Milestones

This past weekend my family and I traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to help celebrate a milestone birthday for my mother, her 80th. We also celebrated my dad's 89th birthday. 3 of my mom's sisters and some of their children we able to attend along with both of my sisters and my brother. 35 of us had a wonderful time sharing memories, catching up on each family and eating until we were stuffed. One of the high points was taking the time to have each of my parent's children and grandchildren who were in attendance, give their personal thoughts and thanks for the impact that my parents have had in their lives. There was the recounting of great memories and events, thanksgiving for wise counsel and guidance, and financial and other support through the years. One comment that came up repeatedly was about the giving nature of both my dad and mom. Both of them worked hard through the years to provide for us. We never really wanted for anything, but we never had much left over either. It was amazing, however, to hear about specific incidents where my dad and mom gave time, or money, or whatever they had to someone who needed it. I remember going with my father every Saturday morning, for several years, to an elderly lady's home and chopping wood for her wood burning stove. She cooked and heated her home with wood. She would have the wood delivered and my dad would come over and chop enough kindling and wood for her to use for the week. My job was to take the chopped kindling and wood up from the basement to a box where this lady would use it from. On the next Saturday we would go back and do it again. My dad didn't get paid for doing this, in fact, he would refuse any payment when it was occasionally offered. When the lady passed away, he didn't get a mention in her will, or even a thank you from the family. We just showed up one Saturday morning to chop wood and found out she had passed away.

Now that we are home, and this most recent celebration will be added to our memory book of great times, I'm thinking about my own personal giving. Would I be willing to give a couple of hours every Saturday morning to someone who really needed the help? Am I so busy with my own "important stuff", that I miss the real need around me? I hope not. Now that this memory is so fresh in my mind, I'm going to be looking a lot closer for people who could use my help.

Interesting article and observations

One of the blogs I read is written by Tim Stevens, the Executive Pastor of Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana. In a recent blog about our current financial mess, he cited an article by Steven A. Holmes written in September, 1999 and published in the New York Times.

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders. The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring. Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called sub prime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates -- anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans. ''Fannie Mae has expanded home ownership for millions of families in the 1990's by reducing down payment requirements,'' said Franklin D. Raines, Fannie Mae's chairman and chief executive officer. ''Yet there remain too many borrowers whose credit is just a notch below what our underwriting has required who have been relegated to paying significantly higher mortgage rates in the so-called sub prime market.''

Demographic information on these borrowers is sketchy. But at least one study indicates that 18 percent of the loans in the subprime market went to black borrowers, compared to 5 per cent of loans in the conventional loan market.
In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.
''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.'' (Continue reading here...)


It's possible Peter Wallison was a prophet. Or, perhaps, just a smart economist who knew that if you loan money to a bunch of people who can't afford to pay you back--it might just come back to bite you some day. It's okay, though, because there are no consequences. We, the taxpayers of these United States, will bail out the lenders and the borrowers. In fact, we'll bail out anyone. Even the Red Cross continues to spend money it doesn't have, and this week asked the government for a $150 million bail out.

I'm not smart enough to figure it all out. But I think I'm smart enough to only spend money that I have. And I'll save a little, because when the government raises my taxes to pay for this mess, I'll need to be ready.

Re-Connecting

One of the real phenomenons of the Internet age are the numerous social networking programs that have become so popular. In fact, many people say that connecting via programs like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and others, are replacing traditional emails. Did I say "traditional". Emailing is as common today as sitting down to an IBM Selectric typewriter was just a few years ago and sending out "snail mail" letters. Now, email can be so slow. Emails will probably be replaced by newer technology before we know it. Another amazing aspect of all this is that I get notifications and messages on my phone. I can add a friend or send a message via a text message. By the time I get to my computer, my Facebook communications are old news.

A few months ago I opened a Facebook account because I wanted to use some pictures of a building project in Mexico that had been posted in an album there. I assumed that would be about it... Now several months later I have well over 100 "friends" and I have re-connected with people that I haven't talked with or seen for many years. I have reminisced with old friends about wonderful memories, re-established a couple of relationships that had fallen off because we lost touch, and simply have "had a ball" seeing everyone out there. Since Kathy and I have lived in several parts of the country, I thought it would be fun to re-connect with at one person from every part of the country we lived in. It's been amazingly easy and I'm well on my way to achieving this goal. I have realized, however, that this can be an addictive pastime and I've got to be careful about good time management. Gotta go, I just got another notification...

Who's Bailing Out Who?

If you've been following the Congress as they work through legislation to solve our current financial crisis, you know by now that the Senate passed a 450 page bill last night. Included in that bailout bill are new tax earmarks for:

Film and Television Productions (Sec. 502)
Wooden Arrows designed for use by children (Sec. 503)
6 page package of earmarks for litigants in the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident, Alaska (Sec. 504)

The bill also extended previous earmarks for:

Virgin Island and Puerto Rican Rum (Section 308)
American Samoa (Sec. 309)
Mine Rescue Teams (Sec. 310)
Mine Safety Equipment (Sec. 311)
Domestic Production Activities in Puerto Rico (Sec. 312)
Indian Tribes (Sec. 314, 315)
Railroads (Sec. 316)
Auto Racing Tracks (317)
District of Columbia (Sec. 322)
Wool Research (Sec. 325)

Here we are, in one of the most difficult times in our country's history, and personal and pet projects get added to an already obscene amount of taxpayer money. These are examples, and there are many more, of the kind of government corruption and misuse of tax dollars that we have chafed at for many years. What it tells me is this, that even in the face of devastating circumstances, I'm still going to take care of myself first, period, end of debate. It saddens me to think that in the greatest country in the world, we can't work together to solve these problems and put each other first for a change. I am more convinced than ever that God must help us intervene in changing the direction that we are going in as a country. Greed and corruption must be uncovered and there should be a standard of righteousness held up that causes us to stop doing the same unethical things over and over. What am I going to do about this? Pray, call or email my representatives and ask them not to vote for the House of Representatives bill that will validate the Senate bill, and participate in conversations to help educate myself and others on what we are doing to our country if we don't begin to take some responsibility, and vote the rascals out of office in the next election.

Here Are Some Quotes...Again

I enjoy reading quotes. They often spark thinking in a direction that I would have never gone in, except for this short bit of inspiration. Here are some recent ones that caught my attention.

David Frost
"He's turned his life around. He used to be depressed and miserable. Now he's miserable and depressed."
Henny Youngman
"I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places."
Oscar Wilde
"Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality."
Abraham Lincoln
"'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."
Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata
"Exercise relieves stress. Nothing relieves exercise."
Emo Phillips
"Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps."
Charles M. Schulz
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."
Judge Gideon J. Tucker
"No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session." (Does 700 billion ring a bell?)

And my favorite quote from this group:
G. K. Chesterton"If there were no God, there would be no Atheists."

A Big "But"

Psalm 3 is the conversation that King David has with God during the time that David's son, Absalom, is trying to take over the kingdom. David says "O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!"

We are living in unsettling times. From a conservative Christian standpoint, I feel at times like many foes are trying to take over the kingdom. The financial crisis that our country is presently dealing with shows how even in this great country of ours, corruption and greed can affect so many people. As I listen to our leaders and presidential candidates pontificate about what "they would do", and what must be done, it is clear to me that no one really has the answers. Where it hits home is in the high gas prices I pay, the increasing cost of food for our table, increasing insurance and medical care costs, and the list goes on and on.

David goes on to say "BUT (my emphasis) you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head." The "but" is huge here. Later in Psalm 3 David says "I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side". David realizes that even though the situation is very dangerous and seemingly unsolvable, God is on his side. The word "but" draws a contrast between what may be and what really is. In other words, you may be reeling from all the uncertainty and confusion of the day, but, God can be a shield around you. Most of us have been raised to be very independent and not ask for help. Unfortunately, when we live like that, we also tend to be independent from God as well. For me, these are becoming humbling times, I don't have answers, and at times my heart is gripped with fear for the future. But, I'm asking God to help me depend on Him, and I'm asking Him to "be a shield around me", and my family.

Coincidence Or Divine Planning?

On Monday evening I drove to Chicago with a member of our congregation. Three years ago, this member felt impressed by God to begin giving regular donations for the purchase of a harp. In mid-summer enough money had been given to place the order and on Tuesday morning this member and I toured the Lyon & Healy harp factory and then brought our new harp back to St. Louis. It was very interesting to see these wonderful, hand made instruments in each phase of their creation. Our member, who is not a musician, was delighted beyond words to see the factory and to hear this new instrument played. Now, rewind to 1986. My wife, Kathy, played the harp professionally for many years. As a student she played with the San Jose State University orchestra and then the San Jose Symphony Orchestra. In every city we lived in, she not only played for our church, but for many civic, social and celebration type events. In 1986 she suffered an injury to her left arm and hand playing the harp that has made it almost impossible for her to play. In fact, we finally sold her harp because the emotional distress it created for her to see it every day in our living room and not be able to play was too much to bear. Fast forward to Sept. 16 and now there is a brand new harp in our sanctuary. No one at our church, and certainly not the member that gave the funds, knew that Kathy had a history as a professional harpist. Kathy sits down and begins to play. Coincidence? Divine planning? We are believing that God can heal her injury as she begins to play again. Can you help us pray for that? I can envision her sitting down one day to play and her realizing that not only is there not any pain anymore, she has strength in her hand and arm that has not been there since 1986. If you pray with us, I'll keep you posted on the progress. For now, I'm believing this is divine planning... :)

Christians and Politics Don't Always Mix

Like almost everyone, I get a few forwards every week in my email boxes with stories, videos and other media that support one cause or another. Most of them end with "don't let this end with you. Forward this to 10 friends or ______ will happen to you." (You can probably fill in the blank) I have noticed that as the political season is heating up, most of these forwards are becoming political announcements and denunciations of the candidates that are being supported or derided by them. In many cases these are from a "Christian" perspective or supposedly supporting "Christian values". I really think that Christians are called to a much higher standard than name calling and spreading political dirty tricks against candidates that we are not supporting. If a candidate that we do not support becomes the office holder, will we pray for that person with as much fervor as we passed along the hateful and sometimes dishonest information? On the national scene, the introduction of Sarah Palin into the mix has turned the presidential race upside down. In the avalanche of news reports, interviews, news commentator's assessment, etc., as a Christian, I am choosing to take the high road. I will not hate one candidate as I support another one. I will not be known as a Christian and then pass along information that confuses onlookers because my "living" doesn't match my "believing". One of our greatest callings at a time like this is to pray. I think in my praying, I can live out what Christ would expect of me in this political season.

Sin and Consequences

I really hate the consequences of sin. In my life I have had to deal with the consequences of my own sin, poor choices that led to difficult outcomes. When someone sins that has a wide influence, it spills out in so many directions and affects so many lives. Our choir recently began working on a wonderful song titled Healer. It was written by a young Australian minister who wrote the song in one sitting after finding out that he had an aggressive, terminal cancer. At one of our choir rehearsals we showed a You Tube video from Hillsong Church telling the story of the song and its impact at Hillsong. It was very moving and impacted each person there. Hillsong recorded the song on their latest CD. Earlier this week the world began to discover that this story is a total fabrication. There was no cancer and associated health problems. It was with great sadness that I told our choir last night about this terrible turn of events. While we want to be forgiving and compassionate, a lot of lives have been affected, and it gives people another example to point to when they say things like, "Christians are all hypocrites" or "If you can't get your act together and you say you are a Christian, how do you expect me to believe that there is anything to being a Christian." I hate the black eyes that these kind of events give us. And yet, at the same time it reminds us that God doesn't expect people to look to us for righteousness, He wants us to turn to Him. Even David, a man after God's own heart, was guilty of a heinous crime as King of Israel. Not only did he receive forgiveness, today we draw great strength and truth from David's Psalms. When the disappointment from this situation begins to fade, perhaps we'll work on the song again. It really is a great song. In the meantime, we'll try to keep our eyes on Jesus, just Jesus.

Life Can Be So Frustrating

I have enjoyed watching portions of the televised Olympics this summer. There have been some great victories and triumphs. And then there's been some shocking losses, stumbles and pure "choking". One of the poignant pictures is of Lolo Jones agonizing over her loss in the 100M hurdles. She was ahead, and favored for the gold medal, until she hit the second to last hurdle. It threw her timing off so bad that she could not recover before the finish line and ended out of the medals. Gymnasts had their troubles, divers and swimmers did as well. Even our undefeated ladies softball team choked and missed a gold medal. Both of our 400M relay teams (men and women) dropped their batons and were disqualified. Both teams were highly favored for gold medals. I can't imagine the frustration and disappointment of training and working for 4 years, and then not accomplishing what you set out to do. Some of these athletes will not have another chance in 4 years, their bodies won't let them. For others, life will take twists and turns that will not take them to London in 2012. But I do know the frustration of planning, working and trying to get something off the ground only to end in failure or defeat. God didn't promise us that He would smooth out our way and keep us from frustration and failure. He simply promised to be with us, to walk with us, to impart His wisdom and to be true to His word. I wonder if the little Chinese gymnast has any hope after falling off the balance beam? As the rude and uncompassionate cameraman zoomed in on her face, she tried to be brave, but tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Let's hope a Christian gymnast was able to love her, and allow Christ to show Himself through her. There's no denying it, life can be tough, but it's not without hope.

Here Are Some Quotes

I enjoy reading quotes. Here are a few recent ones from on of the blogs that I read.

"I can't understand why a person will take a year to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a few dollars." Fred Allen

"Now I know what a statesman is; he's a dead politician. We need more statesmen." Bob Edwards

"My theory is that if you look confident you can pull off anything - even if you have no clue what you're doing." Jessica Alba

"The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." Ronald Reagan

"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." W.C. Fields

"Every man serves a useful purpose: A miser, for example, makes a wonderful ancestor." Laurence J. Peter

"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought." Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

"Just about the time that you think that there is nothing new in the world, someone comes along and stuns us with a new discovery or invention. The most interesting ones are the ones that provoke the thought, 'That is so simple, I should of thought of that'." Louie Salazar

The Highlight Of the Summer

Every year at this time (getting ready to go back to school) I have fond memories of my childhood. When I was in elementary school my mother did not drive. A couple of weeks before school started each year, my two sisters, my mother and I got on a city bus and traveled to downtown San Jose. The bus would let us off right in front of the large JC Penney store. We would shop all morning and get everything we needed for the next school year. To this day, I still buy a lot of clothes, particularly underwear (can you write that on a public blog?) at JC Penney because of those wonderful experiences. For the second part of this great experience we would lug all our bags down the street to the Woolworth store. We would plunk ourselves down at the lunch counter and have a feast for lunch. Eating out was a rarity when I was growing up, so this was a real treat. In fact, to this day I don't drink many soft drinks because we did not have soft drinks in our home. I never got used to having them in my diet.

When I look back on my childhood, I never felt like we were poor, or things were excessively tight. But I also know that my parents had the kind of jobs that didn't require a college education or specific skills, which meant they probably had to do a lot of "juggling" to make everything work out. Now that I am raising a family, I have a huge appreciation for what my parents had to do in order to raise us in a wonderful home environment. I know they made a lot of personal sacrifices to make sure we had everything we needed. One of the huge sacrifices they made was to pay for music lessons for my sisters and me. I am a church musician today because of the foundation of piano lessons that my parents provided. This was a wonderful gift to me.

After we finished our feast at the Woolworth lunch counter, we lugged our new clothes bags back to the front of the JC Penney store and caught our bus home. My sisters and I usually fell asleep after our big downtown adventure. The only hard part of the whole day was carrying our treasures several blocks from the bus stop to our home. Those were great days. The sad part about this is that I can't share the Woolworth lunch counter experience with my children. Woolworth went out of business several years ago. It just doesn't seem the same when you drive to the mall, shop from store to store, eat at the food court and drive home.

The last part of this great adventure was wearing the clothes for the first time. I can't even believe that some kids wanted their mothers to wash their clothes before they wore them for the first time. I loved the smell of new clothes and I would wear them over and over again before the first washing because I didn't want the new clothes smell to go away. I think it probably went away faster then I remember, especially on hot days in late August. Writing this has made me very nostalgic. I think I'd better go buy a new shirt and underwear at JC Penney next week, just in time for school to start.

20% Turnout

I had a brand new experience on Tuesday, Aug. 5th, I was a precinct judge for the Missouri election. I arrived at the polling location at 5AM and finished at 8PM when I helped deliver our ballots and official materials to a central location. Here are some of my observations of this new experience:

1. I was surprised how political the process is. There had to be an even number of Republican and Democrat workers at the polling location. Every person who voted had to fill out a voter ticket and a Republican and Democrat worker has to initial every voter ticket. Then the voter signed into a log, and again, a worker from both parties had to initial the signature. When we began the closing up process, all the logs and record keeping documents had to be signed off by workers from both parties. Then, to complete the process, a Republican and a Democrat had to go together in the same car to deliver the locked and sealed ballots to the central collection location. This bit of bureaucracy slowed the voting process down considerably, and we didn't have that many voters.

2. I was surprised that only 20% of the registered voters in this precinct actually voted. And, not everyone who is eligible to register and vote is even registered. It is disappointing that such a small group of people elect our leaders. I guess the moral of the story is, "if you don't vote, don't complain about the leaders performance". We had a supplemental list of registered voters. These are people that registered to vote at the last minute, and their names were not in the pre-printed logs. In our precinct, no one on that last minute list voted. Why bother to register?

3. This was really an enjoyable process. It was great to greet so many people I didn't know and assist them to participate in our democratic process. I think I want to work for the general election in November. It will probably be a "zoo" because the turnout rate will be very high. Even though this precinct only has approximately 1,000 registered voters, the results from this precinct really matter, and I had a small part in that.

My Rock, Fortress, Deliverer

"The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer, My God is my Rock in Whom I take Refuge." (Psalm 18:2) This picture and scripture were sent to me last Sunday by Dan Arnold, a member of our congregation. We had sung "It Is Well With My Soul" in our morning services, and Dan was recounting God's protection of him through a very difficult health situation. Dan said "I feel that I am the guy in the lighthouse with everything swirling about me, yet I am safe because God is my protector." Wow, how powerful is that! While I have never had to deal with a serious health issue like Dan, I have felt the same way regarding serious situations in my own life. Even though I felt like I might be swept away by the power of circumstances beyond my control, I could identify with the writer of the Psalm, "God, You are my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer". If you are reading this blog today, and you are up against a difficult situation, God is on your side. Ask Him to be your Rock, your Fortress, your Deliverer. Jesus once said, ""You have not because you ask not" (James 4:2). Do you need physical healing, a relationship restored, wisdom for a major decision? Take a moment and ask God. He is listening and ready to move on your behalf. If you need help praying and believing God, let me help you. Post a comment and we'll call on God together. Blessings.

Christmas In July

I have a pile of new Christmas music on my office shelf. It is 98 degrees outside and the humidity makes it feel 104. Somehow this isn't very conducive to "hearing angels on high". However, one thing you need to know about me is that when it comes to Christmas, I am still such a "kid". Right next to my computer screen I have a small pewter Nativity scene and on a shelf to my left side I have another larger, more traditional manger scene. On another shelf is my Santa mug and on one wall is a small watercolor of Santa with the phrase, "I Still Believe". Next to it are two Terry Redlin Christmas prints titled "Heading Home" and "The Sharing Season". So there, I'm out of the closet. I am a 356-day-of-the-year-Christmas-celebrator. I can hear the Bud commercial now, "Hey 356-day-of-the-year-Christmas-celebrator man..."

So why am I working through the pile of Christmas music now? As of today, July 25th, Christmas is only 153 days from now. Since we do a couple of Christmas concerts and programs earlier than Christmas Day in December, we need to begin rehearsals and preparations in early September. I must admit that even though "the weather outside is frightful" (hot and humid) and there is no "fire is so delightful" inside, I love this process. I am still intrigued by the Christmas story. I love re-reading the various accounts in the New Testament and trying to put myself into the story, to fill in the blanks that the Gospel writers do not cover. Christ coming to earth was indeed the greatest gift to us, and somehow again this year, I want to make sure that whatever we do to share the story, people who have never received this greatest gift, come into contact with Christ. So, another CD goes into my player and here we go..."Son of God, purest Light, Lord on high is here tonight..."

Living Far From Your Children is Tough

Yesterday morning Kathy and I took our daughter Aimee and our 3 grandchildren to the airport so they could fly home to Eureka, CA. They were able to spend 2 weeks with us and the time flew by. The thing that made saying goodby very difficult is that we don't know when we'll see them again. As they flew home, Aimee was going home to some big changes. In my last blog I wrote about her husband, Jason, spending a few days in the hospital and the senior pastor they work for resigning. Life is never dull...

On this trip, I met JJ for the first time. He was born in January and Kathy went out for a couple of weeks. By the time we see him again he might be walking, and shaving. :) Our neighbors that live across our street from us have 3 children that all live close by. Most Saturdays one or more of them visit and bring their children. Sometimes Kathy stands at our door and wonders what it would be like to visit with her grandchildren whenever she wanted. While I realize that a lot of people, from all walks of life and vocations, live far from their children, full time Christian ministry is the reason that our family is so spread apart. On one hand we all have tried to hear from God and work in the place that He has lead us to, but, the downside is that it never seems to be very close. Our second son, Josh and his wife Kelly, are preparing to travel to other countries with Book of Hope. Visiting them will be a challenge. I wonder if God has designed it in heaven for families to live close to each other. Wouldn't it be cool if multi-generations of families could live close enough together to get to know each other well. I would love to know some of our relatives that lived before my grandparents. I know a little about them from my parents and grandparent's stories, but that's about all. That would be the ultimate in genealogy research! For now, we'll save our pennies and Google map our next trip to see our kids.

This Didn't Surprise God

Life changes so quickly. Our daughter Aimee, our granddaughters Madelyn and Elyse, and our new grandson, JJ, are visiting with us from Eureka, California. Aimee is the children's pastor at her church and her husband, Jason, is the associate pastor at First Assembly of God in Eureka. Aimee and our grandchildren, and Kathy's (my wife) parents, were here last Sunday and celebrated Kathy's birthday with her and the rest of our family. What a treat, and so much fun. But things change so quickly. By that night, we got the word from Eureka that Jason had been admitted to the hospital with severe stomach pains and a high temperature. Later the diagnosis came, a perforated colon. We had anxious hours as we prayed and waited for the results of tests and changes brought on by medication. By Monday morning there had been some improvement. Later on Monday, however, the senior pastor that Jason works with came by to see him. This was not your normal pastoral hospital visit. His pastor told him that later that evening he was gathering the church board together to announce that he was resigning his position as senior pastor and moving to Sacramento, California to work at another church. So Jason gets to deal with a "kick in the pants" and a "punch in the stomach". Going from concern about his health to concern about his and Aimee's future. As we talked about this on Tuesday, Kathy's mom said something that put it all in perspective, "this did not surprise God". She (Marjorie Ferrin) was so right. Regardless of our independence and self-sufficiency, God isn't surprised or incapacitated by life. He really is in charge when we allow Him to be. This is Thursday and Jason will probably be released today. Tomorrow he gets to start working on the future of First Assembly of God in Eureka, California. God is right there, He knew what was going to happen, both with Jason's health and the health of the church, and He knows what to do now. Wow, what a stress reliever. Aimee has been a real trooper. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had decided to go home early. But Aimee has learned that God is not surprised, he really can be trusted, and things can really work out for the best when we rely on God. So Kathy and I are excited, we get to enjoy Aimee and our grandchildren for a few more days. We'll be concerned about their future, but trusting God sure makes it easier.

I Love Fireworks-Thankful For Heroes

Last Sunday evening we held our church's 2nd Star Spangled Spectacular. This is our version of an old-fashioned patriotic picnic. We had good food, lots of great conversation, activities for kids to do, great summer weather, patriotic music and we capped it all off with a wonderful fireworks display. The fireworks were set off in a field right behind our church property. Right in the middle of the fireworks display I had a wave of thankfulness go over me. Thankfulness for the opportunity to be happy, safe, and to celebrate our freedom in a manner that we had chose. Thankfulness for the people who make our freedom possible. In our highly politicized society, we are emotionally shoved back and forth as the merits of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are debated, and the military is either praised or demonized. But something that cannot be debated are the heroes, throughout our history, who have placed their lives on the line for this country and have given us the privilege of celebrating our freedom just like I described earlier. Consider one hero, Marine Lance Corporal Jake Knospler. On November 12, 2004, Jake was leading his fire team during the fight to liberate Fallujah from terrorists. An enemy grenade hit Jake in the face, blowing away his jaw and part of his skull. he miraculously survived his terrible wounds and more than a dozen surgeries. Even with these terrible injuries, when Jake was asked about his future, he said, "I have to get better. My country, my Corps, and my family are counting on me."


Thanks to Jake and thousands like him, we can count on them for the protection of our freedom. As we celebrate the 4th of July this year, we have a lot to be thankful for. There are countless heroes who have given their lives so that we can choose to do whatever we want on Friday. Let's stop for a few moments and thank God for these heroes, and their families.

Oil Fuels the Jihad

I am really struggling with issues related to oil, the price of gas and our government's seeming paralysis on this subject. I also really struggle with the fact that we are funding, with our outrageously high oil dollars, the Jihad against us. Ollie North, in his book American Heroes, says "Today's fiery leaders of "the religion of peace"-both Sunni and Shia-have instigated and sustained a Jihad, fueled with petro-dollars, paid by the very people they perversely describe as their enemies. Sheiks, imams, mullahs, and ayatollahs routinely expound the virtues of "martyrdom" and vicious treatment for Christians and Jews-and use the money gleaned from petroleum to finance the expansion of their Jihad."

The cost of drawing a barrel of oil out of the ground is less than $30. per barrel. The current price, July 1, 2008, is $142.49 per barrel. The difference between the real cost of oil and the price we are willing to pay means that despots, tyrants, and terrorists are awash in petro-dollars. Consider these quotes-"we love death-the Americans love life-that is the difference between us."-Osama bin Laden, following Sept. 11. "War is our best hobby. The sound of guns firing is like music for us. We cannot live without war. We have no other way except Jihad... The Americans love Pepsi Cola; we love death."-Maulana Inyadullah, Afghani Muslim fighting alongside the Taliban. Now consider Proverbs 8:36b, "All who hate me love death". We really are in a spiritual war, as well as a physical one. We need the wisdom of God to help us live in an increasingly dangerous world where we are hated simply for who we are and what we believe. In stressful times, people turn back to God. "Oh Lord, may we as a nation look to You again for wisdom, strength and direction. Help us repent of our independence and turning our backs on You. Restore to us a love for You and Your ways. Bring revival to the U.S. Oh God, You are our only hope."

Don't Forget To Sweep the Street

I know it is already 3 days after Father's Day, but I'm still processing how thankful I am for my father. May dad will be 89 years old on November 5th. He's moving pretty slow these days, and he has a lot of trouble hearing, but he's still going strong. I miss being able to talk freely with him. He has tried hearing aids, but I guess his doctor has not been able to hit on the combination that will help him hear better.

My dad came from simple folks. They placed a lot of value on hard work and passed on that work ethic to their children. My dad didn't get the chance to complete his high school education, he had to go to work to help support his family. I watched him work hard at various jobs throughout his working career. He also volunteered a lot of time at our church and had time left over to help people in need. I can remember going with him on Saturday mornings, for several years, to chop wood for an older lady who lived alone and cooked and heated her home with wood. He also had time for me. He passed on to me some of the most valuable knowledge that I have today. He taught me "street smarts", how to work hard, how to use my head and hands to do things that other people had to pay for and a host of other practical and useful things that are invaluable to me today. My dad always wore work clothes to work, he never got to dress in a suit and tie. On Sundays, however, he would "dress to the nines". When he retired and traveled to visit, he always got off the plane in a coat and tie. My children would ask me, "why does grandpa dress up" just to ride on the plane. My answer was, "he is an elegant man and he dresses up because he can." He has always been neat, clean and tidy. He keep his cars, his house and yard the same way. I still mow and trim my yard like he taught me, including the little things that made our yard always stand out. The last thing he always did was sweep the street in front of our house. That was the finishing touch that made our yard look so nice. It would never occur to him that you could just blow all the grass trimmings into the street and be finished. I taught the same things to my sons. Every time I finish my yard by sweeping the street, I think of my dad, and thank God for him. I am so blessed... The other day, Joshua, our second son, was telling me about working in his yard. My last question to him about that was, "when you were done, did you sweep the street?" His smile gave away his answer. Someday when he has a son and he's teaching him how to take care of his yard, his son will probably ask him, "dad, why do you sweep the street?"

Back In the Saddle Again

Vacations are great, but they come and go too fast. A lot of the fun is in planning and waiting for the time to come, but then the time passes so quickly, you almost miss it. Last week I had one day in the church office before we began hosting the Assemblies of God National Music Department for a conference with the Commission on Worship and District Ministers of Music from districts around the country. I have had the privilege to participate in 3 of these conferences and they are always great. Some of the best church musicians there are, attend these and the opportunity to "pick each other's brains" and learn from each other is tremendous. Next month I will attend a 1 day event in Nashville, TN for Assemblies of God church administrators and it is the same kind of environment. Learning, stretching, fellowship and all the things that go with "rubbing shoulders" with the "best in the business". (no pun intended) Here at WCAG, June is Christmas planning time. Sometimes it's a little hard to plan for Christmas when the temperature is 90 degrees and the humidity is close to that. I am asking God for an idea or a plan to get the maximum number of unchurched people into our building this coming holiday season. The statisticians tell us that today interest in religious and spiritual things is at an all time high, yet church attendance is at an all time low.

Oh God, we know your Word is all powerful and is the answer for our culture. Help us to present It in such a way that it is irresistible to people who would otherwise never darken the doorways of our church. You are the ultimate creative being. Allow some of Your creativity to permeate our praying, planning and presentation of who You are.

Hummers and Space Shuttles

Our vacation is nearly over. We had 2 events happen, one at the beginning and one near the end that were incredible "bonuses". On our first day, we spent part of it with Kathy's brother in Nashville, Tennessee. We had never been there and we wanted him to show us the city. On Thursday night we spent some time in the Opryland Hotel and then set a time to meet on Friday morning to "see the town". Imagine our great delight to see a 40' Hummer limo pull up to our hotel on Friday for our tour. Kevin, Kathy's brother drives part time for a limo company and he drove us around Nashville in style. We had a blast! Our two boys thought they were hot stuff as people pointed and stared. We made a Starbucks stop and two people asked to take pictures inside and outside the limo. What fun, but very "heady". I can see how people who have sudden upward life style changes can go somewhat wacko. After a few limo rides you could start thinking you were really someone special...climbing back into our junior-high-boys-locker-room-smelling mini-van brought us right back to earth.

May 31st was our first full day at New Smyrna Beach in Florida. NSB, as the locals call it, is a wonderful little town, somewhat protected from the hordes of Florida beach tourists. We rented a condo right on the beach. We were blown away to find out that on that Saturday the Discovery shuttle would be taking off from the Kennedy Space Center, just a short distance away from NSB. At 5:02 PM on Saturday, we stood on the beach with hundreds of other local residents and watched Discovery take off. It was incredible to hear the roar of the engines, watch the entire engine burn and then watch the booster rockets fall away. Being there was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! What a marvelous human accomplishment. And yet, later that evening, looking at the stars and looking out to sea, I realized again how small we really are. Earlier in the week I had been reading about our lives being a vapor, just a wisp, and then we are gone. We think we are the creative ones, completely independent, doing the things that amaze and astound the world. Yet, it is God who allows it, and gives us a small measure of His creativity. Someday, when we see the fullness of His creation, we will be constantly blown away by what He's done.

Inside the Big White Ball

I have only been in one other super-creative environment in my life. That was during the years we spent at the PTL Television Network. For all the bad press about the principal players, and the horrible crash at the end, during its heyday, PTL was unbelievably creative, and made a lot of room for creative people. Being at DW feels that way, "on steroids." I have been constantly amazed at the creativity here at Disney World, and the underlying message that you can "achieve your dreams". There is almost a spiritual message being given here, except that the emphasis is on you, instead of Christ. The principles, however, are the same. "If you can dream it, you can see it come to pass." Epcot is a wonderful place that blends science, innovation and a community of nations. On our final full day here tomorrow, we're going back to Epcot to spend some time in the various nation's pavilions. We've been able to see most of the things we planned, but there is so much more. The Spaceship Earth ride and exhibits inside the big white ball are great. That is Shawn in the picture with the sphere. It is interesting, though, our sons would rather ride the thrill rides, while and Kathy and I are enjoying the educational events. Nicole, our 16 year old, can go either way. Whatever you want to do, it's all here. It's very interesting, here I am on vacation, but I feel incredibly challenged to change some of my thinking and ways of doing things when we get home. This has been a restful "kick in the pants".

The Magic Kingdom Is Really Magic

Here I am in Disney's Studios, in the New York City part of the "back lot". We have been here 2 full days now and it is spectacular. Everything about Walt Disney World is 1st class. We've seen 2 evening outdoor shows, one at Epcot and one at Disney's Studios. Both of them had special effects that were unbelievable. It makes my attempts to jazz up our Easter productions with pyrotechnics look like a middle school science experiment gone bad. Several times I've wondered about the creative teams that put many of these events together. They must have had a lot of fun, in the middle of a lot of work. One of the things that makes DW stand out is all the little touches that you can tell really had the "customer in mind". I wonder what would happen if we approached our planning and thinking about the church with the same kind of open-ended creativity. This place makes thinking out of the box seem commonplace. While the focus would be different, and we'll never have the budget that DW does, we could do so much more. I hope to come home with a few good ideas that we can work on. Until then, it's off to Cinderella's castle...

Off to the Magic Kingdom

Tomorrow we leave for a real family vacation. We're actually going somewhere and not staying with relatives. Unless, of course, we run into a long lost uncle in Disney World. This has been an unbelievably busy year. My normal busy work schedule was increased for 17 months by the retiring of our senior pastor. I have enjoyed helping our church leaders in the process of selecting our next pastor, but at times it has made my overall schedule exhausting. Even though I know we'll be busy running around the Magic Kingdom, it will be fun and relaxing. I have never been to Florida, so this will be a real treat. We'll wind up our days away by going to the Florida Atlantic Ocean coast and swim, get knocked down by the waves and lay on the beach. I know it will be great, and relaxing. And maybe, if it works out, I'll sneak away one evening and go to a healing revival that has started in Lakeland, Florida. This revival started somewhat like the Pensacola Outpouring. The evangelist visited the church for a 3 day meeting and has stayed for almost 2 months. Thousands of people have come to visit. If I get to go, I'll write a blog from Florida. For now, I need to concentrate on getting my suitcase packed. M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E.

Slow Down and Enjoy the Ride

On my drive home from the church office, I turn left into our neighborhood on a street that has a gas station on the corner. I must admit that this has become a traumatic event every day. As I wait for the light to change, I stare at the gas price sign in disbelief, mentally calculating what my next fill-up is going to cost. This morning, however, I read some interesting information that sparked a way that might help deal with this. American Airlines is saving $4 million by having their planes taxi with only one engine on. Southwest slowed its flights by one to three minutes and is saving $42 million. Con-Way Freight shaved 3 mph off the top speed of their trucks and saved $13.3 million and are only adding 20-30 minutes to shipments.

Maybe, instead of getting depressed at my now un-favorite left turn, I need to think about ways of working with the gas price situation. Slow down, put more air in my tires, start off slower from a standing start, starting slowing down sooner at stop lights, pump my gas early in the morning when it is more dense and get more that way, and the list can go on and on. There is really nothing I can do as an individual about the price of oil. But I can change the way I deal with it. So I've decided that I'm going to take the American Airlines, Southwest and Con-Way Frieght approach. I'm going to do something myself about the situation. I'm going to slow down and enjoy the ride... If I believe that God can take care of my family and me, and He has never let us down, then now is no different. So later today, I'll be at that left turn into our neighborhood and I may be so distracted by the goodness of God that I'll forget to glance at the gas price sign. Plus, I may be reacting to the person behind me blowing his horn because I started off so slow...to save gas, of course.

Tapping Your Natural Weirdness

I just finished reading In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. Mark is the founding pastor of a very creative church in Washington D.C. In chapter 8 he cites an interesting study on divergent thinking, thinking outside the box. The study found that 98% of children between the ages of 3 & 5 core in the genius category for divergent thinking. Between the ages of 8 & 10, that number drops to 32%. By their teenage age years it drops to 10% and only 2% of those over 25 scored in the genius category for divergent thinking. According to John Putzier, who cites the study in his book Get Weird, the solution to this intellectual conformity and creative atrophy is "tapping your natural weirdness." Mark Batterson writes "tapping into our natural weirdness isn't just one key to divergent thinking, it is a key to divergent spirituality."

The Bible is full of weird and wacky stuff, talking donkeys, prophets who are instructed to do strange things, speaking in tongues on the Day of Pentecost, etc. Mark says "God love variety. He speaks and acts in divergent ways." I really believe that where our culture is today, Christians must tap into our natural weirdness in order to get the attention of people who are flying by without direction or purpose. Cookie cutter churches and cookie cutter Christians are simply not relating the wonderful truth that lives in them to the people around us. Our very familiar customs, programs, and ways of doing things do not relate anymore. Maybe it's time for some weirdness... Join me in reaching into the childlike parts of our being and let's try and awaken some of the out-of-the-box thinking that we were much more accustomed to as children. Maybe, just maybe, a creative idea for touching the lives of soon-to-be-Christians will emerge.

Alone On A Team

Robert Copeland, Ph.D., is the Head of Enzymology & Mechanistic Pharmacology at GlaxoSmithKline and an adjunct professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He said, "To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three men, two of whom are absent." I would expect that from someone who probably has to work through a lot of committees, boards, trustees, etc., in the course of his work. There are many times when I feel that same way. At the beginning of 2007 I decided to document the activities of my working day. I bought a blank page journal and began keeping my to-do-list, completed tasks and activities for each working day. It was amazing to me to see all the entries for some days. I quickly discovered that I needed to figure out a way to carry items over from one day to the next. Some items had to be carried over and over and over again. When I scan the pages and look at those items that had to be carried over, I see that most of these are things that other people have input into, or in some way affect the final outcome. You probably have similar situations. If you scan minutes of meetings, particularly the items carried over from meeting to meeting, you can begin to find a pattern. I think we're all tempted to say at times, "leave me alone and I'll get it done." The flip side of this is the idea of a team, and teamwork. Is it possible to work as a team, together, and actually get some things accomplished? We see good examples around us. Baseball teams aren't called "teams" for nothing. When the 9 players take the field, 4 of them can't go to first base and have an effective defense. Each one must play the area of the field they were assigned, to make sure that the team plays together effectively. However, even polished professional teams break down. One or more players makes an error and the other team takes advantage of them. A great team can accomplish a lot more than a group of individuals working independently. It takes a lot of effort to be a good team member. Sometimes you take a step back so someone can step forward. Sometimes your great suggestion needs to give way to an even better suggestion, from another team member. Sometimes the temptation to "do it yourself" needs to give way to the team doing it, and growing together because of the effort. Where is this all going... I'll write more on this again. Go team!

A Special Missions Convention

Last Sunday we completed our Missions Convention. I have been involved in many missions conventions in several of the churches that we have served. This one, however, was very special because our son, Josh, and his wife, Kelly, were part of the missionary team. Kelly served a year in Luxembourg as a missionary assistant, and Josh has been on a Book of Hope distribution team to Russia as well as on a church building team in Mexico. They have both been exposed to missions all their lives in the churches where they have attended. I think it is great, and scary, that they both have the same passion for foreign missionary service. Great, because they are working together for their immediate goal of spending two years with Book of Hope as Response Team leaders. Scary, because world travel and safety is always an issue, to say nothing about them being half-way around the world instead of living 5 minutes away like they do now. From the very beginning, Kathy and I determined that we would never try to manipulate our children into full-time ministry, but we wouldn't deliberately discourage it either. As it turns out, all three of our grown children are in full-time ministry. On one hand, I'm excited for them because Christian ministry is a wonderful way to spend your life. On the other hand, I get anxious for them because I know how difficult ministry can be at times. It stretches your ability to work with people, stretches your finances and stretches the time with your spouse and family. However, if I had it to do all over again, I would do the same thing. Back to Josh and Kelly, it was wonderful to hear them speak, sharing the vision of their ministry and to watch people respond to them. They are going to be good at this...it shows! God is good and it will be fun to watch His blessing on Josh and Kelly.

Crazy for God Part 2

I finished reading Frank Schaeffer's book Crazy for God. Near the end of the book he writes, "When I left evangelicalism, it certainly was not because I was disillusioned with the faith of my early childhood. I have sweet (if somewhat nutty) memories of all those days of prayer, fasting, and 'wresting with principalities and powers.' We might have been deluded, but we weren't unhappy." Later he goes on to talk about converting to the Greek Orthodox Church. He writes, "Genie and I like the fact that in our community, half the congregation comes to church late, so we can wander in at any time and still feel like we participated. And I don't have to go to church more often than I can stand. When it starts to feel like religion again, I just drop out for a few months, then wander back."

Schaeffer's book really got me thinking about my own faith, the work I do as a minister, the love and care that I express, or don't express because I get so busy, to my family, the routine of ministry versus my relationship with God. My relationship, the one I am responsible for. In many ways Frank Schaeffer blames his parents, their ministry, their beliefs, his environment, etc., for what he became and now has rejected. I think the same thing has happened to a lot of Christians who were unable to process their growing up years and all the things that happened to them in the "name of Christ." I remember the things that I was not allowed to do, and the standard answer for the question, "why not?" - "it's against your religion." Today, some of those experiences still trouble me because of the way they bend and warp my view of God and my relationship with Him. I'm thankful that I've been able to work through much of this. I'm still working on it, however. I don't think the process ever stops.

Crazy for God

Crazy for God, subtitled How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back, is the title of a recent book by Frank Schaeffer. Frank is the son of Francis & Edith Schaeffer. The Schaeffers founded L'Abri, an intellectual and spiritual community in Switzerland and were bestselling authors and worldwide speakers and lecturers. Sadly, Frank has completely rejected his faith and soundly criticizes his parent's work and legacy. In the prologue to the book he writes, "My life has been one of all-consuming faith-not my faith, but the faith of others that I seem to have caught like a disease and been almost obliterated by. What does God want? I am still trying to find out. And having once been a 'professional Christian,' my vision is muddied by the baggage I carry."

During my college days and beyond, I read everything that Francis Schaeffer wrote. I still have most of his books on my bookshelf. His 35 page booklet, "The Mark of the Christian", had a tremendous impact on my life and some of that teaching is forever embedded in the way I am trying to live my life. Reading Frank's book shows another side of people that I respected because I saw them at the very top of the evangelical leadership group. I must admit disappointment with some of the things I have read that were allowed to happen in and around the Schaeffer's lives. It reminded me of the harsh realities that I discovered during our time as employees of the PTL Television Network. I met and got to know Christian television personalities that had a "television life" and an "off camera life". Disappointing, but real.

The bottom line for me... I will not judge anyone else, I can't. I, alone, am responsible to God for my relationship with Him. I can't blame anyone else or any one's hypocrisy for not taking full responsibility for my life in Christ. I must continue to accept God's forgiveness and consistently live in my relationship with God. I'll write more on this later when I've had time to absorb more of Frank Schaeffer's writing.

I Hate Poison Ivy, And It Hates Me

Two weekends ago I spent part of my Saturday morning getting IVs of a steroid and something else in my arm to reduce the swelling around my left eye. The previous Tuesday I had worked in my backyard, pulling weeds, and I must have pulled some poison ivy roots. Later, I probably brushed some sweat off my forehead and spread the poison ivy to my eye, forehead, and cheek. I also got it on my neck, chest and unfortunately, I used the restroom...no more details. I usually get one really bad incident of PI every year. I always get it on my face, and I'm miserable for two weeks while it heals. This time, it was very early in the growing season and I didn't even see any of the leaves that I have come to be able to identify and dread. So it must have been just the roots. One of these years I'm finally going to get it so bad that I'll immediately go condo hunting. No more yard work, or at least pulling weeds.

Isn't it amazing how something you can't even really see could affect you so badly. Sometimes that's the way it is with things we should stay away from, but don't. We can't see their long term effects, so it seems okay to dabble in them. Later, when you can't change the outcome, you wished you had done something very different. With PI, it doesn't start to itch until a couple of days after the contact. By then, it is too late to do much. Oh Lord, help us to see through Your eyes the things that seem so harmless, yet can be so harmful. Protect us from ourselves, as we try to live lives fully devoted to You.

It's Raining....again

This has been a very wet winter and spring in St. Louis. For weeks now, I have tried to get work done in my yard to prepare it for the growing season. My normal day off is Tuesday, and Saturdays are free if nothing is going on at the church. Incredibly, it has rained, or snowed, almost every Tuesday and Saturday this spring. Yesterday was a wonderful day. It was sunny and 80 degrees. Of course, Monday is a work day, and we had a leadership meeting until 6:45 PM. I thought I might get some work in before dark, but there wasn't enough light left by the time I was ready to go. I got up this morning full of expectation, because, even though the forecast was for scattered thunder storms, maybe they would scatter other places around St. Louis.

I'm writing this at 9:37 AM central time and all I got done outside before the rain started was to put gas in my lawn mower. I can't even believe it...

I've been reading a through-the-Bible-in-a-year called The Daily Message. Yesterday's reading was from James where the Message says, "And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, 'Today--at the latest, tomorrow--we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money.' You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, 'If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that.' Maybe my "plan A" for today was not God's. After all, my yard will always need work, and I know it won't rain every Tuesday and Saturday. It's still early, so this "wisp of fog" will try and figure out what God wants me to do today, and I know it will be the right thing.

Checking Out Houses In the Promised Land

A couple of nights ago Kathy and I went on a walk after dinner. There are some new homes being built near us and we wanted to see what they were like. We peered through windows, tried door knobs and garage doors and did our best to see inside these $500,000.-900,000. homes. I think we used the phrase "my goodness" several times as we gawked at some of the accouterments inside these palatial homes. As we walked away from the sub-division, realizing that our "little cottage" (which we love, by the way) would fit nicely several times in some of those huge houses, I was telling her about my daily Bible reading. I'm at the place where Moses is instructing the children of Israel just before he dies and they enter the Promised Land. He tells them what to do with the people, animals and plunder when they get there. I said to Kathy, "wouldn't it have been an interesting experience to have entered a city after all the inhabitants had been cleared out. It might be like walking on this street, picking out a house to live in. Going in, finding it fully furnished, someones precious belongings still in the dresser doors and closets, animals in the back, food in the pantry... You didn't have to do anything except possess it, with God's blessing."

I wonder sometimes if we miss the "possessing God's blessings today" because we're looking down a future road, hoping for something different. As we turned the corner on our street, it was a comfortable and secure feeling. Trees are blooming and leafing out, flowers are blooming, grass is getting green and our cottage is ours. (well, actually ours and the bank's) Thank you, O God, for your blessings, today.

Life's High and Lows

Missouri had some severe flooding in March. Our son and daughter-in-law live in Springfield and had 24 inches of water in their basement. We drove down last weekend to help where we could and to help estimate what it is going to cost to repair the damage. There is a lot of sheet rock work to be done, carpet to be laid, and a host of details to make the basement livable again. Talk about low...

On the same weekend, he gave us a tour of Evangel University, where he will start this fall as a full time college professor in the Music Department. His mom and I were incredibly proud as we walked around his alma mater, realizing that he was returning to the campus where he knew as a 9th grader that God was sending him to. Talk about a high... At one point I had to walk away from a conversation that Kathy (my wife) and Jenny (our daughter-in-law) were having because I couldn't contain the tears of joy that welled up. I took a moment to thank God for his incredible faithfulness. Jason (our son) received the news of his new teaching assignment on one of the toughest days of the basement flooding. Wow, what a contrast in emotions.

As we walked around their house and tried to determine why so much water had come into the basement, we fixed some things and made a list of other things to do. There will be a lot of work, but it's doable, and between his dad, brother and willing friends, we'll get it all done. Sometime this summer, we'll walk into the basement and it will be new again. We'll all say something like, "glad that's over, I hope we never have to do this again". Jason and Jenny will probably even laugh about some of their experiences. God has been good to them throughout this very difficult ordeal. They have received some very unexpected help. After we've looked around the basement and laughed about some of the funny stuff, we'll all pile into one of our mini-vans and head for the office supply store. Jason needs some "office stuff" for his new office. After all, new professors should at least look like they know what they're doing. God is so good!!

New Buzz Words?

There are a couple of new buzz words to describe churches showing up in blogs, new books and magazine articles. They are "attractional" and "missional". The online dictionary I use does not have any listings for the word "attactional" and all 3 entries for "missional" related to traditional missions definitions. Are we really so far ahead that the dictionary will have to catch up? Or are we still so far behind that the dictionary really doesn't care? :)

One definition for an attractional church is "one that, through its presence, programming and marketing--everything to four-color brochures to word-of-mouth, seeks to attract people to its services." Unfortunately, fewer people are "attracted" to most churches every year. We may be spinning our wheels by spending a lot of time trying to figure out what will bring people to our open doors. In fact, most of our effort is aimed at the people we already have.

One definition of a missional church is; "a missional church is evangelistic and faithfully proclaims the gospel through word and deed. Words alone are not sufficient; how the gospel is embodied in our community and service is as important as what we say." A resounding theme in some of George Barna's research on what people are looking for in a spiritual experience is a church that lives and demonstrates the gospel.

Sometimes I wonder if our church buildings get in the way of truly demonstrating God's love for a hurting world. It reminds me at times of the childhood game of hide-n-seek. A tree or playhouse was the "safe base". You always tried to get back to the safe base before the person who was "it" found you. Is the church building our safe base? Is it too safe, so safe that we aren't willing to risk sharing God in "word and deed" away from it? I don't really have any answers, but I do know, I am desperate to be involved in what God wants to do in people's lives who do not know Him yet.

Exciting and Frustrating

Our church, West County Assembly of God, will be holding a Missions Convention in a few weeks. As far as I can tell, this is the first one in which just this church will try and excite, inspire, cajol and motivate our folks to look beyond our walls. Through the years, the traditional way of being involved in missions was to send money to missionaries around the world and here in the U.S. to do the work of ministry. Sending our money around the world really worked! Today, in the Assemblies of God family, there are 57 million members and adherents with more than 295,000 churches and preaching points. However, paying people and building buildings hasn't been too successful here in the U.S. Overall church attendance is down, and sinking every year. Our churches lose most of their high school graduates when they either leave to go to college or join the workforce. It isn't that there is less interest in spiritual things, it's just that young people today are exploring the almost unlimited religions, plans and personalities that are all competing for their young lives. Somehow, we haven't helped them grow in their relationship with Christ to the point of not getting restless or feeling the need to explore other forms of spiritual interaction.

Today, I'm excited about the thousands and thousands of people around the world coming to Christ. Today, I'm frustrated because we can't seem to get our act together in this country. Oh God, help us listen to your heart...and join with Your creativity as you help us reach across the street.

Viewing the Bible Through the Eyes Of a Leader

One of the blogs that I read is written by Tony Morgan. Tony is a pastor and author. I first met Tony through his book Simply Strategic Stuff. Here are some thoughts from Tony's blog on leadership and the Bible. Good stuff...

"I'm in the process of going back through the Bible viewing it through the eyes of a leader. Here are my thoughts from the first seven chapters of Matthew:

-Leaders make mistakes. God can redeem leaders. (1:6)
-It's all about obedience. Joseph "did what the angel of the Lord had commanded Him. When was the last time you heard from God and did what he told you to do? (1:24)
-I may have positional power, but God is always more powerful. (3:11)
-The way I live my life is dictated by the amount of time I spend in the Word of God. It is my sustenance. (4:4)
-Time is running out. I need to embrace the urgency. (4:17)
-Part of my responsibility is to look for the ministry potential in others. (4:19-20)
-My leadership should produce peace. (5:9)
-My actions will speak louder than my words. (5:16)
-God doesn't like it when there's division and anger between leaders. (5:22)
-I need to follow through with my commitments. (5:37)
-People will persecute me. I need to pray for them. That's difficult for me. (5:44)
-God wants me to be me. He wants us to be real--not fake. (6:5)
-There are some actions people don't see, but God still does. (6:18)
-What I do with my money will impact my heart. Interesting that God didn't say it the other way around. Makes me think disciplines with time and money impact the condition of my heart. (6:21)
-As a leader, I need to prefer for tomorrow, but I shouldn't worry about tomorrow. (6:34)
-If I'm a good leader, my ministry will bear good fruit. The measure of my success is not the input but the outcome. (7:17)
-The win isn't for people to hear the message--the win is life application. (7:24)"

Your Ear Gets Cut Off and Your Life Is Saved

One of the most interesting stories surrounding the events of Holy Week is the account of the High Priest's servant. Unfortunately the Biblical narrative is very brief, but I began to think about the implications of what happened. Malchus, the High Priest's servant, was probably the equivalent of a modern day executive assistant. The High Priest sent him with the group to arrest Jesus. In fact, he may have been the leader of the group. The High Priest couldn't go because it wouldn't have politically expedient, and he was going to be one of main prosecutors. When the group arrives to make the arrest, one of Jesus' disciples pulls out a sword and off comes Malchus' ear. Can you imagine the pain, and the screaming that took place. Undoubtedly, many other swords came out and it could have gotten ugly right away. Jesus steps up, takes the severed ear and puts it back in place. I wish there would have been a way to capture the astonishment on Malchus' face. I'm sure in Christ's complete and perfect way of doing things, there was not a scar, line or any other evidence that the ear had ever been anything less than perfect. I don't think Jesus cleaned him up. All the blood was still there, and perhaps dirt and leaves and other debris from rolling around on the ground in pain.

Can you imagine the encounter when Malchus went back to report to the High Priest. The HP probably didn't even ask about the arrest at first, he would have wanted to know how Malchus had gotten so dirty, and bloody. Can you imagine the servant trying to explain that his ear had been cut off, and yet when the High Priest explored his ear and scalp, he could see that nothing was wrong with the ear.

I can't help but think that throughout the afternoon, as Jesus hung on the cross, from a distance away Malchus observed all that went on. Every few minutes his hand would slip up to his ear, a finger would run around the spot where it had been severed, and Malchus' heart hurt a little more. Along with the centurion, he may have whispered the words, "truly, He was the son of God." I think Malchus lost an ear (not really) and gained his life...

Life At the Foot Of the Cross

Life has a way of creeping up on you, bringing surprises that you never expected. For pastors, special times in the life of church are busy. Easter is one of those times of the year when you want to make sure that everything you do produces the opportunity for people to encounter Christ as we remember His sacrifice for us on the cross and celebrate His resurrection. Many times the busyness gets in the way of our personal opportunties to experience our own encounter with Jesus. This year is no exception...it's busy. Two days ago, our oldest son called from Springfield, MO to tell us that his basement was totally flooded. After we hung up, the "dad" in me wanted to drop everything and go down to help. Yesterday, after talking a couple of times, he told me that his insurance policy didn't cover the kind of flooding that had occured. Now I was really torn. After several calls, trying to dispense fatherly advice, a lot of 1 and 2 sentence prayers for help and wisdom, it looks like things are going to be okay. There is a lot of work ahead, but it appears that there may be many helpers as well.

Today is the day before Good Friday, and I'm trying to find the time to be quiet and experience an encounter with Christ in this most wonderful season of the church. Once again I'm reminded how vunerable we are, how helpless, and totally dependent on God. This week we've had rehearsals, planning sessions, technical preparation and a host of other details. Then, there is the normal part of helping to run a church and nuture a church family. Add to that being a frustrated dad trying to figure out how to help my kids 215 miles away in the biggest crisis of their young lives. The best thing I can do, right now, for everyone's sake, particularly mine, is to rest at the foot of the cross. I need to thank God that I don't have to do it all, or be all. I just need to recognize what Christ has done for me, and to accept His sacrifice, once again, for my sin and separation from Him. There will be plenty of work ahead...but it will all get done, in His time, because of my time at the foot of the cross.

Abraham LIncoln and reading

I am an avid reader. I was 14 years old before we had a television in our home. My parents encouraged us to read and provided books on many subjects. We had hundreds of volumes to choose from. As an adult, I have continued to read a lot of books, on many subjects. Since Kathy, my wife, is also an avid reader, our collection of books is quite large. While one of my regrets as an adult is that I was unable to continue graduate education, books and reading have provided a wonderful source of knowledge, inspiration and enlarging my imagination. I am currently reading a book about Abraham Lincoln titled Team of Rivals by Pulitzer Prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin. The team of rivals is his presidential cabinet. Lincoln chose 3 men for his cabinet who were his rivals for the Republican nomination for president. The other 3 were former Democrats who were political rivals. One story about his early life really impressed me. He did not have access to many books. Reading was his primary source of education so he had to read books where ever he could find them. On this occasion he borrowed Parson Weem's Life of George Washington. He read it at night in the loft where he slept by candlelight. One night after he had put the book between the rafters of the loft, a severe rainstorm soaked the book, soiling the pages and warping the cover. He went to the home of the owner and volunteered to work to pay for the cost of replacing the book. The owner calculated the cost and had Lincoln work for 2 full days pulling corn. Lincoln thought this was quite unfair and excessive, but he did the work anyway. We live in a good age, sip a latte at Barnes and Noble while you look through thousands of books, pay with a coupon and a debit card...

Some other books I have read in 2008 are Never Call Retreat by Newt Gingrich and William Forstche, the third historical novel in a triology about the Civil War, Stone Cold by David Baldacci, The Appeal, John Grisham's new novel and Simply Strategic Stuff: Help for Leaders Drowning in the Details of Running a Church by Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan, a book with many reference topics for my work at our church. I like to read the Bible through every year and this year I am reading a new version titled The Daily Message by Eugene Peterson, the writer of the Message version of the Bible. Reading is a wonderful way to relax, and learn.

Mexico's Mother Teresa (part 2)

I looked at some pictures today from another team member that was on our recent Mexico Mission. Mark Mulberry, from Wisconsin, took a lot of pictures at the orphanage we visited. He took this one.

We had worked all morning at the job site and in the afternoon we took all of our teenagers to visit the orphanage while a group of men set roof beams and began sheeting the roof. Since this is potentially dangerous work, particularly if it is windy, we felt like our teenagers would be safer away from the job site. This picture was taken during the time that I spent talking with Sister Josephina, the director of the orphanage. Because I was the only spanish speaking person there that day, I had her all to myself. Read my first post to find out some of the things we talked about. Later, after reflecting on our conversation, it amazed me how much she has accomplished without all of the "things" that we think we need for ministry. She doesn't have an office, computer, high speed internet connection, PDA, latest cell phone, or anything else. As we toured the facilities just after arriving there, she did point out a room that she said would make a great office. I passed that request on to several people that could help make it come to pass. As we were leaving, a funny thing happened. In this picture you can see my rosy cheeks and sunburned arms. A boy of about 6 or 7 saw the bandana around my neck and asked me in spanish if he could have it. Some of our team had given their bandanas away and were tying them on the children's heads. He wanted the same thing. I took it off and carefully tied it on his head. He looked up at me and asked, "are you Santa Claus?". Rosy cheeks, white beard, old man compared to him... I wish I had more to give. We'll work on it. Even a lot of small gifts and useful items would go a long way to blessing these children and their "mother Teresa". I had one other "life changing event" many years ago in Mexico, at an orphanage in Ensenada. This may have been my second Mexico epiphany.