The Author of The Story

It's interesting... No, amazing really, how God works. We watched the movie "Inkheart" a few nights ago. The premise of the movie revolves around a "silver tongue" — a person whose reading of a story brings that story to life. As the silver-tongue reads aloud, the characters in the story come "out of the story" and essentially come into our world. For each character in "their world" that comes out, a random person in "our world" is taken into the story. A movie sub-plot focuses on the original author of the book "Inkheart." The book's author is pulled into the movie's main story line, and as he begins to see his story and his characters come to life, he has strong desire to become a very part of the story he has created. As the movie nears its conclusion, the silver-tongue grants the author's wish and "reads him" into his own story — he becomes a character in the very story he created!

At our church over the last 6 months or so, we have been reading and studying "The Story" — a chronological paraphrase of the Bible, published by Zondervan. This is God's story — He is the Creator and the Author. We are the characters He has created. Not unlike in the movie "Inkheart", the characters and story-line have taken on a life of their own. In this week's sermon and study, "The Story" reaches its climax. The Author of this "Story" moves to become a part of the very story He created! But in contrast to "Inkheart," this Author puts into motion a plan He determined even before the story started! He will not just be a simple part of the story, but He will enter the "Story" to save and redeem the very characters He has created. He enters His story to change the ending. The Story was headed towards a dreadful conclusion. God enters and rewrites the final chapter while the Story is in progress!

Jesus came as a baby into our world - a seemingly "bit player" in a grand story. The Gospel of John says it this way: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." … "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Chap 1:1-3, 14). Aren't we thankful that our story's author cared enough to enter our story? Aren't we glad that God has changed the ending of our story? Let us show our thankfulness by inviting others to know the Grand Author!

Hurricane Relief

Hurricane Ike cause significant damage to multiple Texas Gulf Coast communities. I recently traveled with my oldest daughter and two other members from my church to that area to help with the Hurricane clean up. I thought some folks might be interested to hear about the trip.

The four of us left from SW Fort Worth at around 7:00 AM on Friday, 17 October. We arrived in North Houston at the Lutheran Intercity Network Coalition (LINC) Mission Center (Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church) about 11:45 AM. LINC has set up a food distribution there. There was probably about 150-200 people waiting in a line when we arrived. We helped sort and bag food for distribution to the largely Hispanic crowd. Approximately 200 bags, along with cases of water bottles were handed out by around 1:30 PM.

After helping at the food distribution center they sent us off to accomplish one of the work orders in the local community. It was also for a Hispanic family (mother and grown son) not far from the Mission center. They lived in a very old, small mobile home that had sustained roof damage during the hurricane. Someone had tried to temporarily fix the roof with various tarps and such, but with only limited success. They were still getting water in the home during any significant rain. The home was in very poor shape -- I'm sure any knowledgeable health/safety official would probably condemn the home. Nonetheless, we proceeded to use tarps and wood slats provided by LINC to at least temporarily provide a dry home. We had to be very careful on the roof as a potential roof cave-in was a significant concern. I think we were able to secure a temporary roof that will keep them dry for the near term -- hopefully for at least a year or so. This may be the only roof they have for some time, as they do not qualify for FEMA assistance. Although the mother spoke no English and the son only a little bit, we prayed with them before we left. I believe they were very grateful for the help.

We headed back to the LINC center and dropped off all the tools, etc. We left for Beaumont sometime after 6:00 PM and stopped for dinner on the way, so we did not arrive in Beaumont until almost 9:30 PM. The LINC Mission Center in Beaumont is set up at St. John's Lutheran Church. When we arrived, no one was in the facility. We had expected a group from Flower Mound (Lamb of God Lutheran). They arrived a little while later, having gone to enjoy a local football game. St. John's has two rooms set up with bunk beds (~32 beds). The Flower Mound group had taken one room, so our group took the other room. Since there was only one shower facility I had to make sure that my daughter had undisturbed shower time.

LINC-Houston had given us two work orders in Orange, Texas. After a good breakfast on Saturday morning, provided by St. John's, we headed to Orange. We got lost, but eventually arrived at the first home just before 10:00 AM. It was small home -- probably 70+ years old. Pat LaVernge, an older single woman (late 60s) lived there by herself. The home had been flooded by about 2 feet of water during the Hurricane. All the flooring had already been removed along with all the furniture in the home; however, Pat was still living there. The remaining sub-floor was beginning to mold. She was also experiencing some roof leaking in the back part of the home. The other two men in our group covered the back side of the roof with two tarps, hoping to get the home dry as quickly as possible. My daughter and I tore out paneling in a bathroom / utility room / closet. After finishing the roof, the other two guys tore out the dry-wall in a closet. This home was difficult in that there was a lot of work that needed to be done, but the homeowner was wrangling with insurance so we weren't exactly sure what we should/could do. We really had no guidance on this, so we did what we felt were obvious things. I expect once she works things out with her insurance she will need further help. We finished up at this home around 3:30 PM on Saturday, praying with Pat before we left. She was very grateful for our presence, our prayers, and our help.

After finishing at Pat's home we headed to the 2nd home, which was a couple of miles from the first. Iva Hogg was the single resident here. I'm guessing she is mid-to-late 70s. She seems in relatively good health and was doing a lot of work herself. Her daughter and son-in-law were there helping her the entire time we were there. This home had had been flooded by about one foot of water, but was not covered with flood insurance. They had previously had another group (from a different organization) out to help them, so they already had most of the home gutting complete. They had already torn out most of their walls down to studs -- in some cases they left the top four feet or so. They also had almost all the flooring removed. We began to tackle a room that needed the wood slat flooring removed. We also removed the sub-flooring as it had significant termite damage and was deteriorating across the room. Some of the joists also had termite damage. We stopped around 5:00 PM on Saturday evening and returned to complete the work on Sunday morning. After finishing tearing out the wood floor we also helped with a few other miscellaneous tasks. We left Iva's home around 12:00 noon on Sunday. It happened to be her daughter's birthday on that day, so we sang happy birthday to her and prayed with them all before we left. Again, their gratitude was very evident and they were clearly touched by our care and concern for them.

St. John's accommodations were simple, but more than accommodating. The provided breakfasts and dinners were excellent. They also provided us bread, lunchmeat, condiments, etc. for lunch; along with ice for our ice-chest. We took advantage of these both Saturday and Sunday. It was 2:00 PM before we got out of there on Sunday and we arrived back in SW Fort Worth around 8:15 PM Sunday night, 19 October.

In closing, there is a lot more to do -- in Houston, in Bridge City (near Beaumont), and in Orange. LINC has also set up a mission center in Texas City for clean up in the immediate Galveston area. I’m sure needs there are very significant. I expect there will not be any lack of work for many, many months to come. The trip was a great blessing to us as we were able to fellowship with one another and as we were able to be Jesus' hands and feet to people in their time of need. I would strongly encourage anyone who desires to put their faith into action to set aside a weekend and experience it themselves.

Medal Hunt

Just like a significant portion of the rest of the world, I watched the spectacle that was the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And just like everybody else, I watched in sheer amazement as swimmer-extraordinaire Michael Phelps blew by the rest of the field and set one world record after another. I’m sure as the years pass I will always remember 2008 as the Olympics year that Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals; but most of the specifics will be lost in my memory. However, one specific moment will not. The epoch in time from when Jason Lezak made the turn for the final 50 meters of the 4x100m freestyle relay to the instant he touched the wall just 0.08 seconds ahead of France’s Alain Bernard will be burned in my memory banks forever. These 46 seconds of history will rank right up there on my All Time Greatest Moments in Sports History list along with the USA Olympic Hockey team’s gold medal in 1980. The individual effort put forth by Jason Lezak to break his personal best by 1.5 seconds and at the same time overtake the current world record holder was truly a feat that defied logic. It was a team effort. Each swimmer that preceded Jason, including Michael, had to do just exactly what they did for the team to win that Gold. Anything less and all four of them would have been standing to the right of and one step lower than the French team on the medal stand.

It irritated me to no end to hear the media ask the US team questions after the race and in the days that followed like, “So what does it feel like to help Michael Phelps break the record of 7 gold medals in one Olympics?” That race was not about Michael Phelps. It was about a team doing things together that they never could have individually. When asked what the greatest moment was in his quest for 8 gold medals, Michael Phelps didn’t hesitate to identify the 4x100m relay. Although, individual athletic accomplishments can also be rewarding and inspiring, nothing can match the feeling and reward of a well-fought team effort. The Bible agrees.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecc 4:9-12)

I enjoyed watching Michael Phelps accomplish the seemingly impossible. I do hope, however, that the team effort accomplished by the US Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team will not be lost in the pages of history.

Friends Come & Go... and Come Again!

Just a quick post to mention a minor incident that happened just the other day… I was searching on the Internet, looking for origins of my last name. When I added my first name I got an interesting result. One of the sites I found was a friend’s blog that linked to my blog. On his site was a comment… Someone had seen my name on his site and remembered my name from some 30+ years prior – when I was in 7th grade. It turns out it was my best friend from that time period in my life! Keep in mind, I was an Air Force brat so I moved around my whole childhood and adolescence. As a result, I had a lot of “best friends” and usual a new one about every two years. I had not heard from Scott since we were friends in Wichita Falls, Texas over 30 years ago! We connected on e-mail and are going to try to keep in touch.

This incident just brings to mind this whole idea of friendship. Even beyond my childhood days of moving from place to place, it still seems like I have seen friends come and go. Interests change, new friends are made… life happens. Good friends grow apart some times. I am convinced that God moves people in and out of our lives depending on the season. As Christians, we are always where we are for a reason – that includes the people that are around us. Cherish the friends you have when you have them. Don’t wait until you’re apart to recognize and appreciate that God has placed them there for a reason. On the other hand, don’t mourn close friendships that grow apart. Recognize God’s provision and blessing on a certain season of your life – and thank Him for it. I’m not saying to give up on old friendships, but simply to take them for what they are at that time. Again, have a spirit of thankfulness to the God who provides all we need and who is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20).

I am very thankful that at this point in our lives God has given us good, faithful friends that have stood the test time. I am also thankful for the new friends we have made in recent years. Finally, I am most thankful that God has given me “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov 18:24)! Thank you, Jesus!

Worship

Boy, time has gotten by me! I haven't written since February. Here it is now July - in the midst of a hot Texas summer! My two oldest kids -- Garrett, 19, and Erin, 16 -- were blessed to attend the National Worship Conference last week in Austin, Texas. They were invited to attend to represent our church, St. Paul Lutheran Church, in Fort Worth, Texas, along with another gentleman. Over 2500 people from all over the United States, and even the world, attended the conference. The speakers, workshop leaders, and performers were a "Who's Who" of modern Christian Worship. My son attended a guitar workshop with Lincoln Brewster. My daughter attended vocal artistry session with Tim Carson. They both attended a song-writing session with Chris Tomlin (Awesome!).

Talking to both of them about what they learned and what God showed them at the conference was very insightful. Every evening after supper the conference attendees were treated to a Worship concert. The first night they were there, Leeland was playing followed by Phillips, Craig, & Dean. Leeland is a very young group -- the group members are about my son's age or just slightly older. Garrett has enjoyed their albums and was excited to see/hear them. He appreciates PC&D, but wasn't necessarily on fire to hear them. After the concert he called me completely pumped. He said Leeland was good... but PC&D was absolutely AWESOME! Their message, their musical abilities, the depth of their songs, and the clear superiority the musicans were evident. Not to take anything away from Leeland -- I'm sure they will continue to produce excellent music -- but there is really something to be said about the obvious maturity and godly wisdom of Randy Phillips, Shawn Craig, and Dan Dean.

Proverbs 6:31 says, "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." Not that I'm even commenting on the color of their hair... the point is in the Christian life, age is sign of wisdom. Not that everyone's that's older will necessarily have wisdom or that young people can't also have wisdom, but with those that are walking with the Lord, experience leads to godly wisdom. In fact, there is really a humility that comes with a continued walk with Christ. The more we learn, the more we find our we really don't know!

As far as the major "take away" from my daughter... she said she came to real appreciation of how big our God really is. 2500+ people from all over the world discussing and learning together how to worship Him better and more perfectly really gives one an appreciation of the awesomeness of our God. You begin to realize that He goes well beyond the confines our own little church buildings! You begin to see that he is the God of all time, of all people, and of all places. I know I so easily get caught up in my little desires -- even those things where I believe I am being led by God. It is such a small part of his grander plan (Yet still very important to our Heavenly Father!). It reminds me of when Elijah was being chased by Ahab and Jezebel and he was feeling like he was the only one remaining that was attempting to faithfully follow God. God basically had to slap him down and say he wasn't even close to the only one left -- "Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." (1 Kings 19:18) (emphasis mine).

I thank the Lord that we can be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. I thank him for the opportunity to worship him in "spirit and in truth."

Tribute to Sparky

It’s been one week since our favorite pet died – Sparky was a 10-year old dachshund and all the symptoms surrounding her death point to the ingestion of rodent poison. As a Christian, there are several things that I grieve over at the loss of a beloved pet. The first is loss of companionship – both to me and to my family. Her death impacts my life – even if in just little ways – every day. I saw her every day. I took care of her every day. My youngest daughter played with her, some time for hours on end, every day. Even though she was just a dog, her death impacts my daily life.

The second thing I grieve over is how our sin – the sin of humanity – has affected all creation. The death of a pet really brings this home. She had never done anything wrong. All she ever did was what she was programmed by God to do. Usually that meant laying in the sun in our backyard, chasing squirrels with our other dog, Angel, or barking at cars or neighbors as they went down our street. She didn’t deserve to die, but the sin of humanity got in the way. Romans 8:20-22 says:

“For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

That was a big groan – or at least one that I could clearly hear.

The third source of my grief is closely related to the second. Sparky was not dead when we found her, but she was nearly so. This left us – largely me – with the decision to either spend hundreds, likely thousands of dollars to try to treat her, with a very low chance for survival, or to put her to sleep. It makes me almost angry to be faced with a decision like. It makes me want to scream, “It’s not fair!” And really, it’s not fair. It also wasn’t fair that Jesus Christ lived a pure and sinless life, yet carried the sin of all humanity on a cross as He died. It wasn’t fair that His Heavenly Father turned his back on Him at His greatest point of need – Not fair at all, but praise be to God, He did it anyway!

All of this makes me long for the day of Christ’s return – not in a hopeless way, but in a hope-FULL way.

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Rev 21:3-5a)

Blog is Born

I entitled this weblog "Growing Young" based on the song of the same name by contemporary Christian artist Rich Mullins. Probably my favorite song from my favorite artist... Rich had a lot of great songs, but this is one of my favorite because it hits us right where we live. We so often think of ourselves as so much more mature than we really are. With a son now in college it has really hit me how we, as a society, have so prolonged adolescence, emphasizing the "experience" of college -- which really just serves to propagate our in-born childish and selfish behaviors, instead of teaching our young people to take on responsibility (financially and otherwise) and striving toward a life calling, instead of just living for the weekend or the next party.

The irony of it all is that Christ calls us, in the gospel of Mark, to become like little children! Ahhh, but he was not talking about our behavior; he was talking about the child-like faith He calls all those who follow him to embrace -- following Him as if there were absolutely no one else to follow. Which in fact, is the case! There is no ONE else to follow! The problem is we make for ourselves plenty of pretend "leaders", little gods with a little "g". We have tried so hard to leave our child behind that we have now grown old - well grounded in worldly wisdom, but lacking in the knowledge that grows us into the people that Christ intended us to be all along. I need to grow young -- and I need to do it every day. I need to let Christ remake me and I need to allow Him to teach me -- and teach me again -- what it means to be wise, what it means to be a man... and what it means to be a child.