Caldwell Cakes beware!

There is an up and coming cake making team at Caldwell Cakes that dares to be reckoned with. I do so dare.

The Scott Boys GingerBread Home Builders have picked up the gauntlet.

Note the apple on the left lawn. It is to hold up the sliding roof. Also, the use of fondant was forgone for the non-biodegradable and unedible plastic tray of lawn. The leaning of the figures in front is a statment regarding the chaos of Christmas and the family.

All done for $8.95 + tax from Wal-Mart. Kit complete with ingredients.

Moving Forward

I mentioned in a previous post about the kid's movie Meet the Robinsons that there was a quote from Walt Disney himself at the end of the film. The quote was about "moving forward," or to continue on despite setbacks. The lesson of getting beyond past failure needs to be learned and embraced by all. One time the characters even applauded failure by the lead because he had eliminated one way not to do something. Brilliant.

However, I believe that an even greater obstacle to moving forward is not the remembrance of past failure, but the fear of potential future failure. It is the question that speaks, "What if I blow it?" It is very real, and it can paralyze you at every step.

At houses of worship across the world we are told to "step out in faith." What keeps us from doing this is the thought, "Well, what if God doesn't come through?" I think we need to turn the question around. The new thought should be, "What if God does come through?" Instead of focusing on what might not happen, look to what would happen if things did work out! This is not some "power of positive thinking" scheme, but a push toward thinking positively enough to "keep moving forward." It will give you a push to try something that has never been done before because, quite frankly, it just might work.

I think Edison said something about finding 900 ways not to make a light bulb before he succeeded. You life might have 900 lessons on how not to make a friend, or build a relationship, or get a job, or whatever. Learn from these lessons, and move forward.

I had a boss/pastor who told me his motto. I was immediately impressed because I knew few people who had a motto. I was equally impressed with the motto itself:

If you are going to make a mistake, make a new one.

As Tumone and Pumba in the Lion King would say:

You have to put your behind in your past.

This one doesn't have the same ring to it, but you get the point.

Being a Christian is not something I do, but someone I am.

What do you want to do today?

I know what you are thinking... "Huh?"

It's an open ended question, though. The question is not, "What do you need to do today?", but a directive toward that nagging issue of desire. It is ironic because what I want to write about is the quote from the previous post, but I feel as if I need to get this off of my chest.

You see, my days are filled with things that need to get done. "To Do" lists are made and checked off accordingly. There are times when the need must wait for the following day, and there are also times when the list is completed early. The "productive" days of early completion are usually met with additional "needed" items that had either been put off from days before, or newly placed on the list by a phone call or an unplanned visitor.

To be honest, it all feels like running in the hamster wheel.

I'm tired of running in the hamster wheel.

I have taught classes on "Organization for the Un-Organized." Those that are around me sometimes feel as if I am an unorganized person. I really am not. I have a style that borders on the chaotic, it's true; but there is a rhyme and reason to it all. My problem is not my schedule, but the reality that my schedule is oftentimes set by others rather than myself.

There is a principle that I teach, but all too often fail to live by. The principle is this:

Don't prioritize your schedule. Schedule your priorities.

Simply put, schedule in times for the priorities and let every thing else find a place if it can. This is not shirking responsibility, but rather being responsible for things that really matter. Going a step further, it also means taking some time to schedule in your "wants" as well as your needs.

Think about this... "Who are you?"

I am a pastor, but I am also a husband, a father, a brother and brother-in-law, a son and son-in-law. I am an uncle and a nephew, as well as a grandchild. (This is beginning to sound like the song, "I'm my own grandpa.") I am a friend, a citizen of my country and my community. I am a leader, a Christian, and a human being. I could go on and on. With that in mind, the tasks of the job are only one piece of the puzzle. The other faces of my schizophrenic life must have their time as well. What do those parts "want" to do?

• I want to be silly with my boys.
• I want to hold my wife's hand.
• I want to write a book.
• I want to start a new ministry.
• I want to send the card and make the phone call.
• I want to take a nap without guilt.
• I want to influence and impact my community.
• I want to pray more.

Oh, there is more.

I want to dream.

I'm going to schedule a time for that.

Keep Moving Forward

Friday nights have become "pajama night" at the Scott home. The tradition is complete with the following elements:

1. Snacks purchased at Dollar Tree or Wal-Mart.
2. Meal planned of quick and tasty (although not healthy) food.
3. Movie rented or purchased from cheap movie bin at store.
4. Sleeping bags and blankets in the living room.
5. Everyone in pajamas or sweats.

Generally, the movie is picked out by one of the boys; and on an occasional adventurous night there is a double feature. This has become a well-loved tradition, especially by our youngest, Isaac. There are plenty of movies out there to view because there has been a cold spell of sorts as to our actually going to the movie theater. One movie that was out was the film Meet the Robinsons, and this was our choice for last night's viewing. Jonathan had actually seen it in school, which was neither here nor there other than the fact that I'm not sure why he saw it while in school. I digress.

The film was pleasant for all, and it ended with a quote from Walt Disney himself.

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

I think it speaks for itself, but in the next day or two I will attempt to unpack how it speaks to me.

Wanted to give a quick note to reference the blog for my church about meditation (of sorts).

I feel as if I need to have two blogs, but they will probably tend to overlap.

Anyway:
bobscott.wordpress.com

Capture and Keeping the Presence

Some met for a time of prayer last night at the church. There is a sense that we need God and His Will more than ever in our lives, and in turn, the ministry here in Shelbyville. It is a small beginning, but we aren't hindered by that fact.

As I began to pray, I sensed in a very real way that God was with us. I even almost spoke to those there about being "aware" of God's presence, but I simply remained in a state of awareness myself. I welcomed Him there, and continued to simply invite Him more and more. After a few moments, and I don't know when the switch happened, but I realized that I was no longer aware of God, but had begun to focus on some Christmas decorations that were in a box on the floor. I thought of the layout of the room and how it would be decorated, and my mind wandered.

I know that this simply sounds like an attention-span problem, but there was something different happening. I sensed that this was a picture of a large portion of the body of believers. We become aware of the presence of God for a moment, and are even awed by it. Then, we become distracted. This leads to a basic "forgetfulness" of God. You see, we don't hate Him; we just ignore Him. This is not done in a vicious way, either; but it happens at a sub-conscience level that manifests itself into the conscience. At the risk of creating a maddening cliche, Christmas is remembered more than Christ.

So, I wonder...
How do we capture the presence of Christ, thereby keeping that presences real and in the forefront of our mind?

We must find ourselves in the presence of God, then we must be changed by that presence.

I'm going to Israel in March, and I learned something yesterday afternoon about the Wailing Wall. The protocol is that you pray with your hands against the wall. When you are finished, you back away 5 paces or so, with you head still bowed and while still facing the wall. Then, you turn with your head bowed and walk away.

In Jewish tradition, you do not turn your back on the presence of God.

Global Warming... er... Climate Change

I have found in my exhaustive research (or maybe it was just not being stupid of people and attitudes) that the environment tends to be one of those "either / or" issues. Note: I don't think it really is but since we label people if we hear those certain trigger phrases come out of one's mouth it becomes an "either/or."

If you believe warming/climate change then you are a wacko, tree-hugging liberal OR if you question the premise (at all) then you are a earth-hating, money-hungry Republican. I will note that you will never be called a "conservative," but you will automatically fit into the Republican camp (with the big "R"). This is how some (a lot) think, so you better get used to the labeling!

I have my views, and will further explain them beginning soon in a new blog I am working on, but for now I veer from the usual fodder of the site to simply observe that:

This thing is genius for those who want to capitalize on it!

"What do you mean?" you gasp. "This is a real threat!" Well, that is not really the debate here, but the opportunity for some to cash in is.

Here goes:

If the entire planet gets 178 thousand degrees in a few years, those in power can say, "Big business pushed us past the breaking point. If only we would have started sooner. Maybe now we can punish big business" However, if it all turns around, then it can be said, "Look what we have done! Our efforts at saving the planet have worked! We must not stop the Utopian process. More, more, more!!!!!"

You see?

Win. Win.

Water and the Wine

This past weekend I was attacked by the worst case of Strep that had ever been documented. This was not actually told to me by the clinic because of concern for my mental stability in my already weakened physical state, but I am sure they taken the proper procedures to see that my case is studied. I think I need a team, like the elephant man.

Thursday I did begin antibiotics and went through the process of resting my body, in general, and my throat in specific. Being a pastor and needed to speak on Sunday morning, it was imperative that I rested as much as possible. God, and Holly, were gracious to me.

On Sunday morning, I spoke about "giving" by using the 22 chapter of Luke as a backdrop. This was a perfect passage because I was not (and will not be for the next few weeks) focused on financial giving. The thought was, using the "Lord's Supper" as a launch, that Jesus was not focused on giving from Himself, but of Himself. He gave His body and His blood in order that all might receive HIM.

So many times we are content to give an item, when we really need to focus on giving ourselves. Anyone can donate, but when is the last time you put down the pen and the check and poured yourself into a cause. Not to make light of it, but it comes down to the difference between having eggs or bacon. The chicken makes a donation. The pig makes a commitment. Your life is meant to one that is given to others. It's a commitment that matters in the long run.

If just would have given from Himself to you, then there would be less for me. However, He gave of Himself. He gave His life for you, and me, and then you, and you, and you...

Enough for all.

Enough, now that is a startling word. When is the last time I had "enough?" I will ponder on that one a little while.

As a follow-up and finish to the message, I had a table of communion (bread and juice) prepared for the people in the congregation. However, during my message I walked over to the table and demonstrated as I spoke. I mentioned the idea of the "dipping" meal, and I dipped the bread into the cup. The imagery stunned my for a moment.

The "body" covered in "blood."

Then, because of the throat concern, I had a glass of water near me. I mentioned that at times water is included in the communion meal. Blood and water flowed from His side. I mentioned that when wine is used instead of juice, the taste with the bread takes on a bitterness that is really more appropriate as to the nature of the remembrance. The water, then, will cleanse the bitterness like the refreshing of the Spirit. As I spoke of this I took a small drink of the water. I cannot explain the emotion and overwhelming awareness of God that I experienced at that moment.

The bitter sorrows of my life washed away by a cleansing of the Spirit. The process that I could never accomplish on my own is achieved in the death of the One called Savior. All I have to do is receive.

Wow.

The Love / Hate of Politics

To dream, or not to dream... ah, there is the rub.

I love politics, and I hate it. It reminds me of the joke from the mental hospital:

Roses are red, violets are blue. I'm a schizophrenic, and so am I.

Lovely.

I love the thought that ideas can be debated and exchanged. The notion that we are all in it for the same purpose, the betterment of the country, with only the nuances of how the system can accomplish it's goal being different. I love that we wave the flag and shake hands with our colleagues and are in awe of the halls of Congress.

I hate that it has become about sound-bites and rallying the crowd. I hate that the only thing that is said is what the particular group you are standing in front of wants to hear. I hate that if you are "for" something it automatically means that you are violently against something else. I hate that the ones who are for "less government" are taking away our freedom and liberty and those who are for "equality for all" are willing to deny the rights of those they don't agree with.

If you have a "D" by your name you are seen as a whack-job and if you have an "R" your are seen as a war-monger. I hate that we label just as soon as we hear a thought. In this, we don't hear all of the ideas of anyone, OR we just assume that we know what is meant because they are one of "them." (Insert any party)

We need to heed the words of Franklin as to our government. We have,

A Republic, if you [we] can keep it.

This means we look for leaders who we trust enough to do what is right, even if it is not popular. This means we look for leaders who will stand on the basic principles this country was founded on, not just the whim of the day. This means we actually get involved in the process, while respecting the rights (and actually, mandate) of others to get involved as well.

Oh, and I have a way to fix the problem with Social Security.

New Blog for Gateway Church

As pastor of Gateway Church in Shelbyville, TN, I have attempted a blog in the past just for those interested from a local church prospective. I am making a renewed effort to use this other blog for a resource related to sermons, teaching, etc.

I will have a link to this blog on the side, and I wanted to explain what it was.

http://bobscott.wordpress.com/

An Example to All

I have started eating green beans.

I hate green beans. I always have. I like peas, which is odd, but I hate green beans. However, I am apparently an example to my children, so I have started eating green beans.

I had 5 last night.

Rite of Passage - Wax On Style

A rite of passage was taken by my boys on a recent family movie night.

They saw The Karate Kid for the first time.

It was slow at first, but they now can understand references to "wax on... wax off". After the crane kick thing at the very end, they practiced karate on each other for a while.

It was a beautiful moment.

Oh, and I was gone on Saturday, and they watched it again.

Yet another fundamental difference between the ages.

The other Monday night I realized a fundamental difference between a child and an adult. Holly and I were in the van most of the day, well... the entire day. We traveled to do some errands without 2 of the 3 boys, with the theory that it would be easier that way. We handled our business, only to see that we were running kind of behind. A 40 minute travel later and we checked the other 2 out of school for doctor appointments. Then, we traveled 45 minutes BACK to where we were for the visits. The extra time was because of traffic. Our plan was to get home earlier in the evening, but this was shot because the appointments took longer than expected.

Now to the difference:

When we got home an hour or so before the kid's bedtime, all I wanted to do is sit and watch tv. I was spent. The boys, however, were ready to go, and wrestled, played with a balloon, and ate and ate. When I'm cooped up, it zaps me. When kids are cooped up, they become wild freakazoids that chomp at the bit to run around and destroy a house.

Spirit of Adam

Where is the creativity in the Church? I realize that this is a generalized question, and there are some that are very creative, but I am talking about the Church as a whole.

We serve the creative God. We are made to be in His image and likeness, so creativity is to flow from us as well. All too often, however, we (the church) simply rips off what the world is doing. We do need to speak to our society, but we need to innovative as well.

Where is the song that has never been sung? What painting has never been displayed on canvas? I speak more about this in a previous blog entry.

Briefly, I believe that the problem is that we don't know what to call what we do, so we don't "do" it. We feel that it must have a title or something easily recognizable to be considered "ministry" so we just allow thoughts to flow through our brain, never seeing the light of day as action.

In the garden after creation, Adam was given the job of naming the animals. They had never been named before, but he was naming what had been created out of nothing. I believe that God wants us to put those nameless things that are stuck bouncing around in our spirits into action, and then worry about naming them later, as well as stop worrying that another person cannot name it for us.

In other words, creation doesn't just make what is already created, but it creates something new. Then it works to figure out what it is called.

We need the spirit of a pre-sin Adam, in that we create the new, and then allow God to give it a name.

Blessings to Burdens

I have noticed that we as a society are generally ungrateful. I was in the post office a day or two ago and the lady next to me asked me if it was supposed to rain. Now, I 'm not Willard Scott, but I know enough to look at the sky as well as to never trust a Nashville Weatherperson. By the way, a Smuckers "Happy Birthday!" to beautiful Erma Lee from Idaho Falls. She turns 103 today.

"It's supposed to rain, they say. But who knows if you can trust them?" I responded. The sky was ominous, but I realize that it probably wouldn't do much of anything. She then said, "It sure does look like it, but I hope it doesn't!"

I don't know what this lady had planned for the day, but we have had a drought of almost biblical proportions in Middle Tennessee. How could you hope it doesn't rain?!? That's absurd! When it actually did rain a month or so ago I stood in it and smiled.

This is so typical of the average person. The thing that we pray for and hope for comes, and we turn it into a burden. I'm not talking about the things we beg God for that are not good for us, and then we find out later that there was a reason that we weren't supposed to have them. I speaking of the things that are good, and we call them bad because they are inconvenient for us at the time they come.

We pray for a baby and are upset because of pregnancy sickness.

We get the loan for our dream home and then get overwhelmed with the process of building a house.

The rain comes to end our drought and we curse the postponement of our golf game.

Geez people. Get content wherever you are!

Hail to the Chief, Pet Cemetery & Pumpkins

Hail to the Chief:
Jonah comes home from school Monday and says, "I'm the class president." We, of course, are shocked because we hadn't even put up a poster. On Friday, we had checked him out of class early for some reason that I don't remember, and when he went back to school on Monday he found out that he had been elected in his absence. On a side note, that's usually how I get volunteered for things.

Anyway, they told him, "Jonah, you're class president." "What?" he asked/said. "Yeah, Sarah nominated you and we voted for you." Now, Jonah and I began to hum the song Hail to the Chief while Holly asked him if he got paid for the job. We found out it is a classroom thing, rather than a fourth-grade thing. This led to my question as to if he gets to run for president of presidents. Good times.

Pet Cemetery:
I'm pretty sure the movie had a different spelling, but you get the idea. We have two dogs, a mommy and her stupid, but lovable son. The mommy apparently "got married" to another dog in the neighborhood and had a premature puppy. Yes, just one. It was a combination Chihuahua and miniature Doberman Pincher. We called it Chancho, and it died. Sorry to cut to the chase, but it didn't live long. Why we named it, I'll never know; but I don't make these types of decisions at our home. Anyway, it's a dad's job to bury dead things, so I did. For two days straight, a dog (one of ours or random neighbor's - I don't know) tried to dig up Chancho. They did, but didn't remove him; out of respect for the dead, I suppose. I had to rebury him twice, covering the sacred ground with three bricks and a spare tire the last time. I really expected to see the little rat dog roaming the neighborhood, then biting someones feet off in a fit of "undead" rage. May he now rest in peace.

Pumpkins:
Had to throw it in, because I found out this morning that I was to go on a field trip with Jonathan today. We went to a pumpkin patch. It was fun.

The thing that I realize is that my kids run their schools!

How 'bout them Cowboys!!!!!

Last night, I got to watch one of the most enjoyable games in a while.

I love the Dallas Cowboys. I grew up loving Tony Dorsett and others. I loved Emmitt and Troy and Michael. I did not like Parcells, so I'm glad he's gone. I love how Tony Romo plays.

All of that said... if they had lost last night, it would have been no big deal. Everyone loses. I would not have lost sleep over it. However, I did lose sleep by watching the game.

The main reasons that I watched the game was two-fold:
1) I like the cowboys, and for the morbid curiosity of how many interceptions that Romo could throw (apparently 5) and,

2) I could not get up out of my chair. I have been working on tiling a floor for some friends of ours, and I am so sore that I can't hardly move. I sat down, and it hurt to get up, so I didn't.

The blessing of all of this is that I got to see and onside kick recovered; a completion and spike with 1 second left ruled a non-completion; two quick passes and out of bounds completed with the time put back on the clock from the before mentioned incomplete pass; an apparent made field-goal that was nullified by a last minute time out by a cheating Buffalo Bills coach; then the kick actually made that put the 'boys up 25-24 with time expired!

I actually laughed out loud, and woke my wife up down the hall in our bedroom.

Good times!

My wife is brilliant!

Beautiful too, but I digress.

Last night I mentioned to Holly that I am trying to be a great husband and a father, but I feel like I fail so often at both. She said, "Maybe you try to hard. Maybe you should just be you."

She's right. She's also opening herself up for a great patience test.

Roles in family and ministry - thoughts in process...

I am working on some things in my head and heart about “order in the home” and it carried over to order in the ministry and this community. I thought about people stepping out of their God-defined roles. The thought occurred to me that, “Just because you can, does not mean you should.” There may not be a father/husband to act as the spiritual leader, but that does not mean you should step into that role in the family. You could probably “do” the job, but it does not mean you should. We are simply required to walk in the authority and role that God has called us to, and let Him (God) handle the empty places. It’s like this, if something happened to Holly, then I could be tempted to be both mom and dad to my boys. The fact is that things would never operate properly if I attempted that. All I would need to concentrate on is being the best dad that I could be (my God-given role), and pray that God would fill the other needs. If I operated outside of my role then I will never be truly effective within my role.

The phrase, “just because you can, does not mean you should,” moved my thoughts into ministry. I am the new president of the ministerial association here, and I am attempting to take the ministers into new relationships and thought processes. There have been those in the community who have had the ability to “take over” within the confines of “church” growth and success. The problem is that when they start trying to build their church, the kingdom church gets lost in the process. I could imagine them thinking, “Man, we can build this (their church/ministry)!” rather than thinking, “How can our church/ministry help build THIS (the Kingdom)?” Even our ministerial association should have the thought process not of building the association, but how can the association build the Kingdom? Our denomination should not be wondering how we can build the machine, but how can we find our place and work with others to build the Kingdom?

What is my place, and how can I plug in for the Kingdom’s sake?

Contemplation... this is where I fail.

Quote from the book, “Wasted on Jesus”

Inward contemplation that does not issue forth in outward action will become
stagnant and lifeless, like the water in the Dead Sea, because it has no
outlet. On the other hand, outward action that is not preceded by inward
contemplation will be devoid of revelation.

The Struggle

If my struggle is not supposed to be against flesh and blood, why does the flesh and blood get on my nerves so much?

I've taught it, researched it, and wrote about it; but living it is another thing altogether. I believe that the enemy of our soul knows that he has a harder shot winning in a battle of the spirit. He (satan) does believe that he can win, because that is what pride is all about (thinking more of yourself than you ought). However, he knows that the easier battle is the one in the flesh arena.

You see, there is enough me in me that I blow it on a regular basis. I don't have to blow it, and some days are better than others, but I blow it. In the flesh, the guy in front of me when I'm in a hurry becomes the battle; and I forget the real battle is within me. This guy is not my enemy, but the anger that swells up over nothing is! The enemy is not the woman walking by, but the lust that lurks within is! To take a stupid word play on it, it's the enemy ina me.

On my knees in awareness of the Holy Spirit working in my life, satan has no chance. He will still fight and be stubborn, but he doesn't have a prayer. (Now that's irony!) When he sees that there is still too much "bobby" in me, he does figure he has an easier shot, so he seems to go for it with full force.

I must crucify that flesh, so that the Spirit of God is dominant in me.

Strangely

Riding to school this morning, Jonathan talked of a cartoon that he does not watch, but had an idea on.

"Dad, you know Dora? It's weird, she tries to teach everyone spanish when they don't want to learn. And, she talks to animals... strangely. It's strangely because Diego's kind of cool... (long pause)... but not really."

This led to a mini-conversation about Go Diego Go. Now, the marketing people missed this one. Dora, while popular to little girls, never achieved her true fame because part of the market (boys) was totally missed. Dora's cousin, Diego, was seen in a few early episodes, and now has his own show. However, the Dora train has left the station, and they just can't pull the boys in with this one. I have had this conversation with my son, Jonah, apparently, because...

Jonathan (after realizing that he almost said Diego was cool): "It's OK, but..."

Jonah (age 10): "Yeah, dad. They came out with Diego too late, didn't they?"

Dad (me): "They probably did. It's OK, though. Some people like it."

Jonathan: "Yeah."

Jonah: "Yeah."

All I was thinking was... "strangely??"

Chuck E. Cheese

Went to a birthday party on Friday night for my nephew, and by piggy back (because we had already had a party), for my son who turned 10 on Tuesday.

Chuck E. Cheese, for those of you who have never been there, is simply a crooked casino for kids. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Also, there is a giant rodent who dances a birthday dance with one and all. My kids used to be terrified of him, as well as all other puppet like creatures.

I am afraid of spider monkees, as well as other things small and chaotic.

9/11 - I Remember

For those of you who think that the term "9/11" is overused or now a political tool or a cover-up of a government plot or anything else, I open this short blog to say, "I don't care about your agenda or lack thereof."

I remember getting a semi-late start that day when my wife came to me and said, "Turn on the TV. Something's happening in New York. The World Trade Center has been hit by a plane." She had taken our oldest son to his mother's -day-out and had heard a report on the radio. We stood in shock viewing the events unfold before our eyes, and prayed for the people involved. We did not yet understand that this was an attack on our nation, and it was our son's 4th birthday, so we moved forward with the events of the day.

We took cupcakes to his class (which is why he went to school that day anyway) and then checked him out for a short day at the Nashville Zoo. The roads were quiet, and we noticed that police cars blocked the entry to the small, local airport. The zoo was also quiet, with most children being in school. We began to pick up on the reports that this was, in fact, an organized attack, and our prayers shifted to our nation and it's leaders.

So, I remember:

Life goes on for a child. In the middle of turmoil, I must keep a clear head and allow things to be as normal as possible for the innocent among us, even if it means a trip to the zoo.

The man who didn't call his own family, but led co-workers (who were all about to die together) in a prayer while sitting helplessly in the offices in the floors above the crash site.

That we are not guaranteed the next second.

That we didn't start this. However, we were willing to step into what was already started and stand up for ourselves.

That most will not remember.

Schizophrenia

There's an old joke that goes like this:

Roses are red, violets are blue. I'm a schizophrenic, and so am I.

This statement defines me when it comes to several things. For one, whenever I take personality tests I come out as the guy who is comfortable in a large group setting and taking charge, but would love to be marooned on an island with only my thoughts to guide me. When it comes to music I love the wail of a hard guitar and drum beat, but also want my wife and I to find a back alley coffee shop with Norah Jones playing a solo set. I am a pastor, yet I find the religious community generally gets on my nerves (however, I really am working on this last one.)

In my worship context, I find that there is something about me that is different than a group that I am a part of. So, in essence, I am now not only schizophrenic within myself, but schizophrenic with those who are like me. When it comes to music (which we have mistakenly labeled "worship") I find that I want to be cut. I want to groan because of the truths proclaimed not only by prophetic voices but from the instruments as well. I want the feeling to cause me to fall to my knees as I become aware of a holy and loving God. I want the struggle and the joy of this understanding to bring laughter and weeping at the same time. I want to dance, even though I will look silly doing it. I could stay in this place forever.

When it comes to the Word (which we have labeled "preaching") I want to learn. I want to learn not just for learning sake, but to be changed. I want to be opened up by the scalpel and let a work be done in me with surgical precision, and I want to be changed because of this procedure. I need to hurt for a moment after the truth is revealed; yet I also need to be drawn to the one who can heal the hurt.

This differs from others in my tradition in a couple of ways. One, music should not last too long and should generally make you shout before a sermon, and weep after one. Two, the sermon is the most important thing, and should also make you shout, unless you need to repent (read: not already a Christian), and then you need to weep. There is worship, then the word, and they are not the same. The worship (read: music) is not more important than the word, and the word should be told loudly and charismatically. Anything less is dead. That reminds me, a vast number of cliches should be used if those in the audience are not responding (read: shouting) to the preaching of the word correctly.

I know this sounds like I am against the others, but I am not. I do not like to define myself by what I am not, so I just want to give my ideas and say that I am not some people I am supposed to be like.

I believe that I can be changed in the presence of God however it is that I enter into His presence. I also know that when we worship God, He meets with us. When He meets with us then others (even those who do not know "how" to worship) can be changed by His presence. The Bible is referred to as a "sword," but all too often it is used as a club to beat an unbeliever over the head with. I believe it is a weapon against the enemies of the spirit (Satan) and a knife for surgery in the believers. I want to be inspired by and stand in child-like awe of the Creator and King of all. I want my culture and world to be impacted because I know God, and He knows me.

The End of the Beginning

Have you ever heard the statement: "The beginning of the end..."? It brings about connotations of doom and despair, and only a matter of time until ultimate destruction comes your way. It is not a phrase of hope. What it means is that there is a definite time when the cogs set in motion a process that cannot be stopped until the "end." It is a moment when there is no turning back, and there is nothing more that can be done.

My question... "Can you know when this moment happens?" Does the moment take a millisecond, a minute, or longer; or is it a process of happenings that take you to that point of no return? Anyway, hindsight tells us that there was a moment when it all started going downhill, and that is the beginning of the end. If something different had been done, another action taken place, perhaps the end could be avoided; but it wasn't, and the end is inevitable.

My question is now... "Is there an end of the beginning?" This might sound a little silly, but bear with me. If life is made to be lived to the full, when does that "full" life start? If life is meant to mean something, is all of the meaningless and humdrum motions of life really living? Is part of your life a setup just to begin you on the process of purpose?

I believe that there is a point when God says, "OK, now GO!" It doesn't mean that He wasn't watching over you before or didn't care about your direction, but that everything you have experienced up to that point was just to get you ready to go. Life, to that moment, was a setup. It was training. Now, the race can begin. I know what you are thinking... "What?!?"

An example: (Note: this is not a comment regarding a pro-life or pro-choice stance, but just an example)

Conception occurs and a baby is forming in it's mother's womb. It eats, grows and develops until the day of it's official birth takes place. There are screams from the mother, a breath is taken in, and then screams from the babe itself. A birthday occurs, and a new life comes into the world. Wow, a new beginning.

You see, the period in the womb was setting the baby up for it's purpose. It was training. Now... the race can begin. The moment before the first breath marked the end of the beginning. The idea is that the beginning of this new life did not take place in this one moment, but it (the life) was being prepared for 40 weeks prior.

Perhaps all that we have been going through is simply developing us for the moment to begin. I believe that this might be the case. However, now the question becomes two-fold: Begin when? and Begin what? I don't have the answer to those questions for you, but I do know your whole life has been set up to fulfill the purpose of the answers. The answers will be found when your heart "clicks," when it skips a beat as you realize that you are doing the thing you love. In the times when you are just going through the motions and feel meaningless learn to look for the lessons that you need to learn. Use that as the time to develop. Soon, I believe, the end of your training will come and your life will begin. Your heart will flutter. It will feel... right.

The training for the race is not fun, but the race cannot be accomplished without the training.

I'm back... (again)

I'm back from a vacation, and boy are my arms tired. Wait, that's not exactly how that joke goes. Oh, well

The family took much needed time off for Hol and I to reflect and just "be." We don't do that enough. This was the first time we were away from our church for two Sundays in a row. Things have not blown up, it appears, but usually bombs don't tick anymore with all of the digital technology that is out there. This is a new page in our lives, and we're actually pretty stoked with the adventure ahead.

That last sentence made two thoughts come to my mind.

(1) The word "pretty" is used incorrectly when used as an adjective in this way. I had a teacher correct that all of the time. In today's scholastic system, I could pull something about creative license or something, and I would get a gold star. Speaking of that, I did have a weird teacher in high school who gave a student an A for the quarter for putting his desk upside down. It was pretty much a free for all with the desks after we heard that one! No dice for us, though.

(2) The thing about the adventure. I'm not sure how things will fall into place here, but I am sure of two things. First, things seem to be setting up for something to happen. Some things that we have been working on for some time are slowly forming themselves into something. Second, we have determined that we are going to focus on our priorities and act on them in good faith instead of waiting for something to happen.

I can't wait for it all!

Distractions

I have been doing a lot of thinking, and subsequently a lot of speaking and teaching, on the subject of "distractions." Specifically, what keeps us from doing what we know to do. Sometimes the distraction is that we don't know, and other times we are afraid of doing what we know to do. How diligently do we follow our dreams, and do these dreams coincide with our true purpose. Is the distraction that the don't coincide?? Is the goal untouchable so we give up?

These are the things on my mind.

I am convinced that more could be, and should be done by the community of Christ. I get frustrated with others because of their lack of accomplishment and then I look in the mirror and realize that I am truly no better. Too many times the work we actually do is simply for the congregations of Christ themselves(i.e. building buildings, raising budgets, singing songs) rather than the world we live in. Too many times our work for the world is for others that we will never see (which is a good thing in and of itself) and is at the detriment of the world on our front porch.

Here's what I know:
- I would rather send than go.
- I would rather speak than do.
- I would rather fuss than fix.
- I would rather dream than implement.
- I would rather debate than demonstrate.

I don't like these things about me (or our world), but I want them to change.

I'm working on them to change.

I'm sorry they are hard to change.


They will change.

Are you known?

This is for the church world, so listen up.

Are you known?

What I mean by this is... does anyone in your community know you exist?

I am marveled by the fact that there are church congregations in this community that have as it's attendees people that I do not know. I mean, I cannot tell you one person who attend certain churches, AND I cannot tell you who the pastor is. These are not the fringe "churches" who meet in their living room with two people and a cat, but owners of some of the major buildings in this town.

I know what you are thinking: "Well, maybe YOU'RE the one out of touch!" At the rest of sounding presumptuous, I don't believe that is correct. I consider myself a person who is out in the community. I sit on a couple of boards, am involved in school and little league sports, and I even find my name in the local newspaper every so often.

Maybe it's just a rant, but I am wondering how you can affect change and impact a community if no one knows you exist.

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Now... cats.

A sidebar, if you will...

We now... have... cats.

Note the plural nature of the word. Technically, we have a cat and three, yes three, kittens. Now I know what you are thinking. Don't you have to have "a" cat FIRST, and then obtain kittens from said cat? Apparently not.

It was honestly one of the craziest things I have ever seen. I was/am working on putting tile down in the kitchen, so I am completely out of the mix on this one. (Actually, when it comes to animals and our household I am ignored, so I have learned to stay out of such matters altogether.) Anyway, as I am working on the tile inside, Holly and the boys are outside. A young cat comes to the house and the boys recognize it as the pregnant stray that they had seen a couple of weeks previous. One of the boys notices that she doesn't look pregnant anymore. Sure enough, she has had her kittens somewhere. I should have smelled trouble, but I was high on floor tile glue.

Holly decides to feed the cat milk because: [her words] it looks hungry; [my words] she is evil and knows if she feeds it then it will stay and we will then have another animal that "they will take care of" but really I will clean the poop and have to feed it. Now, they actually let the animal in the house, and I'm a softy and it is a young cat and I pet the thing. It scopes out the places and hangs out a while. They go back outside because it is getting dark and the cat needs to get out of the house, and the cat leaves. They (Hol and the boys) stay outside for a few moments and notice that the cat is coming back. They watch at it drops something a time or two, and then it comes up to Jonah and gives him what she was carrying. You guessed it, a kitten! Now, my family (I'm in the kitchen, remember) is suckered in, and they get a toy box for the cat and kitten. She brings it in, cleans it, and then takes the kitten under Jonah's bed (that she had scoped out earlier). Again, the craziest thing!

That's not all! A few minutes later she goes to the door. We let her out (by this time I am in the living room) and she leaves. Minutes later, she comes back with another kitten. Same deal. A few minutes longer than the first time, she goes to the door again. She leaves and is back in record time with yet another kitten. They sleep under Jonah's bed for two nights and now are moved into the bathroom.

Now: five humans, two dogs, and 4 felines.

Ethos (cont'd part 3) - MTV

I preface this by saying that MTV is not what it used to be. We, as a society, have gone from screaming at the top of our lungs, "I want my MTV!" to one who really couldn't tell you when they saw an actual music video on the channel. [By the way, if you are not at least in your 30's you will not remember that you were supposed to "want my MTV!"] With this disclaimer being given, I must continue a thought started around a month ago.


I was listening to the radio when during one of the breaks the announcer mentioned a story that was aired on "MTV News." This of course made me chuckle because I didn't know that MTV had a news team. I began to picture in my mind what this team and show would look like, and then I had somewhat of a revelation. MTV is (was?) not about reporting the news, but it was about making the news itself.


The question I now ponder is one akin to the "chicken and the egg" scenario. As a creationist, I believe that I know the answer to that question, but I digress. The question is: Do things happen on MTV because the world is a certain way, OR do things happen in the world (styles, likes/dislikes, attitudes, etc.) because MTV is a certain way. In other words, who is actually defining the culture? Knowing that the world has grown larger than MTV, I began to thing about the entertainment industry as a whole. As a general rule, the media actually creates what it wants the culture to be, and the world follows suit. Some may not want to admit to this because we want to believe that we are not lemmings, but it is true.


Examples: A style of hair is seen on a television show and one month later every woman is seen with that hair. We witness anything from a car to a style of sunglasses on the screen and we have to have one like it. Our speech is not derived from free thinking, but from a collection of movie and television quotes. There was an old black and white movie with an actor (I think Cary Grant but I don't know for sure) that set the culture as well. At that time, every man wore an undershirt. In the movie, the actor took off his shirt and did not have an undershirt on. After that, men stopped wearing undershirts for a long time.


In other words, MTV (etc.) puts a style / a song / a personality within our view; calls it cool or rad or scrumdillyuptious and we follow with our tongues hanging out. Then, we conform to what the industry says we should conform to. We become like the Borg of Star Trek fame. We are collective, we are one... at least until that guy gets a new style of pants.


The "church" as an institution is no different. Even those who have considered themselves "on the edge" slip into a category of their own. All we do is follow the trend. With this said, I like to be at least a little trendy. I have no problem with either throwing away or flaunting your bell bottoms, whichever the wind is blowing today. However, sometimes we (in the church world) are content to follow the cultural leaders rather than to be as God intended us to be, and that is to be culture changing / culture defining.

With all of this being said, I believe that there needs to be an integration of (1) looking for the best methods to communicate to the society and in the time that we find ourselves, and (2) be creative within our worlds to set or define a new culture that the world would look to. We can speak about changing a heart, but when is the last time we changed the city. I am not speaking about picketing or anything, but when is the last time that the biggest thing (in the sense of the BEST thing) in any city had God's name on it? Our goal should not just be to get one more person into our church, but to really effect the ethos of our communities. This is a grand plan, but we serve a grand God. To paraphrase a pastor: "Don't be afraid of the deep water." To quote the Bible: "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

We (the Church [big "C"]) need to stop being content to react to or even put a Christian twist on the darkness, but we need to simply shine the light. This is a new light, one that has not been seen but is from the Creator Himself. From a post previous... it is a song that has never been sung!

Sidetrip to Childhood Reading...

Ok, this has nothing to do with "ethos."

I watched a few moments of a youtube video the other day. The only reason (Joe) that I only watched a few moments had nothing to do with a dislike for the video itself, but during the video a life had to be saved or something. Remember, I'm in the life-saving business. Actually, I help others lose their life so that it might be saved, but now we are dealing with semantics. On second actually, a lot of my time is spent listening to those who just "need some help with some assistance" because they came here for work but lost their job because of an injury and they are without a place to live because they had an argument with the person they were staying with but they just started a new job however they won't start until Monday and then won't get paid until after that. Oh yeah, and they have to get back to Knoxville because their mother/aunt/daughter/dog is real bad sick and is going to have surgery/about to die and could I just give them some gas money to get back there by tonight? I forgot, they are also hungry because they haven't eaten since yesterday so anything I can give would be fine. The other thing is that they will probably be at church this Sunday.

On the youtube video (link here), I learned about "thinking about thinking." I am thinking about thinking about thinking about it right now. The side note is that I am impressed and soothed by the announcer voice. The idea in the video that struck me was that when reading to children you need to work to keep them interested in the story, or (and this is the greatest part!) convince them that they are interested in the story itself helping them realize that the story "matters." In spite of the overuse of italics, I think you see why this fascinated me. I know that this sounds arrogant, but I am convinced that most don't know that they are supposed to care. In other words, they don't care to care. How do you make someone care? About anything???

I will go back soon to watch the rest of the video to find out!

Ethos, What is Our Role? (cont'd)

To continue, I believe that the first answer that needs to be found is if the Church knows it is mostly irrelevant to society OR if the Church even cares if it is irrelevant. I posed this question to our local congregation nearly seven years ago:

If we as a local body of believers did not exist, would it matter?

I can honestly say that a lot of times it would not matter. To the question of the irrelevance mentioned above:

(1) I believe that most congregations really don't know that they have lost touch with the world around them. Their idea of the Christian walk is to attend "church" on Sundays and Wednesdays, and discuss the fact that those in church ought to do good, and how big a shame it is for those outside the church to do bad! Perhaps they believe that some will just walk into the door begging to be changed. I am not denying that this has happened at times, and it is unexplainable except for the drawing grace of God; but this is definitely not the norm. I believe that most congregations really don't know that the world doesn't know about them! Unless they have the biggest building on the square, the general population probably doesn't even know where the church building meets. The phrases on the sign mean nothing to the general populous, and they don't know all of the in's and out's of what is going on in your building. The city is not talking about who your pastor is, and they don't want to listen to your music. This is sad, but the world doesn't give a rip about most local congregations and the congregations are, I believe, totally unaware of this fact. They want their city to be saved, but they don't realize that the city doesn't know them, so how can the city know Jesus?

(2) I believe that there are some local congregations who don't care that they are irrelevant. Notice that I changed the number to "some." (if that is actually a number... kind of like the meeting I was in yesterday when the lawyer on the board said we all needed to determine how many a "majority" was. Wow!) I really believe that this is the fringe and we probably need to be content to let them handle snakes or whatever else they do. I will discuss them no further.

The issue is that whether we know that the Church has become irrelevant or not, we need to be relevant. I believe that we need to go further than that, however. I believe that we need to be "culture changing." This is not a matter of marching in the streets or protesting some cause, but to truly follow the example of Christ in the real world. Christ did not spend much time simply protesting all of the bad in the world (except for the religious people, but I digress), but he spent time showing the better way. In Biblical vernacular, He did not curse the darkness, but He shined His light and the darkness was gone. You know, it has actually been said that there is not such thing as "darkness," but that the dark was simply an absence of light. With this being said, I believe that the Church needs to be proactive in society rather than just reactive. We're great as taking those who have fallen and leading them to repentance, but when is the last time we actively worked to keep those same from falling in the first place? Being proactive means that society will start looking to the Church of ideas. We are great as taking what is going on in the world and adapting it for our needs (music, teaching methods, etc.), but when is the last time the world looked to the Church? Where is the new style of music that has never been heard before until it comes from the church? Where is the book that has never been written? Where is the method that the Church comes up with that businesses and MTV has to try to mimic?

The idea of MTV and something that came to my mind will be the work of the next continuation...

Ethos - What is our role?

First of all, let me say that when I say "our" in "our role" (see title) I am referring to the Church. As way of setup let me define some terminology:

the Church - this is the body of actual believers and followers of Christ, namely "Christians". This is not a denomination or an organization... or a building.

Christian - Again, believers in and followers of Christ (the Messiah / Son of God / grew up in Nazareth). He is both the Savior and forgivers of sins for these believers, and their master (or Lord), which means those same have actually turned from their own will and placed Christ direction and purpose above their own.

ethos - the defined culture for a community, group, or geographic region.

culture - Not just what you say you believe, but what you actually "practice" as a belief system.

Now, are we supposed to fit into the culture and work to be an agent of change, or are we supposed to develop our own culture that is truly a better option, and then invite the world to experience the new? I think the Church should be struggling with this question. This should be one of the fundamental questions that plague the leadership and the layman in the Christian community. Let me say as I begin that I think the answer is really "both", but it's not even quite as simple as that.

The church has swung on the pendulum for so long that all we deal with are extremes, and never really work to define what our proper role and thinking is. Most of modern belief system is not because believers have set in a room and prayed about how God would truly work through us, but it is because leaders were working to counter some whack-job who went off the deep end with an issue. All too often in response, leaders would go so far the other direction with their thinking to counter the "heresy" that some new whack-job belief would result on the other side. Thus, the pendulum. This has resulted in an "either / or" Christianity (where Christianity should probably be in quotes as well) rather than an "and" Christianity. The fundamental (which I realize is a loaded word) base of what Christ was all about and thereby what we Christ-followers should be all about is actually pretty much set. It is a Christianity that speaks out for what is right AND reaches out to actually do what is right. However, the pendulum swings from one to the other, with outcries on either side declaring that the others have gone too far. The reality is that all of this has had a tendency to make us (the Church) irrelevant to society in general. We don't like to hear it, but it is certainly true!

Ethos - What is our role? will continue at the next post...

Smokey the Bear - Evil Incarnate

Now, most of you kids don't remember Smokey the Bear. In fact, most of my references to commercials are lost on the people around me. A while back some at the church were talking about littering or something and I said, "Yeah, you don't want to make the Indian cry." A young lady (early-mid 20's) had no idea what I was talking about. Synopsis: field covered in litter; camera pans back; back of an American Indian looking at the field; Indian turns to face camera; tear is running down his cheek. If not moving, it certainly made an impression on me enough to become a vague reference that no one gets. I digress...

Back to Smokey... Smokey the Bear was part of the Forestry department as a mascot against forest fires. At the end of every add, Smokey would point to the camera (and in the process, to me) and say, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!" Imagine the pressure!!!! I'm only one man, and actually I was just a small boy at the time. There is no way I could ever save all of humanity. Besides, I have always considered brush fires a little overrated. Come on, it's brush. How big of a fire hazard could that cause???? This, until Monday the 25th, was my feelings on the fire in the grass.

I burned approximately 1/4 of an acres in a matter of moments. I called both the TN Forestry Dept and the local county fire department to inform them I would like to burn some brush (tree limbs and such) and to ask if I needed a permit. "No," they said, "you're fine." I go to our newly purchased land and wadded up a small ball of newspaper for something to light. I lit the paper and walked to another spot before looking back to notice that the fire was beginning to catch the grass around the brush pile. No problem, I walked over to the fire (now blazing high from 3 weeks of no rain) and realized that it was too hot to get close to. The grass fire was spreading now, and I just went for it and tried to stomp it out. No luck! Now the fire was going from the pile in 3 different directions, and then moved to 4. I decided to try to save the forest of trees on the property next to mine. I had three gallons of water that really might have well have been zero, and a rake that I broke three swats into my fire fighting. I prayed, and then actually heard a voice calling out.

"Do you have it under control?" the voice cried out. "No, help me!" I responded. I looked and it was a police officer who just happened to stop by. He called the fire department and then proceeded to try and help himself. One burned blanket later and the fire caught the trees leading into the next property on fire. "Well, there it goes," he said, and I decided it was time to sit down. Some of the fire dept got there and tried to snuff out the grass on the sides (that I had given up on) while they waited on the water. The water trucks came, and put out all of the fire. My neighbor only lost a few feet (15 or so) of his woods in a spot, and I will probably have really nice grass in my yard by the end of the summer. Right now it's black. I talked the officer out of calling me an ambulance from the smoke and heat exhaustion, and sat down to wait for Holly to come.

Man, if only I can prevent these things, there will be no trees left... ever!

Proud Dad... I think?!?

Baseball has almost been the death of me. I am coaching two of my sons on two different baseball teams this year. I have blogged about it before. Last night (a school night) was no different than the rest of the season in that the games were scheduled waaaaaaaaaaaay too late! Jonathan, my 6 (almost 7) year-old had a game at 7:00; with Jonah having his game at 8:00 (yes, 8). Jon's game is scheduled for an hour, and Jones is for an hour and a half (and will start late) so I could make both of the games. This is not the death of me. It is, however, the fact that parents, other coaches and league officials take the game waaaaaaaaaaaaay too seriously. I love ball, but somehow we have missed the fact that it is a GAME and these are kids. There are teaching moments we miss because we want to win, AND see our kids be the all-stars. My stomach gets in knots most nights we have to play. However, two moments came last night that were what the game is all about.

Jonah is doing fairly well in his first season in "kid pitch" ball. It's a new thing with other kids pitching. Some throw hard and some throw soft, but they all throw wild. Last night, Jonah took a hard pitch in his back just under his left shoulder blade. He sucked in a cry (which was impressive), but he could not suck in air. However, in true tough kid fashion he "shook it off" and went to first. He made it to third on a hit and a walk, but then got picked off because he wasn't paying attention (and probably because he couldn't breathe). This time the cry was about to overtake him. He wanted to come out and I asked the question, "Are you hurt or are you injured?" You see, you play hurt; but it's not smart to play injured. He really didn't know, but he wanted to come out. I moved him to the extra hitter position so he would not have to be in the field, and he set down after I checked him for actually rib injuries.

The next time up to bat was the great moment. He struck out, but he stayed in there. He wasn't afraid of the pitch. If you have never played little league ball let me explain... that's BIG! You see, the kids learn that things happen and they get knocked down, but they can get up again. Also, it's not because a coach yells at them and makes them (which I didn't), but because they want to try again. I'm proud of him.

Jonathan's game is were the "I think" comes in. You see, I'm pretty sure I'm proud of him for this, but the competitive side of me thinks, "Don't do that again." Oh, that crazy competitive side!

Jonathan had come into the game to play the "pitcher" position. This player doesn't pitch (it's coach pitch) but will stand in the middle of the infield. Jonathan's good at this position. There was a play where a girl came to bat and hit the ball to Jonathan's position. He got the ball, and didn't throw it to first. Now, at the time, it was probably a close play, and we teach them that if the player is already there they need to hold the ball so the runner cannot advance. It seemed odd at the time but the game when on. While I was at Jonah's game, Jonathan opened up to Holly.

"Mom, when I was pitcher, there was this girl who really couldn't hit. It was sad"

He then proceeds to show Holly how she was swinging the bat. Not making fun, just showing.

"Mom, I thought she was a pretty good runner, so she didn't need to practice that; but she really needed to practice her hitting."

Moment of clarity coming up...

Don't miss it...

"Mom, that one time she actually hit the ball and I got it. She was running pretty good so I just held the ball so she could get on base."

Wow! I'm proud... I think. No, I am proud. This is what little league is all about. Should be what life is all about, don't you think?

This one goes to eleven.

Oh, the joy of the movie, "Spinal Tap."

Jonathan, my 6 (almost 7) year-old has one of those rub-on tatoos of a rose on his arm. This must have spurred the idea that was given in the car yesterday. Holly had picked them up from school and Jonah (9, going on 43) said, "You know, our band could be called Miserable Roses."

Side note: the boys have started a band.

Now this is brilliant! However, Jonathan thought for a moment and said, "You know, I think that is a bad idea. People would think we were miserable and not come hear us play."

Another dream shattered...!

Best Day Ever / Worst Day Ever

Ever see the movie City Slickers? It's the Billy Crystal film where Billy's character turns 40 and realizes that he is getting old. He and two friends go to a real ranch where they are to lead a herd of cattle, only they wind up doing it for real on their own. OK, so who cares about the premise...

There are two defining moments in this film that are actually life-changing. Odd, because it's Billy Crystal and a film about city boys on horses. One of the moments is when Curly (the rough cowboy... I know, I know... but it really is life-changing) tells Billy that there is only "one thing" that matters in life. "What is it?" Billy asks. "You have to find that out for yourself," replied Curly. In other words, what is the one thing you live for? The other life-changing encounter in the film is the topic of this post.

The question was given: Name your best day ever, name your worst day ever. They take turns, and Billy tells of the worst day was a scare about cancer in his wife's body, and the best day being the trip to Yankee Stadium with his dad. The final response was from the "player" friend. At first he doesn't want to respond, but then tells of an abusive father who tormented his family. He describes the day he finally stood up to his dad physically and forced him to leave the home, thereby protecting his mom and siblings from further abuse. "That," he said, "was my best day." His friends responded, "Wow! What was your worst day?" His answer... "Same day."

Yesterday, April 26, 2007, Isaac Jayden Scott celebrated his 5th birthday. Five years ago he was born in a traumatic delivery, with toxins throughout his and Holly's body, and was immediately taken to the ICU. We were told that he was probably not going to make it, but that he was going to be transferred by the "Angel" Team to Vanderbilt Hospital. He had a Diaphragmatic Hernia that had his intestines in his chest cavity, crushing one lung completely while putting pressure on both his heart and his other lung. "Do you want to baptize him?" we were asked. My wife was left by me to recover at the hospital (with her parents), our other boys were being watched by aunts and uncles, and my dad and I went to Vanderbilt to be with Isaac. Surgery followed at three days old as well as a month in the hospital. Literally 24 hour one on one care was given to him, with a nurse never leaving his room for around 2-3 weeks.

Now, he's five; he's beautiful; and he's alive. I understand. Best day ever / Worst day ever... same day.

Mindset for Ministry

Ok, I take the first moment to apologize about making the readers sick regarding my affection for my wife. However, you may chose to live in a meaningless and loveless world, but I choose to woo the woman I love and whom I want to love me. She has brought me from the boy who would only cry when caught in a bear trap (and then only to lubricate the gears for escape) to the man I am now who cannot watch Extreme Home Makeover without falling apart.

Now, I have begun the process of demonstrating a different mindset for ministry. This mindset is not new for me, only a process of the past few years that I am now implementing into the culture that surrounds my life. It's a "coming out" if you will. The thought process is this:

I am the Church. As a believer in, and follower of, Christ, I am His Church. This is not a religion or dogma, but the reality of who He says I am because I have been brought into His family. It is relationship, and now I live for Him. I am different, set apart. I am not "better than" or perfect, but I put my trust in the Creator of all, knowing that I cannot brag about how I have achieved or arrived. He calls me blessed. He calls me a saint.

I don't have to like church to be the Church. I have written about the institution (little "c"hurch). I have tried to work for it and build it, but I know that God hasn't called me to. The machine of things can fail without the Whole falling. God has actually said that He will take care of His Church. We can all be different and still be the Church.

God has a mindset about the Kingdom, not the church (little "c"). He is for the Kingdom. The Kingdom involves things, but is not a thing. It is a way. So, if God is about the Kingdom, I should be about doing the ministry (work) of the Kingdom and not the church.

I will work to do ministry, not build a church. There are things that seem to be expected of us as a church. If you do not do them, you are looked down on or seen as somehow less effective. However, I really believe that if we concentrate on doing the ministry that we can do, everything will fall into place. You see, a "church" has a choir, Sunday School classes, a youth room and nursery. There is a fellowship hall and carpet and a sound system. A ministry, on the other hand, sees a person in need and helps them. A ministry knows that others need to learn about God and shares His love then disciples (mentors) them. Visiting the skate park replaces the room. The aisle at Wal-mart replaces the carpet and sound of the sanctuary. Look to do ministry, not build a church.

This is where we are going. It is the direction. It is the way. I am looking forward to the ride.

My wife, Holly

I was thinking yesterday morning how wonderful my wife is. I was playing a scenerio in my head as if someone interviewing me asked me who was the best person I know. Obviously, I would have to say, "Jesus," but the answer to the best woman (and second person to Jesus) would be my wife. I say this not for brownie points, but because it's true.

I know you've got your Mother Theresa's and stuff, but Hol's the real deal. She is truly more kind to the downtrodden (sp?) than I could ever have hope to have patience enough to be. She is slap-your-face funny; and silly too... which is better. She's beautiful. She is talented beyond any one's expectations, including hers, which is charming and irritating at the same time. Charming because she's humble but irritating because she needs to know how great she is! She knows things I don't know about stuff that matters. Her eyes melt me. Her passion for God is real, as well as her frustration at others who don't have that passion. I could go on but the few who read this will lose interest.

I will pontificate on another matter later.

Ok, why do we do this?

The random thought came to me tonight, "Why would we make a church for the unchurched?" I realize that some in the post-modern / emergent / whatever now will immediately see me as someone who doesn't understand how God is moving now or some other crazy thing like that. Know this... I am not a traditionalist. I don't really care how we did it yesterday. It doesn't matter to me that it has always been done a certain way. My only criteria for doing something ministry-wise is effectiveness. However, there is a movement that somehow all things done in the church should be with the unchurched in mind.

I'm honestly not sure this is the correct approach. Let me rephrase that... it's probably not the most effective approach. It all begins with the definition of "church." If the church is a building then it should be inviting to all who chose to enter the door. If it is a program or an event, it begins to get a little shady because there are specifics that will only be effective toward a target audience. For example, in-depth study for those in the know; basics for those new; and introduction to those who don't know. This is not to dumb down the process or to say those who are non-Christian would not be able to understand intellectually; but it is because the basics form the foundation, and the foundation is the most important part.

The issue is that the "church" is neither of these things. The Church (big letter "C") is the body of believers. Wanting the definition to be different doesn't change the definition. While the body of Christ should be open to those who are seeking at all times; they should not rely on an event, program or building to reach out. The early church was interestingly different. They did not try to make anything appeal to the outside world. However, they went outside into the world to share what had changed their life. It's crazy, but they walked the line between being accepting of all where they were; but at the same time being so stoked by being changed by Jesus that they wanted everyone to know, even if the others didn't want to know. It was like Amway salesmen on crack, except that they weren't selling a product, but they were inviting others to be a part of a family and enjoy relationship.

I believe the reason the unchurched have a problem with us is because they feel like we are trying to sell them something. To refer to the Amway guy again; there have been a few times when I have met some really nice people, and I felt as if I would be able to form kind of a bond with them. They seemed to care, and in a few short minutes, I was drawn to them. Then, as if they had pulled a two-by-four out of their back pocket and hit me in the head, they tell the story of how they had found this "opportunity" to better their families and blah, blah, blah. I begin to feel as if they only were my friend to get me in business. I feel abused and used. It's the way we treat the non-believer sometimes. Instead of selling something we need to invite them to meet somone. We need to care about them and their story before we are trying to change them.

So, for the sake of making this a shorter entry: Unchurched Milton and Mandy, you don't have to understand what I do and what I know. You just need to see that I care. If you don't see that I care, talk to me about it; because I have a problem that needs to be corrected. I just want you to love Jesus like I do. You don't have to have the same style, but the fundamental truth of Christ can be at the forefront of many different styles. I don't like country music, but I don't go into the Grand Ol' Opry and cry out that they are not speaking my language. However, the fact that country doesn't appeal to me doesn't make me turn my back on music. I simply find a different place to love music.

Oh, and I really am open-minded. Try me.

Setting Yourself Up for a Fall

I can almost reach out and touch the attack as if it were tangible. The thing is... I have brought it on myself. If I were just an innocent bystander, I could cry at the injustice of it all. However, I have put myself in front of the firing squad; shunned the blindfold and the cigarette, and am giving the very order itself. I am coaching little league baseball.

I am actually coaching two little league baseball teams. In the 9-10 age division, it is kid-pitch and we are the "JayCees". (The teams are named for the sponsors, you see). Jonah, my oldest is playing, and the kid-pitch thing means it is a whole new ball game, pun kind of intended. He faced a wild pitcher with dreams of being Roger Clemens the other night and didn't bail out. It's a great start, because when he gets his confidence up, he will murder the ball. Some of the kids think they know everything, but that can be worked out as we teach the fundamentals of the game and life. The other team is in the 5-6 year-old division and it is coach pitch. We are "First Community Bank." Jonathan is playing in this league, and I swear, he is the fastest kid alive. In this league, the goal is to keep them from playing in the dirt and to run the bases in correct order. Seriously, if a plane flies overhead, you might as well just stop the game and enjoy the show.

I give you this update to tease you. I have a great story of a coaches meeting I went to and how it relates to dreams, both the shattered kind and the kind lived out vicariously through your children. Oh, and also a lesson about how NOT to use PowerPoint. It will come later, when I have time.

Out of Reach

Have you every been reaching for something, either behind your seat in the car or under your bed or somewhere and you just can't get to it? It's there, you know it is. In some cases you can even see it. Perhaps the tips of your fingers even touch it. They might even brush it ever so slightly further away.

Why can't you get it?

I don't spend time on this question a lot of times. All I generally do is get frustrated that I cannot get it, and I don't care about the why of the matter. The reality is that "someone probably put it just out of my reach" or "this is just like my life that things are out of reach" or some other "woe is me" kind of thought is all that is on my mind. Then, while I'm reaching, a phone call will come with somebody needing something that I will not able to get them because it's probably out of reach too.

Now, I'm beginning to spend some time processing "why" things are out of reach. It could be my fault, you understand. It might not be, but it could be... and that's a sobering thought. This could also go one step more, because part of my job is to help others get things within their reach. If I can begin to understand the things in their life that keep them from reaching their stuff, perhaps I wouldn't get so frustrated at them for not getting their stuff. Kind of random, I understand, but the "whys" matter. They are not just there to give you an excuse for failure, but for you to process and potentially do all you can to change whatever is causing the failure.

I also have to realize that when it comes to helping others, there will be some who will not reach what they need to reach, and I cannot feel guilty that I have failed them. They have a choice to make. I have a choice, too. I chose to search out the ones who don't know, and then invest in the ones who care. I don't give up on the ones who don't care, but I will never be able to truly invest in them.

On a note that will perhaps discredit all that I have said in this post, I reveal that I keep in mind sometimes what Dennis Miller said about a guy who killed his family in one of those "'I'm shocked. He was always so quite.' from the neighbor" kind of moments. Dennis said, "You can't save everybody, just try not to be living next door to them when they go off."

Passion

I am a passionate person.
I'm not passionate about stupid things, I think, but I am passionate about things that matter. They matter to me, anyway. Through the last little bit of my life I have come to understand that there are things that are important and things that are not. The things that are important are worth giving your life for. You can die for them if need be, but I think on the whole it is a lot better to live for them. On the flip, the things that are not important make be mad because others think they are important. I'm working on this second one.

It was a moment ago while thinking about passion that I realized I couldn't type in the word "passion" in my Google search. I started to, and then thought, "What was I about to do?" I had the best of thoughts about what I was going to find, but then I remembered the world we live in and shuddered at the thought of what the first few searches would reveal. It was a moment where a naive, innocent idea reminded me that the world (and Internet) is not innocent.

So, is this why most are so afraid of passion? I realize this is a generalization and there are those in the world who are passionate about the important things, but most are afraid of passion. I want to meet people of passion. I want to be around them. Most of all, I want them to want to be around me. We (my wife, Holly, and I) need them. I think it was Wesley who said something like "Give me 100 men who hate nothing but sin and fear nothing but God and I will change a city!" That's passion. Changing a city... that's what I want. I want my city to be different because of something I am a part of. I'm missing it.

I don't know who will read this, but if you know of someone with passion, send them to me. Currently, the only ones I know who look here are a couple of people I tried to impact and I think they caught something of it, and a guy who thinks he is either god or an alien. I'm not quite clear on which one, but perhaps he will give more clues so I can figure it out. Hey god/alien guy... write back. Perhaps it was my comments on the "Jesus" of Suburbia that drew you, so come on back.

It's Me

I'm a bag of Doritos.

No wait... I'm a butterfly. That's better. No... I'm Batman, that's it! I can claim to be anything. It doesn't matter if what I say can even be backed up, I can say it and people will believe it.

You see, there's people out there who need a Batman. They have been looking for a Batman, even if they didn't realize it. Society has failed them by not providing a Batman for them. The times that Batman has been presented to them, the Batman didn't seem right. Perhaps the people telling about Batman weren't perfect. Perhaps they didn't live up to the standards of Batman that they said others should live up to. Maybe when they told of Batman, the ones listening decided that Batman should be a little different than described, or even written about, so they made a Batman up in their own mind. "Oh, to only have a Batman that would be like that!" they would say. So, along comes one who claims to be Batman. Rapture indeed!

The claims don't have to make intellectual sense, just fit a felt need. The bones found by Cameron seemed to justify our doubts. "See, we were right all along. Here's the proof." The man from Puerto Rico claiming to be the Second Coming of Jesus is not judgmental. "Surely, Christ would be that way." they think. The problem is that we create an ideal in minds that fit our desires, but are not based on anything but our feelings. The wonderful thing about God is that He has been verified intellectually so many times that it makes our head spin. "Examples?" you ask..

• Look at creation. If there is a painting, there must be a painter. If there is a book, there must be an author. If there is a creation, well...
• Previously unknown cities and events written about in the Bible that were scoffed at have been found over and over again, thereby giving more credibility to the Scriptures as accurate writings.
• The fact that Jesus body was not still in the tomb, although disputed today, was not disputed in Biblical times, even by those who did not believe that He was the Christ.
• Intellectually, there is NO way to claim that something does not exist. In order to verify that belief, an entire search of time and space would have to be conducted, from looking under every grain of said at the bottom of the ocean to behind ever planet and star that exist. Oh, and throughout all time as well. [The side note to this is that there is no such thing as an atheist. Agnostics, maybe; but not atheists. They would have to know with 100% accuracy {see note above} that they were correct.]

There's more, but you get the point...

Posing or Blinded, You Decide

Ok, I love technology as much as the next guy. Actually, I probably love it a little more. If it has buttons and lights and you can do neat things with it like play solitaire or store mp3s on it then I'm in. However, I'm a little bothered by blue tooth. I have no problem with blue tooth in general, but I am bothered specifically about the practical application and use of the ear pieces that are supplements to cell phones.

Now, I have been caught unaware and have answered someone in a room because I thought they were talking to me, only to find out they were speaking into their blue tooth thing on a call. It's embarrassing, but it really is on them because it's kind of rude to just talk like you are the guy on the streets who talks to potatoes. However, this is not my problem with the devices.

I have three concerns:
A) the lady in front of me at the movie theater who's ear is blinking during the whole film.
B) the people behind the glass window at the gas station/convenience store with the ear piece in
C) those that wear the ear piece constantly throughout the day

A) Why doesn't the lady just get one of those laser pointers and make the irritation complete. Better yet, just point it at my eye and get it over with. I honestly think I would rather hear it ring than see the blinking light out of the corner of my eye.

B) Honestly, who are these people doing business with? It's a much needed service and everyone needs a job, but come on! They don't even have to ring up the Dr. Pepper anymore, because everything is scanned, and they are distracted too much to even scan properly because they are talking out of their head to who knows who. Look, I had five bucks in gas, I'll just leave it on the counter and be on my way.

C) Now, I'm a pretty busy guy. I'm not the president and carry codes or anything like that, but there are times that people need to get up with me. I understand the concept of hands free use while driving, but is it really important to have the ear piece in while playing racquetball? Society has truly gone past the point of no return if we cannot be that unattached to contact from the world.

So, are these people just posing as someone important, or are they truly so blind to their own selves that they believe they are that important? I can think of very few individuals that need to be available on a truly 24 hour basis. What about the rest? I can't answer right now, I have a phone call.

Arrogance

I have a friend who starts out every post on his blog with what he had for dinner the night before. It's always exotic and cutting edge. At first I attributed it to the fact that he is recently married and a) his wife is trying to impress him or b) his children haven't sucked the very life out of him yet. Now, however, I attribute the cuisine to a flair for writing. I will give the example by sharing my meal last night:

Vermicelli topped with a beef sauce flavored with various spices. Garnished with melted butter and a Parmesan crust. Pristine fruit beverage over ice. Or, as I would normally explain... I had spaghetti with grape kool-aid.

I hate arrogance. I especially hate arrogance with the other is not as good as me, but yet they are still arrogant. That really burns me up. I say that not because I think my friend is arrogant, but I sat down to type about arrogance and thought about his blog and the food opening. Now, I have forgotten what I wanted to say about arrogance.

Safety

The conversation still rings in my ear... "Pastor Bobby, I'm just looking for someplace safe, you know?" Wow... safe!
One of the purposes of the New Testament church was to be a place where the love and peace of God reigned. You were to be able to take a breath when in the presence of God and like-minded individuals. However, I'm not real sure the NT church was a "safe" place. They were told to deny themselves and take up a cross. They were to leave father and mother to follow God. They were sent out as prey and even bait, because there was a lion lurking and they were sheep sent to the middle of the wolf pack. The battle raged so viciously that they were warned to not go without armor and a weapon. I could go on, but you get the picture.
The safe place of God's hand is there, but the world (including the church world) is anything but safe. You see, people are imperfect, and will act imperfectly. The place where the like-minded study together is great until one shows up who is not like-minded and doesn't know to study. In a hospital, there are not only the learned and the healers, but there are also the sick. Actually, without the sick, there is no need for a hospital. Such is the church.
Without the sinner, there is no need for the church; but the sinner makes it all "unsafe." This is the battle.
So, safety cannot be defined as all being perfect and pristine. In fact, safety means nothing without the potential of danger. We must be willing to put ourselves out as the vulnerable in order to rescue another from destruction. The safety will never be from offense or hurt, but can be found in the knowledge that God is sovereign. The safety comes not from knowing God will, but knowing God can and that He will only act in your best interest and His divine will.

Scenarios

My son Jonathan deals in scenarios. He is constantly working our potential situations in his head and then processing how he would deal with the issue. This actually moves him to a state of worry at time, but he does it anyway. His latest, heard both by Holly a few days ago and me in the car yesterday goes as follows:

Dad, I really can't catch the ball, but I am going to play football anyway. Dad, if I have a loose tooth I won't play football that day. If I have a loose tooth someone might hit me (then he makes football hitting sounds) and then...

How many times do we work something up in our mind and then fret about it? I would say alot. I can't tell you the number of conversations I have had with others when they were not there. It's easy to put words in their mouth and then think of my response. There is a great piece of advice in an ancient text, "Don't worry about tomorrow..." We need to learn to just let things happen.

Oh my word!

I wrote just a few moments ago about sickness, but I just experienced a moment that made me stop and reflect. Holly and I are sitting in the living room and TLC is on the tube. On TLC... What Not To Wear! Now, I have sat through this show long enough for a few things to happen. Originally there was another man (I use that term loosely) host to go with the woman. He got canned, and a new guy has been around awhile. Secondly, we want to make good on our idea to put Holly in sweat pants and messed up hair then send in a pic so we can get the $5000 of new clothes for her. If you haven't seen the show, it's about fashion and stuff. Here is the moment...
I looked up from my laptop and said, "You know, those colors in that dress would make her look odd with her hair color." The question is... am I still a guy? Not a very good one at the moment I can tell you. I feel so bad about those words coming out of my mouth that I am blogging about it to get it out and then go look at a football website. It's all I got while overcoming the flu.

Unclean

It seems my family has leprosy. While I'm not exactly sure if that disease is spelled correctly, we have been passing around various versions of sickening agents. I have had the flu, my boys are sick and then not in degrees, and Holly is not feeling well. Actually, the past month or so (since Thanksgiving) someone has been sick around our home. Thus, the leprosy.
We are simply sick and tired of being well, you know... I am just taking this moment as a break from the final stomach thing to blog this thing. I will keep up to date, even if I only have the latest throw-up story to tell.
Oh yeah, our youngest son threw up on me today.