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Are We Ever Satisfied?

So - Dee picked me up at the church today to go for lunch over at the mall.  While we were there, I thought I'd go ahead and pick up a new pair of brown shoes - I needed a pair of brown shoes because I probably only have four pair already...  And guess what?  They had tax-free buy one pair and get the the second pair for half price -- So - I bought two pair of brown shoes to go along with the other four in my closet...

As I was sitting in the food court, doing my best justification for having so many brown shoes and buying more (and I was really convincing if I must say so myself), a little boy about 4 came by with his grandparents (I assume it was since he called them Grandpa & Nana), and he made a b-line to one of the zillion gum-ball machines they have in the mall.  Nana!  Grandpa!  I want...  Then, his attention was diverted toward the big carousel in the middle of the food court  (The one with all the lights, glitter, music, and plastic horses  with the circus-like atmosphere dripping off of it - The one any child can enjoy for only a few dollars more than his parents are already blowing spending in the mall)- Without missing a beat, the little guy quickly abandoned his absolute need for a gum-ball, and headed straight to the carousel shouting with glee, This one Grandpa!  This one Nana! 

It just made me wonder - In our culture-of-plenty - are we ever really satisfied?  And, if not, why?   I'll ponder more on it, but right now I've got to go rearrange my closet so I can make a home for my two new pair of brown shoes...

Without a Voice...

For the past two days I've been without a voice.  It set in during my sermon in the 11:00 worship service this past Sunday.  And now - Full blown laryngitis!  For a guy who talks for a living, and enjoys it - This has been a frustrating two days.  I haven't even been  able to go through the Starbucks drive-through, and, for that matter, had to rely on Dee Monday night just to have my coffee ground as my hand signals weren't doing the job  [picture me standing in Starbucks doing my best round and round motion like a monkey grinding away on his tiny sound-machine - All I needed was the little vest and hat, and I would have made a great monkey].  Finally, Dee said to the perplexed guy on the other side of the counter, "Would you grind his coffee for him please?"   He looked at me with this pitiful, almost, let me pat the poor little thing on the head sort of look that might as well have just said, "Sure, I'll grind the little fella's coffee for him..."

I haven't been able to articulate what I wanted to say, and have been at the mercy of a culture where the loudest , most articulate voice is often the one heard.  I suppose it hasn't been all bad - Without a voice I've been forced to listen and observe more.  But, being voiceless has taken away my influence - It's robbed me of the power our words have to be heard, understood, and noticed.   There have been moments over the past two days where I've been shouting at the top of my lungs on the inside, only to go completely unheard by those around me...

I think about those in our world who have little or no voice - For whatever reason(s).  The battered wife; abused child; the disengaged and disenfranchised who have been cordoned off into their silent corners to  quietly sit alone and unnoticed.  Sentenced to endure their pain with little recourse or rebuttal.   

Just maybe, hopefully, this little laryngitis experience will help me be more sensitive to the voiceless I encounter each day - To be more attentive to their cries, and more patient with their situation.  Maybe, going voiceless for a few days has been a good thing - One of those blessings in disguise kind of things - Ya' hear what I'm sayin'?

Marathon or Bust...

OK -- So this morning, just after daybreak, I started my official training for the Rocket City Marathon on December 13th in Huntsville, AL. It was only a short, slow run compared to the training runs I've been doing during this summer's triathlon series.  But, it's different - It's run focused only - It's me, my legs, and my feet pounding away at the pavement five days a week for the next 4.5 months.  As I did the run this morning, I thought about the many days, hundreds of miles, and inclement weather conditions that await me in these upcoming months leading up to that final 26.2 miles - It was kind of a spiritual moment as I thought about crossing that finish line to the cheers of, well, Dee, probably, and to experience the accomplishment of the months, days and hours of hard training that would get me there.  Then, as I wiped the tear of emotion from my cheek I thought, What the heck am I doing?!  I'm kind of an old man - I've got kids in their 30's, and soon to be 5 grandchildren!  Should I actually be doing this?  So, I've determined as of late that I'm either a focused, disciplined, determined guy, or, a crazy old man...  I guess time will tell over the next 4.5 months.  Say tunned...

I Love the Maintenance Man (and Woman)...

I've never really liked maintenance.  Not with cars, health, relationships, or, even church.  Now, don't get me wrong - I take heed of these things with daily care and attention - I make sure I know what I'm trying to achieve with each, and try to develop things in order to reach my goals.  But, I just honestly cringe at the thought of being a maintenance-man throughout life. 

I know there are some people who love the work of maintaining - The attention to detail; the concern with the minutia; the obsession with crossed t's and dotted I's -- But not me.  As much as I appreciate and understand the maintainers of the world, I'd go absolutely crazy if that's what my day consisted of.

I guess I'm just too goal-oriented.  When I mow the lawn, I love to see the progress as I loop round and round whacking the tops off the fescue to an beautiful, even, green carpet complementing the beds of flowers and groves of fruit trees in the garden. 

But, I realize, without maintenance, the mower won't last a season, the car won't get me to and from my places to be, my health could deteriorate quickly, as would relationships, and, even the church.  But I also understand who I am, and how God created me -- I'm a doer, a get er' doneer, a here's where I'm going and this is what it will look like when I get there kind of guy... 

So, I love those people God has made who are maintenance people.  Those folks who typically work behind the scenes, diligently caring to the details and many, many small things to bring a plan together.  I love and admire those folks who are able to focus on one piece of a puzzle at a time, readying it for the visionary, big-picture people to put together with all the other pieces to create a final product.

It's good that God made us different.  It's healthy when we realize who and how He made us, accept that, and partner to encourage, support, inspire and appreciate that in one another as we work together toward a common vision.  So, if you're one of those special maintenance men/women of the world -- I really, really do love you :)

Sighting is Important...

I'm not a very good swimmer - All you have to do is look at any of the pictures taken as I exit the water and head toward the bike transition area - I'm the poster boy for, "Lord, get me outta' this water before I die!"

One of my problems (of many on the swim) is that I don't sight very well.   There are buoys throughout the course that point the way to the finish, and sighting is the ability to glance up between every few strokes to insure you are still on track with the swim course.  Good open water swimmers know how to incorporate sighting into their stroke in order to take a peek about every sixth or seventh stroke in the direction of the buoys without having to stop or slowdown their progress. 

But sometimes that's easier said than done.  When you are attempting to negotiate the course with hundreds of your fellow triathletes - Being clawed, kicked, punched, scratched, poked and prodded - All while trying not to drown -- Well, sometimes survival takes precedence over sighting. 

In a recent race I decided to just bury my head in the water and swim like crazy with no sighting, just tenacious persistence -- I was flying - I was making great time - That is, until I swam right up on the opposite shore (Dee said she heard the guy on the walkie-talkie speaking to the lifeguards, "We've got one on opposite shoreline grounded...")   I had to turn around, get my bearing, and backtrack in order to return to the race...

I suppose that's the way it is in life sometimes -- We know basically where we're trying to go, but, we get all caught up in the crowd - We get beaten down, bruised, battered and have our dreams busted before our eyes.  We start out well-intentioned, idealistic, and excited about that future opportunity, but, somehow, somewhere, in the midst of it all we forget where we are going.  We stop sighting, and just put our heads down and go through the motions - No real direction, rhyme or reason, until life is condensed to getting up, going to work, making money, coming home, spending the money, going to bed, and getting up just to rinse and repeat over and over again until life is just one big blur with no real meaning or purpose...

Maybe that's why it's so important to keep our "sight" on God's plan for our lives.  He tells us His love is unconditional, abundant, full of His power and presence for our daily living.  He desires nothing less than for us to experience life to the absolute fullest - To know the peace, joy, and purpose that come from a life of following His will and ways for our daily living.   When we keep our eyes fixed on Him through regular prayer, worship, study, and meditation, we move forward through the course toward the prize - Not without the occasional gouging and punching, but, forward, each stroke, each day, each step of the way becoming more and more of the person He created us to be...

New! Jesus-Visa...

Yep.  Now we can have a nice, convenient, comfortable, "It's all about me" Jesus customized Visa Card...  Well, maybe not exactly, but, it does seem in our ultra consumer oriented culture that many are looking for a Jesus who is sandwiched in our wallet between our Diner's Club and American Express to be whipped out and swiped anytime we have a need - Help me Jesus!  Swipe - Ahhh, instant gratification... 

But, Jesus refuses to simply become another of our possessions parked in the garage or kept in our portfolio.  He continues today, as he did 2000 years ago to call us into a life of disciplined, focused, and unabandoned discipleship - A life of devoted worship, growth and service founded on, and encompassed by His Spirit, empowering, inspiring, and involving us with kingdom matters - A life that often calls us to sacrificial service - moving us out of our suburban-comfort-zones and consumer-minded spirituality...

Am I too off the mark on this?  Am I perhaps being too cynical?  Or, have we  developed a western-Christianity that's little more than Jesus-in-a-box religion pointed toward the convince and pleasure of the "believer" rather than a life of following the Risen Lord? 

Are we living the prophecy of Dietrich Bonheoffer who said we are "seeking cheap grace in avoidance of costly discipleship"?  It seems, for many, the church has fallen from being the Body of Christ into just another place for people to seek "spiritual" entertainment and unrealistic expectations of "what the church can do for me..." rather than a sacrificial attitude to be the  hands, feet and very heartbeat of Christ in our world.

I am thankful that there seems to be a turn of the pendulum, and a move toward real, honest, unadulterated love for Jesus and His Church that prompts individuals and congregations to seek not "What can this do for me?", but "What can I do as a part of this Glorious institution we call the Church?"  I pray we are in a new reformation as His Body, and that we might see the fruit of lives radically transformed forever-for-the-better throughout our cities, nation and world!

Welcome to Our Home...

So, Dee and I have been gone a couple of weeks this past month, and have had people over to "dog-sit" our little dog, Gracey...  We had a lady from our church one week, and a young man who teaches with Dee and occasionally attends church with us this past week.  Gracey loved the attention of her new roommates, and they seemed to have enjoyed the break from their normal summer routines as well.  We basically old them to make themselves at home, and use our food, TV, phone, bed, couch, and anything else that would make their stay more comfortable just as they would at their own places.

But, as I was showering this morning, it hit me!  Somebody (actually, somebodies) I didn't know very well just spent a week each in our house - A week with total accessibility to all our stuff - Seven days walking around in the place we live day-to-day - 168 hours amid all those things we keep behind the closed doors - 10,080 minutes... Well, you get the picture -- They were living in our house 24/7!  Having access to not only the stove, fridge, and pantry, but also the closets, drawers, and everything else that would necessitate their living in our house for a week.

I was immediately thankful that I could not think of anything I was ashamed of, or had hidden away - I was delighted that I wouldn't be embarrassed to face our sitters next time I met them in a hallway at church - And I was relieved that Dee and I had no hidden secrets that would reveal something about us that we wouldn't want others to know...   

But, it did jolt me into thinking of how we can easily invite Jesus into our lives, and tell him he can eat the bread, drink the milk, and take care of the dog -- but, stay out of that closet!  Don't use those drawers!  Keep away from that room!  Come and live with me, take care of my stuff, but stay away from those hidden things I have behind those closed doors.   It felt good to know Dee and I didn't have any of those hidden or embarrassing things, but, it's even better to know that the door is open to Jesus and he has full access to our home - Our lives - Our hearts, souls, minds and strength... 

I hope those who call themselves followers can hang the Welcome to Our Home sign out for Jesus, and invite him in to all aspects of their lives and living...