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!