The Big Apple Trip

This is the Observation Deck on the Empire State Building. It was neat to be able to see New York in all directions. It was a beautiful day with very little wind - even up there. The night before, we all got soaked by the rain. This is definitely a MUST for any visit to NY, but I was not ready for the huge crowds of people. Pre-purchase tickets on line and go in the morning as soon as they open. The lines were longer than Disney World and you go through several different levels of lines. I was also surprised by how many foreign languages we heard all around us. It makes sense that any foreigners visiting America would want to see NY, but I was still surprised at how many and the tremendous variety.

I recommend the tour bus. It's a great way to see everything and you have the option to get on and off anywhere you want. You can use it for pure transportation, but not if you're in a hurry. It was so neat to see the advertisements for Toxic on walls, buses, and even trash cans. This is the same picture as my last blog. JD is the cop - second from the left.

The elevator was broken at Lady Liberty and again, the crowds were huge, especially catching the ferry back and forth. Don't be in a hurry! Even with tickets, pre-bought on-line, we only got to go up to the observation deck (the balcony below the statue). To go up through the statue takes another ticket and you have to reserve it way ahead of time. It was still neat to see it up close after seeing it so many times from planes. If you don't like lines and you don't care about up close, you can take a harbor cruise that circles all the islands and lets you see everything in comfort. We had tickets for that but not the time. Also, the Long Island Ferry is free and allows you to see everything too - from a distance. Thanks to Don Rose for sitting on the ground to get the above picture.

It was raining on Saturday when we arrived, then we had two beautiful days on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, our last full day there, it was raining again, but we really wanted to see Central Park. It was really beautiful, even in the rain, and it was much bigger than I ever thought it would be. It's two and a half miles long and a half mile wide, with lakes, trails, roads, and buildings of all kinds - not to mention all kinds of sports fields from baseball to tennis. And there are all kinds of things around it or attached to it like museums, the zoo, and lots of other stuff. It is really hard to believe you're in the middle of NY City when you're walking around in the park.

That night we went to dinner with Jonathan and Holly at Otto's, one of Mario Batali's restaurants, in "The Village". It was nice to spend some time with them. We see them less than anyone else in the family because of Jonathan's show schedule, which doesn't include vacation during any holidays. They really do love NY and seem to be coping well with incredibly busy work lives. We really hope that we can go back again before too terribly long.

A Toxic Trip

(Jonathan is the Cop)

We got back from our trip to the Big Apple yesterday at about 5:00 P.M.. We had a great trip for a lot of reasons. First, because we got to see Jonathan and Holly, and see the new musical Jonathan is in, The Toxic Avenger. Second, because we met up with our good friends from Nashville, Don and Kathy Rose, who we always love to be with. And finally, it was nice to spend some time touring New York City and seeing some of the places I've heard about all my life but never had the time to go see. Things like the Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. We did the bus tour thing, which was really nice and informative, and we used the train system for all our travel. Yes, it is a very crowded, hectic, and busy city with some of the craziest drivers in the whole world, but it is a neat place to visit. I've got a long list of things I wanted to see but just didn't have the time.
As mentioned, the highlight of the trip was seeing The Toxic Avenger. It has to be the funniest musical I have ever seen. It is fast-paced, hilarious, and full of incredible music and singing. The five actors are all incredible and the costume/character changes that the White Dude, Black Dude, and Mayor/Mom do is amazingly funny and entertaining. It's a little gross, with a few words, and suggestive jokes that would make me say it's probably a PG13, but it's so funny and fast that those moments are short-lived.
We, of course, especially enjoyed seeing all the incredible things that Jonathan had to do. He has some 16 characters that he plays and his ability to change costumes, roles, voices, and genders is hilarious. I feel like I need to see it a couple more times just to keep track of them all. We especially got a kick out of the first female character he played. You can't see it as much in the picture below (from their web page), but when he did certain things while singing, he looked just like his sister Deborah.

(Jonathan as Diane)

This actually isn't the first girl he plays in the show, but the wig framing his face gives him a very familiar look. It was a great show with great acting and music. I've seen a lot of musicals, and yes, I am partial, but it was one of the best - most fun shows I've ever been to.
We had a wonderful time, but as always - it's nice to be home.

Things Change...

This picture of our grand kids has been on my computer screen since we took it the first week of June. It's missing baby Daniel who was a tiny thing back then, and Caden, who wouldn't arrive until late September. Things change. This was one of the last pictures taken of our old porch, which was really just a concrete slab. Construction of the new covered porch began in earnest just days after the play was over and everyone was back at their homes. This is our porch today, the morning of the final inspection. There are still a ton of cosmetic things I want to do, but there isn't any hurry to do them and I also really want to remove the County Inspectors from the whole equation before we do anything else. Plus, I don't want to drag out their part of this until the Spring, when I'll probably being doing the final things, like the ceiling, painting, staining, and trim. It has been a lot harder than I thought it would be, but still it's been fun and very fulfilling to see each part come together. With my partner Steve Smith helping me all the way, we've gone the second mile to make it stronger and sturdier than the plan required. Our running joke is that this porch will still be standing when the house falls down. That's probably not much of an exaggeration.

For those of you who are family and friends, I hope the running reports have been interesting and informative. Part of the reason I started this blog was just to let you know what's happening with the Roots in St. Louis. Now, when you don't hear from us or see new blogs, you'll know why. We're sitting out on the porch enjoying the view.

Lessons From My Computer

It is amazing how our culture has been impacted by computers. I confess, again, that I am a techno-dummy, but I still find myself spending a huge percentage of my day looking at a computer screen. It has added words to our vocabulary, gone from a neat toy to a necessity, and changed the way we communicate. With all the texting, emailing, blogging, Facebooking, and the many other forms of typed communication used worldwide, you would think that we have improved our communication skills, deepened our relationships, and become a much more understanding society. Wrong. Like a lot of tools, computer communication just amplifies what we already are. We choose whether or not it is a vehicle for good or evil.
The other day, however, my computer presented me with a visual illustration of what I've been teaching and preach for the last couple of years. When I clicked on the Internet icon, to bring it up on the screen, I noticed the little flashing word in the upper left corner for the first time. It flashed "connecting" over and over again until the Internet page came up. The first step in our plan for the spiritual growth of each member of our church family is Connecting. If we are going to build spiritual relationships with one another and with God, we MUST first connect. It has to start somewhere.
That made me think of our second step, Caring. A relationship will only grow if we care about one another. Loving one another is the heart & soul of what Jesus called us to do. When I've been connected by my computer to whatever I've chosen to be connected to, I only stay there if I care about it. I often click on things that might interest me or help me, and I decide it's not what I want or need - so I click to something else. Nothing lasts if you don't care about it - especially relationships.
And then there are the things that I'm really committed to. They are things I'm connected to that I care so much about that they're on my "Favorites" list and I check on them daily. Our third step of Commitment is the natural next step when you care deeply about someone or something. It is why you are happy to serve, sacrifice, and share.
All growing relationships go through the same process. You connect, begin caring, and it builds commitment. Whether it's friends, spouses, brethren, or God, if it's going to deepen as a relationship, it will follow the same path. Even computers know that.

A Piece of Cake...

This is the cake that Donna made for a marriage renewal ceremony for some friends of ours last Saturday. It was such a beautiful cake that I almost hated to see it cut-up and served. I said, "almost" because it REALLY tasted great. I saw several people coming back for a second piece, because not only was it good - it was three different flavors, and the whole thing disappeared like I've rarely seen at occasions like this.

It was a joy and an honor to be part of Stan & Faye's 34th wedding celebration. I love that they did it on #34. Who said that only the 5's count? Every year is important! It was nice to help them celebrate their years together, but also to join with them in declaring that marriage is important and special - and it's worth the effort to keep it strong and last a life-time.

Yes, that thing I'm wearing is called a suit and tie. I can't remember that last time I wore it, but I'm just glad that this time it was for people who are vertical and breathing.

Sermons and Books

Just a quick blog to answer a couple of questions I've been asked lately. Sorry if this blog sounds self promoting. It's not, because this is about what I do as a servant of God. First, I was asked if my Sunday morning lessons are available to be listened to and/or downloaded. Nearly all of my Sunday morning lessons are available on our church website. Not much changes on it each week, but we do have people who put each weeks lesson on the website. We are in the process of creating a new site that stays current and interesting, but in the meantime the lessons are usually posted within two to three days of Sunday. They occasionally get a week or two (or three) behind, but they try to keep it current. I understand, remember I'm a techo-dummy, that they can be downloaded to IPODs and such or just listened to through computer speakers. The church website is http://www.florissantchurchofchrist.org/.
The other question was about how to find copies of my books. College Press, who published four of my books, still has at least three of them in print - I think. I was also very surprised to find all my books for sale on-line - at some amazing prices too. The short answer is that I have copies of all my books, and the only copies of a couple of them. I have copies of:
Spilt Grape Juice (our lives as worship - much more radical in 1991 then it is today)
Unbroken Bread (not in print -a study of what the NT assembly really was)
Empty Baskets (last of the worship trilogy - looks at worship as stewardship)
Life's Cobwebs (not in print - dealing with life's problems)
I Knew That, from Covenant Publishing (learning difficult lessons)
Rev (a poorly edited but dramatic novel based on some of my experiences as a Police Chaplain)
If you are interested in getting copies of any of these books, just call me at the church office or email me. I've had several small groups and Bible classes use one or more of my books as a study guide. I just sent a box of Life's Cobwebs to Murfreesboro, TN last week and one church in WV spent two years in their auditorium Bible class studying Spilt Grape Juice and Unbroken Bread. You can also get Spilt Grape Juice and Empty Baskets through College Press, who will ship them and bill you. Call them at 1-800-289-3300

Get it? Got it?

Our job, as church leaders, is to help people develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. When that happens, God will take care of the "church growth." I know, I've said that a few times before, but I feel like very few people really understand what that means. They're usually too busy turning to the back of the bulletin to check the attendance and contribution numbers to think about who they've been encouraging and mentoring. In the last couple of months I have been blessed to baptize two people who were attending my Connecting Class on Sunday morning. It's a combination Introduction 101 to God's plan for redeeming man and how this church family fits into that plan. It's awesome to see someone "get it" when it comes to Jesus and what he did for us. Helping someone begin their journey with Him is exhilarating, encouraging, and humbling. I used to say without hesitation that baptizing people was the most fun thing I ever did as a minister of the Gospel. While that hasn't changed, I do think that seeing clear spiritual maturity take place in members of my church family is equally as thrilling and inspiring to me.
One of our older members (as in my age or better), who has been a Christian for many decades, stopped me in the foyer last Sunday to share a humorous apology for having joked to some members at a dinner that she was surprised I still had a job after all the radical stuff I'd been preaching. I think she got a lot of blank stares, as they didn't "get" what she was talking about. She went on to explain to me that when she really thought about what I've been saying about these religious "acts" and "requirements" really being tools from God for us to use, it finally hit her what an incredible paradigm shift that was. It meant that she needed to look at them in a totally different way. They're not "ceremonial acts to perform" but tools to use to help us help one another grow spiritually. She "got it" and was overwhelmed by the new way to think. God gave us an amazing tool box full of powerful tools, not a check list of "acts of worship" to perform.
I can't put into words how cool it is to really see someone "get it". So many people listen to challenging new ideas, smile and say "Amen," and never see the implications - the application - the need to change anything! The same Bible that tells us it's through baptism we "put on Christ" also tells us "to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." That's what He put "pastors and evangelists" here to make happen. (Eph.4:11-16)

Foggy Morning Update

It is cold and foggy this morning, so the view from the porch isn't much. It's so quiet that it feels a little secluded out there. It would have been a great morning to be in the woods hunting, but I'm hoping the sun will come through soon and I'll be able to build the stairs for the porch.

It's hard to see the thermometer on the porch post, but it's thirty-eight degrees outside. As you can see, with the fog, it's very damp. Still, it's a different look from our porch, but one you need to be wearing a coat to appreciate.

On Monday, we mixed twelve and a half bags of concrete to extend the preexisting slab from three feet to nine and a half. We have no idea what that original 3'x3' slab was for, but it's deep and it has three steel rods in it that have been cut off at the surface. It's even on the original survey plot. It must have been some kind of signal or radio tower. Anyway, I decided to just expand it and build our steps to cover the nine plus feet between the middle two posts. Not only will that give us a nice large (and long) stairway, but it will give us a concrete platform off the bottom step. We have to get the steps built, and the side rails up, and the gutter put in before the County inspector can sign off on the project. There will still be a lot of finishing things to do, but there is no hurry on that. It's dry, big, and ready for anyone who wants to sit and have a cup of coffee. Did you notice our swing and two rocking chairs? There are three more chairs stacked between the door and living room windows.

Multitasking?

I love it when I finish a blog, hit Spell-check, and the little green phrase appears at the top saying "No misspelled words". The single most inhibiting aspect of writing anything for public view is the fear that one misspelled word will steal the attention away from the point of the writing. It's happened plenty of times. I put together something that I think is very profound only to find out that one misspelled word or incorrect form of the word is all a reader sees. So imagine my surprise when I typed in the word "multitasking" and I got the happy green phrase telling me it was spelled correctly. I just knew it was a made-up word. Maybe it is, but because of the overwhelming usage of it, it's been put in the dictionary now. It's definitely not in my old Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language! Of course, my Mom did get me that in 1968. I guess no one was multitasking back then.
I've decided that I don't like it and I don't like feeling like I should like it, like everyone seems to think I should. Is that too many likes? When did multitasking become a virtue? Is it really a sign of productivity or a sign of widespread mediocrity? Hey, I think working fast is necessary - occasionally, like when a bunch of men meet to do volunteer manual labor and it turns into a demonstration of testosterone driven one-ups-manship. I'm even all in favor of doing more than one thing at a time, like watching Donna scramble eggs, fry bacon, and make waffles, and I'm still able to watch the News on TV.
No, what I'm talking about is split focus, half-attention, and half-hearted devotion to a task, and then gloating about ones ability to multitask. All multitasking does for me is create stress and cause me to be more concerned with finishing than with doing my best. I'm married to one of the most talented women in the world, but I've noticed that she always does her best when she can focus on one thing and doing it right. I know that is the best way for me to function. I don't even like having split excitement about several things at once. I tend to spend too much time figuring out how I can make time for each thing and feel the stress of maybe forgetting something.
Right now I'm excited about a number of things: my sermon, plans for a new class, writing lyrics for the 2010 play, (I have to write the script in December so the music has to be picked out now), we've got a new grand baby I'd love to see again, and we've got a trip to NY coming up in two weeks to see Jonathan and Holly and to see the new play he's in, I'm finishing up the work on our new porch, and on top of all that, it's bowhunting season in MO and IL and I've got tags for both states. If I were a multitasker, I would try to do everything at once. I can't and won't. I do one at a time, enjoying the moments I spend doing each or thinking about each, and then move on to the next one. Of course it helps to live by one single motto: When in doubt - go hunting.
Oops! Maybe I am a multitasker after all. Do you know how many sermons, blogs, class outlines, and ministry ideas I've worked on with my journal while in a tree stand? A lot! And I've been burned many times by deer walking right under me before I noticed them, while I was reading a book. Okay - if I am a multitasker, I'm not a very good one. I'm not even a good double-tasker. Is that a word yet?

Changing Scripture?

I think it's interesting how one key word in a verse of scripture becomes the driving force behind how we use it and apply it. A couple weeks ago I mentioned how much the way we use 2 Timothy 2:15 has changed through the years since most of us don't use the KJV anymore. When I was a kid in Bible school, memorizing that verse was second only to Acts 2:38 in importance because of the "then" command to "Study to show thyself approved unto God...". It was the scriptural mission statement for Sunday morning and Wednesday night Bible classes and the theme of every VBS. The NIV translation "Do your best," which is far more accurate, just doesn't have the same clarion call to "get your Bibles out." So when you get to the end of the verse, with it's description of the "approved...workman" who is "unashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth," it just doesn't have the same "make sure you interpret the New Testament scripture" challenge that the old KJV did. What did Timothy and the folks at Ephesus understand Paul to be talking about? They didn't have any Bibles lying around. The "word of truth" Paul was talking about comes from what he said in verses 8&9 of that chapter: "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained." Handling the word of truth correctly meant living and preaching that truth and not letting Satan distract you with "godless chatter" and "quarreling about words."
Wow! It really is a different verse than the one I grow up quoting and later using to put people on guilt trips.
Now - just a few verses later (vs.22)- is "Flee the evil desires of youth" really a challenge to young people, or simply telling us when the evil desires begin in life? Could it be an ageless warning rather than just a good verse to point out when you're speaking to the Youth Group?

Leaks, Logs, & Love

Yesterday was opening day of archery deer season in IL. I spent three and a half hours standing in my tree stand in the pouring rain repeating over and over, "I'm having fun. I'm having fun." We did manage to grab a good late morning breakfast at Mel's in Hardin - and watched it continue to rain. It really was nice to be in the woods and to know that big bucks move in the rain and at any moment, the sloppy weather could turn to sunshine with just the sighting of one. I'm still very thankful for the chance to witness God's handiwork, which includes rain.
I cross three rivers on the way to my hunting spot in IL. First the MO, then the Big Miss, and then the IL going into Hardin. I often see sticks and logs floating down the river and wonder if they'll make it all the way to the Gulf. It made me think of our newest grand baby, little Caden, born Monday night. He's been set adrift in the sea of life, and for several years, he will be guided by the currents of family and friends, but at some point, he will have to stop drifting, stop being guided, and have to be in charge of his own direction in life.
I wonder if a floating log has ever been pulled from the water, made into planks, and used to build a boat? I'm sure it has happened. Wooden boats are just organized driftwood. I just love the analogy of a drifting log that becomes part of something that seeks it's own direction, even against the current, if that's were it chooses to go.
In the meantime, before Caden becomes his own speed boat, it will take a lot of love, nurturing, and praying to help him "stay the coarse." Praise the Lord, he's in the right river that's going in the right direction.

Welcome to the World Caden!

Yesterday morning I was up on the roof of our new porch putting the flashing on it, and Donna was out running around taking care of some chores, and we got the call from Elizabeth and Chad that the Doctor was sending them to the hospital. It took us a couple hours to clean up and clear up what we were doing, but we managed to get both cars on the road to Nashville by 12:30 and got to the hospital by 5:30. Little Caden came into the world a little after 10:00 last night and was every bit as beautiful as is brothers and sister, and cousins. It's in the genes. What a blessing it was to be there right after his birth and see the incredible gift God gave us all. These pictures are ones I took this morning at the hospital, before I headed back to St. Louis. Donna will stay and help for a few days, and I'm so glad that she can. It's going to be quite a chore for Chad and Elizabeth to get use to having four little ones to take care of. They'll be just fine. They are both fantastic parents. And by the way, doesn't Elizabeth look beautiful in this picture? She was worried that she wasn't really made-up for pictures, but I think she looks great.

Curtis couldn't come to the hospital since he's just getting over a fever, but here is one big brother and one big sister, who couldn't be more excited about the new addition to the family. Of course, Carter and Ashlyn had to have a Krispy-Kreme doughnut first before they held Cadin.

And here's the proud and amazingly popular Nana with the new grand baby to start spoiling.

I just love little babies - especially when they are my grand children. It's kind of odd to think that just fifty-eight years ago I was that small. Oddly enough, we have the same amount of hair.

Thank you Father for this new addition to our family. He will grow up knowing You and Your Son, and that will be the most important thing he will every learn. Thank you for being so gracious to us.

Porch Pics

Okay - so every one's not interested in keeping up with the progress of the Root's new porch. I am, and I'm excited to see it finally becoming something that is ready to use. This is the view from my rocker at nearly 2:00 in the afternoon! Usually we have the back of the house closed up, covered up, and the poor AC is fighting a losing battle to keep it cool. Not only do we have a great view out back, but it's usually so peaceful and soothing. Of course, it's really nice now since Donna's cell gets better reception out back than it does in the house.

This end of the porch will eventually have a railing with a set of steps on the right side. It doesn't have to have a railing because it's under the County code of 30'', but the other side does and it will look better if the sides match. From this view you can see the full 38 x 12 size of the porch. Lots of room for everyone to sit and visit.

I took this from across the pond, obviously, and it show the new shingled roof of the porch. Can you believe that's over 15 bundles of shingles? We finished it Monday but I've still got scabs on both knees from spending so much time nailing shingles. The steps will cover the area between (from l to r) beam three and beam four. I have to have a hand rail on one side, which will be at beam four. It's fun looking out the windows and door while sitting down to dinner. Because of the slope of the back yard - from inside the yard disappears and it looks like we are on waterfront property. (Look back at the picture and notice how closed up the upper windows are compared to the ones on the porch. Yes - shade!)

This is a view not seen before. Because the deck is barely over the 30'' height, I have to put a railing across this part before the County will sign off on it. It will block a little of the view, but not much, and I'd hate to see someone slip off the edge and get hurt. There's still plenty of room for grand kids to jump off the porch, which I have no doubt will compete with "frowing wocks" in the pond.

The entire time that I spent taking these pictures, Donna was on the phone with Elizabeth, getting the scoop on how she feels an when we can expect our future porch jumper to arrive into the world. Little Caden will be number seven - and you wonder why we built such a big porch?

A Great Church?

What makes a great church? I still hear members, but mostly church leaders, talk about how great it would be to be a church of one or two thousand. They say it as if the size validates our success as a church family. Okay, let's say that all of a sudden we became a church of two thousand. What would that really say about us? Would it reflect on our ability to share Jesus or our ability to attract others who like our church better than others? Would it mean that we were doing everything right, like God wants, and that we have been true to our commission and purpose? Would it allow us to help people develop a deeper relationship with Jesus? Would it really glorify God or stroke our egos?
I'm all for growing in numbers as a church. Our present church family has been at a plateau for several years. I guess to some that means we've haven't been growing, but it's only a plateau if no one has been growing in Christ. It's only a plateau if it's assumed God wants us to be something different than we are now. We are a church family with over five hundred on the rolls, we have the largest number of elders of any church I've been a part of (and the other three were larger), and I'd say that we still are not guiding our members to maturity in Christ as well as we could. Would we do a better job if we had another fifteen hundred members? It's hard to see the logic in that. There is a part of me, mostly my ego, that would love to be the pulpit minister of a huge, thriving church, that everyone else envied and wanted to copy, but is that really what God called me to do and be?
We have more visitors and community contacts then we can keep up with. We have visitors who walk in to check us out every Sunday! We have a large number of members who are very serious and honest about wanting to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. Still, someone will occasionally talk like we have failed to become a great church. It's just so hard to keeps the worlds definition of church success from driving our perspective on what we should do. We must learn to celebrate the maturity of one soul in Christ. That is the job of spiritual leaders, at least according to Paul in Ephesians 4:11-16. Our job is to build a great church, but in God's eyes, a great church is a loving, spiritually mature family that the world recognizes as followers of Jesus because of how much they love each other. not the church with the slickest program in town. Those house churches of Acts 2:42-47 were great churches. Not because they were a group of thousands when the all got together, but because they understood difference between caring relationships and community attractiveness. Just maybe - a great church is a family of disciples who are interested in seeing every member of the family draw closer to Jesus. Just maybe - if we do that with what we have, God will give us more to help grow.

How Do I Love Thee...

I never was much of a love-letter writer. When I was in love, or thought I was, I generally never allowed myself to get very far away from the one I was focused on. The summer before Donna and I were married, I spent eleven weeks in Holland working with a couple of churches there and helping with the Campaign groups from Harding University that were there part of that time. I wrote a lot of letters that summer - probably daily or at least every other day. So, while I don't claim to be an expert in writing love letters, I do know a few things that a love letter doesn't do. A love letter is not vague, unclear, or hard to interpret. The writer doesn't try to communicate love with tricky textually ambiguous pronouncements. The love-struck doesn't hide his or her wants, needs, and intentions in puzzles that have to be pieced together over multiple letters. The seeking of a relationship is not hidden by stories, impeccable logic, or meaningless challenges of loyalty. The message is not complicated, convoluted, or concealed from all except the scholarly and legalistic. While it will aways be informative, the heart and soul of a love letter only has two points: I love you - and - don't you want to love me back?
I remember the first time I heard someone say that the New Testament was a love letter not a law book. I thought they were being too simplistic - almost heretical, but now, not only do I see it as a love letter, but a simple love letter from God, and, yes, it is heretical - to those who still see it as a twenty-seven book jigsaw puzzle filled with new laws and rules to discover and obey.
When you read the Word looking for God's message of love, you realize that He's not trying to present a series of hurdles to jump, but giving us the tools - the keys - to getting closer and closer to Him. He is clear and to the point. In fact, He only has two points! He declares His love for us, including all He has done to show that love, and He asks us to love Him back - with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Forget Hallmark! No one does it better than God!

Treestand Journal

Tuesday, September 15th - From my treestand in Missouri
I was in my stand by 3:00 this afternoon. It's warm, but not too unbearable since there is a gentle breeze that feels good and makes the leaves applaud God's handiwork. There is some fall color already appearing. The hickory's are turning yellow, but it's mostly green in all directions. The floor of the woods is a brown carpet of last years leaves. I am in a white oak tree, about twenty feet up, and I have a good view of everything out to sixty yards in most directions, and clear shooting lanes out to thirty yards. There are a lot of oaks of all kinds, dropping acorns with a thump, and providing dinner for squirrels and, hopefully, deer. There is some under-growth of smaller trees under the larger canopy of hardwoods and sprinkling of evergreens. It's a great day to be in God's woods.
At 4:00, a buck suddenly appeared behind me, just as I was standing up to stretch. Their stealth for their size is simply amazing. The pretty young buck, a 4x3 in reddish velvet came right under my stand about five yards from my tree. He was legal to shoot, with four points on one side, but he wasn't what I was after. I wish Danny, who is with me but several hundred yards away, could have been in my stand and got his first buck. Still, the thrill of beating any deers incredible nose, eyes, and ears is part of what this is all about.
I am really enjoying the quiet time in the woods after a long summer. What makes this so much fun? It's seeing God's work, enjoying great fellowship, having quiet time to think and pray. All that is huge, but what really gives bowhunting it's driving element is anticipation. Hunting is all about expectations. Every minute on stand is a minute of living expectantly.
Life is supposed to be lived expectantly. We live anticipating eternity with God. Well, at least we should. It sure would change the way we look at the world we live it.

Thursday PS. About two hours later, a huge buck came within twenty-three yards of me, just munching acorns like he was starved to death. He had my knees shaking, my heart pounding, and my breathing barely under control. That's what anticipation does to you. Unfortunately, he never gave me a clear shot, so I didn't try to take one. He trotted off, and, after a short bout of depression, the anticipation started all over again. I just knew he'd return on Wednesday. He didn't. I big momma doe finally came by and got a whiff of where I'd walked in, and she stormed off snorting to all the deer in Missouri to stay away! I know there's another lesson there, somewhere, like persistence, or patience, or maybe don't hunt when it's so hot you leave sweat all over the woods.

A Dollar for Your Thoughts?

These are some of the pictures Donna took during my lesson yesterday on God's Tool of Grace. We skipped our usual greeting time after the first song, and during the first point of my lesson, which was "Grace helps us understand God", I had our communion servers come down front and I asked them to show everyone what was in their baskets. Thus the above hands full of one dollar bills. They passed their baskets around and I asked everyone to take one dollar out. The serving time allowed me to share a few jokes and to poke fun at a couple members. Once everyone had one dollar, I then told them that I wanted them to give it to someone. I even took a couple moments to ask those who were unemployed to raise their hands, and then anyone who was going on a mission effort or had a ministry that needed money. They could keep the dollar, give it to someone in need, or just give it to a friend or whatever they wanted.

It was interesting to watch the mixture of usual Sunday morning greetings and hugs, and everyone walking around with money in their hands.

Everyone seemed to have fun with it. A few made it too hard of a task. Some even brought their dollar and laid it in a pile on the stage - giving it back to God. I didn't think about our guests, but I do wonder what they did or what they experienced.

Some people were clearly helped by the gifts from others.

Once everyone sat back down, we did a little survey to see who did what. I asked how many gave their dollar to someone who needed it? Lots of hands. How many gave their money to a friend? A good number of hands. How many just stuck theirs in their pocket? One kid raise his hand. Brave soul!

Then I asked, "How many of you gave your dollar to someone you totally don't like? How many of you gave it to someone you consider an enemy?" There were no hands, and it was awfully quiet.

That is when I made the lesson about grace. God didn't give his only Son to us because we were so lovable. Jesus died for us while we were sinners, ungodly, and enemies - according to Romans 5. We think we understand God's grace, but in reality we barely know what it is!

Hopefully it was a lesson that will help us all think a little more deeply about God's grace. If so, it was well worth the baskets of dollar bills.

Tuesday & Wednesday - gone huntin'! First time ever to hunt opening day of Missouri's archery season.

Good Old Days?

I have never been one of those "give me the good old days" kind of people. At least once a week we receive an email that takes you back through those Baby Boomer years of the fifties and early sixties and reminds us of some really great memories of five cent Cokes and watching the Lone Ranger on a tiny black and white TV. I enjoy those, but I truly don't agree with the usual attached comments about "better times," "happier days," and "wish we could go back." I would take 2009 over any year I've experiences since my birth in 1951. 2009 is the best year in all of history and it's the best of all times to be living.
Part of that opinion comes from the fact that I also remember how not-so-good much of those "good old days" were. Give me AC over window fans any day and my 42 inch HD TV makes our old 200 pound, 15 inch black and white look like something from the Stone Age. I could go on with comparisons until the Great Blog Timer shuts me down, but the real reason I treasure 2009, and in particular, September 10th, is because it's the day my Father has given to me. It's an incredible gift that must not be wasted on nostalgia or obsessive planning for the future. If He gives me tomorrow, it's another day to praise Him and draw closer to Him. If this is it, the last day I spend on planet Earth, then I get to praise Him and draw closer to Him for eternity. It's a win - win proposition - all made possible by the grace of God.
Having said all that, I do wish we, as a nation, could return to the days of respect for our President, civility in our disagreements, and wanting national good over party politics. I know that there were plenty of exceptions to the rule "back then," like McCarthy or the always scandalous politicians who were caught being immoral in a country that cared about things like that. It just seems to me that we are becoming more and more unkind, polarized, derogatory, distrustful, and even hateful, just to name a few. I was appalled by how people ridiculed, demeaned, and were malicious towards President Bush. I even heard Christians talking about him as if their disagreement with his policies somehow justified being un-Christ-like. I was very disturbed and disappointed with many people in our country during all that. It's clearly not just a malady that affects one political party, because we are hearing even more hateful and extremist language from those unhappy with our new President than we did with Bush. This isn't about comparing, it's about common courtesy, civility, and respectfulness. I didn't agree with everything President Bush did, and I don't agree with everything that President Obama is doing, but that does not mean that I need to be ugly, fear driven, or destructive to my country's image in the world.
No - I don't want the "good old days," but I wouldn't mind a little bit of the good old ways.

A Tool or a Club!

I closed out my lesson Sunday on God's Tool of Baptism, by addressing the fact that some folks would be very uncomfortable with calling baptism a tool. Connotatively, it may mean to some that baptism is WAY TOO optional if it's called a tool. Frankly, I thought, prayed, and meditated a long time before I added baptism to my list of God's Tools just for that very reason. Not that I was so worried about the attacks from others, but I was a little uncomfortable with it myself. But the more I chewed on it the more I became convinced that a tool is exactly what God gave us. Like communion, God used something physical to symbolize something spiritual, and not because He wanted to give us some ceremonial or sacramental activity to perform, but to help us focus on matters of faith. He provided us with a physical connection to something spiritual because we needed it. So with communion, He picked items that were on every table every time anyone got together and used it as a tool to help us think of Jesus and His body - the church. It never was meant to be a religious ritual. With baptism, thanks to the word being transliterated rather than translated, we now have twenty centuries of a "named" religious act, when it was originally a description of beginning again, cleansing, and total commitment. He again used something that was a part of life and religion, and turned it into something that would help us know when our spiritual birth began, when we connected with God's love and Jesus' sacrifice, and how completely we are immersed in Him. We needed it! It helps us! It's not about the performance of some mysterious rite.
So, does the word tool sound too soft - too optional? Not if it's the tool that works. We get way too hung up on discovering "essentials" and then throwing down the gauntlet to fight and die on our spiritual correctness. Here are three questions I asked Sunday for the benefit of those who fear I'm watering down baptism (pun intended).
1. Which tool from God is non-essential? Here's my list: Prayer, the Holy Spirit, leaders, trials, the Word, witnessing, the church, communion, love, giving, singing, encouraging, baptism, & grace. Which one or ones is/are okay to leave off, ignore, abuse, or reject?
2. Which tool or tools do you use perfectly? Have you misunderstood or forgotten to use some of these at times in your life? Like now? Are you okay with that? I mean - being wrong and in error? Aren't you glad that God's more interested in your direction than He is your perfection?
3. Which tool is not impacted by God's grace? Review your answers to #1 & #2.
When God said He has given us "all things that pertain to life and godliness," He was saying that He gave us all the tools we needed to seek, find, and build a relationship with Him.

Got Dead Grass?

The other day I found myself reflecting on this rectangle of dead grass in our backyard where the big stack of 2x6 decking used to be neatly stacked. It just struck me as significant that even with the brand new porch coming along and nearly done, the scar of the past still remains. Yes, it will be restored to normal with time, but it reminds me of the simple lesson that change and newness - like forgiveness and redemption - still come with scars from the past that don't disappear right away. They hang around and remind us of our hurt, our mistakes, our dark moments, and our sad times. They may be wiped from our souls, but they're still in the picture album of our life.

For some people, the grass never returns. They can't or won't move on, and the scar becomes a burden to growth, a barrier to peace, and a break in their walk with God. I have often mentioned to people I'm about to baptize or pray for that the hardest part of God's forgiveness is not His ability or willingness to forgive, but our ability and willingness to accept it. We let the dead grass - the scars - dominate our spirit and keep us from "forgetting what lies behind" and "press on to what lies ahead." Sometimes self-pity becomes a friend we enjoy, because while God can take away the reason for pity, only we can take away the self part. We enjoy "self" way too much.

I am very good at enjoying and accepting God's forgiveness - especially when it comes to past sins and mistakes. I revel in it! It amazes me and motivates me to live for Him! But - I still find myself occasionally, for short periods, reflecting back on hurts and feeling sorry for myself. After a few moments of that, I wake up, whack my forehead, and get angry with myself for letting Satan stick his big ugly foot in the door of my life. I know it's him because God doesn't want me in that place. So I say a quick prayer and just start thinking about all the things that He has done for me. It's SO much bigger and better than the dead grass of the past.

Like good friends and a nice porch out back? Some day, by the grace of God, I'll be a finished work.

Eating On Me

Have you ever had a verse of scripture just "eat at you"? It seems to happen a lot to me lately, and it's usually verses that I've observed "the passover" with as I read it in the past. Now I see them, and sometimes they cause me to wonder about how much I've missed through the years. The passage that is munching on me this week is a little sentence stuck between Paul's declaration that Jesus "died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again," and his call for us to be ambassadors of Christ, sharing the message of reconciliation. Here it is - holy indigestion - "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view." (2 Cor.5:16) Ouch! You mean to tell me Paul that because of what Jesus did for me I no longer see people like I used to? Without exception? You mean I don't see people as ungodly heathens, who cheat, steal, abuse others, worship money, and drive their cars like maniacs? How else can I look at them? They're not part of US? They are...they are...people in need of reconciliation with God! They are people who need to experience Jesus through me! They are...me...before Jesus. If I am anything good, godly, or growing, it's by the grace of God. My "new creation" in Christ should move me to see others as He did - souls in need of a relationship with the Father.
"Ain't no Tums gonna help ya with that one!"

Truth Tantrums?

Anyone who is around me very long will hear me say, regularly, "According to Jesus, the quality that clearly identifies us as His disciples is love." That's the TRUTH - just in case you were about to scream, "But what about the truth?" We come from a heritage that exalts knowledge and defines faithfulness by study time. Have you ever heard of someone being appointed elder who didn't come to the Sunday and Wednesday Bible Class? Of course not - even if they were ministering to those beaten and left by the roadside - it's about education, study, and discerning the truth. After all, the truth sets you free, it sanctifies, and it's one of the qualities Paul challenged us to "think on these things." I'll let you provide the scripture references.
We often forget the most important #1 definition of truth in God's dictionary. Jesus is the truth. But Jesus is also love. To know Jesus means that He defines truth and love. From a spiritual perspective, truth is not just knowledge and education, it's understanding and embodying the character of Jesus, and He, like Our Father, is love.
Many of us don't get it! We study the Bible, go to Bible classes, and listen to Bible sermons, and we think the goal is gaining knowledge about what is the correct way to worship, the right way to obey, and the true way to interpret scripture. Once the formulas have been figured out and doctrines securely concluded, we feel comfortable and secure in the knowledge that everyone else in the religious world is in error and would be so much happier, not to mention saved, if they could only "figure it all out like we have."
Smugness, arrogance, exclusiveness, judging, and gracelessness become okay, and our inconsistencies are ignored. We can assemble together, sing about love, hear about Jesus, study about grace, and then shake our fist at someone who pulls out in front of us as we rush to lunch. We know our Bible, but think nothing about being rude, demanding, and stingy to the stressed out waitress who serves us - right after hearing a powerful sermon on being servants. And if someone dares to disagree or change something in the assembly that we've always done, it's okay to be angry, unkind, mean, gossipy, and divisive. Many don't see the irony of being un-Christ-like about Christ centered things we do together.
We need to remember Paul's warning to the Corinthians, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God."
If what we learn about Jesus and God is not making us more loving, we are learning for the wrong reasons. If our study and church attendance is not helping us become more like Jesus, we're doing the wrong stuff at church. If thinking that reaching all the correct conclusions about Biblical doctrines is more important than treating others in a Christ-like manner, we are wrong, in error, and doctrinally in diapers. Remember what becomes absolutely NOTHING without love in the great love chapter? Spiritual gifts, knowledge, faith, giving, and the ultimate sacrifice, are all worthless without love.
So, when is it okay to be un-Christ-like? That truly is a rhetorical question, but let me share this final thought. It's okay to be un-Christ-like when you have to endure something worse than what He endured for you.

Inconsistency and Truth

Something to think about until I have more time to elaborate:

You can be doctrinally right, but if you're un-Christ-like, you're wrong.

Sex & Singing!

That title is not a cheap attention getter - but it does make you wonder what this is about, doesn't it? There are probably other parallels that could be made (not to mention jokes), but how we think of both sex and singing largely depends on what we think the purpose is. In Jerry and Lynn Jones Marriage Matters Seminar, they shared a lot of truly valuable information about building a strong marriage. When they talked about sex in marriage, and particularly the completely different ways that men and women view it, they said something very profound. They concluded the discussion by pointing out that "Husbands will have to learn to have sex less than they want and wives will have to learn to have sex more than they want." I love the practical truth of that comment, but I especially love the clear emphasis that in marriage you consider the needs and feelings of your mate, and you give or postpone your needs for their sake.
I'm a firm believer that sexual frustrations, lack of communication about it, and failure to be unselfish is the number one cause of marital problems. Arguing about finances and being thoughtless are just symptoms of the real number one problem. What complicates the truth is that most men won't admit it and a lot of women are clueless as to how incredibly important it is to men.
The challenge for all of us who want to have healthy and thriving marriages is to quit thinking of sex as a personal need and start thinking of it as a gift from God to share with the one we love. If we take it out of the category of "my drives" or "my mood" and see it as a gift to give, to be considerate, thoughtful, and loving, it becomes a blessing not a burden or source of frustration.
What in the world does that have to do with singing? Wow, there's an awesome joke there somewhere, but the point is that singing (in a spiritual one another setting) is a gift from God that we get to give to others. We have bought into Satan's trick that singing is about what I like or what makes me feel good, and it defines whether or not I label the assembly of the saints a success. Until it becomes a gift we give away - especially when it's not a song that we like or enjoy - it will always be a source of contention, judgment, and a misplaced church identity - as opposed to having our identity in Jesus and loving one another. God gave it to us as a tool to encourage one another not as some ceremonial rite to be checked off the "worship list" on Sunday morning or to be our church "feel good" pill to "pump us up" before the sermon.
So now you know what sex and singing have in common. They are beautiful gifts that we give as God intended.

Thumbs Up!

Last Friday morning the St. Louis County inspector checked out our porch construction and gave us the okay to continue. He inspected the framing and joist work we'd done and proclaimed, "It looks good." I'm not sure which part meant the most to me - the okay to proceed or the affirmation of having done a good job.

We come into this world seeking the affirmation of others, and we never seem to stop seeking it the rest of our life. When you are a "people pleaser," like everyone in our family tends to be, it doesn't matter how confident and secure you seem to be, you still want to know that others agree, appreciate, and approve of what you do. It's important, because we thrive on encouragement and assent. It's disheartening to know that someone disapproves or disagrees with us, and, in spite of all the unconcerned talk, it eats at our heart and causes lots of unseen anxiety. It's nice to be liked.

When do we reach the point where receiving God's approval is more important than the approval of others? I'm not just talking about doing what's right versus doing what's wrong. I'm talking about the joy of knowing He loves us, forgives us, and is pleased with our hearts that are seeking Him. Do we truly care about pleasing Him? Is it okay to do something good, when no one is around and no one will see it, just because it pleases God? Maybe if His approval - His affirmation - were more important to us, it wouldn't be so important to receive it from others. Maybe we really could feel confident and secure and get our self esteem from Him and not people who can't possibly know what is really going on in our heart. After all, if our direction is right (i.e. walking in the light), in spite of our mistakes and stumbling around, He's going to be saying to us, "Well done." It's simple, but more important than anything anyone else could ever say to us.

Can you see our Father giving you a thumbs up?

The Thrill of the Thrill

We (all my rowdy hunting buddies) decided back in the early Spring that we wouldn't go elk hunting in Colorado this year. The tight financial situation that everyone is in seems to be the biggest reason for each of us. While I don't have any EXTRA money, and while I'm trying to save for our BIG Winter-time vacation next year, truth is - I'd go elk hunting in a heartbeat if anyone would say, "Hey, let's go!" It never was something I could afford, it was something I loved and longed to do, so I made it happen. And here I am in August, just 3 or 4 weeks away from when we'd normally be heading out on I-70 for Colorado, and I'm watching all these elk hunting shows on The Outdoor Channel and The Sportsman's Channel, and, well - I'm going through some serious Rocky Mountain High withdrawal pain. I already miss chasing elk through the scrub-oaks, glassing mulies across the valley, and checking out the same white rocks that every year, from a distance, make me think they're a mulie rear-end. I miss riding my Artic Cat around the top of LO7, the highest mountain on the property, feeling those cool breezes on my face, smelling the sage, and seeing those spectacular vistas that I never get tried of seeing.
Having said all that, one of the things I also miss has nothing to do with not going to Colorado. I miss the thrill of the thrill - the passionate excitement about the "once in a lifetime annual hunting trip" that began each year the day after I got home from the last trip and built throughout the year to a fever pitch in the Summer, causing me to loose sleep, pack early, and practice fifty-yard archery shots. Our first trip was in 1986, and since then I've only missed it a couple of years, and after all these years, well, I still love it, but it doesn't dominate my dreams like it did a few years back. In fact, I'd say I love it as much now as I did back then, I just have a different perspective now than I did back in the "passionate-all-year-long" days.
A lot of what I use to feel was the excitement of being excited. I used to thrive on being excited about some future event or adventure - something new and different. It seemed to give meaning to life. I think that's a normal part of being younger. I certainly wasn't pumped up about always bringing meat home for the freezer. While I managed to take four elk and three mulie bucks over the years, you can do the math and see that most of the time I came home with memories not back-strap.
I guess, like anything that means a lot to you, you naturally mature in the way you think about it. Colorado elk hunting is more like a good friend and less like a wild adventure. If it was all about the mountains, the hunting, and the ATV riding, I wouldn't need to have anyone with me to share it with. No, it's always been about the fellowship with good friends and the shared memories, and that's why, without that, I'll spend all of September in Missouri this year.
Oh, deer season opens in MO September 15th - I can't wait! NOT ALL OF THE THRILL IS GONE!

Construction! Construction!

We've put all the smaller joists, with the angle cuts, in since this picture was made. We're about 10 or 12 boards away from being finished with this part.

It's Monday morning and I'm watching the rain come down outside as I think about all my plans to work on the porch this morning go down the drain. Maybe it will stop in a while and give us a chance to do a little work. As you can see in these pictures that Donna took, we've been putting the floor bracing in. Steve and I started it Thursday evening, after doing some other support requirements, and then Ken Teson helped me put some more in Friday afternoon.

My buddy Steve came back Friday evening and we put the last of the floor joists in that we had boards for. Today, Lowes is delivering about a dozen 14 footer 2x10's so we can finish it out - if the rain stops. Once all the floor joists are in, I have to call and order another County inspection. When the Powers-That-Be okay it, we can then put the decking on and begin working on the roof. We're not breaking any speed records - you can't when you're just doing a couple hours at a time when you can - but it's gonna happen. As usual, I couldn't do it without the help of some great friends like Steve and Ken. Steve as been the "foreman" of the project and I definitely couldn't have done it without all his help.

Hey, before long I will be watching the rain from my covered back porch. How cool is that?

The Power of Positive Thinking?

For some people it may be looking at the world through rose tinted glasses. For others, it's all about seeing life as a glass that is half filled rather than half emptied. Some say, "When life hands you lemons make lemonade." Others cheer, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." There are other axioms, analogies, and pithy sayings that describe how to have a positive outlook in life, but forget'em all. Here's what I think. The world is a wonderful place when observed while eating a DQ Blizzard - preferably a Butterfinger Blizzard.
It will never be put in marble somewhere, but it's philosophically sound. Try it.

The Scoop on Love

Do you remember what it was like as a kid to be watching a movie that had a romantic scene in it? We were all like the kid in The Princess Bride who cringed and said, "Not the kissing stuff again! Can we skip it?" I use to cover my eyes at the movies when a kissing scene came on. Way too mushy! Get on with the blood and gore stuff!
As adults, I think we tend to be the same way whenever the topic of love comes up - especially in a spiritual setting. We've spent our lives thinking about love as some romantic-warm & fuzzy-cloud nine feeling that, at least for most men, involves all kinds of things we don't want to talk about. And I don't care how many Bible classes we've been in that teach us that there are three different Greek words for love, each talking about three different kinds of love - we still think of love as romance, tingly feelings, and uncontrollable heart-throbbing.
Excuse my "writers license" but that ain't love - at least it's not the love that God is talking about when He commands us to love our self, love one another, and love Him. Agape love (I know that's a redundancy!) is loving the way God does. It's loving souls, the potential for good that is in everyone, and giving them the same compassion, forgiveness, and kindness that God gave us. Hey, it doesn't even mean we have to like them, and it certainly doesn't mean we have to have those warm romantic feelings that we think defines love. No way! Love is choosing to look at others the way God does. It may grow into liking them or even romance, as in "Husbands love your wife as Christ loves the church." That was said in the time of arranged marriages. Paul was calling on Christian husbands and wives to choose to love each other. Today, we just assume they're in love or they wouldn't have gotten married.
Love is the great essential in our relationship with God! We love to identify what is essential to salvation (because we know we've got it figured out), but when was the last time you heard anyone point out that love is essential to salvation? Always has been and always will be!
In the Word, love is God, which means love is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Love is grace, because it's God character being given to us. Love is the driving force in our spiritual lives. It's the goal of our lives. It's the LAW we live by and the standard by which we are judged by God.
Maybe it's time to let go of the romantic definition of love and start thinking about the all encompassing nature of love in our journey to a deeper relationship with God. IT'S NOT THE KISSING STUFF!

Success Is Relative

I have never enjoyed or been more excited about my ministry than I am right now. At this point in my life and career as a preacher of the Gospel, I am busier, working harder, and feel more fulfilled about my job than ever before. I think I understand my purpose better, I know how to do what needs to be done, and I see more lives growing in Christ than any time in the past thirty-five years of full-time ministry. I am excited about what God is doing in our church family, I see more possibilities and opportunities for growth in the future, and our church family has the best chance of really being the kind of loving, growing, and Christ-like group God really wants His people to be.
I don't share that to brag. It's humbling to see what God is doing in our life. I share that to simply make the point that even with all those wonderful things going on in our life and with all the success and potential success that God may give us - it's still not the most important thing I've done in my life.
After having our family with us this past week and seeing how much they love each other as husband and wife, parent and child, and siblings and in-laws, and seeing how much they love God, glorify Him, and are growing in Jesus and raising their children to love Him, well - how do you put a value on knowing your loved ones are faithful children of God? What is it worth to hear your grandchildren singing spiritual songs of praise, saying prayers that are simple, pure, and from the heart, and how do you put a price on hearing your adult children discuss how they can best be of service to God. What does it mean when the hurt of having to move farther apart is softened and bearable because it's what needs to happen for the work of the Lord.
We had our chance to be parents. It's not our job now. But when we were parents of children, it was a high priority, and we will never regret the time and effort that went into raising them in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord." I feel pretty sure that when all is said and done, it will be our greatest work. Now they're teaching us.

Family Vacation

It's family vacation week, so I don't have time to write a serious, thought-provoking blog about anything. We're just enjoying being together and wishing Jonathan and Holly could be with us. We started the day out yesterday with a trip to Eckerts to pick blackberries and peaches. It was a lot of fun and only took a few minutes to fill up the buckets and boxes. Above you see our two best pickers.

The Milom part of the family made sure that they picked some peaches to take back to Nashville with them.

We then drove to Hardin, IL to eat at Mell's Riverdock Restaurant, one of our favorite out of the way places to eat. Wonderful food with huge portions. This is were I go for breakfast after a morning of hunting in IL.

What a great looking group! This was after the big lunch, so it's a much bigger group than when we walked in.

In the afternoon, we all went to a water park and got lots of sun and water. The kids, big and small, really loved all the slides.

Then we ended the day with another incredible dinner, and after the kids were all tucked in, we played a game until midnight. We even got Mamaw to stay up past her 9:00 bedtime. It's always a blessing to have times like this with family. God is good - have I said that before?

Slow But Sure!

I'll take all the help I can get to construct our porch. This is "vacation in St. Louis week" for our family, but we did take a couple hours last evening to work on the new project. I drafted my two sons-in-law to help us set up the 6x6 posts that will hold the deck and the roof. We got all five in place, so it's finally starting to look like something is going up out there. The digging of and filling up of the pylons (10) was a much bigger job than I imagined.

This is my good buddy Steve Smith, who is really the one making this happen. I'm more his helper. He has done this before, so his help is invaluable, and deeply appreciated.

I did receive a little extra help from one of my grandsons, Curtis. A socket wrench can be used as a hammer. Hmmm - I think there's an illustration there somewhere about "tools".

A Time to Shift

I have spent a lot of time and prayer through the years attempting to understand God's will. There is one huge theme that has come from that study, time and time again. An honest and open and objective look at the Bible keeps telling me that I need to change my fundamental thinking about many things I've been taught. In the buzz words of today we call it "a paradigm shift." The need to change the framework, or preconceived notions about what we are looking at. I've been challenging myself, and those I minister to, to do that nearly my whole career. In the eighties I began challenging everyone to think of worship as a life given to God, not one hour on Sunday morning. Back then, that got me labeled a radical. Here are a few others:
Church is not an institution but a tool for relationship building.
Elders are not business leaders, but spiritual shepherds, who mentor and guide members and not just meet to make decisions.
Bible Classes should foster love not education. ("Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies")
Our church family must be defined by our love for one another not our assembly style.
The spirit of Christ is found in seeking a relationship with Him, not the pursuit of biblical patterns. When has God's will even been like putting together a jigsaw puzzle?
Grace is a matter of direction not perfection, so "seeking God" is the most important element in faith - and pleasing God.
The assembly of God's children is first, last, and always, an opportunity to give, not an experience to receive.
The list is much longer, but I share these simply to introduce what I believe is one of the most important paradigm shifts any Christian can make. It can and should completely change the way we look at, teach, and use everything God has given us to help us grow spiritually. I call these tools. Many people use the word a lot, but do we truly think about what it means? From prayer to communion, and from spiritual leaders to the Holy Spirit, God gave us a tool box full of tools so we can be totally equipped for everything He wants us to do and become. God was helping, or equipping us, not giving us a list of rituals to test our obedience.
Here's the paradigm shift - what is the difference between a rite and a tool? Look at anything and everything that God gave us to help us grow and help others grow, and ask yourself, "Is it a rite to perform, or is it a tool to use?" It will shake-up the way you look at everything you do whether individually, like study and prayer, or together with brethren, as in singing and communing. Just think about it.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to be preaching about communion being a tool to use rather than a rite to perform. We strangled it to death with our patterns, legalism, and Catholic sacraments. Could it simply be a common, readily accessible way that Jesus wanted us to regularly (during shared meals anywhere and anytime) think about Him and what it means to be His body?