Charmed, I'm Sure

Someone going through a difficult time recently told me me that I have lived a charmed life. They said this as a way of telling me I couldn't possibly understand the pain they are going through because my life has been so wonderful. I agree that I can't imagine the pain they are in, but I see two errors in this labeling of my life as "charmed." Both are related to the definition of the word. Webster's defines charmed as "prosperous or extremely lucky."

The first misconception is about what a charmed life really looks like. The dictionary says a charmed life is one that is prosperous but the Bible makes no such clear link between prosperity and blessedness. In fact, quite the opposite is true. That's what Jesus is talking about in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-12):

And Jesus taught them saying...“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

According to Jesus a charmed life is not a life free of need, pain or misfortune. Bad things happen to everybody. There will always be things that will happen to us beyond our control and, let's admit it, we all make bad choices from time to time. The silver lining in this cloud is that many times the bad things that happen actually help us to grow and make us better, usually because the difficulties draw us closer to God. Personally, I always learn and grow more through my suffering and trials than I do through my (admittedly infrequent) successes and victories.

God never promised us a perfect (translation "charmed") life, and yet that's what so many of us expect. Just this past week my pastor (Dr. Bob Jolly) reminded us that God doesn't exist for our convenience. God never said all we have to do is pray and He will take away all our troubles, remove all our pain, and give us everything we want so we can live happily ever after. Life will never be like that and especially for God’s children.  When we accept hardship and endure suffering and don't lose our faith in God and His goodness we bring glory to God. It is a way - perhaps even the best way - to honor Him with our life. We are in the midst of a spiritual war here on earth and when we don't give in to evil and retain our faith in God, we have won one of the battles. There will always be another one to fight though.

The second issue I have with the claim that I have lived a charmed life has to do with the second half of the definition of "charmed." The dictionary says living is charmed life is a matter of luck. But the Bible teaches that a charmed life is not an accident, it is the result of the choices we make. Like I said above, there are always going to be things beyond our control that are going to happen in our lives. But as a rule the kind of life you have is more about the choices you make than it is about chance. This is found all over the Scriptures, but nowhere is it clearer than in Joshua 24:15 where we are urged to "Choose this day whom you will serve." Joshua goes on to say, "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." That's something you would expect a Christian to say, right? But if we mean it when we say it then why are the lives of believers so difficult to distinguish from the lives of non-believers? Usually it's because the 'choose this day' part is missing. We feel like we chose a long time ago and that will do. But it won't. We must choose this day - today - every day, whom we will serve, because if we don't our guard will come down, our values will erode and before long we're relying on yesterday's choices to make a difference in our lives today and it just doesn't work that way.

Make good choices and you'll have a charmed life - not a trouble-free life, but a God-honoring, God-dependent life despite the inevitable setbacks you are going to face. Good, God-honoring choices in our relationships,  in our parenting, in our work, in our finances, and in how we take care of ourselves - these are the building blocks of a charmed life. Not chance, or the luck of the draw.

No friends, I don't have a charmed life; at least not the kind of charmed life I know I should have. But each and every day I can try - we all can. I believe that's the desire of God's heart, and by His grace, someday maybe we will have a life that can be described as charmed.

A Very Short Post

This is my sister and me on the beach in Puerto Rico. I am obviously very deep in thought which happens to me at the beach even today. Two observations: First, my current physique is getting closer and closer to the body shape I had back when I was 3 years old. Second, I can still feel the warm sun and seabreeze blowing on my head and the warm, sandy water flowing between my toes.

If I close my eyes I can go there right now. Ahhhhh...

Being Proactive

There’s a lot to be said for being proactive in life instead of waiting for things to get so out of hand that you find yourself constantly under the gun. The problem is there is so much to do just to keep up with what’s going on in the present moment, who has time to think about the future? The truth is, being proactive puts us in a position of power and choice. Being reactive, which many of us are, results in stagnation and feelings of powerlessness. We find ourselves smothering under a pile of “ought to’s” and “have to’s” instead of slicing through what needs to be done like a hot knife through warm butter.

I marvel when I read about people like John Wesley who travelled over 250,000 miles, much of it on horseback, preached over 40,000 sermons, and wrote over 200 pamphlets and books. On top of that he founded the Methodist church. Oh, and did I mention he did all this in the 18th century? How did Wesley get all that done when I struggle to get my few simple tasks done each week? I believe the secret lies in being proactive. How can we be more proactive?

First, step away. By step away I am talking about getting out of the rut you are in at your desk (or in your recliner). Get up and get moving! I’ve discovered that many times a simple change in scenery will get my creative juices flowing as well as let the most important items (those I need to be proactive about) percolate up to the top of my mind. This lets what is most important stand out above the urgent matters – those trying to claim my attention even though they aren’t nearly as important. Stepping away can be as simple as taking a walk outside – or driving a different way to work – or altering your daily routine in some other way.

Second, write it down. Once you’ve stepped away and the clutter has begun to clear from your mind you will find your inner compass bringing all sorts of important stuff to mind. Make sure you write this down. And write it down so when you return to it later you will know what you meant. “Bluebird in tree” may mean something right now, but next week you won’t have a clue what you mean by that. Put a date by your note – and maybe even jot down the first action step to accomplishing what it is you think of. A Chinese proverb makes this point succinctly, “The faintest ink is better than the strongest memory.” Write that down too!

Finally, develop a system. By that I mean develop a system that works for you to keep what’s most important – what needs to be done – at the forefront of every “working” moment of your day. I have an elaborate system that involves Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar and tasks, a Moleskine planner, and an Excel spreadsheet. Your system doesn't need to be nearly as elaborate and complex as that – in fact if it is I feel sorry for you because it means you obviously have some of the same issues as me (perfectionism, OCD, general weirdness, etc…). Just develop a system that works for you; after all, it is your system.

The best thing about taking the steps given above to become more proactive is the glorious freedom that comes from not feeling constantly oppressed by “too much to do,” or by not knowing what to do next. Here’s hoping and praying it happens for you – and soon!

Joyful Noise

I'm super-excited that the movie Joyful Noise is coming out in January. This is the first movie I got to be a background artist in (that's an "extra" in cinema-speak). The movie trailer for the movie just came out and you can see it on You Tube (or by clicking on the photo above if you're reading this directly from my blog site).

The scenes I filmed in this movie were shot back in March in Conyers, GA and at the Atlanta Civic Center. Thanks to my good friend John Ridings, a veteran background artist, we ended up on the second row for the entire three days we were filming at the Civic Center. We were right in the middle of the action and could practically reach out and touch the folks on stage. On some shots from the stage there are close-up shots that I'm sure we were in. All in all, it was a lot of fun, I made a few bucks, and I also got royally entertained while filming it.

The best part of my short stint in the movie industry was the people I met. I have shared this before, but there is a whole sub-culture of people who make their living and otherwise spend their time as movie extras, er...background artists. Most of these folks - at least the ones I got to know - are wonderful people, and very interesting. I got to know many of them and to hear their stories - believe me, when you spend 14+ hours on set with someone for several days, you get pretty up close and personal. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet these actors; they may never win an Oscar, but they'll always be stars in my eyes.

For now my movie days are over - with my new job I can't make the casting calls I could when I was unemployed. Regardless, I met some great friends making movies and, who knows, maybe someday my grand-kids will be watching an old movie on TV and see their old grandpa on the screen. Here's hoping for this movie to be a hit!

P.A. Another screen adventure I'm in also comes out next year. That movie is a Disney film called the Odd Life of Timothy Green. In Odd Life I spent a couple of days sitting right next to Jennifer Garner.

Vocational Adjustment Syndrome

As some of you know I started a new job about two weeks ago. Starting a new job is something people do every day, but it's been a while for me - and it's been quite an adjustment. Fact is, I'm pretty sure I have an acute case of VAS, Vocational Adjustment Syndrome. I'm not sure what part has been the most difficult.

There's the fact that I went from the church back into the business world, and the fact that I'm going against the tide of most folks my age. Many people get to the "second half" of their lives and feel it is time to switch from the hamster cage "race for success" and turn to the "significance" side, going to work for charities and non-profits in their sunset years. I did the reverse. I got off the wheel in my early thirties, prime earning years when most people my age were just gearing up and moving into the corner office. Now I'm climbing back on the wheel, while many of my peers are considering getting off.

There's also the fact that I went from having 100% of my time be my own, to now putting in 40 hours a week at the office. Granted, a 40 hour workweek is better than the "always on call" life of a pastor, but it's also quite a jolt from my last 18 months of Saturdays.

Then there is the adjustment of going from being the leader of the organization I was a part of, to being low man on the totem pole. I am not complaining about this part though; I was more than ready for a work situation where I have my piece of the puzzle that is my responsibility, leaving someone else in charge of making sure all the pieces fit together (or that the pieces are even in the box to begin with!).

And then there is the steep learning curve of jumping into an industry I know very little about (industrial construction). Add to that the petty annoyances everyone experiences in a new job like how to operate the copy machine and phone system, navigate new software, etc... and you've got a whole lot of adjustments to be absorbed into the old gray matter. And speaking of gray...well...I won't even mention that I'm not the youngster I was when I started my first "real" job right out of college back before they had electricity.

So...that's a heaping helping of change and adjusting. But it's coming - and God knows I'm grateful for the opportunity to make these adjustments.

Honestly, my biggest concern right now is making sure I'm being helpful and productive to my new employer and those on the team I work with. I've certainly been busy, but being busy and being productive are not always synonymous.

So here's to the working class! Thanks be to God I'm again out there among you! And for those of you who may be still looking for work, hang in there. It's coming...

Hummers!

I don't know about your house, but at mine the hummingbirds are going through almost a 10 oz feeder a day (I've got three feeders out). Most of the birds at our feeders are Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. Reading up on them I learned that these birds migrate each year northward in the Spring from Central America and then back southward in the Fall. Yes, that's right, those tiny little birds fly all the way across the Gulf of Mexico. Amazing huh?

The peak of their southward migration is right about now (late August and early September). By now almost all of the birds at the feeders around here are migrating through from farther north, and not the same birds we watched this summer. Some of the birds migrating south are immature birds that hatched during the summer. For these newly hatched hummers, there's no memory of past migrations, only an urge to put on a lot of weight and fly. Once a bird learns such a particular route, it may retrace that route every year as long as it lives. Hummers have great memories; that means the birds at your feeder will return again and again to your yard if you put your feeders up each year and keep them up until the migration is over.

Male hummingbirds are very aggressive; I love to watch them dive and zoom at one another. A male will set up his territory chase off any other male that comes near. This is mostly about food, but it also helps the male hummers eliminate the competition for the female hummingbirds in the area. Male hummingbirds will also attack a female hummingbird that enters his territory that he has not mated with. Until she mates with him, the male will continually chase her away. After the female mates with him, she will be allowed to roam his territory and feed at his feeder freely. Sounds pretty fair to me!

Oh, and about the so-called "fights," don't worry - no one usually gets hurt. They are mostly just aerial dogfights with a lot of buzz and bravado and very little actual contact. I shot the short video above with my iPhone this evening. I almost got run into several times and the five birds swarming around me must've wondered what I was doing, but it was fun to be right there in the action. Enjoy! (P.S. You can see the video better by clicking on it and viewing it directly at YouTube).

Week One of Work

I've wrapped up week one at my new job now, and things are starting to make more sense to me. I am beginning to understand more of what the company I work for does, and why and how they do it. This is pretty important stuff to know when you're working for someone!

Accomplishments for my first (short) week at work include:

• Met some really great co-workers
• Got a new work email address, phone number, etc...
• Got a new lightning fast Lenovo Desktop PC to use at work
• Talked to a lot of contractors hoping to work for us across the Southeast
• Solved a major issue with an Access 2010 database I have been creating
• Attended a DOT Reasonable Suspicion Training for Supervisors Course

Unfortunately there were setbacks this week as well. The transmission went out on my "paid for" 1999 Buick Regal with 154,000 miles on it - but as my ever-optimistic wife reminded me; the car got me to and from Mississippi last weekend (900 miles) and it didn't go out until my first day of work at a new job. Who is complaining? Not me!

Enjoy your weekend - I'm meeting old college friends for breakfast on Saturday and the rest of the weekend will be devoted to Forsyth Family Fest 2011 at the Cumming Fairgrounds. Hope to see you there!

Job!

I got a job yesterday! Hurray! - it's been a long time. Yes, I have been working various places since January, 2010, but I have not received a paycheck since way back then. I know some of you reading this can relate. It's been tough.

My new job is with a specialty construction company in Alpharetta, GA and I will be working in human resources and purchasing. I'll get the opportunity to dust off and use my old UGA business degree from the dark ages! My boss is a long-time mentor and supporter of my church and mission work. I can't tell you how wonderful it is not only to have a job, but also to work for someone who is a believer who encourages his employees to live out their faith and calling from God every single day.

I've had a flood of emotions since I was hired. Prominent among those feelings is gratitude. Gratitude for family and friends who stood beside me and prayed for me through the dark days. This especially applies to my wife who has been an amazing spiritual, emotional (and financial!) supporter of mine since the day I resigned from my last pastorate. Those of you who know Donna won't be surprised by that.

For those still looking for employment, let me share this prayer I found recently; it's wonderful.

Take my hands, God,
and use them for the work
you want me to do.

Take my feet, God,
and lead me to the places,
you want me to go.

Take my voice, God,
and give me the words
you want me to say.

Take my eyes, God,
and train them to search for the things
you want me to see.

Take my mind, God,
and fill my thoughts of those things
you want me to think.

Take my soul, God,
and fill me with your spirit that
I might always be in your presence.

Take my life, God,
and use me for the purposes
of your heart.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Source: Prayersforthunemployed.com

Lee-ve Me Alone

I just got back from Mississippi and a visit with my family there. I loved the visiting part, but Tropical Depression "Lee" left me majorly depressed by his appearance in South Mississippi at almost the exact same moment I arrived there. Seriously - it was bone dry for 431 of the 432 miles I drove down there; then about a mile from my destination raindrops began pattering on my windshield. They haven't stopped since. Lee arrived when I did, stayed while I was there, and I drove home in him the whole 432 miles home, only to find he had arrived here before me. And he is still here!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This was my first trip back to MS since my closest cousin died (other than for his funeral). I suppose the trip was tailor-made trip for a tropical depression, dreary skies, rain, bluster, yuck... To top it off, I missed most of my Bible reading while there. Catching up meant reading all twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes this morning. Old King Solomon really knows how to inspire the down-hearted!

"So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind" Eccles. 2:17.  "And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Eccles 4:4. "'Meaningless, meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Everything is meaningless!'" Eccles. 12:8.  Solomon uses the word "meaningless" about 250 more times in his inspirational epistle. Blech!

The good news is we have begun a new month, Lee has about blustered himself out, Family Fest is less than a week away, and new opportunities abound right here at home. And so, even though "misery may weigh heavily on me" Eccles. 8:6, I think I'm going to follow what Solomon calls the "conclusion of the matter:" "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Eccles. 12:13).  Bring it on world! Whatcha got?

What's Your Draw?

Recently I was re-scanning a book I read a while back called "Organic Church" by Neil Cole. In the book Cole makes the argument that the current strategy many churches have adopted of competing against Hollywood by trying to out-entertain the consuming public is a foolish strategy and a needless one.

The result of this strategy is that we have created churches full of consumers who are always on the lookout for the next great church; one that offers them the best bang for their buck. There are numerous flaws with this strategy. Perhaps the most glaring problem from a biblical perspective is that the Bible teaches that what we draw people with is what we are ultimately drawing them to. Jesus said "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32). That's pretty clear isn't it - he uses the word "I" twice, so we don't miss that it's HIM we're supposed to lift up, and then he says he will draw all men "to myself."

But what happens when we attract people with our rockin' praise band or amazing speaker, or fabulous facilities? What happens if this foolish strategy of ours works? Well....if people come expecting to be entertained, we had better entertain them if we want them to come back next week. In the end what we create is a vicious cycle of "endless program upgrades, staff improvements, and building campaigns to feed the consumer monster" according to Cole (page 95).

Jesus drew crowds, but he drew crowds to himself - not to some product or service. That's not to say people didn't try to convert what Jesus offered to a commodity. Remember when Jesus fed the multitudes in John's Gospel? Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill..." (John 6:26). Jesus goes on to tell them to "not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you" (v. 27).

What Cole says here strikes a chord with me - it's a good question for every church leader to ask. "What are you drawing your people with?" Is it your praise band? Your preacher, your "vibe," your "coolness?" Is it your amazing building or children's ministry or youth program? This is important to clarify because whatever you are drawing them with is most likely what you are drawing them to. And drawing people to anything less than Jesus himself misses the whole point of the Gospel and surely breaks God's heart.

Where is it All Headed?

Last week we replaced a television that has been broken since May. I was amazed at how much TV's have changed since we last purchased one. Nowadays most major brands of televisions have some kind of connection to the Internet. You can browse the web, enjoy Facebook and Twitter, play games, and yes...even watch TV on a television set these days.

It's fascinating the way all the different technologies are pushing across what were once clearly defined boundaries. We use our cell phones as cameras, our televisions like computers, and our computers as telephones (think Skype or Google Talk). Naturally, most of the technology out there is proprietary - meaning for it all to work together, it needs to be the same brand (e.g. Sony, Apple, Samsung, Google, etc...).

What interests me most is where is it all headed. What's the future of all this technology? Will we eventually have one device that does everything? If so, what will that device be? A television? A cell phone? A tablet computer? Who knows? Maybe the future lies in some new device that has yet to be invented.

It will be fun to watch and see what device wins out. It will also be very expensive for those who decide to be early adapters of the different technologies out there. Will anyone besides me admit to purchasing a Sony Betamax VCR or a Palm device? Both of these didn't make the cut. What's your strategy going to be? I'm not sure of mine, in the meantime I think I'll go watch some TV on my iPhone using the xfinity TV app. If that doesn't work, who knows, I may even watch TV on my new television - I think I can watch TV on it, can't I?

Shouted From The Rooftops

Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a small notice buried way back in the last section of the paper (Section D). The two sentence blurb announces that toxicology reports indicate British rocker Amy Winehouse had no illegal drugs in her system at the time of her death last month.

Like rock stars Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Kurt Cobain, who all died under mysterious circumstances at age 27, Winehouse's short erratic life and troubling death is tragic in many ways. What struck me about the notice in the paper was as much its location as anything else. While she lived and died Winehouse was front page news, but today, only a month after her passing, she is relegated to a tiny two-inch notice in the back of the paper. What this says to me is, mess up (or even let there be a hint of impropriety) and you will make the front page - it will be shouted from the rooftops. If what happened eventually turns out to be unfounded, well...that's just too bad.

I'm not blaming the media for this. Nor am I blaming the hordes of people who live their lives vicariously through the rise and fall of celebrities. I'm actually not blaming anyone. Instead what I'm doing is sounding a warning - before you do whatever it is you're about to do - before you make that choice - ask yourself...will what I'm about to do make the first paragraph of my obituary? That thought is not original with me - I read it somewhere else. In fact, it probably wasn't original where I found it.

Long ago, Jesus of Nazareth put it this way (Luke 12:1-3): "Be on your guard ... everything that is secret will be brought out into the open. Everything that is hidden will be uncovered. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. What you have whispered to someone behind closed doors will be shouted from the rooftops."


I'm sorry for Amy Winehouse and her family. I'm sorry for others whose greatness has been overshadowed by scandal (Tiger Woods, Ted Haggard, and countless others). Their story is written and their reputations may or may not ever be salvaged. We are still in the battle - let's learn from their mistakes.

Perspective

On my walk yesterday I was thinking through some things going on in my life right now and finally surrendered them to God in prayer. When I did the sense I got was that most of my problems are all ones of perspective. We have things going on in our lives that seem monumental to us; we feel as though there is no way they can work out. These situations grow and grow in our minds, consuming us - and then, as often as not, they pass.

I believe God was teaching me a lesson on keeping things in perspective. Let's face it, we all could use a little perspective these days. The economy is in a free-fall (again), a hurricane is headed our way, and earlier today an earthquake hit the East Coast. What's next?

It would be easy to become "Chicken Little-ish" right now and declare the sky is falling - but hold on, what we need is a little perspective. We need God's perspective. God sees the big picture. It's like that old, admittedly sappy song from a few years ago: "From a Distance." Remember? "From a distance the world looks blue and green and the snow-capped mountains white...From a distance we all have enough and no one is in need, and there are guns no bombs and no disease, no hungry mouths to feed... From a distance we are instruments marching in a common band..." 

How do we build a little perspective? Obviously I believe the first step is prayer - that's what I did. But you may also want to ask yourself the following questions, and then answer them honestly:

1. Is this even going to matter 6 months from now? A year from now? 5 years from now?

2. What's the worst that can happen? Is that really so bad?

3. What can I do to solve or ameliorate the situation; e.g. apologize, confess, forgive?

4. What have I done to cause this to happen (is it my fault?)

5. Does this really even involve me? Am I triangling - getting into other people's business?

6. Is God in control, or not? Is God sovereign?

Bottom line - it's not the things that happen to us, but how we react to them that matters. How are you going to react to what is going on in your life right now? My advice? Pray, get a little perspective, and remember to follow Paul's advice, "As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" Romans 12:18. Amen.

God's Delight

I'm getting closer and closer to the finish line in scanning all our old family photos. I know some of you are tired of hearing about this, but bear with me. I told my mom over the weekend where I was on the project and she said, "Oh, I found another box or two you haven't seen yet." Needless to say I got excited.

The really good news is that one of the boxes (a #10 business envelope box) is practically full of negatives. Back in 1977 my parents had a fire at their home and suffered lots of water and smoke damage. Many of their photos were lost, but in going through the mess, they managed to salvage the negatives of many of the photos. That's one of the boxes that mom found. There are numerous photos in it I've never seen before.

As I looked through the negatives last night I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. The photos are a treasure trove of special moments captured forever by the lens of a camera.This morning I woke up thinking about how excited I was to discover these photos. In my quiet time I was reminded how God is outside of time and can see the future, past and present all at the same time. Even now God can see my parents as children and relatives of mine now long passed. God can see my teenaged dad as he shipped out for the battlefields of France in 1944. God can see mom and dad getting married in the parsonage of a little Baptist church years ago. God can see my sister, brother and me being born into our family and all the places we lived. God can see the night I met Donna at an FCA meeting in the 10th grade, and he can see my children being born.

Best of all, when God sees these things he delights in them. I believe God gets just as excited about all the images he sees of us as I did when I first saw the previously unseen photos in that box. That's what the Bible says. In Zephaniah 3:17 the word says, "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Friends, that's great news for today - God delights in you. Even with all our flaws and imperfections, God sees us and he delights in us. Keep that thought in mind as you go through this week. And know that God is watching over you now - and smiling.

Guantanamo



Front of Post Card mailed from Cuba

Today's photo of the day is an interesting one from 1961 when history unfolded around us. In April of '61 I lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico where my dad was stationed (Ft. Brooke, P.R.). That spring we boarded a troop ship to take an excursion to the Panama Canal via Cuba. On our stopover in Cuba we planned to enjoy the great military facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Little did we know trouble was brewing there.
On April 17, 1961, 1400 United States-backed Cuban exiles launched a botched attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. The invasion occurred on the south coast of Cuba and became known as the Bay of Pigs invasion. The invaders hoped to gain support as they moved across the island toward Havana but it was obvious from the start the invasion was doomed. President John F. Kennedy had the option of using U.S. Air support against the Cubans but decided against it. In the end, almost 100 of the invaders were killed and the rest captured. The Bay of Pigs fiasco was a huge embarrassment to the early Kennedy administration.

The interesting historical side note is that my family and I woke up on April 17, the day of the invasion, at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. We knew something was up that morning when we woke up that morning aboard the USNS Henry Gibbons to find the ship surrounded by US destroyers signaling something was up. Still the Navy allowed us to disembark and enjoy the facilities at Guantanamo Bay before sailing on to Panama.

Here is what the post card, dated Monday, April 17, 1961, and written by my mother to parents back in Mississippi says:

Dear Folks,
We're well on our way. We are in this place [Guantanamo Bay] but sail in a couple of hours for Panama. It's really jumping here today with the counter-revolution started. We are having fun. Eating, sleeping, and resting aboard ship. Will write letter tonight. Love, Barb and All.

Venus and Mars: Male Bonding

I never cease to be amazed at how radically different men and women view the world. I don't mean that to sound sexist or to be critical of either gender, but you have to admit there are definite differences.

Take male friendship, for instance. Men and women look for totally different things in a same-sex friendship. Men like being friends with someone they respect, and it helps if you believe the other guy respects you too. Male friendship also has an element of competitiveness. Guys like to compete - even with their friends. Male friends also tend to be more non-judgmental towards one another. I'm sure my friends have their reasons for what they do, so I don't judge or criticize them for their choices. I would argue that there is also more loyalty between male friends; and I'm referring to the "battlefield" kind of loyalty that involves sacrifice. I'm not leaving my buddy on the battlefield, even if I have to die with him.

Perhaps the most obvious difference in friendship and the sexes involves intimacy. Male friends seldom have the kind of transparency found in female friendships. This may stem from homophobia, or perhaps we feel like we have a spouse we can "share with" on that level so we don't need to go there with our buddies. Part of the reason could also be because guys prefer to avoid the drama that seems to follow intimacy in friendships. For that reason, as a rule men are more straightforward with one another in their friendships. Oddly enough, even though our friendships are less intimate than female to female friendships, we're more open with one another at the same time. If something needs to be said, we say it without fear of reprisal or of losing the friendship. I believe that's what Anne Morrow Lindbergh meant when she said, "Men kick friendship around like a football, but it doesn't seem to crack. Women treat it like glass and it goes to pieces." Our friendships are less intimate; we're more like "teammates" than "teary-eyed tell-alls," but our communication is more open so there is less unspoken stuff going on when we communicate.

As a disclaimer, I'm not a sociologist or a psychologist; I'm just speaking as a guy here. I would love to hear what you think about this. Meanwhile, guys how about a chest-bump or a man-hug? Whaddya think?

Cowboys Were My Heroes

I grew up wanting to be a cowboy. I'm sure it mostly has to do with the era in which I grew up. I read somewhere that 1959 was the peak year for westerns on television with 26 shows on during prime time that year. I'm not quite sure why cowboys were my heroes other than the bad guys were always the bad guys and the good guys were always good - life works better that way. Add to that the fact that these heroes never backed away from a fight, even when it cost them dearly. And it didn't hurt that they could rope and ride and shoot a gun out of a bad guy's hand at full gallop without hurting him. They also had great horses and always seemed to get the girl. Even in morally ambiguous situations ("No one would ever know...etc.." ) my cowboy heroes always did the right thing.

I list my favorite cowboys below, but my favorite of all time is Marshal Matt Dillon, played by James Arness, who just died in June of this year. Marshal Dillon had everything a good cowboy needed - a wise friend, ("Doc,") a bumbling sidekick who Dillon was always having to bail out of trouble ("Chester," followed by "Festus"), a pretty lady who totally understood him (Miss Kitty) and who even generated a little sexual tension in the show [of course I was totally oblivious to sexual tension at that age], and yes, even a great horse; a beautiful gray named "Buck." The icing on the cake was the fact that James Arness was a "hoss" himself, standing 6 ft. 7 in. and weighing 235 pounds with a 48 inch chest; he was wounded in WWII at Anzio, a real "man's man." I so wanted to be like Matt Dillon. I had a Gunsmoke lunchbox, a Gunsmoke sweatshirt, and a few other items from the show. It was great. I know I've already said this about the music of my era, but honestly, they don't make heroes like Matt Dillon anymore either.

So here's my list of my favorite cowboys:

1. Matt Dillon - of Gunsmoke fame as detailed above

2. Roy Rogers - the nicest good guy of them all; and Trigger the smartest horse ever. Note, Roy Rogers had Trigger stuffed when the horse died and last year the stuffed animal sold at auction for over a quarter million dollars!

3. The Lone Ranger - loved Tonto too kemosabe! Who was that masked man?

4. The Rifleman - Lucas McCain played by tough guy Chuck Connors who could shoot that special rifle of his faster than anyone. I loved the opening credits of the show and the crack of that Rifle! An added bonus of this show was the great relationship McCain with his son Mark (played by Johnny Crawford) which added a lot to the show (kind of like Andy and Opie, with a western flair)

5. Cheyenne Brody - played by another larger than life actor Clint Walker. Cheyenne was a somewhat atypical hero as he always rode off into the sunset alone (never got the girl) and he often ran afoul of the law, but always for a good reason. At the end of each episode the townsfolk begged Cheyenne to stay, but he always rode off alone to save the day in some other cowpoke town on down the dusty road.

Happy Trails To You ! !

What's Visible...And What's Not

The next time you're outside at night in a fairly dark location look up at the sky and try counting the stars you see. You might be able to see 2-3000. If you have binoculars you'll see a few more stars and even more if you have a small telescope - perhaps double the number you can see with the naked eye. Still, you're only seeing 5-6,000 of the stars overhead.

Meanwhile, there are some 200 billion (with a "b") stars in our galaxy alone, and billions of galaxies out there. That means that even using a telescope you can only see a tiny fraction of the stars in the sky. Even astronomers using all their technical equipment and super telescopes have only seen a small number of the stars in our galaxy (not to mention all the planets, satellites, moons, comets, and asteroids zooming around up there).

I was thinking about how this the other night - and again the next day when I looked up into a blue sky during daytime and I realized the stars were still up there shining only I couldn't see them because it was light out. I was pondering this in light of some things going on in my life where I had to admit that, like the "unseen but definitely up there" stars above, there were doubtless many things going on in that particular situation that I simply wasn't seeing.

Are you following me? You and I stumble through life and all the experiences we have, interactions with people, etc.... and we often ask ourselves, "I wonder why she/he did that?" Then we draw conclusions about people's behavior based on what we think is going on. But like the stars in their courses above us, there is always more to a situation than meets the eye. In fact, I would argue that even in situations involving just us, we aren't fully aware of what is going on because our own personal motives escape us at times.

Like most things I speculate on here, I really don't have a solution. I do believe it is helpful to at least acknowledge that there are things going on - unseen things - that we are unaware of in any situation we find ourselves involved in. That means we should give others a little slack. It wouldn't hurt to cut ourselves a little slack from time-to-time as well. Perhaps that's why there is so much emphasis on grace and forgiveness in the Bible. God knows we need heaping helpings of both in order to make it down here on planet earth.

What's Going On

I've been struggling for quite a while now with something going on in the church. I discussed this recently with a fellow pastor and his experience mirrored mine which was helpful because it demonstrated I'm not alone, or crazy, or simply a poor leader. Instead it led me to believe there is a genuine problem; one that needs to be addressed.

I don't really know how to express the issue succinctly, but basically it has to do with the fact that churches aren't producing disciples - real Christ-followers - anymore. Instead we seem to be creating fan-clubs (especially in evangelical circles); tribes of people bent on being "hipper," or "flashier," or whatever than the church down the street. This isn't new; the Bible teaches there's nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9), but that doesn't make the fact that it is happening any less troublesome.

In Paul's scolding of the church at Corinth he asks a rhetorical question: "When one of you says 'I am a follower of Paul,' and another says, 'I follow Apollos,' aren't you acting just like people of the world?'" (1 Cor. 3:4). These days in my particular neck of the woods Paul might phrase his question slightly differently: "When one of you says "I follow Andy (Stanley of Northpoint)" and another says, "I follow Louie (Giglio of Passion City Church)" aren't you acting just like people of the world?"

The really tough part of this problem is that it is so multi-faceted. For one thing, the two pastors mentioned above will both tell you, and mean it, that they did not set out to create "fan clubs." It just happened that way. Second, when a pastor (like me) criticizes one of these tribal fan clubs it comes across as "sour grapes" because the churches we (the other pastors, who are viewed as "less successful") haven't had the "success" the  other churches have, so we're accused of being overly critical or judgmental. Worst of all, when we (the other "less successful" pastors) lead our churches, they inevitably drift towards the model the "more successful" churches employ. Restated - take a healthy, idealistic pastor who plants a church with the understanding that this problem exists and "it's not going to happen to us" and slowly but surely things in worship, with children and youth, even church structure begins looking suspiciously like one of the current hot churches. This drift may be caused through the fault of the pastor, who is fed a constant stream of tweets, conferences and popular church and leadership books that tout this style church - or it could be from the near constant pressure exerted by the members of the pastor's "less successful" church who want to be the next latest and greatest thing so they continually press for what they see in the "more successful" churches.

Could it be our definition of success is less than biblical? Is our problem the same as the Corinthian problem - too much world in the church and not enough of the church out in the world? I confess I do not have the answer; if I did I'm sure I'd be out there trying to do something about it. One thing I do know - it's time for the church to at least acknowledge this is going on and to do something about it.

By the way, I'm confident I'm going to angry responses about this post. "I love my church!" people will cry. I know you do, and that's a healthy thing. But do you love your church - or your pastor or your band, or your facility, or anything about your church more than you love Jesus? I believe honestly wrestling with that question will lead us closer to a solution to this problem. It's definitely something to pray about.

My Girls!

Today's photo comes from...well, today. Donna and I had the double blessing of having both our daughters spend the night with us last night. We are very happy for both of them as they have made wonderful lives for themselves after leaving the nest. I know you other empty-nesters out there will agree with me when I say there's something special about having your kids back under your roof, even if it is just for one night.

The Bible calls children "a heritage from the LORD" and declares "the fruit of the womb a reward." "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior," the Psalmist continues, "are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!" (Psalms 127:3-5 ESV).

I thank God for how my children turned out and the only explanation I have for their great success is good work by their momma, determination on their part, and the grace of God.

Mule Rides

On the weekends I am going to be posting a photo each day with a brief summary of what was happening at that particular time.

This week's photo comes from 1963 when I was seven years old and lived in Jackson, MS. The photo shows (L-R) my cousin Wayne Speights, my sister Patricia and me atop Mike the mule at my grandfather's house (on my father's side). In those days westerns like Gunsmoke, Bonanza and The Virginian ruled the airwaves. I liked nothing more back then but to to go to the farm to hunt, fish, and play cowboy. "Papa's house" was the kind pf place where a boy could do that to his heart's content.

These really were simpler, kinder times - I know that sounds mushy and nostalgic, but it is true.Thomas Wolfe once famously commented that you can never go home again. I get what he means by that, but when I look at photos like today's, I honestly feel like I can go back - at least in my mind. And you know what? It's a wonderful place to visit from time to time.                                                                                                                                                          

Time For a Tuning?

We had our piano tuned today. Piano manufacturers recommend pianos be tuned once a year, but since ours doesn't get played that much we usually tune ours every 2-3 years. I watched the technician while he worked this afternoon; it's actually pretty neat to watch. He did a lot of the tuning by ear (he has trained himself to do this), but he also uses a Palm device with some special piano tuning software. The industry has come a long way since the days of tuning forks! Watching him work, a couple of things jumped out at me.

First - even though the piano sounded fine to me before he came, it was definitely out of tune. The technician demonstrated just how far out of tune some of the notes were for me using his Palm device. And when he got the piano completely tuned it sounded ten times better. Even if you have a decent ear for music, your ears can fool you, or rather your brain can. What happens is our brains subconsciously compensate so the notes that are off-key sound fine.

Second - I noticed that all the man tuning the piano really needed was one note that he knew was right, then using that one in-tune note he could tune the rest of the notes relative to it. In piano tuner parlance this note is called the "reference note." Get that one note right, then tune the rest of the notes in relation to it, and you've got yourself a tuned piano.

There's a great analogy for life in this. In our lives it's easy to get "out of tune." Unfortunately it just happens over the course of time. What's more, we have a multitude of ways to overlook those parts of our lives that are out of tune. We rationalize, we explain away, we ignore, or we turn a blind eye (or perhaps a deaf ear would be a better way to put it). "Seems fine to me," we say, "what do you mean this, or that, is a problem?" Staying in tune takes discipline and even then still requires an occasional technician to come in to tighten or lengthen our "strings." That person could be a pastor, a Bible Study leader or other trusted Christian friend.

Given that we will need to be tuned from time to time, we also need a "reference note" for our lives; one note that we are confident beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's accurate and in tune. Once we have that we can tune the rest of our life relative to that one note and we'll know we're in tune. For many believers this authoritative note is the Bible. Picture a room  with a piano in it. Seated around the piano are three piano technicians. The first one is named "culture" and he has definite opinions about what he thinks the reference note should sound like. He's not afraid of sharing his opinion about it either! Seated next to Culture is someone named "Peer." Our peers have even more influence on us than culture does. Sometimes culture and our peers are at odds, other times they totally reinforce one another. The final person in the room is named "Logos" - the Word of God. Granted, people interpret what Logos says many different ways, which tends to open up a can of worms at times, but on most issues the Bible is crystal clear: this is right and that is wrong. It goes without saying that these three, culture, our peers, and the Word of God are often at odds. If each had a tuning wrench in our imaginary room you'd hear that note going up and down, back and forth. My point is, eventually you have to decide which one is correct - what your "reference note" is going to sound like.

Our piano sounds great now - and I know it is in tune. I may not be able to play any better than I did this morning before the piano tuner came, but at least I know when I hit an "A" an "A" is what I'll get. How about you? Is it about time for you to be tuned? And if you decide to get in tune, what will your reference note be?

Some Words about Waiting

Sometimes it seems as though I spend half my life waiting. As a child I was always waiting for school to start or waiting for summer break. I waited for Christmas, I waited to drive, and I couldn't wait to grow up. As an adult it's been more of the same - waiting to get a job, waiting in a line at the bank or post office, waiting in a doctor's office or a hospital room, waiting at the airport ...you get the picture. Here are some words on waiting.

First let's state three facts. One, we all have to wait. Only God can "speak and make it so" the rest of us have to get in line with the everybody else. Second, although it sometimes seems otherwise, life always comes at us one moment at a time. Life doesn't come to us in clumps; the past is always the past and the future is always the future. There is only now. Third, no one likes to wait. Today as you go about your business be observant. Look around you at the faces when you're in line at Wal-Mart, or in the waiting room, or at the gas pump. There's a direct correlation between frowns, furrowed brows and waiting.

Next, let me offer a solution. Technically, we are all waiting on something: our next heartbeat, our next meal, our next task, right on to the end of our life. At the same time we only feel like we're waiting when we consciously place undue weight in thought or action towards some future event. Stated another way, you're really only waiting if you're thinking about what you're going to do later (see the doctor) instead of totally investing yourself in what you are actually doing at the moment (reading a very old magazine in that doctor's office). That may sound totally obvious - but if it is, then why do we waste so much of our time waiting?

The key to not being consumed by the feeling of waiting is to fully inhabit the present. Don't dwell on the future, but live in the present moment instead. That's why we all say, "I was busy today, but I'm glad I was because it made the day fly by." Time does indeed fly - and life becomes more enjoyable - and we get in the flow, or the zone or whatever you want to call it. And that can only happen if we are truly present in the now and let the future take care of itself.

Those who profess faith in God have an advantage here by the way. That's what Carlo Carretto means when he says, "God comes like the sun in the morning - when it is time. We must assume an attitude of waiting, accepting the fact that we are creatures and not the creator...we are able to initiate nothing; we are only able to accept...only God can create history...we carry it out through our response, but the inspiration, the design, and the strength to carry it out come from God." The Bible affirms this by exhorting us to "wait upon the Lord." This is not the "waiting room - standing in line" kind of waiting - this is the "getting on with life, knowing - trusting that God is in control" kind of waiting; yielding our lives to him moment by moment.

I don't know what you're waiting for today. I've got quite a list of things myself. But you know what? Today I'm going to live in the moment and respond, minute by minute, with all the peace and love God provides.

My Favorite Songs

In my first "list" blog I am going to list my favorite all-time songs. Sociologists say your favorite music is largely dependent upon when (and where) you were born. I was born in the mid-fifties, so you'll notice most of my favorite music comes from the mid-sixties to the mid-seventies. If you ask me, they just don't make good music like that anymore! I know, I know, I'm sounding like an old fogey...but it's true.

Actually I consider myself a fairly eclectic music lover. I like Rock, Blues, Country, Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Hymns, even a little Jazz and Classical. But if you were to grab my iPod today, you'd find mostly "Classic Rock" tunes on it.

I define Classic rock to include "Rock and Roll" (music from the mid-fifties), up through the "Rock" music of the early-mid sixties (Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Doors, Cream, The Who). I also include the more ballady "Folk Rock" of the early seventies (Eagles, James Taylor, John Denver, CSNY) and the "Power Rock" of the mid seventies with groups like Led Zeppelin, etc... I realize this is not at all how most musicologists classify music. I suppose that's why I have such a hard time finding a radio station I like.

That said, and knowing I will probably want to revise this list tomorrow here is the list of my top 25 songs of all time:

1. Hey Jude by the Beatles 1968 - I lived in Germany when this came out and listened to the 45 rpm mono recording of this 7:20 song for hours on end.

2. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones 1965 - "Da da, dada da..da da da." I will never forget Mick Jagger's huge lips and his flame red shirt when the Stones sang this on the Sullivan show.

3. Yesterday by the Beatles 1965 - Ah... Paul. What a beautiful song. Amazing it was written by a 20 something guy; such lyrics, such wisdom.

4. Let it Be by the Beatles 1970 - my favorite all-time piano song. The "hymn-like" sound of McCartney's playing mesmerized me. And what about that beard Sir Paul had when he performed this one in the movie!

5. Sunshine of Your Love by Cream 1967 - another great guitar riff - perhaps the greatest, and one every fledgling garage band guitarist back then knew by heart. My first LP ever was Cream's Disraeli Gears which I bought at the PX in Frankfurt Germany. This song still gives me chills.

6. Fire and Rain by James Taylor 1970 - Oh boy, Good old JT. I moved to North Carolina in 1970 and was already enamored with my copy of the Sweet Baby James LP. Once I lived there I felt a kinship with this guy, the greatest ballad writer, sweetest baritone, and best finger-picker in rock music. I've seen him several times in concert and he never fails to impress.

7. Light My Fire by the Doors 1967 - Ray Manzerek's iconic piano riff in this taught me that rock music didn't always have to be guitar-driven and, at over seven minutes long, the song broke down the 2:30 barrier for song length at that time. I still love this song.

8. White Room by Cream 1968 - Great power chord song, mysterious lyrics, Clapton... all adds up to an amazing song that sends me to another place every time I hear it.

9. Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys 1966 - Clean, wholesome, surfer boys - and then there's that weird instrument that sounds so space-like. Love it.

10. Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix 1967 - Another great riff every rock guitarist must know. I remember thinking Hendrix was saying, "Scuse me while I kiss this guy" which was pretty wild for back then. Only later did I learn he was saying, "Kiss the sky." ha ha (what does that mean? get high?)

11. House of the Rising Sun by the Animals 1964 - Am - C - D - F / Am - C - E7 - this song was the first complete song lots of guys my age learned on the guitar. Iconic.

12. America by Simon and Garfunkel 1968 - Beautiful lyrics, deep. Despair / Angst / Passion - all things we were feeling back then (and even more so now!)

13. Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones 1968 - The Stones at their best with a word-story about the excesses and evils of the times.

14. Proud Mary by Credence Clearwater Revival 1969 - Love John Fogerty! Still do! "Left a good job in the city! Workin' for the man ev'ry night and day... and I never lost one minute of sleepin' worryin' bout the way things might have been." That boy can play and sing; he makes you believe!

15. Won't Get Fooled Again by the Who 1971 - Let's face it, this is just good old Power Rock coming straight at you as only the Who could play it. Love the weird synthesizer/organ part at the beginning - and Pete's power chords.

16. Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers 1971 - sparse, haunting, only three chords (Am - Em - G). This song will forever remind me of driving to Lakeshore High to go to school in the morning.

17. Sunshine on My Shoulders by John Denver 1973 - Ah... John Denver, sweetness, what a voice. What a sad ending for him. Still - this is a song that transports me to a golden meadow.....

18. Your Song by Elton John 1970 - What a great song - great lyrics - we've all felt this way before.

19. Close to You by the Carpenters 1970 - ha - this was the official class song of my graduating class from High School. If I'm not mistaken, we actually sang it at graduation. I remember it mostly from listening to it constantly in my "lonely days" right after moving to North Carolina before I met anyone.

20. Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf 1969 - First ever mention of "heavy metal" - love it. I went to see Steppenwolf Concert in Fayetteville, NC back in 70 or 71 - it was like..."heavy man....heavy..." :)

21. Easy to Be Hard by Three Dog Night 1970 - Love Chuck Negron's amazing tenor on this one - "How can people be so heartless? How can people be so cruel?" "Easy... easy to be hard...easy to say no."

22. Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel 1965 - Their voices seem to come out of nowhere, 'Hello darkness my old friend..." Great mood song. Always reminds me of the movie "The Graduate" too ("One word ..Plastics!") - quite scandalous in the sixties when it first came out - tame by today's standards.

23. Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones 1971 - I got the Sticky Fingers Album (with the jean pants cover with zipper/fly that really worked) right when it came out. It was summertime - and a hot one - this song reminds me of that time.

24. Tiny Dancer by Elton John 1971 - Beautiful piano, beautiful words, "Blue jean baby...LA Lady...seamstress for the band." Iconic sound of the early seventies.

25. Joy to the World by Three Dog Night 1971 - "Jeremiah was a bullfrog! Was a good friend of mine!" I've always loved this corny, but singable tune - It's a great shower song.

HTTP 404

Anyone who spends much time at all on the Internet is bound to eventually stumble across the dreaded "404 error." A 404 error page is what you see when you try to browse a page that does not exist anymore (or never did exist). A link may be broken, a page may have been moved - someone might just be trying to be funny - who knows? While many dot-coms try to make the pain of landing on a 404 error page more bearable by putting a cute spin on being lost (here are some examples) - you are still "lost" and have to find your way back. Besides, you wouldn't have clicked a link or typed in a URL unless you really wanted to go there to begin with, right?

Let's face it, no one likes being lost, or worse, being led astray. No one really likes going off into the never-never land of HTTP 404.

I'll wager some of you reading this post have been feeling a bit 404-ish lately. Lot's of things can do it - not getting enough rest, eating wrong, too much time at the office (or worse, no job to go to in the first place). Even normally "good things" like relatives and holidays, for instance, can send you into 404 land - you get the picture.

I will probably be accused of oversimplifying here, but I honestly believe the answer to the 404 error is found in the spiritual realm, no matter what the cause. After all, wasn't it Jesus who said he came to "seek and save those who are lost?" (see Luke 19:10). It's like the old hymn says, "Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; weep o'er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save." I believe what that old song says.

Let's face it, many of us have a boatload of problems right now. Cancer or some other disease, no job, broken relationships, foreclosures, the stock market is tanking (the Dow plummeted over 1100 points the last two sessions alone). What are we going to do? Turn to Jesus. He's the answer no matter what the question. Friend, I don't know what you are facing today, but I know Someone who does. Talk with Him today; he'll get you where you need to go.

Back to School

Summer officially ends at our house when Donna has to report back to school (she's a teacher). Donna had to report for work last Friday and so our household routine is changing rapidly now (I know when to get in line!). Since things are changing I figure it's time for me to do the same. My "Back to School" decision is to be more structured and disciplined in my activities. For those who don't know, I've been unemployed since January, 2010. I'm looking for a job, but it's tough out there, as everyone knows. I definitely have a few more years of productivity in me - and am looking for the right challenge. I've even had a few "near misses" on the job front. Meanwhile I've had the luxury of getting all the stuff done that you, dear reader, have no doubt often lamented you'd like to get to, "if only I had the time."

One way I plan to be more structured / disciplined is in my blogging. Always the systematizer,  here are the daily topics I intend to write about:

 - Monday: Randomness
 - Tuesday: Theology / Spirituality
 - Wednesday: Lists
 - Thursday: Nature / Science
 - Friday: History
 - Saturday: Photo of the Day
 - Sunday: Photo of the Day

Of course this is my plan and I reserve the right to tweak it or even to ignore it - but at least it is a start. So....here we go! File this one under "Randomness" (since it's Monday).

Quiet But Effective

I've been helping with the Forsyth Family Festival again this year. So far I've mostly been contacting local pastors to see if they and their congregations are interested in being a part of this year's event. These calls and emails have been a real joy for me. What has made them so enjoyable is the time spent interacting with the outstanding ministers in our community. We have some great men and women leading the churches of Forsyth County.

Each minister possesses unique gifts, but all appear to have a sincere love of the Lord and the desire to see their congregations thrive and be healthy. I'm so grateful for these servants; like school teachers I believe they are vastly undervalued by most for the enormous contribution they make to our community.  The vast majority of these Christian leaders go about their daily lives quietly serving God and those God has entrusted to their care. They live their lives far from the spotlight, headlines, and gushing accolades afforded celebrities.

But God knows...and they know they are making a difference in our world today, and in the final analysis, that's what really matters. If you attend a church; give your pastor a call, send them a call or shoot them an encouraging email today. Meanwhile, here's to our local pastors - we love and appreciate you so much!

Highs and Lows

A "wrack line" is the line you often see along a beach where the last high tide has deposited shells, seaweed, items that were either dumped or fell off boats, and other assorted debris. The word wrack comes from the same word we get our English word "wreck" from. Sometimes this line is surprisingly high; a storm at sea drove waves all the way up to the sea oats while we were at the beach, much higher than I had ever seen this line.  But usually the line changes with the regular change of the tides. Never one to shy away from a good metaphor, I couldn't help but think of the correlation between wrack lines at the seashore and the patterns inherent in our lives.

Most of us have highs and lows. Granted some of us are more inclined to have "higher highs" and "lower lows" than others, but we all experience the inevitable ebb and flow of good times and not-so-good times in our lives. I don't know about you, but I can recall some incredibly high highs and some dismally low lows in my own brief time on the planet.

The good news is, the lows - when it comes to wrack lines - are always quickly washed away. The highs, on the other hand, often remain with you for a long, long time (until the next big storm comes through to top it). The bad news is, far too many of us waste our lives staring at and sifting through the last big "high" wrack line, often at the expense of living life in the here and now. Others of us, of course, waste time moaning and groaning about how bad things are right now at this very moment in our life, as if we are unaware that in a matter of hours the tide is going to come in and wash away that "low" wrack line.

Here's my point (yes, there is a point to this). 99.9% of life is lived in the ebb and flow of these highs and lows. The actual low and high points are but fleeting moments. Since we spend most of our time in the middle, let's make the most of what we have then - in the moment - rather than always waiting for, or looking back at, some other time. Today might be a good day to start doing just that.

Your Worth - And Mine

It's weird being without a job. Hopefully my period of unemployment is reaching its end, but I've learned so much through this time in my life. One lesson that has really been pounded home is the strong correlation today between a person's worth and what he or she does for a living. This applies to both sexes, but it seems biased more towards males. If a man isn't "supporting his family" he somehow seems to be less than whole. He's a slacker, or something is wrong with him. In fact, not having gainful employment makes you a kind of modern-day untouchable where people do their best to avoid you, or they dance around the subject with you when you do get around them - as if you have the plague or something. I'm sure most of this is done out of kindness, but there is clearly a kind of societal taboo associated with not having a paying job. It would be interesting to see if this is mainly a byproduct of the Protestant work ethic - or if it is more universal than that, cutting across cultures.

What's the value of a man or woman? In school I once had a teacher once announce that, based on the chemical composition of our bodies, the typical human was worth $4.50. Most would agree we're worth more than that - but how much? Is our value based on how much money we make, or how well we can shoot a basketball, play a guitar or close a deal? The Bible has plenty to say about this. Genesis 1:26-27 says we are made in the very image of God. Psalm 139:13-16 says we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." Perhaps the most important verse concerning our worth is John 3:16 which says we are so valuable that God gave his only Son to redeem us.

What I'm trying to say is our that our worth is often based on the wrong parameters. And that, of course, leads to a lowered self-worth. We listen to what others tell us about ourselves rather than recognizing how valuable we really are in God's eyes. Who knows, perhaps the best thing that could happen to some of us would be to lose our job, then we might turn to the Source for the real answer to the question, "What's a person worth?"

So, tell me a little about yourself...

I had my first job interview since 1978 yesterday. The person who interviewed me was really great and I believe things went well, but it felt like an out-of-body experience to be sitting in someone's office answering questions and replying to statements like, "Tell me a little about yourself, who is Steve Jackson, really?"


I have readily admitted in this forum and elsewhere that I am and probably always will be my own favorite topic of conversation.  I am also definitely the reflective type (with an out-sized ego to be sure, far from the humble, Christ-like person I'd like to be), but honestly, even I have trouble talking about myself for an hour; pondering such imponderables as why I did this or that, and didn't do that or the other. What was I thinking when I did or said that? I don't know! It's difficult to stand outside yourself and reflect this way, especially when it comes to assuming an external, objective, cog-in-the-machine perspective that explains (and convinces!) how I can contribute to an existing enterprise and why they should hire me.


I am not saying I am above doing this, or that I shouldn't have to do so. What I'm saying is it felt strange doing it, and furthermore I never in a million years pictured myself at 55 years old, back at square one, basically selling myself and my abilities like I did over thirty years ago back when I graduated from college and was trying to land my first job.

The experience reminded me how much of life is actually circular rather than linear as we imagine it to be. I usually think of life (whether it's vocationally, spiritually, or relationally) as starting at point "A" then traveling through "B," "C," and "D," before ending up at "E." Charted on a graph this would look like the typical grid where you start low on the left and move steadily upward towards the right. In reality, life is more circular, with periods of striding forth, growing and experiencing, followed by times of falling back to a previous starting point. Somehow this bothers me - maybe it's the language I'm using about "falling back." We don't like to "fall back" do we - we always want to be pressing ahead - "Onward and upward!" Right?

Thinking about life this way it's easy to see how the Eastern notion of life as being cyclical, with Karma and rewards and punishment can be so appealing and intuitive to so many people. Honestly though, even in Eastern Religions the goal of the individual is to escape the wheel - to break out of the seemingly unending cycles of life and death.

I don't really know where I'm going with this ramble so I have no idea how to conclude it. I'm certainly not converting to Hinduism nor am I trying to convince you to do so. Perhaps the best way to conclude would be to simply throw out a few "lessons" from my interview experience using clichés (always a great literary device). Here goes: What I'm saying is, "never say never" because you never know what's going to happen. Always consider carefully what you are about to do because some day you will undoubtedly have to explain yourself. And certainly, "don't burn any bridges" because you may someday need to cross back over those very same bridges you so foolishly torched. Meanwhile, trust God and do the best you can. That said, excuse me, I've got to go pray a bit, and brush up my resume.

Focus

I just spent the last three days with about 200 of my closest friends (fellow extras on a movie set). For ten to twelve hours a day we were holed up in a hot, low-ceilinged basement while small groups of us were taken upstairs to be in scenes. The experience mostly boiled down to a whole lot of "hurry-up-and-wait" (as extra work usually does) and with the numbers present we felt like a herd of cattle being prodded along, but the experience wasn't all drudgery and pain.

One pleasant surprise for me personally was that when I was upstairs filming I was sitting one seat away from an A-list Hollywood actress you would recognize if I used her name. The actress was very polite and kind and is a tremendously gifted artist. She totally earned my respect in our three days together.

One thing I noticed about this actress was the way she could be interacting with her co-stars and others on the set while the cameras and lighting were getting set up and rehearsals were going on, but then, after all the directions were called out by the camera operators, assistant directors, and the sound people, and just before the main director yelled "Action!" this actress would lower her head, take a deep breath, close her eyes and quietly say to herself, "Focus."

This powerful ritual reminded me again of the importance of focus in our lives. Whether it's in business, sports, academia or acting, when it comes to success, we are constantly reminded of the benefits of focus.  And many of those touting the benefits of focus aren't simply doing so from a self-help perspective; there is real science involved in this claim.

Without boring you with a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo, let me just say this: Studies prove that the brain has millions of bits of information available to it at any one time. This data is generated by our senses: sight, smell, touch, etc...,. Meanwhile, our brains can only process so many of these bits of information at any one time. The brain has automatic filters that operate to prioritize the data that must be processed. The rest of the information is filtered out (ignored) or stored away for future use.

In other words, we have the ability to selectively concentrate on certain items, essentially decluttering the flow of data that is irrelevant to the issue at hand. Focusing amounts to a filtering out and a fine-tuning of what needs to be paid attention to. This is what's happening when a mother is in the midst of a deep sleep of her own and yet hears the softest cry imaginable coming from the baby's room. It's also what happens when an actress stops clowning with her friends and colleagues and consciously draws a laser-like focus on the task at hand and then goes out and knocks her audiences' socks off in a movie scene.

Ours is an age of distraction and focus is in short supply; everyone feels required to multi-task. The simple truth, however, is that if we truly want to be successful - if we want to enjoy the kind of success my new actress friend consistently enjoys - we're going to have to learn to focus as she does. Some of us will have a harder time doing this than others, but all of us will benefit from it. You can be sure of that.