Wild At Heart

Antioch Ranch Jan 2012 - Leaving Full of Love

2012-01-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

Antioch Ranch, January 2012

As I write this its Saturday afternoon around 12:30. Alene and I are sitting outside of the Hammer House at an aged picnic table, beneath a gnarled old apple tree stripped of its leaves by the winter’s cold. Woodpecker holes riddle the tree trunk in intricate rings that run from the ground all the way out to parts of its limbs. There must be thousands of holes. The noonday sun is warm but not overpowering, and the air has lost its morning chill in favor of a gentle, still coolness. Alene has prepared a small picnic of Brie cheese with sautéed mushrooms and onions, cream cheese and hot pepper jelly with crackers, sharp cheddar cheese, salami, and soft sourdough bread. She is reading her book, and I am writing my missive.

Yesterday we walked out to the Cabrillo Lighthouse at Cabrillo Point (over one mile round trip so there’s my workout for the day – or so I thought). We sat and watched the ocean, scanning for signs of passing whales. It didn’t take long to see the distinct spouts of the whale’s great exhalations as they breached the surface to draw new breath. The ocean was calm, making the distinct spout shaped vapor cloud easily visible. It was a sight neither of us had seen before. We watched in amazement as spout after spout shot up into the air over the ocean. We didn’t get to see too much of the actual whale bodies, though, which I would have liked. I was able view them through my binoculars just a little as their backs barely broke the surface of the water to draw breath. From a great distance we did see a pod of whales exhale all at once and a large tail swing up and down in the water. Nonetheless, the ocean was spectacular, and seeing signs of whales for the first time in our lives was exhilarating!

Thursday we went up to Fort Bragg and sat on the bluffs and sat for several hours in our lawn chairs, watching the ocean waves. I constantly scanned the horizon for signs of whales, but saw few. Friday was certainly the best day for that. We got ice cream at Cowlicks, and a pizza at the Pizza Factory, and ate back at the cabin while watching Facing the Giants, a film Alene had never seen.

However, despite all the beauty and tranquility we’ve experienced this week (oh, and the weather has just been marvelous! It hard to believe its January here!), I think Alene will agree with me, it’s the fellowship, joy and love we have found in our relationships with the people here that will keep us coming back.

God has blessed us abundantly. I thank Him with all my heart for the people we’ve been able to meet and the stories we’be been able to share.

Jerry and Pat Westfall, the owners, greeted us with open arms, a hug, and a smile. They seemed genuinely pleased to have us back. (Jerry told Alene and I he wishes we could come up every month!) They share their stories with us, and we share ours with them. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not all up in each other’s business, but the genuine Christian love, the love that Jesus said that his disciples should have for one another – that love with which Christ loves us – is evident in their lives. That’s what makes it so easy to connect with them – that shared love for Christ. They also seem to have a God-given knack for making people feel at home, and they’ve endeared themselves to us in a way I don’t think
they even understand.

And I don’t we’re alone in that assessment of the Westfalls and what they’ve built here. I think there are many families who cherish them as we’ve grown to do.

As I write there are two other families here. One is a young family with two teenage children who came for the weekend to prune the many apple and plum trees on the property. They were up early and at work trimming and clipping like mad. Jerry told us this family has been coming here for several years, and they barter their labor in the orchard for time in a vacation home later in the summer. They prune, the Westfalls give them a home later in the year.

What a wonderful relationship, ya know?

Last time we were here, Jerry and Pat told us about another man, now somewhere in his 60’s, who comes each year simply for the purpose of helping to chop firewood. There is an extensive need for firewood here, being the main source of heat for the homes, so that entails a lot of wood cutting and splitting throughout the year, which they do by hand. Yes, no mechanical splitters here. Just axes everywhere. This man has been coming here each year for more than 10 years, just to help cut wood for the Westfalls. Just for the joy of the doing, and the friendship and the beauty of the place.

Pretty cool, huh?

There’s another family here that came just for Saturday night. They have a 13-year old girl celebrating her birthday, and although the homes are not normally rented out for one night at a time – the Westfalls bent their own rules to let this family come and bring several of the girls friends to have a wonderful birthday in the woods. As I write (sitting under the gnarled apple tree), the kids are laughing and playing, ringing a bell on the porch, swinging on a tree swing – doing the things that kids do. It’s wonderful.

Now, I know this life that I experience here, while on vacation from my world, is simply a reprieve. I thank God for the privilege of taking such a reprieve. I know not everyone can do this, which makes it all the more important to me that, while we’re here, we seek God every day, just as much or maybe even more so, than we do at home.

In seeking God, I’m discovering that I have a purpose in life. We all do; each and every one of us.

We’ve all heard “God has a purpose for you”, but if you’re like me, you’ve always wondered what it is.

“What am I here for, God? What do you want me to do?”

Well, I’m excited to say that I’ve discovered what God’s purpose is for my life! Seriously!
Recently, the purpose has become clear, evident and urgent. I have a direct, distinct, focused and forthright directive from God Almighty telling me His purpose for my life. I know what it is, and I am going to strive to be about that purpose every day, every hour, and every moment.

I’m finding a new fulfillment in knowing God’s purpose. Meeting the Westfalls, and Lance and Susan Hollingshead who live up here and work and serve God with the Westfalls, has brought a new dimension to my understanding of God’s purpose for my life. I’ve gotten to see His hand at work, and Alene and I have begun trying to translate that to our own lives. God is faithful and His blessings have been clear and evident!

I hope you’re still reading and wondering what this wonderful purpose is that God has for my life.

I’ll tell you a secret, first: it’s the same purpose for your life.

Exactly the same.

Your purpose, your mission in life, your directive from God Almighty, is exactly the same as mine.

That mission is to Love.

Love God, with all your heart..

Love your neighbor the way you love yourself.

Love one another in the body of Christ as Christ loved us.

Really, I mean it. It’s that simple, and that profound.

If you discover no other purpose, no other drive, no other gift or meaning to your life aside from the purpose to love because of God’s love for us and for the advancement of His kingdom – then I believe you have discovered enough to have an abundant, fulfilling, useful and purposeful life in Christ, and enough to make an impact on your world for God.

You will have discovered enough for your life to have meaning, purpose, and direction.

Love is the purpose, the mission, and the plan for which God made everything – the universe; the earth; you; me. Everything was made so that God could manifest His love. Creation was an act of love. Redemption is an act of love. Everything God does is an act of love.

And we are to love like the Father. Matthew 5:43-48 says:

““You have heard people say, "Love your neighbors and hate your enemies." But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors love their friends. If you greet only your friends, what's so great about that? Don't even unbelievers do that? But you must always act like your Father in heaven.” (emphasis added)

I have discovered that, if my life’s purpose is to love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my mind, all my strength, and all my soul – to truly love God and find my joy in Him – then I will naturally love the things He loves. I cannot love God and not love God’s world and everything in it.

Let me put it this way: If I truly love my wife with all my heart, submitting to her and putting her needs far and above my own, looking out for and doing every good thing for her and not wanting for anything other than to protect her and her heart and her good reputation - then how can I not love the people and things that she loves? It’s simply not possible. If I love my wife this way, I must love the people she loves; otherwise it would grieve her to know that I don’t love someone she loves. To honor her is to honor the things she deeply honors. To love my wife is to be one with her, in purpose and in spirit. The things that are important to her become important to me because I love her, and want good for her in all things.

To love God, with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, means the same: I must love and honor the things and people that God loves. All of it.

Who does God love?

Everyone.

How does God love them?

Fully. All the way. Without reservation or holding anything back. Completely.

I have found that when I place God first, before all others in my life, and begin to honor the things and love the things that He loves, I cannot help but begin to fulfill the second commandment – to love others as myself.

God loves me and he loves you– fully. If I love God, then I love the things He loves. If you love God, then you must also love the things He loves or you don’t love Him. And if God loves me, then I must - I have to - love myself because God loves me. I'm bound to love the things and people that God loves!

So, if I am to love others as I love myself, then the logic follows –because God loves others just as he loves me, and I love God with all my heart, then I must love others the same way God loves them.

Fully. Completely. Without reservation.

I find this concept of love so basic, so intrinsic, so immutable and necessary, that it sometimes becomes difficult to grasp. Love is all God asks us to do. Nothing more. He asks us to let that love motivate our actions to good works, and to motivate one another to show our love by our actions. In this way, through our actions of love in the world, the world will begin to see God through us.

Pastor JT preached at our church last week about spiritual gifts and our hearts and purpose. I think Christians sometimes spend too much time wondering what our spiritual gifts are, and chasing after ways to determine our places to serve in the church. Now I agree with everything JT said. But as he was preaching on gifts and our heart and mission, I couldn't help but think “love will motivate all of that”.

If your gift is teaching, I believe that if you simply set about the mission and purpose of our first calling - loving people as Christ loved us with all your heart – you’ll find your gift. I’m willing to bet that gift of teaching will begin to manifest itself because, flowing from the love in your heart, you will naturally begin to be a teacher of some kind. You will see opportunities in life to mold, shape, and direct others for God. I believe the Holy Spirit will find us and encourage us while we are obedient to our first and highest calling – to love God and others specifically for God’s glory.

If your gift is serving or encouraging, I believe the same thing. If you set about your highest calling of loving God and loving others as He loves us, then how can service and encouragement not flow from your love and care? I believe it will manifest itself, and before you even know it, you will be in the middle of exactly where God wants you to be. Loving and serving for His glory will bring your heart the joy the Bible talks about. Your spiritual gift will begin to manifest itself without you even knowing that it’s happening.

Love, my friends, is the highest calling we have in God. If you know nothing else about your purpose in Christ, what God wants for you to do with your life or any of those types of questions, know this:

We cannot do anything of worth for the Kingdom of God without love. We cannot witness for Christ without love. We cannot serve a meal and have it mean anything for the Kingdom of God without love. We can’t teach preschoolers and have it mean anything for the Kingdom of God without love. We can’t preach, speak, eat, drink drive, read, serve, give, buy, sell, travel, exercise, sit, stand, run, or do anything in life and expect it to have any impact for the Kingdom of God, without love.

It is a high bar that Christ sets for us – loving the way He loved but, but it’s the bar He set. That is the standard we aim for. That is the goal with which we struggle with every fiber of our being and the help of the Holy Spirit .

I leave you with this from the apostle Paul to think about – something that my friend Joelene hit directly on the head in our Sunday school class last week without even knowing I was going there anyway – which leads me to believe the Holy Spirit is guiding me to write something in truth: 1st Corinthians 13 says,

“What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others. What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.”

1st John tells us that God Is Love. Love is our highest, first, foremost calling. From love, everything in the Kingdom of God flows.

Pray with me that the Holy Spirit would begin to impress upon us, my church family of fellow believers, that without love, we are nothing. But if we love God, and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us to love others as if the lives of the entire world depend on it – in fact, beg and supplicate the Holy Spirit to teach us to love that way – then our nothing becomes everything for the Kingdom of God.

I don’t want to be useless to the King. I don’t want you to be either. Never mind praying about seeking our calling – God has already given it to us. Pray that we can follow this calling of love, because I am convinced if we do this – love God and love others as Christ loved us, deeply and truly, letting love become the over-arching purpose of our lives – every other calling in our lives will flow.

The Great Commission of Jesus himself is nothing if not a command to love the world as He loves the world, telling everyone we meet about Jesus, and directing them toward the great hope of salvation in Christ. His desire is for all to be saved, and if we love what He loves, then that is our desire too.

If we don’t love – we are nothing.

Let’s not be nothing for the King.

Love manifests itself in many ways. Have open eyes and ears to see the ways you can love people for the King.

The sun is hanging low in the sky, now, and the air is getting crisp, but my love for God is running high! Thank you Lord!

Please Lord, No More Business as Usual

2011-12-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

I've seen this picture making the rounds on Facebook. Most everyone likes it. Most everyone comments positively on it. I think most Facebooker's see it as a positive 'push back' against the forces that would remove 'Christ' from 'Christmas' - a return shot in the battle to win the Christmas Season back from the Holiday Hordes.

With my recent desire to see the world through Kingdom Eyes, though - through the lens of The Word and the lens of God's great love for his entire world shown to us through Jesus - I can't help but scratch my head.

Jesus might well miss hearing us say 'Merry Christmas', but if I had to guess, I'd think Jesus is missing us hear a great many other things too. Things much more important than 'Merry Christmas'.

From where I stand, 'Merry Christmas' seems to be just a phrase - a combination of two words put together in such a fashion as to convey some sort of meaning. The meaning of the words change according to the context in which they are used.

To most people in America, 'Merry Christmas' is little more than a pleasant social greeting used especially during the months of November and December, often followed by the phrase 'and Happy New Year'. To most Americans, the phrase 'Merry Christmas' conveys little or no religious or Christian message at all. For a vast segment of society, it is a social pleasantry, nothing more.

Hence the deafening silence from most people when society began the shift from 'Merry Christmas' to 'Happy Holidays'. Most don't care either way, because the phrase, to them, is a simple greeting meant to convey nothing more than a 'happy hello' during the last part of the year.

I've also head 'Merry Christmas' used as sort of a curse-word substitute. We've all heard someone who has received some bad news say in a sarcastic tone, 'Merry Christmas to me!', clearly meaning to convey their disappointment or perceived bad luck in a certain set of circumstances.

So when Social Christians - Christians more concerned with the social battle over the pleasantries and appearances of christian life than the true battle for the hearts of men and women - take solace and rejoice in a shot across the bow of the heathens and pagans in society who are trying to take 'Christ out of Christmas'....... it makes me sad.

Truly. Sad.

Sad because I think they/we (Christians all) tend to miss the bigger picture here.

Sad because Jesus is not just the Christ of Christmas, but the Christ of all-year-long and all-things-everywhere-all-day-every-day! Forever and ever!

Sad because Jesus is not just the Christ of Christmas in America, but all over the world!

Jesus is the Christ of Christmas in starving villages driven to famine by religious war in Africa.

Jesus is the Christ of Christmas in cities and towns in China and North Korea, where individual liberty is trampled, human rights are denied, and Christians are killed for their faith.

Jesus is the Christ of Christmas in town and cities all across the Middle East, where women are oppressed under draconian governments and dictators and religions.

Jesus is the Christ of Christmas in the streets and alleys of cities across America, where homeless and drug-addled people struggle for survival among the teaming masses of the most prosperous nation the world has ever known.

Jesus is even the Christ of Christmas in the diamond cases of Macy's and De Beer's, on the floors of Toys R Us and Walmart, and in the cozy, smoke and gin filled country clubs of San Francisco and Seattle and New York.

Jesus is the Christ of Christmas on the beaches of Miami and San Diego, and atop the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the Rockies, and the towering Himalayas.

Jesus is the Christ of Christmas everywhere - all the time.

Not just at Christmas.

Do you see?

I don't think Jesus cares all that much about whether or not American's say 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Holidays' during November and December.

Instead, I think Jesus cares a lot more about out hearts, and what we do for others during the holidays and throughout the year, than how we greet one another during the holidays.

We say 'Merry Christmas', but do we help someone in need, or pass them by?

We say 'Merry Christmas', but do we pray and talk with those who are spiritually hurting, or wonder why 'so and so never seems to be able to get their act together'?

We say 'Merry Christmas', but do we love those who wish us ill will, who offend us and hurt us, or do we look for ways to get even and punish people, putting them in their 'rightful place'?

We say 'Merry Christmas', but do we flip off and curse at the guy that just cut us off in traffic, or do we lovingly pray for them and forgive them, and consider that they might be having a very bad day?

We say 'Merry Christmas', but do we say hurtful and mean things to the waitress at the restaurant that got our order wrong, or do we extend patience and kindness in the same way we'd want to be treated if we were the waitress?

You see, Jesus does care about Christmas, but he cares because Christmas is a part of everything that he cares about. He cares about December 25th the same as March 2nd or September 30th, or any day of the year.

I think the goodness and joy that people display to each other during the holiday season is a fine thing. Any increase in goodness is good, ya know? I'll take whatever increase in goodness that comes.

But we need to be about more than that.

I am convinced that we -people of the Kingdom of God, the adopted Children of God and followers of Jesus Christ - owe it to our Lord and Savior to be about wishing the world a truly merry Christmas every day of the year.

We can't afford to save it up for the Christmas holidays. We need to be about the work of the Kingdom every day - right now.

Why do we save up the giving of gifts until December 25th? Are people not in need all year long?

Why do we feel led to bless people more in December? We look around in America and see the cold and hungry.... are not these same people hot and thirsty - and hungry - in the summer?

Do you realize Christmas in the southern hemisphere is in the middle of a blistering hot summer? Santa comes on water skis.

What I'm trying to say is what I heard preached last week from the pulpit - take a look at the world through the lens of scripture. See with Kingdom Eyes, as I like to say.

Realize that the institutional traditions of this world have very little to do with serving Jesus and advancing his kingdom - and even some of the institutional traditions in our churches really have little to do with serving Jesus. Most traditions are for the comfort and stability of a community, little more.

Gift giving is fun and brings great joy - and I'm not saying don't give gifts or celebrate Christmas in America. It's a wonderful American tradition that brings many families together and does tend to focus our attention on more goodness in society, and I'm all for that. But celebrate it and understand it as a cultural tradition, not an attempt to honor Jesus' birth.

Christmas, as celebrated throughout most of America, has almost nothing to do with honoring Jesus, or being thankful for his birth. That should be done in our hearts and minds every day.

Remember, first century Christians did not celebrate anything even remotely like Christmas. There was no celebration of Jesus' birth in the winter, but instead a daily celebration of his resurrection from the grave and victory over death!

Jesus said in Luke 9,

"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn fromyour selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me."

Not just at Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or Easter.

Daily.

The world can't afford for Christians not to do this daily. We are the light of the world, and the world needs to see this light every day.

Jesus said in Luke 17,

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

“And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Business as usual.

Jesus told a parable in Luke 12 saying,

"The ground of a certain richman yielded an abundant harvest. Hethought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Thenhe said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build biggerones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘Youhave plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and bemerry.’”

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your lifewill be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared foryourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things forthemselves but is not rich toward God.”

I just can't do business as usual anymore. Time is short, both in my own life and in the admonitions of scripture. We need to be about telling a world that buys and sells, farms and builds, just like people did in Lot's day, that time is short!

Paul says in Romans 13,

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour hasalready come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation isnearer now than when we first believed. Thenight is nearly over; the day is almost here.

"So let us put aside the deeds ofdarkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, notin carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not indissension and jealousy. Rather, clotheyourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratifythe desires of the flesh.”

Time is short. The night is nearly over. It's time for Christians to awaken to the true reality of Jesus Christ in this world, and live in that truth!

Lord, teach us to realize that Jesus Christ permeates everything in our lives, in every way, whether we see it or not. Teach us to see the truth of The Living Word in our world, and to reorient our lives around Him. Teach us to clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, and let the very real truth of his death and resurrection inform and direct every action we take.

Some are awakening, and lives are being transformed.

Please, no more business as usual, Lord. Wake us up!

Out of the Mouths of Babes - Or College Students

2011-12-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my daughter's boyfriend last night about his family's Christmas traditions, and had an interesting conversation.

Jeff is 21-years old, and he is Chinese-American. He was born and raised here in the USA by parents who immigrated from Taiwan. His parents, from what I gathered in our conversations, are still culturally very Chinese. Prior to college, Jeff and his siblings attended Chinese school each Saturday in addition to regular public school in the San Francisco bay area, where he grew up.

I enjoy talking with Jeff, because he sees life here in the USA differently from me. Even though he grew up here in the same country, many of the cultural touchstones and icons that are familiar to me and most of my demographic are unfamiliar to Jeff. Movies and sports that I take for granted as a part of my cultural background have very little significance to Jeff. They just haven't been part of his life growing up.

Last night my wife and I celebrated Elizabeth's 22nd birthday. We met Jeff and Elizabeth for dinner at Black Angus and had an excellent meal together. Afterwards, back at the house for a few minutes before the kids went to a movie, Jeff and I got to talking about Christmas traditions.

I asked him if he was going home for Christmas break, and he is. I asked him if his family celebrated Christmas. He thought for a moment, then said "no, not really."

Jeff went on to say that his family does recognize Christmas, its just not a big deal in his household. Much the same as Thanksgiving, Labor Day, etc. The dates are on the calendar, and they recognize the dates when they roll around, but not the way most American's do. There's no Christmas tree, and no avalanche of presents, but there is a sense of good will and joy they celebrate with the rest of society.

I asked what he knew about holiday traditions in China, and if Christmas was celebrated there. Again, he said not the way we do here in the USA, but yes, it is a celebrated thing. We talked for a while longer, about different cultures (what little we actually knew, but it was fun), and then Jeff said something I found very interesting.

He said his parents taught him while growing up, that it was more important to give thanks every day than it was to give thanks at the holidays. He said that was why the holidays weren't so prominent growing up, because he was taught to give thanks for food, clothing, shelter, etc..... every day. The Thanksgiving holiday was nice and all, but his parents impressed on him the importance of being thankful all the time for all that he has.

I thought that was a wonderful thing, and I told Jeff I completely agreed with his parents.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my holiday traditions, because they are a part of my American heritage. I like turkey and pie and eggnog and Christmas trees. They are part of my American-cultural experience.

But they are only that: American-cultural experiences.

Let's be honest. The American celebration of Christmas really has very little to do with Christ.

Decorated trees in our homes have little to do with the celebration of Jesus' birth.

Overspending and stressing on what gifts we should give to people who already have way too much stuff is not a celebration of Jesus' love.

Eating ourselves sick at Christmas parties has nothing to do with following Jesus.

Santa Clause, reindeer, elves, talking snowmen, Grinches, or Who's in Whoville do not innately point to the birth of Jesus, The True King, or to anything having to do with Jesus at all.

Christmas in America - as most Americans celebrate it or envision it- is a cultural feast of over-indulgence, over-spending, unnecessary extravagance, and attempts to buy the love of friends and relatives, giving them gifts at the holidays in hopes of obfuscating the fact that we've ignored them most of the rest of the year.

It's a season of mostly fake smiles, feigned joy, and false hope, wrapped up in too much food, too much spending, and too much stress.

All the while those who have little to nothing to spend or eat, watch the charade and parade pass by, not even getting to join in on the facade of American Christmas Joy.

(OK, I admit that was a somewhat harsh and sarcastic critique of the American Christmas experience, but truthfully, if you think I'm really that far off base, tell me. I'm betting more of you would agree with than disagree.)

Mind you, there is nothing inherently wrong with Christmas trees, gifts, food, and celebrating with family. Those are all good things. They can be lots of fun.

We must realize and remember, though, that if we don't make a conscious effort to infuse Christ into these cultural proceedings, and if we don't celebrate in ways that honor God in all things, and if we forget that Jesus is not just 'The Reason for the Season', but that he is the reason for everything.....

.....then all of the trappings of Christmas are just that - trappings without meaning. They become meaningless noise and shadows drowning out the love of Christ during a season in which that love should be sung with the clearest of notes, and shown with the brightest of lights.

1st Corinthians 13:3 says,

"If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificedmy body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would havegained nothing."

I agree with Jeff and his parents: we should be celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, in our hearts, every day of the year.

I say this especially to my brothers and sisters in Christ - this should be our heart's cry every day! Giving thanks to God for His blessings, each and every day, should be a top priority!

Ephesians 5:15-20 reads,

"So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but likethose who are wise. Make the most ofevery opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand whatthe Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunkwith wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the HolySpirit, singing psalms and hymns andspiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God theFather in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Philippians 4:4-7 reads,

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Leteveryone see that you are considerate in all you do.Remember, the Lord iscoming soon.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you willexperience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peacewill guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Are we thankful and rejoicing in God's wonderful grace and mercy all year long? Or do we save our best for the Holidays, and then allow it to get lost in the cacophony of culture?

If so, why? Doesn't God give His best everyday?

God teaches me lessons everyday, in many ways, and not always just from The Bible. Keep your eyes open and see what God is teaching you today. You might be surprised where the next lesson comes from!

Fighting the wrong War Against the War on Christmas

2011-12-08T19:27:00.001-08:00

I'm having a hard time with Christmas this year.

It sort of has to do with the 'War on Christmas' that goes on every year, but not directly. I'm not so much tired of the 'War on Christmas' as I am tired of the 'War Against the War on Christmas'.

I hear from my Christian friends that we need to remember 'the reason for the season' and 'the true meaning of Christmas'. We need to push back against the forces of evil and worldly people that want to kick 'Christ' out of Christmas.

I've actually heard Christian friends say things like, "No one is gonna tell me not to say 'Merry Christmas'. I don't care what they think, I'm gonna stick up for Christ!"

Or, "Too bad if 'Merry Christmas' offends some people. Their 'Happy Holidays' offends me."

Or even "If we don't fight for 'Christ' in Christmas, then what's next?"

And yet, even with all the 'push back for Christ' we tend to talk about every Christmas season, everywhere I look I see advertisements for the 'Holidays'. 'Happy Holidays' is the phrase of the day. The phrase 'Merry Christmas' actually seems to stick on our tongues sometimes as it tries to slip past our lips. Many people in the popular culture actually find the phrase abrasive as it scrapes their ears and for some reason turns their stomachs.

No longer is the Christmas season called 'the Christmas Season' in our popular media, or anywhere in the general American public scene.

We've lost the battle for now. The War is not over, certainly, but the battle has been engaged and The Church has suffered humiliating loss, at our own hands, no less.

The sad part is, it's not for lack of authority or ammunition that the battle has been lost. I think The Church has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory because of how we've fought the fight.

Namely...... The Church shouldn't be fighting this battle at all.

The Church is ill-equipped to fight battles in the world's realm, because that's not where The Church's power and authority lies. Ephesians 6:11-13 says:

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to standfirm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting againstflesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseenworld, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits inthe heavenly places. Therefore, put onevery piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the timeof evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. (emphasis added)

The Church is ill-equipped to be Guardians of Public Morality when our own morality if often suspect and questionable. Jesus said in Luke 6:42:

How can you think ofsaying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough todeal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

The Church is ill-equipped to demand the world respect Christ during the Christmas season when most Church members don't respect Christ in their own lives the rest of year. Revelation 3:5-17 says of the church at Laodecia, which was not all that different from many American churches today:

I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot norcold. I wish that you were one or the other! Butsince you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out ofmy mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything Iwant. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched andmiserable and poor and blind and naked.

How can the world respect the Christ in Christmas if Christ's church has a hard time doing it themselves?

Friends, brothers and sisters in the family of God - put down the sword of this world and your attempts to coerce others to respect the Christ in Christmas. No law, no amount of pressure, no amount of advertisement or shame or ridicule or arguing will convince anyone to 'put Christ back in Christmas'.

Remember, we serve the God of the Universe. The Creator. He Who Is Above All Things. The Great I Am. The Alpha and the Omega. He Who Is the Beginning and the End. Of All Things.

We say we follow Jesus. He who showed us that the God of the Universe is pure love. He who laid down all his rights to the Godly nature. He who became the least among us. He who served all. He who loved all. He who gave all.

Do we follow Jesus as he told us to follow him? Serving like he did? Laying aside his rights to demand respect as he did? Loving even sinners as he did?

The only way The Church can win The War Against the War on Christmas is not to fight.

The only way to win is to serve those who fight The War on Christmas. Minister to them. Love them. Bless them.

The only way to put Christ back into Christmas is to put Christ into our lives the entire rest of the year. Every day. Following Christ with all our hearts. Letting him be the Lord of every part of our lives.

The only way for people to see that Jesus could be real in their lives, is to prove to people by how we live that Jesus is real in our lives. It's that simple. It's that direct.

And that's the only way.

Christ won the war by dying. God raised him back to life, and now he lives forever victorious over death. The Real War is already over. The enemy's gun has no bullets. Christ has taken them all away.

Church: we should be following that Jesus.

Let the world see That Jesus in all of our Churches, and Christ will find his way back into Christmas, I guarantee.

Trying to Look Through Kingdom Eyes

2011-11-29T08:08:00.001-08:00

I just watched a commercial for "Scope" mouthwash, and realized that this simple commercial perfectly highlighted just how upside-down and twisted our world is.

In the commercial, a guy is doing dishes and working in the kitchen when he breaks out all the fixin's for a great sandwich. He slathers mayo and mustard on the bread, piles up succulent meat and lettuce and juicy tomatoes, then tops it off with a healthy serving of savory red onions.
Good lookin' sandwich! He munches it down, clearly enjoying every bite.
But suddenly, he remembers his wife or girlfriend is on her way, so he hurries to put all the fixin's away, obliterating any evidence of his sandwich. He quickly wipes the counter and puts away the dishes, erasing any evidence of his afternoon dalliance.
As she turns the locks on the door, he runs to the bathroom, grabs a bottle of "new and improved Scope" and swishes away the last vestiges of onion and mustard left on his palate, thereby completely destroying all evidence of what now appears to have been an inappropriate relationship with an afternoon snack.
His lovely female partner walks in, oblivious to any of her man's afternoon shenanigans, kisses him sweetly, then gives him a curious look. The man clearly thinks the jig is up.
Gazing lovingly into his eyes, she says "You didn't have to clean the kitchen!"
Relief washes over the guys face as a momentary crack develops in his facade of innocence. Just as quickly the facade repairs itself, and the guy, feigning humility, gives his lady an 'ah shucks' shrug of the shoulders.
"Scott free, and she loves me."
Life is good!
Scope is good.

Do you see the broken world in this simple, innocent little commercial? It's kind of like seeing the air we breath - you have to look carefully and focus on it, but it's there.

A guy does something completely innocent and acceptable - makes a sandwich. The guy enjoys it, because the sandwich is good! Yum!

Then, for whatever reason, the guy suddenly feels guilty about eating the sandwich. Why? The commercial doesn't say.

Maybe he and his lady have dinner plans, and his lady would feel like he's spoiling his appetite. Maybe he's been putting on some weight, and he told his lady he'd work on it. Maybe onions cause acid-reflux for the guy, and he knows that she knows he shouldn't eat them. Maybe onions give him gas, and his lady has asked him to avoid onions because he's killin' her! Who knows? It could be any one of a dozen reasons, and the reason really doesn't matter.

What does matter is, for whatever reason, he's done something that he doesn't want her to know about, and he now needs to hide it. He scrambles to hide all the evidence of his dalliance, wiping down the counters, and covers the scent of his waywardness with new and improved Scope!

Do you see how broken that is? Do you see how dysfunctional that is?

We pass it off and accept this sort of behavior as normal and harmless in relationships - we even chuckle because of the truth the commercial portrays - but come on people, its not good!

Lying? Deception? How can these things ever be good in a relationship? Especially in a marriage? This is a recipe for disaster.

Ask yourself this: if you are going to lie about the very little things - like the guy in this commercial did - what are you going to say when the big things come along that require honesty and integrity?

And if you do lie about little things, why in the world would anyone believe you about the big things anyway?

Men, I direct this especially toward us because we are often the first to hide things.

In my first marriage, I'll openly admit, this was my motus operendi.

I did all sorts of essentially innocent and innocuous things - things like buying a hamburger or candy bar on the way home, or blowing off some stress by going to a movie when I should have been in a class- and then I'd feel like I needed to hide all the evidence simply because I didn't want to deal with the potential argument I thought I might have with my wife over the hamburger or candy bar or the movie.

"Why did you spend money we don't have?"

"Didn't you stop to think I might have wanted to go to a movie, too?"

"Don't you want to do things with me? You don't love me?"

These are the sorts of things that went through my mind, the things I imagined my wife would say had I been honest and told her what I'd done. They were, for the most part, fabrications of my own mind, and had no real basis in reality.

I know now, had I simply been honest there'd have been no argument - or at least not like the one I imagined we'd have! My dishonesty in little things was one (of many) factor that led to the demise of my first marriage. My wife, when she found out about the small lies, began to feel like she couldn't trust me.

What worse, it was true. She couldn't trust me. Much as I might have protested (and believe me, I did), the evidence she saw told her she couldn't trust me.

I knew in my heart that I was not going to cheat or do anything horrible like that, but the bottom line was this: If I lie in the little things, why should I be trusted in the big things?

And we wink at the Scope commercial and say, "how cute!". Meanwhile, he's harboring a lie, and there's a ticking time-bomb simmering in their relationship. It may be a small lie, but, as the old adage goes, "what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive".

I encourage you, my brothers especially who might read this - look around your world and your life and see the brokenness and dysfunctionality of this world for what it is - it's not cute, it's not funny, and it's not good.

Honesty and integrity are important. They are Godly attributes we need to hold onto and cherish. Honesty in our relationships, especially with our spouses, is tantamount and must be a centerpiece of our lives.

Trust is built over a long period by small steps, as we prove our trustworthiness to one another. Trust can be destroyed by one small misstep along the way.

I'm not saying we can be nor should we be expected to be perfect people, but we do need to look around our lives and see how we let the kingdom of the world define how we behave, and instead do our best to lives defined by the Kingdom of God.

Romans 13:11-14 says,

"This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here

"So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires."

Begin to see the world through Kingdom eyes. Only then can we begin to change our world for God.

Saddle Up! (Might be Politically Incorrect but Here I Go.....)

2011-11-26T08:09:00.001-08:00

I'm reading a book called "Why Men Hate Going to Church". It's an eye-opening look at what the author contends is the 'feminizing' of the American protestant church, and why he thinks many men find themselves uncomfortable and out of place in most churches today.

The book is not so much critical of churches as it is a simple and honest look at how churches are today. It's also not a book about how men should be, but how they are, and how men think and relate to the world around them, and the message they receive in churches today.

The author contends, and makes a compelling argument, that American churches are largely doing exactly what they have been designed to do: produce a comforting place of support and love, devoid of controversy, alleviating as much pain and suffering in the lives of parishioners as they can. Unintentionally, the author concludes, churches have created an environment where women thrive, but men feel inherently uncomfortable.

As I read the book, I found it to have a distinct ring of truth in my male brain.

One of the things the author noted is how we present the Gospel is not manly. Don't take this wrong, but I think he has a point.

One point the author made that spoke to me was this: most churches present the pivotal point of receiving God's grace as when someone 'accepts Jesus as my Savior and Lord.'

The doctrine of salvation, of grace being a gift from God, and of my need for a Messiah is absolutely correct and clear in scripture. But consider this, and think with an open mind and heart here: most men don't like the idea of needing to be saved.

It speaks weakness. It speak inadequacy. It speaks a lack of independence. It doesn't speak to men where they are before they know God and Jesus.

The correctness of the doctrine doesn't matter. Men don't follow teaching or doctrine. They follow other men.

Which is probably why, when Jesus picked his disciples He didn't call them to "be saved", even though each man probably understood from their education and from synagogue that Israel was looking for a Savior.

He approached men - fishermen, tax-collectors, other 'regular' guys, and at least two guys that came to be called 'the sons of thunder' - and said "follow me'. The amazing thing is, they did!

And Jesus led them - not into a life of behaving well, of being good and obeying rules so as not to upset anyone - He led them into a life of danger, of risk and challenge and obstacles and injury. He made them into fugitives, hunted by a world that didn't understand them and hated them.

Once they understood what was at stake - that life or death for many literally hung in the balance for what they did for the Gospel - and once the Holy Spirit stoked the fire in their bellies so that they understood what Jesus meant when he sent them out to "make disciples of all nations", not to save people - those men lit the world on fire.

Twelve men changed the world, because they chose to follow Jesus and emulate Him, loving God and others as Jesus did - with conviction and purpose.

Just writing about this stuff touches a place in my soul and stirs the embers there. I'm a pretty gentle guy by nature, but thinking about serving God like this - following Jesus this way - gives all new meaning to the phrases we throw around in church like transformed, renewed, or set free.

No man wants to be saved and transformed by God, if all it means is being transformed into a man who's new purpose is to sit quietly through sermons, sing love songs to Jesus, and study the Bible so he can learn the correct teaching on this or that doctrine. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with these things, but they are not enough for the vast majority of men if that winds up being the sum total of their experience in following Jesus.

Men need to see a purpose for what they follow. Men need a challenge in what they follow. They need to see the purpose for the mission, and feel like they have a part in fulfilling the mission, or they'll find some other mission themselves. We need our churches to show men that vision, and let them be men to follow it!

My heart, of late, has been for the men of my church. I know I've come to this party a bit late, and others in my church have had a heart for men and been trying diligently to stoke that fire in their bellies. To those men, I say a hearty thanks, and I promise to do what I can to support your efforts and join in.

My prayer is that my church can re-embrace men and encourage men to not just be saved, but to stand up, and follow Jesus and make waves! Men like to build things, fix things, make things, and tinker with things. Its what we do. Its how God made us.

What if God unleashed a bunch of men in our church to shake things up and challenge one another to not just come to church, but to live the Gospel, truly giving, loving, and sacrificing for one another like Jesus did? Men follow men, not ideas. That's why Jesus discipled his followers on the go, not in classrooms. They lived the lessons, and learned by hard knocks.

Jesus rebuked his best friend Peter once, calling him Satan. That's a hard knock. Iron sharpens iron.

I mean, Jesus is the model, is He not? Isn't that the bar we should be looking at?

I also pray that our women can let the men be men - which means accepting and loving men how they are as men.

Too often I think women expect men to be transformed into the image of the Gentle Jesus we often portray at church - holding children, petting lambs, smiling, sitting in a clean white robe, not upsetting anyone.

Men hear that and run. Fast.

The real Jesus called out the pharisees on their fake righteousness, calling them snakes and vipers. He cleared out the sellers on the temple grounds by force. He confronted his friends and followers, rebuking them when they ran off the rails, challenging them when they were slow to understand. He got angry now and then, and seemed frustrated with the hard-headedness of his disciples.

He ran contrary to popular opinion. He forgave a woman caught in adultery. He showed compassion and respect for a woman married many times who was even then living 'in sin' with a man. He turned the concept of success on its head, saying he who is first in the world will be last in the Kingdom of God, and vice-versa. He ate with sinners. He drank wine and went to parties, and confronted the popular ideas of the day. He was a revolutionary who claimed to be God, and was killed for it.

But He rose from the dead!

He was not Mr. Rogers.

I pray that God would continue the work He's begun in my church. I am excited and encouraged at what I see God doing. I pray that men who follow Jesus would be awakened to the mission God has provided in the church right now - today - to be leaders and develop disciples of Jesus.

God is moving me more and more to stand up and say, as Isaiah did, "here am I Lord! Send me!" I hope and pray others will join me.

Steven Curtis Chapman wrote many years ago in his song The Great Adventure:

Started out this morning in the usual way
Chasing thoughts inside my head of all I had to do today
Another time around the circle try to make it better than the last

I opened up the Bible and I read about me
Said I'd been a prisoner and God's grace had set me free
And somewhere between the pages it hit me like a lightning bolt
I saw a big frontier in front of me and I heard somebody say "let's go"!

Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure

Come on get ready for the ride of your life
Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind
And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored
This is what we were created for

We'll travel over, over mountains so high
We'll go through valleys below
Still through it all we'll find that
This is the greatest journey that the human heart will ever see
The love of God will take us far beyond our wildest dreams

Yeah... oh saddle up your horses... come on get ready to ride

Ramblings - Motivated by Reading "Waking the Dead"

2011-10-14T09:31:00.001-07:00

I'm reading a book called "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge, about reawakening the soul to the real story God has for us, the real life God intends for his people to live.

In one passage, where the author is talking about the importance of the heart, and how it is the heart where we really do our deep thinking about what what's important to us, and how the heart is the connecting point, the meeting place between any two people, he writes, starting with a quote,

'By worshiping efficiency, the human race has achieved the highest level of efficiency is history, but how much have we grown in love?' We've done the same to our relationship with God. Christians have spent their whole lives mastering all sorts of principals, done their duty, carried on the programs of their church....and never knew God intimately, heart to heart.

In the heart is where we cherish the things we love. The things we feel and hold to be true in our heart override the cold logic of reason. Its in our hearts where we fine the things that truly motivate our lives. Our hearts need to be alive, not cold and dark.

This past week I spent with Alene in Mendocino has been very motivating for me. The Christian men and women we met, and the way the Holy Spirit moved in our hearts, all served to reignite in me a love for God and a love for my fellow travellers in a real, deep, heartfelt way.

I'm weary of programs, techniques, regimines, and rules designed to help me "experience God". I'm weary of the performance we often put on for each other, the game faces, worrying about whether I'm good enough or doing enough or reading enough or staying out of trouble enough. I'm tired of the barriers and borders we place on ourselves as we seek God.

Helping each other be 'better Christians" does no good. Obeying rules of "Christian living" is useless. Clearing our lives of "wordly things" is a waste of time. We can never be 'better Christians" by doing any of these things. We may have a clean house, but that's about it. These rules and regulations do no good, because they wrap us up in exactly what Jesus was trying to get us out of .

Bondage.

Instead, Jesus came to set the captives free! He came to bring living water to those who thirst! He came to bring full and abundant life, not just in the next life, but in the life that NOW is, here, on earth. Mind you, not an easy life, not a simple life, not a perfect life, but an abundant, meaningful, adventerous life!!

That life is found not in "being better" or "avoiding temptation", or "reading my bible every day, and having quiet time with Jesus". These are all things that have a place in our lives, but they are NOT OUR LIVES!

That life is found in loving God, and allowing what it means to let Jesus be "Lord of my life" to get down deep, into our hearts, and then letting that heartfelt passion change our lives! Paul said, if you believe "in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead" you will be saved. Not an intellectual belief, which is actually only an acknowledgement of the information we've been given, but a heartfelt passion which changes your life.

The rules and regualtions we pile on ourselves keep us in Christian bondage. Freedom in Jesus means leaving those chains behind, and living in the full-on freedom Jesus gives us. Freedom to do good instead of evil (if you fill your days going good, evil will be left behind). Freedom to love instead of hate (if we all loved each other, who would there be left to do any hating?) Freedom to live fearlessly, instead of living in fear (perfect love casts our fear after all, right?).

What we think about God in our hearts - not intellectual thoughts but those gut wrenching, real, deep down in our hearts where we don't talk about it much thoughts - how we imagine God really is, affects everything about how we act, how we think, and how we live.

If we really believe in our hearts that God is a loving God, then we will be free to love. If we really think in our hearts that God has given us eternal life, we'll be free to live unafraid of dying. If we really think in our hearts that God will give us "our daily bread" then we will be free from worrying about tomorrow. If we really believe in our hearts that Jesus died for our sins to make us right with God, and was actually, really ressurected from the dead, and is now with God preparing a place for us, how can we ever live with fear, doubt, or uncertainty about our life again?

If we really think in our hearts that God is distant, not really interested in me, and I don't think I'm good enough to do anything for God, we will live our lives feeling discontent, unmotivated, and unloved.

Freedom! Can you see it?

That's what I want, and what I want for every person!

Freedom.

Freedom not just to be kind and gentle, though those are good qualities. Freedom not just to be patient and faithfull, though I should strive for those. Freedom not just to have peace and self-control, though these are the wonderful fruit of a life lived in freedom. No, the "fruits of the spirit" are not things to strive after, things to grasp, because in trying to exhibit those qualities in our lives, we remain in bondage to the effort, one which we can never accomplish! All of the things we're told to avoid, and all of the good we're told to do are unobtainable on our own!

The fruit of the spirit, and the absence of those things we're encouraged to avoid, are all evidence of a life lived freely in Christ! I don't want to be better, I want to be "good", the way Jesus is "good", looking like God and living in freedom from sin, but a slave to "goodness". I want to live a life unable to do anything but what is good, because that's what God created us all for. All my efforts to "do good" count for nothing, but living with passion for God, loving Jesus from my heart, will change and reorient my life so that "goodness" is all I can do! That goodness comes only from God, not from my own self, so its nothing for me to boast about. But it IS something for me to take great joy in, joy in the gift of freedom from my very loving, powerful, wild, untamed, uncontainable, but very GOOD God!

Antioch Ranch - Post #3

2011-10-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

Men’s Bible Study, the Beach, and Dinner with Friends –October 2011

Thursday morning, I awoke around 8am to find my wife, Alene,already having been awake since sometime around 5am. She had made coffee, started a fire, and alreadydone a few hours of bible study, happy to be almost done with her study inGenesis.

Mind you she’s been studying in Genesis for months now, sothat’s an exciting thing! She’s doing aKay Arther Inductive study which is pretty intensive. I enjoy listening to her tell of the storiesshe’s learning, of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. These area stories that I’ve taken forgranted because I learned many of them in childhood but are new to her, and tosee her learn and grow in her own understanding is very gratifying.

So, as I wander out of the bedroom, eyes barely open, Inotice it’s raining outside. This isdisappointing because Alene really wanted to go sit at the beach today. However, she says since the weather has beenalternately raining then sunny this morning, she was hopeful the rain mightblow over later in the day.

She was right, big time, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

My loving wife, realizing that I’m not super great at thewhole “quiet, unplugged, no TV/radio/internet thing” because I get a feeling ofdisconnectedness, if that makes sense, Alene asked if I’d like to go to themen’s Bible study at the church this morning, for at least something to dowhile it rains.

I love my wife.

Seeing as the study started at 9am, I saidsure, sounds good, and we hurried to get ready to go.

We arrived at the Presbyterian Church at 9am, and I wentinside. Alene walked down to the storeto get a few things we needed, and hung out reading and studying on her own andenjoying the morning.

By this time,amazingly, the weather was already beginning to clear, and it was a lovelymorning at the coast.

I was greeted inside the Presbyterian Church classroom byabout 8 mostly elderly men. I say mostlybecause I think the youngest was about 65 years old; however I mean nodisrespect by that! They were wonderful, kind, and generous men who welcomed mewith coffee and cookies, which was just right by me! We all chatted for a fewminutes, which is how I found out the man sitting next to me, who was named Ronand happened to be the youngest of the group, was born again and accepted Jesusas his Savior at Jerry and Pat’s Antioch Ranch back in the late 1970’s.

Go hippie ministry!!

It seems just about everyone at this church knows or hassome story about Jerry and Pat, which says a lot about them. 50 years in thecommunity has to leave a mark. Theirmark has been remarkably positive.

We studied Luke 6:27-49 by going around the table and eachman reading a few verses. After reading thepassage, we simply discussed what we’d read.

I was very excited because in thispassage Jesus is teaching about loving your enemies, doing good to all, and notjudging one another, which is right in my theological breadbasket lately!

Wehad a good, lively discussion, and I enjoyed the input from the older men,drawing on their experiences through life. Some of the men had interestingviews, having drawn their own conclusions about faith from their own lives, butdon’t we all do that to some degree?

It was a refreshing, fun study of apassage that is very meaningful to me.

Afterward Alene and I drove down to Caspar Beach, plantedour chairs, and sat for a few hours to enjoy the ocean. The surf was high, and waves were crashingagainst the rocks with a vengeance. The wind was blowing pretty steady, andalthough the sun was shining brightly, we both got pretty chilly after abit. Even with the chill, there were 2surfers wearing wetsuits trying to catch a few waves. We pulled up stakes afterabout 2 hours of ogling God’s beauty, and headed back to base.

Caspar Beach

Waves shooting up after crashing on the rocks.

Waves crashing on the rocks off Caspar Beach.

Back at the house, Alene got to work cutting up vegetablesand making a beef stew for dinner, which turned out just fantastic! Lance and Susan and their friend Katarina cameover for dinner a few hours later.

What awonderful couple Lance and Susan are.

Did I mention Alene’s stew turned out to be incredibly good?

Lance is my age. He andSusan have been married for 24 years. Lance was saved right out of high school, after which he got involved instreet ministry in Sacramento, bringing thugs and gangsters and druggies tochurch and telling them about Jesus. He isa contractor/construction guy by trade, but a minister by heart, something heand Susan seem to share. They’ve knownJerry and Pat Westfall for about 20 years, and were asked about 8 months ago tocome stay at the ranch and help Pat and Jerry run the place. Since then, Lance and Susan have plugged intothe little Baptist church in Mendocino as their home, but they participate inministries with the Presbyterian church as well.

Even having met Lance for only a short time, and having only afew short conversations, he and I both acknowledged that there’s a brotherlyconnection there that we want to keep up with. Iron sharpens iron, ya know? Susan and Alene hit it off pretty well,too. We look forward to continuing ourrelationship and deepening our friendships!

God has been so gracious this week!

Antioch Ranch - Post #2

2011-10-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Mendocino Presbyterian Church – October 2011

When we arrived at Antioch Ranch, one of the things we askedJerry and Pat about is, where can we attend church while we’re here? They madea few suggestions, there being several small churches in the area, and wedecided to attend the church they attend, Mendocino Presbyterian Church.

Located on Main Street in Mendocino village, the church is abeautiful, old building that sits facing Mendocino Bay. One of the oldest buildings in town, it isone of the oldest continuously meeting Protestant churches in all California. Built in the late 1860’s, it has housed anactive church congregation ever since.

Upon arriving at church, Alene and I, along with everyoneelse entering the doors, were greeted by the “International GreetingCommittee”, which consisted of two nice ladies who greeted everyone as they camein. Clearly, the church gets visitorsfrom all over.

We stepped inside and found a lovely old fashioned, highceilinged church with beautiful stained glass facing the bay.

As we found some seats in a pew, I was impressed by howfriendly everyone was. Most of theparishioners were older folks, probably 6o and over, but there were a fewyounger scattered about. Alene and Iwere greeted by several who quickly noticed we were visitors. Our hosts, Jerry and Pat, both made a pointto come over and greet us, happy that we’d made it to church. Jerry made acomment that he suspected he might actually like Alene and I.

As the service began, I’m not sure how to explain it, but Ibegan to feel the Holy Spirit move in my heart. We sang a few traditional hymns, accompanied by an organ and pianist anda small choir in the tiny choir loft garbed in traditional maroon colored satinchoir robes. There was a reading ofscripture, and a sharing of a missionary moment (a rather moving tale ofworking in Japan to help rebuild homes after the tsunami earlier this year),and then a time of prayer.

This is where the Holy Spirit began to move in my heart is astirring way. As the preacher prayed theMorning Prayer, there came a point where he asked if anyone in the congregationhad specific people on their hearts to pray for, to lift that person up byname. Throughout the sanctuary I could hearthe whispered names of loved ones being prayed for.

Mary. Jim. Betty. Paul. Susan. Ralph. Frank. Bill. John.

Dozens of names were quietly lifted up to the Lord, nameswith real people attached to them, and real needs and concerns beingvoiced. Real people. Real love.

After this the pastor, a kind, dignified lookingwhite-haired orator named Don McCullough, preached a simple but passionate sermon. He recounted a trip he and his wife had justreturned from. They had been onvacation, and traveled to Glacier National Park, where he was intent tophotographing wild mountain goats. As he spoke, telling both a delightful taleof their vacation, he also weaved in a tale of God’s love for us.

During his attempts at photographing goats, Don and his wifecame across a grizzly bear on a trail. The bear was pretty far away and posed no direct threat, but being inthe presence of the bear, actually seeing it and knowing it saw them, andhaving nothing between themselves and the bear, made Don realize just howpowerful that bear was, and how truly wild it was. It had the capability totear them apart, literally, with just its claws. It was a powerful creature,and just being in its presence was both invigorating and frightening, and theyrealized they were not really in a ‘safe’ place. There was innate danger just being near thisgrizzly bear. There was a new respect for the power and majesty of the bearthat Don had never experienced through videos or photographs.

After making his point about the wilderness and wildcreatures and just how majestic it all is and how it all reveals God’s powerand amazing character, he recounted a short passage in C.S. Lewis’s “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”.

After being told by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver about the great lionAslan, ruler of Narnia, Lucy asks Mr. Beaver, “Is Aslan safe?” to which Mr.Beaver replied, somewhat incredulously, “Is Aslan safe? Of course he’snot safe! But he is good!”

I was reminded then and there just how mighty, how awesome,how amazing, how everything Godis. Then the pastor reminded us, God is wild.He is untamed and untamable. He is uncontainable and uncontrollable. God is able to do anything at any time thathe pleases. But even considering thepower of God, and as much reverence and fear and trembling I should have beforeHim, the ultimate image of God is found in Jesus, who calls us to us. The untamed, untamable, unstoppable God callsto us to come to Him, and find safety, security, and peace in His arms.

God is wild, untamable, uncontainable, anduncontrollable, but he is also uniquely and wholly good!

This sermon moved me to the core, and I found myself quietlyweeping tears of joy and determination to hold onto that view of God, to let itmotivate me.

After, we took Communion with the congregation, as theyobserve the sacrament each first Sunday of the month. This consisted of each person walking forwardand tearing a small piece of bread from the communion loaf, and dipping it in asmall chalice of wine and sharing this breaking of bread and the winetogether. It was a moving, differentexperience from what I’m accustomed to.

I have to admit; I wept through most of the service, movedby the Holy Spirit, and in awe of the closeness, the community that seemed toexist in this church. Afterwards we wereinvited to a soup lunch served in their little fellowship hall, where, again,we were made to feel so welcomed and a part of the Body of Christ. I got to see and experience how the Body ofChrist, of which all Christians are a part, is a real and vibrant and dynamicthing, and is alive all over the world.

Tuesday morning, Alene and I decided to step a little deeperinto this coastal community, and attended the Presbyterian Church’s Tuesdaymorning breakfast bible study. We metwith about 7 others, who welcomed us gladly. We drank coffee, ate a wonderful apple cake/strudel dish, and readRomans 5 and 6, and then discussed it as a round table.

It’s here that God would arrange a chance meeting with a newfriend, Lance. Lance is my age, andusually attends the breakfast bible study, then stays for the homeless outreachthe church does each Tuesday morning. Asit turns out, Lance and his wife Susan stay in the “Victorian” house at – youguessed it – Antioch Ranch, where Alene and I are staying. Lance and Susan have been living full time atthe ranch. Longtime friends of Jerry and Pat, they came earlier this year tohelp Jerry and Pat keep up with chores and such around the ranch. Their house is about 40 yards from whereAlene and I are staying.

What a “God thing”, huh?

Anyway, Lance and I hit it off pretty well. Turns out he and his wife are fromSacramento, and we got to talking about home and his experiences. He’s an on-fire Christian of the likes I’verarely met. I felt an instant ease whiletalking to him, listening to his experiences with the church in Mendocino andback home in Sacramento.

Today, Wednesday, I asked Lance if there was anything Icould help him with while he’s working, and he thought for moment, saying “Yousure? Be careful what you ask for.” I wound up helping him replace a log usedas a parking barrier in front of one of the houses, after which we talked about30 minutes about our lives and our walk with Christ.

Tomorrow, Alene and I will host Lance and hiswife at ‘our place’ for some dinner and fellowship.

I could not have expected to go on vacation and wind upfellowshipping with new friends and believers as we have on this trip. Alene and I both are just amazed at how Godworks in our lives and the lives of others we’ve met. The fellowship and community that we haveexperienced in the life of this little tiny Presbyterian Church has beeneye-opening to me.

Alene and I have had some long conversations this week, in theshort time we’ve been here, about where God is leading us, and what He wants usto do for Him. We still have a few daysleft here, where I am looking forward to seeing more of God’s work on theMendocino Coast.

I also look forwardto returning home, recharged and looking forward to what God has in store athome!

Antioch Ranch - Post#1

2011-10-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

Antioch Ranch– October 2011

Earlier thisyear, Alene and I were considering where to go for our vacation. Our ‘usual’ getaway up on the FortBragg/Mendocino coast we’ve used for the past 2 years was booked, so Alenebegan a search online for places to stay in the Fort Bragg/Mendocino coast areaof California.

On a whim,Alene searched on the Mendocino Chamber of Commerce, to see if there were anyrecommendations there. One of the firsthits she got was Antioch Ranch, a Christian retreat run by Jerry and PatWestfall, tucked into the coastal mountains about 6 miles off the Pacific oceannear Mendocino. After looking at theirwebsite, AntiochRanch.com, and a phone conversation with the owner’s daughterwhen I called, we decided to book our 9-day getaway with them.

The ranch,we’ve discovered, is about 20 acres of mountainous land on which Jerry and Pathave, over the course of about 50 years, built 5 homes, a cottage, and varioussheds, workshops, and pump houses. To call it a ‘ranch’ is a little bit of amisnomer, but whatever you call it, it’s lovely.

After drivingfrom Sacramento to Fort Bragg, we made our way south on Highway 1 to Mendocino,then turned inland on Comptche-Ukiah Road for about 5.5 miles, finally pullinginto Antioch Ranch’s long dirt driveway. We found our way to the main house, knocked on the door, and met JerryWestfall.

Jerry is aslight man of about 80 years, with bright eyes and a ready smile. He certainly doesn’t act or look 80, but hasthe energy and drive of a much younger man. He walked us across the small clearing around which three of the homeson their land sit, to the house we’d be staying in, the “Southwest” house.

Alene and I with Jerry and Pat Westfall

There, we metJerry’s wife, Pat, who was busy putting the finishing touches on house cleaningprior to our arrival. We made bettertime than we’d anticipated, and were about three hours earlier then Jerry andPat had expected, but they were gracious nonetheless.

The homeitself is adorable, and very much exceeded our expectations, but that wasn’tthe nicest surprise. Jerry and Patthemselves were the most gracious, accommodating, and kind hosts I’ve evermet. They made Alene and I feel right athome immediately, and their love for God and Jesus shone through theirconversation from the very start.

It seemsJerry and Pat had the dream of this ranch, this Christian retreat, since themid 1960’s, and have worked since to make it happen. They bought the land sometime in the 60’s andthroughout the 70’s hosted hundreds of hippies and travelers at various times. Theyhad what they called a “hippie ministry”, a time when many, many hippies of the70’s came to know Jesus as their savior. (Over the course of our stay weactually met a few former hippies who had nothing but wonderful things to sayabout Jerry and Pat). With the labor and love of many they ministered to, theybuilt the homes that are on the grounds now. They have variously renovated andimproved the homes to the quaint, quiet, and very cute homes they aretoday.

Today isWednesday as I write this, and already we feel almost at home here. Jerry and Pat have stopped by a few times,Jerry to bring a couple of games he thought Alene and I would like, and Pat tocheck on our stay, and each time they wound up staying for some time, chattingabout their life, about God and their ministry here, and their history, andlistening to our story, too. They’vemade us feel very much like family, and that is no small thing in our busy,bustling world.

There arethree homes for rent at the ranch right now, ours being the “Southwest”, a 2bedroom house with a full kitchen, bathroom, and living room with a wood stove. The others are the “Americana”, with 2bedrooms, a full bath, kitchen, and a huge living room/great room with a piano,wood stove, foosball table, and seating for over a dozen people. The third house is the “Hammer House”, whichis a 3 bedroom (they are small, but there are three of them), 1 ½ bath, 2 storyhouse with a full kitchen, washer and

dryer, and a lovely living room with awood stove.

All of thehomes are just adorable inside, and make one feel comfortable from the momentyou step inside. They are not lavishlyappointed, but simply, functionally, and tastefully. They have all the comforts of home, and allthe quaint charm of the country.

I want tothank Jerry and Pat for making us feel so welcome, for making Alene and I feel like family, and encourage anyone whowants a quiet getaway, and to meet a wonderful Christian couple, to look intoAntioch Ranch.

I’m certain Alene and Iwill come again.

Trying to Keep Love Alive in Everything We Do

2011-09-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I read a blog post by a young pastor explaining his understanding of the characteristics of God, including theTrinity, or Triune God. I completelyagreed with the points of faith he put forth, but as I read the post, I foundmyself troubled over the tone of the article.

In his defense of the Trinity, which admittedly is adifficult concept to try to understand, he made a couple of statements that putme on edge, as a believer whose purpose is to show Jesus’ love to everyonepossible.

In acknowledging the mystery that is God, and how someonemight come to disagree, he said,

“Don’t think more highly of your logic than you ought. Don’tyou think it’s possible that there might be some things that are true about theinfinite, sovereign Creator of the universe that are just a little difficult towrap your much smaller, finite mind around? Do you really think you’re so smart that you should be ableto fully wrap up everything about the nature of God in a nice littleintellectual package that is easy to understand and explain? Don’t think morehighly of your logic than you ought.”

In the next paragraph he tries to encourage or perhapschallenge those who don’t or can’t accept the Trinity by saying,

“Don’t be a hypocrite. The fact is that everyskeptic who scoffs at the doctrine of the Trinity based on its incomparablenessis a hypocrite.”

Is it really a fact? Everyskeptic that can’t get their head around the Trinity is a hypocrite?

Although I agreed with the author’s doctrine, I disagreedwith his presentation, and offered the following in encouragement. Hopefully I was encouraging, and if not, Iapologize and will work harder to be as loving as possible when offeringreproof or correction in the future.

Or God just might tell me to keep my mouth shut. Who knows.

I wrote:

I’ve always liked the analogy comparing the Trinity to thefamily relationship where a man can be a father, son, brother, uncle,grandfather, and husband, all at the same time. A man transitions between rolesseamlessly, and if a big family group is together, often fulfills several rolesat the same time. The essence of the man does not change – they are theindividual they are at all times – but their role and relationship to eachperson in the family varies depending on the relationship with the person theyare interacting with.

Admittedly, any analogy of the Trinity is by nature lacking,but I find the father analogy the most helpful for me. One person, oneidentity, but that one person looks different and interacts differently withthe people in their

lives.

I have a thought on the tone of the presentation of thetruths here, though: It sounded accusatory and lacking in love as you labeledpeople who could be genuine believers and seekers as skeptics, hypocrites, andarrogant in their logic. It sounded exclusive and judgmental.

I encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ to be carefulwhen labeling other brothers and sisters with words just as scoffers, skeptics,hypocrites, or labeling them somehow arrogant because they search thescriptures differently than you/us/I do. Be slow to assume and assert thatthose who think critically about scripture, who pray and search the depths ofGod’s word for meaning and guidance and are trying to reconcile what they readwith how they perceive the world, are somehow errant and hypocritical in theirsearch.

The search of the scriptures, the drive to seek truth, thequestioning of what we consider established truth and the desire to understandGod better, is never, of itself, a bad thing. The truth of God and the Bible,if it is a true teaching or revelation we hold to, will always prove itselfout. It will always stand up to honest examination.

We need to remember that the wonderful confessions andfoundations that we are able to stand on as pillars of our faith were workedout, in fear and trembling, by the church fathers exactly as THEY questionedscripture, questioned the teachers of their day, and searched the Bible formeaning and truth. Through logical thought, devotion, and long years of debateand discussion, often weathering the accusations and persecutions of theestablished church of their day, they established the foundations of thoughtand theology that underpin the churches today. They used their God given logicto struggle with the Biblical truths. The writings of Calvin, Arminius, Wesley,Augustine and many others are all tributes to the logical and scholarlytreatment of scripture.

And still the Body doesn’t agree on everything. There aregreat chasms separating doctrinal thought among Christian denominations, and inthe midst of it all, Jesus’ work still goes on.

I find THAT amazing!

I encourage ever believer to be slow and careful aboutlabeling someone a hypocrite.

Each of the examples in your 3rd paragraph is easilyexplainable by rudimentary science, and as you state, someone can explain it toyou scientifically. Your lack of understanding or perhaps limited knowledge ofthe science, and your amazement over the phenomenon, does not negate the truththat there are others for whom the scientific explanation makes complete sense,and for them there is no mystery. The phenomenon is

demonstrable scientifictruth.

The Trinity, though, is unfathomable and indemonstrable(empirically) in its truth, and our understanding is based on faith. The factthat something is unfathomable and, in your words wont “fully make sense”, inturn makes an assertion of absolute correctness or incorrectness meaningless.There is no way to be absolutely “correct” with something that “doesn’t makesense”. The honest skeptic, then, would scoff at the person who asserts thattheir understanding of the unfathomable MUST be the correct understanding.

I submit then that Christians who assert that scriptureunquestionably affirms the Trinity, which is empirically untenable but is anitem of faith, and THEN accuse those who don’t agree with our untenable item offaith of being hypocrites, should be pointing the finger of accusation directlyat themselves/ourselves. We simply cannot condemn anyone for disagreeing onsomething when, by nature, it is impossible to prove the correctness of what weourselves assert.

I’m not questioning the faith or the truth of the Trinity. Iwholeheartedly agree with your position on the truth of the Trinity. What Idisagree with is the accusations you place against others, and the labels youattach.

We must be like Christ; acting in love in EVERY WAY we dolife, including our disagreements with others. God allows people to disagreewith Him all the time, and does not belittle or degrade anyone. He doesn’tlabel anyone as anything other than a beloved that Jesus died for. The words wesay and write have meaning, and we must, as followers of Christ, do all we canto live in harmony and peace with everyone, including those we disagree with,because God wants us to be beacons of light and His love to His world.

Labels and accusations cause pain and division where,indeed, most of the time there should be none.

I urge us all, Christian brothers and sisters, to beChrist-minded, as much as possible, when we deal with others regarding what webelieve. We believe by faith that what God has revealed in His Word is truth.On this most all believers agree. WHAT God says about that truth is clearlyopen to interpretation, and Christ loving brothers and sisters the world overhave disagreements on certain issues. Asserting that the scriptural truthI/you/we hold to is THE scriptural truth and exact revelation of God’s natureis arrogant and unloving at the most basic level. We must deal with each otherwho have different ideas and with those who God hasn’t yet called to Him, withall the patience, gentleness, and firm loving kindness that Jesus expressestowards us.

There is nothing wrong with the Matrix. God is running itjust the way He wants, and yes, much of it is a glorious mystery, but a seekershould never be discouraged from investigating and learning about God in theBible for fear of being labeled a hypocrite or skeptic or even a heretic. Godcan deal with the truth of his Word just fine, and when God uses US to helpsomeone see His truth, we must, must, must do it in loving kindness, just asthe Holy Spirit does with each believer God has called.

Submitted in love.

Love in the First Degree

2011-09-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

I have a bad habit of writing very long posts. I'm going to try to keep this one shorter.

I can imagine that many gentle readers have had their eyes glaze over, perhaps even begin to cross and twitch, as they read on and on and on, then embark on a frantic search for the back-button in an effort to escape my byzantine rantings with their sanity intact.

If anyone has actually reached the final sentence on one of my posts, I can only assume you are a mighty warrior of the blogdom, and I salute your stamina and intelligence.

That being said, on to today's thoughts.

Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. And to followers of Jesus, love one another as Jesus loved us, so that the world will know that we are His disciples.

That pretty much sums up the entirety of Jesus commands to us. Every other command that Jesus gave when he said "If you love me, you will obey my commandments" have their roots in, and flow from, the simple command to love God, love people (your neighbor), and love one another so that the world will see Jesus in us.

I've read that the apostle John, when he was very old, used to go about the place where his church met saying, "little children, love one another", over and over.

One day someone asked John, "why do you continue saying this over and over?"

John is purported to have said, "because our beloved Lord commanded us to love one another as He loved us, and if we really do that, it is enough".

That really is a simple truth, but its also an astoundingly deep, weighty, and purposeful truth.

If we really do love one another as Jesus loved us, serving, sacrificing, submitting and giving to each other, how could that not be enough?

Take a moment and really think of how a community of believers, living lives of sacrificial love, in loving submission and service to each other flowing out of love for and obedience to Christ, would change the fabric of not only their own churches but their communities as well.

I was talking to my brother last week about this "love one another" concept, and he said something simple, and yet very profound.

He said, and I paraphrase but you'll get the gist,

.... if I am loving you, and you are loving me, and you are loving that guy over there too, and he is loving the guy next to him, and he's loving that lady over there who is also loving me and you, and I'm also loving those folks over there, and those folks are loving these folks over here, and we go on and on like this..... who's left to do any hating?

Simple, but profound. And, I submit, correct. Think how that would change our lives?

All the discussions over doctrine and theology are meaningless if they are not infused with the love of Jesus as their base. Jesus is the most perfect revelation of Himself that God has given to us. In Jesus is the fullness of God. In Jesus is revealed the love of God.

As we believers go about our lives we must, must, must remember that love is tantamount. Yes, God's judgment is real, Jesus' atoning sacrifice was because man is sinful and in need of reconciliation with God, and Jesus' triumphant resurrection provided proof of God's power in life and death and life.

But none of this is evident unless, as Jesus commanded, we love one another and show the world that we are His disciples. We must make the truths of God real in our lives, or how will others see it?

No one lights a candle, then hides it under a basket. This little light of mine, I need to let it shine. All believers in Jesus, of all stripes and shades, need to let it shine.

Don't hide your light, friends. Trust God, and remember that no one can blow your candle out. It is lit by the very fire of God's Holy Spirit, which is unquenchable.

Love one another, truly, really, honestly, and sacrificially, as Jesus loved us. I think we'll find, if we want to have an impact on this world for Jesus, "it is enough".

Certainly, even if John was incorrect about "loving one another" being enough, that love is indispensable and the gospel of Jesus cannot be taught, lived, or learned without it. Love is the necessary first ingredient without which nothing else can be done.

Love one another, as Christ loved us. Really love. Let's see how it changes our lives.

Responding to a Responsive Response on Differing Views of Providence

2011-08-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

Some time back I wrote a response an another blog, Deconstructing Neverland, where the author laid out his opinion on Open Theism. That peaked my interest, and I responded, as bloggers do, with my opinion on what he wrote, and he was gracious enough to post my response.

In the mean time, my nephew Tom and I have been bantering back and forth over Twitter and through a few e-mails regarding our respective views on God and providence, and things of that nature. All good natured conversation aiming and expanding our understanding of God and His word. Tom read my response, and authored his rebuttal to my response.

Oh, what joy to read thoughtful, loving commentary on God and Christ, from family members who are indeed born-again believers, too!

So, to continue to the conversation, instead of taking up more space on the other blog, I decided to post my response to Tom here, on my blog. To be fair, there is even another response on the original blog, Deconstructing Neverland, where the author of THAT blog lays out HIS opinion on the matter.

All presented in the spirit of love, brotherhood, and encouragement that brothers and sisters in Christ should have for one another.

My response:

I enjoyed reading your post, Tom. You make some points on which we can agree and a few where I have a different opinion. To start my reply, let me say a bit on what Open Theism is, and is not, from my understanding.

Open Theism holds that God, in His sovereignty, seems to have chosen to interact with His creation in a somewhat different fashion that traditional Calvinism or Armenianism suggest.

Calvinism holds, generally, that God has ordained all things past, present and future, and everything that happens is from the sovereign will and preplanned purpose of God. Nothing in creation happened or will happen or can happen that is outside or in opposition to the will and planned purpose of God.

Armenianism holds somewhat similar views, in that God knows all things that occur past, present, or future, but not that they were necessarily ordained by God exactly in the way they happened. God knew all things would happen as they did, seeing as He has perfect knowledge of all things past, present and future, therefore the future, as God knows it, is unchangeable and is, in effect, “ordained” or set.

Open Theism holds, to my understanding, that God indeed has perfect knowledge of all things past and present, and that nothing occurs outside of His sovereign grace. But Open Theism holds that God, in His sovereign choice, has decided to interact with His creation in a way that lovingly gives free moral creatures (the angels, demons, and human beings) a great deal of freedom in choosing how they will live out their lives, thus leaving some possibilities for the future “open”. God knows the future as possibilities, and experiences the future with us as it unfolds. Since the future has not happened, the future is not there to be known by God as it is. God has clearly ordained many things in the Bible (Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary, for instance), but has also been seen to relent and change His mind about others (Ex. 32:7-14, for instance). He seems to leave a great deal of latitude in how He works with His creation to bring about His plans (for instance, God’s prophecies never stated exactly how Jesus sacrifice would work itself out, and exactly who the actors would be in fulfilling prophecy. They gave broad strokes and hints at the big picture, but not exact details, In the end, God guided His plan to fruition).

Understanding that these types of discussions are enjoyable from a philosophical and intellectual standpoint, and are used to sharpen our thoughts and minds as to our understanding of scripture, but not to demand that anyone see scripture through any particular lenses (after all, Paul urges us in Romans 14:1 not to argue about things that really aren’t important, and you yourself note that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; and I think we can whole heartedly agree that Christ is King and the center of all we believe), I would like to discuss a few points you made, and suggest a different way of viewing those verses and their context.

Simply for your consideration, and the joy of the discussion.

First, a definition: I think you equate “sovereignty” with “control’’. Not to suggest God does not have “control” of His creation when He chooses, but I don’t believe the “sovereignty” the Bible depicts of God over his creation equates with God exerting His will to maintain complete and total control over every aspect and every occurrence in creation. This is where Calvinism, for me, falls short of exalting the glory of God.

I believe God’s sovereignty is a sovereignty of love, which means “God demonstrates divine power when he empowers others to make choices to either enter into a loving relationship with Him or not.” God thereby “puts Himself in a position in which His heart might grieve because of the adultery of His beloved (Hosea 11). ”*

In order for God to grieve anything (Genesis 6:6-7), something must have occurred that He did not expect. Truly, why would scripture portray God as “broken hearted” or “troubled” or “sorry that He made” mankind, if indeed mankind were doing exactly as He planned from the beginning of time? I contend that God is not irrational; He is not a liar; so the text must mean something true about God.

Isaiah 5 is also an example of God expecting one thing, but experiencing a different outcome. God says of Israel that He’s tilled the field, worked and planted, and expected a crop of good grapes, but He received a crop of wild, bad fruit. God asks Israel, “What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?” If God had ordained all things, how could God ask “what more?” and “why?”. Again, I don’t think God is irrational, I don’t think He is a liar, and I think scripture is true, so this passage is saying something true about God.

“Sovereignty” is not necessarily the same thing as “control”.

Now, to some of your points.

I agree Judas is on the hook for his own moral choices. The question Calvinism must confront is, did Judas have a choice? Did God choose that individual from the beginning of time, or did God ordain the betrayal from the beginning of time? Any number of people could have betrayed Jesus. What if Judas had repented prior to the betrayal and confessed his sin and came back to Jesus? Calvinism would claim “impossible”, which would indeed make God responsible for Judas and his evil. But I contend Judas, much as anyone else, made his own free moral choice, choosing earthly riches and glory over God’s love. God, in His sovereign reign over His creation, ordained that Jesus would be betrayed, and worked with his free moral creatures to bring this about. Had Judas repented, I believe God would have rejoiced at Judas repentance, and then, in His sovereign love, begun the process of finding another path for Jesus to be betrayed to the cross. Because God is sovereign, it was always going to end at the cross. Because God loves, he works with his free creatures to bring about His plans.

Control is not love.

As for the passages in Acts, again, God did foreordain a broad picture of Jesus’ betrayal, and ultimately brought it about. Old Testament prophecy is clear on that. But exactly which Jews and wicked men were intended to do exactly which things to bring it about is never addressed in prophesy, and there is no reason to assume that Peter is suggesting that God specifically picked these persons from the beginning of time. In my reading of scripture, Peter is using broad strokes to say to these people who ultimately did participate in Jesus death – “Look! God foretold that Jesus would be handed over to die, and you just did it!” They indeed had choices, and at any point could have changed their minds, but because they did not, because they chose to crucify Jesus, they are indeed culpable for their actions, and Peter exalts and glorifies God who orchestrated His will to come to pass.

Complete control over all actions is never suggested, as Calvinism demands, but God’s sovereignty over his plans are exalted everywhere.

And in none of this, anywhere, has God been the creator or the cause of evil.

I think that even the crucifixion itself must be viewed, not an act of evil, but one of perfect love. No one can kill God without God allowing it. Indeed, no one can do anything to affect God in any way without God allowing it. The act of the crucifixion, the Passion of the Christ, was a monumental act of love from God to mankind. It was a positive choice in love for God to interact with and redeem mankind to Himself. His death on the cross was a perfect, eternal, absolutely beautiful act of love, but it was God’s choice. All the ugliness and evil that people contributed to get Jesus to the cross were the actions of free moral agents, on which you and I agree, they are responsible for those free moral actions, but their choices would have been meaningless had

God not willfully chosen to act, to sacrifice, to die, in love.

To me, this means Calvinism has a problem here. If the action of every person was foreordained, then how can they be responsible?

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I think Jesus is clear here. People made positive choices all along the way to betray, torture, and kill Jesus, but they didn’t understand the gravity of what those choices brought to fruition. Jesus (God), to the end, has love and compassion. Never evil.

As for creation, I believe creation was subjected against its will in frustration, as you quote scripture, not by its own choice, but by God in response to the choices of man and Satan. Had man and Satan exercised their free moral choices to love and serve God, creation would never have been subjected against its will. God, in his sovereign love, gave the angels and mankind the choice to love God or rebel. Indeed, without choice, there cannot be love. But the evil, the trigger or precursor to the fall, was Satan’s and mankind’s evil choices. Our rebellion. In Genesis 3, God tells the serpent “because you have done this” you will be cursed, and He tells the man “since you have listened to your wife” the ground is cursed. Satan and Adam made evil choices when they disobeyed and rebelled against God. God does not do or cause the evil, but He does respond to it. Even there, in the Garden, God begins the work of bringing about good from man’s and Satan’s evil by promising God’s eventual victory over Satan in verse 15.

In Genesis 20, God does indeed intercede to prevent Abimelech from sinning in verse 6. But look further down, in verse 7. God still acknowledges that, although God has interceded up to this point, Abimelech still might possibly chose not to return Sarah to Abraham. “Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don’t return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die.”

God interceded, but His intercession was not to preclude Abimelech from exercising his free-moral choice. There is nothing “preordained” or “controlling” about God’s sovereignty in this passage. Indeed, God acknowledges that Abimelech still has a choice, and warns him to make the right choice.

In 1 Samuel, the sons of Eli are indeed wicked men. But was their wickedness ordained by God? If we read 1 Samuel 2:30-31, we see where God had promised one thing, but because of the actions of Eli and his sons, changes His mind and declares a new thing.

“Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age”.

I think the passage here, taken in context, clearly shows God wants them to repent of their ways and return to Him. God does say that He will kill Eli’s sons, but a further reading of 1 Samuel 3 tells us why.

“Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

Implied here is that God’s warning to Eli was to convince him to gain control over his sons and stop their constant sin. God judgment and his decision to kill them were because they continue to blasphemy God and Eli had not taken the proper steps to discipline them and bring them under control. Had Eli’s sons repented and turned from their wicked ways, would God have still killed them? Was God’s choice to kill them preordained and set in stone by God himself? I think a reading of the context is clear: no. God does say that their sins would never be forgiven by sacrifices and offerings, but again, implied in the broad context of all scripture, I believe God would have forgiven a contrite heart and repentant spirit, since that is what He was trying to bring about in Eli and his sons from the start. In 2^nd Peter we know that God wants none to perish, and that He is patient. God has been very patient with Eli and his sons up to this point, warning them again and again. But God knew their hearts, and was well within His sovereign rights to say, they are going to die because I know that they will likely never repent.

Again, not control, but sovereignty.

In Isaiah 10, God does indeed raise up an army as an instrument of judgment against Israel, but I think it is misguided to discuss this passage as an example of how God might be responsible for or the cause of evil, in order to bring about good. To say that this is God causing evil to bring about good is to say that God’s judgment is evil, which is plain wrong. Remember, all of creation is the Lord’s. He alone judges, and His judgment is always right. We must view evil from God’s perspective, and the supposed evil that God brings via that Assyrians is not evil at all, but an action of love designed to bring a wicked people who don’t understand God’s ways back to Himself.

Indeed, God acknowledges later, in verse 12, that God will punish the Assyrians after they have finished with Israel.

“After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria and punish him—for he is proud and arrogant.”

How can this be, if they are only doing what God wants them to do? The answer is, God did not force or coerce or preordain the Assyrians to do anything. God assessed the place and time in history, and simply unleashed them to do what was in their hearts, and in His sovereign love, used their wickedness to discipline Israel. Even though God used the Assyrians’ evil to work His desire (working all thing together for good for those that He loves and are called according to His purpose), the Assyrians were still held responsible for their wickedness and pride.

God was not the creator nor did He ordain the evil.

The original evil in this passage is on the part of the Israelites themselves, who have turned their backs on God. Without their disobedience, God would have no need to discipline them. The Assyrians don’t realize they are God’s instruments, but they act as their evil hearts lead them, and God wonderfully weaves their free-will choice to attack Israel (evil) into His sovereign plan to love His people and discipline them (good).

Even in Job, God is not responsible for the “evil” that befell Job. Satan is the actor in causing Job’s travails. Indeed. Satan was complaining that all God did was bless Job and give him good things. So God tells Satan, “All right, do with him as you please”, but spare his life.

The key here is Satan, and what he pleases to do. Satan had a choice, up to a point, where God commanded Satan to spare Job’s life. God ordained that Job live, which is a loving command. Other than that, Satan was free to do as he pleased. He could have done nothing at all, and left Job alone, but Satan’s heart is dark and evil, and he used his free-will to do everything he could to poor Job in order to coerce him to curse God. In the end, Job acknowledges that God is perfect and every good thing, even the measly, sick, poor and cursed life he had left, comes from God. When Job proved himself overwhelmingly faithful, God lovingly restored his fortunes and then some.

Again, God is not the creator, nor the cause, of evil.

God allows his free-will creations a frightening amount of lee-way to cause havoc and destruction in this world. But without that capability, neither would we have the capacity to choose to love God, freely, as He loves us.

In closing, your next to last paragraph, Tom, is wonderfully “open”. God does indeed work through us, wills us to work with Him, and desires our participation in His creative work. You state “We don’t get to sit back and say, ‘well you’re sovereign, God. You could have done something if you wanted’”, which is absolutely true. The Bible does not allow that. But I believe the Bible does not allow that because the Bible does not teach that God exerts complete and total control over every aspect of His creation.

Not that He couldn’t, but that He willfully doesn’t.

So many places in scripture God puts a plan in motion to see how it will work out.

God was sorry he made mankind in Genesis 6, and sent a flood to destroy them, but kept his promise to Noah.

In Exodus 32, God changed his mind about the disaster he planned to bring on his people. “So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.” David later recounts in Psalm 106 that God would have destroyed Israel had it not been for Moses, God’s chosen one, standing in the breach before God on behalf of Israel, praying that God would turn away his anger.

In 1 Kings 21, God tells Ahab he is going to bring disaster upon his family, but because Ahab repents and humbles himself, God relents and says He will not bring this disaster in Ahab’s lifetime. God responded to Ahab’s repentance.

In Jeremiah 2, God tells Jeremiah to bring a message to the people in hopes that “they will listen and turn from their evil ways. Then I will change my mind about the disaster I am ready to pour out on them because of their sins.” God says He is ready to do one thing, but will do another if His people respond.

And there are dozens more like these.

I believe God is an active, moving, and dynamic God, who calls to us daily to enter into His creative work, to bring His Kingdom plan to fruition, and reach as many people as possible for Christ.

I believe Jesus’ act of sacrifice was a positive choice on behalf of the Son in obedience to the Father, which makes that act one of immeasurable, incalculable, unfathomable love, much deeper than a preordained act which could not be changed. Jesus could have “called ten thousand angels to take him away”, as the old hymn sings, but He didn’t (seems some of the old hymn writers weren’t strict Calvinists, either). He could have given in to Satan’s temptations in the wilderness, but He didn’t. He chose to love us, and give His life freely for us.

That realization brings to me to my knees.

I hope you accept this in the spirit of love that it’s intended. I don’t make any claims to having the complete truth of scripture. I am convinced that anyone who does claim to have the complete truth of scripture, and thinks they really have it all wrapped up and that their way of interpreting scripture is the ONLY way, is a prideful liar. We must always be open to the Holy Spirit and His guidance.

However, I do make claim, and I hope you do too, that the way the Holy Spirit has revealed scripture to me motivates me. It’s clear to me that the Holy Spirit has motivated you, too, and for that I have the deepest love and joy in the Lord. To know that my brother’s kids have a love for the Lord is of great encouragement to me, Tom.

I believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God, and as such is a light to our paths, and a lamp to our spirits (Prov 20:27). I think God knows each of our hearts and minds so intimately that His word reveals itself to each of us in a unique, specific way that should motivate us to love and action. I believe God abhors conformity, but rejoices over obedience. So long as we rejoice together in Christ, His death and resurrection, and God’s glorious grace by which we are saved, I think God will rejoice with us and sing over us in love.

Submitted lovingly, in hopes that each of our iron would sharpen the other.

What Love Means to Me

2011-08-09T09:27:00.001-07:00

Back when Alene and I first stated dating, I wanted to reassure her that I wanted to love her and treat her in the best way that I could. I looked to 1st Corinthians 13 in the Bible for some guidance on what love was. As I read the verses in the Bible, I tried to think how these words translated into real, everyday living, and I came up a written promise of how I would try to treat Alene every day.

It hangs on the wall of our home as a reminder to my wife of how I intend to love her, and it became the vows we read to each other at our wedding.

Considering how much "love" has been on my mind and heart lately, both in personal reading and in our Bible studies at church, I'd like to post this as an insight into what it means to me to demonstrate love to others throughout our lives, be it with our spouses, our children, or our friends and acquaintances.

Love, I'm convinced, should be lived throughout all of our life, spread liberally and generously without consideration for who deserves it or not. After all, I didn't deserve it when Jesus gave his life for me. I am called to do no less for others.

What Love Means To Me

(From 1^st Corinthians 13:4-8a)

“Love is patient and kind”

Love means taking the time to listen and understand each other, with an open mind and open heart. Love means always thinking about how our actions and words affect each other, and remembering to act and speak in ways that comfort and reassure each other, not hurt one another.

“Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude”

Love means trusting one another, and always giving each other the benefit of the doubt. Love means not putting one another down, or making one another feel less important for any reason. Love is not self-seeking, nor does love seek to build ourselves up at the expense of the other. Love means being considerate of one another in all things, valuing each other’s feelings.

“Love does not demand its own way”

Love means finding the answers together, not demanding one way. Love means considering that the other just might be right, and I just might be wrong, and remembering that that’s ok. Love means valuing each other’s opinions.

“Love is not irritable, and keeps no record of when it has been wronged”

Love means remembering the good things about one another that drew us together to start with, and keeping those close to our hearts. Love means forgiving one another when we confess our wrongs, and then laying those things we’ve forgiven at The Cross and leaving them there, never to pick them up again.

“Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices when the truth wins out”

Love means looking for and encouraging good things in life and doing things that reinforce each other’s will to do good. Love means protecting each other from evil and never repaying hurt for hurt.

“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance”

Love means never giving up the mission of loving one another. Love means not quitting when the going gets difficult, and never, ever threatening to leave. Love means looking for the best in one another, protecting one another, and encouraging one another, while always believing in one another. Love means looking forward to a future together, and always pulling together to make that future a reality.

“Love Never Fails”

In all things, love keeps Christ as its focus and model, for apart from Christ there is no love. God’s love is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God’s love never ends and never fails, and from that unfailing love that we take comfort and strength.

Bad Blogging, Questionable Driving, and God's Good Love

2011-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

I’m a bad blogger.

It seems to me, in order to be a good blogger, one must occasionally blog. I do the ‘occasionally’ very well, but I think sometimes it’s a bit too ‘occasional’. I should write more.

And not so much from a desire to be read (which I admit it is fun to think someone is reading my little diatribes) but from a desire to get the thoughts swirling around in my head down on paper in some coherent form so that I can reference them in the future.

Have you even been driving down the freeway, or walking down the street, or sitting in the backyard watching the grass grow…. and had some wonderful thought occur to you? Suddenly some idea you’ve been toying around with, or some concept you’ve been tinkering with, or some idea you’ve been trying to articulate, just solidifies and coalesces into clarity.

You sit in wonder at the moment, at how this thought which has been just out of reach for so long is now, in the moment, so near and clear, and it makes so much sense!

Then, just as quickly, the thought slips out of your grasp, back into the dim corners where uncompleted ideas lurk, floating back and forth through the fog of uncertainty.

Argh!!!

I go through this time and time again, especially when I’m driving to work in the morning.

Drive time has become my quiet time. I spend quite a bit of time in the car, so I’ve decided to make use of the time. I figure, just because I’m driving doesn’t mean I can’t talk to God, listen to podcast sermons, sing and pray. I do a lot of thinking while I’m driving, and often, when I’m talking to God (funny thing is, inside the confines of my car when I’m alone, I can actually talk out loud to God, which I find kinda cool, like having an actual conversation, not just a ‘prayer’) God seems to actually talk back to me.

Uh huh. I said it.

And I mean it.

And I’m not on any medications.

Nor am I delusional.

Probably.

Mostly.

I hope.

It’s during these times that I find myself truly exploring my own heart, and listening for God to speak. Usually what happens is, as I’m struggling within myself to clarify a thought or idea, and I’m asking God, the Holy Spirit, to help me clarify it, I find myself in sort of a 2-way dialogue with myself.

At this point I refer back to my previous assertion that I’m not delusional, and ask you to bear with me.

As I dialogue with myself, I find that new thoughts occasionally occur to me, which I’m certain are the Holy Spirit’s influence on my heart and mind. It’s subtle, gentle, and very quiet, but it’s there. I’ve actually caught myself in mid-sentence, making an argument for some idea or position I’ve been thinking about, and suddenly a thought regarding a different point of view pops into mind. And I have to stop, consider this new point of view (wherever it came from) and either accept it or argue against it.

Debating is never more fun that when you debate yourself, especially if somehow you don’t know what your own answer is going to be when you ask a question.

Jesus did say don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, didn’t he? Perhaps that applies here or not, but I still think it’s interesting to think about.

I need to get some more coffee while I digest my last comment.

I think maybe I should switch to decaf?

So, I have many thoughts and ideas swirling around in my mind, that focus in and out of clarity, that tease me with understanding just to flitter away back to the fog of uncertainty. Occasionally they rise from the fog, and I try to grasp them and wrestle them to the ground so that I can capture them and make them a coherent part of my psyche. Too often, I lose that wrestling match because I have to stop wrestling and get on with life. I can’t just sit and think all day. Life must go on, and the drive to work is only about 25 minutes long.

So I take to writing every so often, which helps me to wrestle with the thoughts, and gives me more time to work things out. It also helps solidify the ideas because I can go back and reference whatever epiphany it was that brought sudden clarity in the past, and proclaim a hearty “Ah ha!” of understanding all over again.

Which brings me to my idea, thought, or concept of the day – God’s Immeasurable, Unfathomable, Outrageous, Scandalous, Perplexing, Counter-Intuitive, Universe-Spanning, Personal, Intimate, Creative, Sacrificial, Magnificent, Joyous, Ever-Present, All-Encompassing Love.

I have no idea, at this point, how to convey the thoughts and feelings on this subject that run through my veins at this point in my life. I’ll give random train of thought a try though.

I have been consumed of late with the concept of how much God loves this creation, universe, solar system, planet, animals, plants, bugs, snakes, fish, mosquitos, birds, rocks, mountains, and every single solitary person that is now, or has ever existed. God’s love is beyond charity, beyond kindness, and beyond caring. God’s love, for all of everything, is ultimate.

God IS love, and can be, can exist, can act, can do things, no other way.

This is not to say God is limited in any way, by no means.

This means simply that love is God in the essence - much as God said “I Am”, to proclaim he is above, over, outside the subset that is Creation, God is All because through God all things exist and have their being, “I Am” is actually a very simple statement of God’s nature. God simply “Is”, and I’ve become convinced that the “Is” of God is love.

Creation itself is an outrageous, magnificent, perplexing and unfathomable act of love. Without being created, nothing would exist to be loved by God, nor would anything exist that could love God. Creation itself is God’s masterpiece, God’s Opus, of love.

And sometimes, when that thought about God’s love, about the depth and scale of that love coalesces in my brain, when I manage get a finger hold on just the very edge of how magnificent and wondrous and holy that love is, I have to admit it brings me to my knees. That’s because I realize, in all this creation, considering all the things that God has to be concerned with, with the scope and scale of creation and the universe and all the things that God loves, God not only sees me and considers me and loves me, but God loves me to the fullest extent that God can love.

God’s love for me – and for you – is ultimate.

There is no other way for God to love, because love is what God is.

There is no way for God to love me less or more than God does right now.

Or did yesterday.

Or will tomorrow.

Because God IS love, and that’s the only way God can love.

Completely.

Totally.

Fully.

There is no ‘more or less’ with God’s love.

God’s love just ‘is’, and that ‘is’ is a full-on, complete, total, absolute, never-ending, never-ceasing, always-flowing, 100-percent –full love.

From this complete, perfect, absolute love flows everything we know about God, and everything that God has ever done in creation. God displays this love throughout all creation, at all times, every day.

Even right now, dear reader, you are seeing God’s magnificent love at work in creation.

You are most likely looking at a computer screen of some kind, with the created photons of light impacting the nerves at the back of your created eyes, sending chemical and electrical impulse to your created brain. In an as yet unfathomable and magnificent feat of Godly engineering, your brain somehow orders these impulses into a recognizable pattern that another part of that same brain is able to interpret as language, so that I can communicate this thought to you in this marvelous, amazing manner.

God’s love displayed in God’s marvelous creation.

The beauty of the engineering and the scope of the construct speak volumes about God and God’s nature, and God’s love for me.

And you.

As Paul says in Romans 1, “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made…”

My challenge has been to consider God’s love, and let that change my life. I ask you, consider just how large, how extensive, how “all” is God’s love for yourself, and let that realization change your life, too.

I’ll write another day about just exactly what God is doing and changing in my life, but at least I got THIS one thought down on paper – I mean in digital storage made to approximate the appearance of paper when displayed on a computer screen - today!

Praying for Dependence Day

2011-06-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

July 4th is fast approaching, and with it a quintessential American holiday. In the USA we celebrate a pivotal date in US history, our Declaration of Independence from England in 1776.

Independence Day is a fiercely patriotic day for most Americans, where we both honor and celebrate the sacrifices of those who died to establish this country, and honor the ongoing sacrifices on those who fight on for that freedom today. We watch parades, eat copious amounts of food, and set off miniature explosives called "fireworks", designed to mimic and recall the sights and sounds of the battles fought by both our ancestors and our contemporaries.

I've enjoyed "July 4th" for most of my life, but I am enjoying it less and less these days. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the fellowship and parades and pomp of the day, and the fireworks are exciting and fun, but I'm becoming less and less enamoured with what the day represents.

I love my country. I am blessed, fortunate, and very happy that I and my family were born and live here. I am very proud of my friends and relatives who have served, bled, and some died in the service of this nation.

But I really wish they didn't have to.

The bloodshed and toll in human life that it has taken to hold and defend this rather large plot of land on the North American plain is truly overwhelming when you think about it, not to mention the fights we've fought amongst ourselves and against those who occupied the land prior to the European migration. Many, many, many have died during the construction, expansion, and defense of this country.

I really wish they didn't have to.

I look forward to a time when the bloodshed will end, and the horrors will cease. I look forward to a time when God will reconcile all things to Himself. I look forward to a time when the "war-zone" of a world that we live in will be cleared of combatants, both physical and spiritual, and all will be set at peace under the Lordship of Jesus.

I realize that in this fallen world, where Satan is still the Prince of this Earth, and the sword is still the language with which nations speak, the bloodshed will continue, as it has since the beginning of recorded history. But my prayer, as we approach this American Independence Day (a day which has little meaning other than being a Monday to much of the rest of the world), that those who call Jesus their Lord will take the time to pray, to work, and to serve others in a fashion after God's Kingdom, not after the kingdom of the sword.

To those who would raise a fist, I pray that Kingdom people would respond with a turned cheek and love. To those that would harm us, I pray that Kingdom people would respond with a blessing. To those that would cheat or steal from us, I pray that Kingdom people would respond with generosity. (Luke 6: 17-36)

To the world in general, to people living in the "war-zone" being fought between God and Satan, between demons and angels, and between evil men and the Kingdom of God, I pray that Kingdom people would look and act and love like Jesus, sacrificing and serving and giving His all.

After all, Paul tells us in Philippians 2 that 'You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had:

Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.'

I pray for the day when we no longer have to pray for our soldiers that protect us, or for our enemies that would harm us. I long for the day when neither soldiers nor enemies exist, and all is at peace under Jesus.

I pray for a time when we can celebrate not Independence Day, in the sense we know it, but Dependence Day, in the sense God want us to be dependent on Him.

Until then, I pray that all God's people will try to live at Jesus did, to the best of their ability, serving all those we come in contact with, showing God's love to the world.

In the meantime, pass the ketchup for the hot dogs, enjoy the potato chips, and have a wonderful day of fellowship and love, while remembering those who can't be with us due to the ongoing battles of war, both on Earth and in heavenly places.

Last Day of Vacation Thoughts and Lessons Learned

2011-06-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of my three week vacation. I'm sitting in Starbucks in Fort Bragg, CA, sipping a strong Italian Roast, enhanced with liberal quantities of half-and-half and Splenda, looking out the window, not at the ocean but at a small patch of green grass bordering Highway 1, which runs in front of the coffee shop. The air outside is crisp and clean, with the distinct scent of the ocean coast wafting through the doors, mixing with the stronger and more distinct aroma of brewing coffee.

People say that they love that ocean air, or ocean smell. I have to admit, the distinct aroma of vaporized salt mixed with decaying ocean debris does stir my spirit in a way other aroma's just don't approach.

I don't want to go back to work tomorrow. Oh, I know I know I have to go, for a variety of reasons, a paycheck being the leader among them, but I have to admit, I'm enjoying this life of leisure I've been pretending at these past few weeks. Not that I haven't been busy, but I've been busy with things more of my own choosing, rather than "reporting for duty".

I can almost understand why some people would choose to live a life of meager means, and yet enjoy the freedom that comes with directing each day as you desire. Almost. I find I prefer the security of steady work to be a more attractive lifestyle, but that's just me.

But I babble.

I'm in Fort Bragg visiting Larry, a co-worker, and his wife Sharon, who drove their motorhome on its maiden

voyage to Caspar Beach, just south of Fort Bragg. Larry had initially invited both Alene and I to come up, but Alene, being busy with work, couldn't make it. So I drove up and had a wonderful evening visiting with Larry and his family. They graciously fed me dinner, and I became the inaugural dinner guest in their new palace on wheels.

I'll stop by again in a bit, after I leave the coffee shop, and say goodbye before I leave. They have been wonderful hosts, and Larry is a man that I've enjoyed getting to know better. We seem to be kindred spirits, of sorts, and although he is Catholic and I am Protestant, we both agree and make a connection over the wonderful truth that is Jesus and what God has done in our lives. We can both admit that we are grateful that Christ is the Lord of our lives, no matter which particular church door we prefer to walk through.

So, as I prepare to return to work tomorrow, I take away from my vacation a few truths, and a few lessons learned, and a few things to apply to the future.

First, for me, life has to be, and must be, all about Jesus. I've not yet grasped full dependence on God , and as Paul says in the Bible, it's a race to run, which means I may never be "all the way" there until God takes me home, but I've come to the conclusion that, for me, the answers are all there. Hope, joy, a release of fears and hurts, the ability to love fully without reservation, all of it - comes from the Hope that I have in Jesus.

Secondly, living a life for Jesus doesn't mean running around proselytizing or evangelizing everyone I know to turn and repent, or to accept Jesus as your savior and be born again. These things are found in the Bible, and it covers the topics just fine. Living a life for Jesus means a life that looks like his - loving people, caring for people, sacrificing and bleeding for people without judgement or anger or attempts at controlling them.

Living a life for Jesus means meeting needs when I see them, not waiting for someone else, or praying that someone else will come along. It means cultivating a life of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Gal 5:22-23). It means loving even those who make me mad, and praying for those even who would harm me, being compassionate and not judgemental (Luke 6:27-35), all the time, without regard for where I am or what's going on.

It means being a radical for Jesus. Not crazy, mind you. Clearly not crazy. But radical. This kind of life should look different, and people should look askance and wonder what kind of weirdo are you? This is exactly why Jesus said people will persecute Christians and say all kinds of evil things against them, because Christians are supposed to look different!

I come to the conclusion that I haven't looked much different, and I know it's because I haven't been living the kind of life I want to live, in Jesus. The change has to begin with me if I expect others to come along on the journey. Or it may be a solitary journey! I don't know, but I do know I need to make some changes.

Third, prayer is important. Very important. It's the engine that drives, the fuel that feeds, and the line that connects us to God. God is searching and scouring the Earth for people who will pray and intercede on the behalf of others, and who will pray to join God in His plan for His people. God wants to hear my heart, my soul, and my mind's cries to Him about whatever is worrying me. He wants to shoulder my burdens with me, so that I can go and do good for His kingdom, and make a difference in this world.

Fourth, The Kingdom of God looks nothing like the kingdoms of this world, and never will. The kingdoms of this world, be it Iraq, France, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Canada, or even the good ol' USA, are just various versions of the kingdoms of the world, that are ruled and run by the current prince of this world, Satan. Some are better than others, and God uses all of them to keep order and a semblance of security in this world, but none of them, not one, even resembles in the remotest way the coming Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke of.

My first allegiance must always be to God's Kingdom. I must always do what I can to promote justice and care in this world, but where the kingdom of earth rules contrast with Kingdom of God rules, the Kingdom of God must reign in my heart, and I must learn not to violate that. Peter and John confessed exactly such to the Pharisees, and I can do no less.

Lastly, I need to learn to apply all these things I've talked about to every single aspect of my life. God isn't the God of sometimes or just on Sundays and Wednesday nights. He's God every single second of every single day, everywhere in the Universe. Every breath I take, every time my heart beats, every step I walk must begin to be "conformed to Christ". I want to walk as a "child of the light", as Paul says, getting rid of "all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior" (Eph 4:31). I want to be "done with deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech" (1 Peter 2:1)

And I want to challenge other brothers and sisters in Christ to do that same. I know many who have begun walking this road many years ago, and their lives shine as bright beacons of hope in my eyes. But many, as I, have lagged behind, and I pray that my brothers and sisters in Christ who see themselves sharing my plight, would pray and begin this journey as well.

I know by writing this I set myself up for judgment and ridicule when I inevitably don't live up to the standards I am aiming for, and that's alright. No one is perfect, as they say, except Jesus. But I will still strive and work to walk toward His example in everything I do.

So.... back to work tomorrow and back to the daily grind, but hopefully I take a little bit more hope back with me than I left with.

2011-06-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

I've been reading and being challenged, lately, by an author named Greg Boyd. He's a pastor of a large Baptist church in Minnesota who has written some controversial, or more accurately I think, pointed books about his views on God, and what he thinks is going on in the The Church in America. Some of his thoughts are different from what I'd been taught, others are pretty mainstream, but just about everything I've read has challenged me to begin rethinking how I related to God, where I fit into His Church, and how The Church should relate to the world.

Particularly I'm reading "The Myth Of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church". In it, the author makes some remarkable arguments about how The Church (we're not talking denominations here, but the body of Christ which is Jesus' Church in the world) should look and relate to the world like Jesus - not wielding political power or fighting worldly battles, but outrageously loving people, loving our enemies, praying for them, turning the other cheek, walking the extra mile, and laying down our lives in love, just as Jesus did.

Serving people, in love, I think is the first and highest calling of Christ's Church in this world. Go into all the world, teaching and making disciples, Jesus said. To do that, Jesus modeled a life of loving sacrifice that The Church should emulate. Jesus was about His Father's work, not the work of the world. His kingdom was "not of this world", but is the Kingdom of God, which is His church, and every believer in Christ is a citizen first of that kingdom.

With this in mind I got an email the other day, one which is fairly common and I've seen before, but which I looked at in an entirely new light. It was about a Christian minister who works in prisons and confronts a Muslim Imam about what Islam teaches and how it contrasts with Christianity.

After pointing out some of the stark differences, which on the face appear to be accurate enough, the Christian minister then makes some very odd (to me) statements.

In response to the perception that Muslims who kill infidels (all those who don't follow Islam) are pleasing to Allah and get to go to heaven, the minister says, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine The Pope commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith, or Dr. Stanley (a well known Southern Baptist pastor in Georgia) ordering all Protestants to do the same thing in order to guarantee them a place in heaven!"

Really? I know it's sort of ancient history, but didn't several Popes order exactly that via the Crusades some thousand years ago? How about the thousands that were burned at the stake by Protestant churches for the crime of being a witch? That wasn't exactly the dark ages, and some of it was done right here, on the shores of North America, at a time some fondly look back as the founding days of America.

An honest reading of history makes it clear that much blood has been shed "in the name of Jesus", and although the minister might have a hard time imagining it today, I promise you many Muslims have no problem imagining it. Is probably one of the reasons there's so much animosity in Islam toward Christianity. Christ's Church hasn't had a stellar history in dealing with people of the Muslim faith. Throughout history, The Church has wielded the sword in some very viscous ways. Jesus said those who live by the sword, will die by the sword. Violence begets violence, in every circumstance.

And that is a tragedy.

The minster goes on in the email to say, " 'I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me! Let me ask you a question: would you rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to heaven and He wants you to be there with me?' You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame."

I have to say, reading this, I hung my head in shame.

How is this "love your enemies, pray for them, do good to them"? How is this like Jesus? Jesus is specifically a friend to sinners! Christ showed his love in that, as we were yet sinners, He died for us!

Jesus didn't shame people. He told the truth, bluntly and clearly at times, but took no pride in shaming people. Jesus didn't shame the woman caught in adultery. Jesus didn't shame the woman at the well for all the men she'd lived with. Jesus didn't shame Peter for betraying him. Jesus lovingly acknowledged their sin or wrong, and looked past that to their heart. Shaming people is no way to win them to Christ, to make disciples of Christ, which is the point of being a Christian! Beating someone in an argument, then reveling in their embarrassment for who they are and what they believe, or defeating their ideology, is not loving!

It is not Christlike, in my view. Showing them another way, the way of Love that is Jesus, is Christlike.

This email was forwarded by well-meaning Christians as a warning to Americans that "In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President! I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this".

And at the end was the tag line, in bold caps, " FOR CHRIST'S SAKE..... SEND THIS ON"

This email, one which I've read many times before and agreed with in the past, broke my heart today.

Loving people, all people, is a tough thing to do, but I'm convinced more and more it is the right thing to do. It's what Jesus longs for us, all of us who confess Jesus as our Lord, to do, no matter the cost or sacrifice.

Paul says in Philippians 2,

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had: Though He was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up His divine privileges, he took on the humble position of a slave, and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God, and died a criminal's death on a cross".

Jesus fully gave himself to me/you/us. God the Creator came humbly to earth to show us how to "do it", how to love, and what love looks like. It's scandalous and outrageous to some, but this is the love that Jesus asks his Church to show to the world.

In Luke 6 (and many other places), Jesus says,

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

"If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.

"Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. ³¹ Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate" (emphasis mine).

Jesus paints a "Kingdom of God" way of doing life, very different from the "kingdoms of the world".

In the kingdoms of the world, everyone is trying to have power over someone else. We grow up trying to control things. If someone wrongs us, we have a burning need to make it right, to get justice. After all, fair is fair, right? No one should get away with anything, especially with doing wrong to me!

But in the Kingdom of God, he who is last is first. He who serves is great. Jesus said, if someone take your cloak, give them your tunic, too. If someone forces you to walk a mile, walk another mile willingly. Jesus asks us to love our enemies, not just in word and on the surface, but to prove it! He wants us to pray for them and (can you believe it?) to do good to them! To help them!

Oh, what fractions in the church, as well as the world, would be healed and closed if only God's people acted like God's people should.

No, wait. That's not right. That's not right at all.

God doesn't want actors. He doesn't want pretenders.

He wants believers. He wants faithful children who will be obedient to Him, and follow His Word.

He wants not just hearers of The Word, but doers of The Word.

So let me rephrase: Oh, what fractions in the church, as well as the world, would be healed and closed if only God's people loved, genuinely and outrageously and sacrificially loved not only the brothers and sister in The Church, but all those outside the Church that we come in contact with every single day

Including Muslims, or anyone else for that matter.

Jesus didn't say love only those who will treat you good. He said love everyone, and he specifically stated love your enemies!

The Bible says our battle, The Church's battle, is not "against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in heavenly places". To fight that battle we put on the armor of God, not the armor of the world.

I'm still working these things out in my own mind and heart, but I'm more and more convinced, Christians who get caught up in the anger and fear of the political changes going on in our world and see the Church as having to do something to respond to them, are looking at the world in the wrong way.

As citizens of the USA, everyone of us should be good citizens, responsible and doing what we can to promote justice and good, But as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, we need to love outrageously, sacrificially, and fully, just as Jesus did.

Where the two citizenships conflict, our citizenship in the Kingdom of God must take priority.

Not that I have laid hold of this fully, but I'm challenged to walk down this path and see what God does.

Random Vacation Thoughts, and Specific Thoughts on Pride and Selfishness

2011-06-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm on vacation from work for three weeks. I have no detailed plans, other than not working. Alene can't get time off, since we are entering peak season for the moving industry. She's going to be "busy as a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest", as my x-father-in-law used to say. Long hours, lots of appointments, and piles of paperwork for her.

But not for me. I do have a few things I want to get done, such as painting our living room and dining room, and perhaps putting up some shelves in the garage so we can begin organizing the chaos that lives there, but other than that...... I'm a blank slate.

Ellis Latrell seems to be doing well. I was down to visit Emily and the baby last Friday, and aside from the normal mommy stress, she and dad and baby seem to be doing well.

It's still somewhat surreal to think that we're grandparents, and my daughter is a mommy!

I think that's the weirdest thign of all. My baby daughter, the child I've known from the very moment of her birth (ok, strike that - since about 20 minutes after her birth) and watched grow is now a mommy in her own right. What an amazing, crazy, giddy thing that is to think about. Add to that the anticipation of watching Ellis grow, and it becomes a strange thing indeed.

So, back to the vacation thing. I've always known that "staycations" are never quite as uneventful or relaxing as one dreams about. I wind up being busy doing a lot of the same things I'd do if I weren't on vacation, and so far, I have no reason to think this "staycation" will be any different.

Sunday, the first day of my vacation, was a wonderful but oh-so busy day. At church I volunteered a shift to help with the toddlers in the preschool. This is not normally my bailiwick, but I can do most anything for 90 minutes or so. For 90 minutes I mostly sat on the carpet with four little boys, all about two or three years old, and played. I alternately read short books to them, let them climb on me, rolled trucks around with them or (and this turned out to be a favorite) took turns lifting them upside down, then gently pressed their tummies in rapid pulses so that when they said "aaahhhhhh" it came out "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah", all to various squeals and laughter.

That last one is a long-held favorite with kids in my family.

Afterward, my Sunday School friends held the 1st Annual SlingBall Tournament.

Being an elimination tournament, the final round wasn't played until almost 5:00pm, from what I understand, long after Alene and I needed to go home. We had a great time of potluck lunch and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Congratulations to Mark Sweeney for taking home the top honor, and a new SlingBall set.

Monday, being Memorial Day, Alene and I slept in best we could. I made a trip down to my parents house to help with a small chore mom needed done. Naturally I stopped and talked for a bit. Alene and I spent the rest of the day watching movies at home. "Mark the calendar", Alene tells me. It isn't often she is willing to just sit and rest.

I marked the calendar.

Tuesday I was back down at my parent's house. Tuesday is the day I usually take my dad out for breakfast, and run whatever minor errands he might need done. My brother Glenn was there, so he joined us for breakfast. After, dad and I went to Walmart (the usual!), then Home Deport, where I needed to pick up a new sprinkler valve setup to replace their broken one.

Me. Sprinklers. Repair. What are they thinking? I'll be back on Thursday morning to finish up.

I made a trip to the store to buy new pants, attended my "niece" Shawna's t-ball game, then stopped by Glenn's house to pick up a DVD of wedding photos he'd graciously put together for Alene and I. The pics are just fantastic, and I'll post a few here soon.

So this morning I sit at Starbucks, taking a breather (as a vacation should be, right?), and writing. It's actually trying to rain today, June 1st!

But, to the heart of this post, I need to make a stop at church later and apologize to a friend, something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but just haven't done.

Its funny how we put things off because we think they will be difficult. There's nothing difficult about an apology.

You say "I'm sorry". The other person either accepts it or doesn't. You move on.

I think the difficult part comes in realizing that I have something for which an apology is needed.

Silly pride seems to get in the way of so many things. The Bible warns about pride in so many different ways. It even warns against taking in pride in being humble (which, if you think about it, is quite a prideful way to view one's self). I think the main issue with pride is that it focuses on one's self.

And that's what I have to apologize for.

As Alene and I have made our journey from dating, to living together, to being married and making a covenantal relationship with each other, there were certainly those who disagreed with the path we chose. Most were kind and loving, and to each of you (if you are reading this, you know who you are), I thank you for the grace and love you extended, even as you may have counseled strongly against our path. You were faithful in love, and faithful in purpose, and for that, I love each of you.

But there is at least one with whom I need to make amends. My pride and my selfishness did get in the way of listening to sometimes wise counsel. I do not disavow the choices I made, indeed I cannot, for they have brought me where I am and are intricately woven into what is, but I do acknowledge how my sin of pride and selfishness did effect how God needed to work to bring about a good work, and how my actions effected the heart of some who love me dearly.

I will say this, to any who may be wondering how their own choices might effect what God wants to do in their lives - never doubt the Lord or His purpose. His ways are always true and right. Never place your own understanding above that of the Lord and His decrees. He can do mighty things, and is well able to bring about good, often (in fact, a good reading of the Bible would lead me to say overwhelmingly often) using the poor choices of His fallen, broken creations to work His will and to show His glory in the end.

But I'm convinced that is never God's first choice. Obedience is always His first choice. Let's be honest, anything else is placing trust in ourselves first. And therein lies my pride issue.

The ends never do justify the means - God is just gracious to use us and forgive us when we pridefully think our means are better than His. To that end, I thank God and give Him all the praise for what He's done in mine and Alene's life, and offer my humble apology for thinking I may have known God's will better than He did.

I know Alene will agree with me, that we dedicate our lives to serving God with humility and joy because of the overwhelming grace shown to us by the Lord and my brothers and sisters in Christ.

To any who may be reading this and wondering exactly what I'm talking about here (since such a public forum is not the place for intimate details, but rather broad strokes, and I've purposely not drawn in detail) I will say this:

Marriage changes things, in a glorious, wonderful, joyous way. "Commitment" takes on a new depth, a new vibrancy, and the strength of the bonds in the relationship grow exponentially. God blesses in a whole new way that which He may have, in His wonderful grace, tolerated for a time, for the sake of what He knew could be and wanted to be, and that now, because of final obedience to Him, can be.

So to God be the glory for the things He has done, and may I make amends for my pride and selfishness, so that God will be even more greatly glorified and praised, and that my life, and the life of my dear wife and our relationship, can be even more evidence of God's grace in the world.

A Belief That I Believe, or A Belief That I Can Live?

2011-05-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

(This is a very long post, and I apologize in advance, but please bear wth me.)

I've been doing a lot of thinking, lately. And I mean, a lot. Thinking about family, about friends, and about life.

I've been thinking about how I "do" life, how I live my life, and if the things I say I believe really made a difference in my life.

As any casual reader of my blog knows, I am a Christian. I firmly believe in God, that God, actually and truly at a real time in history, came to earth in Jesus to live a sinless life, to minister and to love, and died on the cross for the sins of the entire world, and for me personally. I whole heartedly believe Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God, and is alive and active with God and the Holy Spirit, and will return some day to reign as King when God reconciles the world to Himself, returning it to the peace and perfection God intended.

Now I didn't come to my belief all of a sudden, as in one pristine revelation. As with any meaningful, personal belief, it evolved over time as I learned and understood more. When I was a new Christian, I didn't know or understand much more than "Jesus died for me so that I could have eternal life". While a good start, that's not even close to the whole story of God's love for this world.

Through the years, while attending church, listening to various teachers and preachers, and reading the Bible and studying, my understanding and image of God and his plan has evolved and grown, subtly changing to adopt to new concepts and ideas as they were introduced.

For instance, I once had a very difficult time reconciling the God of the Old Testament (all the killing and anger and judgement, or so it seemed to me) with the God of the New Testament (all love and forgiveness and joy and peace). I saw no similarity between the two.  The Old Testament seemed detached and difficult, as if a relic from a earlier age to be discarded in the light of New Testament enlightenment.

But through study and experience, I've come to see that God is completely consistent through the entire Bible. God always strives for righteousness, for justice, and for reconciliation through His great love and grace toward His people, which culminated in the outrageous act of love displayed by Jesus on the cross.

It's this sort of intellectual and spiritual growth that has led me to question a few of my long held beliefs and assumptions about God, His nature, and how we interact with Him and He with us. I question them not because I question God, but I question my understanding of the Bible and the things I'd been taught and assumed to be correct. There are some questions that have gnawed at my soul for years, basic things that I've been unable to reconcile in my mind. Questions that keep returning to me, unanswered and unresolved.

I began to realize the "things I believed" did not square well with "the things I did". I'm not talking about battling sin in my life, or trying to be a better Christian.  I'm talking about how what I thought I knew about God and life, did not square with the things that actually motivated and informed the things I did in life. In other words, I held some core intellectual beliefs about God, but I found those beliefs did not translate into how I actually lived in the world.

I submit that a "belief" that one does not or cannot act on, is not, in effect, really believed much at all.

For instance: I've been taught and thought for years that God is omniscient, omnipresent, all powerful, and unchanging. Everything that ever has been or is to be, is known by God. In fact He's ordained all things that ever were or ever will be. He knows my every action, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Nothing can change what was or is to be, because God has already ordained all things that ever were or will be.

This, I've come to understand, is pretty mainstream thinking about God. It's what is taught in most evangelical churches as the ultimate expression of God's sovereignty over His creation. I've learned this view of God is often referred to as Calvinism, after one of it's strongest western proponents in recent history, John Calvin.

Another concept is that God doesn't necessarily ordain all that is to come, but that He knows all that is to come. Sort of a "different but same" understanding of God, and with a very similar outcome. The future is still unchangeable because God knows it as it will be.

But this concept of God began conflicting against my concept of "free will" . I've always been taught we have free will, the will to choose good or bad, or even accept Jesus as savior or not. But if God has ordained all that is, if God has set in stone all that is to come and has ever happened, do I actually have free will?

Clearly, if God has ordained all things and nothing can change what He has ordained, or at least that He knows all that will happen, the true answer must be no, I do not have free will.

But I certainly live my life as if I do have free will. I get up each morning and live as if I can decide what to eat, what to wear, and whether or not to shower. I live as if I can decide to turn right or left while driving, and how fast to go. I live as if I can make decisions all through my day, everyday, that appear to me to be my free choices. I live as if I can choose to good or evil. I live as if I can choose Jesus as my savior, or not.

Duet 30:19 says, ""Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live" (emphasis mine).

I'm willing to bet you live as if you have choices, too. It's just what comes naturally to us. It's the way we are.

But if God already ordains all things, He already knows and has picked and chosen, for instance, those who will believe in Him. We don't really have a free choice. It's ordained. It's done. I've heard this given as reason why believers should rejoice in the love God showed when choosing me/us as one of His elect. I've heard this propounded in church by my friends, and even by myself at one point, as I tried to reconcile these concepts in my heart and mind.

But this also means God ordained and chose those who would not be elected, and that God ordained and picked which of His created, loved people would be destined for destruction in hell. I've heard this extolled in church at times as well, as a concept affirming God's sovereignty over all things. Yet this flies in the face of 2nd Peter 3:9, which states "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance".

How can God possibly want everyone to come to repentance, if He already knows exactly who won't, because He Himself has ordained and ordered all things, including those who will be destroyed in hell? Is Peter lying about God?

I don't think either Peter or God is lying, so something else must be at work here.

Again - a belief that is held intellectually (God has ordained all things and the future is unchangeable), but that is lived out differently in reality, (I can make choices and choices that I make seem to matter, which God seems to affirm in 2nd Peter), is not a belief at all.

It's an intellectual exercise.

So I began to question my understanding of God and how He relates to us and we to Him.

If the future is unalterable, and God is immutable, what about my prayers? Do my prayers actually matter? Does prayer do anything at all? Does God actually care about my prayers, since He has all things already ordained? Can my prayers affect God in any way?

James say in chapter 5, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops" (v16-18).

Why would James say prayer is effective and powerful, to the point of possibly changing things as Elijah's prayers seem to have done, if this were not truly the case? Is it possible that God actually listens to the prayers of His people, and considers them as He listens?

Could this mean that all is not set in stone, that God can listen to us and our prayers can affect God and his decisions?

These questions began to be a burden on my soul.  One question along this vein as always gnawed at me, and it concerns Jesus himself.

We know from scripture in Matthew 26 that while Jesus was approaching the day of his death, he was very distraught and troubled, his soul "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (v 38). He left his disciples to go and pray alone. In his prayer, he cried to God, saying "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (v 39). After returning to find his disciples sleeping, he returned to his solitary place and prayed yet again, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done" (v 42). Jesus prayed yet a third time the very same prayer (v 44) before he returned to his disciples and the impending betrayal.

My question has always been this: If God has ordained all things, and God never changes, and if Jesus is God incarnate, sharing not necessarily all of God's cosmic knowledge in his human form ("no one knows about that day or hour....not even the Son, but only the Father" Matt 24:26, Mark 13:32), but certainly the character and qualities of God that would imply Jesus knows God's character perfectly ("I and the Father are one." John 10:30), then why would Jesus ever pray "... if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me"?

It's seems incongruous and inconsistent that God the Son, in Jesus (knowing the plan and that all is ordained and nothing can be changed because God the Father as already ordained it), would pray to the God the Father, asking Him to please, if it's possible, change the plan.

Why would Jesus pray for the clearly impossible, for that which is outside of God's character? I don't think Jesus, being God incarnate, would ever be reduced to a prayer of desperation, asking for something which is impossible. That would show a lack of faith in God's perfect plan, in God's perfect ordination of all things. Jesus might well have prayed along the lines of, "Father, this burden is so great I think I may die of sorrow while bearing the burden. Strengthen me and help me to get through it, because I know it is inevitable and must come to pass for the good of Your people and the world."

But he didn't pray that way.

He asked God, indeed he pleaded with God, if possible, change the plan!

That has never made sense to me. The question, although small, has weighted my heart for years, because this goes directly to my understanding of who God is, and something just didn't fit. .

The only logical, consistent reason I could come up is that Jesus, knowing God and His character perfectly,   thought that there might actually be a small possibility that God might listen, consider his prayer, and change the plan. God didn't, and Jesus fulfilled God's desire to sacrifice himself for the good of the world, but that doesn't change the fact that Jesus asked if he could do something different.

No one truly asks for something, truly seeking an answer, if they truly know the answer already.

Now that kinda shook things up for me. And as I began reading the Bible with this new paradigm of possibility in mind, I began noticing passages where God seemed to either reconsider or change His mind. I began to wonder if I misunderstood the teachings I'd absorbed about God's character as being immutable, unchanging, and that all things throughout history and the future were ordained by God, unchangeable and unturnable.

Another example I've thought about for years was in Genesis 6. I've always wondered about the passage where God says he was "grieved" at creating mankind. "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them." (v 5-7).

I've always wondered:  If God has ordained all that is, and nothing can happen without His knowing it will happen, and His express ordination and direction of what will happen, then logic follows that God would have known from the very start of creation that mankind would, at this point in history, be consumed with evil, exactly because God made it be that way.

So why, and how, could God be "grieved", and his heart "filled with pain", or have his heart "broken" as the NLT puts it, over something He planned and ordained, and absolutely knew was going to occur? If He planned it out, and made it all happen, how could He be upset with the circumstances? And if, as some have said, the text regarding God as being "grieved" and "filled with pain" is poetic and not meant to actually mean God made a mistake or expected something different, then exactly what is the text trying to tell us?

This passage made no real sense to me, so I chalked it up to one of the mysteries of the Bible, unsettling and unsatisfying.

As I read more, and did more research, and tried to tackle other Bible passages that presented similar quandaries to me, I came across an article about something called "open-theism", which seemed to be questioning and looking for answers along the exact same lines that I'd been thinking. This lead me to other articles by writers such as John Saunders, who wrote a book, "The God Who Risks". In this book he tackles some of the exact issues and questions that have been bothering me for years! This lead me to another book, "The God of the Possible" by Gregory Boyd, which addressed in practical terms some of the questions I've had for years. He even specifically addressed my quandary about Jesus' prayer in the garden, and Genesis 6, as well as dozens of other passages in the Bible that I've been having difficulty reconciling between what the passages say, and what I'd been taught.

"Open-theism" holds, in a nutshell, that God, by His own sovereign choice, has not settled all things about the future, and that although God does ordain some things, He has in fact as left some things, some possibilities, "open" to be determined by the actions of His created free-will agents (us). This would mean that the future is not completely determined, and God, in His sovereign right to do so, can adjust his plans based on the actions of his free-will creations.

In effect, God could be sad as in Genesis 6, because the people freely chose to do and be evil. I can see how, in this light, God can actually grieve and mourn and be disappointed, as He's said to in so many places in the Bible.

Consider Isaiah 5: the Lord says to Israel, "My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a wine press in the nearby rocks.Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter. Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?" (emphasis mine).

The text reads as if God was expecting Israel to respond sweetly to all He had done, and yet Israel did not. God asks Israel, why? It seems He was expecting a sweet response, not the sour, evil Israel that He found there, and God seems surprised. If God foreknew Israel would be this way at this point in history, how could God have "expected" anything different?

Nothing about God's "character" of love, grace, immutable perfection and wisdom, has changed in my mind. Indeed, Jesus' sacrifice takes on even more meaning to me, because he went to the cross willingly, making a positive choice to obey God, sacrifice himself, and fulfill God the Father's will. Perhaps it's possible that Jesus really could have "called 10,000 angels to take him away" as an old hymn sings. But he didn't.

This means my choice to wear white or black socks today, might really be my free-will choice. My choice to love and be kind, or say harsh or unkind words really might be my free-will choice, and if so, that choice matters!

So I find myself thinking, my choice to pray takes on a whole new significance if, in fact, God wants to hear from me and actually considers my petitions when I pray. I'm no longer praying to an immutable, unchanging God with a set future that can't be altered. If that's the case, why bother prayer at all? Instead, I'm praying to a dynamic, loving God who wants me to be a part of His future, and to help bring about His kingdom in a real, dynamic fashion. He wants me to choose to love Him, not be made to love Him.

My prayers, then, matter to God!

Wow! That speaks to me at a real heart level!

However, I also discovered that this idea of "open-theism" is controversial, and has caused some considerable stir in the philosophical circles of the evangelical churches, so much so that some have labeled it heresy.

So it is with some trepidation I explore and expand on this thinking. I go back to my original thesis, that a belief one can't act upon or square with how you actually live is ineffectual and useless. A belief that emboldens and enlivens one, and brings a new urgency to life, is worth exploring.

I don't offer this journal entry as an argument that you, reader, should follow a similar path in your journey, or that my thoughts are in any way "the right way to think".  I am convinced God reveals Himself, through His word, through creation, through each other and through revelation, in different ways to each person.

We are all different, and what motivates one person does not motivate another. God knows this, as He knows our hearts, and I believe He helps us to find Him in the best way that we can, so that God can use us in the best was that He can.

I offer this only as something that is on my heart, that I want to write about and try to express how God is motivating me to action and service and a deeper, more meaningful walk with Him. I offer this in love, acknowledging that, in all things, I want nothing to distract from the message and the Gospel of Christ, and His love for us.

The End of the World As We Know It

2011-05-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today was supposed to be the end of the world.

Or something like that.

A Christian evangelist somehow predicted, using mathematical equations and numerical codes he says he found in the Bible, that Jesus would return to earth, and Judgement Day would begin, today, May 21st 2001, at 6pm local time, wherever you are.

My faith tells me, if Jesus were to return, I'd be ready and, should the rapture occur as some predict, I hope I'd be among those taken. It's almost 7pm in Calfornia and I'm writing this, soooooooo ...... either it didn't happen, or I've been left behind.

I haven't seen any news stories or heard from any friends who are missing loved ones, so I'm betting on the latter.

Which leads me to the point of this post: a small but distinct part of me is letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

Whew.

As soon as I read about this supposed prophecy some months ago, a small part of me naturally went straight to thinking "hmmmm what if?"

What if Jesus did return today?

I mean, the teaching about Jesus' return is not outlandish in the Christian belief. In fact, it's a core hope that all Christians should hold dear: a time when Christians will see the Lord Himself, and God will set all things right with the world. Literally.

But I have to ask, only because I ask this of myself: am I, and if you are a Christian are you, disappointed that The End is not here? Are you disappointed that Jesus did not return (which is perhaps the most glorious thing a Christian can look forward to), or did you, as I find myself doing, uttering a quite sigh of relief?

Ask yourself that question, and look deep down inside where we only admit the truth to ourselves. I'm will to bet that many of your reading this feel the same way I do. I feel kinda like this was a very small, insignificant bullet that was very unlikely to ever strike it's target, but I managed to dodge it.

Hence.... whew

But I can't help but think, as a Christian, this is not how I should feel.

Paul said in Philippians 1:21-24, "for to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better. Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ. I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two desires: sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live."

Do I "long to go be with Christ"?

Do you?

Jesus said to be ready at any time for his return. In fact, he said to be vigilant, which means not only to be ready, but to be watchfully expectant; to live as if His return was imminent on any given day.

This day of failed prediction has certainly not shaken my faith, but it has been a cause for reflection and thought. Jesus will return someday, of that I'm certain. I hope He finds me, and you, faithful and ready when He really does come.

The Book of Revelation ends with this statement: "He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, come. "

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, come, and find me faithful.

Ellis Latrell

2011-05-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! It actually happened!!!

No, not the end of the world.

My grandson was born!!!!!

My first grandchild, Ellis Latrell Matthews made his entrance into the world on Thursday, May 19th, 2011, at around 11:13am. He weighed in at a whopping 5lbs, 8oz, and 18.5 inches long. After a short time of concern over his blood sugar levels, he learned to eat, and now baby, mommy, and daddy are doing just great. If all goes well, he and mommy should be headed home tonight.

Emily's mom, Cathy, made the trip out from Virginia, and was here to celebrate the birth with our oldest daughter. Alene and I, along Cathy and Cameron, were in the waiting room, waiting for word on the birth. When daddy Nacakta came out and said Ellis is born, we asked "how big is he?"

Nacakta held his hands a little ways apart and said, "about this big."

Gah! Details, man, details!

Here's some photos from the blessed event.

Cathy, momma Emily, and Mike, with the new baby.

Momma Emily and daddy Nacakta.

Alene and momma Emily.

Grandpa and grandson. He's so tiny!

Grandma Alene and grandson.

"Let me sleep, would ya?"

So, I post this chronicle of new birth on the day when one man proclaimed the end would begin. The day has passed, uneventfully. God is still faithful, He is still in His heaven, and He is still on the job, loving and guiding us as He has for at least several millennium, if not billions of years.

Welcome Ellis Latrell. I'm betting the years of your life will likely be eventful and full. I pray that they are.

Just Another Weekend.....

2011-05-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend Alene and I actually had some time to ourselves. About three hours, to be exact. I had to work Saturday, which is my normal work day. Alene spent her Saturday at Serendipity Saturday with the women at church, and doing some chores of her own, but after we both got home around 4:30pm, we looked at each other and said, "What do you want to do tonight?"

Sitting comfortably on the couch, feet up, shoes off, I said, "I'm pretty much doing it, baby."

So I barbecued some chicken, Alene cooked some artichokes, baked beans, bread, and made some salad. We had a wonderful, quiet dinner.

Yes, we were in bed, sleeping by about 8:30.

Sunday was a lovely day. Our church held a nice, unique, "all church" Lord's Supper celebration, with all services combined into one for a short duration. The point was to celebrate as a unified body - not unified necessarily in age or style of worship, but certainly in purpose. It was good to be reminded that we are a diverse body, but we are one body in Christ.

My parents, who try to come to our church when we celebrate the Lord's Supper, made it in time to celebrate with us, only to turn around and drive home through the pouring hail. Mom said it looked like snow collecting of her windshield. That seemed to be a common theme across the region as the thunderstorms rolled through.

This is mid-May, right?

After church I met up with my friends John and Bryan to play some pool at the Corner Pocket. I should probaby say "tried to play pool" because I'm just awful at it, but anywho.... Bryan turns 40 today, and John was tasked with getting Bryan out of the house while his wife set up a surprise party for him at home. We had a good time, joking around and making fun of the dreadful music people order up on the jukebox. We agreed a country bar might be more our speed. Bryan was suitably surprised when we got him home, and the day seemed to be a success.

After that Alene and I headed back to church to attend the end-of-the-year AWANA ceremony. My "niece" Shawna, who is my best-friend's daughter, is a Cubbie, and I've been to each of her year-end ceremonies, so I couldn't miss this one. She is such a sweet child. I've known her since she was literally 3-days old.

After getting home, Alene and I curled up in bed to watch our favorite show "Army Wives". Joke as you will about my manhood and whatnot - its a darned good show. And I'll say this: any time a husband can snuggle with his wife, enjoy a good program with her that we both like, and be emotional together over such a simple story - yes we sometimes cry like babies, then laugh at our crying - that's a very good thing for the relationship.

And its fun. I think laughter through tears is probably one of the most powerful and moving experiences one can have. Sharing it, even over such a simple thing, is a big blessing to us both.

So we stayed up late last night, getting to be a little after 9pm. The late night partying has to stop, or Alene and I are going to wear out!

Today, as I type, I'm preparing for my day at jury duty. I suspect that I will be removed due to circumstances that I will be able to talk about later, but as all my friends tell me, ya just never know. I will be happy to serve if selected, because I am honestly fascinated by the justice system, but I'm also hoping to be booted because Emily is due to give birth so soon, and I'd had to be tied up in a court-room!

What to do, what to do.

Well - oh my, I'm watching TV and seeing video about the flooding in Louisiana now. Pray for these people, if you think of them. Opening those flood gates creates a man-made flood, destroying some homes in small towns in favor of saving more homes in larger towns. What a horrible choice to have to make, and an even harder choice to accept if your home is in the flood zone.

God Bless you all today. Remember, our highest calling is to love one another, deeply, from the heart.

Let's go do that.

Catching Up

2011-05-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hello again, friends.

I've been slack on my efforts to write lately. I've had a busy few months, so I've decided to try to rekindle this journal. I have so many visions for what I'd like to write, but I guess a simple chronicle of my life and thoughts is as valid as anything else I might want to do.

I shall redouble my efforts to keep it up to date.

So much has happened since the last time I wrote here that its difficult to decide what to share. Some things are personal, and I'm still mulling over what is OK to share regarding family life in this forum.

For now, I've decided to make some bullet points accenting the highlights:

-- I got married! On January 15th, I married my bride Alene. We took a short trip to San Francisco for our "Honeymoon". It was right back to the grindstone of life after that.

-- Alene's dad went into the hospital 5 days after we were married, where he spent some 10 weeks recuperating from foot surgery. We spent some significant time helping him through that, and with continued recovery after he returned home. He is doing pretty well, now.

-- Emily is expecting! She will be having a boy any day now. Alene and I (well, really more Alene than me) have been busy getting things for the baby, and helping with supplies that will be needed by the new mom and dad.

-- Elizabeth is finishing up her junior year at UCD. She's been amazingly self-sufficient while at school, and her mom and I are really quite proud of her.

-- Lindsey and her boyfriend travelled in Europe for something like 7 weeks, and enjoyed it immensely. The kept us apprised of their doings via updates on Facebook, whenever they could find time to sit down at a wi-fi hotspot.

-- Cameron took a short trip to Virginia to visit her mom and the family back there. She had a (beyond) great time, and I think a lot of fences were mended. I thank God for that.

-- Alene is busy working 50-60 hours a week. She is approaching peak season for her industry, and it looks like business will keep on trucking much as it has in years past. She put in nearly 800 miles on the road this week, visiting clients. Summer will be just as busy, I'm sure.

Along the way we've helped our parents and children and friends with various things when we could. God has kept us busy, and blessed us with a wonderful community of family and friends, and He's blessed us with some of the resources and time to be able to help now and then.

At this point, Alene and I are pleasantly exhausted. We fall into bed most nights around 8:30 or 9:00pm, both of us having early mornings several days a week. Sleep seldom eludes us, but the alarm clock has become a detested crier, reminding us each day that morning has arrived entirely too early.

We sometimes wonder how much more can we do until we are completely depleted, but I keep saying, "God will give us the strength to continue doing what He wants us to do." I know we both believe this, but it still feels good to lay down on the bed at the end of the day!

Paul said in Philippians 4, "I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need."

This verse has become very real to me of late. I know I can't do all things, and I don't think God is asking me, or anyone, to do all things. But He is asking me to do all the things He wants me to do. I know He'll give me the strength and endurance to do the good things He has in store for me to do.

I sometimes say to Alene, when we get to debating whether we can add such-and-such a thing to our plate, "We'll never regret doing the right thing, no matter how hard it was to do."

So here's to family, friends, and loved ones who fill our lives with joy and purpose. I am glad each of you (you know who you are) are a part of my world. I wouldn't have it any other way, no matter how busy or tired I might get.

Although, on that note, I am taking a 3 week vacation from work in June. Don't anybody try to stop me. It could get ugly if you did.

Empties On The Lawn

2011-01-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

The neighbors on our street got together last night to say goodbye to one of our group who passed away in December. Peter D. Heiman was 45 years old. He lived next door to Alene and I.

On our street there is a fairly close-knit group of neighbors, I'd say about eight homes or so, who know each other fairly well. Pete was a "chairman" of the group, sharing chairmanship and the title of "Mayor of Fleetwood" with Larry across the street. Alene had known him for 12-13 years as a very helpful, kind, watchful neighbor. Pete was always available to lend a hand to anyone on the street who might need one, for whatever reason, and he never, ever, asked for anything in return.

He lived the golden rule pretty well.

He also like his beer. There was more than one time I'd come home late at night and find a few empties on is lawn, or on our other neighbor Sergios's lawn. Just depends on where they'd been while having a few and shootin' the bull, or who's driveway had the bonfire.

Good neighbors, really. They're great.

So last night we all got together at Karen's house, which is directly across the street from Pete's place. Karen lit up the fire in her driveway, in the old washing machine drum she uses as a fire pit (don't knock it, it works great), put some carne-asada and hot links on the barbque, and a few cold one's on ice. About 20 of us met up to share stories and talk about our missing neighbor and, to some, close friend. We drank a few beers and tossed the empties on Karen's lawn in Pete's memory. He'd understand, trust me.

Pete's place is dark now, his parents having come over and turned off the Christmas lights, and turned out most of the lights in the house that were on when Pete went to the hospital for the last time. This morning Pete's driveway has a few more firework stains, and there might be a few firecracker wrappings littering the area. They'll be cleaned up by tonight, and the stains rinsed off. The empties might be moved to Pete's lawn for a few days, but they too will find the recycle bin eventually. The neighbors are just that way.

Being the new guy on the block, I won't miss Pete in the same way some of the others will, but I will miss him. He was always kind, happy, and willing to talk about politics and government. He had his ideas just like all of us do, and loved to share them. I still have a car jack in the garage that I borrowed from him about 2 months ago. He never asked for it back. He knew where it was, and he knew it was safe. He didn't worry about it. All the neighbors on this street are just that way.

I left the get-together last night with a feeling of family among neighbors that is rare for me. I haven't "belonged" in a neighborhood for some time, since I moved out of the house Cathy and I had on Aptos Cir back in 2003. Oh, I'm personable and usually get to know the neighbors wherever I live, but in a surface way. Alene's neighbors have accepted me, and invited me into their family, in a wonderful and warm way.

For this I am graciously thankful and hope to be as good a neighbor, if not friend some day, as Pete was. I think Pete would think that's a good idea.

Which just takes me back to my previous post, about life being precious. You just NEVER know. It was just three weeks from the time Pete entered the hospital until he died. He's a year younger than me.

Don't waste time, friends. Live now. Live fully.

Live like you were dying.

Life is Precious

2010-12-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

My 84-year-old dad took a fall last week, on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Broke his left arm just below the shoulder socket, took eight stitches over his right eye, might have a cracked or bruised rib, and has some pretty good strawberries on his right knee.

All in all, it could have been a lot worse. He's had a hip replacement already, and he could have done some serious damage to that or the other hip. Funny thing is, his replaced hip feels better after the fall than it did before. He says it was kinda sore for some weeks before hand, and now it feels great.

Go figure.

I went to visit him today before work. I took some fresh coffee, which he seemed to enjoy. Mainly though, he just needed to visit and talk.

He told me again about the fall, how it happened so quickly and how helpless and confused he felt. His left arm is immobilized in a sling, and his vision has gotten even worse since the fall. What vision he did have around the periphery is disappearing quickly into an even fuzzier haze than before.

It's got to hell getting old, ya know?

He recounted how he used to be able to take a fall at a full run and tumble out of it and keep going. He's been on scaffolding that collapsed and sort of surfed it to the ground safely.

That was about 45 or 50 years ago, but the memories of the ability are still there, obviously.

As we talked I was reminded just how fragile we are, as human beings, and just how quickly what we have can be taken away from us.

Life. Health. Eyesight. Movement. All of it can be stripped away in a moment.

I know this holiday season there are others who have experienced even more shattering accidents.

A young man died on Highway 99 in Elk Grove this morning in a vehicle accident.

An entire family I know at work was in a wreck last week in Modesto, putting the dad in critical condition and scattering the rest of the family to three different hospitals.

A good friend at work lost his brother just last week to a brain tumor that came without warning to steal away the life of a healthy and hale man in just a few short months.

Life is fragile. Enjoy it and live it as much as you can while you're here.

I'm realizing, at 46 years old, that I've probably got fewer days ahead than I do behind. I want to live them well, and spend them loving on my girls (all of them, old and new), my grandchildren (on the way, after all), my parents and family (while I've got them), and my new bride-to-be who looks to me with such love in her eyes.

When life gives me the chance, I want to dance, ya know?

How can I do less?

Tim McGraw sang it well when he said,

I went sky diving

I went Rocky Mountain climbing

I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named FuManchu

and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter

and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying

and he said someday I hope you get the chance

to live like you were dying.

What if They Gave a (Christmas) War, and Nobody Came?

2010-12-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

I began writing this post with a desire to make a statement about the Christmas Wars.

Each year about this time the Christmas Wars ramp up to a fevered pitch. Each year, for the past several years, American news media has had a field day playing up all the faked controversy over Christmas in the public square.

Should it be called Christmas vacation or winter break?

Are Christmas trees offensive in public offices?

Can people say "Merry Christmas" to each other, or is that a remark of such offense that it's nearly equal with the "N" word in some circles?

Oh, I was getting myself all worked up to write a scathing, visceral treatise on the nincompoops* who want to take Christ out of Christmas when........

I just lost the desire. My arms got kinda tired, my eyes began to glaze over, and I began staring unfocused at a fascinating little shiny silver stripe on the side of my boot.

Took me a moment to realize it was a zipper, and that I'd lost all motivation to write about the Christmas Wars.

Or at least I'd lost the motivation to participate in the Christmas Wars.

I got to thinking, do I really care at all?

The conclusion I came to was.... no, not really.

I don't care about competing atheist and Christian billboards, or Oklahoma Senators who won't ride in a parade because the name of the parade has been changed, or Christmas villages in Philadelphia that have come under attack.

I don't care. I really don't. The stuff sucks the life outta me.

I think a great number of people feel the same way, too. Just sucks the life outta ya.

You know who else I don't think cares about these Christmas Wars?

God.

Seriously. I don't think God is getting all worked up over the Christmas Wars.

I mean, God knows who He is, and He's certainly not threatened by whatever we believe or don't believe. God is God, and I think He's pretty confident in His position.

I think all of our righteous indignation and resolute posturing on His behalf is pretty pointless. In fact, I think if God is upset at anyone in the Christmas Wars, He's probably the most upset at His people who try to defend Him - as if He needs defending.

I certainly don't think He's upset with non-believers acting like non-believers. That's normal. What's not normal is believers acting like non-believers, and you know what? The world takes note.

Look at what Salon magazine - an on-line magazine admittedly unfriendly to religion - says about the Christmas Billboard Wars going on in New York this year:

"Proving yet again that one arrogant, jerky and desperately attention-getting action begets another, those yahoos at the Catholic League have glommed on to the American Atheists' War on Christmas."

See, when people of faith attempt to defend that which needs no defense, especially in the public square, the defense will most always backfire. God will never be proven right using the world's methods.

Ever.

The world will see the efforts as foolish and arrogant, almost every time.

The Apostle Paul, perhaps the best "defender of the faith" there ever was, made the point this way in 1st Corinthians 1:18a -

"I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction..."

Paul understood that most people see faith as sort of silly. Defending something which seems silly appears to be.... well..... dumb.

What Paul goes on to say, though, is what Christians get all riled up and angry over

"...but we who are being saved recognize this message (of the cross) as the very power of God."

Christians say to themselves, how dare the world trample on God's wonderful message! Don't they understand, Jesus is the power of salvation in the world! How dare you disrespect our God!

Paul understood - the world won't get the message of the joy and hope that Jesus offers until God reveals it to them, and plants it in their hearts. That's what God did for me, and wants to do for everyone. But, we can't force people to have faith, and let's face it - even with the best evidence and arguments in the world, God's existence can't be proven.

Proving and revealing God to the world is God's job.

I don't think He cares about the Christmas Wars one way or another.

What I think God does care about is His people living our lives, at Christmas and throughout the year, in way that shows God's love to the world. He cares because this is the kind argument, if you will, that get's the world's attention.

Jesus said, in Matthew 22:37-40

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is equally important.: love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments and demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

Love your neighbor as yourself. Those are simple, yet deceivingly difficult words to live by.

How do we respond to those who wrong us, or injure us, or just plain make us angry?

How do we respond to the fast food worker who gets our order wrong, and doesn't seem to care?

How do we show love to the person who slips their car into that parking space we've been patiently waiting for, then trots into the store without a single look in our direction?

How do we show, every day, in every action we take, God's love?

My answer is in letting the Holy Spirit cultivate in us the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:

"but when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

That's the kind of Christmas spirit I think God enjoys. This is the kind of evidence for God that people take notice of, and hold in respect. Goodness, although sometimes mocked, is never truly frowned upon, and everyone wishes for it in their lives, to one degree or another.

When we love one another, and show kindness to one another, especially to those outside the "Christian family", God uses that kind of love as His billboards to the world.

Tears of Black Friday

2010-11-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

Today is Black Friday.

I'm sleepy. Yawn.

Alene and Liz have a holiday tradition, along with about 35 million of their closest friends, of going out in the early morning cold each Friday after Thanksgiving and committing economic stimulus.

That's shopping, to the rest of us.

They tend to find some super deals on Christmas gifts, so I really can't fault them. They seem to have a really good time, too. I just can't get up that early to do something that doesn't involve nylon line and hooks, or shotgun shells and blinds.

Since I don't hunt, that just leaves the line and hooks.

And I haven't actually fished in a few years, so I guess that means I don't want to get up that early for pretty much anything.

Except this morning.

Alene has been having a wonderful/exciting/terrifying time with this whole wedding thing. What began as a simple little ceremony on the lawn behind the church or in a park has morphed into a somewhat larger event.

Which I'm perfectly fine with, don't misunderstand. I'm excited and joyous and honored to marry Alene in any venue, anywhere, whenever she wants to do it.

I will do it in the rain, I will do it on a train. I will say "I do" to you, even if I'm turning blue.

You get the idea.

I am ecstatic at the idea of sharing our day with many, many friends. We're just making adjustments on the fly as we go, which is driving Alene crazy.

So, last week Alene found a wedding dress in which she looks, in the words of her daughter, "smokin'", and she bought it, after which she got the first full night of sleep she'd had since she told me "yes" on the bench at the lake.

One thing off our list.

Oh, who am I kidding, off her list.

She won't even let me look at pictures of her in the dress, or a picture of the dress alone, but whatever. I know she'll be beautiful because she is beautiful, in a way that makes the sun and the moon and the stars stand still and take notice, that makes the oceans ..... oh... uhm...

Whooo.... breathe....

OK.

So this morning she was on a mission to find wedding rings for us at the Black Friday sales. She asked me, if she found some rings she liked if I'd meet her at the store.

At 4am.

Or 5am.

Silly me, I said of course I would.

So, Liz calls me at a little after 5am, saying they were at JC Penny and Alene found some rings she liked. I got dressed, baseball hat, t-shirt, sweatpants, and jacket, no coffee, and drove bleary-eyed over to Sunrise Mall to the Penny's jewelry counter to meet up.

Aaaaand they weren't there. I called Alene who said they were over at Sears, and would be right over.

Two minutes later, after power-walking the mall, Alene and Liz show up, giggling and out of breath.

Crazy Black Friday shoppers.

Anyway, the rings were gorgeous. Turns out I have fat fingers so we had to order mine, but Alene's we brought home right then. We walked to our cars, I hugged and kissed her goodbye, (they were going to continue shopping) and I drove home.

They walked back into Pennys where, Liz tells me, she asked if Alene needed a moment to collect herself.

Alene stood in the men's section of Penny's and cried tears of joy.

Another thing off her list, yes, but the greater joy was the reality setting in: she and I are actually, truly, really really really going to be married.

I'm actually, truly, really really really going to marry her.

So, here's to Black Friday. You can keep your 70% off electronics and household goods, and your lines around the store.

I'll take my fiancée and make her my bride, at any price.

At any time of the morning.

I look forward to another restful night's sleep with another thing crossed off our... er... her list.

Heads In the Clouds

2010-11-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

You ever have those times in your life when things are just going so well that you need to pinch yourself?

I don't normally, either.

However, these past few months have been like that, for me. Some days I lay down at night and think, is this really my life?

And I mean that in a good way.

A lot has happened since my last post.

My eldest daughter, Emily, announced that she is making me a Grandfather. She is expecting a child in June.

My middle child Lindsey announced she and her boyfriend are going to Ireland for a work/study abroad trip for 4 months.

My youngest daughter Camie went through the trauma of her dog being hit by a car and dying essentially in their arms.

I asked Alene to marry me. (She said yes, by the way.)

Alene's daughter Elizabeth (my future step-daughter, how's that for a different thought for me?), told me she couldn't think of anyone more perfect for her mom. That acceptance has meant the world to me.

I'm quite excited about all of it.

As you can imagine, it's been a crazy, exciting, wonderful several weeks.

Emily told us she was expecting just before we left for Fort Bragg last month, but we had to keep it under our hats for a week or so until she could tell her sisters all together. We had them over for dinner when we got home from Fort Bragg, and she shared with everyone her good news. Emily seems to be doing well, and Alene and I are beginning to stockpile baby stuff here at the house. Grandparents, after all, need to be prepared.

Just a few days after this, Camie called me one night in hysterics, saying their dog (actually it's her friend's dog, but since they all live in the same home, he was like a big 'ol family dog), a big American Bull, had been hit by a car on a busy street. I told her I'd meet them at the animal hospital and rushed out to help them take care of the dog, but the dog died in their car before they could get anywhere close to the hospital. She and her boyfriend and their friends buried took care of things and buried the dog. What a rough night for her and her boyfriend.

Soon after this, with the date for my divorce being final quickly approaching, I decided it was time to get a ring and bend a knee and ask Alene, for real and for true, if she would marry me.

The romantic day started out like most other. I slept in a little late and woke up to Alene already outside washing her car. I got dressed and we took both cars to the carwash and vacuumed them out. We came home and got out the ladder and hose and she mucked her way through the roof gutters, getting them cleaned out and ready for winter. I manned the hose and sprayed all the gunk down toward Alene who was up on the ladder with the bucket, pulling the leaves and pine needles out. After that we pulled up the old summer garden plants in the backyard and did some weeding.

Yes, we were a mess. Romantic, huh?

About 1:30 or so we got cleaned up and took a drive to Apple Hill. I'd had it in mind to ask her that day, I just wasn't sure when or where. Apple Hill has some good memories for us, so I figured some opportunity would present itself. We drove all over, taking in the changing trees and wonderful smells of the mountains for the afternoon, and headed back home about an hour before sunset.

That's when I got the idea.

One of our very first dates was a walk at Lake Natomas, near the aquatic center. We'd gone there to feed the ducks. We wound up not feeding ducks because Lake Natomas is part of a California State Park and there were signs saying no feeding wild animal. There'd also just been a park ranger in the area, telling some little kids and their families not to feed the ducks. I felt horrible about feeding the ducks in front of some little kids who were just told not to, so I convinced Alene that we could feed ducks elsewhere, and not lead the little ones astray by being rebels. What kind of example would that be? Alene (pretend) pouted, and not feeding the ducks has become a running joke between us.

You never let me feed the ducks.

Since we had to drive right by that very same lake on the way home from Apple Hill, I asked her if we could stop and see the sunset. She and I both love sunsets, so she agreed. We sat on the very same bench we'd sat on and watched the sunset, after not feeding ducks, on that first date. The sky was clear, and the sun began to set in a beautiful flurry of reds and purples. We talked about that earlier date, and she chuckled about not feeding the ducks, and that's when the light went off.

Now.

I said to Alene, since I took something away from you last time we were here, I think I need to give you something back.

Just as the sun was setting, and some geese glided by on the water, I got down on one knee, pulled the ring box from my pocket, opened it, and asked Alene if she would do me the honor of marrying me.

I think some fireworks actually exploded somewhere in the distance.

Her eyes were huge.

She was smiling.

She said yes.

We cried.

We laughed.

We watched the rest of the sunset.

We went for dinner at Chili's.

Ok, Chili's isn't the most romantic place, but trust me, romance is where you find it and what you make of it.

Chili's was just as romantic as it could be.

I had achieved complete surprise. Alene never saw it coming. It was wonderful!

That was November 6th. Since then, we've begun to think about wedding dates. We were initially thinking sometime in March or April. As Alene talked to the girls to see what dates would work for them, Lindsey made her announcement.

Lindsey will be in Ireland from February through May. She and her boyfriend have been thinking about doing a work/study thing abroad for some time, but I 'd never heard about any concrete plans. Apparently, they just solidified and she hadn't had a chance to tell us.

I'm super happy for her, and completely support the trip. That just means February through May are out for a wedding, because we want all the kids to be there. Emily's baby is due in June, so I don't want to add anything to her plate during that time, and I don't want to wait until July to get married!

So.... we are targeting January . Yeah, right around the corner. Alene will be calling the church this morning to see what dates are open. We're pretty confident we'll be able to pull it off. I love this woman, and she loves me, so we'll make it happen somehow.

I did tell her that if thing begin to get too stressful, I'm going to just scoop her and the kids up and run to Reno and make it happen. My brother already offered to drive, so plan B is all set, just in case.

So back to my premise: you ever have those times in your life when things are just going so well that you need to pinch yourself?

I don't normally, either.

But it's sure nice when it happens.

Alene was telling me last night that she's still on Cloud 10,000, or something like that, and was having trouble coming down to earth. I told her, don't try.

I say enjoy the ride. It's nice to have your head in the clouds once in a while. The view is nice, and the air is clean.

We'll have to come down to earth soon enough, but for now, its a wonderful ride.

All Good Things Must Come to an End......

2010-10-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday, the last full day of our trip to Fort Bragg. All in all, Alene and I have had a very good week.

Among the things we've done, Alene and I explored the town of Mendocino.

We took a short hike at Russian Gulch state park to investigate an amazing "blow hole", a 100' diameter crater on the bluffs that formed when the roof of a sea cave fell in who knows how long ago. The sea rushes in through the cave opening and churns around the floor of the crater (very cool, I highly recommend it).

We drove north to Westport, a tiny little town where my sister and her husband enjoy staying, and spent an afternoon sitting on the long sandy beach reading books and picnicking, while watching the surf gently rumbling on the shore. I think there were a grand total of three other visitors on the beach that day, besides us.

We took a couple of walks at McKerricher State Park where they have some neat tide pools. Tuesday (I think it was Tuesday, the days kinda run together here) we visited during high tide, so the tide pools were under water. We watched sea lions frolic in the waves instead, and chatted with a few couples who also came to observe the beautiful vistas.

Thursday we went back in the evening during low tide, and I mean really low tide. We were the only people down at the tide pools, so we walked out onto the very slippery rocks and began looking around. We saw hermit crabs and some small fish, but nothing to really write home about. A father and his 15-year-old daughter came to the pools soon after. They were able to find some starfish right away, which they gleefully pointed out for us. Alene picked up a bat starfish, and we could see its little pod-like feet trying feebly to grasp at air. She put it back and after a moment the starfish was clinging to the rocks as if it had never left.

We spent another afternoon, Thursday I think, sitting on the beach, this time at Caspar Headlands. It's remarkable how many state parks and reserve areas there are along the coast. We arrived at the beach during high tide, and before we left, the tide had nearly gone all the way out. I was amazed at how much of the beach got exposed while we were there. Alene scoured the beach for sea glass and pretty shells while I played fetch with Jett on the newly exposed beach.

Jett pooped sand today. No joke. Yeah, I know, gross, but interesting.

We've taken a few walks around downtown Fort Bragg, which is obligatory of course, to see what shops there were, and to just take in the town. Many shops had closed or changed hands since we were here last, with several book store going out of business. There was a small farmers market set up on one of the main streets on Wednesday afternoon. I bought some peanut brittle for the girls back home, and for myself a little jar of carrot cake jelly.

Mmmhmmm. Carrot cake. Yum.

While in town, we stopped and talked to one local artist in his shop who does sculptures, and after a few minutes of chatting he invited us behind the counter and showed us one of his works in progress: a wax likeness of rock-star Neil Young set against a dressing room mirror, looking back at you, as if you were Neil sitting at the dressing room table. Very cool, and very good work. He showed us around his shop and genuinely seemed to enjoy sharing his craft with us.

Another popular stop for us has been Cowlick's Ice Cream. We saw the ice cream shop last year when we stayed in Fort Bragg, but never did go into the shop. This year, before we left home, a friend told us we must stop in and try their Mushroom ice cream. He said it was the best ice cream he'd ever had.

Mushroom?

Yes, Mushroom.

So we did, and he was right. Just.... plain.... delicious.

I asked if they made the ice cream locally, and the young lady behind the counter said all the ice cream is made on site, in a room just behind the counter. She said the Mushroom ice cream has no other flavors except the mushrooms themselves, the cream and the sugar. I swear to you, it tastes like the most delicious maple ice cream I've ever had. Truly, I was impressed.

I was also impressed with a mixture of their Pumpkin Pie and Chai Tea ice creams (yum!), something they called The Candy Store Floor, which was a mixture of several different kinds of candy swirled in ice cream, and their Pralines and Cream. Alene was partial to her favorite, Rocky Road, and the Almond Fudge. I don't think they had a bad flavor in the bunch. If you're ever up here, stop in at Cowlicks. You'll be glad you did.

We also enjoyed Headlands Coffeehouse, which specialized in organic coffees and foods, and Eggheads Restaurant where we had breakfast one morning. Both are also on my list of must hits in the area.

But I think the best part of this trip has been meeting and talking to the locals.

I think of the two ladies we talked to at the Mendocino Art Center auction who told us all about life in Mendocino, and the artist in residence who invited us into her studio to show us about wax sculpturing and bronze casting.

The local artist here in Fort Bragg, who invited us into his studio too.

The preacher at First Baptist Church of Fort Bragg (whose name also happens to be Mike) and several of his very warm, if small, congregation, who made us, and several other out-of-towners, feel welcomed.

The honest older ladies who found my cel-phone on the bench at MacKerricher yesterday evening, and the gracious man who walked quickly to catch up with us near the parking lot to see if it was ours. They were life savers.

The museum curator at the Kelly House in Mendocino who was only too happy to tell us all about the place, as if we were long lost relatives come for a visit.

The waitress at Silver's on the Wharf who remembered us the second night we came back, and was very kind.

The lady we chatted with at MacKerricher who was there with her mother and granddaughter, telling us about where they were from and what they liked about the area.

The father and daughter who shared the tide pool experience with us and talked with us for some time before we left.

The young couple at Russian Gulch who worked up the courage to ask us to take a photo of them and their kids so they could all be in one photo, and talked with us for a while after.

All of these people, and more, have added a dimension to our trip that I've enjoyed greatly.

I am looking forward to returning home, to friends and the comforts of home. I've enjoyed my trip, and I've enjoyed Alene's company even more than I can say. I look forward to our next adventure.

Mendocino Musings

2010-10-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

Monday morning dawned bright and sunny here in Fort Bragg. A light, cool breeze pushed around a teenie bit of coastal fog high up in the trees. A hummingbird flitted around the blooming star jasmine out on the patio, and the aroma of coffee filled the cottage.

Nice, huh?

After breakfast, Alene and I got our gear and headed for the village of Mendocino, a quiet and very beautiful little town on the Pacific coast, known for its shops and galleries, and for the community support given to the arts and to artists in the region. The town is maybe six blocks by eight blocks or so square, sitting on a peninsula, surrounded by cliffs, pounding waves (on a windy day like yesterday), and wonderful vistas all about.

We stopped first at the Kelly House museum, and talked for quite a while with the curator there, who gave us a primer on Mendocino history.

Founded by a timber company, as most of the settlements in this area were, 40 hardy men landed here along the coast and began logging the abundant timber in the area in the 1850's. The Kelly House is one of the surviving houses from the era, refurbished and renovated to be a glance back into life in the late 1800's.

The Ford House museum is much the same, with a nicely preserved look into the past. The Ford House, though, also houses an exhibition of local art, some of which was genuinely unique and beautiful.

Alene I walked up and down several of the town streets, looking into various shops and galleries. Local goods and jewelry produced by local artists predominate, with a liberal sprinkling of the kitsch you'd find in any tourist town. Shop keepers were mostly kind and welcoming with but a few exceptions, and those shops we didn't linger in.

We stopped at Moody's Organic Coffee for a wonderful mocha latte and an organic brownie, which was delicious. Thanksgiving Coffee company makes some wonderful coffee as well, which I know from a previous trip here. The market in town stocks a tidy supply of all the sundries one would need to live in the area. There are several small cafe's and eateries catering to a wide variety of tastes.

But therein my enamoration with Mendocino kinda putters outs. It's a lovely town, a beautiful destination, and picturesque setting. Local art and artists flourish here. History abounds, and the pace of life is slowed down to a pleasant meander, but even here consumerism conquers all and, in my opinion, mars the beauty and joy of visiting such a lovely town.

As Alene and I walked the town and took in the various shops, I couldn't help but feel a sense of beauty marred by the greed and commercialism of the shops and sellers.

Don't misunderstand, I'm a capitalist with a capital "C", and agree that sellers can sell their wares for whatever the market will bear. If someone agrees to pay your price, good for you, and hopefully your buyer feels like they received value with their purchase. That's the name of the game.

But as I walked the streets, I saw two Mendocinos :

One is a town dedicated to the free spirit of art, encouraging artists to create and to be creative, endowing them with a sense of freedom and support for their craft that is somewhat unique to Mendocino and other enclaves like it. I saw a community accepting of diversity, giving residents an opportunity to be unique and to pursue their dreams.

At the Mendocino Art Center, Alene and I talked to a couple of ladies who were very kind, telling us all about life in the area, how they came to be there, and how much they enjoyed Mendocino. We talked to an artist who invited us into her studio and showed us how she makes bronze sculptures, walking us through the process from wax model to casting in the furnace.

We ran into kind, open people all over town.

But the other Mendocino was one off commerce and perceived value, which in my opinion is highly inflated, and takes away from the authenticity and beauty of this little town.

Granted, without commerce, the arts wouldn't flourish because artists would have no way to support themselves, and the community can only support so many "free spirits" out of the goodness of their hearts, so I'm not really deriding the commercialism, it just seemed a bit out of control to me.

It seems the mystique and lore of Mendocino has overtaken the truth of Mendocino, and the perceived value of things here have far outstripped reality.

It's just a town, after all. A rather small, picturesque town that produces little of actual practical value.

It's true value is in the beauty of the setting.

Enjoy Mendocino at own your pace, and enjoy the value you perceive the town to have. Just enjoy it on your level and at your leisure, and I think you'll find Mendocino a nice place to visit.

I'd recommend finding a place to stay down the road a ways, though. You'll save money, have the same grand views of the Pacific, and have some extra cash to spend on coffee in town.

The Camping Food Effect

2010-10-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how food tastes different when you're away from home?

For instance, years ago my x-wife and I took the girls camping up in the sierras. The setting was beautiful - cool crisp air, blue skies, and fragrant pine trees all around. The girls were having a great time. As we sat down to a dinner of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs, one of the girls chimed in, "Is this regular macaroni and cheese? This can't be regular macaroni and cheese. This stuff is really good! What did you different, mom?"

The answer, of course, is nothing. It was the same ol' macaroni and cheese the kids always got at home. The only difference was the surroundings.

It's an effect my girls and I have come to call the camping food effect.

So, as I sit here quietly in our little cottage in Fort Bragg, the sun is beginning to rise. The scent of the star jasmine blooming outside wafts in through the open slider and mingles with the aroma of the fresh brewed coffee. I find the camping food effect in full effectiveness this morning.

The cup of coffee Alene brought me is just outstanding! Some fellow at the Yuban coffee factory must have switched the normal Yuban coffee for some sort of primo blend by accident, put it on a truck bound for Fort Bragg, and as fate would have it, Alene and I found that exact can on the shelves of the grocery store yesterday.

It's probably Kopi Luwak or some other exotic blend that I would otherwise, in my rather humble life, never hope to experience were it not for that kind, thoughtful person at the Yuban factory who thought of me....little ol' me.... and made this wonderful, out of this world coffee experience possible.

I think I'm going to cry.

Yup, I just shed a tear.

Moving on, we had a nice drive from Sacramento, yesterday. We got into town about 2:30pm, a little bit before check in, so we went to the dog beach and played with Jett a few minutes before going to the store (where that nice man had just then stocked the coffee just for us!), and then headed to the cottage to check in.

On the door of the cottage was a nice note saying "Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Jones". We got a good chuckle out of that. I think that's a bout the 3rd or 4th time in the past few weeks someone has said that to us.

We put away groceries, Alene started dinner, and we had a most wonderful meal outside on the patio deck. Again, the camping food effect in full gear, I think I had the most delicious tortellini I've had in ages! I wonder if Mr. Alfredo himself made the sauce, because I'm not sure there's ever been such a savory sauce served!

Ooooo dinner was just so yummy....... oh, and we saw hummingbirds while we were eating too!

Anyway, we were beat from the day, and went to bed around 7:30, as soon as it was dark up here. Yeah... 7:30. Slept 11 hours and up this morning about 7am.

I think that was some of the best sleep I've ever gotten! It's like the little sleep angel hovered over me, singing quiet lullabys and .........

Well, everything's better when you're on vacation.

Pull Up Your Favorite Chair and Have a Seat

2010-09-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

Lately I've really been wrestling with what my faith means to me, and how do I live that faith daily in my life?

I mean, people throw on the phrase "my faith" like cheap cologne, putting it on anytime they want to smell good for someone.

Saying "I have faith" has become, for too many people, like saying "I have a vague notion about some set of beliefs that I like to think I may or may not have, depending on what we are talking about, but whatever it is I think I may or may not believe, you may NOT question it. It's my faith, after all, and it's very important to me, and I live my life by it. Mostly".

OK, maybe that was a little over-dramatic, but you get my point. The term 'faith' has become a sheep's mantle for some, that we throw over ourselves so that we have the appearance of one who actually practices their faith, whatever it may be.

But what does "my faith" actually mean?

To me?

To you?

What do I (or you) actually have faith in?

My point here isn't to question your faith, or what you may or may not believe in. That's up to you. What I'm writing this for is talk out, for myself, what it is I have faith in, and see for myself if I'm living up to what I have faith in.

Whatever a person says they have faith in, be it Jesus, Allah, Buddha, etc.... if that faith is real, it should affect how you live. Faith is not just believing, but its relying on that belief to help guide your life.

I can believe a chair will hold me, but I don't actually exhibit faith until I sit in the chair and let it hold me. Those of you who know me, understand this is not a fallacious example. I am a man of some considerable girth, and on occasion I do assess a chair carefully before I sit. There are some chairs that I do not have faith in, therefore I don't sit in them.

"My faith" should be something like that. It should be something that makes a difference in my life. Something that I act upon. Something that I trust.

In my life, I have put my faith in Jesus. I know there are some who know exactly what I mean when I say that, and there are some, although they've heard the phrase, that really don't know what it means.

What it means to me is, not only do believe in the historical figure of Jesus, a man who walked about the earth in much the same way you and I do, but also that Jesus was who he claimed to be: God incarnate on the earth.

Jesus is accredited with doing many good things in the Bible stories. Most philosophers and students of religion acknowledge the good things Jesus taught in regard to personal relationships, kindness, love, generosity and things of that nature.

But Jesus claimed to be God. And, according to the Bible narrative, proved it by miracles, and by being resurrected from the dead. Outrageous claims, to be sure, but all the more amazing if they are true.

As the old adage goes, it ain't braggin' if you can do it.

Which is where faith comes in. I'm not trying to convince you that Jesus is right and the stories about him are all true. I couldn't do that in a million years. That's a decision that we all make for ourselves, about any religion. Freewill and all that, ya know?

What I'm saying is, if I, me, Mike, have read the stories, heard the messages, and God has laid it upon my heart that Jesus IS real, and he did come back from the dead, and offers that to me as well, shouldn't that change my life?

Shouldn't that change the life of every Christian? And I mean radical change!

The Apostle Paul wrote, in 1 Corinthians 15, "But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. We apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave.

But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.

And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead (Paul wrote elsewhere encouraging his readers to seek out people who had actually seen and met Jesus after he rose from the dead, for many of them were still alive). He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

So you see, just as death came into the world through a man (Adam, in Genesis), now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life."

So do I, as Paul did, have faith not only in Jesus and his teachings, but in the person of Jesus as someone in whom I can trust? Can I have faith that he will do as he says, and that he has the ability, because of who he is, to fulfill his promises?

If I sit in that particular chair and its holds me up, shouldn't that radically change my life?

If Jesus is who he claims to be, and I claim to have faith, shouldn't my life reflect the teachings and lifestyle he encouraged? After all, Jesus said, "If you love me, obey my commands."

In many ways my faith has become more and more real to me over the past few years. I've become convinced in my own mind and heart of the validity of Jesus' claims, and have come to accept them as true. As always, people can argue, but no one can prove or disprove, the validity of these claims. It's been that way for 2000 years, and will continue until God changes things, or the earth dies a burned out cinder in space.

My faith has begun to change how I live and how I treat people. I have much more kindness and compassion than I ever had before. I live with peace and joy in my heart, even through many sad and tough times.

In short, I took a step of faith, sat down in the Jesus chair (terrible analogy I know, but work with me), and found it was able to hold me up. In fact, it was quite sturdy and comfortable, even when I put all my life's weight onto it.

I tested Jesus, and he held fast. He didn't cave in.

I guess my question to you, reader, would be, what chair do you trust to sit on?

Will your chair hold up when life gets heavy and times get tough?

Just food for thought.

Testing a New Droid App

2010-09-27T08:49:00.001-07:00

I love my Android phone. I know IPhone users love their phones too, but Android is the future, trust me. IPhoners, get onboard or you'll be left behind.

Anywho....

I have one of the new Samsung GalaxyS™ phones. Although there are lots of good phones, I'm very happy with this phone. It has capabilities I haven't even touched yet.

Blogging on the go, for one.

Facebook is fun, and its easy to post quick tidbits of thoughts in your status, but to actually write and explore your thoughts a little bit requires a slightly longer forum.

Blogging on the go, for instance.

I sometimes wonder, how did I ever occupy myself before this technology came along?

I have books gathering dust, but I can download fresh copies on my phone's Kindle app. I can read my Bible on my bible app (which is actually very cool - access to several different transactions and word searches at my fingertips). Facebook and my photos are all available at a touch.

I am more connected and share my life with more people than ever before, without seeing, touching, or actually talking to a living soul!

Wait.......erm.........hmmmmm.

That sounded more appealing in my head than it did when I re-read it on the page.

My dad and I go 'round and 'round about the wisdom of being plugged in to all this modern technology. He thinks the tech has changed people and taken away our desire to connect in the real world, and somehow people are damaged by it. I think people are basically still the same but misuse the technology, mistaking the exchange of photons on a display screen for the actual intimacy of looking someone in the eyes when you talk to them.

I guess balance is the answer, as in most things. Use the tech, but don't let it rule over you.

(Adrienne Bankert on KCRA is talking about a DroidX giveaway the station is doing as I write this post! Funny!)

Well, one thing you still can't do, even with a cool advanced phone like mine, is enjoy the conversation and share the warmth of having a meal with a good friend.

Speaking of, my daughter just texted me to remind me we are meeting for breakfast this morning.

I don't think we'll need to text across the table.

Blogger-droid v1.6.0

As Good As It Gets, My Disillusionment is Over

2010-09-22T20:35:00.001-07:00

I hit a major milestone this week. One that I'd been contemplating and ruminating over for several years. A milestone that, although ignoble in some books, is an important milestone nonetheless.

After a short default hearing on Monday, September 20th, a judge at the Sacramento Superior Court granted my request for a divorce. A journey that began with starts and stops nearly 12 years ago is finally coming to a close. A long journey of separation, reconciliation, separation again, and finally disillusionment is at it's end.

As of November 11, 2010, I will be, legally, a single man again.

Granted, and very very joyfully, that condition will probably not last very long, but, there you have it. It's finally done.

I have to give partial credit for the ease of this process to my soon-to-be official x-wife, who trusted me to go through the process uncontested, and not take advantage of her. I thank her for her trust, and wish her the best in her new life with her boyfriend and likely soon-to-be husband.

Some folks have greeted my news with gladness, others with concern for my well-being and my emotions.

One gentleman, after learning I will officially have been married for 12 days shy of 26 years when the divorce is final, greeted me with a smile, a handshake, and congratulations at meeting another "25 year man".

I must say, though, my biggest emotion is relief. Relief for a thing that is finally done. Not like a monkey off my back, or a weight off my shoulders, just a serious thing that needed to be taken off my to-do list, and finally has been.

Seven years of separation left plenty of time to deal with the emotions of a broken marriage. The mourning is long over, and the healing has long been in process. This is simply paperwork done, and I'm glad of it.

I am so happy and looking forward to the future. My relationship with Alene is the most solid and trusting relationship I've ever had. She's been supportive and very patient with me, and I owe her my heart and soul. I love her with my very life, and I look forward to a long future together.

In the words of Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets".... she makes me want to be a better man.

Cops and Robbers and Alarms and Quests

2010-09-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

I got up early this morning.

I think our alarm went off about 5:30 am or so. Alene has a habit of just hitting the snooze and rolling over every ten minutes for an hour until it's time to get out of bed. I'm more of a "set the alarm for the time you want to get up, then get up" kinda guy, but whatever. Her way, with a little extra snuggle time in the morning, is pretty good too.

The problem for me this morning was that I had worked a long 15 hour shift yesterday. When I came home last night I was very tired, but I couldn't get to sleep. My mind was still kinda adrenaline soaked after working on the radio during a particularly gnarly bank robbery and vehicle pursuit earlier in the evening.

The robbers walked out of a bank, followed by a cop who'd been in the bank on his own business and saw the robbery go down. He followed the suspect's truck and gave updates on the radio until marked units arrived and took over, after which the chase was on!

The bad guys took off and wound around several neighborhoods, up onto a crowded rush-hour freeway, down the right shoulder and up and down several off and on ramps. After about 20 minutes, the driver crashed their truck into a canal about a block from their home. They both got out and ran, and after a short scuffle with several police officers and a K9 partner, were taken into custody. From the looks of one of the bad guys afterwards, it was pretty clear the officers and their K9 won the fight pretty convincingly.

My job, I must admit, has it's cool moments.

Anyway, I didn't sleep much last night. I think I got to bed around 1am. When the alarm went off, I had planned to get up and go to a men's bible study at church. I laid in bed and considered my options. Get up, go fellowship with the guys at church, or sleeeeeeeeeeep until about 9am.

I bet you can guess my choice.

So I drifted back to sleep as Alene got up and went into the living room to do her morning Bible study.

All of sudden, my eyes opened and I was awake! I began to think about the men's study and how much I'd been looking forward to it.

The study is about a men's fraternity, a curriculum called The Quest for Authentic Manhood by Robert Lewis. Seeing as how it sounded very similar to book I'd read some years ago called Wild at Heart by John Eldredge (which, by the way, provided the title and inspiration for this blog), I was curious to learn more. Wild at Heart changed my life. Made me think about what it means to me a man in today's world, and got me to rethink many of the ways I approached life.

I also didn't want to disappoint one of the guys I'd made a commitment to when I said I'd be there.

So, it came down to God's will, or my will. All I really had to do was brush my teeth (for the benefit and comfort of others in attendance), slip on my flip-flops and go to church. So, at what I'm certain was the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit, I got up and toddled off to church.

Via McDonald's for coffee, but I think that's a given.

It turns out I'm very glad I did get up and go.

I met with a group of about 7 or 8 other men, all of whom I'd seen before at church, very few of which I knew well. It was a good time of fellowship, listening to some teaching, and sharing a little bit in discussion. The subject matter seems to be very close to what I was hoping it would be, which got me excited about the study.

As I go through this study I'll probably make some posts about things I learn and changes I make. Naturally I'm not going to talk about too many specifics or anyone else's journey. Each man has his own journey, and can talk about it or not to their own desires, but I'll not be breaking any confidences here, anonymous or not.

So I'm tired and sleepy, but also eager to see where God guides us. I'm looking forward to making deeper friendships with some of the men in my group, and to becoming a better, stronger man for the benefit of those around me.

Especially for my family and the woman I love.

Coffee and More

2010-09-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I woke up early. It was Monday after all, "Breakfast with Dad" day, and I wanted to spend a few minutes with Alene before she left for work. Mondays are one of MY days off. It kills her that I get three days off every week. I don't blame her, but it still kills her.

Anyway, we chatted a bit, I kissed her goodbye, and I sat down to a cup of coffee. Yuban Dark Roast was the coffee of choice that morning. Strong, dark, and aromatic. Then I make it blonde and sweet. Yummy stuff.

(Coffee purists, please don't harangue me about how cruddy Yuban or Folgers is, and how by the time you open the coffee can it's already stale coffee. I know. I occasionally grind fresh beans, but this morning was just good ol' Yuban.)

After sipping that cup for a bit, and getting myself a second cup while doing some work on the computer (hahaha did I say work on the computer?), I drank that and poured myself another cup, sipped and worked some more, then got myself ready to go down to my dad's house.

After picking up dad we went to our favorite restaurant, Lumberjacks, for breakfast and what.....?

You guessed it. More coffee.

We ate, talked, and solved the world's problems (as we do each time we go), over several more cups of coffee. I like Lumberjacks especially because they have these neat, big, coffee cups.

No little thimble cups that you take about two sips from and the cup is empty. Oh, no. These are almost like those old "Friends" TV show mugs that hold a bunch of coffee!

(I actually asked the server if they sell the cups, and they said no. She said if they did, they'd run out because everyone asks to buy them!)

Next we went to Walmart to get dad his monthly supply of sundries. After that, on the way home, dad got a sort of thoughtful look and asked, "Mike, do you have time to stop by Starbucks for a little cup of coffee?"

Now, by this time I'd truthfully had enough coffee, but who am I to turn down Starbucks? I actually enjoy taking dad to Starbucks, because it is a nice place to sit and talk and solve the world's problems that had cropped up since the last time we solved them about two hours ago. We're good at that, trust me.

If only I were King of the World, I tell you what I'd do.....

Anyway, I do enjoy my time with dad, and the coffee habit I inherited from him.

Full Bellies and Flying Shows

2010-09-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 11th, we marked by daughter Lindsey's 22nd birthday.

Lindsey enjoys her birthday candles.

Alene and I gathered the kids together along with the grandparents and had a wonderful time of fellowship and celebration for Lindsey.

Grammie Dorothy and Grandpa Bob

Camie and Emily

Liz and Grammie Dorothy

The fellowship was close, the conversation sweet, and the love was warm. Alene and I cooked and kinda over did it. Pork chops, lasagna, corn on the cob, green beans and bacon, watermelon, and garlic bread. Throw on top of that coffee, tea, and birthday cake, and most all of us rolled away from the dinner table with full tummies.

Can you really over-do a birthday dinner?

Sunday was equally wonderful in a different way. I began by sleeping in (thank you baby), then coffee and my bible study. Reading in Psalms 19 about how God has wonderfully revealed himself to us through nature and through life was uplifting and reassuring. Church, as usual, refilled my heart with the faces of friends and my ears with the word of God.

Afterwards Alene, Liz and I had plans to go over to Kelli Stewart's house and have a picnic. She and her husband live out near Mather, and since the 2010 California Capital Airshow was happening this weekend, she invited us out to see what we could see. As God would have it, Kelli felt moved to invite Brian Bennet with us, and I'm glad she did. He's a neat brother in the Lord and I really enjoyed getting to know him more.

As sandwiches were being made in the kitchen, I kept hearing the sounds of jet engines outside. I'd run out, and of course by the time you hear the jets they're usually already passed by, so it was hard to get a good look over the rooftops, but..... as were standing out front setting up some lawn chairs, I looked up and coming directly over the house was a screaming F-18 Hornet at about 500 feet!

Ok, this isn't the actual plane that passed over us, but it looked just like it!

I yelled at Brian, "Dude, straight up!" pointing up, and the Hornet howled and shrieked as it passed over us at what seemed close enough for us to touch. It was just amazing to feel the thrum of the engine actually shake my chest as the plane passed over.

After eating we drove a few blocks to an open area on Excelsior Road where we could see the flight line. The Patriots performance team were doing their show, which I'd seen before up and Beale AFB, and is a pretty good show for a private team.

The Patriots air performance team.

Later, the F-22 Raptor took off. I was excited about seeing this futuristic fighter up close for the first time.

F-22 Raptor

P38's and an F-22 Raptor in formation.

After the show we headed back to Kelli's place for some much needed water and fellowship before heading home.

All in all, as I look back and think of all I've been through, I count myself highly blessed and very thankful. The love of a good woman, the respect of children (at least I think so!), and the joy of a wonderful extended family of friends and relatives, combined with the love of the Great Healer and Creator, make life not only good, but worth living, with purpose and joy.

I know crappy-crappy-crap will come my way in the future. It always does, and it always gets dealt with. Having joy, though, makes it a lot easier.

A Prayer for Peace and Humility

2010-09-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most all of you have heard about the pastor of the small church in Gainesville, Florida, that has declared Saturday, September 11th 2010 as "International Burn a Quran Day".

If not, I'd like to crawl under whatever rock you live under, too, because it's probably quiet and peaceful under there.

If you don't live under a rock, no doubt you've seen the headlines and stories, such as this one, or this one.

I don't need to detail the pastor's feelings or reasons for you, you can read about those or watch the news. I don't need to repeat the political establishment's reactions to the story, you can Google them on your own. I don't have to give quotes regarding the Muslim world and what their reaction is or will be, we will know within hours if the pastor actually goes through with his plans.

What I do want to express here is what I see as both an American issue, and a Christian issue.

First, it's very sad that US news media has focussed so much time and energy to the issues of one very small church in Florida. Our news media has inflamed this for it's own financial benefit. The ensuing firestorm of controversy has been a boon to media outlets all over the country.

They are all benefiting from the increased circulation and viewer-ship of their products.

They are all making more money.

They are controlling the news product, and controlling what we see and hear about it.

Understand that to begin with.

Second, as a First Amendment issue, I have no problem with someone who wants to burn a book as a political statement, no matter if that book is the Bible or the Quran or any other book. I may disagree with the message and the means of making it, but it's clearly protected "speech" according to the US Supreme Court, which is the final arbiter of what is legal and what is not legal in the US.

The speech may be offensive to some, indeed it may be offensive to many, but that's exactly what the First Amendment protects - offensive political speech. Pleasing speech needs no protection, and our Founders knew this very well.

No one in the US has the right to "not be offended", just as no one has the "right to be heard". We have the right to speak.

Whether anyone listens is up to the individual.

Which brings me to my third point - is this action correct or beneficial from a Christian viewpoint?

I contend it is not.

As a US citizen, I'm not terribly fond of anyone who wants to kill me, my family, or destroy my way of life. Radical Muslims have clearly avowed these very things as a major goal. They hate western life, culture and prosperity. They dislike the fact that most of us in the US are what they would call infidels, or unbelievers. We are routinely called "The Great Satan", which I think pretty well sums it up.

As a US citizen, I think it's important to stand up to and resist people who want to hurt you and take away your way of life. God bless the US military and all they stand for in protecting us.

But as a Christian, one who is not only a US citizen, but first a citizen of the Kingdom of God, as Jesus called it, I think this Quran burning is very misguided. I don't think offending people is the way to win their hearts and minds to favor with Jesus.

Jesus' first and foremost desire on earth was to bring glory to His Father. Everything He did was pleasing and correct in the eyes of God.

Jesus never, ever, attacked a "foreign" religion or government. Speaking of an evil and oppressive regime known at the Roman Empire at the time, he declared "give to Caesar that which is Caesar's. Give to God that which is God's."

Speaking to a heathen Samaritan woman at the well, a person detested by Jews, Jesus offered up a well of living water to the woman, if she would believe he was the promised Messiah.

Jesus told his followers that if they are struck on one cheek, to turn the other cheek. People often argue about this passage, wondering if Jesus meant to literally not resist physical force, but in thinking about this command, consider the fact that Jesus went quietly to his death without fighting back one bit. He recognized God's will in that moment, and by his obedience brought glory to God by his death.

Jesus was all about saving people from spiritual death, not political power. One day He will come in glory and He will be King of All, both spiritual and political, but for now, the Good News is about saving souls and eternal life, so that we can enjoy Jesus' reign later.

So how are we as Christians supposed to deal with evil people or ideologies?

Jesus told his followers to love our enemies, and pray for them.

He told them to "treat others the same way you want others to treat you".

And in Romans 12, the Apostle Paul wrote, summing up his assessment of how Christians should live:

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written, "it is mine to avenge. I will repay", says the LORD. On the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. "

I pray that the pastor has a change of heart, but I fear the damage is done.

If he wants to stand as a US citizen and decry Muslim terrorists, that is his right, but his words and actions have consequences that may be farther reaching than he can imagine.

If he wants to stand as a Christian follower of Jesus, he must evaluate his actions in light of bringing glory to God and spreading the Good News to those who need to hear it. Will this Quran burning help to achieve that goal? Does God Almighty really need to have His Honor defended by men?

Even Islam acknowledges that God knows what is in the heart of a man or woman, and our actions speak louder than our words. God knows this man's heart, and I pray that God will speak to his heart, and take him away from this confrontational attitude to an attitude of love and humility in Christ.

A Gorgeous Day for Wanderlust

2010-09-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

I was struck with a bout of wanderlust yesterday. I decided to take a drive up Hwy 80 to Auburn, connect with Hwy 49 and drive to Hwy 89 and Sierraville, head down to Truckee, then take Hwy 80 back home. The weather was beautiful, so off I went.

View Larger Map

I took off about 8:30, taking my dog Jett with me. The first stop was, of course, coffee. My thought was to wind my way through the foothills and mountains, stopping at little coffee shops along the way, tasting my way through the drive. After the second stop, Dutch Brothers in Auburn for an "ER-911", consisting of 6 shots of espresso, Irish Creme syrup, and steamed milk, I modified my plan just a little bit. That second stop for coffee was, shall we say, sufficient for the morning. (Dutch Brothers, by the way, is in my opinion one of the best coffee chains in California. I'm just sayin'.)

I continued up Hwy 49, and came to a little town called Camptonville, with an interesting claim to fame: the invention of the Pelton Water Wheel.

Its not much on the map, but as I drove through I found it was a quaint little town. And I mean little.

I stopped and got lunch at a little diner called the Pelton Wheel Cafe. It was very small and quaint, but they made a very good burger. I talked with the gal who ran the place for a few minutes before heading on up the hill.

On up Hwy 49 I went, winding through some beautiful mountain scenery - winding being more of the operative word in this instance. Jett found it hard to stand in the back seat of the car, so she found curled up and chilled in the sun as we wound up the road.

I came to a town I wasn't expecting along the way: Downieville. This is important because it's a favorite place of Alene's, and I didn't realize it was on Hwy 49.. What a cute little town. While in town, looking for an inn Alene had stayed at some years ago, I talked to an old man named Andy who told me, in five minutes, all about the gold rush history of the town, where the medi-vac landing zone is outside of town, and about a search-and-rescue event where 250 townies volunteered to search for a young boy lost in the hills. Very nice man.

And a Scary Bridge. Literally, just wide enough for my car.

After leaving Downieville, I continued on up toward Sierraville, coming to the vista point looking out over the Sierra Valley. What an amazing site. The photos don't do the view justice, believe me.

Up here in the high Sierra, it's truly cowboy country.

Leaving Sierraville, I drove past a closed gas station that caught my eye. For one thing, the last gas price posted was $1.55 a gallon, so how long ago was that, especially up here in the high Sierras? As I looked around, I found an entire pet store inside, simply abandoned. All the pet supplies, food and toys were just left there. It's obviously been years. The rest of the store was cleared out, for the most part, but again, simply abandoned. Signs are all in place, even a California Lotter banner still hanging. I'm amazed the place hasn't been burglarized and cleaned out.

So when was this?

Pet supplies, leashes and such, just abandoned.

Dog food and treats still on the shelves.

Still has some sort of drink product stacked up.

I wound my way back through Truckee, where I stopped at the Wagon Train for a cup of by then needed coffee, and played with Jett at a grassy park.

After that, with the sun beginning to get low in the sky, I pointed the car toward home. In all, about 240 miles, 11 hours on the road, one tired dog, and a great day.

When In Sacramento... or is in Greece....Whatever, I Like Food

2010-09-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Labor day weekend dawned with an effusive air of expectation. A three-day weekend was at hand, and not a single plan had been laid. 72 hours or more of complete freedom lay in front of us, calling to us and challenging us to make the most of the wonderful weekend.

No one had a clue what we wanted to do.

Sometimes too many choices makes making a single choice very difficult.

"Let's do this. Oooo wait, let's do that! That looks cool! Oh, but... but.. hang on. We could do this, then that, and hit this other thing in between, oh but this overlaps with that, and I don't want to do that because, you know, it has these things there and I don't know if I'll like these things, but over here we can do this! Oh, but if we do this, we won't want to do that..... "

I think you get the picture. I think you've been there with me.

So, Alene and I got up, had some coffee, talked over the coffee, made some more coffee and sipped that coffee. I love coffee. Coffee is just so wonderful. The aroma and flavor makes me........ Oh jeez I need to stop. If I go down the coffee road that's all this post will be about. The succulent little brown roasted beans that when you grind them and combine with water they......Gah!! I'm doing it again!

Focus.

So Alene mentioned a few things she'd seen during the week that sounded fun, and we picked Chalk-It Up Sacramento and the Sacramento Greek Festival , both of which turned out to be good choices for a Saturday. Lots of walking but not too much walking, and the chance to eat some interesting and delicious food. Like Baklava!

We got down to Chalk-It Up around 12:30 or so. Not all the artists were out yet, but many were. It was a festive, fun atmosphere with music, food, and lots of kids. No Baklava yet, but we did get an Italian Ice which was pretty good.

Around 2pm or so we headed over to the Sacramento Convention Center, and the Greek Festival. I knew they'd have Baklava there.

I'd never been to the Greek Festival before. I actually grew up near the church were the Sacramento Greek Festival started, on Alhambra Blvd in Sacramento. I remember being very young, going to play and swim at McKinley Park during the summer, and seeing hundreds of people suddenly hanging around the big Greek church, and smelling wonderful food across the street. Now I know it was the origins of the Greek Food Festival, which became simply the Greek Festival.

Also when I was young, there was a Greek family at our church. Their daughters were in the youth group about the same time, and when it was their turn to bring treats for some event, they always brought some form of Baklava. It was there that I learned what honey dripped walnuts and dates wrapped in filo dough can taste like. Hence, by love of Baklava.

So, we went to the Festival and got lunch. We had some delicious real food for lunch, (chicken, lamb, green beans, rice, etc), as well as some interesting Greek roll-up thingies. One was a filo-wrapped rice and cheese thing, and the other was a spinich and egg thingy, and both were fantastic! (You can glance at my Food Diary, because the names of most of the foods were actually in it's dictionary.)

Then I looked for the Baklava, but got sidetracked and distracted by a fellow making Greek coffee. I wish I took more photos at the festival, but here is one of the more interesting ones.

They use a very finely ground coffee and boil it in very small batches. In this photo they are using sand over the burners to even out the heat. They serve it with with the grounds in the cup so you need to let it set a moment. With each cup the server warned patrons, "don't drink the mud at the bottom of the cup."

Excellent coffee. If you are a fan of espresso, you'll like it. I don't care what you are a fan of, you won't like the mud.

Trust me.

Moving on, we headed over to the pastry section. Again, I wish I had taking more photos. There were several different types of pastries, several of which we tried. And, of course, I found my Baklava. Mmmmmmmm yummy, honey dripping walnut stuffed...... oh wait, speaking of honey dripped....

They also had these honey soaked, cinnamon and walnut sprinkled donut holes. Yes, they had a Greek name, but a donut hole by any other name is still a donut hole, but it doesn't taste as sweet as these! They take the crispy fried donut hole and literally dump it in a tub of honey stuff. They stir them around, drain them, and pour a little bit more honey on top. Then, if you want, some ground walnuts and cinnamon. (Thank you Liz for standing in the interminable line and waiting to get them.)

Oh...... my..... sweet..... goodness. I almost forgot about my Baklava. Almost.

As we ate pastries, and elderly couple sat down next to us and struck up a conversation. Turns out the husbands name is Nick Stathos. He, apparently, is the oldest bar-tender in Sacramento, according to this Sacramento Bee article. Talk about a nice old guy. He asked Alene and I how long we'd been married, and when we replied "not yet", he smiled, looked around and said "we've got a priest here, let's make it today!" Funny, nice, witty man. Just goes to show you never know who might bump into.

After looking at the sights at the Festival, and one last trip around the block at Chalk-It Up to check on the artist's progress, we headed home. I was literally limping by now, my feet and back quite sore, (I thought it was going to be an easy walk day, but I was wrong) but with a full and very satisfied tummy, full of Greek goodness and, yes, honey.

I bet Winnie the Pooh was part Greek.

Gah.... I Need a New Drug....

2010-09-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yesterday I wrote about a new emphasis on health, blah blah blah blah. I had a great day while I was at work. I ate the good dinner I brought with me, and that seemed to be sufficient.

Until I left work and headed home.

Oh, how my stomach started to growl! Now, I know that reaction is partly Pavlovian. In fact its mostly if not all Pavlovian. (For those of you just entering college this year and have no idea who Pavlov is or his Pavlovian ideas, see this link and this link.)

When I leave work and drive down the street, there's a McDonald's one block over. The glistening yellow glow from the Golden Arches beacons to me every time I pass by.

Each night the aroma of fresh French fries cooking two blocks away down-wind wafts through the closed windows of my car. Their decadent fragrance blows gently through the recirculated air of the car's air conditioning.

I think of a juicy double-cheeseburger and actually begin to taste cheese. And ketchup.

My mouth waters, and I think I see Ronald McDonald riding a cloud in the night sky, waving to me and smiling.

So last night as I left work, I was detoured away from McDonald's by some road work. As I waved goodbye to Ronald (I think he actually began to cry) I got on the freeway and headed home.

My stomach didn't stop growling though. As I drove on, I began to hear a very faint, but familiar tune. I couldn't quite make it out at first, but as I drove, it became louder and more clear. Soon, I found myself listening to a slightly off-key tune being sung by Carl Jr.

Now, I'm well acquainted with Carl, having worked for him for several years as a teenager. He and I are buddies, after a fashion. I know, he's dead, but he still talks to me every so often. About as often as Ronald does.

But..... Carl's song is different. Where Ronald sings of cheese and ketchup, Carl sings of mayonnaise and bar-b-que. And, oh... what a sweet tune it is!

Ok, so it wasn't Audrina Patridge singing. I think I was hearing Carl himself, channeled from the great beyond.

Anyway, I got off the freeway and followed the song to Carl's Jr, where I loaded up on a western bacon cheese burger and onion rings. Wait, did I say just one burger? My bad...... make that two burgers.

Hey, that Carl can sing. He deserved a tip!

So, after doing so well for most of yesterday, shall we say, I exceeded by goal by a bit. If you look at the food diary for yesterday, you'll see it was QUITE a bit. I'm not shy. It is what is it, as one of my co-workers would say.

So, instead of kicking myself today and never listening to music again (gotta have SOME music in my life, ya know?), I will again try today to change the music station. I stopped by Subway this morning and picked up a breakfast sandwich and a BLT for later.

Subway's music is a little lighter, with not so much bass, if you understand my meaning. Subway is like a soothing Norah Jones lick as opposed to Ronald and Carl's more Bad Company-ish rifts? More melody and less pounding rhythm.

So... I still gotta have music in my life. I still gotta rock but I guess I gotta learn to avoid the tunes that will make me roll, ya know?

I need to undo the presets on the radio of my life. Delete Carl and Ronald, and rip off the knob!

Well, maybe not rip, because I don't want to break anything, but maybe duct tape it so I can't press those buttons anymore.

Is there such thing as Pop-up Blockers for fast food joints?

Hmmmmmmmmmm.........