Trippin'

Days 8, 9, and 10

2011-09-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Cheney Lake

View of Anchorage from Flattop Mountain

View of the Kachemak Bay from the Homer Overlook

Jesse Elmore with his Halibut

Irish Lord Fish

Portage Glacier and Lake Below

Friday in Girdwood was probably the best day of all in terms of weather. The sun was shining and lots of blue sky. I left my little rented chalet and drove to Anchorage to meet with Jesse for our trip back down the Kenai Peninsula. I was able to take some pictures around Anchorage and got some especially good shots around a park with a lake in it called Cheney Lake. Autumn has already arrived in Alaska and the leaves are beginning to change colors. The locals are dreading another long winter but it is inevitable. They will probably have their first snow within the next 2-3 weeks (around the first of October) and it will not melt until around the first of May. That is a long time with snow! Jesse and I headed down the Seward Highway and spent the night with his parents. When we arrived Jesse's dad and brother (Mike) were making final preparations to leave on a moose and bear hunting trip up in the Tok area (east - central Alaska). It took them about 10 hours to get to their hunting grounds and they plan to stay there for 2 weeks. On Saturday morning, we wished them luck and watched them pull away in a big Ford F350 diesel pulling an 20+ foot trailer with two 8 wheeled ATV's in which they would drive the last 15 miles back off of the road to their camp. Talk about remote!! After waving goodbye, Jesse and I headed south to his Uncle Dave's house where we helped him hook his boat and trailer to his truck and continued south to Homer, Alaska. Homer is on the southern-most tip of the peninsula on the Kachemak Bay. Another absolutely stunning scene unfolded as we pulled off at the overlook and saw the little town and the bay and the mountains all around. The pictures just cannot do it justice. After buying bait and preparing the boat, we launched and headed out in the bay looking for the famous Alaskan halibut. Halibut are bottom dwellers and are known to frequent the depths. It is not unusual to fish for them in 100 - 300 feet of water or more. A simple hunk of herring on a huge hook taken to the bottom by a pound of lead was the rig. Fishing was slow. Dave was not a fishing guide but fished a lot. He said we would just have to try different spots until we found the fish. We caught little, in fact Jesse, my gracious host was the only person to boat fish. He reeled up one decent sized halibut but also caught 2 sharks and an Irish Lord fish (see my pictures - it is the ugly one with the big mouth). I caught nothing but felt lots of bites and nibbles. It was still a magnificent trip. I hope to have the opportunity to do it again. We spent the night at the Elmores and went to church with them on Sunday morning before Jesse and I headed back to Anchorage. On the way to Anchorage we stopped by the Portage Glacier for some photo ops. There were still huge hunks of ice in the lake at the foot of the glacier. We also spotted a bunch of spawned out salmon in a stream nearby. The fish are just in the last hours of life after expending their energy swimming upstream to spawn. Once the task is complete they die. Many had already done so making the area reek of dead fish. Still, it was cool to see! Sunday night we cooked some of the halibut (my absolute favorite fish to eat!) Monday morning we got up and ate at Snow City Cafe. It was a wonderful breakfast place. I had eggs benedict over salmon cakes. It was real good! As I write this I am waiting to go to the airport to board my plane and head back home. I dread the long overnight flight but am really looking forward to seeing my family again. The Alaskan Adventure was wonderful but cannot compare to one hug from Lenore, Anna and Lizzy. There is nothing better than that! I can't wait to see Sam later this month too. I really miss that boy! Thank you for reading my blog and keeping up with my adventure. Thanks also to the Northeast Church of Christ whose elders and members made this possible by granting me the opportunity to make this happen. I can't imagine working for a better group of people!

Day 7 - In Alaska

2011-09-09T00:52:00.000-07:00

The rain finally gave up today. It was a very nice sunny day with temperatures in the 60's. The day started out with writing but I was anxious to get out and see the sights. I was able to ride the tram today that goes from the Alyeska Ski Resort here in Girdwood to the top of the mountain. My chalet is in the lower level of a couple's home. The lady of the house, Laura works at the Resort and was kind enough to get me an employee's ticket to ride the tram (Thank you Laura!). The sights were breath taking (as was the hike on up to the top of the mountain!). I was able to take some great pictures of the mountains surrounding Girdwood and the Turnagain arm. Some of the mountains had snow covered peaks already. They will start getting regular snow here soon. When I came 'down from the mountain' I was thrilled to catch a little of the first NFL game of the season. The Packers beat the Saints. I didn't get to see much of it but it is good to be in football season again. I had to leave because I had dinner plans to eat with Roger and Erin Full. The Fulls moved to Anchorage from Cincinnati 6 years ago. Since then they have added Levi, now an active, outgoing, precious little 2 year old boy. We had pizza and caught up on each other's life. It was really great to see them. On the way back to Girdwood from their house I saw my first moose! It was so exciting! I saw him in a little field off of the highway. I did a turn around as quickly as possible and pulled into a little parking area near where the moose was. I was able to take several pictures of the young bull and a video of him raking a little tree with his (relatively) small horns. After leaving him I also saw a wild sheep on the side of a sheer cliff over the road. There was a place to pull off near it as well. I got some pictures and moved on. When I turned onto the road leading up into Girdwood, I saw several cars stopped at the side of the road. As I began to pass I saw what had happened. One of the cars had hit a young moose. It was lying in the road, trying to get up but its broken legs would not allow it. The mother moose was standing there by it as if to try to help. The car only had minor damage and the man driving was not injured - a lucky thing because alot of drivers are killed in moose-car accidents. Moose are just the right (wrong?) height that when a car hits their legs they fall into the windshield often killing a driver. He asked me to call the authorities which I did. A crowd assembled but the female moose stayed right by her stricken young. The young moose was able to drag itself off of the road in a scene that could only be described as horrible and pitiful. Eventually, a state trooper came to make a report for the driver and call charities to come and get the moose. Charities process the animal and supply the meat to food banks and homeless shelters. It was amazing to be so close to those massive animals. God's creation continues to amaze! Tomorrow I plan to go with Jesse Elmore back down to Kenai. We hope to do some fishing along the way and then go to Homer and go after halibut in the ocean on Saturday. Should be fun!

Day 6 In Alaska

2011-09-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

It was another rainy day. I guess God really did want me to get some writing done. I worked on a chapter of my book throughout the morning and made some progress. Writing for me is slow work but rewarding. I am looking forward to hearing what some of you think of it when you read it. It is rough right now but I believe there is value in it. I wrote into the afternoon hours and finally decided to get ready and drive to Anchorage for food. While on the way I called Rachel Elmore and she and her husband invited me over for dinner. Taco Salad never tasted better than at Rachel and Jesse's with moose burger for the meat! We then went out for some ice cream before returning to Girdwood. I still hope for better weather soon. Tomorrow night I have plans to eat with Roger and Erin Full, former members at Northeast who moved to Anchorage several years ago. I look forward to seeing what they have been up to! More news tomorrow.

Day 5

2011-09-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

The word of the day was RAIN. It has rained all day and rained hard. The little stream near the house where I am staying is swelling. I decided today would be a good day to get some writing done. So I spent most of the morning working on my book. I was able to finish chapter two and come up with some good ideas for chapter 3. I am posting the finished chapters on a website associated with the Windows Live family of internet services called Skydrive. I will let you know how you can get to them when I figure it out. I ate and then decided to go out and brave the rain and see what I could find. I took a drive up a near by road called Crow Creek Road. There is an old mine up there that I thought might be interesting. It was a very bad road with lots of pot holes but I could see that there were a lot of trails that went off of the road. One trail was relatively short (about 1.8 miles) and had a hand tram that crossed a gorge. I thought that might make for some good pictures so I braved a fairly heavy rain and took off down the trail. The trail was muddy, exeedingly so in some places but others had made their way before me and found ways around the worst of it. I slipped and slid down to the edge of the gorge where I could hear the roaring of water below. I made my way down the trail to the tram. Once there I saw the first and only people I saw on the trail the whole time. Three adventurous young people had jogged down from the other side of the gorge to try the tram as well. After they finished I had my time. The tram carriage was a steel mesh cage suspended from a heavy cable that stretched between two terminals. A heavy rope was stretched between the terminals as well and looped around a series of pulleys so that one length went high over the carrier and one lower one passed right through the carriage. You moved between the two terminals by pulling the rope which moved the carriage in the direction you were pulling. The pull was heavy and I admit having to take several breaks - mostly on the way back - to catch my breath and rest my aching muscles (yes, I said aching not aging!). After taking some pictures from high above the raging, rain swollen stream below, I returned the tram and and made my way along the muddy trail (uphill this time) back to the car. I drove part of the way toward the Portage Glacier but realizing that the rain was getting worse and visibility was near zero, I decided to turn around and call it a night. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day for weather and pictures. Maybe I'll catch a fish? I plan to finish another chapter tomorrow as well. Check back then!

Day 4

2011-09-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

Today was another rainy one. The wet stuff fell off and on all day. But it was still a great day. I started off by checking the creek that runs through Girdwood - Glacier Creek - to see if it was fishable. It was! I actually saw a trout at the side of the stream. It wanted nothing to do with the spinner I tried to get beside it but it was definitely there. I only fished a short time there, caught nothing and got very wet in so doing. So I decided to go to Anchorage to get some food for my dinners. I stopped by Walmart and a sporting goods store to pick up some things for fishing. While in Anchorage, Rachel Elmore called and asked me if I wanted to go with her and Jesse to the Alaska State fair. I couldn't turn that opportunity down. The fair is in a town about 40 miles north of Anchorage. It was no larger than the Fairfield County fair I grew up going to in Ohio but it was engaging. I snacked on some salmon quesadillas and Rachel and Jesse found Reindeer hot dogs. Food is always the best thing at the fair. We also saw a logging show. It was entertaining but what was interesting is that the lady who was the emcee was Tina from Survivor Panama. I thought she looked familiar but never would have made the connection. On my way back to Girdwood I stopped at Bird Creek. It is a much smaller water way than the Kenai River but still similar in make up and color and very swift. The water was very murky and I caught nothing. I met to locals as they walked downstream toward the mouth of the river. They advised me not to waste my time walking on upstream, they had been there and caught nothing and they encountered rough conditions. Their language was a bit salty but they were nice so I took their advice. I put the fishing rod up and decided to make the hike up to the top of Bird Ridge. The trail was rated moderate to difficult so I was not sure that I would make it to the top before turning back but I did. There were some panoramic views of the Turnagain Arm and the mountains that surround it. Of course the pictures can't do it justice but you will get the idea. I'm sure it would have been even more beautiful on a clear, sunny day but that was not to be. I am not yet sure what I am going to do tomorrow. I'm in improvising mode for sure. Enjoy the pictures.

Days 2 and 3

2011-09-04T23:55:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - Started out early. Due to my lack of adjustment to the time zone, I woke up at 5:17am. That is 9:17am back home but here the sun didn't come up for about another hour. I was able to do my quiet time and do some reading on my book. I edited a little on what was already written but nothing significant as far as new progress yet. When I turned on my TV to get some news, I was thrilled to see that ESPN was carrying the Ohio State v. Akron game. It was the first of many firsts for me on this trip but I have never watched football at 8:00am before. I was also happy to see that the Buckeyes put to rest some of my fears for the team this year. They beat a team they were supposed to beat for sure but they did so with some authority. I was impressed with some of the new players. I truly wish them the best. Jesse Elmore came near the end of the game and we left for the Kenai Peninsula. The mountains of Alaska are truly remarkable and the scenes on the drive south were outstanding. It was an overcast day and the clouds hung in the mountains making photography difficult. I plan to make that drive again on another day and I hope for some better opporunities. Jesse and I stopped in a little town called Soldotna for some supplies and then to his dad's house for a boat. The Bill Elmore house is a veritable paradise for boys. He and his wife Teresa raised four boys in Alaska teaching them to hunt and fish like a local. His house is home to numerous vehicles, snow mobiles, ATV's, and campers. The decor of the home is 'hunting lodge' like. I loved it but know that Teresa Elmore must be one remarkable woman. Jesse and I got the boat and took it a ramp on the Kenai river. The lower Kenai is broad with pines and birch lining both banks of the river. The water was greenish and swift. The water was ice cold. It flows from moutain rains and glacier run off so you can imagine it would be. We were fishing for silver salmon as they are called here in Alaska. They are known as coho salmon in other places. The rig we used was a large weight with an 18 inch leader trailing from it. The leader had a chartreuse spinner that could slide up and down between the hook and the weight. The large hook was tipped with an egg sac which was a bright yellow thin mesh square packed with fish eggs (very stinky!), gathered at the top and then impaled on the hook. The hook had a loop of line that could be drawn tight around the sac to hold it firmly to the hook. The rig was cast from the rear of the anchored boat and left to spin in the current. Ideally, fish swimming upstream would smell the eggs and be drawn to the brightly colored bait. We had some nibbles and strikes but caught nothing. We only saw one boat catch a couple of fish. I would have loved to known what they were using but could not see. I was able to photograph some eagles, both Bald and Golden, feeding along the stream. We also saw some caribou in a marshy area near where we put the boat in and I took pictures of them as well. We spent the night at Bill and Teresa's house. Dinner was great and the hospitality was terrific!

Day 3 - Sunday began as all of my Sundays begin with church services. We attended services at the Soldotna Church of Christ. You never know what you are going to find in small town Churches of Christ. They can be close loving healthy congregations full of passion for growth both spiritual and numerical but it can also be a bastion of sectarian mire bound up in ferreting out anyone who disagrees with them. Refreshingly, Soldonta was much more like the former. They had a loving spirit and a heart for people. The minister there, Tony Cloud, is an African American minister working with a nearly all white congregation. Not an arrangement I have ever seen though I am sure it exists in other places. Tony seems to do a great job of preaching and teaching and spreading God's love. For lunch after church we had moose! It was awesome. I have never eaten moose before. The lean meat was dark and only slightly gamey but with great flavor and tender throughout. Jesse drove me back to Girdwood after lunch but we do have plans to return to Kenai next Saturday. We hope to go to Homer and go fishing for Halibut on a boat his uncle owns. Pray for good weather so we can make that happen.

The Great Alaska Adventure Begins

2011-09-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Day 1 - I'm calling this day 1 because yesterday was a travel day. After a long day and long flight, I had a meal with Rachel Elmore and got checked into my lodging in Girdwood. I stayed up as late as I could which was only 9:00 here. It was still light out. Of course at home it was 1:00am and I had gotten up at 5:30am. I slept as long as I could but the clock only read 5:15am when I could sleep no longer. I had quiet time, made coffee and worked a little on my book. Hopefully, I'll have much more to say about that later. Then I was thrilled to find that ESPN was carrying the Ohio State v. Akron game. Wow, football at 8:00am! Cool!! I have plans to go with Jesse Elmore and do some fishing later today. I did not have the chance to take pictures yet but I hope to soon.

My reflections on Alaska so far.
- Obviously it is beautiful. There are places where the mountains rise right up at the water's edge. The tide was going out in the Turnagain Arm as I made my way from Anchorage to Girdwood leaving a lot of mud and bare places but still it is beautiful.
- There is so much to see. I wanted to take a walk and take pictures today but I knew Jesse was coming and I needed to be ready. Still that allowed me to watch at least the first half of the Buckeyes game!
   - It has been overcast the whole time I have been here so I am wanting to take pictures when the sun is out. There will be so much to photograph! I can't wait to get started.
   - The fishing is reputed to be legendary here so I am real excited to get going with that as well.
   - It is expensive here! I went to a small grocery store here in Girdwood and bought 2 pounds of coffee (1 regular and 1 decaf), creamer, Splenda, and a 12 pack of diet 7-Up. I was astonished when the girl at checkout said, "That will be $43.31!" REALLY? Yep. All shopping will be done in Anchorage from here on.

So keep up with me. I don't know if I can blog again tonight but if I can, I will give a fishing report. Be watching!!

Brokenness

2011-02-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

Beauty
Peace
Happiness
Ice crystals form on the limbs and twigs of trees in a forest. A beatiful blue sky adds the back drop as the light from the sun makes the ice shimmer adding the appearance of movement, of welcome. Walking in a perfect blanket of virgin snow through a woodland of ice encrusted trees leads the imagination to picture a crystal palace that nature has built just for you.
Cool refreshing air in the lungs
Birds singing
A winter paradise

"For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands" Psalm 92:4

More freezing rain
Ice builds on burdened limbs
Drooping
Sagging
Breaking
Twigs, branches and trees lay broken on the snowy forest floor. Their jagged ends betray their violent demise. Once proud limbs carrying buds and leaves and fruit skyward are now litter on the once white snowy carpet. Once vibrant with life now icons of death, food for insects, marked for decay.

"They were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant but be afraid" Romans 11:20

Spring
Renewal
Decay enriches the soil
New life leaps from places where once decaying mounds of old trees and leaves lay. New trees and branches take the places of the old ones and carry buds and leaves and fruit skyward.
A creator smiles
Life from death
"It is good"

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11

A beautiful garden
Peaceful
Only love
Only happiness
A man and a woman wearing only the worth bestowed by intimacy with their creator. Walking daily with God. All needs lovingly met by His presence.
No sickness
No dying
No pain
God wipes away all tears.

"To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life"
Revelation 21:6

A serpent
A lie
A bite
Forbidden fruit shared. Realization of corruption, of sin, of betrayal. Shame felt for the first time. Awareness of nakedness, awareness of distance of a gulf between the man and woman and their creator. "Why are you hiding?", "The woman did it!" "The serpent did it!"
Rejection
Work
Pain
Hopelessness

"He will crush your head and you will strike His heel" Genesis 3:15

Shepherds in a field
A starry night
A light
An angel
A Savior?
A small stable. A small town. The creator of the universe, God, Yaweh enters flesh and then enters the world. Mary, Joseph, Could this be the one to save Israel, the one to save the world, to save all of mankind for all time? Ministry, miracles, kindness to the poor, confrontation to the self-righteous. Disciples, teaching, loving. A final supper, the washing of feet, a prayer in the garden. Betrayal, accusations, "Crucify him!". A hill, a cross, nails, screams, suspended between earth and sky. "Father, why have you forsaken me?", "It is finished." Death. Burial in a borrowed tomb.
A new dawn
A stone rolled away
"Why do you seek the living among the dead?"
He lives!!
Salvation to all who receive him.
A creator smiles
Life from death
"It is good!"

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

A young life
A night on the town
Friends all around
"What's this?" "Try it." "Just one won't hurt you." A drink, a smoke. Guilt, shame. More drinks, more smokes, "Here try this." More guilt, more shame but no turning back now. Parties, sex, new friends, new things to try, "It doesn't get any better than this!" Lies, deception, "who called the police?" Have you been drinking or taking drugs?" More lies, "Blow into this," "Fill this cup." Exposed, guilty, conviction, jail, probation. Parents broken'hearted, loved ones disappointed and angry, old friends surprised, talking, shaking their heads.
Worthless
Hopeless
Brokenness

"The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit...He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 34:18, 147:3

An old friend
A true friend
Late night discussions
"Come to Church with me." A sermon, a scripture, the words of Jesus "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." God loves you, God wants to forgive you, no matter what you've done. He died for you and promises heaven for those who will confess their sins and give themselves to Him. The gift of grace laid out inviting, forgiveness availed. A heart touched, tears flow, surrender. A silent prayer, "God, I can't do this alone. I need your forgiveness, I need you to put my life together again." Sins washed away in water, rejoicing. A fresh start with God at your side, awareness that even at your worst, he never left you. He was always there, loving, pleading, protecting and calling you home.
New life
Purpose
A destination
A creator smiles
Life from death
"It is good"

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me." Revelation 3:20

The Hard Part of Parenting Teens

2010-10-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

As a youth minister I have long observed parents as they navigate the swirling waters so typical of the teen years. Now that am the father of three teens, I can empathize more completely with the struggles of those having gone through this before me. Having studied teens for sometime, I was aware that there are two major shifts that tend to occur in the teen years. The first occurs early on in adolescence and is the shift from primarily being influenced by parents to the primary influence of friends. I thought that one would be harder than it was. I think primarily due to the fact that my kids all have had a great youth group and friends of faith, that transition was fairly smooth. There were sad days when the kids won't hold your hand in public and don't particularly want you around when they are with their friends but I got through it.
The second of those transitions is the one from dependence to independence that typically takes place the later teens. Teens typically seek to differentiate from their parents and want to make their own decisions. They no longer feel the need to seek parental guidance on things and want to renegotiate their rules and boundaries. This adjustment has been more difficult as my son is going through it. The questioning of family values and lack of interest in spending time with the family have created a natural but painful distance in our relationship. I understand it is as God has created it to be but it breaks my heart. I am still so proud of him that words are woefully inadequate to describe it. I love him dearly and I know the closeness will return but it will be different. I'll never again be able to walk with him wrapped around my leg or crawl on my hands and knees with him on my back but I am amazed at the man that little boy is becoming. I know God has big plans for him and I am thankful that his faith is one thing that he continues to embrace and allow to define him. He belongs to God and in my heart I know he always has. I know God will continue to refine him and mold him into a powerful force for good in this world and I have to back off and let him do that.
Still, letting go is tougher than I thought. There are many days when I would love to have that little boy back and see those eyes widen with excitement when I came home from being away. I love being a dad but I concur with others in saying that this adjustment is more challenging than others. I know however that God is working and what emerges from his handiwork is always a sight to behold. I look forward to seeing what God is doing.

Its Been a While

2010-10-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since I put my thoughts down on my blog. I'm going to try again to write something at least once per week. Your feedback is of course welcome.

A Letter to Senators and Representatives regarding the Marriage Penalty.

2010-02-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Dear ____________________

I am writing you regarding an issue that I believe to be of great moral and social import. It is obvious to me that the institution of marriage in our country is being challenged on a number of different fronts. With the social controversy around "gay marriage" and the recent trend of couples simply choosing to stay single, I am concerned that traditional marriage is being cast further and further to the cultural margins and may one day be a footnote on a page in a history text book.

What doesn't help is the fact that individuals in low income situations (such as those in inner city neighborhoods, seniors, the disabled and the mentally handicapped) who depend on government assistance continue to be placed in a moral quagmire by the marriage penalty that resides in the legal code of the SSI program. Couples are being forced to have to choose between living together without being married (which for many violates their faith and their conscience), giving up their home and dignity in order to afford to be married, or simply choose to stay single and not be able to experience the joys of being married. That especially for the poor, the senior and the mentally challenged who are people of faith is an unconscionable choice to have to make.

I am asking you to be a champion of those who should never have to make that choice. I am asking you to stand up for what is right and remove the marriage penalty from this program. Please don't let another person have to make the choice between moral conviction and financial solvency. Please take action now to make this happen. I know it is hard and the choices that will have to be made to pay for this change will be difficult and perhaps unpopular but doing what is right isn't always easy.

There was a scene in the recent movie "Valkyrie" where Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg stood before a firing squad for his part in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler but he stood tall know that while he was being executed for his actions, history would remember that he stood up for what was right. Now, no one will need to go to the firing squad for challenging the marriage penalty but there will no doubt be opposition. Just as von Stauffenberg decided to be a light in a very dark time, you can be that light for the underprivileged and physically and mentally handicapped all over our country. They are looking to you to do what is right.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Very Sincerely Yours,

Why Get Married? Pt. 2

2010-02-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

    There are a couple of problems that we as a community must address in order to strategically deal with this shift in the perception of marriage.

    The first issue is a rather political one. It has to do with the marriage penalty. In low income, senior and mentally handicapped communities where individuals are largely dependent on public assistance they are incentivised to stay single because if they choose to get married the government reduces their benefits. Their rationale of course is that when a married couple moves in together their expenses are reduced (eg. two rent payments and utilities down to one, etc...). That would be true if everyone getting married were relatively young, on their first marriage and with no financial complications in their lives. The fact is that is rarely the case.

     This is especially disturbing for the adult mentally handicapped population where their expenses do not go down when they are reside in assisted living facilities as many mentally challenged adults do. In one case I know personally, two mentally retarded adults wanted to be married but due to the marriage penalty would not be able to meet their expenses if they married legally. These two precious young people were dedicated to their faith and sincerely believed that it was wrong to have sex before they were married. Their parents were forced to make arrangements for them to be married in a private ceremony without the legal sanction of obtaining a marriage license. I would hope none of us would be too quick to judge what the parents did when we remember that the system especially in this case is inherently immoral. Our government is asking two young people stricken from birth with a life-devastating defect to make the choice between compromising their morals rooted in their Christian faith, giving up their home and dignity in order to afford to be married or staying single and not experience the simple joys of godly marriage. To be forced to make that choice is in my opinion unconscionable.

    I understand that reversing the marriage penalty is not going to magically erase the problems with marriage in our culture but I do think it is an opportunity for people of faith and conviction to stand up and demand that the government do the right thing for the sake of marriage. There is a letter contained in my blog that I would encourage you to copy and paste into a letter or e-mail from you to your senators and representatives. The URL’s for my blog and for information on how to contact your representatives are below.

Tim’s blog – http://timothyatripp.blogspot.com/
Senator/Rep. Info – www.senate.gov and www.house.gov

    In part three of this series we will discuss how to intentionally train young men and women to be committed to the concept of God’s design for family.

Why Get Married? (part 1)

2010-02-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

    A recent Cincinnati Enquirer article reported that there were fewer couples applying for marriage licenses in 2009 in the three Ohio counties making up the Cincinnati metropolitan area than in any year since the 1950’s. They also reported that this trend is very much in line with the national trend. The article then stated that the trend seemed to be for individuals choosing to either remain single or to live with their mate without being married.

    I believe there are several reasons people are choosing not to get married. First of all, I believe that culturally this trend away from traditional marriage is different from and potentially more dangerous than the experiment of the “free love” generation of the 1970’s. They wanted to live as they pleased without any “establishment” telling them what to do. This trend I think reflects a more fundamental paradigm shift primarily among men regarding relationships. Worldly men are thinking less and less of intimate relationships as a committed, long term, family building, offspring producing, legacy leaving venture and more as a temporary, fantasy embracing, almost completely selfish opportunity for sexual gratification. Men in our culture are more sex focused and sex addicted than ever in recent memory and women are complicit thinking that occasional, unsatisfying relationships are better than none at all.

     Entire segments of our young adult culture are beginning to look similar to certain Caribbean cultures and to low income, inner city and impoverished rural communities. In these cultures it is common for men to seldom enter into committed relationships and when they do, they seldom stay committed long. They take little to no responsibility for the children they produce. Childcare is often the responsibility of the mothers and grandparents (mostly grandmother) while the men go from one illicit relationship to another. This relational paradigm is springing up from impoverished communities right into middle-class America. From college campuses to dating websites to singles clubs this “hooking up” (a phrase often used to describe a primarily sexual relationship with little to no commitment) phenomenon threatens the concept of marriage and family to the core.

      Even more than our current divorce epidemic this relational paradigm seems poised to force children to grow up in homes where there is no father figure dooming them to almost certainly repeat that cycle when they move into their teen/young adult years. More about this in Why Get Married? (part 2)

DISASTER IN HAITI

2010-01-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

I have been watching with great interest the events that have been unfolding in Haiti. This is truly a tragedy of epic proportions. It is impossible to imagine what it is like to have 200,000 lives vanish in an instant. The loss of life and the loss of an entire way of living is just staggering. While things might one day be rebuilt even better than before (or so I hope), I think it is safe to say that things will never be the same.
One of the most difficult parts of this event has been the fact that we all feel helpless. If we could jump on a plane and go there many of us would. If we could bring people here to help them we would but we can’t. Every tear we see on TV and every person walking dazed through the street we would comfort if we only could. Yet there must be something we can do and of course there is.
1. We can pray. We are told, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Mt.21:22). When an event of this scope takes place we are reminded of just how small and fragile we are. It was a normal shifting movement of the earth yet with such devastating results. We can however see that God is big and that He is able to grasp the scope of this and he can bring hope and benefit from the tragedy and loss. Pray that God will be with the survivors of the earthquake, that He will heal the injured and meet the needs of the homeless poor there. Pray that he will be with those in authority to get aid to the needy and to begin to position themselves for meaningful recovery. Pray that God will work through the Christian missionaries and doctors and nurses that the light of Jesus will be seen in then.
2. We can contribute. Hopefully you have already considered what you can do to help the people there begin to turn their lives around. It is going to take a tremendous amount of money and resources to rebuild Port-au-Prince and it seems like our gift will make little difference but that is not true. Not only will our contributions make a difference but when channeled through organizations such as Hope for Haiti’s Children, Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team, Matthew 25 Ministries and other Christian organizations, the people there will see God reaching to them through the church. The potential for good there is literally impossible to calculate.
Ultimately I believe that the losses will be mourned, buildings will be rebuilt and scarred lives will move forward. We have the opportunity to help people remember that amidst the chaos, they saw Jesus in his church.

GOOD NEWS!

2009-12-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a while since I have written in my blog. I intend to do better in the future. I wanted to share an article I wrote for our church bulletin this week. I hope you enjoy it.

GOOD NEWS!

If I had to choose one Christmas Carol as a favorite, I think I would choose “Silent Night” by Joseph Mohr. Mohr was a Roman Catholic priest and served a parish high in the Alps near Salzburg, Germany in the late 1800’s. He felt that there needed to be more hymns to celebrate the Christmas season. He wrote this and taught it to a friend and they taught it to the congregation in their little village. They never intended the song to be known outside of the little mountain village. However, an organ repairman came through to do some maintenance on the church organ and heard the song being sung. Intrigued he copied the words and music and shared it with others in the places he worked. The popularity of the song spread quickly and has now been translated from its original German into every major language in the world.
I especially like the second verse of the song which reads:

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!

Luke tells us (Luke 2:10) that the angel who appeared to the shepherds said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” The word translated ‘good news’ in the passage is the Greek word ‘evangelidzo’ from which we take our word evangelism. They had no idea how good was this good news. The prophet Isaiah said of this child born in the City of David that “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
That continues to be good news. This is the time of year Christians of all denominations and genres remember the incredible mission of that little one lying in a manger. Our hearts are touched by the suffering he must endure. Our lives are changed by the fact that he did.
Too often we see evangelism as convincing people of the accuracy our belief system when really like the angels, all Christians have ever been asked to do is shine God’s glory to earth and point to what He has done.
Let the miracle of His birth, the fact of His sacrifice and the completeness of His grace and love do the work of changing hearts and lives. That was then, is now and forever will be the good news.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LENORE!

2009-07-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

Dating was never my strong suit. Lets just say, "I was no heart throb.” What can I say? I was raised in a family of boys… with the exception of my poor mother who continually apologizes to my wife and my sisters in law saying, “I really tried hard to civilize them but it didn’t work.” When I was in my late teens I still would rather have baled hay than “sit and talk” even with a young lady I found to be attractive. I hated it when girls called just to talk and would find excuses to hang up as soon as possible. I had a handful of guy friends with whom I made it a point to plan fishing trips during school dances.

At church camp there was always pressure to impress the girls so that you didn’t look like a chump at the end of the week by going to the banquet alone. My style of impressing the girls was to throw dead snakes into their cabin and laugh hysterically when the predictable screaming commenced. I gave my friends wedgies when they were “putting the moves” on prospective banquet dates and teased them for talking to girls when they should be playing tackle football. One unfortunate girl who went to the banquet with me left in tears when I sang to her. My singing was fine it was just that I sang Lionel Richie’s “You’re Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady” while expanding my hands out from my waist. She wasn’t fat but she didn’t understand that I was joking. I didn’t get it then and had to roast a wiener by the bonfire alone. I think I understand now.

I improved marginally in college. Instead of snakes, I threw water balloons into dorm rooms. I was the cafeteria champ for wadding up napkins and throwing them at an unsuspecting female from whom I was hoping to garner some attention. I got really good and could hit a girl clear across the room. I don’t guess it ever dawned on me that a paper napkin careening off of your forehead and into your mashed potatoes might not be a turn on. Then again, I’m not sure I cared. If she didn’t go out with me it just freed up a Friday night for fishing. There were a few girls that tried to put up with me but after a few dates of wading in the creek and going to the library to read hunting magazines, they invariably lost interest.

But as for most of us guys there was one girl who was different. I prefer to believe that she saw a diamond in the rough (and there was a lot of rough) and persevered to find it. She put up with the water balloons, snowballs and wadded up napkins. She rolled her eyes at the impressive burps and sat by me on the shore while fishing. She even gave hunting and golf a try; both of which produced stories that are funny but I won’t go into here. She laughed at most of my jokes and cried when I tricked her into touching a vending machine that had a short in it so that when touched produced a mild but painful electric shock. I still feel bad about that one.

Saturday, July 25th will mark 22 years of her patience. The city girl having to refine the country boy a bit but every day being worth it. Thank you Lenore for hanging in there. I love you.

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

2009-07-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

The media coverage for the Michael Jackson funeral has been nothing short of intense. It is impossible to watch or listen to a news broadcast in recent days without hearing someone comment on some area of minutia revolving around his life or his death or the battle for his children and his sizeable estate. I am confident that it will go on for some time. Soon there will be Michael Jackson sightings, conspiracy theories, and of course the army of impersonators who will dishonor his memory with poor singing and dancing.
While I would never call myself a Michael Jackson fan I couldn’t help but be impressed by his talent. There was no one who could bring a song to life and infuse the level of energy into it like he could. When the “Thriller” video came out I was not a video watcher but I couldn’t help but watch the amazing precision and energy in that work. It must still rank among the greatest music videos ever made.
There were several of his songs that were memorable but there is one I noticed on the list of his greatest hits that I believed had spiritual applications. The song, “Man in the Mirror,” was written to highlight the plight of the homeless. In it Jackson underscores a key to change that has Biblical roots and impressive insight. The song speaks of ‘making the world a better place by looking at yourself and making a change.’
Remember these lyrics?
As I turned up the collar on
A favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin' my mind
I see the kids in the street
With not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer's disregard
A broken bottle top
And a one man's soul
They follow each other
On the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change, yey
(Album – Bad, 1987; Songwriters: Ballard, Glen; Garrett, Siedah)
Whether we want to change the world, the church or our families, the place to start is now and has always been with the ‘man in the mirror.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have recently been reminded of my fascination with Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was just a teenager when she was told that she would soon be expecting. Even though that news came from an angel, it must have been troubling.

“How can this be since I am a virgin?” Mary asks.

She’s not asking for just the biological mechanics of how she is to become pregnant. She is also thinking of the social stigma that came with ‘out of wedlock’ pregnancy. It was socially unacceptable to say the least. She was thinking of the looks she would receive from the other women in town and the words she would hear from the priests at the temple and the disappointment from her parents not to mention Joseph…what would Joseph think?

Yet after all is explained and the weight of it is on her shoulders, her words reveal the depth of her faith and trust in God as she says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38)

The years after that are filled with adventure as she gives birth to the Son of God (try to put yourself in her sandals and wrap your brain around that) in a barn.

Think of the terror of losing him after a family trip to Jerusalem. (Luke 2:42-49)

Think of how cool it was to ask him for a miracle at a friend’s wedding knowing (how did she know??) he would come through. (John 2:1-10)

See her concern as she races to him when she hears a rumor that he has lost his mind. (Mark 3:31-34)

Imagine her pride swelling, as do the numbers of the crowds that gather as they witness the jaws drop at his teaching and his miracles.

Feel her rage at those who falsely accuse him.

Sense her disgust at those who cry, “Crucify him”

Imagine her utter brokenness when they do.

There can be no doubt that the broken figure standing beneath the cross with John has been and will always be his number one fan on earth.

Moms have a way of lifting us up even in our darkest days. My mom has always been my biggest fan. She was always there: at my concerts, my graduations, expressing pride at my accomplishments and sharing sorrow at my setbacks. No matter how dark the road ahead, my mom is always at my side, proud to be there just because it is me.

Moms are that way. Be sure to take some time this weekend to express your appreciation to your biggest fan.

A Foundation for Strong Christian Families

2009-04-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

I Corinthians 3:11

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Any builder knows that the key to building a dependable structure is a solid foundation. Months of planning go into effect for just that part of the building. Earth moving, soil sampling and precise digging take place well before the first cement truck arrives. As the foundation goes, so goes the building.
I submit to you that a solid foundation is the key to a great Christian family as well. Here are three components of a solid foundation for every family.

Component #1 – A Firm Grounding in Faith – Any Christian family must be solidly committed to their faith in Jesus Christ. Parents must have a faith that shows itself in obvious fruits of the Spirit. Parents should strive to be together in their faith and discuss and work out areas where they may see things differently. Unity in the home around issues of faith is crucial.

Component #2 – A Strong Parental Marriage – The strength of the parents’ marriage is a reliable indicator for the adaptability of a child for adulthood. Kids who come from homes with strong marriages are well positioned to navigate their way in the world. Children from homes with good marriages are also far more likely to adhere to parents’ values and faith.

Component #3 – A Collaborative Parenting Style – Parents who agree on basic values and who work together to set rules and boundaries give their children a predictable world and an environment where they can feel loved, accepted and valued despite the conflicting messages they receive from the world.

To some these components come easily. Usually those to whom they come easily are those who come from families that exhibited those characteristics. Conversely, those who struggle with one or all of them probably came from a home where one or more of these characteristics are not present. None of us had all of these perfectly and to whatever degree we were blessed with them, we owe it to our children to put forth the effort to improve. There are many opportunities here at Northeast and beyond for even healthy families to improve. Bible classes, marriage and parenting seminars, marriage mentoring and counseling opportunities are just some of the tools before us to give the gift of a strong faith family to our children and then ask them to pass the gift down to the generations after them.
Upon which component can you improve? Look today for opportunities to make that happen. Your families will thank you for building a strong family of faith.

Note to Self: Don't Mess with a Chimp

2009-02-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

I have been following the news story about the chimpanzee that attacked a woman and nearly killed her the other day. They had an animal expert on GMA this morning who said that he would rather tangle with a lion or gator than he would a chimp. I just never thought of them that way. This thing evidently disfigured this woman's face to the point that she will never look the same again. He also mangled her hands so bad that one or both may need to be amputated. I would have never thought a monkey could do such damage. I will certainly be more respectful of monkeys in the future.

I wonder how the evolutionists would explain this? Is that monkey evolving? Into what? Perhaps our violent tendencies come from those ancestors? Or maybe God made them to act like wild animals. Some might say, " Well, humans act like that too." Fair enough but the animal expert today said this behavior is normal for a chimp. Hmmm?

All Men Are Created Equal

2009-01-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

I am writing this on Monday, January 19th, the day before a major milestone is planted firmly along the path of U.S. history. When Barack Obama takes the oath of office, it will in the minds of many be the beginning of a new era for our country. It will strengthen our resolve around a truth formed by God, affirmed by the Declaration of Independence, inspired the passion of a man like Abraham Lincoln, and served as a foundation for a major movement in our country. That truth is "all men are created equal."

It is interesting that the phrase is credited to Thomas Jefferson. The phrase, lifted out of the beginning sentence in our Declaration of Independence was written to respond to the concept of the "Divine Right of Kings" wherein the King of England claimed to be God's representative on earth and what he said and did was to be seen as a directed by God himself. In other words, questioning the king would be considered the same as questioning God and that would not be tolerated. It is easy to see why a leader of a nation on the brink of rebellion against such authority would begin his document by saying in essence, "the king is just a man like the rest of us." How ironic is it to think that he might have penned these words while a black slave swept the floor around his feet and another brought him tea, while another lit the fire over which she would cook his dinner?

History is full of irony but now we see and attach an additional meaning to that phrase. We no longer have a despotic king breathing threats of military occupation for our non-compliance. Now we are mourning a grievous contempt for human rights that once existed among us. We are healing from wounds inflicted by a culture addicted to conquest and greed that was by no means unique to a pre-Revolutionary America but had been in existence in some form for millennia prior to the first slaves arriving in the "New World." These wounds have been further infected by attitudes of racism, and hatred of those whose only offense is a few shades of difference in skin color.

While I may not agree with many of Barack Obama's political positions on the issues, I can hope that with his administration comes continued healing. I hope that his presidency will provide a balm for memories of black children looking through the fences of "whites only" playgrounds. I hope that his presidency will heal the injuries inflicted by phrases like, "we don't serve your kind here" and "you need to sit in the back of the bus."

I pray that those attitudes become more and more a bad memory from our past and that all races comprising these United States will go forth from this inauguration with a renewed sense of unity and purpose. I pray that we will take to heart the God given truth that "all men are created equal" and that this phrase will form within each of us a passion for working together to make our communities our churches, our workplaces and our nation the united around that truth.

The National Championship

2009-01-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

This bowl season was altogether disappointing to me. Being a fan of THE Ohio State Buckeyes it was tough to watch their struggles and their loss in the Fiesta Bowl v. Texas. I was disappointed that Utah beat Alabama. I was disappointed that Va. Tech beat U.C. and I was disappointed that Florida beat Oklahoma. I was also disappointed that the Big Ten won only one of seven bowl games in which they played. I hope that those in control of the Big Ten Conference will stop ignoring the fact that we are on a downward skid and do something about it. We need another team in the conference (West Virginia, Notre Dame?) and we need a Big Ten Championship game. While we are making changes, lets go ahead and change the name cuz we are neither big (for the last few years especially) nor are we 10. There are 3 teams in the conference that perinnially have a shot at making the big dance. A few of the others might have a shot once every 5 years or so and the rest might be a top 10 finisher once every 25 years or so. While every conference has their weak spots, I can't think of another major conference with so little competition for the top teams (PAC 10 perhaps). Is it any wonder that the SEC and Big 12 do so well? They have quality opponents week in and week out. By the time bowl season rolls around they have played in several tough games and had to make big plays to win. Neither one will have a 60 plus day waiting period between their last regular season game and their bowl game. I don't care if it means another loss or two for my team in struggling years if it also means that we can be ready to play quality oponents when the time comes.

All of this is fairly moot of course until we get a national college football tournament. This year could have seen Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Utah, USC, Penn State and one other (U of Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, TCU, Ohio State?). Could Utah have been the David among giants? Might U.C. have had a surprise win? Could Alabama have redeemed themselves for the SEC Championship loss if they were actually playing for something? My guess is that USC would have been the champion this year and not Florida. We will never know. And that is sad.

The one good thing I take from this year is the satisfaction that Michigan really does stink. Although for the sake of the Big Ten they can stop playing like Jr. High girls any time now. O.K. that felt good.

Compassion for the Needy

2009-01-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

There are so many endearing qualities that draw us to the person Jesus was while here on earth but one quality you can’t miss about him as you read through the gospels is his compassion.

I sometimes imagine Jesus as he walked through a town. People were excited to have him in their midst. They were awed at his miracles and deeply impressed with his teaching. People were clamoring to be around him. The city officials and the influential no doubt often approached him to rub elbows with the popular rabbi. They invited him to dinners and came to talk with him because they could. How frustrated they must have been when the attention they sought from him and possibly felt they deserved was interrupted by the pleas of the poor, the sinful, the sick or the handicapped of the town. It is so interesting that the attention of God in the flesh was so easily distracted from the powerful and influential by the cries of the hurting.

A perfect illustration of this is found in Luke 8:40-56. Jesus had been summoned by Jairus, a powerful Jew in town; a ruler of the synagogue with the authority to say who can or can’t worship at the synagogue (see: Jn. 9:22). As he is hurrying to save this man’s dying daughter, a woman with serious and personal health problems approaches trying to stay below the radar and touches the edge of his garment. Jesus stops with the synagogue ruler’s daughter hanging in the balance, and engages this woman in conversation praising her faith for making her whole. You get the sense that Jesus’ disciples are caught up in the urgency of Jairus’ crisis and are surprised and even frustrated with his taking time for this seemingly insignificant woman.

The message is clear and repeated time and again. Zaccheus in the tree, Bartimeus’s appeal from the alley, lepers shouting from afar, a weeping sinful woman, and a poor woman with two small coins capture the fascination of the creator of the universe and incite him to action.

If we are to be Jesus to our world there is no way that opportunities to help the downtrodden can be ignored. As we work to have his eyes we will find them fixed on the needy with a heart to help.

At Northeast, we are preparing to undertake an effort to help the needy in a way that we have never done before. We will join a local effort to reach out to the homeless in our community so that we can be the healing hands of Jesus to some grateful people. We will never be Jesus to the world until they see his compassion living in us.

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-12T09:58:00.001-08:00

My wife and I come from varied backgrounds. We are similar where it counts but there are some things we will never see eye to eye on. Movies, olives, and eating meat obtained from hunting are things we have just decided to agree to disagree on. Another of those battles is more applicable to the Christmas season. It revolves around the question of the best way to open Christmas gifts on Christmas morning. I will give you two scenarios and not tell you who prefers which way. Then you vote for which way you think is best. Here we go.

Christmas gift opening style #1.
Gifts are sorted, usually be a younger member of the family and deposited in a neat pile near the person whose name they bear. Once the gifts are piled the patriarch (or matriarch) of the family gives the "go" signal and everyone tears into their gift pile devouring each of those precious packages in seconds being sure to shout a brief but heartfelt thank you to the gift giver before going to the next morsel. It is all over with in about 3.5 minutes including thank you's and the obligatory large plastic bag bursting from the wrapping paper and packaging stuffed inside during the clean-up. Then you process the bounty with each other over sticky buns, egg cassarole and coffee.

Christmas gift opening style #2
In a seemingly similar beginning, younger members of the family sort gifts from under the tree depositing the gifts in a neat pile near the one whose name it bears. Everyone sits in a circle, adults with coffee or some warm beverage and kids anxiously awaiting the carnage of torn wrapping paper. Then an "opening order" is established. The order usually goes from youngest to oldest. The youngest is quietly given permission to open one gift - and only one. The wrapping paper is removed while onlookers giggle and poke fun at any difficulty in unwrapping the gift. "Just rip it" someone usually says and then one uncle is usually reminded that "rip it" refers to the wrapping paper not his intestinal issues. After the one gift is revealed the youth is reminded to thank the gift giver and then is asked to sit and wait next to a pile of beautifully wrapped gifts with his or her name on them and slapped by a caregiver if he or she even looks like they might open a gift out of turn. The next youngest then does the same, unwrapping one - and only one - gift while everyone pokes fun and then "oohs and ahs" over the coloring book and crayons they got (like anyone really cares). This goes on until everyone in the circle has opened one - and only one - gift. At that point the nod is given to the youngest again to begin to open his or her second gift. Then everyone else in turn opens their second gift as well. This goes on until everyone in turn has opened every gift. It lasts roughly twelve hours. People have to take IV fluids to keep from dying of hunger and when breakfast is finally served it is usually cold and slightly moldy.

So give me your thoughts on which gift opening style is better and later I will reveal which one I prefer and which one Lenore prefers.

PS. Don't call Lenore until after New Year's day. She will finish opening her gifts about then.

It's Been Awhile...

2008-12-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

I haven't changed my blog in weeks. I am sorry for those who might have checked lately and not found updates. Thanksgiving was great. We got to reconnect with Lenore's side of the family at Joe and Jan Johnson's house in St. Louis, MO. We saw the Johnsons too before they left for Tennessee. I also met with a great college friend, Wade Gillespie. He preaches for a church in the St. Louis area. Reconnecting is good. It reminds you of your roots. It affirms that there are people out there who love you even if you don't see them every day. It is also spiritually enriching to connect with people who share your faith and encourage you to be what God wants you to be. In this holiday season there are many things for which I give thanks but family and friends are at the very top of the list.

Marriage Myth #5

2008-10-22T04:06:00.000-07:00

Our final marriage myth was "If it doesn't work out we can always get a divorce." We discussed how marriage is considered from the beginning to be a covenant that is for life. God said upon creating marriage that it was him who joins and "what God has joined, man should not separate." But from early on it seems man's heart was hard and people were determined to seek what they wanted over what God wanted. Moses allowed them to divorce and set boundaries for divorce because people were going to do it anyway.

Malachi a post exhilic prophet reminded an errant Israel that "God hates divorce." (Mal. 2:12) In Jesus' day, there was a raging debate surrounding divorce. There were two schools of thought. One was a more liberal interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1-4 where the law aknowleges that a man could divorce his wife by giving her a certificate of divorce if he finds "anything displeasing about her." According to this school, "anything displeasing" means anything. If you don't like her cooking or her personality or her housecleaning skills those could all be legitimate reasons to send her packing.

The more conservative school interpreted "anything displeasing about her" to mean something sexually displeasing or that she wasn't a virgin or had experimented sexually with someone else. The only reason for divorce in this paradigm was adultery or fornication. When Jesus is asked for his opinion (Mark 10:1-12, Matthew 19:1-9) he takes the side of this more conservative interpretation. That is why he says that anyone who divorces his wife except for the reason of adultery commits adultery and causes his wife to do the same.

There are some gray areas in the theological discussion of marriage-divorce-remarriage but one thing is crystal clear, God wants married people to stay married. With the very institution of marriage being threatened these days, it is not surprising that even some Christian marriages are nearing the point where divorce feels like the only option. The Bible teaches that someone who feels that way should reconsider. They should stop and think, "Is this about what I want or what God wants?" God sees that they are not happy but he also makes it clear that he wants us to seek obedience before happiness. When we blindly obey even when making that choice puts our happiness at risk, God will show us how to claim happiness from obedience.

If you or someone you know is in a situation where your marriage is struggling it is so important that you submit to obedience and stay. Then it is important that you get the help you need. Find a competent Christian counselor to help you walk this path and watch what God will do as you choose his will over your own.

I feel the need to add two disclaimers so that I am not misunderstood.
1. I write this to encourage the married to stay married. I do not intend this as an indictment on those who have made the painful choice to divorce in the past. I neither judge nor question your decision and encourage you to seek God's forgiveness if you were in the wrong and then move forward into a life centered on pleasing him. Divorce is not a death sentence.

2. If you are someone who is living with someone who is abusive to you then my recommendation is to get out of that situation. Abusive individuals trap those closest to them in a cycle of violence and repentance to manipulate them to do what the abuser wants them to do. The only way to break that is to leave. If that is your situation, please get safe and then get help.

Marriage Myths Busted #4

2008-10-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

Marriage Myth #4 is "It doesn't matter where you get the appetite as long as you come home to eat." It is used to excuse behavior that is inherently threatening to marriage. It means, "You can lust after anything you that pleases you as long as you don't engage in physical adultery." Given the state of marriage and divorce in our country and given the fact that extramarital sexual activity still remains a leading cause in divorce, it doesn't seem that this little mantra has served us very well.

Christians are certainly expected to remain faithful to their spouse. Our text was Matthew 5:27-28 where Jesus reminds us that lust is the same as adultery in God's eyes. He says there that adultery begins and ends in our minds. We looked at David's affair with Bathsheba and remarked that he not only allowed his gaze to linger where it should not have but he also preserved the image of her body in his mind to sexually feast on. That "lust" led him to inquire about her, send for her and then commit adultery with her. Later David's son Solomon recalling the devastation that David's adultery and his tragic attempts to cover his sin caused his family tells his sons in Proverbs ch. 5 to stay away from adultery and to delight in the wife of their youth.

We discussed making a plan to deal with temptations that are inevitable for most of us. The three point plan we discussed is below:
1. Avoid temptation rich environments - including attractive people and the internet
2. Avert the eyes - control where you look intentionally avoiding sexual images
3. Keep the flame alive at home - a strong marriage is the best defense against infidelity

We also pointed out that the internet can be a menacing tool for the enemy with its many sexual images and its opportunities to anonymously connect to others in a sexual way. Sixty percent of all married people in one survey admitted to having some sort of extramarital sexual/romantic connection on the internet. We stated that we need to begin considering the possibilty that an open, unfiltered connection to the internet might be a threat to our marriages.

We also listed four keys to faithfulness and they are below:
1. Discipline the mind - don't allow sexual images or scenarios to dwell there.
2. Accountibility - meet with someone to discuss, confess and pray for each other in dealing with temptations.
3. Do the work of marriage - A strong marriage is the best defense against infidelity
4. Know the heartache of failure - know from the experience of others that adultery and sexual sin will devastate your family.

We closed by pointing out that if someone were to break into your home with the known intent of devastating your family you would do harm to them or give your own life to stop them. We need to consider sexual temptation as just such an invader in your marriage and family. Be determined that Satan will not get to your family through you.

Be watching this week for the final Marriage Myth to be Busted!

Marriage Myth #3

2008-10-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

In my sermon series "Marriage Myths Busted" we completed marriage myth #3 this past Sunday. Marriage Myth #3 was "Sometimes Married People Just Grow Apart." The truth is, married people often do drift emotionally apart but there is no mystical force that just separates them. "Growing apart" happens when couples fail to do the work of relationships. We discussed how the honeymoon phase of a marriage ends when couples begin to have to work together to solve the inevitable problems that arise. Couples that do not develop an effective strategy to accomplish the three primary tasks of marital relationships are going to struggle with negative emotional energy that tends to smother the positive emotion that we desire in our marriages. The three primary tasks were compared to three common household chores to enable us to remember. They are as follows.

1. Focusing on God and Spouse Rather than on Self. - We likened this to Folding the Laundry. When you fold laundry, you often fold more clothes for others than you do for yourself. Marriage is an entity designed by God to help us to shed all selfishness and look to God and others before self. Find out what your spouse's needs are and seek to meet them regardless of whether or not they reciprocate.
2. Develop an Effective Strategy for Problem Solving. - This is like Taking Out the Garbage. If we don't take out the garbage regularly, it will pile up and stink. Likewise, we need to clear the problems from our relationships. Resolving conflicts, collaborative problem solving and leading with faith are important for this task. Also must be careful about power imbalances. Both members of the couple should feel comfortable giving their input to the solution.
3. Continual Effort to Build Intimacy. We called this one "Making the Bed." The bed should be made every day if we want the room to be presentable. Both husband and wife should be working daily to interject fun and togetherness in the relationship. Taking walks together, going on dates, playing games, little love notes and surprise gifts mean just as much to every marriage as what goes on in the bedroom.

As couples attend to the work of their relationship they grow through the working phase to realize a marriage that is a real partnership. It is a comfortable place where each supports the other and love continues to age and add real quality to the marriage. It is what God created to be that sense of "one flesh" that he spoke of in Genesis. When we do the work in our relationships we reap the rewards as God desired it to be from the beginning.

Be watching next week for Marriage Myth #4

Marriage Myth #2

2008-09-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

Marriage Myth #2 is - "Conflict in Marriage is a Sign of Big Trouble"

The truth is that conflict in marriage is both normal and healthy as long as the conflict is being resolved. We discussed a three step strategy for resolving conflict.
1. Think before you speak - plan to resolve a conflictual situation rather than react to it. Most of what we say when angry or hurt is stuff we have to apologize for anyway.
2. Seek to understand the perspective of the other - recognize that both have a perspective and it is important to see the discussion from the other's perspective. Understanding it does not necessarily mean you agree with it.
3. Clear emotion from the discussion first by listening and understanding why the other might have an emotional attachment to the issue.
Unresolved conflict can be a marriage killer. It builds up over time and numbs any positive emotion in the relationship. It is important enough that those marriages who struggle with unresolved conflict should seek counseling when repeated attempts to resolve it fail.

Look back later this week for a clue to Marriage Myth #3.

Marriage Myth #1

2008-09-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Marriage Myth #1 is "Marriage Is Forever."
In our lesson, we established that marriage is not forever, it is for life. It is a preparation for forever.
Quote - Your number one goal in marriage is to help your spouse get to heaven.
Challenge - Make your first thought in the morning be, "What can I do today to help him/her get to heaven?"

Marriage Myths Busted

2008-09-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Sundays from September 28th through October 26th, I will be doing a sermon series on marriage. The title of the series is "Marriage Myths Busted." We will analyze several so called facts about marriage and test them against the standard of scripture to see if they stand or fall. I will attempt to update my blog every Friday during this series foreshadowing the myth we will deal with on Sunday. There will also be questions that will get you thinking about the myth of the week. So check back weekly or even several times a week for more on "Marriage Myths Busted!" The first teaser will be posted on Friday, September 26th.

Stuff of the Past

2008-09-19T08:30:00.001-07:00

Last week, churches in our area were subjected to an e-mail expressing concerns about the direction of an Area Wide Worship event planned in Greater Cincinnati every year. In the e-mail they also labeled the speaker for this years event a "false teacher."

Before I comment on that let me start by saying that the Area Wide Worship event - which I help to plan - is an event that is striving to promote unity within the churches in the Greater Cincinnati area. Representatives from any area congregation are invited to attend our planning meetings. Each year however "leaders" from some congregations would rather sit back, do nothing to promote unity and attempt to shoot down the good faith efforts made by many. In so doing they continue to damage the fragile connection that we share between congregations of the Churches of Christ in the area. I speak from experience when I say that efforts for unity are so difficult to build up and so incredibly easy to tear down.

In this individual's ill conceived communication he used phrases like "warn you" and "mark this man as a false teacher" and "contend for the faith" to simply mean, "I don't agree with some things he has said or I don't like what others have said about him". I remember a lot of this mean spirited, accusatory slander that went on when I was growing up. I also worked amidst a lot of it in the Pittsburgh area where a few ultra conservative church leaders aggressively policed the other churches in the area and were quick to use "disfellowship" and "marking as false teachers" as a weapon to assert their control and impose their views on other area congregations. Their definition of truth was "anything with which they agree," and their view of sound doctrine was "any view of scripture they hold." A false teacher was anyone who failed to pass their litmus test of doctrine (sometimes a literal 'test' in the form of a questionnaire sent out to area ministers that had questions worded to 'trip up' anyone who saw things differently than they). When they sniffed one out (and apparently, I were one) they would ring the bells of alarm far and wide sending out letters warning the 'faithful' (i.e. those who cower before their spiritual bullying) to stay far away.

I just want to say...I'm so tired of that. These tactics - largely employed for one individual or a group of individuals to gain control of people who in their opinion shouldn't be thinking for themselves - are nothing but a Pharisaical attempt on the part of those who use them to convince others of their own self importance. They are not contending for the faith, they are campaigning for a broader acceptance of their own views and bullying those who may see things differently.

I for one am so glad we don't see these tactics used much any more. That is not the way of church Christ began (see Eph. 4:1-16 -esp. v.3- , I Thess. 4:11 and Phil. 2:1-2) and not something I want to be associated with. I hope we are moving forward as a church to a time when we can disagree and still promote unity in love. I hope we can all see in our humanness the propensity to be wrong and we respect the faith of those who see things differently even if we may seek to lovingly influence change. I hope we can learn to work with each other around the periphery of points where we may disagree and celebrate our unity around the core of Jesus and his love. I hope we continue to move away from the stuff of the past to be more like Jesus in the future.

Windy Day!!

2008-09-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

What a night! Sunday was one of those nights we will all remember for a long time. Near hurricane force winds, power outages, trees and limbs down, utility poles toppled, roofs damaged, windows broken, roads closed and general mayhem was the rule of the evening. I was at the church building with Mike Gulley (youth minister from Withamsville) preparing the presentations for the Area Wide Worship. As we worked to set up sound and slides for songs we anxiously awaited the first arrivals for the events planned that evening. I remember noticing that the wind had picked up significantly. The sound it made against the skylights in the church steeple gave the building a haunted house feel. Still, ever the optimist, I felt it would pass.
Then the electricity in part of the building went out. I investigated to find that the source was beyond the church building. A limb somewhere had taken out a power line and we were one of thousands of victims. Unfortunately, the part of the power that failed was the one that supplied power to the AV booth in which we were working. We searched and found extension cords and ran them hoping we could maintain our progress at least until the power came back on which we were assured would be soon. About the time we got things going again the electricity went out in the entire building.
People began to arrive with stories of downed trees blocking roadways and of wide spread power outages. Our speaker called to say that his plane was grounded in Nashville and there was no way he would make it here in time. Large trees threatened the very building we were in and high winds began to take their toll on exposed structures. The alarm in the air was apparent.
I was reminded of a story in the Bible of frightened sailors on a windy sea. The storm was sure to capsize their little boat and send them to their deaths. There was one man sleeping in the storm; a sleep born no doubt from exhaustion but sustained in the assurance of who controlled the storm. When he was awakened he stood facing the angry seas and said, "Peace, be still." And it was.
That same man is still present during the storms of our lives and he is still very much in control. He loves us no matter what storms may come.
And still He calms the storm.

Olympics

2008-08-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Each night for the last couple of weeks, my family and I have been getting to bed rather late. It is not a burst of youthful enthusiasm that has us awake past midnight but a passion for the competition of the Olympic games is enough for us to keep vigil into the early am hours.
It has been such a thrill to watch Michael Phelps surpass the bar set by Mark Spitz (who I am old enough to remember seeing) and win eight Olympic gold medals in Beijing. Two of his medals came in electrifying fashion with come from behind victories and fraction of a second margins of victory.
I have enjoyed watching the gymnastics with a special interest in the women this year. Shawn Johnson has an incredible talent for gymnastics as well as an attitude that has been as gold as the medal she won on the balance beam. She also has the cuteness factor to the extreme. Her teammate Nastia Liuken has been thrilling to watch also. The men were awesome in their medal performance in the team competition as well.
I enjoyed watching Usain Bolt, the Jamaican speedster win his matches and as of the writing of this article, he may win more in these games yet. It is impressive to see him sprint out in front of the fastest athletes in the world and then relax and jog to the finish and set a world record in so doing.

I am not a big basketball fan but because we will never see the players on team USA play together again it has been interesting to see the "Redeem Team" set the bar of play way high and win what will almost surely be a gold for the US. These games have had it all. World records aplenty, thrilling victories, heart-rending defeats and controversy have all played a role. The Chinese have done a remarkable job hosting the games and hopefully the games and those who have traveled there will leave a permanent mark of progress on the Chinese political and religious landscape as well.
It is also cool to realize the connection between these games and the ancient version of the Olympics begun in Greece in 776 BC. The apostle Paul would have been familiar with and perhaps even a fan of the games. It was the Olympic games to which Paul alludes in I Corinthians 9:25 where he says,
"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict
training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but
we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
Let these games remind us that we are running a race as well to use Paul’s analogy. We must never lose sight of the prize that lies before us. Our prize worth so much more than any gold medal is our home with God in heaven.
How is your race going?

Back From Vacation

2008-08-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful 10 day vacation. We went to Paragould, Arkansas to visit family there. Lenore and I also took the opportunity to take in a Family Ministry Conference in Phoenix, AZ. It was a great time of refreshing and renewal. The Family Minstry Conference is an annual conference put on by the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries (AMFM). They are an oganization committed to building strong Christian marriage and family ministries across all denominational lines. Though the planners and presenters attend churches with names that include Baptist, Bible Church, Community Church and the like, there were obvious marks of the work of the Holy Spirit in their ministries and their messages. Lenore and I gained a great deal from their insights and ministry experiences and I know the Family Ministry at Northeast will grow as a result. One of the most interesting classes we attended was a 2 session series on Marriage Ministry. This church (The Scottsdale Bible Church) has a marriage ministry that includes a pre-marital class, a marriage counseling ministry, a marriage mentoring ministry and a marriage outreach piece. I think Lenore and I would like to start with the marriage mentoring ministry and build a similar multi-faceted marriage ministry from there. Pray for me as I move forward with this. I really don't feel like I have time to add something else to my schedule but I also think this is a core concept for any Family Ministry and it needs to be in place. Pray that I can be more disciplined with my time and do this while not letting other facets of my ministry suffer as a result.

We took some new family pictures in Arkansas. To see them you can go to my facebook.

Church Growth and Change Agents

2008-07-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about church growth lately. I would love to see Northeast grow but even more than that I would love to see Churches of Christ emerge from what has been a period of plateau and decline to begin growing once more. I don't have any illusions that it will be easy. Churches have already begun the process of making painful changes in order to spur growth within their bodies. Some have gone to praise teams and even to an instrumental worship service to attract those who identify with that worship style. Others have re-evaluated traditional CofC stances on doctrine and issues to see if there are Biblical ways to reconnect with a culture that seems to be moving away from us. They have looked at issues of the women's role in the church, instruments in worship and even baptism in an effort to be more effective in reaching out to others. Some of these churches have made radical changes leaving them to appear very dissimilar to the church we knew in the 60's and 70's or even 80's for that matter. Some Churches of Christ seem to be adopting the current "Community Church" model. They have seen some success in reaching the unchurched and have undergone a time of phenominal growth. Those of us who have been observing this and the sometimes heated discussions surrounding it are asking, "is all this necessary for churches to realize sustained growth?"

Personally I do not stand in judgement of those who try new things and who find it expedient to think outside of the traditional CofC box. I am encouraged when churches are seeking ways to get the gospel into the hands of the lost and praise God when a lost sheep is returned. The one aspect of this with which I am completely uncomfortable with is the supposition that one must do away with the traditional/conservative views of the congregation in order to move forward. It saddens me to hear of congregations where the leaders announce that they are trying some new things and those who differ can leave. That just seems pattently unfair especially to those senior saints who have worked their entire lives to build some of these churches and are summarily dismissed because their views differ and they are slow to change. I can't believe that this is God's will.

I do believe that change is in order for our churches but it may not be the kind of change I discussed above. I am a big fan of praise teams and I like listening to Christian music with or without instruments. But I have not been an advocate of bringing either one into our church. The change I think is of primary importance is in the tendency of most churches to be homogenous in membership. We are typically white, upper middle class, well educated, urban and conservative. Tell me if this isn't true of most everywhere you have been. Unfortunately, we struggle accepting anyone who doesn't look like us. If a person of color or someone living in poverty walks into a service, they often see right away that they are out of place. Members often greet them briefly or not at all. If someone from a different religious background speaks up in a Bible class espousing something different than what we believe the shock in our faces is noticable. They are quickly silenced and often just as quickly move on to another church. This is a change we had better address before we even begin thinking of changes in our worship style or traditions. Until our congregations begin to universally diversify we limit our opportunities for growth and unwittingly tell several classes of people for whom Jesus died that they are unwelcome in our churches. What a shame that would be.

Might you become a change agent in your church? What would it be like for a few members to begin thinking of what it would take for their congregation to be more accepting of those who are demographically different from the majority of folks in their congregation? What if they began to look at their church through the eyes of a visitor who is of a different race or speaks a different primary language or runs in different socio-economic circles? What does the church need to do in order to for that person to enter and feel the love of Jesus surround them through what they see and experience?

Perhaps some reading this are members of a church that is diverse and reaches people from many different demographic categories and God bless you if you are. For most of us however, we have a long way to go.

Disaster Relief in Iowa

2008-07-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

It was a great week in Iowa working with the Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team (henceforth referred to as: DRT). I took ten people from Northeast including my family - Lenore, Sam, Anna and Lizzy - Rhonda Bever, Lynnis Conner (Rhonda's mom), Sue and Cody Price, Cara Gadow (a friend of Anna's from church) and Teresa Weber. Lenore, Rhonda, Lynnis and Sue worked in the kitchen preparing meals and packing lunches for the volunteer work teams. Lizzy worked full time in organizing and giving out supplies that had been donated. Teresa and I worked with the four teens (or nearly teen in Cody's case) and helped in the gutting out and cleaning up of three different flood affected houses. I really kind of enjoyed it when they gave us a bunch of hammers, nail pullers and power tools and said, "Now go and rip all of the walls, floors and fixtures out. It was really a lot of fun but it was a genuine help for the owners of the homes and an important first step toward getting to live in them again. My favorite tool for the job was a 17 pound spud bar. When you hit things with that...they move! I also had rock hard forearms and biceps after I got back. Those have gone soft again by now but they are not sore any more. I had a great crew. Teresa was a tireless worker and knew enough about what we were doing to need very little guidance. The kids were amazing as they worked this hard physical labor for 8-9 hours a day with no complaining at all. I was as proud as I could be!

Next week it is off to Charlotte, N.C. to join the teens from Northeast at their work camp. They leave Saturday and I will join them Thursday. It should be fun. We will be back a week after that and then leave again for 10 days of vacation. Busy summer!!

Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team

2008-07-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

We at Northeast are happy to be supporting a great ministry in the "Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team". Mark and Laura Cremeans are the ministry leaders. They go to spots in the United States where disasters (floods, tornados, fires, hurricanes etc...) have devastated communities and offer help and aid to the victims. They base their operation out of Churches of Christ in those communities offering some great opportunities for those churches to build a positive identity in communities that are suffering. I plan to go with a small group to Cedar Rapids, Iowa next week to help families put their homes and lives together again after recent flooding. I look forward to telling you how it goes when I get back. Be praying for our travel and our opportunities there.
You can support this effort too through donations and prayer. You could also make plans to join us if you can. Let me know!
For more information check out their websites
CofC Disaster Response Team - www.churchesofchristdrt.org
Laura Cremeans Blog - http://www.disasterresponseteam.blogspot.com/

Family Camping Outing

2008-06-26T05:15:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to all of you who went on the family camping outing with Northeast. It was a wonderful time spent with our family in Christ. I will look forward to another. I even had one family who asked if we could do another one this year! That is especially gratifying to hear after the extended period of rain. I always worry that the rain might spoil the experience for others. Camping is a great family activity. I know I remember the camping trips my family took as very special times for my family growing up. I hope that will be the experience of those who go on these trips as well. Also if you went on the family campout, you might send any pictures you took to Rich and Dina Clyde for posting on Northeast's website. Keep in touch with your interest in another camping trip this year. It may happen yet!

Family Time in Arkansas

2008-06-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful week in Arkansas! Thank you to Bill and Judith, Terry and Beverly and their families for showing me such a good time especially during a real busy time of the year. A special thanks to Mom and Dad for letting me again call their home mine for the week. Mom was such a servant with her cooking and cleaning and laundry mixed with lots of hugs and kisses and conversation. Could one ask for a better Mom? Dad always continues to mentor, teach, and work tirelessly. What a great example for a father. JDAME (acronym for Jenna, Daniel, Alec, Mallory and Ethan) were great for hugs and talks and play. Thank you all.
Lifetime memories from the week include:

"You're strong...real strong...I seen ya"
Driving the John Deere (lots of Tim the Tool Man barking!)
Building on Dad's barn with Dad, Bill and Terry.
Fishing on the Spring River
Tics and lots of them
Daniel's "daring" on the deck of the river cabin
Anatevka (Yeah, its stuck in my head too)
Morning coffee on the back porch with Mom and Dad
Lots of hugs and kisses and fun with all!

I love my family and thank God every day for the awesome blessing you all are to me.

I also need to give a special thanks to Lenore, Sam, Anna and Lizzy for getting by without me for the week. You four are all wonderful. I love you big time!

Watch What You Say!

2008-05-29T05:59:00.001-07:00

"Better to say nothing and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." (Author unknown)

Yesterday as I was studying for a class I ran across a Proverb that I had not read in a while but it strikes me as one well worth remembering. It is Proverbs 10:19 and says:
"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (NIV)
My aunt Zelma was 100 years old when she died. She used to be known for her rather sharp tongue at times. I remember after a stinging comment hearing her say, "Now I'm sorry if that hurt but I just say what I think. That's just the way I am." I loved my aunt and want you to know that she had many endearing qualities as well but I think what her reckless words often earned her was loneliness.
Many of us remember our mothers telling us, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." That could be a very loose translation of this passage. Solomon wrote these proverbs down largely for the benefit of his sons. He tells them here and several other places in this book to think before they speak. Solomon doesn't give bad advice.
How many times would we have been spared embarrassment, hurt feelings and inconvenience if we had only heeded what Solomon says here? Below are some good tips for how to "hold our tongues".
1. Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know". When asked for advice or guidance we sometimes feel we will be perceived as smarter when we answer immediately only to find that we are really perceived as smarter when we answer accurately. When we speak quickly and inaccurately we are perceived not only as less than smart but also as unreliable.
2. When angry, the fewer words the better. Nearly everyone has spoken words in anger that they wish they could have back. Tragically a large portion of those words spoken in anger have been directed towards those we love the most (Mom, Dad, husband, wife, son or daugher, etc...). When emotion starts to enter a difficult situation for most of us it is time to be quiet. Move away from the situation if at all possible. Process the situation with thought after a period of cooling off and then consider the impact of the words you choose. Determine what you are trying to achieve with your words and construct your response accordingly. For the most part our goals will be to resolve a conflict, to express feelings in a way they can be understood, or to add meaningful content to an important discussion. When we allow anger to dictate our words our results are often to hurt feelings, escalate emotion in a discussion and move the perception of our comments to the realms of extreme and insignificant.
3. Remember Whose You Are. I say this to my kids from time to time before they go to school. My intent is to remind them that their words and deeds represent their God, their family and their church. No matter who we are or what position we occupy in life, our words will have an impact on someone. If the words we choose are hurtful, condescending or gossip the reflection is not a good one. If our humor or language is vulgur or impure the contrast between who we are and who we profess to be could not be more clear.
In all you say, speak as if the Lord were right beside you because in reality he is. He is there and he expects all of us to represent him with holiness and distinction.

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6, NIV)

New Picture? You Vote.

2008-05-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

Dina Clyde told me just yesterday that she thought my picture was just too "stiff". So, I thought I would leave it to a vote. Should I leave the picture as is or should I replace it with a new more recent shot? Either way, it don't get no prettier.

High Gas Prices...A Good Thing???

2008-05-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

I have been called an eternal optimist at times and it is true that I generally try to find the good in just about anything. So when the gas prices roared past three dollars a gallon and went to four dollars a gallon, it was at first difficult to find the silver lining. I think however, I have found some hope in a discouraging situation. When our gas prices in the U.S. were hovering well below what the rest of the world was paying for the commodity (I know, often due to much higher taxes in other countries) many of us have gotten used to driving without thinking about the cost. That has driven the demand up and resulted (so they say) in the cost skyrocketing.
One other side effect of our indulgence is that our appetite for going and going has made us largely dependent upon other countries to satisfy our "need" to travel. Much of that dependency and no small amount of our cash has gone to countries that either covertly or overtly are encouraged by our distress. Countries like Syria, Venezuela, Iran and until recently Iraq have the power at least in part to manipulate our economy and are delighted when the U.S. standing in the world suffers. Being at the mercy of those who wish for our demise is not a good thing. It will push us to the brink of war again and again and unless things change, Afghanistan and Iraq are just the beginning of our military struggles.
I would agree that one of the things our next president needs to have at the forefront of his (or less likely her) agenda is breaking this dependency on foriegn oil. I think we need to open up land previously off limits to drilling and allow for more refineries to be built but ultimately we need to find a dependable, renewable energy source that has broad availability. While gas was cheap there was little incentive for anyone to develop the technology for this energy source let alone to spend the money on building the manufacturing and delivery infrastructure to support it. Perhaps now, with gas being so high and costs continuing to elevate, the proper motivation is there. Lets face it, the dollar is still the bottom line and until it becomes profitable no large scale efforts will be made to solve this dilemma. My hope is that now, businesses and investment groups with large resource pools will begin channeling funds into technology development and processing and delivery models that will allow us to move in the right direction.
I can't say that filling my tank these days doesn't make me feel sick to my stomach but I can say that I am hopeful. Even if the cost of travel is a little higher with a new energy source I still believe that the peace of mind for future generations is worth it.
I hope that in my lifetime I can witness the news story of a U.S. President who tells the OPEC nations that they can keep their oil. We don't need it anymore. Talk about defunding the terrorists! That will also keep the power in the world right where it belongs. Right in the home of the free and the brave!

Take Time to Remember

2008-05-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

As the grim news about Senator Ted Kennedy began to circulate around in the news this past week, the networks were already piecing together tributes to him from their video archives. His failed presidential run and "Chappaquidick" were mentioned but the majority of the information was about his tenure in the senate, his standing for civil rights and his advocacy for the poor and for senior citizens. Well before his passing we are already gaining a perspective on his significance. It is a very common course of action.. What did this person do that mattered? What legacy did he or she leave?
A favorite T-shirt slogan reads: "Live your life so that the preacher doesn’t have to lie at your funeral." A funeral is another one of those times when we look back over a person’s life in search of what mattered. We tend to overlook the struggles he or she had and go right to the "He would give you the shirt off of his back" reflections. That is easier to do in some cases than it is in others.
Memorial Day is a great time to remember the significant sacrifices of those who have defended our country in times of war. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (Jn. 15:13) and tomorrow we pay special homage to those who have shown the "greatest love" for us. All of those who have served our country in our armed services whether in war or in peace have demonstrated a significance that will mark their lives in a positive way forever. If you are one of those brave souls, the rest of us thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Today is a Memorial Day of sorts as well. Not so much because of the holiday but because it is Sunday, the day each week that Christians gather to mark the most significant memorial there is. Today and every Sunday we remember Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us. We remember that our life lacked any real significance until the forgiveness his grace afforded imparted a righteousness that we could not have achieved on our own. He added value to our lives even when sin had made them worthless. In our memorial each week we give him the honor and praise he deserves.
There have been many sacrifices made to allow us not only the best of life on earth but also the hope of a life eternal in heaven afterwards. We would be remiss to live our lives without being thankful and taking time to reflect on the road to success that was paved in flesh and blood and pain and suffering and sorrow.
Each chance we get let’s all take time to remember.

Welcome

2008-05-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog. Check back regularly for updates, information and random musings on things I find interesting and want to share. I will definitely enjoy your feedback as well. My articles and writings will also appear here. I look forward to keeping in touch with you.