THE WEB PAGE IS READY!

While it's still a work in progress, I'm glad to let you know that our new web page is up and running. The long address is http://www.florissantchurchofchrist.org but I'm told you can get to it with just the florissantchurchofchrist.org and not all the front stuff. Many parts of it are underconstruction, but we have a great volunteer who is willing to keep working on it and keep it updated. In fact, it already has Sunday's sermon on it - the one I wrote about this morning in the blog below this. It does have the song before the sermon on it too, but you can move the little dial and it will fast forward past it. There will be a lot of changes and improvements made, so please be patient if you check it regularly.

Building Respect

Building Respect

Respect includes honor, consideration, caring, concern, recognition, courtesy, attention, and regard. For God, respect is worship - a 24/7 life giving in sacrifice to Him. For Christians, respect can easily be defined as the way Jesus treated others.

While the Bible is all about respect (because it's about God), my favorite illustrations of respect include: 1) David's refusal to kill Saul in the cave because he (Saul) was "God's anointed"; 2) The Centurion in Matthew 8 who showed respect for Jesus' power and authority; 3) The Prodigal son, in Luke 15, when he was back before his father.

Some helpful things to remember about respect:

1. Respect must be valued, sought after, and recognized as foundational to all of life's important qualities. It is a Christ-like quality we must want and one we need. All other qualities rest on us choosing respect (i.e. Christian Graces, Fruit of the Spirit, etc. all require it to build on).

2. Respect begins with self-respect. We are God's masterpiece and we can't begin to love Him and others until we truly love ourselves - like He wants us to. That means don't allow others to disrespect you (just deal w/ it in a Christ-like way).

3. Respect must be consistently modeled if it is going to be successfully taught. Model a person who possesses self respect. Remember what is seen is more powerful than what is said. Always show respect to and for your children. Deal w/ disrespect immediately! If you don't expect it and require it, your children won't give it to all other authority figures (i.e. police, teachers, elders, etc.). God command them to show it, that means parents MUST model and teach it!

4. Respect for others has no exceptions! It's for all (1 Pet.2:16-17) and we must have it to please God. Remember His lesson to Peter in Acts 10 = NO PARTIALITY! Don't pass on your prejudices to your children. Grow w/ them! Respect differences in personalities, interests, and opinions. Respect individuality in each child/person. Respect individual decisions.

5. Respect is not approval! Jesus showed that with every person he met - regardless of their sins - even sexual sins. But he never approved their sins! Sin does not negate respect no matter what culture has taught us about some sins ( i.e. homosexuality). Respect, but don't approve all groups, those who are different, different beliefs, and the property of others.

Conclusion: We always think about Moses having to show respect for God at the burning bush encounter. Have you ever thought about how much respect God showed for Moses? He was reluctant, unwilling, full of excuses, whining for help, and weak! What would you have said to him? God answered and dealt with every concern. Have you ever thought about how much God respects you? Especially when you consider what we really deserve?

Street Gangs In Calgary

Roving street gangs in Calgary, Alberta. They're looking for trouble.

Here they have commandeered the front yard of a peace-loving suburbanite.

Isn't it amazing how many things in life people look at totally differently? For twenty-five years I've spent countless vacation days and thousands of dollars traveling to Colorado to hunt elk and I've had years where we never saw any. I have come home with elk for the freezer four times, but some of us (who shall remain nameless) have never brought home any delicious elk meat. I'm just saying, it's a quest, a goal, a hobby, and an adventure - and just a fun time for a bunch of guys to be together hunting in the mountains of Colorado. In the suburbs of Calgary - elk are pests, and the homeowners get upset when their shrubs and gardens are eaten, and their green yards get fertilizer that is un-spread and unwanted.

Everything depends on your perspective, and your values. One persons pest is another persons prize. Have you ever looked around your house and thought about all the little (and sometimes big) things that you wish were improved, fixed, replaced, or just different? Whatever it is, there are whole nations of people who would feel like they were living in the lap of luxury to have that very thing. With affluence comes complacency, and with complacency comes ingratitude and with ingratitude comes ungodliness. When that happens, we are a long way from seeing things with God's perspective.

Maybe we don't need to "stop and smell the roses" but stop and count our blessings. That pesty elk in your yard would be considered "yard art" in some places, just like that dripping faucet would be considered a life saving spring in some places.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Building Affirmation

Building Affirmation

Affirmation is an essential part of our self-esteem. It includes encouragement, reinforcement, praise, support & acknowledgement, and a steady diet of "I'm with you" (security), "You're important" (significance), and "You can do it" (competence). For biblical illustrations I used
1. God's patience and repeated reinforcement of His covenant with the Patriarchs.
2. Abraham and Isaac climbing up Mt. Moriah w/ the knife, wood, and fire, but no sacrifice. Abraham's answer to Isaac's question about where it was, "God will provide." He had come a long way - with God's guidance and affirmation for many decades. Now he was affirming Isaac.
3. David in all of Psalms 23 - talk about feeling God's affirmation?
4. The ultimate - God's affirmation of Jesus at His baptism and transfiguration
5. Paul - over and over - Phil.4:13 & 19, and many more.

Another fancy title: Mike's Five Proverbs of Affirmation
1. The best way to receive affirmation is to give it to others. The personal affirmation we receive from guiding & helping others is simply the principle Jesus taught when He said, "It is more blessed to give than it is to receive." Acts 20:35
2. Criticism that is not deeply rooted in affirmation is destructive and deadly. Oft forgotten by church folks. It was always Paul's practice to praise and encourage first. "Misery loves company" so there will always be folks who tear down rather than build up. Eph.3:29
3. Affirmation is an unselfish act, but when it becomes self-serving - it's only and act. (Nuff said)
4. Affirmation is the easiest and purest form of giving. It's not about money, but caring, giving effort, time, and thoughtfulness for others. It's doing what Jesus would/did do. (Matthew, Zaccheus, Woman at the well, children, etc.)
5. Affirmation is the joy of sowing followed by the rejoicing of reaping! Plant seeds of "I'm with you," "You're important," and "You can do it," and then water, feed, and protect. The results are maturity, strength, confidence, and new affirmers. 1 Cor.3:5-9
A family that only shares a house, food, TV, bills, and nothing else is sick and dying. The same is true for a church family. If we are not affirming one another, which is one of the main ways we help one another develop a deeper relationship with Jesus, we are just a house.

Random Monday Thoughts

I sure thought that we were finished with all this stuff. It's still pretty, but after the long winter we've had and with spring only a week away, this is a little surprising. Oh well, we don't control nature here any more than they could in Japan last week. This will be gone in a matter of hours. In Japan, they are talking about thousands of bodies still to be found. We all are praying for them.

If I could box and package yesterday, and pull it out anytime I needed a "pick-me-up," I'd do it in a heartbeat. God blessed us with an incredible Sunday. It was a great day of being with our church family, inspiring one another, and sharing some great experiences together. And to top it off, we had a great evening with our young adult small group. We have really enjoyed getting to know them all better, and hopefully share a little wisdom and inspiration. If nothing else, we always have a wonderful dinner that Donna prepares for the whole group every week. I think they especially like her homemade bread. They are a sharp group of young adults, who love God and are serious about seeking a closer walk with Him.

One last random thought: over that last several months, several have asked me about our church web page and when it was going to be active again. It's ready, with a new layout, and a new administrator at church who will keep it updated and fresh. He has my Sunday morning lessons loaded and ready to be downloaded or listened to, and many other things, but...you knew that was coming...we are waiting to get ownership of the web name, which was actually owned by the former members who administered it for us. For some reason it's taking a long time. Anyway, I hope to be able to announce that it's ready and open any day now.

Just Wondering

The church is changing. It always has and it always will. Yes I know that Jesus and his Word don't change. I had one of my earliest debates over Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." But people change, and because people change, cultures change. The church always tries to stop it, as it seeks to keep doing what it's always done with many totally expecting the same results, and others thinking great changes will happen. Which one is the real insane one? We've spent the last twenty years bickering over whether the worship style of the post World War Two era was immutable and eternal, and now, most of us have moved on to a deeper and more scriptural understanding of church things. And yet, we've evolved into a whole new set of expectations from Joe Christian about what church is supposed to be and do.
Are you having trouble getting members to come out for special events? Have your "old fashion" pot luck fellowships gotten farther and farther apart with less and less enthusiasm from members? Having any trouble getting people to sign up to be involved in things? Thank goodness for parents who sign up to make sure their kids have a great children's ministry at church. But what happens when those kids move out of the children's ministry? Are those same parents willing to help, or have they "paid their dues" and taking a break - a long, long break?
I'm really not whining or trying to paint a negative picture of the church - though those who don't know me will assume that is what I'm doing. No, I'm just trying to understand what has changed. I'm not frustrated or depressed and yes, I'm still at one of the most wonderful churches in the world. I just see changes happening all over.
Here's what I see, as I put my sociological & theological hat on. It looks to me like we have a clash of cultural perspectives that are bumping into each other at church like an old Bumper Car ride. First, there is the lose of loyalty and commitment to anything institutional, and unfortunately, with all the chest pounding about being a restoration movement, we've let the church become an institution that members are called to support, rather than a family that supports members. So, we see detachment and a lack of loyalty. Second, as I've said before, we live in a consumer society, so church is no longer a tool to pool resources, it's another "what do you have that I need" commodity that all to often can't compete with TV, sports, family activities, and reruns of Seinfeld. Thirdly, there are those who have expectations that church can hang on to all the old things that church use to do that gave so many great memories of simpler times. The cure is more pot lucks, more traditional Bible classes, and narrower options for helping people draw closer to God. It's not all bad, but then again this isn't the 1960's. And the last element in this mix are the folks who just want to do what ever it takes to grow spiritually. They don't have any ax to grind, and they don't HAVE to have their way, but they don't want some external activity to define their walk with God. They have spiritual families, they do personal ministries of compassion for others, and they see themselves a walking with God 24/7. They see the church as a tool for helping others, for promoting togetherness, and for doing things that only a larger group can do, but again - their spirituality is not defined by their church.
The mix is bigger than these four, and most folks are really a combination of two or more, but the real question is, how can a church like that build for the future? Call me old fashion or simplistic, but I believe the answer is and must always be that - it's all got to be about Jesus. Knowing Him. loving Him, and becoming like Him. That will always be the only real standard for any group of God's people - regardless of how the culture changes.

New Series of Lessons

1. Building Communication

I began a new lesson series last Sunday about qualities that will help us build better homes. While it is primarily a family/home series, I'm making a special effort to focus on relationship building principles in general so that everyone, even singles, can get something from it. I know several in my church family check my blog regularly, so at the risk of boring them, I thought I would share the highlights (main points) of each lesson when I get back to my office on Tuesday mornings. I hope they will encourage and bless you.

Anyone who has ever heard me preach/teach for any length of time, know that I emphasize communication a lot. In this lesson I simply shared two absolutes and then five traits.
Absolute #1: Your relationship is only as strong as your communication. If you don't talk, you don't know one another, and if you don't know one another, you won't care about one another.
Absolute #2: (Surprise!!!) If you don't communicate you speculate! Fact! It's never about doing nothing (because you don't talk), because you WILL fill in the needed information with speculation, which is easier, fearless, judgmental, selfish, and nearly always wrong.

Mike's Five Traits of Communication (I know - it's not very catchy)
1. Make conversation a high priority. Reorganize your priorities, make good choices, and be intentional. (Use bed time, car time, table time, and alone time)
2. Leaders model priorities. If parents don't talk, the kids will walk. Loving parents model healthy communication. If you want to hear from your kids when they become adults, make sharing important now.
3. Communication drives relationships not the TV. TV isn't bad, well not all of it anyway. Use it, control it, learn to have fun and talk about it, but don't let it rob you of real living. Watching shows about dysfunctional families won't help you have a better one.
4. Learn to be a listener! Talking is not always communication. Be honest, courageous, and patient. Learn to respond rather than react. Reacting is all about you, & kills communication. Responding is seeking to understand why they feel the way they do. Listen with the heart.
5. Always keep the doors of communication open! Seek to understand. Don't close the door with anger and impatience. Develop a pattern of reconciliation - a way to heal the relationship.
Conclusion: What sustained the Father & Son through those terrible hours when they couldn't talk? What they KNEW about one another! What will your loved ones know about you when they can't talk to you any more?

Yes Indeed - Just A Seeker

"Bottoms up!" I don't know if you can see the ducks in the above picture, but they are both upside down, probably seeking food and not doing synchronized swimming. One of my oft-shared comments that is oft-shared because it's so profound is, "People are the only part of God's creation that can choose to not glorify God by the way we live." When anything does what it was created to do, God is glorified. These ducks are glorifying God because they are doing what God created them to do. When we do what God created us to do, God is glorified. Unfortunately, the single most important thing that God wants us to do - the thing that makes us different from every other created thing - is the one thing many don't do, and many others only partially do - seek Him!
Seeking God - seeking a relationship with our Maker - is the reason we were created. With all the fussing and arguing about doctrine, essentials, and "who's in and who's out," the one thing that transcends everything else - the one thing He wants to see when He looks into the heart of any person - is, are we seeking Him.
One of the many passages of scripture that many know, but few of us seem to digest, is Hebrews 11:6. It is one of those John 3:16 type verses. "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
As I was preparing last Sunday's lesson about "What Are You Looking For," I used this passage to show what God wants us to be looking for. IT IS ALL ABOUT SEEKING HIM! In this simple verse, the Holy Spirit tells us exactly what God is wanting from us. It tells us what seeking God means.
1. It's a relationship not a religion! Many have a system of beliefs, but not a walk with God.
2. It's a reality based on faith! The presence of God must be real and sensed.
3. It's redemption given by grace! He does all the work. We MUST want it!
It's that simple - yet that profound. We complicate it, and we diminish it!
We can (the Holy Spirit said "must") seek a relationship with God the same way we seek a relationship with anyone we want to have a relationship with. Just think about what it takes to have a relationship with anyone - then apply that to God. That's seeking!

Law And Older

A friend at church, who is a police officer, sent this picture to me the other day. It looks like any picture of a policeman on a motorcycle, but if you look really close to the word just above the rear tire you will see that it says Chaplain. I replied to him that if I got one of those, I might still be a Police Chaplain today.

I have a lot of great memories of my days as a Police Chaplain from 1980-88 with the Fairfax County Police Department. It was nice to represent my church, help and support our local police, and learn how to deal with extreme crisis situations that I never would have experienced in normal ministry. In some ways, it was also my way of serving my country since I never spent time in the military, which I had always planned to do as I was growing up.

I am thankful for the friendships, experiences, and opportunities to serve that it offered me. I think I was widely accepted by the guys at my station, and they called on me regularly when they needed my help. I also have a lot of difficult memories that occasionally pop back into my head at weird times. Memories of being at the scene of suicides, homicides, fatalities, accidental deaths, and deaths by natural causes. The toughest ones, ever after all these years, are the ones involving children and teens. I can tell you from experience that TV can never capture the real world of crime, tragedy, and personal loss that is at real life scenes. As much as I like them, all the CSI, NCIS, and Police dramas miss the mark more than they hit it. And then there were all those death notifications that I did, especially those first couple years of being a Chaplain. I was good at it because I learned how to do it right. I even ended up teaching a class on how to do it for officers and investigators. It was nice to feel like I helped and was there to guide folks during traumatic times, but it was emotionally draining - especially when I didn't do it regularly. That may sound strange, but the more often you do those kind of things, the better the mind is at coping with it. When it was once a month in stead of once a week, it was much harder to walk way and put it behind me.

Anyway, the picture did bring back memories. Every time I look at it, I am proud of the little framed collage hanging in my office with my Police badge, pocket insert, pins, and a couple pictures of those Chaplain days. Donna had that made for me several years ago, and it reminds me of some very special classes I took at the famous University of Hard Knocks.

The Great Church...

I have a couple of old preacher friends who like to introduce other preachers as being "from the great church in ___________," or "from the great _________ Church of Christ." It's a nice way to be complimentary, if somewhat hyperbolic, when one is given to using superlatives a lot. I applaud the compliment, while having questions about the superlative.
What IS a great church? Or, what makes a church great? I have felt, and written several times, that our view of church growth comes from the world and not the Word. So, I would say the same is true about church greatness too. When was the last time you heard about a small town congregation of God's people, who love each other, have a reputation for serving their community, and don't know or care if others see them as liberal, conservative, or have their names in the new Where the Saints Meet book, being referred to as "a great church"? No, we all know that "greatness" usually comes from being large, trend setting, attractive, progressive, and well known. And there is nothing inherently wrong with any of those things, but - they can easily have more to do with quantity/greatness rather than quality/greatness.
How would Jesus define a great church? I believe He would be looking at only one thing - is that group of disciples doing what He intended for them to do? If a congregation of God's people are not fulfilling His purpose, there is nothing great about about them, whether it's a family of fifty, five hundred, or five thousand. A great church is a family of God's people helping one another develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. Are they growing in love for Him by learning to love one another? Are they passionately seeking Him and sharing Him? Are they using the tools He gave to carry out His purpose, or are they worshipping the tools and performing ceremonies that have nothing to do with deepening relationships with Him or each other?
Let these two passages define what a "great church" is in God's eyes.
"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." Acts 4:32
"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have a sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." 1 Peter 1:22-23
A great church is defined by love, and what that love compels each disciple to do.

North Pole C of C

A Job Well - Hired!

Generally, I truly enjoy doing house repairs and remodeling. It's very satisfying to look at a finished job and have that "I did it" affirmation warm your heart. In spite of that, there are things about DIY house stuff that I dread and, frankly, I find intimidating. It's jobs that have the potential of turning into huge, complicated, and labor intensive chores. You know - the simple little job, that you set aside thirty minutes to finish, and end up spending the better part of a day on. I've had that happen several times with plumbing repairs or changes, or when you remove something and find out that underneath it was a floor or wall or steps or such like, that had to be replaced. Oh the stories I could tell! It happened, again, on Saturday. A simple plan to strip wall paper off the ONE WALL in our bedroom that had it, paint the whole room, and have a nice surprise for my wife when she got back from a trip to Nashville. NOT! I couldn't get that wall paper off no matter how hard I tried. Gallons of spray and chemicals, two trips to Lowes, and five hours later - I had three feet of wall stripped. That's three feet out of eighteen, and the wall board looks like it got in a hatchet fight and lost. I had a professional come out yesterday and finish it for me. It took him two hours. Now I've got patching, prep painting for the stripped wall, and two gallons of non-surprise to put on the wall. Oh well - something about "plans of mice and men" keeps running through my mind.
Fear of complications? I wonder how much we DON'T do because of that? Make new friends? Volunteer to help a ministry? Commit to a small group? Just maybe - draw closer to God? After all, He's probably got some expectations that could - well - complicate our plans. I'm just glad that He didn't shy away from complications. Like what it took to pay for my sins and allow me to be with Him for eternity. He had to start planning that before He said, "Let there be light."
Sometimes we have to embrace the complicated if we want to grow. Remember Acts 14:22? "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God."

He Doesn't Sing

This blog really isn't to show off my new deer mount that I just picked up Friday. Well - maybe a little. But it's mostly for the benefit of our grand children, who not only need to see Papa's new deer trophy, but that it's replacing the familiar singing deer that has been in our computer room for four or five years. We had a lot of fun with that singing deer. Especially when we used the portable microphone and had all the kids thinking the deer was talking to them. That worked for a good while, but they eventually figured out that someone was pushing buttons to make that thing talk. I'm not sure that Ashlyn ever got over being afraid of it - though she really liked the songs he sang. Well he's been moved to the basement and will probably be retired. His mechanical parts are not working so well, and he make a lot of noise when he moves - kinda like me. It was a nice gift from my hunting buddy Danny, and we got a lot of laughs out of it.

See! No electrical cord coming down the wall on this boy. And if he does sing, I'll run with Ashlyn.

Living In The Now?

I am a lot more aware than I used to be of time and life slipping by. It doesn't bother or frighten me. I embrace death as a necessary part of being with God for eternity. But as I was doing my morning walk today, I found myself reflecting on - what I call The Numbing of the Now. Don't misunderstand me. I believe we need to live in the "here and now" and we must treasure each day as a gift from God - making sure we don't waste it by living in the past or dreaming about the future. Still, there is something deceptive and blinding about only seeing life as now.
As you get older, you begin to understand and feel the results of how you've been living over that past whatever years you've had. Maybe you never thought you'd live to be sixty, seventy, or eighty years old - but all of a sudden, that's what you are, and your quality of life is dependent on how you've lived during all those other years. People can live just fine in their thirties, forties, and fifties as overweight, sedentary, smokers, and feel no need - at the time - to change their life-styles and correct bad habits. After all - they feel fine! They have no idea what it will feel like to desperately want to be there for their child's wedding, or live to see that grand child graduate from college. Those things are not NOW! They are too far off and, they rationalize, there's plenty of time to change things before then. One day - then becomes now, and the law of sowing and reaping has no compassion or sympathy for our abuse, neglect, and poor self-control.
I'm healthy and active and feeling as good as I did twenty or thirty years ago, but I know it can't last forever - and that's okay. I may have to pay for too many hamburgers, too much chocolate candy, and too many trips to our favor Mexican Restaurant. I'm not sure I can say "It was worth it," but I'm not going to whine about "Why me" either. There will always be things I want to be around for, but you can't go to Heaven and still do everything you want.
So why am I writing this? Because I can and I want to, but really it's a challenge to those who are in that 20 to 50 age group who are still "living in the now". How do you want to feel when you're seventy? If you are doing things that are self-destructive now, you will pay later. Be wise. Learn from those who have gone before you, and get your head out of the now - at least long enough to add quality of life to your quantity of years.
(Coming Soon - Part Two: The Power of Prune Juice)

Not a rant - just a perspective!

Opps! I missed Valentines Day - again! I guess my wife will have to wonder, for another year now, if I truly love her. At least that is what the jewelry, florist, and candy commercials imply. Let me see now? A thoughtful and memory making Anniversary surprise two months ago on December 14th doesn't count, and I guess that means the thoughtful, and not so inexpensive, Christmas present (and I don't ever purchase a gift for anyone that doesn't have A LOT of thought going into it) - just six or seven weeks ago can't possibly say "I love you" like a box of chocolates in February. And all of that pales to insignificance if there wasn't the daily words, touch, and acts of affection that are part of our marriage. Could I do more? Absolutely! Do I need an arbitrary calendar date to do it? Maybe - if I need it or just want to use it. But should I feel guilty for not spending money on my wife on a day that has no significance or specialness, beyond the fact that the commercial world wants me to purchase their products? I don't think so. Sure, through the years we've occasionally exchanged cards, gone out to dinner, and did something special, but after thirty-eight plus years, we don't need anyone to define the depth of our love for each other. Don't get me wrong. It's never a bad idea to do something good. Still there is part of me that resists and resents someone else telling me when and how I should show it. For me, it's like the National Day of Prayer. Good thing to do - okay! But, how can you have a DAY for something you do every day?
It's like I've been saying for several years now about the things Christians do when we come together. They are tools to use not rites to perform - or laws to obey and get off your check-list. Hey - Valentines Day is a wonderful time to REMEMBER to show love and appreciation. Use it - if YOU need to. Just don't turn it into a test of love or a source of guilt.
Thoughtfulness is quite possibly the most important element in building a marriage. If you need a reminder, like Valentines Day, that's great. But, you're going to need a lot more thoughtfulness than that - over the course of any twelve month period, if you're serious about building a great marriage.

Make It Happen?

Is it possible to MAKE yourself be Christ-like? I suspect that is what we all try to do - at least some of the time. And yes, there is a place for MAKING yourself do what is right, but no one has the gigantic reserve of self-control that it would take to completely and consistently be like Jesus all the time. Even if a person could do such a thing, it wouldn't make them really Christ-like because it would be egocentric rather than Christ centered. It would build self-righteousness rather than God's righteousness. It would cheapen grace.
The goal is to develop the spirit of Christ in our life not just imitate Christ in our actions. Pretending to be something you really aren't won't hold up when things get tough. Paul warned about the temptation we all feel to conform to the patten of this world. We automatically assume he is talking about "outside" the church, but isn't there just as much a draw to conform to church people - to gain acceptance and affirmation - to dress, talk, and act like what is expected of church people? Isn't it easy then, to assume that since we no longer conform to the outside world that we must therefore be "transformed" since we are part of the "church world"?
That is not what Paul was talking about in Romans 12:1-2! The transformation he was talking about involves "the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." That is a changed heart and not just a change in peer group. This transformation is us being formed into the likeness of His Son!
I have reflected in amazement for decades on why it is that some Christians can become so un-Christlike when discussing things about the Body of Christ? How can children of God justify being unkind, uncaring, and be a ruthless control freaks in the name of Jesus? Unfortunately the answer comes back to the fact that a life "conforming" to Christ is not a life transformed by Christ. If His spirit isn't there, His love will not be there either.

Random Trip Thoughts

If you check my blog regularly, you've probably noticed that I haven't written a blog in the last week. We were in Dallas from Thursday until mid day yesterday (Tuesday). It began as a trip to do an elders retreat for a congregation in the Dallas area, but events - not the least of which included snow - caused the retreat to be cancelled. So, we got to have a wonderful visit with Pat, Deborah, and the boys, and then I preached for that congregation on Sunday morning. It was a nice, stress-free trip, and a great visit with family. Snow caused us to change flights several times, and the Wednesday through Sunday evening original trip, ended up being a Thursday through Tuesday morning trip. Let me share some random thoughts about it.
* I love Southwest Airlines! No baggage fees, no charges for changing flights, and a much easier terminal to get in and out of than the big St. Louis main terminal. And they fly to every city where our family members live!
* I always assumed that if I got to play in the snow with any of our grand kids it would be if they visited us in the Winter and it happened to snow. Just maybe - it might happen in Nashville. I never dreamed it would be five inches of snow in Dallas. Snow angels and snowball fights on Friday! All gone on Saturday. Just the way snow ought to be.
* I am again amazed, and blessed, to see what wonderful parents our kids have become. I am very thankful to get to see what amazing Mom's our girls have become, but equally thankful to see what incredible Dad's and husbands, our son-in-laws both are. I know it's just a matter of time before I say the same about our daughter-in-law. (No pressure! No hurry!)
* After getting to meet with some brethren from two different congregations in Dallas, I am just reminded again that there are some wonderful people in churches all over the world. I knew we had people like that at home, but it's good to remember that God's people are loving, caring, and kind - and they're everywhere. I'm especially thankful for the ones that love our kids and grand kids.
* Churches are constantly changing. They have to - it's the only way to stay alive. I was just reminded of that as I spent time with a church I haven't been with in six or seven years. The interesting thing is, they probably don't even think they have changed. Change is often so gradual and slow, that when you are in the middle of it, you don't see it. That reminds me - again - how important patience is.
* Finally, yes Dorothy, there's no place like home.
* No wait! Have I said, "I'm ready for Spring"?

Winter Whining

Yes, I could have chosen to make it a productive day, but that's not what I did. It was a snow day! And not only that, but we were planning to fly out this morning (Wed.) and spend the rest of the week and weekend with family in Dallas. I have a speaking appointment there this weekend, which I'm prepared for - so I don't even have a class or sermon to prepare this week. Again, it was a snow day! A chance to veg - so I did. And of course "veg" doesn't have anything to do with what I might eat. We were house-bound, with nothing really pressing to be done. So what do you do in a situation like that? You eat! Waffles and sausages for a late breakfast! Then leftover quesadillas from Chili's for lunch! Then peanut butter brownies covered with chocolate frosting for an afternoon snack - with coffee of course. Then end the day with venison, potatoes, and squash (oops - how did that veg get in there?). It was a food fest coupled with a History Channel buffet - capped off with watching a DVD of Red and last nights recording of NCIS. Life is good.
This morning we found out that our flights were cancelled and we can't fly out until tomorrow afternoon. So this morning I'm doing a few things at the office before we go to Las Fuentes for lunch and home for more History Channel and peanut butter brownies. I need Spring to come! Not just to save us from this long and tiring Winter, but to save me from looking as big as one of the dump trucks driving up and down the roads.
I did shovel snow last night, and again this morning, so I haven't been totally sedentary. In fact, I'm pretty sore from shovelling too hard last night. Our nice neighbor from across the street (the Christmas lights people) came over and helped me get the sleet and ice off our drive last night. We used flat-nosed dirt shovels to scrape the ice off. He's younger than me, but of course, I had to shovel as hard and as fast as he did, and show that being five months short of sixty doesn't mean I'm getting old - but - today - I feel old and sore, and ready for Las Fuentes, brownies, and more History Channel.

Bible Action Musical

Here it is. This year's Bible Action musical. You're actually getting to see it before my church family did. I was introducing it at the beginning of my lesson yesterday, and telling anyone who was interested in being in it this year to meet with me for a few minutes right after services when I'd give a brief summery of the play - and - I had everything but a drum-roll as I punched the button to pull up the above PPT slide - and nothing happened! It was a black/blank picture! I couldn't believe it! We have new MS Office on the office computers but not on the auditorium computer, and some things just don't transfer. Usually it's just a font that won't transfer, but in this case, for some unknown reason, the logo slide wouldn't come up on the PPT presentation. Oh well - such is the way of tech stuff some times.
It's going to be a fun play/musical. If you seen any of our past presentations, this will be totally different than anything we've done before. We're doing three western stories that are based on three parables of Jesus and the music is all Country & Western and Southern Gospel. New stuff for us. The spiritual songs are from Gaither Homecoming's and will be a real challenge to do acappella, which is how I like to do our praise songs.
Rehearsals start in March and the first week of June will be here before we know it. That sounds really good right now since we have a huge winter storm coming in this week.

This Year's Musical...

This year's script for our Bible Action musical is done. The music was pretty much picked by December and the rough outline of the play was in my file before Christmas. I began working on the script between "normal" work loads the first week of January, and it didn't take too long to finish it - about a week and a half. Since then, I've been writing the new lyrics and making changes in the script as I thought about new things. Erika, our church secretary, has done a marvelous job of helping me get recordings of the songs for the master practice CD, and finding sheet music for each of the twenty-three songs which are spread over the three act play. We still need to do some work on some of the instrumental tracks we need, but that will be "a work in progress" for several weeks - and as we need to change things. Anyway, it's done and I will be introducing the play, to all those interested, right after our morning assembly time this Sunday. After the church family has seen the new logo, I will post it on this blog next week.
This will be our sixth musical and it will be very different - in many ways. The biggest difference is that it will not be a Bible times play. It will be a Bible story, but it will be told in a different period of history. Yes, that means all our Bible times costumes won't work this year. If you are a regular reader of this blog, please accept this as a personal invitation, from me to you, to come and see our musical. It's always the first full weekend of June, so that means this year it's June 2, 3, 4, & 5. That's four performances with the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows at 7:00 P.M. and the Sunday evening show at 6:00 P.M. (for all those folks who want to skip their Sunday night services).
Check back on Monday, at the latest, and see what the show will be this year, and to see this year's logo for the play. Grand kids will get to see what this year's T-shirts are going to look like.

Getting Old?

I've been around long enough now that I am often seen as the voice of experience. I like that - most of the time. When you're a young preacher and you want people to take you serious, it's nice for folks to see you as "the voice of authority" - in matters of scripture, of course. Respect must be earned, so it's nice when you get it, but experience has taught me that people may respect you and what you say, but it may not influence them to change or correct a life that needs both. When they come to you and seek advice because they see you as wise, experienced, and understanding, it's a very different opportunity, and it seems to have more impact.
I don't know - I don't see myself as the wise old man that people make pilgrimages to visit or to just sit at my feet as one "who can give the secret of life." No, it's nothing like that, because I'm not THAT old! But, I do know that "through many struggles" the Lord helped me figure some things out. Things make sense to me - that didn't use to. I think I truly understand what God wants, and I am at peace in my relationship with Him. That's not a boast, because what keeps it in perspective is the realization that it took a lot of years. Maybe too many. It took a gracious and patient Father. Most of all - there is no sense of "arrival" but of journey, and a desire to help others who want it, learn what I learned a lot sooner than I did.
Yesterday I was thinking about aging. Not mine, but my grand children. They are getting older and, praise the Lord, they have an army of family and church family to support and guide them. They may not ever sit down next to Papa Root and say, "Papa, lay some wisdom on me!" But if they did, what would I tell them? Is there one jewel of wisdom that I'd like for them to know and learn above all others? Hey, no preacher ever has a one point sermon! I do, however, have one truth that I believe is the most important "road sign" on our journey of life, and it's especially important to a family like the Root's, who all know that we are major people pleasers. It's simple but powerful, if we realize the implications. Please God first! If we can learn to do that when we are with others, they will be a blessing rather than an excuse. When we learn to be driven by that when we are all alone, and there is no one there to impress or commend us, then - we really do have a relationship with God.

Cancel Sunday?

The sun is shining bright and we're having the warmest temps we've had all week (28 degrees). The roads are all pretty clear, but most of the ten inches of snow we got the other day is still on the ground with huge piles of it where plows and shovels have moved some of it. And now the weather man is calling for 3-5 more inches of snow starting tonight and through all day tomorrow - Sunday - my favorite day of the week! Common sense tells me we should go ahead, use our One Call service to call everyone, and cancel tomorrow mornings classes and assembly. First of all, it's not my call to make, and secondly, the weather and road conditions will probably take care of that for us, as most folks will stay home where it's safe and warm. But there will be a few who will see it as a challenge and show everyone that, "A few inches of snow won't keep me from church." Then there are those, sometimes the same people, who will see it as a test of faith. Faithful people don't miss church - no matter what! And that makes even the idea of cancelling Sunday morning "worship" seem - no, feel - like blasphemy or heresy - or some other "y" word.
There is nothing in the coarse of any seven day week that I look forward to and enjoy more than being with my church family on Sunday morning. Okay, lunch at Las Fuentes once or twice a week is a close second, but it really is the peak of my week to be with people I dearly love and serve in the name of God. (Here's the big "but" you knew was coming!) But, it's only a tool - not a test of faith! Hey, I can be there no matter what. If I have to, it's a mile and a half walk in the snow, and that might be fun. It is okay, however, to keep people safe and not risk life and limb to show how committed we are.
Just something to think about - whatever happens tomorrow morning.

What a difference a year makes!

This is what about 8 or 10 inches of snow looks like. You can clearly see how deep it is in the piles on the bushes. If you look closer, you can see the Bunny tracks across the front of the porch. Needless to say, this is a day to work at home. We both planned ahead and brought plenty of work home with us last night. Or - it's a good day to do a blog.

Yes, there really is a pond out there. You can see about 8 inches of snow piled on the railing. This is a lot different than the usual pictures we have of family and friends enjoying the shade and view of our back porch. Only fifty something days to Spring.

What a difference a year makes. A year ago tomorrow, we left for our Panama Canal Cruise. It was so wonderful to take a warm vacation in the middle of winter. We visited several countries in South and Central America - where the temps were in the upper 90's. Hands down, the highlight of the whole trip was the canal itself. Wow! It was worth the price of the trip just to see that amazing wonder of the world. Put it on your list of things you must see sometime. The above pic is Cabo San Lucus and those small islands are the real Lands End off the tip of the Baja Peninsula. It was a truly beautiful place. My favorite stop in Mexico.

I didn't take as many, or as good, pictures as Donna did. This is several of us enjoying the buffet lunch, which like everything on the Princess Cruises was incredible. We did TRY to eat lighter at lunch to make up for what we would "put away" at dinner each night. From the right are our close friends Don and Kathy Rose, then my sister Becky, and Kathy's mom Robbie. The good looking gal on the left was my roommate. As much as we like cruising, we have come to realize that what makes it special for us is getting to share it with good friends. We have no plans to ever take a cruise without at least some of our friends being with us. Hopefully these great memories of warmer days and wonderful shared experiences will get us through the rest of this Winter. And thinking about a 2012 cruise in the Med will help too.

Qualities of a Friend

I enjoyed going around the congregation Sunday morning at the beginning of the lesson and hearing from folks how they would finish the sentence "A good friend is someone who______." I wish I'd had someone write them all down on a huge whiteboard up front. It was a pretty impressive list of qualities, expectations, and virtues. And of course, it was a set-up to ask the next question, which was "What kind of a friend are you?" It's always easy to point out what our friends need to be to and for us, but are we that kind of a friend to them - first.
While mine were mentioned in the responses, if not literally then certainly implied, I shared what I believe to be the most important qualities of a friend. I have three, and they are trust, loyalty, and thoughtfulness. There are a lot of other qualities that are extremely important, but they tend to either be covered by one of these, or are too generic and lofty, and require more to qualify them. I used these three qualities as we looked at what kind of friends the apostles were to Jesus - especially that last night together, and then to challenge us to truthfully examine what kind of friends we are to Jesus. He's the only One who passes the Friendship Test every time. The apostles didn't, at least at that point in their lives, and we all know that our trust, loyalty, and thoughtfulness to Jesus needs some work - some growing. But isn't it nice to know that no matter how inconsistent we or our friends are, Jesus will always be a friend we can trust, and whose commitment and care for us is unquestionable and eternal?

The Children's Musical

It took an extra month, because of bad weather, but we finally had our Children's musical last night, and they did an awesome job. I was very proud of all the children and all the hard work they put into doing it. Of course, I was especially proud of the incredible Children's Minister who re-wrote, directed, and drove the whole thing to it's enjoyable finish. Donna was very pleased with how it all worked out. I know she had some doubts, awhile back, about seeing it come together, but believe me, I know, a lot of any play takes that last "crunch" of time to make it all gel. It was great and everyone loved it. The above picture is of the smaller children who sang a few songs for us prior to the play. They were so cute - especially when they signed a song.

This is the beginning of "A King Is Coming". You can see part of the sign to the left. The story was about the town of Rumor Mill and everyone speculating on who The King was.

This was the news reporters and the sheriffs talking about what they thought he was going to be.

This groups thought The King was the return of Elvis! Cute!

This group believed that The King was an exhibit of King Tut coming to town.

This interesting, and funny, group decided that The King was going to be King Kong.

The group of "Teens" who started the rumor explain that it was all about remembering Jesus at Christmas. It was a rather complicated play, especially for such a young group, but they did a wonderful job.

My little camera doesn't focus far away, but this is the Director wrapping up the evening. She had a great group of helps and I was very proud of how she organized and led the whole thing. We had an excellent crowd, and like I said to several people, the nice thing about kids on stage is - no matter what they do, it'll be cute and entertaining. That doesn't work for adults - unfortunately.

A New Phone

My brother sent this picture to me with a caption that said, "Finally, a phone for those over seventy!" It's a great pic for those of us who clearly are techno-dummies. Actually, I can use my phone just fine, thank you, if I just remember to turn it on. I guess if you're using a phone like the one above, texting is out of the question.

A Random Trilogy of Thoughts

I could write a much longer blog about each of the following, but I decided to just mention them, as things I've been thinking about the this past week.
1. A couple of times in the past week I've had reason to remind myself about the extreme difficulty of being objective in interpreting the Word of God. I know we all think we are unbiased and objective, because we know all our conclusions are correct. Yes, my tongue is in my cheek! But even when we try to be cautious and open-minded, we still tend to make scripture fit our pre-established conclusions and traditions. So, since we already "know" what it means, we only see what we want or expect to see. Thus, it is difficult to be truly objective when we read well known passages about the church, evangelism, worship, singing, communion, and even the baptism, without making them fit preconceived conclusions. A closed mind doesn't contribute to an open heart - or the truth.
2. At the risk of sounding like to techno-grouch to family and friends, I don't think those who do a lot of texting realize how inconsiderate it is to make it clear that ANY text is more important than giving you their undivided attention. It's like talking to someone and having a third person come up and whisper in their ear while you're talking, and of course, they have to whisper back - so you patiently wait- then they resume the conversation without commenting, explaining, or saying anything about the why or what of the interruption! I know, we all get phone calls that interrupt us. But at least then, you hear what's being talked about and you're not being treated like a potted plant. Just something to think about.
3. In speaking about the Lord's Supper last Sunday - in our study of Mark 14 - I had been thinking and praying about wanting something that would be a good example of what I thought Jesus intended for his Supper to be. It's not a ritual, a ceremony, a sacrament, or even an "act of worship" as we've defined it over the years. It's a simple fellowship tool for helping us help one another remember Him together. It's a symbolic reminder of his covenant with us and our love bond with him. I decided that the Lord's Supper is the Christians wedding ring. There's nothing mystical or magical about it. It's just a symbol, a tool to help, and a reminder of love. It's a tool to use not an act to perform.

John and Paul

Last night I finished watching the HBO series presentation of John Adams. I got it for Christmas in a nice CD case. Since we don't have HBO on our cable plan, I'd been wanting to see it since I had heard some good reviews from some other history buffs like myself. It was really good - if you really like history. It's certainly not an action series, but a serious look at the life of an incredibly important contributor to the founding of our country, not to mention - our second President. It's dark, gritty, and depressing - in a lot of ways, but still exciting. It's like getting to be the proverbial "fly on the wall" when so many historical changes where taking place. It certainly isn't very flattering in its betrayal of our iconic Founding Fathers. One of the toughest parts of interpreting history is the challenge to see and know the real people. Once someone is recognized as a "hero" of the past, they are - with time - turned into larger-than-life supermen or women, without foibles, faults, and weaknesses. Our Founding Fathers were some exceptional men, but they were politicians and businessmen, and most were successful and wealthy. I have no doubt that there was more than enough egotism, pride, and profiting to go around - along with the wisdom, courage, and love for liberty that guided this country during its infancy.
That just reminds me, as a student of history and the Word of God, to remember that men and women of history and print were real people. Paul didn't glide along three feet about the ground and have a glowing aura around his head. He was a man of God, but still just a man. He was well aware of his weaknesses, faults, insecurities, and insufficiencies. He tells us that there was something about him physically that others had to accept and put up with. No one knows what that "thorn in the flesh" was. He was a strong personality. If you had the chance to be around him a lot, you'd probably discover things that you didn't like, or that rubbed you the wrong way. He, like us, was saved by grace not his ability to be perfect. And, like our country's Founding Fathers, his legacy is his devotion to his mission - and his was on behalf of God.
If you are a real history nut, you'll enjoy John Adams. If you're a living and breathing human being, the message of Paul is definitely a "must have".

Thoughts on New Years

After four days into the NEW year, I'm not sure what's new yet. Everyone is talking about New Year's resolutions, but it seems to me that while the year may be new, the resolutions aren't. It's the same stuff we vow to do every year - usually lose weight, get in shape, and quit eating so stinking much food! Oh well, after all the good food from Thanksgiving through New Years day, will there ever be a time when that isn't one of our "NEW" resolutions? Do you ever wonder why you don't "feel" new on January 1? It just seems that with all the talk and hype about newness, we should wake up that first morning of the year and just feel clean, sparkling, fresh, and...and younger? Not gonna happen. It's the dead of Winter, every network news show does a long and touching tribute to ALL the rich and famous celebs, and a few "real" heroes, who have passed away in the last twelve months, and the "highlights" of the year are mostly disasters that we've forgotten about. It's time to do taxes, shovel snow, stay indoors, and hope all the people coughing and sneezing around you don't infect you with something. Maybe that's why it doesn't "feel" so new!
Okay - anyone who stops after that paragraph is going to say, "Boy, ole Mike is really down on life and not feeling the New Years spirit at all." No, I went to an extreme to make a point. Of all the things we could list to point out how exciting and wonderful it is to be starting a NEW YEAR, - the best thing, I believe, is that God is giving us more time to get to know him and serve him. Did you just assume that you'd live to see 2011? Did you assume that you deserved another year to get serious about seeking God? WONDER OF WONDERS! HE GAVE US AN ENTIRE YEAR IN 2010 AND NOW WE'RE GETTING TO START ANOTHER ONE! How great is that? In Jesus, we are a NEW CREATION every day, and we've already had four more in 2011! Maybe our New Year's resolution needs to be a greater recognition that God makes us new every time the blood of his Son is applied to us - and if I understand 1 John 1:7 - that happens constantly as we walk in the light!
Now that's something to shout "HAPPY NEW YEAR" about !

Nashville Christmas

We were blessed to be able to celebrate Christmas in Nashville last week with everyone except for Jonathan and Holly, who were suffering - I'm sure - having Christmas with Holly's family in Florida. As mentioned, we had our Christmas on Wednesday, then the Bills went down to be with Pat's family for the duration of the season. We had a wonderful time, and as usual, the youngest ones seemed to steal the show.

Daniel and Caden were providing plenty of entertainment and camera moments. I love the expressions on everyone's face - especially Caleb over in the chair.

I'm not sure if the small ones really were the center of attention or if they just happened to be the only ones I took pictures of. These five pics are all I took.

The neat thing about that age is that they get as much joy out of the opening of the gifts as the gift itself.

"And now, modeling our latest fashion in aprons..."

A Nard Nerd?

It never fails. The moment you think you have done a thorough job of explaining and applying a section of scripture - of truly exposing the reasons why the Holy Spirit included it in the Bible - you get slapped across the face by the light bulb that you thought was so clearly visible above your head. Sure, I danced all around it, but I didn't quite put into words a major point that screams from the recorded story. I hope my pride is a godly pride, but I do pride myself in being able to reveal things from familiar biblical events that many people tend to miss. That is one of the toughest challenges when it comes to preaching about a very familiar story in the Gospels. I did do that, but I missed emphasizing something that is crucial to answering the question, what does God want us to learn from this?
In Mark 14, Jesus is having dinner at the house of Simon the Leper. A woman comes in, breaks open "an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume," and proceeds to pour it over the head of Jesus. It's a year's worth of wages, as one disciple described, wasted on Jesus rather than being used to do something really worthwhile - like helping the poor. Jesus defends her, praises her, and rewards her and her act of love with everlasting remembrance.
I won't re-preach my lesson, but the best way to understand it - I believe, is to ask yourself why this touched Jesus so much. It was an act of love, of sacrifice, of singular devotion that ignored others, and maybe most important of all, allowing yourself to be used by God to glorify his Son.
That's some good stuff to chew on! Still, here's the point I wish I'd made Sunday:
An act of love needs no justification! It is it's own priority regardless of what others do, think, judge, or say.
That's even more good stuff to chew on for a while. Wow - could a call that a God cud?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I am blogging from Brentwood, TN planning to be safely home in Florissant, MO by tomorrow afternoon sometime. We had a wonderful (early) Christmas with family on Wednesday afternoon, right after we arrived, and then we had a wonderful dinner at a great restaurant in Cool Springs. Pat, Deb, and kids went on down to Pat's family get-together in Tullahoma, and we have really enjoyed a couple of nice days doing things with Chad and Elizabeth and kids. In a little while we will be heading out to a Christmas eve program at Otter Creek C of C and look forward to seeing our grand-daughter perform and see some of our old TN friends who have migrated to there. The plans are to start home tomorrow morning - but all things could change if the snow ends up being a lot more than the news people are saying. We'll see.

Hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and a wonderful time with family and friends.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Christmas Talk

If you've been reading my blog for very long, you know that one of my favorite Rootisms is "Traditions are for bonding not for binding." It's one of those oft forgotten principles that should be on a banner in every church auditorium and elders meeting room. Not because I said it, but because it's true. Too many people have no idea that there preferences and patterns have no foundation in scripture, and have no right being declared as the "correct way," the "right way," or the "scriptural way." While traditions have value as unity builders and fostering family uniqueness, they are tools not laws. For churches, if they don't contribute to helping people develop a deeper relationship with Jesus, they should - and must - be replaced.
Christmas provides an excellent illustration of this principle. The other day someone asked me if our family did Christmas on Christmas eve or Christmas morning. I said, "Traditionally, we do Christmas on Christmas eve, but this year we're having Christmas on Wednesday afternoon." (Christmas eve is Friday.) They quickly had a shocked look on their face - clearly saying, "You're not celebrating Christmas on Christmas?!!!!" I quickly explained that we have Christmas whenever we can get our family together. For us, even with our family traditions, the bigger principle is being together and making Christmas a family experience. That is more important than the Christmas eve tradition.
I think it's nearly always a safe bet that when a tradition stops being about people but a performance - it's time to let go of the tradition. It really doesn't take very long to create a new one. Like I've said about church traditions: Anything that's new, that can be done three weeks in a row without too many complaints - becomes a tradition.

Thirty Eight Years Ago...

It's really kind of hard to imagine being thirty-eight years old, let alone being married for thirty-eight years. Let's see...that means we got married when we were...what...four or five? Oh well, it's all good. On Tuesday I surprised Donna with a night out at the Four Seasons in downtown St. Louis. We had a beautiful huge room that overlooked the Arch and the heart of downtown, with amenities that I can't begin to list. She had a long trip to the Spa and then we had dinner in their really nice restaurant.

This is the view from the living room part of our suite. Both the bedroom and the living room had wall windows looking at at the city. The Edward Jones Dome is right off to the right, across I-70,

Like a couple of tourists, which - with this kind of luxury, we are - we had to take pictures of the mirror TV with my favorite program on. The flash washed it out for the picture, but it was high quality, as was the 52 inch in the LR and the one in the bedroom.

This is dinner in their restaurant and the arrangement of flowers I had them bring out for Donna. It looks like I have a name tag on, but that's the card with "Thanks for 38 great years." I was an awesome dinner. (I can't think of a better superlative.)

As we were trying to decide on a dessert, they brought out this platter with all kinds of goodies that made picking a dessert unnecessary.

We had a wonderful time, but it only reminded us of thirty-eight wonderful years. We thank God for that every night and for all the great memories we have. Seems like just yesterday when this all started on a cold Thursday evening at the College Church of Christ in Searcy. As I say regularly, and not just once a year, it was the best decision I've made in my whole life - second only to my decision to follow Jesus. If we get a lot more - great! If we don't - it's still more than we deserve. Thank you Father.

Cool Pics

These pictures were on Danny Younger's Trail Camera which was about two hundred yards down the hill and north of where my stand was when I arrowed this big boy. His camera date was off by a month, so this is really November and just the week before this nice twelve pointer walked in front of my stand. He's really a beauty. If you look really careful, you'll see Danny's ladder stand in the tree just behind the deer. He is actually heading southeast and up the hill toward were my camera is. I'm still wondering why I don't have any pictures of him on my trail camera.

This was the night before the above picture. He is heading down the hill toward the corn fields - or where the does are. This is so cool. I've never had a picture of a deer I've taken while he was still in the wild. I had five nice bucks on my camera before I shot this one, and he wasn't one of the five. I feel the need for additional trail cameras!

It Twas Twue!

'Twas two weeks before Christmas and all through the house,
It was lunch left overs all filling our mouth.
When from our front yard came a scream filled with fright
Causing us both to behold such a weird sight.
A red bearded monster was stalking our place,
There were visions of hand outs all over its face.
He just squealed and he strutted with his cock-a-doodle-do,
And we both grabbed our camera to snap up a few.

We don't know were he came from or what he was seeking,
But he didn't want us to get close with our peeking.
So he crossed to the neighbors and bid us adieu,
He was gone by that evening, hopefully not in a stew.

Relationships - Again?

I know there are some church folks who get tired of hearing about the importance of relationships. It's actually tragic that it was "out of vogue" for so long, other than the occasional cliche' about "having a personal relationship with Jesus." My training and experience was clear. Church wasn't about relationships, but about doing church. It took decades for me to discover that church is ALL ABOUT relationships - or should be. The New Testament is clear, if we don't go to it with preconceived conclusions, the church exists as a tool to build spiritual relationships that help us love one another and thus learn how to love God. It's what getting together is supposed to accomplish. (Read Eph.4:11-16 and 1 Jn.4 again) It is sad that some resist that simplicity and purpose. It changes the paradigm for church as a detached, non-participatory, scoot-in-scoot-out, once a week spiritual activity that labels us "Christan" in the eyes of those we want to impress. Relationships require time, effort, and commitment. It means investing in something other than work and home. It means risking ourselves, risking the possibility of disappointment and hurt, and risking having to give more than we receive - at least temporarily. That is more than many people want church (God) to demand of them.
It's not just a risk - it's a certainty. When we choose to get close to people, there will be problems. The same is true the second that beautiful baby of yours takes it's first breath. Relationships always come with problems, and with love, and with all the wonderful joys that so out-weigh those problems. It all comes back to believing what our hearts tell us. We know, though we often forget, that life isn't about comforts, possessions, accomplishments, prestige, and flashes of happiness. We know, when we remove all the clutter, that life is about who you love and who loves you back.
I wasn't going to write about all that with this blog. I was just going to write about how wonderful is was to spend some time with a great friend the last couple days. A brother who has been a loyal and loving friend for about fifteen years. A brother who has been with me through peaks and valleys, shared some beautiful memories, and who has been both a student and a teacher to me. A friend - I met at church - years ago - who I know I'll get to be with for eternity, even if we don't see each other but once or twice a year. That's what God put His church here for.
I thank God for all the wonderful relationships I've been blessed to have - at church.

Crying Awesome Wolf!

Have you noticed that we seem to be a people in search of a good superlative? Hey, I'm the last one to be critical of any one's speech habits and word choices. I'm as guilty as the next guy when it comes to the over use of superlatives - and yes, cliches. I've got a boat load of 'em! It just seems to me that if we use superlatives to describe everything from our morning bagel to our late night bed, where do you go from there? It's like the boy who cried wolf, except we are crying "stupendous" and no one cares. If your hot chocolate is awesome and your new shirt is incredible, what can you say about a sunset or a star-filled night? If everything is super, where do you go next? Super-Duper? We've been forced to create new words or prefixes just because we need to elevate something beyond rad, bad, or cosmic. Now everything can be mega-something, or monster-that, or uber-meister-crack-a-lackin'-A+, if you can think that fast.

And if the nice guy who collects toys for foster children is a hero, what do you call the soldier who covers a grenade with his body to save the lives of his fellow soldiers?

I'm not complaining, just wondering. Ask me how my last hunt was, and I'm more than likely going to say, "It was awesome." I just wonder, what ever happened to good? Why isn't good - good anymore? Isn't being a good person, doing good things for the good of mankind a pretty good superlative? What's wrong with "You did a good job," or "That was a really good piece of pie"? "Really" sort of makes it a mega-superlative doesn't it? It gets boosted even higher with the addition of "very".

I can't help but remember when someone called Jesus "Good Teacher" and he told them, in essence, that was such a high superlative that is should only be applied to God. Maybe that's why I hear so many people say, "Good God." Wait! I don't think that's a superlative.

Just something to think about. Have a great day, or good day, or an awesome day. Choose your superlative.