Godly Athiests

In my world travels it is interesting to observe the devotion displayed to false gods. Muslims bowing down for prayer on trans-pacific flights, Hindus putting their daily worship sacrifices out for their gods, animists building their little altars to the river god or mountain god, witch doctors fasting and cutting themselves to coerce the spirits into action.

But when I begin to observe a majority of American Christians there is nothing to see. Except for occasional Sunday church attendance, there is no place to view their devotion to their God. Their theology is invisible. They believe in God in intellectual ways that don't visibly alter their lives. They mentally ascribe to a "God belief" but functionally they are atheists.

Now I praise God that we are New Testament Christians unencumbered by the necessity of daily sacrifices. I thank God that our walk is by grace not walking up to Mecca. I bless Jesus that if I forget to pray for a few days, he's not ticked off and withdrawn.

BUT a living faith demands something observable and different. An integration of God into our daily living that is tangible. An adoration that treats God like He's real and like He's really here and really hearing.

Folks that I see worshiping their false gods appear odd and different to me. That's the way I should appear to those without a living faith in Jesus. They should say, "Hey, why do you do what you do?".

Why are you kneeling? Why do you pray before you reach for an aspirin? Why do you carry that little book around? Why does your checkbook have a weekly check to church? Why do you look for the hurting to help? Why don't you rent the raunchy movie that Hollywood says is so cool? Why do you dance around in your living room to worship music? Why do you take expensive trips to 3rd world places that are so poor they turn your stomach?

I don't want merely a "doctrine" of God, I want a "doing" for God! I want to act different by faith and because of faith. No functional atheism for me!

Have it Norway!

With my apologies to the old Burger King commercials,"Have it your way"...I was shocked to discover that Norway has been ranked as the best place in the world to live. Norway! (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8290550)

Norway...where six months out of the year the average temperature is below freezing. That may be "your-way" to live but it's "no-way" to live for me.

Based on longevity, educational system, safety, and earnings per person, Norway came out on top. Of course...they are frozen half the time, they are inside studying, people are too cold to commit crime, and there is nowhere to spend your money.

Give me Southern California, palm trees swaying, warm sand under my toes, people from around the world, average temp 70 degrees, and Disneyland. Come on people.

Just pray that my wife doesn't read this...she's full on Norwegian...I will take my Norwegian but I will take her to So.Cal! No way, Norway!

By the way...Iceland was #3!! Iceland!

Lettuce Spray

The second pastor I worked for was a jokester. At a banquet he was introduced to say the prayer before the meal. As he stood he produced a head of lettuce and spray bottle and he held it up. The looks of befuddlement that appeared were answered with his announcement\invitation, "Lettuce Spray" and with that he bowed his head began to pray.

Lots of folks treat prayer like lettuce spray...an obligatory religious exercise that is more for the good of the person praying than for the impact on the situation prayed about.

But if you are serious about God's Word, there is no denying that the first and most powerful place to address any circumstance is by saying, "Let Us Pray!"

"Let us pray" is the invitation for you and someone else to join your faith before the throne of the living God of the universe, the real one, the listening one, the loving one, the mighty one. Together, whether with two or two thousand, you lift up your faith to the Father and "make your requests known to God with thanksgiving" (Phil 4:6)expecting in faith for your prayer to actually impact the situation you are praying about.

Praying alone is powerful also but there is no doubt that the text and the example of scripture is that US is stronger than ME. (Matthew 18:19,20)

What a powerful privilege this phrase, "Let us Pray"...much more effective than LETTUCE SPRAY.

Fios Minus TV

They thought I was crazy.
"You want FIOS, you want internet and phone but NO TV? Do you understand TV is included? Everybody loves TV!"

When I told him we had been TV free all of our married lives and for now our intention was to stay that way...he fell over the rest of the way.

I have to say I was tempted this time. "Tempted" is not the right word because I am convinced it would NOT be a sin for me to have a TV. I have a TV in our vacation home. I never have one second of critical thoughts about those who do have TVs.

But I was "tempted" in the sense I thought it might be nice to have a new friend in the house. This friend could be there to "veg" with me when I was tired, "inform" me when I was feeling out of touch, "educate" me with the history channel, "entertain" me when I was bored, "school" me so I would know what was cool and how to pronounce "Pelosi". I could really use a friend like that.

But then I hesitated. "Would my new friend be true to me?"
OR Would they end up robbing me blind, like a repairman who seems to be a help and ends up scooting out with your diamond necklace?

What if they stole my time?
What if they mesmerized me into inactivity and love affair with the recliner?
What if they lied to me and convinced me of what I knew wasn't true?
What if they attacked my family and tied up my time, my heart, and isolated me?
What if they said no more scrabble or dominoes with the kids?
What if they rolled seductive pictures in front of me and made me covet a woman other than my wife?
What if they convinced me that I needed a newer car, a better computer, a bigger TV? What if they made me miss an unrepeatable sunset or a moonlight walk with my sweetheart?
What if they talked and talked and talked and talked and never listened, filling my home with meaningless words and silencing Bach or Jazz or conversations or the beauty of silence?
What if a great idea for a sermon or book or ministry was lost because I was empty mindedly watching someone else's bright idea?

TV, even on a big flat screen, even on FIOS ended up sounding more like an enemy than a friend. With those kind of friends, who needs enemies?

To a few of you I would say...
"Get out of jail, Kill your TV!"

Trash Can Habits

Change for humans is initially hard.

Habits are semi-automatic behaviors which we default to unless a strong compelling motivation and rigorous self-discipline consciously break the ingrained pattern.

Habits can be the path to abundant living or the quickest way to no where.

We love ruts. Someone has said, "A rut is a grave with both ends kicked out." But ruts can actually be a path to efficiency. Wagon trains moved much faster because of ruts. BUT if the rut is going the wrong way, you are in a bad way. If your rut is even slightly misdirected, if you don't get out of it, it will trap you in the wrong place.

A few ruts are fine. If you are a stagecoach, ruts are fine. But ruts can be traps that keep you from exploring the wonders of the country around you. If you are a four wheel drive, you don't want a rut, you want the open country.

My wife moved the trash can in our bedroom. Since we first moved in, the trash can has always been in the same place. But now it's not. Several times now I have tossed my trash in the wrong place because it's the usual place.

At first I was ticked at my wife...how could she move the trash can and mess up my life? But then I realized...the new spot is actually a much better place for the trash can than they old spot. The problem is with me not the trash can placement. I have to get out of my rut, break a habit...and make a new one. But it's better than the old rut\habit.

A simple trash can move has launched me on a new adventure of challenging every rut and habit in my life...is it building me up or tearing me down? Is it efficient or limiting?

I think this old dog needs to learn a few new tricks.

Bob and Grace

Bob is my friend. Without a miracle, Bob may die soon. Bob has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the doctors say there is nothing more they can do for him.

I think of Bob about once an hour during the day. I wake up and pray for Bob during the night. My wife is fasting and praying for Bob.

If anyone deserves to live and beat cancer, it's Bob. He is a servant, a man who lays his life down to bless others.

But life doesn't work on a "what you deserve" basis. None of us deserve a miracle. Every miracle, like every breath, is simply a gift of God, an expression of His grace. Sometimes God heals us here, and sometimes He has a higher plan.

God is teaching me about grace...how to pray in faith but then to receive by grace. If God answers my prayer in the direction I was pleading...then that is grace. If He doesn't seem to respond, there is a different grace He is seeking to manifest. The question is, "Am I open to receiving it".

Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." He was saying, I will receive grace if I live and I will receive a different grace if I die.

The just shall live by faith, and those that live by faith receive great grace.

God, multiply grace on my friend Bob. I am believing for the first grace!

Where's my Empty Nest?

I always wanted a family of five. Instead I had one daughter who loved her mom and I very much...but who couldn't wait to move out of the house. Upon high school graduation she was gone.

Her vibrant laughter and innumerable friends no longer reverberated off the walls of our small home. Of course she did show up now and then, sometimes with as many as 45 friends to spend the night (true story).

But for the most part the house was quiet and the nest was blissfully and mournfully empty. Deb and I love each other deeply and were enjoying the time. We began shopping at Trader Joes instead of Costco.

But then something happened. Our daughter graduated from university, moved back home, found a boyfriend whose mom lived in Alaska, and we adopted an 18 year old who had lost her parents.

Suddenly we had our family of five, the home was rocking louder than ever and our food bill had quadrupled. We were shopping at Costco again and the thoughts of an empty nest were faint memories.

But I am not grieving the empty nest, it's not gone forever. It will too quickly return.

For now I am reveling in the laughter, the music, the meals, the movie nights, the family games, the bike\skateboard trips with five of us in a pack, the prayer around the dinner table, and silly celebrations.

The nest is full and so is my heart. God is good...whether the nest is empty or crowded. After all, His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.

I Left My Heart in the Jungle

It is a dangerous thing to love deeply as it positions you for much pain...but there is no other way to live greatly. I choose danger, pain and the adventure of love.

My recent trip to the depths of the jungles of Kalimantan (Borneo) was an adventure to be certain. To minister among the former headhunters of Borneo, the Dayak Tribe was an honor.

What I discovered deep in the jungle was the commonness of human heart...not common as it plain or invaluable...but common as in shared and unified. The needs, the joys, the fears, the sin, the potentials, are common to me.

My wealthy, S. California, beach lifestyle and the impoverished, jungle reality of my friends does not create an uncrossable divide of difference. On the contrary. The sharp distinctions in our realities of living underlines the commonness of our hearts.

I rode on the back of a motorscooter with a 50lb suitcase on front and my 220 pounds on the back and a small Dayak pastor piloting in the middle. Amazing.

I submerged myself in the quick flowing river as the only air conditioning available for miles.

I hugged orphans, prayed for needs, sweated through translated sermons, awoke to the sounds of children worshiping at 5am, strategized about future ministry, hiked jungle paths that were like tunnels of green, prayed over property claiming it for the kingdom, ate strange but delectable foods, sang and danced with children, and most of all dispensed and absorbed as much LOVE as possible.

There was one leader who was key to our trip...during the time we grew close. He confessed to me something I am not sure that he has told any one before. His father had never hugged him or blessed him. When I was preparing to leave, I did both in the biggest ways possible...and meant it deeply.

Then I left the jungle....and a part of my heart. But the expansion of the human heart only comes by stretching it through vulnerability. The loss was offset by the gain.

Preaching to the Almost Dead

I had a very difficult experience this Sunday. I was preaching to a person whom I knew was going to be dead soon. They were taking themselves off of dialysis and would be dead four or five days later. There are many extenuating circumstances as to why they are making this choice but I still pleaded with them to change their mind. I want them to stay around.

At the altar kneeling down before I preached I wondered, "How can I preach when I am so consumed with the pain of seeing my friend in church for the last time?"

I cried out to God for strength. Oddly enough I was preaching on Romans 8:28, that grand promise that our God can do amazing things with awful circumstances.

My friend is believer in Christ...solidly. They have searched the scripture to find a prohibition for the removal of their own life support. They feel confident in their decision. I can't make a convincing argument to them and I certainly would be the last to condemn them to hell for giving up on life in anticipation of heaven.

But the more I thought about it, every week in a church our size I am preaching to someone who will be dead within a month. And all of us in the sanctuary will be dead within a few short years.

So I am always "preaching to the almost dead".

Today I did a funeral for a woman who never came to our church except one time. She is the mother of our newly adopted 19 year old daughter. It was Palm Sunday and we had many things going on and I had considered not giving an altar call that service and wait until Easter Sunday. But I then I sensed that is not what God wanted.

So I gave an altar call and to everyone's surprise, Darcy boldly raised her hand and then also courageously walked to the front to make a public profession. She was the only one who did so.

She had to work on Sunday for the next four weeks and on Mother's Day she had a sudden heart attack and died in her daughter's arms.

I am reminded of the urgency of the preaching of the gospel. I close this blog with another historical piece on the subject.

The same day the great fire raged throughout Chicago, the city’s most popular evangelist was preaching his heart out at Farwell Hall. D.L. Moody had established quite a following in the Chicago area, and on that infamous night he was preaching to a large congregation.

Moody dismissed the crowd and asked them to evaluate their relationship with Christ and return next week to make a decision for him. The crowd never returned, though, because the city was destroyed.

After the incident, Moody made a personal commitment to never again leave a church congregation without calling them to make a decision for Jesus Christ.

Thanks TOM...I feel Younger!

I am NOT a GOLFER but the lessons in this article were TOO GOOD not to pass along, especially if you are over 50 like me! Worth the read.

59 Is the New 30 By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN (July 29, New York Times Op Ed)

"....Indeed, I have been struck at how many golfers and non-golfers got caught up in Watson’s historic performance — tying for the lead after four rounds at Turnberry, but losing in a playoff to the 36-year-old Stewart Cink. I was not alone in being devastated that Watson was not able to par the last hole and clinch the win. Like millions of others, I shouted at the TV as his ball ran across the 18th green — heading for trouble — “STOP! STOP! STOP!” as if I personally had something at stake. Why was that?

Many reasons. For starters, Watson’s run was freaky unusual — a 59-year-old man who had played his opening two rounds in this tournament with a 16-year-old Italian amateur — was able to best the greatest golfers in the world at least a decade after anyone would have dreamt it possible.

Watching this happen actually widened our sense of what any of us is capable of. That is, when Kobe Bryant scores 70 points, we are in awe. When Tiger Woods wins by 15 strokes, we are in awe. But when a man our own age and size whips the world’s best — who are half his age — we identify.

Of course, Watson has unique golfing skills, but if you are a baby boomer you could not help but look at him and say something you would never say about Tiger or Kobe: “He’s my age; he’s my build; he’s my height; and he even had his hip replaced like me. If he can do that, maybe I can do something like that, too.”

Neil Oxman, Watson’s caddy,... said to him, ‘For a lot of people, what you’re doing is life-affirming.’

Also, as Watson himself appreciates, the way he lost the tournament underscored why golf is the sport most like life. He hit two perfect shots on the 18th hole in the final round, and the second one bounced just a little too hard and ran through the green, leaving him a difficult chip back, which he was unable to get up and down. Had his ball stopped a foot shorter, he would have had an easy two-putt and a win.

That’s the point. Baseball, basketball and football are played on flat surfaces designed to give true bounces. Golf is played on an uneven terrain designed to surprise. Good and bad bounces are built into the essence of the game. And the reason golf is so much like life is that the game — like life — is all about how you react to those good and bad bounces. Do you blame your caddy? Do you cheat? Do you throw your clubs? Or do you accept it all with dignity and grace and move on, as Watson always has. Hence the saying: Play one round of golf with someone and you will learn everything you need to know about his character.

Golf is all about individual character. The ball is fixed. No one throws it to you. You initiate the swing, and you alone have to live with the results. There are no teammates to blame or commiserate with. Also, pro golfers, unlike baseball, football or basketball players, have no fixed salaries. They eat what they kill. If they score well, they make money. If they don’t, they don’t make money. I wonder what the average N.B.A. player’s free-throw shooting percentage would be if he had to make free throws to get paid the way golfers have to make three-foot putts?

This wonderful but cruel game never stops testing or teaching you. “The only comment I can make,” Watson told me after, “is one that the immortal Bobby Jones related: ‘One learns from defeat, not from victory.’ I may never have the chance again to beat the kids, but I took one thing from the last hole: hitting both the tee shot and the approach shots exactly the way I meant to wasn’t good enough. ... I had to finish.”

So Tom Watson got a brutal lesson in golf that he’ll never forget, but he gave us all an incredible lesson in possibilities — one we’ll never forget.

The Crystal Ball

I am juggler by profession. I have all different sizes and shapes of balls that must be kept in the air at all times. But sometimes I drop the ball or more than one ball. I am not too worried about that unless it is a crystal ball.

Most balls in life are rubber. They will bounce back. You can pick them up and start juggling again. Maybe they got a little dirty when you dropped them but it's no big deal.

But a few balls in life are crystal. If you drop them they don't bounce, they shatter. Sometimes you can glue them back together, but they aren't really the same.

Wise people know which few balls in life are crystal. They would drop all the other balls before they would drop one of those handful of crystal balls.

Those crystal balls must be concentrated on. The eye must stay trained on them.

Life can get going so fast we mistake cheap balls for crystal balls. We take our eye off the priceless balls.

Most crystal balls are relationships...Relationships with God, with family, and with one or two friends.

As you juggle in life are you keeping your eye on the crystal balls?

I AM JOINING!

Here's one club I plan on joining (see article below)....I figure it this way, I have goals, dreams and plans to last until I am 100 and I am going to be in heaven forever. So 100 years is just about right for me.

This means I am a year over half way...I like that. It also means I have to stay really fit and eat really well and keep my brain really stimulated and hang around 20something's and keep from getting RUTITIS...stuck in RUTS that age me.

Now, Jesus, please don't misunderstand. You can come back anytime you want...the sooner the better for me...MARANATHA...but if you don't, I'll stick around and work for you for another 50 years!

Here's the article about the club I am joining!
In 1950, the number of centenarians was a few thousand, but it has jumped to more than 340,000 worldwide today. The highest concentrations are in the U.S. and Japan, according to the latest Census Bureau figures. Their numbers are projected to grow at more than 20 times the rates of the total population by 2050, making them the fastest growing age segment. [The Associated Press]

I say, Why NOT ME?

Angry Email Pain

I got an email from an angry newcomer today. We had an amazing service yesterday with several new people raving about what a warm friendly loving caring church we are. I am floating, thinking life is great, God is great, our church is great and then BAM...someone punches me in the heart. Ouch!

But I have to credit the guy...he signed the email. I have a healthy habit of trashing all the notes and emails that are not signed. If someone is not brave enough to sign it, then I am not interested enough to read it. I don't have time to guess who wrote it. So the guy gets one credit.

After that it's all down hill. He verbally vomits and in the process gets most of his facts wrong. But emotions are such tricky things...we don't see reality, we see our perception of reality and when we are wearing blue spectacles then, my golly, the world is blue...for a fact it's blue.

I really feel bad for the guy and hopefully if he reads my blog he won't know it's him that I am talking about. His initials are H.U.R.T. I know that for a fact.

And here's the big truth you must never forget.....drum roll please....HURTING PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE. That truth helps me a lot...they are mad at me...but not really...they are mad at life and their pain is so heavy they must try and transmit as much of it as possible to others.

So here's how I handle it:
1. I look for any truth in his words.
2. I pray for him and his pain.
3. I write a soft reply (a gentle answer turns away wrath the Bible says).
4. I seek my next opportunity to love a man who thinks he is my enemy.
5. I focus on the positive comments that far outweigh the one bad.
6. I remember even Jesus had a Judas who was a BIG critic.
7. I drown my pain in a Root Beer Float. (jk)

Body, Souls, Spirits - New Adventures

A BODY needs food and clean water.
A SOUL needs education and care.
A SPIRIT needs Jesus, truth, and love.

My life is committed to making an impact in the lives of others in all 3 arenas.

BODY and SOUL:
This week our non-profit (limeworks.org) launched a new initiative that will be headed by Denise Keller. It is to bring a life-giving, significant size water well to the needy in the remote village of Bita Genet, Ethiopia. The diseases contracted from the unfit water that is being scavenged from gross puddles are killing many, especially children.

Also we are going to build a school in that village. Bita Genet has 80% unemployment and 80% illiteracy. The gift of being able to read will be a huge blessing to children.

SPIRIT:
JR Rushik, leader of Storehouse Church in Philadelphia is partnering with me and Light & Life Christian Fellowship to build a new and significant church building in the village of Bita Genet. We want to introduce people to the life-changing power of Jesus Christ and see their spirits set free to soar in God.

ALSO...
An amazing thing happened this week: A Dutch-Indonesian pastor sought me out and wants to integrate his small church into Light & Life. He is almost 70 and looking to retire but wants to provide for his flock. The church "City of Praise" also has a dynamic work in Indonesia on the island formerly known as Borneo.

City of Praise in Indonesia includes a school, an orphanage, micro-enterprise, a church, and more. Another way that we may end up touching hundreds of lives in Body, Soul, and Spirit.

I need prayer and wisdom and resources to pursue these incredible open doors of ministry.

Love a Dog But Love a Kid More

Growing up on the farm I have a different view of animals than the urban pet owner who has only seen their animal through eyes of friendship. But I believe that the following article from Christianity Today makes a very valid point about "the higher value of humans, the kindness toward animals, and the unlimited capacity for compassion within the human heart that is filled with the Holy Spirit:

Not One Sparrow
We can be 'speciesists' and show compassion for animals.
A Christianity Today editorial | posted 7/13/2009 10:33AM

In a recent post on Her.meneutics, the Christianity Today women's blog, Saddleback Church's Kay Warren shared the story of being emotionally duped, then angered, by a heart-tugging television ad about suffering animals. As someone who has seen Rwandan children orphaned by hiv and surviving on dirt cookies, Warren urged readers to remember the chasm between humans and animals, and the respective dignity that chasm confers. "Only people have a spiritual dimension," she wrote. "Jesus didn't die for animals; he gave his all for human beings."

Warren's post received many thankful "amens." Her frustration resonates with many Christians who are concerned with appeals for animal compassion when so much callousness toward human suffering persists. Such concern is rooted in both Scripture's witness and the intuitive knowledge that, while animals and all of non-human creation are not disposable, neither do they have the same worth as humankind. It was the first human's nostrils into which God, in an embarrassingly intimate act, breathed life; it was the human patriarchs and their families whom God called into covenant relationship; when God chose Mary, a Jewish teenager in a backwater of the Roman Empire, it was human flesh he chose to take on. And though Paul writes in Romans 8 that God will usher the entire creation into freedom in the age to come, he also says that humans alone were chosen "before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless … to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:4-5).

Given the highlights of God's story of redemption, Christians cannot help being a bit speciesist, a term coined by psychologist Richard D. Ryder for "the widespread discrimination … practiced by man against other species" and popularized by Princeton philosopher Peter Singer.

But while Christians happily acknowledge the charge, we misstep when we brush off animal cruelty with nonchalance. Showing animal compassion does not de facto assign animals the same worth as humans. It merely acknowledges that animals have worth and dignity—something plainly assumed in biblical passages like Exodus 21-22:14 and Deuteronomy 25, which outline upright ways to handle livestock, and Proverbs 12:10, which praises the righteous man who "cares for the needs of his animal." The church has traditionally interpreted Isaiah 65's well-known apocalyptic imagery of lions and lambs not as a cozy metaphor of human community, but as a picture of fully restored creation, people and animals. And while Luke 12:6's five sparrows sold for two cents usually refer to God's sovereign care for us in our daily lives, it's remarkable that those five sparrows aren't forgotten by God, but are part of his sovereign care as well.

Instead of leading us down dangerous paths toward secular humanism, animal compassion becomes part of our privileged role as custodians of the creatures in which God delights. In fact, C. S. Lewis, who wrestled in many essays with the seeming senselessness of animal suffering, argued that it was precisely because humans are higher than animals in creation's hierarchy that they should oppose animal cruelty. Our very superiority to animals, he said, ought to motivate us "to prove ourselves better than the beasts precisely by the fact of acknowledging duties to them which they do not acknowledge to us."

When we hear about dogs being hanged or drowned for not performing well in dogfighting rings, or about legitimate hunting turning into mere slaughter, or when livestock are killed in ways that prolong their suffering, what usually erupts in us is an adamant no! We do well to pay attention to that no!, because it tells us that something has gone horribly wrong with the world, something Christians believe traces back to man's enmity with God.No! is also our response, of course, when 8-year-olds are forced to prostitute themselves on Cambodian streets, or a doctor admits to having aborted a child one day before he was due. But we need not worry that our no! about cruelty to animals will lessen our response to wrong done to humans.

Compassion is not a zero-sum game. Compassion begets more compassion, though channeled into different responses and for different ends. The most famous evangelical animal activist, William Wilberforce, publicly opposed bull-baiting (a spectator sport where dogs attack bulls) and co-founded the first animal welfare group out of the same vision for Christ's kingdom that led him to support public Sabbath observance, fund evangelism to Indians, and work to overthrow the British slave trade, among countless other initiatives.

It's our recognition of Christ's reign over all things—even the sparrows—that compels us to proclaim our no! about animal cruelty in the public square, and to make our yes! about the worth and dignity of all God's creatures a joyful witness to his coming kingdom.

African Village Recalibration

Upon return from three weeks in remote villages of Africa, I appreciate so many things, so very much.
I get RECALIBRATED every time I spend time in 3rd World Poverty.

I have new found appreciation for:
Paved roads, green grassy yards, curbs, ICE, choices in food, vehicles with all the floorboard in place,running water, toilets, napkins, dogs without mange, boundaries for farm animals (not in house), emission controls, stoplights and stop signs, sewer systems, bug control, washing machines, ICE, electricity, democracy with only minimal corruption, hospitals, ambulances, medical centers, recliners, tap water, tap water, tap water, art, parking spots, stores with parking lots, unemployment rates below 20%, literacy rates above 50%, smoke free cooking (except when I cook), libraries, theaters, ICE, mattresses with springs, dressers, and much much more.

Things I miss when I return home from African villages:
Time for friendships, slower pace of life, deeper connection with nature, joy found in simple things, the priority of family life, the dependency upon God, the joy found in God's presence, the uncomplicated truth about life, the lack of pretense and play acting, the freedom from multi-tasking.

Enough

A friend of mine gave me a quote recently.
"Enough is always better than too much".
"Enough" is plenty. "Too much" is problematic.

The writer of Proverbs agreed. Listen "If you find honey, eat just enough - too much of it, and you will vomit." (25:16)
In the USA we live in the land of honey and there is a lot of vomiting going on.

Of course the question is "What's enough?"

For the apostle Paul it was "If I have food and clothes, I will be content".
That's a little different than saying "If I own a home, two cars, a closet full of clothes, some jewelry, a lap top, a vacation plan, a big screen tv, and a Costco Membership...I will be content".

The enemy of "enough" is "MORE". More stuff, more gadgets, more money, more success, more power, more status.

The enemy of "enough" is "BETTER" Better stuff, better gadgets, better house, better cars, better skin, better breasts, better clothes.

The friend of "enough" is "CONTENTMENT"...Content with what we have, who we are, where we are, whose we are, what we are doing.

The friend of "enough" is "FREE"...Free love from God, free truth, free friendships, free creation to enjoy, free places to explore, free laughter to share, free service of others, free family time, free worship encounters, free church services, free exercise, free time, free imagination, free books from the library, free lots of things!

Our pursuit of "more" and "better" is often the BIG thief of "CONTENT" and "FREE".

The Bible teaches us a lot about "enough" but our consumerism blinds us to much of it.

For example we all LOVE the prayer of Jabez...MORE BLESSINGS! MORE TERRITORY!
I like that prayer and use it but if I am not careful it can become self-serving consumerism!!

BUT how many copies would the prayer of AGUR sell?
Listen to his prayer: "...Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8,9)

That's the prayer of enough...may God help us learn this prayer so we can be CONTENT and FREE.

The Big Red Snoz Reorientation

"Snoz" is slang for "nose", but of course if you remember Jimmy Durante you would know that. His nasal capacity was capable of hiding small warships. But he turned his snoz into a big part of his fame.

Currently my SNOZ is Durante size, "Rudolph" red, flaking like mom's pie crust, and as ugly as an old horse's backside.

I look in the mirror and say, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the biggest snoze of all?" and my mirror cackles back in glee, "You are oh great olfactory one".

The other day my wife said, "Stop being so nosy, Larry." She actually meant, "Can't you do anything with your snoz?"

The problem is I have been rubbing chemo creme on my facial appendage both morning and night. It has swollen and redden and dried my nose beyond recognition.

Small children now point at my snoz while running in terror to their mothers.

I used to be the guy who gets stopped on Rodeo Drive and asked for my autograph..."Richard Gere, can we have your autograph" (Of course I sign it, take pictures, before saying, "My real name is Larry").

But not any more. I walked through Nordstrom's and all 12 fragrance models refused to squirt me with their smell good juice! You know you are looking ragged, when that happens.

But it has been good for me (in a kind of masochistic manner of speaking). My pride in my looks has been replaced with empathy for those who get "looked" at everyday... those who have ailments, disfigurements, abnormalities, that cause people to do a double take before trying to look like they aren't still looking.

It's reorienting me. It's challenging how much of my confidence is in how I look...or how much of my self-value is in how others look at me. I want to call out, "hey wait! Get to know me before you dismiss me because I look like a Rudolph stand in!"

My value and security are in how Christ views me...not in the views that others have of me.

The Snoz joked his way to Hollywood fame...I don't know if that's because he was secure and could laugh at his snoze size or because he was insecure and had to joke to hide his pain.

I want my temporary snoz to do permanent work in my heart. "Oh God may I be so secure in you that, my appearance does not affect my all out living for you! Reorient me to your opinion alone!"

Islamic Demographics

Because I so frequently minister in Islamic regions (I leave for Jimma Ethiopia in 4 weeks...Jimma is the Al Queda headquarters of Ethiopia) I wanted to share a blog by a fellow pastor\leader that is a BALANCED understanding and response to Islamic Demographics.

James Emery White writes:
The Challenge of Muslim Demographics
You may be among the over six million, to date, which has viewed the startling video on YouTube titled Muslim Demographics. If not, you will soon. It is spreading virally with blinding speed. The link is offered below.

Here’s the short version: the birth rate of non-Muslims, compared to Muslims – coupled with immigration – will result in Muslims taking over the planet. We’d better start having babies, and amp up our evangelism. And, if I got it right, probably in that order.

It is a disturbing video. It is designed to alarm, and it does its job well. As you would imagine, the video has already been taken to task for fear-mongering and truth-distortion, and to a degree, rightfully so. But it does raise a significant cultural challenge: Islam is on the rise, and its rise is a challenge for Christians throughout the world.

There are two equally mistaken reactions to the relationship between the cross and the crescent.

The first is to panic over Islam’s muscular, aggressive growth. We’ve been panicking about this since the crusades. Some of it is certainly warranted, as Islam has expanded by force at various times and places throughout its history, and as Samuel Huntington has written, there is clearly a clash of civilizations taking place between Islam and the West. Huntington even predicts that Islam will come out on top due to its willingness to be aggressive and even militant in exporting its views. Yet the danger of giving in to panic is that the relationship between Christians and Muslims becomes one of us vs. them, good guys vs. bad guys, white hats vs. black hats. In short, they become the enemy.

The second reaction, equally mistaken, is to say “peace, peace,…when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14). There are some who seem so intent on making up for the widespread post-9/11 caricature of an entire religious population that there is little, if any, acknowledgment of the deep differences between Christianity and Islam, and the need to robustly convey the distinctive message of Christ to the world.

As Timothy George has posed, “Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?” The answer, George writes, is surely Yes and No. Yes, in the sense that the Father of Jesus is the only God there is. He is the Creator and Sovereign Lord of Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius, and of every person who has ever lived. But the answer is also No, for Muslim theology rejects the divinity of Christ and the personhood of the Holy Spirit - both essential components of the Christian understanding of God.

Yes, the world is changing. Islam is growing while Christianity, in many quarters, is waning. The best response is to neither demonize Muslims nor deny the differences between Christianity and Islam. The best response is to know what we believe, why we believe it, and then carry that message to the world.

And maybe have some more babies.
To watch the “Muslim Demographics” video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

168 Hours and Our Orphans

168 hours ago, one week ago...life was very different.

Most weeks in my life are somewhat exciting. I choose a life of adventure instead of routine. I create opportunities to bust ruts and blaze paths.

But this week was new in a unique way. We inherited two orphans, at least for a time. Two wonderful inner city teens suddenly lost their only guardians. Mom, a friend of ours had a heart attack and died. She was only 45. Earlier her husband had been killed by a drunk driver. Alex and Anjelica are with us now.

Our home has been filled with comforting the heartbroken, and scaling the rock wall of social services, death certificates, and memorial details.

We love our new kids and life is very different now. Back to helping with homework, enforcing chores, monitoring internet, and laughing with "our kids".

As Christians we do not know what the Lord may ask us to do next. Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said, In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Prov 16:9)

If we live with a "YES to ANYTHING YOU ASK, LORD" attitude, you never know what 168 hours will bring! Ask Job, ask Paul, ask Abraham, ask Joseph... LIFE IS NOT A LAP DOG TO BE CODDLED, BUT A LION WITH A TAIL TO HANG ON TO!