The comb-over is alive and well...

I tend to get a bit analitical this time of year. my view is this...faith ought to inspire. if faith in Christ does not inspire me to make the world a better place, lead me to continue to seek after Him who gives faith, be a better husband, father, grandfather...if this does not happen each year, then I am a fool, for faith becomes no more than a social activity that drains time and effort.

Sheri and I were at the mall this week, and it could very well be that there was a hair club for men meeting that no one told me about.

I am happy to report that contrary to popular belief, the comb over is alive and well in south florida.

walk with me for a bit.

we all hide things. men especially.

for some reason, hiding the baldness of our head causes some of us to view things from a distorted angle. how is it that some of these guys who go so far tohide a bald spot can look in the mirror and say..."yea...that looks good."

if we dont try to cover it up, then we color it. middle aged men, some youth ministers I know get highlights in their hair for crying out loud. not sure if they are trying to be younger or impress someone.

I go tuckless. it hides my belly. which seems to be a bit swole up after all the holiday grub as of late.

I have a goat tee so as to hide my large yellow squash face.

we spend a great deal of time and effort trying to hide a reality. some go to extremes, others go extremely silly. either way, there is vanity there.

one of my students told me that he was looking forward to getting out of high school. enjoy it i said. cause the sad truth is, men actually believe their lives peaked there and spend most of their lives trying to recapture a bit of the old majic they tell their wives they had but really did not.

here is the point...

I would just as soon shave my head as comb it over. turth is I got a full head of hair...I have shaved it on several occasions and will do it again I am sure. truth is, it makes me look mean. guys like to be intimidating. grey seems to be the color of my reality now. Sheri tells me I look distinguished. but I refuse to color it.

this is who I am. middle aged and loving it. morhping into jesus a bit more each day. he promised he would finish the work. why cover it? why try for something else?

we started the year in limbo. church attenders on a sabatical of sorts. now, most of my time involves leading a group to encounter jesus. and I actually get paid for that.

no...I do not dress nor act like the students I serve. I dress and act like a 44 year old man...with a Harley. which means I wear more black t-shirts than I used to. still got to get that chain drive wallet...

I am not their buddy. they have enough of those. we do not have sleep overs, that would be weird. I am their pastor. crazy? yes. love life? yes. have fun? yes. but demad respect? dang skippy.

there is nothing to cover up or hide there.

faith ought to inspire. inspire them to grow, make the world a better place, live and love.

faith ought to inspire. inspire me to be myself. bald spots and all.

In Me...

I usually do a lot of reflecting around the holidays.

the fam is gathering. Lins and keith are here, TJ, Tara and Jackson will be here tomorrow. this will be the first time in a while we will be together on Christmas day. time gets split with in laws...you know how it is.

the boy grows with each passing day. amazing. I love giving him stuff. I love listening to him. talking to him. I want to show him everything. I wish he could be closer. if it were up to me I would spend everyday with him. looks like there will be another boy here next summer. awesome.

as I have read through the majority of the NT in the last few days, something has been rumbling across the hallowed areas of my soul.

i spend a lot of time teaching the spiritual disciplines as a tool that keeps us in the "use me Pile" of Gods tool box. foundational thinking that has been the cornerstone to early church fathers and teachers.

I have realized that I tend to put on scripture what it does not put on itself (Bible). I tend to put on me what scripture does not put on me, nor did Jesus. these things are certainly not useless weights that are hindrances. rather they are good solid attitudes and actions we can incorporate into our lives now that we have them available to us.

but doing is not being.

and being does not require much doing...else it would be do and not be.

what I am realizing is this...

Paul reminded me as I read through Collosians yesterday. "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

we need more emphasis in Christ in us. we need to be more in tune with Christ in us. we need to be more concerned with the fluidity of Him in us and living out of that. to go where he leads, say what he nudges, stop when he says stop, help when he says help, cry when we see need, laugh when we see, but always listening, yearning, longing. I read "lovesick steps" somewhere.

there is so much more that we have not tapped into, so much more we can let go of, so much less to be concerned about, so much of Him in us...

to dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.

in me, over there, right here, at home, at the church building, on my harley, in my car...

in me.

in me.

in me.

"when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman under the law, so He could redeem those who were under the law."

now, the reality of sacred is closer, more tangible, more sacred.

now, the fam is more sacred.

now, the reality and portion of service becomes more precious.

now. in me.

today. in me.

tom morrow. in me.

in you?

"The weather's about to change"

when I was a kid, I would hear my grandpa say certain things that would make me think he was the smartest man in the world. even now, some 25 years after his death, I get a glipse of him as I remember words and phrases he would say.

He mostly would quote scripture to questions i would ask. but I did not know then what I know now.

things seemed so simple to him. as far as he was concerned, if his knee was hurting, "the weather's about to change."

sometimes I get an aching. it seldom underscores much, but I wonder.

there are groanings deep within when I read certain things...certain people tend to wake that beast that lies dormant. 24-7 has been beating on the door of my heart and it's messenger is not what I had hoped for or expected. not bad...just not what i thought.

I question the structure I have built to do my deal in, the halls are adorned with my thoughts and perceptions of the way it should be. I question everything, yet when the question is answered by a word or a challenge to my structure, like a turtle, i sink back and retreat.

through out my life, I have chosen what I thought would be the way of His leading. upon arriving I have taken the less traveled path at times, only to relax and ease through situations and allow the typical to flourish.

lately there has been a change in the weather. I seem to be less of who He desires in my reactions to people, especially my dear one, less patient, more willing to react than respond, more willing to cause frustration than not.

I am not sure from where this comes, although there is always some sense of dis-satisfaction with the state of life.

there is a desire to be poured out as a drink offering, yet too many times i fail to draw from the well. there is a desire to be in the game, yet the calling is to equip. I envy the students I teach. would that i were on the cusp of a revolution and not concerned about the trivial.

always looking to understand the situation, seeking for more, yet hoping the fruit that is to be eaten fresh, will be able to be eaten another day...when I am in the mood for fruit.

There is longing and yearning, yet the discipline falls so short.

it has rained here for a week. sloppy, wet, miserable, grey, and mostly draining. The sun came out today. called me for a ride in it's warmth and brightness.

the weather is about to change. to what I am not sure. but something is brewing. as i keep my eyes on the horizon, I hope for readiness and prepare for what comes. oh that i would be swept away and consumed by the coming change. leaving all that is not of Him burned, frozen, blown away and gone.

the structure I have built does not hold my thoughts any longer. like new wineskins it has been strtched and is in disrepair. it certainly does not hold Him. never did. I realize now that most of my views and thoughts of Him were from inside the structure.

yea. it's coming. can you feel it?

"Pop Pop's Motorcycle too loud!"

we have a desire that those we love will love the things we love. we go to extraordinary measures to make sure that happens.

when my little grandson came to visit last month, I wanted him to fall in love with the new addition to my life...my new Harley.

well, as it were, it did not happen. he really liked looking at it, even talking about it, but he did not want to hear it rumble. "too loud too loud...pop pop motorcycle too loud!!!"

so to remedy the problem, I have taken it on myself to shower the boy in all stuff Harley. after all, after he sees the mystique he will love it like I love it...right? got him a Leather Harley bike jacket, zippers and all. Harley skull cap, Harley toy bikes, Harley t-shirt, Harley coloring book, and boots will be next. it may take a while, but he should come around by age 4-5. not long to wait. after all, he is 2 1/2.

just another opportunity to see life through his eyes.

faith lived out in a person who is completely sold out and devoted to Christ is a beautiful vision. these folks want their family and friends to have what they have, live like they do, feel what they feel. natural.

so how is it that folks can't see the reality of Jesus in the lives of the true believers?

the same reason folks in the bible did not see Jesus for who he was then.

he does not want them to.

we must come to the realization that the author and finisher of our faith is the determining factor for these things.

no matter how many wwjd bracelets we give out, no matter how many worship Cd's we listen to, no matter how much we try, it is the will and desire of God himself to save. we are to plant seeds with our lives as incense and glory in the lives of others. we are to be faithful and obedient. we are to remain...yet it is all up to him.

more than anything I want Jackson to know Jesus. his chances are better than other kids in the world. the heritage he has runs deep in service to the King. he will hear, and hear much about the greatness of God. he will see and see much in service of his family to the Bride.

but ultimately it is God who saves.

I am glad for that.

for now, we teach him to pray. we show him faith, we read over him as he sleeps. and we pray for him. to know the God who loves and grants mercy. to know the God whose "enemy flees before Him in the darkness." to know the God who said "let there be"...and there is.

Heritage is more than a name for Harley...it is how he came to be. it may be to loud now...it may be to complex now...but he will grow, and he will learn.

soap box and cigerette buts

as i reach middle age, I have found the need to become more active. so Sheri and I walk and I work out. Sheri has turned into a walk nazi. walking the bridge has become a delight and a thorn. but...it is needed.

as we made it to the top of the bridge, I realized the need to soap box a bit...more of a venting than anything. we as Americans are so self centered and small minded, I need to be reminded that the Manger was actually a cave full of manure and not a holiday inn.

if you smoke, dispose of your buts in an appropriate way. the planet can only take so many buts on the bridge and the side of roads.

if you smoke, please move to the side of an entrance to a building. while I support your right to smoke, I do not desire to inhale it while I am going into a store. you can smoke till you hock up a spleen, but I am not interested in smelling like you. so please, move.

if you are an active church member, rather than coming to an event one time and offering a plethora of ways to make it better, why not just enjoy...or at least but some time in before you dog it.

if you are not an active church member, then get active. we have enough wussy believers. the quota has been met. get involved...change the world.

worship is less about music and more about submission.

Stop blaming God for the crap you get your self into. the fact you have no money or relationships could be traced to your in-ability to discipline your spending, or deal with your people skills.

God does not exist to make much of you. you exist to make much of God. (Piper) realize that God is not an American, and He is working in the world. you are not the center of the universe.

take some responsibility for your life. if you are fat, don't blame McDonald's. if you smoke, don't blame Phillip Morris. if you are an addict, stop blaming every one else. if you don't like the way you are...change. lose weight, stop using, stop smoking. you do what you want to do.

athletes and entertainers are not role models.

make your daughter dress appropriately. if she dresses like a hoochie, stop her. be a parent.

if your kids are not spiritual it is your fault. bring them up in the admonition of the Lord. make them come to church. you make them go to school. you make them eat. be a parent.

spend time with your kids. be a parent.

kids are not in charge. if you spend more time reacting than loving and nurturing, do what ever it takes to get back your family. be a parent.

if they are more into video games than you, it is your fault. you bought them the game. take it away and reclaim your family. be a parent.

take the fish off your car. at least then, Jesus won't get blamed for your lack of driving skills.

take a stand. be about something. stop letting politicians decide your faith. don't whore yourself out just because of your lack of conviction on issues. Jesus is not a republican...or democrat.

read your Bible. with your family.

stop complaining about your church. don't like it? go somewhere else. stop settling for a community...make one happen. work at it.

pray for your pastor. don't like what he says, you probably are being convicted, if not...find a place where you will.

tithe. to many churches are under budget because you don't tithe. the ones who give the least gripe the most.

the church is not your personal agenda store with monthly sales that put your agenda out for everyone to like. join in on what God is doing. if your church is about anything less than God...find another one.

God does not offer you relief from life. He offers Himself. I would Rather have Him than anything.

for you to believe that God actually wants you to be more successful financially while He was supported by a group of women (Luke 8) sounds more like culture than Gospel. try telling those believers in Darfure and Somalia and other regions of Africa that God wants them to be financially secure and see how that is received.

God is the God of His Earth. His might and mercy know no country or nation. His tenderness and love are not a north American thought. He is God of all.

whether you believe God chose us before the foundations of the world does not change the fact.

whether you submit to His authority as sovereign ruler of the universe does not change the fact that he is God. grab your right knee. fell how it is bent. recognize how the curve of the knee supports the leg. then realize you will bow before His greatness.

that ought to do it for now...