In the End It Turned Out Well

Monday I endured the indignity of having a colonoscopy. When one is being delivered from every morsel of food so that a ridiculously long scope can be inserted in a part of the body that no one else should ever see, there are plenty of things to reflect about.

However, a couple of friends passed on to me the reflections of syndicated columnist Dave Barry. Anyone who has had a colonsocopy will absolutely laugh out loud at Barry's comments. I think that most of the rest of you will enjoy as well.

With that setup I defer to Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this is, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.

'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

Thank God for Reuel Hemphill

Last month one of my greatest supporters left this world and crossed over into the next. Reuel Hemphill was just shy of her 100th birthday.

“Miss Reuel”, as most of us called her, belonged to one church her entire life, the First Baptist Church of Fulton, Kentucky. She began teaching a Sunday School class at age 16 and continued to teach for 70 years!

When I arrived as the new senior pastor of FBC Miss Reuel had been on staff with the church as Assistant to the Pastor for 36 years. She decided to retire during my first month and I begged her not to. She gave me 6 more months which I treasured. More than a wealth of knowledge about my job and the general state of every member in the church (over 800 of them), Miss Reuel loved God and loved people better than anyone I had ever seen.

Miss Reuel’s daughter found a hand written document that was her personal prayer list for her pastor. She prayed these things for every pastor she had for the past several decades. I now understand more clearly why I saw so many of God’s blessings while serving as her pastor.

Here’s the list:
1. Pray that God will protect your pastor spiritually.
2. Pray that your pastor will be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
3. Pray that your pastor will know God’s will and do it.
4. Pray that your pastor will make personal devotions and quiet time a priority.
5. Pray that your pastor will resist temptation.
6. Pray that your pastor’s ministry will be Christ-centered.
7. Pray that your pastor will be concerned for the lost.
8. Pray that your pastor will have a compassionate heart.
9. Pray that your pastor will handle appreciation well.
10. Pray that your pastor will give glory to God.

Occasionally Miss Reuel would lean over toward me with her eyes glancing around to make sure no one was close by to overhear and she would whisper, “Now don’t tell anyone but you are my favorite pastor.” Somehow I believe that every pastor she had was her favorite at the time he served FBC. I still learn from her as I remember and reflect on her life.

I look forward to seeing her again someday when I cross over. Great is her reward in heaven.

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln

Today is the 200th birthday of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Traditionally our country has honored and greatly esteemed Lincoln both for the way he presided over our country during the Civil War and because of his tragic death by assassination.

Much has been written and told of his values, faith, leadership, compassion, and humility. In anticipation of February 12, Lincoln’s 200th birthday, more effort has been made in the attempt to demythologize Lincoln or to show how he was not as great as we thought.

I’m not sure that I really get the motivation behind the effort. Perhaps there are reasons nobler than just selling books or gaining viewership for televised specials.

In any case, as far back as I can remember I have been intrigued with and in awe of Lincoln. Perusing some of his axioms recently (and there are many) I came across this one for today—

“It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Jesus Christ has been the One to put “life” in my years and I’m forever grateful.

America's Best Leaders

Recently US News & World Report identified the 24 best leaders in America. It is an interesting list. The list includes business leader Jeff Bezos of Amazon, film maker Steven Spielberg, athlete Lance Armstrong, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and 20 others from the arenas of education, science, government, non-profits, music, health and military.

The interesting omission to me was the arena of religion. In their opinion there was no religious leader worthy of note. A by-line to the article was, “This year’s Best Leaders are the kind of people who can help lead us out of our doldrums.” Really?

First, I mean no disrespect to those honored and recognized on the list. Those names that are familiar to me I esteem for what they do and those names not familiar to me were impressive in their brief descriptions.

Second, I certainly see the necessity of national defense, health care, education and a strong economy. But friend, people are more than their physical and natural needs. We are spiritual. We are a soul within a physical body. The integration of self, loving connection with others and personal engagement with the Creator are not secondary issues.

I’m totally aware that there are divisive, arrogant, obnoxious and irritating religious leaders. There are those types in every arena of life. Without naming names I can point you to religious leaders that run organizations and inspire armies of volunteers to feed the hungry, provide housing, do job training, build a variety of bridges to dozens of ethnic groups, establish health clinics for the poor, and facilitate scores of compassion based efforts toward those in distressing circumstances.

If some anti-religion types had their way they would prefer that all types of religion be removed from society. I would suggest that one think that through to the logical conclusions. If Christianity were totally removed from this country, and from the world for that matter, I believe society as we know it would self-destruct.

Congratulations to the 24 Best Leaders. Thank God for the thousands of religious leaders who continue to add a rather invisible service and value to our lives.

Living in a DVR World

“It changed my life.” I don’t say that about many things.

A few years ago my father-in-law upgraded from an older model Tivo to a newer. He was singing the praises of Tivo and asked me if I wanted his old unit. I said “Sure” without much conviction. I had a VCR where I could record programs so I didn’t “get it” as to why he was so enthused about a DVR.

I received his old unit and literally didn’t connect it to my TV for nearly a year. I forgot about it. Then I heard a few other people talk about their Tivo and really for the first time “got it” that you could not only record TV programming but you could stop live programming, rewind for up to 30 minutes and play it again. This meant that if I got a phone call in the middle of a program, or a family member needed my attention, or I wanted to go to the kitchen and get a snack, all I had to do was press the pause button. I could come back anytime within 30 minutes and resume watching.

This past Sunday I watched the Super Bowl with friends. Throughout the game we were not only entertained with the commercials we were looking for the one second Miller commercial and the half second Ivars commercial. We couldn't believe companies were paying big bucks for what amounted to a micro advertisement.

When the mini commercials blew right by us we stopped the programming, pressed rewind and viewed the commercials again. This practice of stopping a live program and pressing rewind is a regular habit of my television viewing. If I missed a word or phrase of important dialogue I replay it. If the network doesn’t give me the replay on a great basketball move that I want to see again I replay it. If something was really funny I replay it.

This “DVR way-of-life” is a little dangerous. Now I find myself in a live conversation and if I wasn’t listening carefully enough I feel my finger twinge like I want to press the rewind button. I’m driving down the street and catch something out of the corner of my eye and my finger twitches. My control over the television doesn’t translate into control over real life.

The look in someone’s eye, the expression on a baby’s face, the nuance of someone’s comment can’t be recaptured if I wasn’t prepared to seize the moment. If I fail to seize enough moments then I’ve failed to seize the day. That can lead to missing out on a lot of life.

God help me to not be careless in connecting with others, with experiencing the moment, or with communing with Your Presence.

Ted Haggard and the Process of Forgiveness

This past week former pastor and evangelical leader Ted Haggard appeared on Oprah and Larry King Live. His interviews served as previews for his HBO documentary, “The Trials of Ted Haggard”. The imbedded video gives a glimpse of Haggard’s reappearance into the public eye.



You can read my reflections on Ted and his wife Gayle from the time that the story broke in November 2006 here and here.

I really didn’t want to think about Haggard and his story. My wife thought I would be interested so she recorded the appearance on Oprah. I squirmed and felt uncomfortable throughout. Part of my discomfort lies with Oprah and her constant attempts to normalize and propagandize her heretical views. She is leading millions down a path that may be spiritual but it is in a direction that is going away from and not toward God. That’s stuff for another post sometime.

But Oprah’s format and constant interruptions are not conducive for discussing serious life process and theology. Her format presses for quick, easy sound bites. And Haggard’s issues, by his own admission, are complex. Such complexity demands private, out-of-the-spotlight life work. I can only speculate that Haggard needs money or is addicted to the limelight or both and thus he is going public with his process at a ridiculously early point in his recovery. He said he wanted to publicly ask for the forgiveness of his church in Colorado.

Somewhat lost in the lights and cameras that glare in Haggard’s face again are the heroic hearts of his wife and children. They are doing the difficult life work of forgiveness. I pray God’s power and grace upon them. How does God’s power to forgive come to them? Two words come to mind: “Before” and “After”.

When I finished watching the recording of Oprah, my dedicated and loving wife of 30 years asked, “Would you be able to forgive me if I was ever unfaithful?” Without a moment’s hesitation I responded, “Yes, because I decided that I would forgive you years ago if something like that ever happened, just like I decided I would forgive our children of a whole list of heartbreaking things that they could have done in adolescence that thankfully they never did.”

In other words, because God has forgiven me of so much, I am already predisposed to forgive others. If my wife or children were ever to deeply wound me, I’ve decided “before” the incident that I will forgive them. At the time of the offense and in the days “after” I will then call upon God for grace and help to carry out the work of forgiveness. Depending on the offense I may have to ask for God’s help in forgiving many times.

Why would I be so committed to forgiving no matter what? Because, it is the way of Christ. I want to become like Him and do life as He does it. I’m also predisposed to love, give, serve, etc.

I didn’t want to think about Ted and his story but such reflection has reminded me of the powerful life that Christ instills in His followers.

Reality Better than Fiction with Kurt Warner

I love sports. I enjoy playing, watching and reading about sports. I like sports based movies. As we anticipate Super Bowl 43 to be played on February 1 there’s one story that needs to be told with the best that Hollywood has to offer. The story has so much drama and inspiration it needs no “creative license” that some movies use in the attempt to enhance.

The true life story is about the man Kurt Warner, quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals.

Not a football fan? It doesn’t matter. Stay with me for 5 minutes.

Kurt was barely good enough to play college football. He played collegiately at the University of Northern Iowa but his first three years were as the 3rd string quarterback. Not until his senior year did he get a chance to play and though successful UNI was not a hotbed for future NFL talent. Upon graduation he tried to make the team with the Green Bay Packers. Not deemed NFL talent he played in the Arena Football League and later the European version of the NFL. Kurt’s dream was going nowhere fast. When not playing football he worked in a grocery store making $5.50 an hour.

During these years Kurt met Brenda, a divorcee with two small children, the oldest paraplegic and brain damaged. He fell in love with her and her children. In 1996 Brenda’s parents who lived in Arkansas, were killed in a tornado when their home was destroyed. This loss contributed to Kurt’s pursuit of God and he became a committed follower of Jesus. Kurt and Brenda married in 1997. Kurt adopted Brenda’s children and then they had 2 more of their own.

In 1999 Kurt made the team of the St. Louis Rams as their backup quarterback. In a preseason game, Trent Green, the starting quarterback got hurt and Kurt began playing and earned the starting position. Kurt ended up having one of the greatest seasons of record for any quarterback by throwing for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns and was recognized with the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. To cap off the year Warner led the Rams into winning the Super Bowl where he was also recognized as the game’s MVP.

By 2004 Warner’s performance had begun to decline and he was traded to the NY Giants. After a disappointing season Warner was traded in 2005 to the Arizona Cardinals. At the end of the 2005 season most NFL analysts concluded that Warner’s days as a starting quarterback were over. For the 2006 season the Cardinals acquired Matt Leinart, a Heisman Trophy winner and college star, to be their new quarterback. Leinart and Warner battled back and forth and Warner once again won the starting job for the 2008 season.

Fast forward to January 2009, Kurt Warner, considered finished as a starting quarterback and too old to be in the league much longer, posted 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and has led the Cardinals into their first Super Bowl in franchise history!

But this is way more than a “rags to riches” success story. This is about a man like you and me who found identity and hope in Christ during the grocery stocking days. This is about a man who has faced temptations with fame and fortune and kept his head screwed on, his ego in check, his marriage together and his relationship with God solid. This is about a man who has leveraged the “platform” that God has given him to bless special needs children through his First Things First Foundation. (see this ESPN video for some of the story) And for the skeptic out there that moans during interviews of athletes who credit God, Warner doesn’t pray for success and victories. He’s not given to the notion that God cares about who wins and who loses football games. Rather Warner is more likely to pray prayers of gratitude or forgiveness or for the needs of other people.

In short, Warner refuses to be defined by his poor upbringing, his wandering days as a football nomad, nor by his NFL success and money. Warner declares,

“If you ever really want to do a story about who I am, God’s got to be at the center of it. Every time I hear a piece or read a story that doesn’t have that, they’re missing the whole lesson of who I am.”

I’m looking forward to this Super Bowl. Whether Warner wins or loses the game, his true life story as a Christ follower is better than any fiction.

Divine Appointments

Occasionally I have the privilege of getting to see multiple pieces of divine puzzles come together so that a picture of revelation appears. Today was such an occasion.

I believe that God calls us (invites us) to meet with Him in what I refer to as a “divine appointment”. In other words, it is a meeting with purpose and often God’s power is at work in a manifest way. Divine appointments sometimes result in a new direction for the future or a deliverance from a broken past or a needed word of illumination or encouragement in the present. Significant breakthrough can occur with divine appointments.

With the advantage of hindsight we can look backward and see where God stirred us here or prompted us there or touched us at another point, all of which was leading to the divine appointment.

I talked with a friend about his recent divine appointment. Some of his previous encounters with God which led up to the current appointment occurred years ago. The result of the previous encounters was a softening of his heart so that he would have receptivity for the current appointment.

While exploring with my friend the exciting work of God in him I was struck with how easily none of this could have happened to/for him. At any of those prior encounters he could have stopped the movement of God in him by simply ignoring or suppressing or rationalizing away the touch of God. Such tactics harden our hearts to God’s presence.

But, because my friend acknowledged those prior encounters (felt pain, fear, loneliness, grief, etc.) his heart became softened to the presence of God. Then, bang, divine appointment, various puzzle pieces of life come together, a picture forms, and wow, “I see how God is at work in me.”

To see God at work is to be invited to join God in what He is doing. Joining God is communion. Communion is relational friendship. And, we’re talking about relational friendship with the Creator of the universe, Almighty God!

So, in my reflections I’m reminded today that God is always pursuing us, always at work in and around us, always purposeful and redemptive. May we be soft-hearted, responsive and attentive to His presence this day.

Why?

Thursday morning I sat in a breakfast meeting and heard an intelligent and articulate presentation. The speaker was prepared, made good use of slides and seemed to care about the subject. Probably 75% of the presentation addressed a need with supporting facts and statistics. About 20% detailed the difference her organization could make with the problem and the remaining 5% described what they do.

As I listened to the presentation, about 10 minutes into it I found myself silently asking of the speaker, “Why do you care about this?” My silent question kept waiting to be answered for the next 15 minutes. The speaker finished and sat down and I still didn’t know why this issue mattered to her. My unanswered question became a significant filter to my listening and processing.

As a student of communication it occurs to me that the speaker had my interest. The arguments had me inclined to agree with the assessment and recommendation, yet I didn’t really want to personally respond because the “why does this matter to you?” question was not clear to me.

Every week I communicate about faith in Jesus Christ to an assembled group of people. Likewise I find myself making a case and then making recommendations about what to do. But now I wonder how often I’m clear about why this matters to me.

I believe that I have a terminal “illness” called sin. I believe all of humanity shares in this deadly plight. And I believe that a faith relationship with Jesus is the cure for what ails me/us. Therefore, the reason that understanding, accepting and adhering to the Christian faith is so important to me is because I believe that we’re all going to remain “sick” and eventually die an eternal death unless Jesus becomes our cure.

This past Sunday many of you that read this blog entered into an 8 week journey together in order to experience Jesus as the cure. Let’s not miss the core issue. We’re not interested in just treating a few symptoms and relieving life’s pain to some degree. We are after nothing less than miraculous healing that results in our having eternal life.

Let’s respond to all that Jesus is up to with us these days.

Intense Preaching

Last Sunday I got pretty passionate and intense as I borrowed a title from John Piper and pleaded "Don't Waste Your Life". You can listen to the talk here.

My wife commented that it was a little over the top. Well, I'm going to show her the video clip below to let her know what over the top is :)

"Gran Torino" Reminds of the Need for Purpose

I’m a long time Clint Eastwood fan. Yep, I like the tough guy, blood and guts stuff. So, when “Gran Torino” came out I knew I would have to see it. When several critics opined that it might be Eastwood’s best work I was all the more intrigued.

New Year’s Day my wife and I sandwiched our way into a sold out theater and took in the story. I’m not giving any spoilers to comment on Eastwood’s character, Walt Kowalski, because you can pick up 80% of what I’m going to say with the trailers or movie reviews.

Walt was a lifetime employee and assembly line worker in a Ford factory. The movie begins with the passing of Walt’s wife and the setting up of his life as a retired widower in his longtime neighborhood that has gone through a complete ethnic and economic transition. Walt is crusty and perpetually grumpy. Though he has some kind of respect for God he has virtually no tolerance for religious game-playing or churchiness.

Like the 1972 Gran Torino that Walt helped assemble and keeps in mint condition, Walt is from another time and is totally insensitive to contemporary political correctness. He is almost always cursing and using offensive ethnic slurs. Still, for the person that is not immediately repelled by Walt’s tough exterior there is something compassionate and tender about Walt.

Surrounded by homes that are now unkempt and deteriorating, Walt’s home still features a manicured lawn and fresh paint. Walt spends most afternoons on his front porch drinking a six-pack of beer and grumbling as he watches the world go to hell around him.

Walt accidentally becomes heroic to his neighbors with whom he constantly claims he just wants to be left alone. Had Walt gotten his wish and been left alone he would have at some time died with little contribution to this world or the lives around him.

I know “Walt”. I’ve met him dozens of times. American suburbs are filled with “Walts” who were hard working, mostly honest guys who raised a family and retired to a life of somewhat meaningless meandering in their garage workshop or to insignificant hobbies of woodworking, and model train building, or to ridiculous amounts of golf.

The movie portrays an interesting story of Walt’s inadvertent benevolence toward his neighbors but since leaving the theater I’ve not been able to stop thinking about the real life “Walts” I’ve known through the years. It seems to me that the most common and tragic factor in each of these lives is an unclear sense of purpose for life.

My friend, life is eternally more than working hard at a job, making a living and raising a family. God has a plan for our lives. Our lives are born with innate significance. In the cosmic drama our “character” plays an essential role for which God endows us with gifts, talents and opportunities. Before Walt’s unintentional engagement of life at a deeper level he was wasting his life and so it is for many of us today.

“Gran Torino” reminds us of the need for purpose. Are you knowing and living yours?

Christmas, the Day After

Christmas Eve our church was able to have our worship gathering though the weather remained challenging. About a third of our normal number was able to manage driving over our snow and ice covered roads. Afterward my family went out to a late dinner as is our custom. Christmas day we entertained about 14 guests for dinner and had a very good time together.

Now it is the day after. I went to the gym for a workout and all the guys were talking about having something of a hangover from too much food, too much company and too many gifts. What’s the day after like for you?

I closed my Christmas Eve talk with a story that several commented about and deserves repeating. I got the story from Charles Lowery, a regular writer for SBC Today.

Years ago, a young boy learned that the circus was coming to town. He had never seen a circus but had heard about how wonderful they were. He eagerly asked his dad if he could go. Reluctantly, his father informed him that he didn’t think they could afford the one dollar admission. However, he told his son that since the circus was still a few weeks away, if the boy worked hard and earned fifty cents, he would provide the remaining funds.

When the day arrived, the boy had enough money to buy a ticket. With great excitement, he arrived on Main Street to see the lions, tigers, performers, and the clowns march down the street. He had never seen anything so thrilling and was mesmerized by all the wonderful things. As the last clown danced by, the boy handed him his ticket, then headed back home. Later, when his dad arrived home from work, he remarked, “Son, you’re home from the circus a lot earlier than I expected. How was it?” His son described all of the clowns, lions, tigers, and performers that danced by him. He then told his dad about giving his ticket to a clown. All of a sudden a look of sadness fell across the dad’s face and, said, “Son, I have some bad news for you. Today, you missed the circus. You only saw the parade.”

Sadly, Christmas comes and goes and there are many people who miss the main event. It doesn’t have to be so because Christmas is not limited to December 25.

Christmas is Jesus. Christmas is receiving the gift of a Savior who reconciles us with a holy God. Christmas is an experience of worship where we open up the treasure that is our life and we give ourselves to God as gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Christmas is every day. Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve 2008

It is Christmas Eve morning. Without looking out the window I got up this morning, showered and dressed and prepared to go to my office early. I’ve got a lot of work to do today so that I can take off Thursday and Friday. When I got downstairs and glanced out my living room window I was struck with the reality that my day was not going to go as planned.

Yes, it is snowing…again. On top of the 10 or so inches around the Redmond area the forecast is for another 6 inches. Will we have our Christmas Eve worship gathering tonight? Will family and friends be able to travel and eat Christmas dinner with us Thursday?

I can only remember having one white Christmas in my life. Growing up in Memphis we had a snow storm when I was about 7 or 8 years old.

My reflections--
1. It is beautiful.
2. It is disruptive.
3. What do I do with this?

Is it possible that my task-oriented somewhat driven temperament can sit back a bit and slowly savor the beauty? At the moment I’m choosing to sit in front of my fireplace and look out my living room window while drinking a cup of coffee. Sweet moment.

This afternoon I’ll have to make a decision about our worship gathering. I’m supposed to meet the clean-up crew that is still working to dry out our building from last week’s flood. I was hoping to do a workout during the lunch hour.

I guess I’ll just have to take it as it comes. Kind of like the rest of life, huh?

Have a blessed Christmas.

Time to Refresh

What a week. Last Sunday we concluded one of our bigger friendship events of the year. A winter storm had us scrambling a bit but we still had a very successful event. Meanwhile a few friends had challenging crises so I spent the first part of the week trying to support and encourage them. At home we put a finish on our wood floors which necessitated moving out of our house for two days. While out of our house the worst snow storm in the past 20 years hit the Seattle area and we had difficulty just getting back home.

Our brand new heat system at our church facility stopped working and when I took the service person into the auditorium I stepped into a pool of water. Yes, the cold temperatures caused a water pipe to burst and half of our auditorium was under a couple of inches of water. Much of our sound equipment also got soaked.

After professional plumbers and clean-up crews got the mess under control, I worked with a handful of volunteers to put our auditorium back together so that we might worship on Sunday, just in case anyone could drive to church as we continued to have snowfall for three days in a row.

Sunday morning the weather was so challenging that the musicians couldn’t come nor could our children’s workers. We held an unplugged worship gathering with me leading the acapella singing of Christmas carols and worship songs and then preaching a sermon to about one-third of our normal Sunday attendance.

Sunday night I reflected on the previous seven days and took note that the “personal tank” was pretty low. I already canceled all my Monday activities and took the day off. I spent about an hour shoveling snow out of my drive and just marveling at the beauty of the snow that had complicated so many things over the past few days.

Over these days I experienced grace, favor with people, guidance and provision. Still, those blessings don’t put an “S” under my shirt. With the insight of input from my wife I could see that I was emotionally getting into the “red zone”. Now I’m looking to lean into God and do some slowing in my pace in order to refresh.

It was a surprise to me

Life has been very busy lately and I've not been able to write new posts. Here's a glimpse of what's been going on...;)

What's that like?

Within the past few months I have become a member of a different Rotary Club that is closer to where I live. I work in Redmond but live in Sammamish. Though neighboring cities and my commute is only 10 minutes I virtually have no involvement in the community in which I live so I decided to get involved in the Sammamish Rotary Club.

I’m still getting to know people in this club and so a good bit of my conversation still revolves around finding out what people do for work and what kind of family life they have, etc. This morning after breakfast someone said to me, “So you’re a minister. What’s that like?”

I smiled because the question struck me as if I were asked, “So you’re married. What’s that like?” “So you’re a father. What’s that like?” How do you answer such a question? It is basically the same as asking “So about your life, what’s it like being you?”

Being a minister is not really a vocation though the IRS and virtually everyone else treat it that way. It is who I am. It is my life. I never have a moment where I’m not a minister just as I’m never, not a husband or not a father.

Before I share the answer that I gave reflect on the question. “So about your life, what’s it like being you?”

Is it good or bad? Are you glad or sad? Do you long to have anyone else’s life?

If there’s a down side to being you what will you do about that since this is the one and only life that you’ll get to live? Book stores are loaded with self improvement titles. At best those can only “tweak” a life. God promises to “transform” a life. I’ve bet my life on God.

What was my response to “what’s that like?” Truly I was not prepared for the question and so in a split second I dug down deep for an authentic response and up came these words—

“It’s great. It truly has been an adventure. I love getting to do what I do.”

I surprised myself a little with my response because I’ve recently been preoccupied with several difficult circumstances going on in the lives of people that I love and care about. I’ve sought to walk with these friends in helpful ways and so I’ve been a bit burdened lately. As I later got into my car and drove away I reflected more on my spontaneous answer and was grateful that at the core of my being there was a clear realization that I really like the life that I live.

For that I give thanks to my Lord.

What if you knew the future?

Last night my wife rented the DVD, “Stranger than Fiction”. The 2006 release starring Will Farrell is based upon a fascinating premise. Farrell’s character, Harold Crick, one day wakes up and while brushing his teeth begins hearing inside his head an author narrating his life. Eventually Harold discovers who the famed author is and that all of her best-sellers end with the hero of the story dying.

Harold sets out to find the author and to kindly ask her if she would not kill him in the end of his story. She lets him see the rough draft of the ending where he does in fact die. But, she is so moved by actually meeting one of her characters in real life she indicates that she could be persuaded to rewrite the ending so that Harold doesn’t die.

Harold reads the rough draft, sees how he is going to die, and affirms the author that she has in fact written a very good story. He agrees that he must go ahead and die as written.

In a similar way God is the Author of our lives and our stories. Sometimes we don’t like the way certain chapters are played out and we’re not always sure of where the plot is going. But what if we had the opportunity to meet and talk with the Author? What if He gave us a glimpse of how the story finishes? Would we come to a similar conclusion with Harold that the Author has written a very good story? Would we agree that it is in the best interest of everyone that we proceed as written?

In Harold’s story he discovered that one day while waiting for his bus a child rides by on his bicycle and bumps the curb and falls over into the street into the path of the bus. The author wrote that Harold moved quickly to pick up the child and push him to safety but could not get out of the way of the bus himself. The bus ran Harold over and killed him. Harold agreed that it was best for him to go out of this life and into the next having given himself for the life of another.

In God’s story of our lives we “die daily” so that life is at work in others (2 Corinthians 4:11-12). I agree that the Author has written a good story and I want my life to proceed as written. How about you?

Questions God Asks, Part 2

As I mentioned in my last post, sometimes God asks people questions, not because God doesn’t know something but because we need to know or acknowledge something that’s not clear to us in the moment.

The Book of Genesis tells us that God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” God knew that Cain’s heart was very sick and that he had killed his brother Abel. God wanted Cain to see the state of his own heart.

Does God sometimes ask you questions? He does me. Tuesday I was having a conversation with a friend. My friend shared that he had recently had a moment of prayer, during which God asked him, “In one word what is it all about with you and Me?”

My friend kept talking and sharing what God had said to him during that moment. However, in my mind the moment I heard the question it was as if God had just asked it of me. Do you know the feeling? Is God asking you right now…

“In one word what is it all about with you and Me?”

I hesitate to share more at this point because if God is asking you this question I want you to pause and answer.

In the conversation I was able to recover from my own prayerful exchange with God and hear more of what my friend wanted to share with me. It blessed me to hear the one word my friend used to describe what it was all about with him and God. He believed that God had given him that word.

Likewise, I knew in that moment that God had given me the one word that popped into my thoughts. It was the word “abide”. And like a faucet that had been turned on, that one word led to a pouring out of the Scriptures found in John 15 where Jesus calls us to simply abide in Him.

I walked away from the conversation with my friend knowing that God had gently but profoundly called me into greater closeness with Himself, that I might abide/remain/live in Him.

If you have a different word I’d love to hear it.

Questions God Asks, Part 1

Sometime read through the Bible and take note of the questions that God asks people. For example, when Adam and Eve ate forbidden fruit and were hiding from God, the Lord approached and called out, “Where are you?”

Because the rest of the Bible reveals to us that God is all-knowing we have to conclude that when God asks us a question it is not so that He can get some information that He doesn’t currently have. Rather, when God asks us a question it is for the purpose of our coming to grips with the answer. In other words, Adam and Eve needed to know and understand that they were hiding from God. The Lord not only knew they were hiding but He also knew where.

A couple of weeks ago I was struggling a bit on a personal level. I had been working hard and wasn’t having the results to show for it. I was a little confused and a lot frustrated. One evening while reading it seemed that God interrupted me. A question popped into my head and it seemed to me that God was in fact asking, “What have I asked you to do?”

With that question I stopped reading and pushed back from my desk. I repeated the question in my thoughts, “What has God asked me to do?” I instantly knew that God was asking me this question because I needed clarification and it was connected to my recent frustrations. I prayed and answered God and it seemed that I got it right and that He affirmed, “Yes, that is what I’ve asked you to do. Your frustrations are about something I haven’t asked of you.”

Wow. In a flash of a moment I had revelation and clarity. My recent focus that wasn’t yielding what I was looking for was not bad. In fact it was/is very good. But it was not exactly what God was looking for from me. In the next second God seemed to finish the thought with, “You’re doing what I’ve asked and I’m pleased.”

In less than a minute I went from troubled to triumphant and none of my circumstances had changed. The only thing that had changed was that I could better see my circumstances from God’s perspective. His question brought that new and correct perspective.

Today God gave me another question. I’m going to share it with you tomorrow. Meanwhile, let God ask you right now, “What have I asked you to do?”

Spend a few minutes prayerfully ruminating and see if God brings a little clarity your way.

Considering Christmas

We’ve enjoyed a little time off from work and plenty of turkey, dressing, pies and televised sports. Some of us braved the crowds and shopped for bargains on Black Friday. Christmas is quickly approaching.

There will be office parties, cards to mail, trees to cut and gifts to buy. Before you get too carried away check out the video below.

Consumerism does not equal happiness, memories or meaning. The video said it well.

This Sunday, November 30, marks the beginning of Advent, a season where Christians celebrate the coming of Christ. Join the conspiracy and make Advent more about Christ than consuming; more about helping the poor than hoarding more stuff; more about worshiping God than focusing on self.

Let’s intentionally engage Christmas rather than be overcome by it.