I've Been There!

Computers are great, but we've all had those days when we'd like to throw the machine out the window!

Food Musings

My last Sunday at Cortez . . . with my girls!

Is there anything better than a plate full of green chile beef enchiladas?

Okay, okay! A BIG bowl of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream smothered in chocolate syrup and sliced bananas!!!

Change

Stuck!

Translated Into Life

The story is told of three preachers discussing the various translations of the Bible and the respective merits of each. One liked the King James Version best because of its formality. Another favored the New American Standard because of its closeness to the Greek. The third insisted on the New International Version because it was so easy to read.

A wife of one of the preachers spoke up. She said simply, "I like my mother's translation the best."

The three men expressed surprise. They did not know her mother had translated the Bible.

"Yes, she did," insisted the wife. "She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw."

We all need to do more "translating" of the Bible into our lives. The examples we set before our children and others tells them how we translated God's word. We need to live a Christian life before our children instead of telling them to do it.

The Real Heroes

My hero doesn't wear a cape; he doesn't have an "S" blazoned across his chest. My hero doesn't don a helmet with a star, or wear shoulder pads, or give life to "Romo-mania." My hero isn't a legendary rock guitarist, or a moviestar, or a Wall Street mogul. My hero wears a uniform (of the Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines, or Coast Guard . . . take your pick) and has bravely voluntered to serve in defense of his (or her!) country.

Today is Veteran's Day. Sadly, I often think of it as the "Forgotten Holiday," because too little obeservance is made of it. Oh sure, there is a parade here and there, and there are public programs of different sorts, but does Veteran's Day rise to the level of Thanksgiving in the conscience of people, or even Labor Day?

The men and women who serve in our military, who put their lives on the line so our freedoms remain deserve our the heights of our respect. They deserve all the recognition that we can bring to them and every honor that we can bestow. Let our appreciation go much deeper than some 30-minute parade or some passing reference.

Another lament: in a similar vein, Memorial Day has been reduced to picnics and homemade ice cream, and we've lost sight of the countless heroes who have not merely put their lives on the line in defense of our freedoms, but have paid the ultimate price for them.

Today or Eternity? Which is More?

An appeal: visit the Manuelito Navajo Children's Home website. Remaking the site has been my work over the past couple of weeks. It is nothing flashy, but it provides a lot of information about MNCH. The Home has been blessing the children of the Navajo Nation for nearly 50 years. Please pray that we may continue to minister to those in need. If you can help us in our service, check out the website and see how you can be involved. We can use your help.

____________________

Perhaps you have heard the story told by Sigmund Freud.

He told of a man who became shipwrecked and stranded on a remote island. Upon discovering the man, the natives of the island declared him to be "King for the Year." The man, while shocked, was excited about his newfound forture, until he began to wonder, "Where are all the past kings?"

To his horror, he discovered that once a king completed his year rule, he was exiled on a desserted island, left there to die.

The man, never a quiter, and quite resourceful, used his year rule not to live in luxury, but to prepare for his exile. He discovered the island to which he would be exiled. He sent a steady stream of workers to the island, commanding them to build a palace, and storehouses, and to provide all the comforts necessary for a life of ease. He commanded that servants be housed on the island and those who would serve as companions. At the end of his year-long reign as king, his intended exile had been transformed into a comfortable home.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6.19-21; NRSV).

What is your life focus? On what are your present energies being expended? Are you living for today, immersed in the pleasures of this world, or are you looking forward to the life to come? A life focused on the moment, solely concerned with what today can bring, is a life that in the end will forfeit the fullness of eternity to come. A year of luxury, or an eternity of fullness? Which is more?

What Is a Home?

(I found this wonderful statement in a 40-year old publication of the manuelito Navajo Children's Home. It was authored by Ernestine Schuman-Heink.)

What is a home?

A roof to keep out the rain? Four walls to keep out the wind; floors to keep out the cold? Yes, but home is more than that.

It is the laughter of children, the song of a mother, the strength of a father. Warmth of loving hearts, light from happy eyes, kindness, loyalty, comradeship.

Home is first school and first church of young ones, where they learn what is right, what is good, and what is kind. Where they go for comfort when they are hurt or sick. Where joy is shared and sorrow eased. Where fathers and mothers are respected and loved. Where children are wanted. Where the simplest food is good enough for kings because it is earned. Where money is not so important as loving kindness. Where even the teakettle sings from happiness.

That is home. God bless it.

I'm Back!

In case you were wondering, I haven't wandered into oblivion. I have had a very busy and complicated past few weeks. Time does not permit me to elaborate at the present, but in time, I will comment on what has been happening with me.

A quick update: I am transitioning into a new job and home. I have been hired by the Manuelito Navajo Children's Home to serve as the Director of Development & Church Relations. The Manuelito Home is located in Gallup, New Mexico. I am finishing up in Cortez over the next few weeks.

By the way, an explanation on the title change to my Blog. I no longer reside on Fillmore Street, but I am about 200 feet from old Route 66.

In the Steps of the Pioneer

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Christopher Columbus is certainly one of the giants of history. Others had come to the shores of the Americas in the centuries before he set sail in 1492, but Columbus is the one we recognize as the pioneer whose "discovery" led to the great exodus to the New World. It was the cision and determination of this famed explorer that helped expel the fears, superstitions, and limited thinking of the Middle Ages.

A pioneer is someone who leads a people or a nation or a world to a new place, whether it be a land, knowledge, or identity. Pioneers go where no one has tread before and opens up trails and vistas and realities that were only dreamed of before their labors. Pioneers make possible that which was once dismissed as impossible. Where would the world be without the likes of Christopher Columbus?

Jesus is called a pioneer by the writer of Hebrews. The title is first given to Jesus in chapter 2 or this great book along with a quotation from Psalm 8.

Psalm 8 speaks of mankind with very lofty terms--God says that man is the pinnacle of his creation, he has "crowned them (mankind) with glory and honor" (v. 5). Yet, the reality of the moment is much different: this glorious image of man has become tarnished by sin, and man is not now what God made him to be at the beginning.

The point made by the Hebrew writer is that Jesus is a pioneer in the sense that he has, through his atonement, restored faithful mankind to the glorious beings God created. Jesus, in his labor, has shown us the way to our Father. He has trod the path. Jesus, in his coming, dying, and raising, has opened up for us a new trail and vista and reality. let us follow our Pioneer to the grand and glorious New World that stands before us.

It's Just an "E"!

Perhaps you have read this before. I am unsure of the author, but it is profound.

Xvxn though this kxyboard is an old modxl, it works quitx wxll xcxpt for onx kxy. It has wishxd many timxs that it workxd pxrfxctly. It is trux that thxrx arx forty-onx kxys that do function wxll xnough, but just onx kxy not working surx makxs a diffxrxncx!

Somxtimxs a congrxgation is likx this kxyboard--not all thx mxmbxrs arx working propxrly. You may say to yoursxlf, "Wxll, I am only onx pxrson. I won't makx or brxak a projxct." But, it doxs makx a diffxrxncx bxcausx any projxct, to bx xffxctivx, nxxds thx participation of xvxry mxmbxr.

So, thx nxxt timx you think you arx only onx pxrson and that your xfforts arx not nxxdxd, rxmxmbxr this kxyboard and say to yoursxlf, "I am a kxy mxmbxr in thx congrxgation, and I am nxxdxd vxry much!"

Is Your "Fish" In Clear View?

Recently, I was asked about the significance of the "fish symbol." You know to what IU am referring, the simple outline of a fish you see displayed on car bumpers, clothing, bookmarks, and the like.

The symbol of the fish was a mark or sign employed by early Christians. These believers, especially during times of state persecution, were often hesitant to let their Christian identity be publicly known and employed a variety of methods to "reveal" themselves to fellow Christian borthers and sisters in a discreet manner. One method was the use of the "fish symbol," and it was employed in a number of ways, including as embroidery on one's clothing, a symbol painted or affixed to one's dwelling, and a mark placed so as to direct worshippers to a secret assembly place.

The choice of the fish as a Christian symbol was not without meaning. The Greek word for fish, ichthus, was used as an acrostic. Each letter from the word signified a title: the iota ("I") stood for Iesous, or "Jesus"; the chi ("Ch") stood for Christos, or "Christ"; the theta ("Th") stood for Theos, or "God"; the upsilon ("U") stood for Huios, or "Son"; and the sigma ("S") stood for Soter, or "Savior." So together, the acrostic formed a simple creedal statement: "Jesus Christ, God's Son and Savior."

Today the display of the "fish symbol" has lost its significance for many. It has become a decorative piece more than an icon. The fear of violent persecution is not present, at least in this country, and so men and women fo faith are not as fearful to let the world know their mark--to pronounce that they bear the name of Christ. Times have changed: instead of a fish symbol discreetly sketched into the bark of a tree, we are able to erect a noticeable sign on the curb of our public property.

However, have the times really changed that much? Do many not seek to hide their Christian identity, not purposely to avoid persecution, but to purposely avoid embarrassment? How many people live their lives "for God" one or two days a week only to devote the balance of the week "for self"? Certainly, by many, the identity of Christ is hidden from co-workers, fellow students, and family members; it is tucked away so others will not laugh, be offended, or exclude one from "fun." And the Christian name is checked at the door so as to allow one to "live it up" and "let loose" without the burden of a guilty conscience.

I hope that we can sing the lyrics of Isaac Watts with the passion they are due; "I'm not ashamed to own my Lord, nor to defend his cause; maintain the honors of his Word, the glory of his cross."

Dads, Are We Serious?

It is factual to say that most churches are made up of more women than men, usually by a ration of close to two to one. This has certainly been the trend for the past 50 years, and perhaps for much longer. Women, by and large, are more spiritually-inclined and more committed to Christian duty than their male counterparts.

God, however, primarily entrusted men with the role of spiritual leadership in the household. It was to fathers that Moses, speaking the words of God, said, "Hear, O Israel: Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone. You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lied down and when you arise. Beind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deuteronomy 6.6-9).

These words form the Shema, a constant reminder of God's soverienty and one's personal commitment to God, and of the father's obligation to instruct his children to honor God and his law. The Rabbis taught that these words were to be recited by husbands and fathers with the evening prayers at the close of each day, and again with the morning prayers at the dawning of each new day. The importance of religious instruction in the household was not to be dismissed.

Today, many men have dismissed their obligation to provide spiritual leadership in the household. Religious instruction is left to wives and mothers, or to ministers and teachers. And, we wonder why so many have forsaken God and why our culture has become so corrupt and evil.

Fathers, it is said by sociologists that we have the greatest influence over the spiritual development of your children. The children of a father who dismisses church involvement and spiritual disciplines are much more likely to forsake such values, themselves, when they reach adulthood. These findings represent no trend, but are founded upon God's creative order. husbands and fathers, God has given us a responsibility. Have we taken it seriously.

A Parent Is Much More Than a Friend

A headline in a recent U. S. A. Today newspaper was sobering. It declared, "20% say they used drugs with their mom or dad." Even more troubling, seven percent of this sampling said that they began to use drugs with one or both of their parents before the age of ten years. The accompanying article explained that the primary reason some parents use drugs with their kids is a "misguided attempt to bond" with their children. Other reasons include a desire to create a "safe-environment" for the "inevitable" drug usage of teenagers and a feeling by some parents that drug usage is not wrong or harmful if controlled and moderated.

In an attempt to identify with their children and to be seen as a friend--a "cool" friend"--parents are enabling drug use by their children. The trend is actually an "over-correction" of the perceived failed concept of traditional parenting, the arrangment where the parent-child relationship is built on well-defined roles and authority, rules and boundaries. For many who came of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s, traditional parenting seen as repressive and detached, and many have developed a new sense of parenting, one built on the concepts of friendship and repressiveness. But one drug-treatment counselor has wisely commented, "Parents who want to jump into the playpen don't help kids" (Mitchel Rosenthall in the U. S. A. Today).

We must not forget that God designed parenting, and he built the model of well-defined roles and authority, rules and boundaries. The book of Proverbs speaks often of God's advice to parents and children. In one significant passage we are told, "My child, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, to preserve you from the wife of another, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress" (Proverbs 6.20-24).

Parents, take seriously your responsibility to teach and direct, discipline and set straight. Parenting is not just about friendship and being "liked" by your kids. If children simply needed playmates and not guardians and mentors, God would have brought them into this world surrounded by peers . . . into the life of the party. But God, in his infinite wisdom and according to his eternal plan, brought your child into this world to be seen firt and foremost by you and your spouse. Children need direction and care and not just days filled with fun.

Do We Measure Up?

A most amazing descriptionof the early church is given in Acts 4.32: "Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. . . . There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet and it was distributed to each as any had need."

The spirit of benevolence exhibited by the first Christians is truly extraordinary. Their focus was not directed toward themselves, but toward others--the poor, the hungry, the ill, the homeless, and the lost. Throughout the book of Acts, the church is seen in action, helping those in need, caring for those in difficult circumstances, and using their resources--all of their resources--to ease the suffering of those they encountered.

The spirit of benevolence exhibited in the early church is refelcted in their sense of mission. The first Christians were fully aware of the lost condition of the world about them. The compassion that motivated them to care for the poor led them to reach out to those stricken with spiritual poverty--those estranged from God and distant from his grace. Indeed within a generation the Gospel of Peace had been carried from the hill country of Judea to the hills of Rome and beyond.

If Luke were writing the story of our modern times, would he portray the church as a people of compassion, motivated to addess the needs, not of themselves, but of the poor and lost? Is our concern for the world about us, or are we focused on bringing comfort to our own lives? Consider: we have built nice, comfortable buildings used as places of assembly--indeed many such buildings grace our communities--yet many around the world are left to worship with much less comfort; and worse, many will go to sleep tonight without the benefit of warmth or security. Consider: we employ preachers and pay them handsomely--indeed in our communities several "professional" ministers are at work--yet much of the world is left without the presence of missionaries and proclaimers of the Gospel. Conder: we collect thousands upon thousands of dollars each year, money earmarked for the service of God's Kingdom, yet a large percentage of the collection is used for ourselves; and when we have been taken care of, we help the needy and lost with the leftovers.

I ask again: If Luke were writing the story of the modern church, would he portray us as a people of compassion, motivated to address the needs, not of ourselves, but of the poor and lost? Is our concern for the world about us, or are we focused on bringing comfort to our own lives.

God Can Do A Lot

A mother, wishing to encourage her young son's progress at the piano, bought tickets for a performance by a world-renowned pianist. When the night arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on the stage.

Soon the mother found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away. When eight o'clock arrived, the spotlights came on, the audience quieted, and only then did they notice the boy on the stage sitting at the piano, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

His mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, the master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. "Don't quit--keep playing," he whispered to the boy.

Leaning over, the great pianist reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right are reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, time and time again, "Don't quit--keep playing." And as we do, he augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created.

So, instead of feeling overwhelmed by the needs of those in our community and world, let us have faith that God will take what we can offer and make it significant. No gift and no effort we make, no matter how small it may seem, is worthless. With the little we offer, God can do a lot.

Dear Child

Dear Child,

I gave you life, but I cannot live it for you. I can teach you things, but I cannot make you learn. I can give you directions, but I cannot always be there to lead you. I can allow you freedom, but cannot account for it. I can take you to church, but I cannot make you believe.

I can teach you right from wrong, but I cannot always decide for you. I can buy you beautiful clothes, but I cannot make you lovely inside. I can offer you advice, but I cannot accept it for you. I can give you love, but I cannot force it upon you. I can teach you to be a friend, but I cannot make you one.

I can teach you to share, but I cannot make you unselfish. I can teach you respect, but I cannot force you to show honor. I can grieve about your report card, but I cannot take your tests for you. I can advise you about friends, but I cannot choose them for you.

I can teach you about sex, but I cannot keep you pure. I can tell you about the facts of life, but I cannot build your reputation. I can tell you about alcohol, but I cannot say "No" for you. I can warn you about drugs, but I cannot stop you from using them.

I can tell you about lofty goals, but I cannot achieve them for you. I can teach you kindness, but I cannot force you to be gracious. I can warn you about sin, but I cannot determine your morals.

I can love you as my child, but I cannot place you in God's family. I can pray for you, but I cannot make you walk with God. I can teach you about Jesus, but I cannot make him your Savior. I can teach you to obey, but I cannot make Jesus your Lord. I can tell you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal life.

These lessons and choices I place with you for you to accept and decide. Love, Dad.

Church In a World of Change

Another great picture. I'm not sure where I found it.


We are in the midst of a rapidly changing culture. Virtually every aspect of life has seen dramatic change. In a relatively short period of time, a century, we have gone from traveling on horseback or in buggies to riding aboard supersonic jetliners and contemplating interplanetary travel. In the past hundred years we have gone from communicating via telegraph and the Pony Express to conversing via high-speed DSL and instant messaging. We have gone from crude kaleidoscopes and phonographs to HDTV and virtual reality.

How does this change affect the practice of faith in this postmodern era? This question is being contemplated throughout this country (and world) and is the source of much contention and confusion. It should never be argued that the bedrock principles of faith should ever change with the passing of time and the transformation of culture--a faith in God and an obedience to his Word should remain a constant in a sea of change, but the expression of our faith and obedience may change over the course of time.

For instance, Jesus demonstrated selfless service to his disciples by washing their feet on the night he was betrayed, denied, and condemned to die. He commanded his disciples to go and do likewise, but does foot washing remain the proper expression of selfless service in 21st Century America? And the early church greeted one another with holy kisses and not handshakes and hugs, sang to one another in antiphonal chants and not four-part harmony, often assembled for worship on what we would identify as Saturday evening (for the, the beginning of the first day of the week), and baptized converts only in cool, running water (and the converts usually entirely disrobed for their baptism, by the way), often with three successive immersions and not one. Do the differences mean that we have strayed from the proper path? No, not at all, we simply live in a new age and culture, a time when the espressions of faith and obedience have evolved into actions germane to our own culture.

I am not suggesting that every new thing is a proper exercise and expression of faith, for certianly there are corrupt forms of worship, service, and ecclesiastical practice that must be challenged. I am asking for an open and fair mind as we consider the changes in our culture and in the church. Let us seek the greater good of honoring and praising God instead of condemning what is personally uncomfortable and bolstering our personal agendas.

I Guess She Got Her Wish

Is this picture for real?

Here's on old preacher's story I ran across years ago. I'm not sure of the source. It is sad, but it makes a profound point.

In October 1993, in the town of Worcester, Massachusetts, police found the corpse of an old woman on her kitchen floor. This was no ordinary discovery--the woman had died approximately four years earlier. Police speculated that she died at age 73 of natural causes. That's when her bank transactions ended.

How can someone be so cut off from relationships that no one even notices when she dies?

To some extent, it was a mistake. According to the Associated Press, four years earlier, neighbors had called authorities when they sensed something might be wrong. When the police contacted the neighbor's brother, he said she had gone into a nursing home. Police told the postal service to stop delivering mail. One neighbor paid her grandson to cut the grass because the place was looking run down. Another neighbor had the utility company come and shut off the water when a pipe froze, broke, and sent water spilling out the door.

To a great extent, however, it was not a mistake.

One friend from the past said, "She didn't want anyone bothering her at all. I guess she got her wish, but it's awfully sad."

Her brother said the family hadn't been close since their mother died in 1979. He added, "Someone should have noticed something before now."

The woman had lived in her house in this middle-class neighborhood for 40 years, but none of her neighbors knew her. "My heart bleeds for her," said the woman who lives across the street, "but you can't blame a soul. If she saw you out there, she never said hello to you."

As this neighborhood shows, a spirit of community only results when all of us reach out to one another. Relationships take effort.

Great Quote

Great photo.



I love this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.:





"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."