Stress
John Eldredge has a post on his blog today about stress and returning from vacation back into the matrix. While we are away, life changes. We make plans. We say "I'm going to change this" - less TV, more family time, more games, more exercise, etc. And then - in just a few days back in the world - we revert back to our old ways.
I can relate. This life is a killer. The stress is all consuming. I hate it and fear we cannot truly escape it in this life. A good friend and mentor of mine is a CPA here in town. He told me one time that God revealed something to him about how his life was consuming him. He was very active in Young Life. Kids were at their house every week. Their home was a sanctuary for kids and he built relationships with them. Many a night, he'd get a call from a kid in distress and would go to the jail or to their home to help them work out issues with parents or friends. He taught (still teaches) Sunday School. He was very active for the Kingdom. And then, January came along. The calendar rolled over into a new year and it began to be "tax season". For 4-5 months, he shut down. No Young Life - or if he was there, he was checked out. Sunday school was an after-thought.
And then God spoke. He revealed to him this - "When I die and get to heaven, God is going to sit me down and review my life. He'll say - 'I am so proud of you - you led Young Life and taught Sunday school faithfully. You ministered to so many and were so selfless....for 8 months. Where were you those other 4 months?" My friend would say, "Lord, I had a job to do. I wanted to be a good steward of the career you gave me and the people you entrusted to me. I had to help them with their taxes."
And God replies..."Taxes. What are taxes?"
Hmmm. All these things that consume us on this earth have absolutely no value in heaven. Taxes - we all know what they are. Entire industries are built around taxes. Millions of Americans - in some capacity - spend their careers working on taxes. And yet the Lord will say, "Taxes...What are taxes?"
It blew my friend away. No, he didn't quit his job but he went right back to Thursday night Young Life. He went right back into the mode of being available 24/7 for kids. Sunday school went back to being a passion rather than a duty.
I work in the market. It is a killer. I wear the responsibility of my client's life savings on my shoulders each and every day. The market stinks right now. It consumes the airways. CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox News everywhere you look there is "the market crumbles, oil surges, inflation is everywhere, crash is coming"...doom, doom, doom. Then we'll get into the season of greed when it is going up and the airways will be filled with greed. It is consuming. We all are touched by the market. I bet you have thought about it in the past 30 days. "Wonder how bad my 401k has been hit?" It simply consumes us.
I came home yesterday after a very tough week and went out on the porch with the dogs. I love my black lab. He is a happy dog. He loves unconditionally. All he wants to do is spend time with me. He savors those hour long play times we have each night. I was petting him last night and thought "You don't worry about (or even know what they are) the market, Iran, mortgages, gas prices, taxes - all you want to do is love me".
In many ways my dumb old black lab showed me the face of God. All these things we humans get consumed with are not even in His vocabulary. All He wants to do is love us and spend time with us.
Soar!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sunday, June 01, 2008
I found it ...
Here it is, the best definition of "servant leadership" or "servanthood" (as I've been calling it) that I have read. I've you've read my previous 3-4 posts, you will know that I have been hearing "humility" on a consistent basis and in this, I've been trying to articulate what that means in a leadership capacity. I haven't done a very good job of it but today, I have THE answer. Here it is...
(Now imagine if you heard your CEO say "this is how we are going to do business going forward"...)
If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care - then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then he died a self-less, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.
Philippians 2 The Message
Imagine if that is how business was run - putting the needs of others ahead of ourselves - not fighting for promotion but celebrating the promotion of others - no jealousy - humility - dying to our own self and helping others succeed. Just imagine how this would transform a business! Think of how this would transform the church! No agendas, no "I need to be heard", the attitude of a servant.
Soar!
Here it is, the best definition of "servant leadership" or "servanthood" (as I've been calling it) that I have read. I've you've read my previous 3-4 posts, you will know that I have been hearing "humility" on a consistent basis and in this, I've been trying to articulate what that means in a leadership capacity. I haven't done a very good job of it but today, I have THE answer. Here it is...
(Now imagine if you heard your CEO say "this is how we are going to do business going forward"...)
If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care - then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then he died a self-less, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.
Philippians 2 The Message
Imagine if that is how business was run - putting the needs of others ahead of ourselves - not fighting for promotion but celebrating the promotion of others - no jealousy - humility - dying to our own self and helping others succeed. Just imagine how this would transform a business! Think of how this would transform the church! No agendas, no "I need to be heard", the attitude of a servant.
Soar!
Friday, May 30, 2008
The Heart
I just read John Mackey's (CEO of Whole Foods) commencement address to Bentley College. He speaks in one place about the heart. See if this doesn't sound strangely familiar to all that I have written about the heart quoting Eldredge, McManus and others....
We need to develop our self-awareness skills so that we can know when we are truly following our hearts and when we've lost our way. It is actually easier than it sounds because when we are truly following our hearts we are tapped into our deepest passions in life. We are doing what we most love and we find our lives full of increased energy, greater creativity, purpose, joy, and happiness. We simply feel more alive and we are moving within the flow of life. How do you know when you've stopped following your heart? When the opposite occurs—decreased energy, lack of creativity, no real sense of purpose and you aren't particularly happy. You have stepped out of the flow of life and are just drifting along. When this happens the solution is simple: Choose again. Reconnect again with your heart. As long as you are alive, it is never too late. You are free in each moment to choose the path of your heart and it never stops whispering to you, urging you to follow it.
He speaks of losing our heart - a life of drifting along, decreased energy, lack of creativity, no real sense of purpose and a lack of happiness. A person who has "stepped out of life and is just drifting along."
I have a friend that is right there. He is simply "taken out" by life. He is listless, passionless and plods along day to day. He has walled off his heart and silenced it. Getting him to even engage in a thoughtful and reflective talk is very hard. He won't go there. He feels safe in his walled-off world yet those around him are dying on the vine. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy - he won't open his heart out of fear of hurt. This walls himself off to those most capable of loving him and helping him along. Rejection tends to drive those people away only fulfilling the lie he has bought, "you see, people will hurt you."
I believe God speaks to us from the heart. Jesus came that our hearts of stone would become hearts of flesh. Dead, cold hearts would be awakened to the fullness of living in Christ. My friend is a believer but his heart is cold. He's not a mean person or a bad man...he just fears turning on his heart afraid of where that might take him. The lie from Satan is that relying on the heart of stone to keep us safe actually robs us of the life we were meant to live in worship of the Lord. "The glory of God is man fully alive".
Mackey profoundly describes (I don't think he is a Christian but he nails it) a heart fully alive..."We are doing what we most love and we find our lives full of increased energy, greater creativity, purpose, joy, and happiness. We simply feel more alive and we are moving within the flow of life."
Passion and creativity and purpose - a heart fully alive!
Soar!
I just read John Mackey's (CEO of Whole Foods) commencement address to Bentley College. He speaks in one place about the heart. See if this doesn't sound strangely familiar to all that I have written about the heart quoting Eldredge, McManus and others....
We need to develop our self-awareness skills so that we can know when we are truly following our hearts and when we've lost our way. It is actually easier than it sounds because when we are truly following our hearts we are tapped into our deepest passions in life. We are doing what we most love and we find our lives full of increased energy, greater creativity, purpose, joy, and happiness. We simply feel more alive and we are moving within the flow of life. How do you know when you've stopped following your heart? When the opposite occurs—decreased energy, lack of creativity, no real sense of purpose and you aren't particularly happy. You have stepped out of the flow of life and are just drifting along. When this happens the solution is simple: Choose again. Reconnect again with your heart. As long as you are alive, it is never too late. You are free in each moment to choose the path of your heart and it never stops whispering to you, urging you to follow it.
He speaks of losing our heart - a life of drifting along, decreased energy, lack of creativity, no real sense of purpose and a lack of happiness. A person who has "stepped out of life and is just drifting along."
I have a friend that is right there. He is simply "taken out" by life. He is listless, passionless and plods along day to day. He has walled off his heart and silenced it. Getting him to even engage in a thoughtful and reflective talk is very hard. He won't go there. He feels safe in his walled-off world yet those around him are dying on the vine. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy - he won't open his heart out of fear of hurt. This walls himself off to those most capable of loving him and helping him along. Rejection tends to drive those people away only fulfilling the lie he has bought, "you see, people will hurt you."
I believe God speaks to us from the heart. Jesus came that our hearts of stone would become hearts of flesh. Dead, cold hearts would be awakened to the fullness of living in Christ. My friend is a believer but his heart is cold. He's not a mean person or a bad man...he just fears turning on his heart afraid of where that might take him. The lie from Satan is that relying on the heart of stone to keep us safe actually robs us of the life we were meant to live in worship of the Lord. "The glory of God is man fully alive".
Mackey profoundly describes (I don't think he is a Christian but he nails it) a heart fully alive..."We are doing what we most love and we find our lives full of increased energy, greater creativity, purpose, joy, and happiness. We simply feel more alive and we are moving within the flow of life."
Passion and creativity and purpose - a heart fully alive!
Soar!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Asaph - Psalm 73
I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance
This is what the wicked are like - always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain I have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
I share in Asaph's laments. I think (by comparison) I am of pure heart. I think I am innocent. I've given my life over to God and it seems all day long I am plagued. It seems I am punished every morning.
Ever felt that way? Why is it that the other guy seems to have life figured out? They succeed in so many ways. They take the great trips to Italy with their family. Their kids make 4.0's and quarterback the football team. They look like triathletes (many of them are!). Money flows their way with ease. LIFE ISN'T FAIR!
Asaph goes on to say, "I tried to understand all this and it was oppressive to me." Then he entered the sanctuary of God and it is revealed to him...
"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory...earth has nothing I desire besides you."
There it is - he realizes he was senseless and ignorant apart from the Lord - a brute beast. There it is. None of us is deserving. All of us fall short of the glory of God. Our works and "pure" heart will win us no favors with God. Only faith in Christ gets us there.
We are so focused on life not being fair. We are Christians and at times it feels like we are the ones getting the shaft in this life. Exactly! We weren't made for "this" life. This life was broken in Eden. Asaph says earlier before he is enlightened that he was pure of heart and innocent. No he wasn't. Our sin nature separates us from God. Even if we have accepted Jesus we are still separated by our sin in this life. Even for the strongest believer, the flesh pulls hard against the will of God. God will forgive the sin of those who believe and turn their lives over to God but while we are here, we will still sin. We will never reach the place of "innocent and pure" in this life. Innocence and purity will come to those that accept Christ and enter into the Kingdom. Only then will the wrongs be made right and we will be made whole.
The things Asaph laments over are just that..."things". He sees others that are rich, pretty, successful, have the nice house, have the kids with the 4.0 and the full ride to UVA, the BMW, the beach house, having lots of friends, large parties, the successful career...you know the drill. But everything he sees will burn up. All that we desire to possess in this life will not pass with us into eternity. Cars, houses, titles, GPAs, status, health, etc. will all burn up at some point in this life. Temporal vs. Eternal.
Back to 2 posts ago - this changes the way we view the "things" of this life. They are temporary. The treasure of heaven is lasting. We are deserving of a one-way ticket to hell. Only by God's grace are we able to escape "this" life and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Praise be to the Lord!
Soar!
I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance
This is what the wicked are like - always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain I have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
I share in Asaph's laments. I think (by comparison) I am of pure heart. I think I am innocent. I've given my life over to God and it seems all day long I am plagued. It seems I am punished every morning.
Ever felt that way? Why is it that the other guy seems to have life figured out? They succeed in so many ways. They take the great trips to Italy with their family. Their kids make 4.0's and quarterback the football team. They look like triathletes (many of them are!). Money flows their way with ease. LIFE ISN'T FAIR!
Asaph goes on to say, "I tried to understand all this and it was oppressive to me." Then he entered the sanctuary of God and it is revealed to him...
"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory...earth has nothing I desire besides you."
There it is - he realizes he was senseless and ignorant apart from the Lord - a brute beast. There it is. None of us is deserving. All of us fall short of the glory of God. Our works and "pure" heart will win us no favors with God. Only faith in Christ gets us there.
We are so focused on life not being fair. We are Christians and at times it feels like we are the ones getting the shaft in this life. Exactly! We weren't made for "this" life. This life was broken in Eden. Asaph says earlier before he is enlightened that he was pure of heart and innocent. No he wasn't. Our sin nature separates us from God. Even if we have accepted Jesus we are still separated by our sin in this life. Even for the strongest believer, the flesh pulls hard against the will of God. God will forgive the sin of those who believe and turn their lives over to God but while we are here, we will still sin. We will never reach the place of "innocent and pure" in this life. Innocence and purity will come to those that accept Christ and enter into the Kingdom. Only then will the wrongs be made right and we will be made whole.
The things Asaph laments over are just that..."things". He sees others that are rich, pretty, successful, have the nice house, have the kids with the 4.0 and the full ride to UVA, the BMW, the beach house, having lots of friends, large parties, the successful career...you know the drill. But everything he sees will burn up. All that we desire to possess in this life will not pass with us into eternity. Cars, houses, titles, GPAs, status, health, etc. will all burn up at some point in this life. Temporal vs. Eternal.
Back to 2 posts ago - this changes the way we view the "things" of this life. They are temporary. The treasure of heaven is lasting. We are deserving of a one-way ticket to hell. Only by God's grace are we able to escape "this" life and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Praise be to the Lord!
Soar!
Quick addition on servant leadership
Then point I was driving at in the prior post was on getting away from the label "servant leader". It is being overused in business, the church and society. The presumption with the phrase "servant leader" is "I am a leader". I am going at this saying even to say "I am a leader" is putting the focus on "me". The best servant leaders are those that simply, quietly serve. Serve is the key -- not labeling it as "I am leading you by serving you".
I just put down the Wall Street Journal and something struck me. There was an ad for an upcoming symposium on the "deal makers" and the CEO of Bank of America is featured. He is coming to NYC to speak on his accomplishments in the area of buying other companies. I'm not really throwing stones at Ken Lewis (He is from Columbus) but rather I am asking "why?" Why would he take a day off from running the country's biggest bank to go to NY to speak to other executives on the "art of the deal"? What is in it for him? What does this have to do with taking care of employees, customers and shareholders?
I guess I am saying why don't these CEO's take the more humble approach. Run the company, do the right thing for the employees, customers and shareholders vs. going on the lecture circuit to boast about their deal-making prowess.
I'm just wondering where the humility is? Sorry to beat this horse...
Soar!
Then point I was driving at in the prior post was on getting away from the label "servant leader". It is being overused in business, the church and society. The presumption with the phrase "servant leader" is "I am a leader". I am going at this saying even to say "I am a leader" is putting the focus on "me". The best servant leaders are those that simply, quietly serve. Serve is the key -- not labeling it as "I am leading you by serving you".
I just put down the Wall Street Journal and something struck me. There was an ad for an upcoming symposium on the "deal makers" and the CEO of Bank of America is featured. He is coming to NYC to speak on his accomplishments in the area of buying other companies. I'm not really throwing stones at Ken Lewis (He is from Columbus) but rather I am asking "why?" Why would he take a day off from running the country's biggest bank to go to NY to speak to other executives on the "art of the deal"? What is in it for him? What does this have to do with taking care of employees, customers and shareholders?
I guess I am saying why don't these CEO's take the more humble approach. Run the company, do the right thing for the employees, customers and shareholders vs. going on the lecture circuit to boast about their deal-making prowess.
I'm just wondering where the humility is? Sorry to beat this horse...
Soar!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Humility
Isn't humility rare these days? God has been speaking to me this week and what I hear over and over again is "humility". Don't boast. Don't defend your position. Listen instead of talk. Look at the other guy and ask, "what is it I can do for him ... what does he need". Servanthood. Not servant leadership but rather servanthood. Servant leadership means "I'm a leader and I'm going to put on the hat of a servant" -- nothing wrong with this but you're still the leader (just a unique type of leader). No, servanthood. Serve.
Indeed humility is rare these days. Donald Trump. Tiger Woods. CEO's in glossy $50 million jets dashing off to exotic resorts for corporate retreats while folks in their company are hurting. Skyscrapers being lifted up to mark a company's "status" or importance. George Bush. I like "W". I think he is a good and decent man but I'll agree his swagger has cost us something on the world stage. The old saying is true of W, CEO's, rock stars, you and me ... "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
We crave power and status. We want to be noticed. And in that desire comes a lack of humility. Things go our way, God blesses us and suddenly, we start to take credit for it. Our ability got us to this point and we are going to do whatever we can to lift our status and get us even more opportunities. It seems it winds up being all about "me". My power. My desire to be noticed. My talents and abilities that get "me" the success "I" deserve...
Charles Spurgeon, defined humility as, "Making a right estimate of one’s self." Another noted speaker stated that, "Humility is not denying the power or gifting you have, but admitting that the gifting is from God and the power comes through you and not from you." After World War II, Winston Churchill humbly commented that, "I was not the lion, but it fell to me to give the lion’s roar."
It just seems to me that we need more leaders like Churchill. Those that push the spotlight off of themselves and their accomplishments and more humbly serve. What if our President acted this way - running America is a sacred trust. It isn't a bully pulpit for his glory. What if our CEO's were this way? Pushing away power. Downplaying their role. Taking their glossy photo out of the annual reports and replacing it with customers and employees.
What if you and I came into meetings not fighting to be heard but rather quietly soaking in what was going on and prayerfully seeking God's will? What if we came up with a great idea, passed it on and then forgot about it? In other words, we didn't push that idea, make sure it happened and then were sure to let everyone know it was our idea. What if we let go of the relentless pursuit of things to make us happy and we took on the role of a servant just glad for a roof over our heads and a soft bed to sleep in?
What if we took the focus off of "our" works, "our" accomplishments, "our" talents, "our" abilities and put them on the One who gives all? To God be the glory. Not man.
Soar!
Isn't humility rare these days? God has been speaking to me this week and what I hear over and over again is "humility". Don't boast. Don't defend your position. Listen instead of talk. Look at the other guy and ask, "what is it I can do for him ... what does he need". Servanthood. Not servant leadership but rather servanthood. Servant leadership means "I'm a leader and I'm going to put on the hat of a servant" -- nothing wrong with this but you're still the leader (just a unique type of leader). No, servanthood. Serve.
Indeed humility is rare these days. Donald Trump. Tiger Woods. CEO's in glossy $50 million jets dashing off to exotic resorts for corporate retreats while folks in their company are hurting. Skyscrapers being lifted up to mark a company's "status" or importance. George Bush. I like "W". I think he is a good and decent man but I'll agree his swagger has cost us something on the world stage. The old saying is true of W, CEO's, rock stars, you and me ... "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
We crave power and status. We want to be noticed. And in that desire comes a lack of humility. Things go our way, God blesses us and suddenly, we start to take credit for it. Our ability got us to this point and we are going to do whatever we can to lift our status and get us even more opportunities. It seems it winds up being all about "me". My power. My desire to be noticed. My talents and abilities that get "me" the success "I" deserve...
Charles Spurgeon, defined humility as, "Making a right estimate of one’s self." Another noted speaker stated that, "Humility is not denying the power or gifting you have, but admitting that the gifting is from God and the power comes through you and not from you." After World War II, Winston Churchill humbly commented that, "I was not the lion, but it fell to me to give the lion’s roar."
It just seems to me that we need more leaders like Churchill. Those that push the spotlight off of themselves and their accomplishments and more humbly serve. What if our President acted this way - running America is a sacred trust. It isn't a bully pulpit for his glory. What if our CEO's were this way? Pushing away power. Downplaying their role. Taking their glossy photo out of the annual reports and replacing it with customers and employees.
What if you and I came into meetings not fighting to be heard but rather quietly soaking in what was going on and prayerfully seeking God's will? What if we came up with a great idea, passed it on and then forgot about it? In other words, we didn't push that idea, make sure it happened and then were sure to let everyone know it was our idea. What if we let go of the relentless pursuit of things to make us happy and we took on the role of a servant just glad for a roof over our heads and a soft bed to sleep in?
What if we took the focus off of "our" works, "our" accomplishments, "our" talents, "our" abilities and put them on the One who gives all? To God be the glory. Not man.
Soar!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Problem of Liberalism - a talk about Capitalism, Obama and Whole Foods Markets
OK, now I'm probably going to offend someone with this. I have had a raging debate with a friend about money, capitalism, charity and the government's role in fixing the problems of America. He is a very successful businessman who created a company out of nothing and it has already made him wealthy at a young age. He is quite "evolved" in his thinking. He has recently said that he will gladly pay more in income taxes to help redistribute wealth and income to help the plight of the poor in America.
I don't believe that redistributing wealth or income fixes any problems. First of all it assumes an efficient government will take a bigger bite of higher income earners and quickly, fairly and efficiently redistribute that money into the hands of those who are in greater need. Given the lifetime politicians who control our national budget, that is a big assumption. It is a leap. Big government is not the solution.
But even deeper, what does redistribution really accomplish? If all the doctors in town had to each pay $25,000 a year more in income taxes and $5,000 of that went to five lower income families -- what would that accomplish? Even in the most ideal sense, that would certainly help those families in the short run but after a while wouldn't someone say, "Hey, why $5,000, why not $10,000?" Would a hand out really "fix" the problem? Is that really what the government wants to do anyway? Do they really want to flow through higher income earnings efficiently to lower income earners? No. The government wants a large chunk of that money and very little of it will truly flow through to those who really need it.
Now don't get me wrong, the "model" does sound appealing. Some are incredibly blessed and talented and surely they can pay even more in taxes to help others get out of poverty. It sounds noble. It sounds lofty. Obama talks about "shared national sacrifice" and when he says it, it seems appealing. When Hillary talks about "universal healthcare" and getting every American insured, it sounds noble. She really can't articulate how it will work (other than saying she'll raise taxes) but she and Obama offer up these lofty ambitions to move us.
But there is a real problem with it - it won't work. Never has, never will. Taken to the extremes, this rapidly becomes socialism and eventually communism. Raising taxes and redistributing wealth has the stunning effect of disincentive. Eventually the strong earners will see no benefit in squeezing in that one last surgery or inventing that next product because they know "what good is it, the government is going to take all the excess income it produces." In every case, the government itself explodes in size and soon begins to exist for itself not the people. Don't believe me? Look at pictures of Korea at night from space - the South is lit up like a Christmas tree while North Korea is pitch black dark. Kim has his fancy cars, expensive wines and western sunglasses but his people are in the dark and starving.
I am a big fan of Whole Foods Markets. Whole Foods was started by a very liberal guy that dreamed up this idealistic company that would sell organic food, give to charity and change the world. As he matured in his dream, he quickly realized he was really a communist and was way off base. He's a Libertarian now and has embraced capitalism - but - he also runs a very unique company. They give away 5% of their after tax income to charity and they have embraced "green" culture. He was a hippie, he's still a vegetarian and he practices yoga. He's "earthy", a "tree hugger" and very "un-business" He still wants to change the world but he has realized that corporations and capitalism aren't evil. They are necessary to achieving freedom. He started Whole Foods with $40,000 and it now has a market value of $8 billion. They give away more than $15 million a year, employ more than 40,000 people and he caps his salary at a low multiple of his lowest paid employee.
Listen to what he has recently said...
"I migrated to the Left when I was a young man for my value system. Why did I do that? Because the Left provided an idealistic vision of the way the world could be. However, the reality of the Left's vision proved to be terribly flawed. Its socialist economic system not only didn't work very well, but in it's communist manifestation it justified monstrous governments directly responsible for the murders of over 100 million people in the 20th century. Despite the unbelievable horrible track record of the leftist ideology, millions of young Americans continue to migrate to an intellectual bankrupt Left because the Left still seems to be idealistic, and that idealism is magnetic to the young. Idealism will always be magnetic to the intelligent and sensitive young people of the world."
He's right. Obama is young and dynamic and offers up bold visions of shared sacrifice and dreams. He is like a magnet to the nation's young. Even my 14 year old daughter likes him and says "I can relate to him". Obama is intelligent and idealistic. He reminds me of Bobby Kennedy who captured this same, "We can do better" mentality for America. Crowds swoon and energy flows but it is around a philosophy that cannot work. "We'll make the oil companies pay, we'll make the rich pay, we'll share in the sacrifice, etc." If you buy the logic of making the oil companies pay, you are buying into socialism. Free markets will fix the price of oil. It may be painful but eventually what goes up will come down. We'll either quit splurging on oil or we'll invent more efficient cars or build solar power plants but eventually, the free markets will fix the price of oil. The problem is, we don't want to wait. We get drawn into the message of the Left of big government, redistribution of wealth and universal healthcare. "I don't like pain at the pump, I need the government to fix this..."
Well, if you take this logic to the next step (where does it stop by the way?), we'll be slapping an excise tax on Wal-Mart because they make a lot of money and that "isn't fair to the average American" and then we'll move on to Georgia Power, Bank of America, surgeons, lawyers, etc. "No one should make extra profits, we'll tax the extra profits so we can make everything fair."
Taken to the next step and then the next, we rapidly arrive at full blown socialism. Wal-Mart and BofA and Chevron start laying folks off to help offset their rising taxes. Pfizer cuts way back on their research budget because of their excise tax on drug profits. With R&D cut way back, the drug companies stop finding the new drugs the AARP demands (but is unwilling to pay for). Georgia Power can't build a new nuclear power plant because of their excise taxes so those construction jobs aren't created and we retain our dependence on Mideast oil.
You get the picture....
This has nothing to do with my typical posts but the Whole Foods comments tied a lot of this together. Take your shots at me but I think he is right.
Soar!
OK, now I'm probably going to offend someone with this. I have had a raging debate with a friend about money, capitalism, charity and the government's role in fixing the problems of America. He is a very successful businessman who created a company out of nothing and it has already made him wealthy at a young age. He is quite "evolved" in his thinking. He has recently said that he will gladly pay more in income taxes to help redistribute wealth and income to help the plight of the poor in America.
I don't believe that redistributing wealth or income fixes any problems. First of all it assumes an efficient government will take a bigger bite of higher income earners and quickly, fairly and efficiently redistribute that money into the hands of those who are in greater need. Given the lifetime politicians who control our national budget, that is a big assumption. It is a leap. Big government is not the solution.
But even deeper, what does redistribution really accomplish? If all the doctors in town had to each pay $25,000 a year more in income taxes and $5,000 of that went to five lower income families -- what would that accomplish? Even in the most ideal sense, that would certainly help those families in the short run but after a while wouldn't someone say, "Hey, why $5,000, why not $10,000?" Would a hand out really "fix" the problem? Is that really what the government wants to do anyway? Do they really want to flow through higher income earnings efficiently to lower income earners? No. The government wants a large chunk of that money and very little of it will truly flow through to those who really need it.
Now don't get me wrong, the "model" does sound appealing. Some are incredibly blessed and talented and surely they can pay even more in taxes to help others get out of poverty. It sounds noble. It sounds lofty. Obama talks about "shared national sacrifice" and when he says it, it seems appealing. When Hillary talks about "universal healthcare" and getting every American insured, it sounds noble. She really can't articulate how it will work (other than saying she'll raise taxes) but she and Obama offer up these lofty ambitions to move us.
But there is a real problem with it - it won't work. Never has, never will. Taken to the extremes, this rapidly becomes socialism and eventually communism. Raising taxes and redistributing wealth has the stunning effect of disincentive. Eventually the strong earners will see no benefit in squeezing in that one last surgery or inventing that next product because they know "what good is it, the government is going to take all the excess income it produces." In every case, the government itself explodes in size and soon begins to exist for itself not the people. Don't believe me? Look at pictures of Korea at night from space - the South is lit up like a Christmas tree while North Korea is pitch black dark. Kim has his fancy cars, expensive wines and western sunglasses but his people are in the dark and starving.
I am a big fan of Whole Foods Markets. Whole Foods was started by a very liberal guy that dreamed up this idealistic company that would sell organic food, give to charity and change the world. As he matured in his dream, he quickly realized he was really a communist and was way off base. He's a Libertarian now and has embraced capitalism - but - he also runs a very unique company. They give away 5% of their after tax income to charity and they have embraced "green" culture. He was a hippie, he's still a vegetarian and he practices yoga. He's "earthy", a "tree hugger" and very "un-business" He still wants to change the world but he has realized that corporations and capitalism aren't evil. They are necessary to achieving freedom. He started Whole Foods with $40,000 and it now has a market value of $8 billion. They give away more than $15 million a year, employ more than 40,000 people and he caps his salary at a low multiple of his lowest paid employee.
Listen to what he has recently said...
"I migrated to the Left when I was a young man for my value system. Why did I do that? Because the Left provided an idealistic vision of the way the world could be. However, the reality of the Left's vision proved to be terribly flawed. Its socialist economic system not only didn't work very well, but in it's communist manifestation it justified monstrous governments directly responsible for the murders of over 100 million people in the 20th century. Despite the unbelievable horrible track record of the leftist ideology, millions of young Americans continue to migrate to an intellectual bankrupt Left because the Left still seems to be idealistic, and that idealism is magnetic to the young. Idealism will always be magnetic to the intelligent and sensitive young people of the world."
He's right. Obama is young and dynamic and offers up bold visions of shared sacrifice and dreams. He is like a magnet to the nation's young. Even my 14 year old daughter likes him and says "I can relate to him". Obama is intelligent and idealistic. He reminds me of Bobby Kennedy who captured this same, "We can do better" mentality for America. Crowds swoon and energy flows but it is around a philosophy that cannot work. "We'll make the oil companies pay, we'll make the rich pay, we'll share in the sacrifice, etc." If you buy the logic of making the oil companies pay, you are buying into socialism. Free markets will fix the price of oil. It may be painful but eventually what goes up will come down. We'll either quit splurging on oil or we'll invent more efficient cars or build solar power plants but eventually, the free markets will fix the price of oil. The problem is, we don't want to wait. We get drawn into the message of the Left of big government, redistribution of wealth and universal healthcare. "I don't like pain at the pump, I need the government to fix this..."
Well, if you take this logic to the next step (where does it stop by the way?), we'll be slapping an excise tax on Wal-Mart because they make a lot of money and that "isn't fair to the average American" and then we'll move on to Georgia Power, Bank of America, surgeons, lawyers, etc. "No one should make extra profits, we'll tax the extra profits so we can make everything fair."
Taken to the next step and then the next, we rapidly arrive at full blown socialism. Wal-Mart and BofA and Chevron start laying folks off to help offset their rising taxes. Pfizer cuts way back on their research budget because of their excise tax on drug profits. With R&D cut way back, the drug companies stop finding the new drugs the AARP demands (but is unwilling to pay for). Georgia Power can't build a new nuclear power plant because of their excise taxes so those construction jobs aren't created and we retain our dependence on Mideast oil.
You get the picture....
This has nothing to do with my typical posts but the Whole Foods comments tied a lot of this together. Take your shots at me but I think he is right.
Soar!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Naaman
Naaman was a commander in the army of the king of Aram (Syria). He was a great man in the sight of his master, highly regarded and victorious on the battle field. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
He was a great man but he was also a dead man. Leprosy would eventually eat him alive and he knew it. The story reminds me of a modern day CEO or business owner or mega-church pastor who is suddenly stricken with cancer. Suddenly your status doesn't really matter. Your income or net worth don't really matter. Your importance and status don't matter. Cancer doesn't care "who" you are. It just kills.
Naaman had "cancer" but God sent him hope. A servant girl that worked for his wife told her, "send my master to see the prophet who is in Samaria. He would cure him of his leprosy." Naaman asks the king for permission to go and it is granted. Naaman heads off with silver and gold to seek his cure.
When Naaman approaches Elisha's home, Elisha sends a messenger out to greet him. Now remember, Naaman was a powerful general and a renowned warrior. Suddenly, a flunkie is being sent out to tell him what to do. The messenger says, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
Naaman was angry - "Surely he would have come out and waved his hand over my leprosy and called out the name of his God and cure me. The rivers in Damascus are better than any waters of Israel. Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?"
Modern day - the status as the CEO doesn't matter any more. You show up at the clinic and rather than the leading oncologist consulting with you, an intern greets you and tells you in detail how you will be treated - "we will wash you seven times in chemo..." Cold. Impersonal. Lonely. Your status doesn't matter. You're just a number.
Naaman's servants plead with him to follow the instructions and finally, he consents and dips himself in the Jordan seven times. He finally lets go of his "status" and follows the pleading of his lowly servants and he strips and enters the waters of Israel to be healed.
This is a great picture of God's grace. Naaman had a problem. He was sick but he was also prideful. God used the illness and the subsequent treatment to go after Naaman's sin and pride. The picture of Naaman submitting to God's grace and entering the redemptive, healing waters is a remarkable picture of Christ's liberation. Naaman came as a general with all the trappings of that position but he had to be humbled before he could see his sin. Once he realized that in order to be healed, he would first have to submit, he was saved.
The same is true for us. Once we realize it really isn't all "about me" and once we realize we can't fake it anymore and "do life" on our own...once we realize we have to submit to Him, we are saved. We strip ourselves of all our status and prestige, we strip ourselves of our title and possessions and we enter into the river of life and we are saved!
Soar!
Naaman was a commander in the army of the king of Aram (Syria). He was a great man in the sight of his master, highly regarded and victorious on the battle field. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
He was a great man but he was also a dead man. Leprosy would eventually eat him alive and he knew it. The story reminds me of a modern day CEO or business owner or mega-church pastor who is suddenly stricken with cancer. Suddenly your status doesn't really matter. Your income or net worth don't really matter. Your importance and status don't matter. Cancer doesn't care "who" you are. It just kills.
Naaman had "cancer" but God sent him hope. A servant girl that worked for his wife told her, "send my master to see the prophet who is in Samaria. He would cure him of his leprosy." Naaman asks the king for permission to go and it is granted. Naaman heads off with silver and gold to seek his cure.
When Naaman approaches Elisha's home, Elisha sends a messenger out to greet him. Now remember, Naaman was a powerful general and a renowned warrior. Suddenly, a flunkie is being sent out to tell him what to do. The messenger says, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
Naaman was angry - "Surely he would have come out and waved his hand over my leprosy and called out the name of his God and cure me. The rivers in Damascus are better than any waters of Israel. Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?"
Modern day - the status as the CEO doesn't matter any more. You show up at the clinic and rather than the leading oncologist consulting with you, an intern greets you and tells you in detail how you will be treated - "we will wash you seven times in chemo..." Cold. Impersonal. Lonely. Your status doesn't matter. You're just a number.
Naaman's servants plead with him to follow the instructions and finally, he consents and dips himself in the Jordan seven times. He finally lets go of his "status" and follows the pleading of his lowly servants and he strips and enters the waters of Israel to be healed.
This is a great picture of God's grace. Naaman had a problem. He was sick but he was also prideful. God used the illness and the subsequent treatment to go after Naaman's sin and pride. The picture of Naaman submitting to God's grace and entering the redemptive, healing waters is a remarkable picture of Christ's liberation. Naaman came as a general with all the trappings of that position but he had to be humbled before he could see his sin. Once he realized that in order to be healed, he would first have to submit, he was saved.
The same is true for us. Once we realize it really isn't all "about me" and once we realize we can't fake it anymore and "do life" on our own...once we realize we have to submit to Him, we are saved. We strip ourselves of all our status and prestige, we strip ourselves of our title and possessions and we enter into the river of life and we are saved!
Soar!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Fully Alive
Spring is in full bloom in the deep south and it just moves my soul. I love fresh green zoysia grass, azaleas in bloom, daylillies springing up, warm days and cool evenings. My routine this time of year is to come home from work, change into shorts and move out to our back patio to enjoy the evening with my wife and kids. We talk, catch up on the day, play fetch with the dogs and just experience the beauty of God's kingdom. Even the dogs feel "fully alive" these days. Our indoor dog can't wait for me to come home. He jumps me when I walk in and goes with me to change clothes. All the while, he is eagerly wagging his tail and on the ready for my break to the back door and "dog time". There, the black lab is also on ready. He sees me come in the house and sits at the back door waiting. As soon as I step out into the yard, they spring into action, tails wagging and tennis ball in mouth ready to go.
Fully alive. Do you ever feel it? Isn't it a precious time? It is so fleeting. We feel it for an hour or so on a Saturday afternoon after the chores are done, the yard looks good and the day is cooling off. In that time, we can almost feel God walking with us "in the garden in the cool of the day". Fully alive.
When do you feel most fully alive? Think back to your days as a kid - what are the memories of fully alive back then? For me, it was wiffle ball. I had about 10 boys that were my close friends and we fell in love with wiffle ball. We'd rotate "home fields" - my house one week, George's house the next and occasionally, Lakebottom park. We perfected the game. On Friday afternoons we'd cut the grass tight and water the lawn. Some of the crew would spend Friday night together and work on our uniforms, tape up our bats and tape up a few extra balls. On Saturday the other 1/2 would show up and we'd spend 3-4 hours playing very competitive baseball. This was 4th, 5th, 6th grade stuff and we loved it. We'd watch the Braves and Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench of the Big Red Machine or Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates and we'd learn their swings and copy them on wiffle ball field. We were fully alive.
Saturday while I was working in the yard I heard some boys walking down in my creek. I edged over to the fence and watched them as they passed by my house. These guys were about 10 years old and two of them didn't have shirts on and all three were barefooted. They had set out for an adventure, found this creek and explored it. They were a long way from home but that just added to the fun. I heard them talking, "next time we do this, we need to bring our air rifles". I saw their mom Sunday at church and she said they spent all afternoon recounting their adventure in the creek. Fully alive.
Find it. Pursue it. God came and liberated us that we may live life to the full. Find it. It is out there for you. He wants you to experience it and stay in it.
Fully alive.
Soar!
Spring is in full bloom in the deep south and it just moves my soul. I love fresh green zoysia grass, azaleas in bloom, daylillies springing up, warm days and cool evenings. My routine this time of year is to come home from work, change into shorts and move out to our back patio to enjoy the evening with my wife and kids. We talk, catch up on the day, play fetch with the dogs and just experience the beauty of God's kingdom. Even the dogs feel "fully alive" these days. Our indoor dog can't wait for me to come home. He jumps me when I walk in and goes with me to change clothes. All the while, he is eagerly wagging his tail and on the ready for my break to the back door and "dog time". There, the black lab is also on ready. He sees me come in the house and sits at the back door waiting. As soon as I step out into the yard, they spring into action, tails wagging and tennis ball in mouth ready to go.
Fully alive. Do you ever feel it? Isn't it a precious time? It is so fleeting. We feel it for an hour or so on a Saturday afternoon after the chores are done, the yard looks good and the day is cooling off. In that time, we can almost feel God walking with us "in the garden in the cool of the day". Fully alive.
When do you feel most fully alive? Think back to your days as a kid - what are the memories of fully alive back then? For me, it was wiffle ball. I had about 10 boys that were my close friends and we fell in love with wiffle ball. We'd rotate "home fields" - my house one week, George's house the next and occasionally, Lakebottom park. We perfected the game. On Friday afternoons we'd cut the grass tight and water the lawn. Some of the crew would spend Friday night together and work on our uniforms, tape up our bats and tape up a few extra balls. On Saturday the other 1/2 would show up and we'd spend 3-4 hours playing very competitive baseball. This was 4th, 5th, 6th grade stuff and we loved it. We'd watch the Braves and Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench of the Big Red Machine or Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates and we'd learn their swings and copy them on wiffle ball field. We were fully alive.
Saturday while I was working in the yard I heard some boys walking down in my creek. I edged over to the fence and watched them as they passed by my house. These guys were about 10 years old and two of them didn't have shirts on and all three were barefooted. They had set out for an adventure, found this creek and explored it. They were a long way from home but that just added to the fun. I heard them talking, "next time we do this, we need to bring our air rifles". I saw their mom Sunday at church and she said they spent all afternoon recounting their adventure in the creek. Fully alive.
Find it. Pursue it. God came and liberated us that we may live life to the full. Find it. It is out there for you. He wants you to experience it and stay in it.
Fully alive.
Soar!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Chasing the adventure...
That is the name of my blog. Here is a video clip of a young man who chased his adventure and found it. J Mac is an autistic kid who loved sports and was the manager of his high school basketball team. In the last game of his senior year, with 4 minutes to go, the coach put him in so he could live out his dream. Oh my what he did in that 4 minutes will bring tears to your eyes...
We all want our shot in life...J Mac took his...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngzyhnkT_jY
clip and paste that into your browser
Soar!
That is the name of my blog. Here is a video clip of a young man who chased his adventure and found it. J Mac is an autistic kid who loved sports and was the manager of his high school basketball team. In the last game of his senior year, with 4 minutes to go, the coach put him in so he could live out his dream. Oh my what he did in that 4 minutes will bring tears to your eyes...
We all want our shot in life...J Mac took his...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngzyhnkT_jY
clip and paste that into your browser
Soar!
Friday, April 04, 2008
Tough Times
How do we handle tough times? Why do we avoid them? Wouldn't life be easier if we could run downhill all the time? Why do hills exist anyway?
My career is volatile. I'm in the markets. Markets are naturally driven by greed or fear. It is really quite manic. The glass is either 1/2 full or 1/2 empty day to day. I'm changing the way I run my business and moving away from being glued to the minute by minute fluctuations of a ticker. Long-term investing, buying very high quality companies with strong fundamentals has the effect of killing the beast of greed/fear. I really don't care what the market does day in day out. If I have a bad day/month/quarter -- it really doesn't matter. I'm focused on the long-term. My eyes are on the prize - the long-term prize not the short-term gratification. We all "run the race" but only one will collect the prize. The goal is the prize.
There is an analogy to our faith. Our eyes should be on the prize not the day to day trials of life. "Life" is broken. It will lift you up one day and slap you down the next. There is an enemy. He is at work. His demons are real and they do pursue us. Life was broken in Eden. It isn't as God intended it. He came that we might have life and have it to the full. The only way I've found to have life to the full is to keep my eyes focused on the prize. The long-run. Not the short-term victories or painful defeats. They are all apart of the race I run.
I read a quote the other day from Abigail Adams that struck me. She was writing to her son about his second trip to France. The first trip nearly killed him and he didn't want to return. She writes....
"It is not the still calm of life that great characters are formed. Formation of character and the habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with great difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised and animated by scenes that engage the heart then those qualities that otherwise lay dormant waken to life and form the character that define the hero and statesman."
God shakes us from time to time for a reason. At times we have to run up some hills. Yet it is the hills that strengthen our legs far more than the flat plains. As I look back on my life, the times my character has been strengthened has always been during the times of greatest stress and strain. We strain forward and run the race for the prize.
Soar!
How do we handle tough times? Why do we avoid them? Wouldn't life be easier if we could run downhill all the time? Why do hills exist anyway?
My career is volatile. I'm in the markets. Markets are naturally driven by greed or fear. It is really quite manic. The glass is either 1/2 full or 1/2 empty day to day. I'm changing the way I run my business and moving away from being glued to the minute by minute fluctuations of a ticker. Long-term investing, buying very high quality companies with strong fundamentals has the effect of killing the beast of greed/fear. I really don't care what the market does day in day out. If I have a bad day/month/quarter -- it really doesn't matter. I'm focused on the long-term. My eyes are on the prize - the long-term prize not the short-term gratification. We all "run the race" but only one will collect the prize. The goal is the prize.
There is an analogy to our faith. Our eyes should be on the prize not the day to day trials of life. "Life" is broken. It will lift you up one day and slap you down the next. There is an enemy. He is at work. His demons are real and they do pursue us. Life was broken in Eden. It isn't as God intended it. He came that we might have life and have it to the full. The only way I've found to have life to the full is to keep my eyes focused on the prize. The long-run. Not the short-term victories or painful defeats. They are all apart of the race I run.
I read a quote the other day from Abigail Adams that struck me. She was writing to her son about his second trip to France. The first trip nearly killed him and he didn't want to return. She writes....
"It is not the still calm of life that great characters are formed. Formation of character and the habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with great difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised and animated by scenes that engage the heart then those qualities that otherwise lay dormant waken to life and form the character that define the hero and statesman."
God shakes us from time to time for a reason. At times we have to run up some hills. Yet it is the hills that strengthen our legs far more than the flat plains. As I look back on my life, the times my character has been strengthened has always been during the times of greatest stress and strain. We strain forward and run the race for the prize.
Soar!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Obituary -- Death of Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intended but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using a mouthwash after lunch; a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student; and a librarian fired for reporting to the police of a patron viewing child pornography on the libraries computer, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Commons Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your home and the burglar can sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little on her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone, apparently assuming that the persistent deterioration of the American way was just fine.
"Author unknown"
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intended but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using a mouthwash after lunch; a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student; and a librarian fired for reporting to the police of a patron viewing child pornography on the libraries computer, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Commons Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your home and the burglar can sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little on her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone, apparently assuming that the persistent deterioration of the American way was just fine.
"Author unknown"
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Eliot Spitzer
When news first hit the floor of the New York Stock Exchange that a scandal was brewing involving Eliot Spitzer and a high priced call girl -- a cheer went up. Trading stopped for a second or two and the floor erupting in cheering. Eliot Spitzer who had zealously pursued justice at the cost of many Wall Street firms had fallen. His sin had been exposed. A lot of people were elated.
Why is that?
When someone falls, why do we rejoice? I'm no Spitzer fan - he took his role as Attorney General of New York to an extreme. He viewed himself as a modern day Eliot Ness and went from company to company, industry to industry threatening corporate death unless Boards of Directors gave in, wrote huge checks and fired their CEO's. Spitzer threatened many a man with total humiliation including threatening to arrest a corporate executive in front of his wife and small child unless he gave in to Spitzer's demands.
In hindsight, it is very clear that the power went to his head. He became invincible, untouchable and as we now know, above the law himself. So I am no fan, but why is it that some of us rejoice in his fall? Take him out of this ... why do you rejoice when your enemy falls?
Why aren't we on our knees praying for that enemy or Spitzer and shuddering, "My God, that could so easily be me. If the world saw what lurked in my own dark heart, I'd be taken out too."
We are hypocrites. It is so easy to make Spitzer or Bill Clinton or that guy in your office who fools the bosses year after year and finally gets exposed, out to be the bad guy. We love to say, "what goes around, comes around". But what about that which is due to come around to us? How quick we are to judge others and slow to see our own sin.
I'll admit, I was glad the "SOB" Spitzer got exposed. He was cocky, he was a super ego, he thought the rules didn't apply to him, he thrashed others to build his own stock to help fulfill his ultimate ambitions. I was glad until I put this back on me. On my knees, I proclaim, "My God how easily that could have been me!"
Every time I see Chuck Bradshaw and say "How are you doing?", he always (I mean every single time) says, "Better than I deserve." How true.
Soar!
When news first hit the floor of the New York Stock Exchange that a scandal was brewing involving Eliot Spitzer and a high priced call girl -- a cheer went up. Trading stopped for a second or two and the floor erupting in cheering. Eliot Spitzer who had zealously pursued justice at the cost of many Wall Street firms had fallen. His sin had been exposed. A lot of people were elated.
Why is that?
When someone falls, why do we rejoice? I'm no Spitzer fan - he took his role as Attorney General of New York to an extreme. He viewed himself as a modern day Eliot Ness and went from company to company, industry to industry threatening corporate death unless Boards of Directors gave in, wrote huge checks and fired their CEO's. Spitzer threatened many a man with total humiliation including threatening to arrest a corporate executive in front of his wife and small child unless he gave in to Spitzer's demands.
In hindsight, it is very clear that the power went to his head. He became invincible, untouchable and as we now know, above the law himself. So I am no fan, but why is it that some of us rejoice in his fall? Take him out of this ... why do you rejoice when your enemy falls?
Why aren't we on our knees praying for that enemy or Spitzer and shuddering, "My God, that could so easily be me. If the world saw what lurked in my own dark heart, I'd be taken out too."
We are hypocrites. It is so easy to make Spitzer or Bill Clinton or that guy in your office who fools the bosses year after year and finally gets exposed, out to be the bad guy. We love to say, "what goes around, comes around". But what about that which is due to come around to us? How quick we are to judge others and slow to see our own sin.
I'll admit, I was glad the "SOB" Spitzer got exposed. He was cocky, he was a super ego, he thought the rules didn't apply to him, he thrashed others to build his own stock to help fulfill his ultimate ambitions. I was glad until I put this back on me. On my knees, I proclaim, "My God how easily that could have been me!"
Every time I see Chuck Bradshaw and say "How are you doing?", he always (I mean every single time) says, "Better than I deserve." How true.
Soar!
The Good Life
The good life - the one that truly satisfies exists only when we stop wanting a better one. It is the condition of savoring what is rather than longing for what can be. The itch for things, the lust for more - so brilliantly injected by those who peddle them - is a virus draining our souls of self contentment.
Have you noticed?
A man never earns enough. A woman is never beautiful enough. Clothes are never fashionable enough. Cars are never nice enough. Houses are never furnished enough. Gadgets are never modern enough. Food is never fancy enough. Relationships are never romantic enough. Life is never full enough.
Satisfaction comes when we step off the escalator of desire and say, "This is enough. What I have will do. What I make of it is up to me and my vital union with the Living Lord."
Are you satisfied? What are you reaching for? Can you reasonably hope that this world can fulfill you?
No. It is only in the Lord. In the Lord.
Soar!
The good life - the one that truly satisfies exists only when we stop wanting a better one. It is the condition of savoring what is rather than longing for what can be. The itch for things, the lust for more - so brilliantly injected by those who peddle them - is a virus draining our souls of self contentment.
Have you noticed?
A man never earns enough. A woman is never beautiful enough. Clothes are never fashionable enough. Cars are never nice enough. Houses are never furnished enough. Gadgets are never modern enough. Food is never fancy enough. Relationships are never romantic enough. Life is never full enough.
Satisfaction comes when we step off the escalator of desire and say, "This is enough. What I have will do. What I make of it is up to me and my vital union with the Living Lord."
Are you satisfied? What are you reaching for? Can you reasonably hope that this world can fulfill you?
No. It is only in the Lord. In the Lord.
Soar!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wild at Heart - second time around...it is still about freedom
I have just returned from 5 days in Colorado attending my second Wild at Heart boot camp. 10 men from Columbus went and it was a very powerful time for our group. Let me be clear, John Eldredge isn't "It". Wild at Heart isn't "the" solution. Jesus is "it". He is "the" solution. John Eldredge doesn't lead some cult of men. He isn't out to get men away from the church. He hasn't invented a better solution. No, John just does a great job of capturing the essence of what scripture is saying to men.
To me, the underlying take away of Ransomed Heart ministries is freedom. Christ came to give man freedom. It is pretty simple and yet the Church has moved men away from freedom into a life of duty. As a result, men are bound up in duty, rules and "I shouldn't". Psalm 119 says "I run in the path of your commands because you have set my heart free". Luke 19:10 says "The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost." Not "the lost" but the "what was" lost. What was lost? Our hearts. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."
"set my heart free"..."save what was lost"..."Live and life to the full"...
Freedom. A full life. No boundaries. Fullness. Richness.
And yet, that isn't what we hear from the church. It surely isn't what we hear from society. We hear conform. Don't rock the boat. Play fair. Be political. Hedge yourself. Have a back up plan. Don't drink. Don't smoke. Don't look at another woman. Don't watch an "R" rated movie. Never cuss.
Works. The path of Christianity of many is a path of perfection. Like the Lexus commercial, "The relentless pursuit of perfection". That I am most like Christ when I have so purged myself of all that is any way sinful... Works. Duty.
Is it any wonder that so many of us are bound up? We are so rigid because we are so afraid of what others in society (or even worse in Christianity) think of us. Christ came that we may have freedom. Freedom. That doesn't mean free to sin, free to booze it up -- no, true freedom means the relentless pursuit of Him. So in love, so passionate about my faith that I am free to pursue Him wherever he takes me.
I'm not doing a good job of articulating this but let me try it this way. On my trip, I was with a man that went to medical school and is now running a community health clinic in downtown Augusta. Charitable work. His dad is a very successful businessman. His uncle retired as a world-class investment manager. His other uncle is a highly paid surgeon. All three, very wealthy. But this guy has taken his medical degree and is giving it away to the poor in Augusta, Georgia. Someone was talking to him one day and said, "sounds great but you are going to be poor". His reply? "Yep, poor for the next 40 years." Wow. That puts it in its proper place. Yes, he will be poor by the world's standards but his eyes are on eternity. He'll be earthly poor for 40 more years but he'll be heavenly rich for eternity. Freedom. He has found freedom.
More to come. In the meanwhile, please -- Soar!
I have just returned from 5 days in Colorado attending my second Wild at Heart boot camp. 10 men from Columbus went and it was a very powerful time for our group. Let me be clear, John Eldredge isn't "It". Wild at Heart isn't "the" solution. Jesus is "it". He is "the" solution. John Eldredge doesn't lead some cult of men. He isn't out to get men away from the church. He hasn't invented a better solution. No, John just does a great job of capturing the essence of what scripture is saying to men.
To me, the underlying take away of Ransomed Heart ministries is freedom. Christ came to give man freedom. It is pretty simple and yet the Church has moved men away from freedom into a life of duty. As a result, men are bound up in duty, rules and "I shouldn't". Psalm 119 says "I run in the path of your commands because you have set my heart free". Luke 19:10 says "The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost." Not "the lost" but the "what was" lost. What was lost? Our hearts. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."
"set my heart free"..."save what was lost"..."Live and life to the full"...
Freedom. A full life. No boundaries. Fullness. Richness.
And yet, that isn't what we hear from the church. It surely isn't what we hear from society. We hear conform. Don't rock the boat. Play fair. Be political. Hedge yourself. Have a back up plan. Don't drink. Don't smoke. Don't look at another woman. Don't watch an "R" rated movie. Never cuss.
Works. The path of Christianity of many is a path of perfection. Like the Lexus commercial, "The relentless pursuit of perfection". That I am most like Christ when I have so purged myself of all that is any way sinful... Works. Duty.
Is it any wonder that so many of us are bound up? We are so rigid because we are so afraid of what others in society (or even worse in Christianity) think of us. Christ came that we may have freedom. Freedom. That doesn't mean free to sin, free to booze it up -- no, true freedom means the relentless pursuit of Him. So in love, so passionate about my faith that I am free to pursue Him wherever he takes me.
I'm not doing a good job of articulating this but let me try it this way. On my trip, I was with a man that went to medical school and is now running a community health clinic in downtown Augusta. Charitable work. His dad is a very successful businessman. His uncle retired as a world-class investment manager. His other uncle is a highly paid surgeon. All three, very wealthy. But this guy has taken his medical degree and is giving it away to the poor in Augusta, Georgia. Someone was talking to him one day and said, "sounds great but you are going to be poor". His reply? "Yep, poor for the next 40 years." Wow. That puts it in its proper place. Yes, he will be poor by the world's standards but his eyes are on eternity. He'll be earthly poor for 40 more years but he'll be heavenly rich for eternity. Freedom. He has found freedom.
More to come. In the meanwhile, please -- Soar!
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Bill
He won't let it rest. I've read the posts on his blog and he has a local who is also from Boston and she is affirming him in this assault on the South. Bill says my ramblings are just sour grapes over us losing the war. I've fired back and said, "If y'all are so proud of winning the war, why are folks from the north moving to the South by the hundreds of thousands?" Makes you wonder doesn't it?
And I left this tune on his blog ...
She grew up in the city in a little subdivision,
Her daddy wore a tie, Momma never fried a chicken,
Ballet, Straight A’s, Most likely to succeed
They bought her a car after graduation
Sent her down south for some higher education
Put her on the fast track to a law degree
Now she’s comin home to visit
holdin the hand
Of a wild-eyed boy
with a farmer’s tan
And shes ridin in the middle of his pickup truck
Blarin Charlie Daniels yellin, “Turn it up!”
They raised her up a lady
but there’s one thing they couldn’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
Yeah, you know momma’s and daddy’s want better for their daughters
Hope they’ll settle down with a doctor or a lawyer
In their uptown, ball gown, hand-me-down royalty
They never understand
why their princess falls
For some camouflage britches
and a southern boy drawl
Or why she’s ridin in the middle of a pickup truck
Blarin Hank Jr. yellin, “Turn it up!”
They raised her up a lady
but there’s one thing they couldn’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
You can train ‘em
You can try to teach ‘em right from wrong
But it’s still gonna turn ‘em on
When they go ridin in the middle of a pickup truck
Blarin Lynyrd Skynyrd yellin, “Turn it up!”
You can raise her up a lady
but there’s one thing you jus can’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
They love us country boys
Soar!
He won't let it rest. I've read the posts on his blog and he has a local who is also from Boston and she is affirming him in this assault on the South. Bill says my ramblings are just sour grapes over us losing the war. I've fired back and said, "If y'all are so proud of winning the war, why are folks from the north moving to the South by the hundreds of thousands?" Makes you wonder doesn't it?
And I left this tune on his blog ...
She grew up in the city in a little subdivision,
Her daddy wore a tie, Momma never fried a chicken,
Ballet, Straight A’s, Most likely to succeed
They bought her a car after graduation
Sent her down south for some higher education
Put her on the fast track to a law degree
Now she’s comin home to visit
holdin the hand
Of a wild-eyed boy
with a farmer’s tan
And shes ridin in the middle of his pickup truck
Blarin Charlie Daniels yellin, “Turn it up!”
They raised her up a lady
but there’s one thing they couldn’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
Yeah, you know momma’s and daddy’s want better for their daughters
Hope they’ll settle down with a doctor or a lawyer
In their uptown, ball gown, hand-me-down royalty
They never understand
why their princess falls
For some camouflage britches
and a southern boy drawl
Or why she’s ridin in the middle of a pickup truck
Blarin Hank Jr. yellin, “Turn it up!”
They raised her up a lady
but there’s one thing they couldn’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
You can train ‘em
You can try to teach ‘em right from wrong
But it’s still gonna turn ‘em on
When they go ridin in the middle of a pickup truck
Blarin Lynyrd Skynyrd yellin, “Turn it up!”
You can raise her up a lady
but there’s one thing you jus can’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
They love us country boys
Soar!
Throw of the hindrances
"Throw off the hindrances and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." Hebrews 12:1
First of all, the race is set out before us. Life is a race. There is a start and there is a finish. We can crawl, walk, skip, jog or sprint but it is a race. Not a race against mankind but rather a race toward the grand finish. God built us, created us and breathed life into us for a reason. It isn't 9-5, pay your taxes, raise your kids, do a few good works, retire and die. No, there is so much more. He calls us to a race. Race implies so much here - endurance, training, excellence, reaching for more than we thought we could possibly achieve - all for a life that is fully lived.
The message is pretty simple and pretty direct - there is a race to be run and we must throw off the hindrances that entangle us and prevent us from the full life. Throw off the hindrances.
What hinders you?
As I type this, I am watching the Super Bowl. That is entertainment and many of us are addicted to being entertained. Some advertisements tonight will cost $2 million. Can you imagine spending $2 million for 30 seconds of air time? Think what good $2 million would do for 50 families living in poverty. Think how many kids this money could send to college. Think of those with living under the bridges of the Chattahoochee and how this money could help them. But no, we Americans are addicted to entertainment and pleasure and corporate America knows it. They'll spend what it takes to make you and I act. And act we will.
We have come to worship entertainment. It robs us of life and pulls us away from interaction with others. 4-5 hours a day in front of the TV or internet and kids in front of electronic games. These things rob us of life. Go spend one hour in the woods totally alone. Take a chair and sit down with nothing to do. See how it challenges you. Does the silence bother you? Are you addicted to noise and activity? Recreation is OK - we need it but too much recreation can be a problem. Excess recreation leads to addiction which leads to gluttony.
We all know of people who have taken this addiction to the next step of gluttony. New cars every year, flat screens in every room, every latest gadget, fine wines and foods, every possible comfort -- all seeking that one last final thing that completes them. We know people like that and we know we are like this. We know in many ways that our addiction for comfort and things is a hinderance to our walk with God.
Hebrews is telling us how to handle whatever it is that hinders us from running the race as efficiently as we should - we should throw them off. If our love of things possesses us, we need to stop. Simply put...just stop. Stop the rapid acquisition of everything we can get our hands on. Be the opposite of what drives us - start giving things away rather than buying more new things. Think counter-intuitively. The world tells you (yells at you) more, more, more it is all about more stuff. That is the wrong kind of more.
The more we need is more of the Lord. More quiet time. Less hindrances and more of Him. It is pretty simple but it is hard to do but remember, we are running a race. We are born to run. Born to be free.
Soar!
"Throw off the hindrances and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." Hebrews 12:1
First of all, the race is set out before us. Life is a race. There is a start and there is a finish. We can crawl, walk, skip, jog or sprint but it is a race. Not a race against mankind but rather a race toward the grand finish. God built us, created us and breathed life into us for a reason. It isn't 9-5, pay your taxes, raise your kids, do a few good works, retire and die. No, there is so much more. He calls us to a race. Race implies so much here - endurance, training, excellence, reaching for more than we thought we could possibly achieve - all for a life that is fully lived.
The message is pretty simple and pretty direct - there is a race to be run and we must throw off the hindrances that entangle us and prevent us from the full life. Throw off the hindrances.
What hinders you?
As I type this, I am watching the Super Bowl. That is entertainment and many of us are addicted to being entertained. Some advertisements tonight will cost $2 million. Can you imagine spending $2 million for 30 seconds of air time? Think what good $2 million would do for 50 families living in poverty. Think how many kids this money could send to college. Think of those with living under the bridges of the Chattahoochee and how this money could help them. But no, we Americans are addicted to entertainment and pleasure and corporate America knows it. They'll spend what it takes to make you and I act. And act we will.
We have come to worship entertainment. It robs us of life and pulls us away from interaction with others. 4-5 hours a day in front of the TV or internet and kids in front of electronic games. These things rob us of life. Go spend one hour in the woods totally alone. Take a chair and sit down with nothing to do. See how it challenges you. Does the silence bother you? Are you addicted to noise and activity? Recreation is OK - we need it but too much recreation can be a problem. Excess recreation leads to addiction which leads to gluttony.
We all know of people who have taken this addiction to the next step of gluttony. New cars every year, flat screens in every room, every latest gadget, fine wines and foods, every possible comfort -- all seeking that one last final thing that completes them. We know people like that and we know we are like this. We know in many ways that our addiction for comfort and things is a hinderance to our walk with God.
Hebrews is telling us how to handle whatever it is that hinders us from running the race as efficiently as we should - we should throw them off. If our love of things possesses us, we need to stop. Simply put...just stop. Stop the rapid acquisition of everything we can get our hands on. Be the opposite of what drives us - start giving things away rather than buying more new things. Think counter-intuitively. The world tells you (yells at you) more, more, more it is all about more stuff. That is the wrong kind of more.
The more we need is more of the Lord. More quiet time. Less hindrances and more of Him. It is pretty simple but it is hard to do but remember, we are running a race. We are born to run. Born to be free.
Soar!
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Bill Shorey .... get a life
Bill Shorey is a wonderful friend. I read an article on Bill a few years ago in the Columbus paper and knew immediately he was a kindred spirit, a rebel and a passionate follower of Christ. The very next week, I ran into him at Panera Bread with Cary Jones, introduced myself and invited him to lunch. Our friendship took off at that point. We've shared some great times over the past few years, have spent time in Colorado and now worship together.
Bill has a blog that is excellent. It was totally the inspiration for my blog and I even copied the theme of his site - enjoying the adventure - for mine "chasing the adventure". his is www.enjoyingtheadventure.blogspot.com. Read it. Bill's writing is God inspired. He is a poet. His writing is incredibly talented.
But...
Bill has a problem. As you'll read on his blog from today, he is challenging me. Bill is from Maine. He is a yankee through and through. He carries a thick new england accent. I love him for it. But he is waaaay too attached to his beloved Boston Red Sox. Last fall he was crowing about the Sox and how they were a team of destiny. Yeh, yeh, yeh, blah, blah, blah. Dumb me, I decided to rile him with a challenge that the Colorado Rockies would beat the Sox. This set him off like a roman candle. Needless to say, he won the bet and he has never let me forget it -- in fact, he addresses this on his blog today. Now, with his (all of a sudden?) beloved Boston Patriots at 17-0 and a day away from the super bowl, my man Bill is crowing again. As if I care! My wife just asked me who I wanted to win the Super Bowl and I said, "I really don't care but now, I want the Giants to win just to aggravate Bill".
Now he is already moving on past football to basketball and his "beloved" Celtics have the best record in the NBA and he is challenging me on the basketball. I don't know about you but I could give a rat's ___ about the NBA. Thug vs. Thug. Whoever wins the thing is still a Thug.
Christ came as the Great Liberator to set the captives free. Bill, by God's great Grace, you have been set free. You live in the South now my friend ... God's country. You've been set free of the land of your icy captivity. No more Soda Pop, no more "Yous guys", no more Kennedy-liberal NE politics ... no Bill, you have been liberated. God picked you out of that icy, bleak world and has dropped you into the land of lush lawns, tall pines, sweet tea, Auburn football, "yes ma'am", "y'all", fried chicken, country music and the Augusta azaleas of the Masters. You are free Bill. Embrace the South. Put a big AU sticker on the back of the Explorer and a Braves hat on your head and bow down and thank God that you are free.
Free at last! Long live the South.
p.s. Go giants!
Soar!
Bill Shorey is a wonderful friend. I read an article on Bill a few years ago in the Columbus paper and knew immediately he was a kindred spirit, a rebel and a passionate follower of Christ. The very next week, I ran into him at Panera Bread with Cary Jones, introduced myself and invited him to lunch. Our friendship took off at that point. We've shared some great times over the past few years, have spent time in Colorado and now worship together.
Bill has a blog that is excellent. It was totally the inspiration for my blog and I even copied the theme of his site - enjoying the adventure - for mine "chasing the adventure". his is www.enjoyingtheadventure.blogspot.com. Read it. Bill's writing is God inspired. He is a poet. His writing is incredibly talented.
But...
Bill has a problem. As you'll read on his blog from today, he is challenging me. Bill is from Maine. He is a yankee through and through. He carries a thick new england accent. I love him for it. But he is waaaay too attached to his beloved Boston Red Sox. Last fall he was crowing about the Sox and how they were a team of destiny. Yeh, yeh, yeh, blah, blah, blah. Dumb me, I decided to rile him with a challenge that the Colorado Rockies would beat the Sox. This set him off like a roman candle. Needless to say, he won the bet and he has never let me forget it -- in fact, he addresses this on his blog today. Now, with his (all of a sudden?) beloved Boston Patriots at 17-0 and a day away from the super bowl, my man Bill is crowing again. As if I care! My wife just asked me who I wanted to win the Super Bowl and I said, "I really don't care but now, I want the Giants to win just to aggravate Bill".
Now he is already moving on past football to basketball and his "beloved" Celtics have the best record in the NBA and he is challenging me on the basketball. I don't know about you but I could give a rat's ___ about the NBA. Thug vs. Thug. Whoever wins the thing is still a Thug.
Christ came as the Great Liberator to set the captives free. Bill, by God's great Grace, you have been set free. You live in the South now my friend ... God's country. You've been set free of the land of your icy captivity. No more Soda Pop, no more "Yous guys", no more Kennedy-liberal NE politics ... no Bill, you have been liberated. God picked you out of that icy, bleak world and has dropped you into the land of lush lawns, tall pines, sweet tea, Auburn football, "yes ma'am", "y'all", fried chicken, country music and the Augusta azaleas of the Masters. You are free Bill. Embrace the South. Put a big AU sticker on the back of the Explorer and a Braves hat on your head and bow down and thank God that you are free.
Free at last! Long live the South.
p.s. Go giants!
Soar!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Fruit of the Spirit
I am in a Bible study on Thursday mornings at Trinity. We've had 3-4 years of great study and I've learned more details of the Bible - Moses, Jacob, Abraham, etc. - than I have in any other study i've been in. We are now going through the book The Fruit of the Spirit by John Sanderson. It is powerful.
In today's chapter, Sanderson says, "Satan's tactic is to give some people so light a case of Christianity that they will never get the real thing." That is what I want - I want the real thing. I want to go deep and stay there. I have only scratched the surface of a walk of faith and I am hungry for more.
Sanderson talks of weeds, artificial fruit and The Fruit of the Spirit and it nailed me...
The Weeds ---- hatred, sorrow, anxiety, strife, impatience, pride, evil, infidelity, self-seeking, lack of control
Artificial Fruit -- limited love, temporary joy, numbness, carelessness, laziness, insensitivity, manipulation by kindness, hypocrisy, half-heartedness, false modesty, choosing lesser gods
The Fruit of the Spirit --- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control
We all have weeds and they choke out growth but I'm OK with the weeds and think I've got them fairly well under control. At times I struggle with hatred, anxiety, pride, etc. but for the most part, this area is OK. But man, when I get to the artificial fruit, I am in trouble. I love but I limit it. I have joy - real, tangible, God-given joy but it is fleeting. I have peace at times but I spend a lot of time being numb. You get the picture.
I can't manufacture the Fruit of the Spirit - they are only God-given. If you ever know one to be at peace, joyful, patient, kind, good, etc. you'll know they are of God. When I do experience the Fruit, I am reminded it is only through God's grace that this fruit appears. My vine cannot produce good fruit. My sin would only produce bitter fruit but when some sweet, healthy fruit appears, praise the Lord, I know it came from the Master Gardener.
Some of my friends lead with "I'm just a rotten sinner saved by grace" - true. That is true. No matter how long we've been a Christian, that sin nature is in us and isn't leaving. We are rotten. And yet, Jesus talks about turning our heart from a heart of stone to one of flesh. Through Christ, real fruit can be produced. We are not doomed to weeds. Yes, we will stumble but that good heart is in us - that Good heart is Jesus and the Spirit. Seek Him, desire Him, look for Him and Live in Him. Truly Live. Live like you've never lived. Free. Free.
Soar!
I am in a Bible study on Thursday mornings at Trinity. We've had 3-4 years of great study and I've learned more details of the Bible - Moses, Jacob, Abraham, etc. - than I have in any other study i've been in. We are now going through the book The Fruit of the Spirit by John Sanderson. It is powerful.
In today's chapter, Sanderson says, "Satan's tactic is to give some people so light a case of Christianity that they will never get the real thing." That is what I want - I want the real thing. I want to go deep and stay there. I have only scratched the surface of a walk of faith and I am hungry for more.
Sanderson talks of weeds, artificial fruit and The Fruit of the Spirit and it nailed me...
The Weeds ---- hatred, sorrow, anxiety, strife, impatience, pride, evil, infidelity, self-seeking, lack of control
Artificial Fruit -- limited love, temporary joy, numbness, carelessness, laziness, insensitivity, manipulation by kindness, hypocrisy, half-heartedness, false modesty, choosing lesser gods
The Fruit of the Spirit --- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control
We all have weeds and they choke out growth but I'm OK with the weeds and think I've got them fairly well under control. At times I struggle with hatred, anxiety, pride, etc. but for the most part, this area is OK. But man, when I get to the artificial fruit, I am in trouble. I love but I limit it. I have joy - real, tangible, God-given joy but it is fleeting. I have peace at times but I spend a lot of time being numb. You get the picture.
I can't manufacture the Fruit of the Spirit - they are only God-given. If you ever know one to be at peace, joyful, patient, kind, good, etc. you'll know they are of God. When I do experience the Fruit, I am reminded it is only through God's grace that this fruit appears. My vine cannot produce good fruit. My sin would only produce bitter fruit but when some sweet, healthy fruit appears, praise the Lord, I know it came from the Master Gardener.
Some of my friends lead with "I'm just a rotten sinner saved by grace" - true. That is true. No matter how long we've been a Christian, that sin nature is in us and isn't leaving. We are rotten. And yet, Jesus talks about turning our heart from a heart of stone to one of flesh. Through Christ, real fruit can be produced. We are not doomed to weeds. Yes, we will stumble but that good heart is in us - that Good heart is Jesus and the Spirit. Seek Him, desire Him, look for Him and Live in Him. Truly Live. Live like you've never lived. Free. Free.
Soar!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Lesson from history
I was watching a new special on the Kennedy assassination and an important revelation appeared. The story talked about how paranoid Lyndon Johnson was after the assassination. Johnson had been told by the CIA that if the Russians were going to launch a nuclear attack, they would likely first assassinate the president and other key leaders of the country. So he was pretty shaky right off the bat. After he settled into office, he became concerned that the rise of communism across the globe was the real risk to America. Post the Kennedy killing (which he suspected was put in place by the Russians or Cubans), Johnson became convinced that America needed to strike out against communism somewhere to make a statement about Americas military might.
So the story said Johnson settled on Vietnam as the place to make a statement to the world in retaliation against the murder of Kennedy. The world had to know that the US wasn't going to accept the murder of their President and that the US was serious about containing communism. Of all the places on the map that would be the easiest place for a quick victory, Vietnam was the place. Or so he thought.
The similarities to today are striking.
Bush wakes up post 9/11 and realizes the greatest threat to America was the spread of radical Islam. In order to send a message to the world that the US wouldn't just take the 9/11 attacks, he felt compelled to strike somewhere. To make a statement to the world, the US needed a quick victory. Iraq was the easiest (so he thought) place on the map to win a quick war to show the world that the US was serious.
We'll see what the history books right about Bush but I suspect they will discover many similarities between the paranoid fear of Johnson and Bush. Both Texans led us into a war that they thought would be quickly won only to be bogged down in a political, military and economic quagmire that neither could escape.
Soar!
I was watching a new special on the Kennedy assassination and an important revelation appeared. The story talked about how paranoid Lyndon Johnson was after the assassination. Johnson had been told by the CIA that if the Russians were going to launch a nuclear attack, they would likely first assassinate the president and other key leaders of the country. So he was pretty shaky right off the bat. After he settled into office, he became concerned that the rise of communism across the globe was the real risk to America. Post the Kennedy killing (which he suspected was put in place by the Russians or Cubans), Johnson became convinced that America needed to strike out against communism somewhere to make a statement about Americas military might.
So the story said Johnson settled on Vietnam as the place to make a statement to the world in retaliation against the murder of Kennedy. The world had to know that the US wasn't going to accept the murder of their President and that the US was serious about containing communism. Of all the places on the map that would be the easiest place for a quick victory, Vietnam was the place. Or so he thought.
The similarities to today are striking.
Bush wakes up post 9/11 and realizes the greatest threat to America was the spread of radical Islam. In order to send a message to the world that the US wouldn't just take the 9/11 attacks, he felt compelled to strike somewhere. To make a statement to the world, the US needed a quick victory. Iraq was the easiest (so he thought) place on the map to win a quick war to show the world that the US was serious.
We'll see what the history books right about Bush but I suspect they will discover many similarities between the paranoid fear of Johnson and Bush. Both Texans led us into a war that they thought would be quickly won only to be bogged down in a political, military and economic quagmire that neither could escape.
Soar!
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