, which is a common courtesy and the law, but use their car horns which haven't been needed for decades now.
* I don't understand how you are supposed to know how to spell "courtesy" when you spell things phonetically. "cur...cir...cer...maybe it starts with a k..."
* I don't understand why someone would use part of a Sweet & Low pack and leave the rest for someone else. Who in their right mind would use the remainder of a total strangers pink packet?
* I don't understand "Group Meditation." Isn't that an oxymoron or something?
* I also don't understand "Sports Bar." Just what kind of sport is that. Isn't it a place full of people desperately needing some physical activity in their life? Call it what it is: A Sports Watching Bar!
* I don't understand why so many people act so totally crazy when a TV camera is one them. I like watching some of the Today Show early in the morning, but I'm embarrassed and distracted by crazy people who think being seen on TV is such an astounding event. I can almost understand it at football games, but even then I find myself thinking, "Come on people, get a life!"
* I don't understand teens smoking. Is there anyone in the whole world who still thinks smoking looks cool? What's cool about stinking?
* Along with that, I don't understand why smokers can't or won't comprehend that in a restaurant their smoke stinks, gives head aches to many, and ruins the wonderful smell and taste of the expensive food we are trying to eat. Call me radical, many have, but that seems like a no brainier to me.
* And speaking of restaurants, I don't understand why anyone feels the need to be mean or impolite to a waitress. It's a sure sign of an inferiority complex or being a control freak. Some even act like it's their right - what they are paying for, and that's truly sad. I've been amazed at how some Christians can suddenly be rude and dismissive to someone who is being a servant to them. Go figure! At our New Member's Dinner, the shepherds and ministers server dinner to the new members and the symbolism is intentional. Can you really serve if you don't know how to be served?

These are not things I dwell on. This is not ranting as much as it's wondering. I have too much to be thankful for and too many wonderful people in my life to think about. However, I do find myself forced to think about these recurring experiences, and I guess I will continue to not understand why they happen. I wonder how many things I do that people shake their head and say, "I don't understand why Mike..."? I remember several years ago, on a road trip with a fairly new friend, I was down about several things and I sort of unloaded on him, hoping for sympathy and pity. After I ranted for a while and waited for his words of comfort he said, "Wow Mike, I always thought that you were a very positive person." Uggg! He was hoping I'd be the one to lift him up and instead I dumped on him. Well, the above is mostly tongue-in-cheek, so I hope you can laugh and not feel dumped on. May God bless you will full understand of all the things you see and experience today! At least be nice to referees and waitresses.

"Lost In Thought"

Have you ever contemplated the phrase "lost in thought"? How many times have I used that to explain to someone why I didn't hear what they said to me? How many times did that describe why I didn't get things done? How many times has that been the definition of my day? I think it's good to think. I think I've always thought that thinking was the thing that made thinkers of us all. Dah! I've been lost in thought in nearly ever class I ever sat through. I've been lost in thought watching TV - especially the famous History Channel, as it caused me to think - which is also why I like the CSI stuff. I've been lost in thought during sermons!! Yes! Not mine, of course, but others who were boring and unchallenging, and some who caused the thinking with their insights and relevance. I've been lost in thought while sitting in a tree stand waiting for the "monster" to walk by, and I've had many a deer under my stand before I found my thoughts.

Some times the "lost in thought" was worry and anxiety, and other times it was pure dreaming and fantasizing. "What would I do if Publisher's Clearing House knocked on my door with a ten million dollar check?" While that made me think of new houses, ATV's, and vacations on beaches, the most fun was dreaming about giving it away and helping others. Some times I worked through problems while lost in thought. There have been many theological changes that took place because of being lost in thought. The best "lost in thought" moments have been spent with God. Inviting Him in on the discussion, asking Him questions, and just knowing He was there. I wish I'd remembered to include Him more often. I guess you'd have to say that if He is part of it, it's never "lost" in thought, but always "found" in thought. Quiet time without God is just less noise, but quiet time with Him is a symphony of love.

Bloggophobia?

Will my blog implode if I click on the new version? Why am I petrified to switch? Insecurity? Ignorance? Fear of change? Boy there's a phrase I never thought I say about myself. I wonder if God uses our techno-insecurities to keep us humble? About the time I feel cocky about my outstanding Power Point artistry, I get crushed by fear of clicking on the wrong thing. Go figure? Fear of clicking! Sounds like the makings of a new racy novel or movie. What about a mystery like Clicking On the Orient Express, or maybe that bone chilling blood-splattering Silence of the Clicks? Before you know it there will be the TV series Law and Clicking and the sitcom Two and A-Half Clicks. Then CNN will come out with Clicking: 24/7. The only thing more frightening will be the Dr. Phil daily special "You Can Master Your Click". Soon clicking will be essential for salvation!!!!

I digress! All I really meant to do with this blog is introduce to any readers who care, the new logo for our musical production this June. The Lord of the Parables is going to be a lot of fun. We had our first "are you interested" meeting and over 100 applications were picked up. I had to print up some more. We have twenty-three songs on this play. They are Broadway and oldies parodies, and some awesome praise songs. Dates are June 7, 8, 9, & 10. Come and see it if you can.

I wonder if I could write a musical....The Sound of Clicking? It could happen!

Splashing In The Shallows

We accidentally clicked onto a TV program where three people of questionable expertise and gender were critiquing the dress and accessories of the stars as they arrived at the Golden Globe Awards. Talk about "no-bodies" saying nothing, wow! How can a bunch of non-celebrities question the tastes of real celebrities who clearly have an audience and are marketable? No one in that group ever walked the red carpet to receive a national honor, yet they were experts on how stars should dress. They should at least have other celebrities doing the criticizing. Even sports commentators are usually ex-players or coaches who have "been there done that." For the few seconds we watched the show, all I could think of was "how shallow." One star wasn't wearing "her color" and another was wearing "too much jewelry." The only thing that amazed me more than the fact that anyone would care was that a group of anonymous no-bodies had TV time to air their opinions. But then again, I feel the same way when a movie celebrity presents themselves as an expert on politics. Notoriety in one area of life doesn't make one an expert in all areas of life. Stay where you're deep, thus avoiding being shallow.

All this just made me wonder if shallowness (if it's not a real word I just made it one) is subjective. I guess it has to be - you know, in the eye of the beholder, but isn't there a way to objectively know that something is indeed shallow? You have to exclude the mundane and the routine. There is nothing intrinsically deep about brushing your teeth, wishing you'd worn a different shirt, or trying to figure out were to go for lunch. But what about priorities? I know I've been shallow in my priorities at certain times of my life. Cars? Clothes? Sports? TV? Many etc...? Unless your livelihood depends on these, how important are they? The list is endless. Things that seem so important at the time, in retrospect, were a waste of energy, drive, and focus. Though it's nothing like it used to be, I still fight shallowness at times. Worrying about what someone thinks about me; "Are people going to remember I wore this last week?"; and wondering why the guy in the bathroom mirror has so much less hair than I do. Again, just to name a few. Maybe spending ten seconds wondering why some "no-bodies" are on TV is a slip into shallowness. I guess if I define shallowness as any waste of time, I might discover that there is a lot more shallowness in my life than there should be. Even Jesus said that worrying about food or clothing was a waste of time. How much does that convict us of shallowness? His remedy was to "seek first the kingdom of God." Loving God and loving one another is always deep.

I really hope you're happy!

In Westerhoff's levels of faith, he talked about "affiliative faith." It is a faith we have simply because of our desire to affiliate with certain people. People we like, agree with, or even family. We connect with them, agree with them, and have our faith supported by them. It's nice, even biblical to a point, but it's not an "owned faith." It's a faith of association, identification, and acceptance. Again, it's part of God's plan, because He wants us to be with folks who will encourage, edify, and equip us, but the goal is to have a faith that is our own - that is a personal walk with God. Look at Eph.4:11-16 again and the goal is clearly maturity, Christ-like, and the headship of Jesus.

I made the observation in a lesson yesterday while talking about Romans 1:16 (as part of a lesson on vs.8-17), that being ashamed of the gospel (i.e. being a Christian, Jesus, representing His point of view, etc.) is a good indication that our faith is affiliative rather than owned. How hard is it to have faith when you're around faithful people? How do you know that what you have is real faith? How do we know we have convictions and not co-dependency? I have struggled with this regularly through the years because I know how driven I am to be a people pleaser (yes kids, it's in your genes). When you are primarily around other Christians, and you want them to think highly of you, it gets easy to be driven by acceptance rather than a genuine Christ-likeness. If it is not real faith, we become like whoever we happen to be with at the time. On the other hand, if we do have an authentic faith, if we do sense His presence wherever and with whomever we are around - even when we are alone, then there is a consistency of life in our example, our witness, and our hearts. Can we truly say we are seeking Him if He is not the one we want to please - first? Authentic faith can only come from an authentic relationship with God and Jesus. If God is happy, God's people will be happy. Everyone else is a prospect.

The Purpose Drivel Church?

In my opinion, there is no tougher problem facing any congregation of people than being honest about their purpose as a church. I can't begin to estimate how many times through the years I have worked with my church leaders to hammer out a clear sense of direction. Through the years I've been part of focus groups, planning groups, goals setting groups, and dozens of elders retreats, meetings, and workshops - all trying to clarify what the church should be doing. There were several times when I had it figures out too! At least I thought I did, with the knowledge I had at the time. It's not as easy as it sounds. For one thing, church leaders are never objective. It's rare to find a leader who can step back, look at the big picture, and dump all the extra baggage of traditions, politics, and people-pleasing. For another thing, we assume that those who've gone before us have worked out the details of "What the church is and does" and our job is to simply develop the most efficient and effective way to carry it out. I remember how dumbfounded I was thirty-five years ago when I asked, "Why hasn't anyone wondered why worship IS NEVER described, used, or performed in the New Testament like we do it today?" How could the "most important thing we do" (at least traditionally) be so "undescribed" in the Bible? Well, you get the point hopefully, without me quoting chapters from one of my books. Those who went before us DID NOT WORK OUT ALL THE DETAILS - at least not always correctly. They weren't always "restoring" as much as they were adjusting.

Today, the last thing I want to do is hammer out a Mission Statement or create a new Vision for the church. I like God's. Building a church is not always the same thing as seeking God! We get it twisted around. It's not the big church that God is looking for but the big heart that seeks Him! It's not about the church! The church is a tool to help people develop a deeper relationship with Jesus! Anything that doesn't contribute to that, is a worldview church. At the risk of being repetitious, the church exists to facilitate the building of spiritual relationships. It was never in the plan of God that the church would become the Temple of the New Covenant. So I'll close this theological tantrum with two ignored or at least diminished principles that any child of God can place scriptures to.

1. A deeper relationship with Jesus comes from having deeper spiritual relationships with one another.

2. The best way to have a deeper relationship with Jesus is to help someone else have one.

The real question then becomes: How does the church help make this happen?

Ice and Nice

It was wonderful to have Elizabeth and Deborah with us for a couple days last week. They both managed to arrange for Dad's and Grannies to take care of their kids and come to St. Louis to do some serious scrapping with their mother. While I forced myself to not participate in said activity, I did join in when it came time to dine either in or out. It was really nice to spend some time visiting and not have the love-child distractions. Of course, we would love to have seen those precious grand children too, but like I always say, it doesn't matter how old they are, our kids are our kids, and it was great to share some special time with them. A huge "BRAVO" to Chad and Pat for making it possible! That was some serious marital investing!

While they were with us, we got hit by the ice storm that has been in the news for the last several days. A lot of our church family lost electricity, but fortunately we never lost ours. And, thank the Lord, the girls were able to drive home without any problems. As bad as it was, the ice on everything was quite beautiful at times. I took the picture of the cardinal from our back window. It's sitting in our backyard cherry tree. What an artist our God is!

God told me...

I know it scares people to hear a preacher (esp. in C of C) discuss God talking to them - personally, but we know/believe He answers prayer, so what makes us think He's trying to hide? I believe He talks to us through His Word, His people, and through godly thoughts. I find nothing in the Bible that says He can't or won't or doesn't put thoughts into our head. We have no problem believing Satan can! But I say that to make this point, when things of spiritual significance seem to be repeating themselves to us, could it be that God is trying to tell us something? When we pray and are patient, giving God time to speak to us, we often are surprised to see the same passage of scripture popping up, and others talking about the same topic, and our thoughts starting to clarify and focus on what the answer should be. Could this not be God's guidance? Is this one way He molds our spiritual maturity as He leads us from milk to meat? I think He does it all the time and would do it more if we were more sensitive to His presence and power in our life.

"Honest to God!" It's what some people say to support their veracity. It's probably disrepectful and flippant to say it, because no one knows if we are honest with God except us - and Him of course. I've been focusing a lot lately on talking with God (i.e. "Coffee With God" blog), because I have discovered that it's the ONLY way we truly have a relationship with Him and it's the most important way we increase our faith. It's how we develop a sense of His presence in our life - everywhere - all the time. BUT - it means NOTHING if we are not honest with Him, recognizing that He knows us better than we do, and He wants genuine love, faith, and seeking after Him.

One of the ways these things were brought together for me - by Him, was through the old story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). I see now that the lesson is not so much the story, but why He had to tell it. The guy talking to Jesus was interesting and sadly familiar. He was "an expert in the law" and he wanted to "inherit eternal life." Sounds like preacher or elder material to me! And when Jesus questioned him about what God was really after, HE GOT IT ALL RIGHT! He understood that it's all about loving Him and showing it by loving others! And Jesus told him to do it and live - thinking the conversation was over, but no! He wasn't being honest with Jesus. The Bible says, "But he wanted to justify himself," so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" It wasn't about seeking God! It wasn't about relationship building! It was about self-righteousness! Look at me! Aren't I amazing! Aren't I better than most religious folks?

On the short list of impossible things, we must add; Never play Charades with Jesus or God! If I could sit down and have coffee with God, and ask those most important questions about life and eternity, would I feel the need to "justify" myself. Not if I'm honest with Him. Not if I respect His omniscience and His desire to hold me tightly. To Him, my heart is like my wife's iced tea. He can see right through it. There is nothing to justify and every reason to glorify Him. An open heart and open lines of communication mean an honest relationship with our Father. Have you heard Him lately?

Seven in Seven?

This past Sunday I shared with my church family my personal goals for 2007. I called them "Seven in Seven" so it would be easier to remember them. They're not surprising, spectacular, or super spiritual. They are just simple common sense things that I need to remember as I build a deeper relationship with Jesus. In fact, that was the focus as I thought and prayed about these. Seeking Jesus is passionately wanting to know Him better, be closer to Him, and have a clear sense of His presence. We do that the same way we build any relationship - because we seek it - we work at making it happen. So here they are just in case you may be interested in trying these yourself.
1. Pray - 7 days a week (there is no relationship without communication so don't miss a day)
2. Read - 7 chapters of the Bible every week (at least - because we need listen to Him)
3. Encourage - 7 people every week (we draw closer to Him by helping others do the same)
4. Share Jesus - w/ 7 people this year (not set up Bible studies or baptize, but simply commit to helping 7 people have an opportunity to know Him and/or draw closer to Him)
5. Love myself - enough to live healthy, exercise, eat less, and lose weight = 7% (after all, our bodies are His temple and must glorify Him) Personally, I am committed to at least being in good enough shape to do the Race for the Cure 5k run in June.
6. Learn - read 7 inspirational books this year.
7. Relationship growth - 7 new friends (particularly church family folks I don't know like I would like to).

Granted, some of these I purposely place in the "do-able" range so others could and would join me. I talk to God all day every day and I always read more than 7 chapters of the Bible each week and 7 books a year. Still, I need to remember to be INTENTIONAL about building a deeper relationship with Jesus. 7 in 7 is not another checklist - but a way to remind myself and maybe help others. Have you got a plan?

Preachers Meetings?

In thirty-three years of full-time ministry I never wanted to go to a preachers meeting. In those early years, the only thing the area preachers talked about at their meetings was all the liberals who were "changing everything" and were leading the church down that "slippery slope" of destruction. I had better things to do. Besides, I was one of the "heretics" they were talking about. To be truly honest, there haven't been a lot of preachers that I admired and respected enough to want to meet with and share my ministry with. I've always had some "best friends" who were preachers and there have always been some incredible spiritual giants in ministry who I deeply appreciated, but they were few and far between. Unfortunately, a lot of the really good ones have left full-time church work because of - well I don't want to start down that road, but I would love to know how many of the dozens of guys I graduated with in 1974 from Harding (then College) are still in ministry. I have a sad feeling that there aren't many of us around.

I've said that to say this (how's that for a classic preacher transition?), I meet with a truly classy group of preachers here in St. Louis who have truly been a blessing to my life. There are about 18 or 20 of us who meet the first Thursday of each month during the school year. We spend time praising God, sharing our lives, and talking to our Father. I'm one of the "old guys" of the group (except for Coy of course - and Jerry Jones who comes when he can - really old guys!) and it's a joy to see the commitment, the compassion, and the seeking after Jesus that each of these men bring to the get-together. It's a wonderful church family of partners in the gospel. We're black and white, young and old(er), Christian church and C of C, large congregations and smaller congregations, from MO and IL, and all passionate about our Master. I confessed to them this week that every month I think about not going simply because I have so many "other things" to do, and then when I get with them I mentally smack my forehead and think, "Boy, I'm glad I came to this!" I think one of the best parts of the sharing is just reminding each other that we all have the same problems and struggles in ministry, and with God's help and a clear focus we can deal with anything. They are good men, and I am thankful for their friendship, their prayers, and their work for Jesus. As the years pass by, we will start hearing more people moan about the shortage of preachers and young people preparing to preach. I've been saying that for years. But for now, I want everyone to know that there are some truly amazing servants of God in our churches. Men who are desperately seeking a closer relationship with our Father and who passionately want to lead others to His Son. I thank God for each of them and thank Him for letting me get to know some of them.

Thank you for another year.

Dear Father,

Another year has ended - another gift from you has been used up. Thank you sweet Father for giving me 365 more chances to draw closer to you, to serve and glorify you. Forgive me for being so slow and so selfish. Forgive me for the years that I spent trying to impress others over you. Forgive me for the years that I took for granted and spent them like cheap tickets to a carnival ride. Thank you for being so patient and forgiving. For letting me run back to you from the pig pen over and over. Thank you for the ring that represents my life with your servant Donna for thirty-four years; thank you for the robe of family that covers me with love and wonderful times of togetherness; thank you for the sandals of service that take me in your Son's steps and keep my feet beautiful because of the message I get to share; and then, there's that calf that represents - not a sacrifice, because forgiveness was already given, but taking care of my every physical need. Forgive me for enjoy it too much. Thank you for finding us a home at Florissant. It's been two years since we arrived, immediately feeling incredibly loved and needed - wounded far more than we realized - but thrilled to be with a family so deeply in love, so united, and so happy in Jesus. Thank you for leading us to good men with true shepherd hearts. Please, please protect them from political thinking and power grabbing. Keep us all humble and prayerful. Thank you for answering so many prayers for our family and friends. Thank you for a good heart catheter last week, but even more, thank you for giving me a clean heart, with no secrets and no pretending, just an honest desire to know you more. May I do my part in making 2007 glorify you in every way possible. May our plans be your plans. Help me to be a living sacrifice to you 365 days or whatever days you decide to give me. I love you and long to be like my brother Jesus. Help me to do a better job in '07 than I have in the past. Help my life to be all about Him for there is still salvation in no other name under heaven. Jesus! Amen!

Seek Or Swim!

Have you ever tried to figure out why we do such a terrible job of fighting sin? When I think back through my spiritual journey, one of the biggest puzzles for me personally, is why I was such an awful warrior for God. Please don't think I'm saying that I've arrived and that I have totally conquered sin. Far from it! I just understand it now. I understand why I did such a pitiful job of winning the sin battles and why it seemed to be the same battles over and over. The truth is, I wasn't fighting for God - I wasn't HIS warrior, I was fighting for me not him! The other night in a Bible class, I asked the question (from Psalms 101:4) "Why is it so hard for us to hate sin?" While there are loads of ways to look at it, the biggest problem is that we're fighting an unwinable battle and we know it! It's unwinable because we are fighting sin without seeking God! Anything we do, or try to do, that is not connected to and motivated by our desire to draw closer to God, is simply an act of self-righteousness.

Our primary motivation in life is receiving approval and acceptance from those we value. It starts with our parents and then broadens to include family, friends, students, co-workers, neighbors, and church people, to name a few. Since they determine our value, being "good" is defined by what we think they are looking for before they anoint us with that tag or any other spiritual appellation (i.e. faithful, dedicated, spiritual, righteous enough to serve communion or appoint as elder). So we fight sin to be good, to convince others we're good, and even to feel good about ourselves. But we fail most of the time, so we learn to cover sin up, to replace the obvious with the secret - the hide-able, the closet kind of sin. We don't do the "biggies" just the socially acceptable sins, the - you're-okay-because-you-haven't-brought-reproach-on-the-church-sins. You know, like pride, greed, anger, and selfishness - to name a few. And don't get me wrong - we have some victories! We grow out of some things - Praise the Lord! We lose the desire for some sins - finally. But most of the time we feel guilty, hypocritical, and empty. All the "good acts" and all the back pats in the world don't really make you feel fulfilled and at peace. All the approval and acceptance of all the good church people in our life doesn't do what a genuine relationship with the Father can do. He didn't call us to be approved and accepted by others! He didn't call us to be called good! He didn't tell us to fight sin! Well, yes He did tell us to do all those things - JUST NOT FIRST AND FOREMOST. What He wants and has wanted from the beginning - what He clearly tells us is the secret to all the other things - is to seek Him! Long for Him! Draw close to Him! Hunger for a relationship with Him! When that is our deepest desire, we stop being the Lone Ranger of sin fighting. Seeking Him changes our motivations, our goals, and our desires. Seeking Him means that we are working from the inside out not the outside out! Trying to be righteous without seeking a relationship with God is phony faith and shallow fellowship. Others may say we're good, but maybe it's good for nothing!

Just think about it! Where did we get the innate urge to be accepted, wanted, and desired? Is it surprising that we want what God wants? He's just waiting for us to want Him as much as He wants us! SEEKING HIM simply means that we set our hearts on knowing Him and as we know Him, we seek to please Him! Seeking is the bottom line! It's what He is looking for in the heart of every person! To seek Him is to believe in Him, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Ever wonder how David, with all his sins, mistakes, and short-comings could be "a man after God's own heart?" In his heart he was seeking God! At times he got distracted and forgot who he loved the most, but when he remembered ( or was reminded), he turned to God with a passion that God wants to see in everyone of us.

It's not like we haven't known this all along. It's not a secret. It really is that simple. We've always known that relationships don't "just happen". They have to be sought, built, and cherished. That's what God wants. Quit seeking to be good. Seek to know and love God, and he'll take care of the good. No one knows "good" like He does!

Go Chad!

Okay, I'm pretty proud of some of my surprise gifts. I remember an opal ring I secretly bought for Donna thirty-something years ago when we didn't have two nickels to rub together and we owed the in-laws an arm and a leg. I wanted it for her and she still wears it and shows it, and receives compliments regularly for it. Then there was the twenty-fifth anniversary diamond ring to add to the puny little engagement thing I bought her while we were still in college. The new one had several nice diamonds to surround the sentimental speck I gave here in '71. And how about that surprise 30th anniversary trip to Disney World for four days? If you know Donna, you know she'd take that over a diamond any day. It's her favorite place in the world! We had a wonderful four day adventure at the four kingdoms of Disney and she literally wore me out going to so many things. Of Course my favorite was the custom made necklace I had made for her that year too. A white gold replica of an old pop-top from a soda can. It has precious stones on it to represent different things, but most of all I knew she'd love telling the story to anyone who asked her about the strange meaning behind it. It had to do with how we got engaged and she has told the story hundreds of times. To quote Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:1 (NAS of course) "Nevertheless"- (it's my favorite word since it follows "It's good for a man to not touch a woman.") nevertheless, I must pronounce that my son-in-law Chad has given the ultimate gift to my daughter Elizabeth. He had all her blogs, pictures and all, made into a book as a keepsake and to honor her wonderful words of wisdom, sharing, and love. It's beautiful, and yes guys - romantic! It means he must turn in his camo at once! Not! It was a wonderfully thoughtful gift, and something that will bring joy to her, their family and friends, and anyone who sees it, for lots of years. Good job Chad! I say it a lot, though maybe not to them, but Pat, Chad, and Holly are three incredible people who have blessed our family in so many ways. The law says they are my sons and daughter in-law, but I say they're my kids, just like the three they married and I thank God every day for answering our prayers and bringing them into our lives.

It IS a wonderful life!

There hasn't been time to add to my blog pile in the past week. We had an early Christmas in Nashville last Friday so the grand kids could have Christmas with the in-laws. It's tough sharing! It was wonderful to be with our family, minus Jonathan and Holly of course, who couldn't leave NY due to "professional demands." It's nice to be on Broadway, but "the show must go on" is not just a catchy slogan - it's a business reality. So, we missed them a lot, but our "show must go on" too, and it did. As usual, we were blessed through giving, and honored by receiving. Mostly, we saw again how much we have to be thankful for. Thanks to our Father for another chance to be together and have safe travel. Thanks to everyone for the well-thought-out-gifts. Thanks to Carter for letting us have his bed. Thanks to Chad and Elizabeth for sharing your house and making a special trip to have coffee for me. Thanks to Ashlyn for sweet kisses and smiles. Thanks to Pat and Deborah for hosting Christmas, fixing an awesome Christmas dinner, and (to Pat) for not over cooking the venison on the grill. Ummm! Thanks to Joshua and Caleb for the pocket knife and Wet-Wipes! I've needed both on many occasions. Thanks to Mamaw and Papaw for driving all the way from Searcy to share Christmas with us. Even if you left your gifts (accidently) at home, you were the best gift we could all have been given. God is good to allow us to have so many wonderful memories.