MEN...Being Men

I happen to love the song by Brad Paisley, "I'm Still a Guy".

"I can hear you now talkin' to your friends Sayin' yeah girls he’s come a long way From draggin' his knuckles and carryin' a club And buildin' a fire in a cave But when you say a backrub means only a backrub Then you swat my hand when I try Well now what can I say at the end of the day Honey, I’m still a guy"

It is funny to me because I think it is how men are viewed and in some ways, how we really are...in a satirical sort of way. There seems to be a notion that guys are idiots and that we need women to make sure we "Neanderthals" don't crank our lawnmower with our heads under the deck or to make sure we don't forget to do things like bathe and brush our teeth. I am really proud of my wife because she seems to be more sensitive than I am to the commercials or movies or whatever that show brilliant, gorgeous women having to put up with some balding, undeserving and moronic man. I admit that some of the stereotyping has been propagated because of the behavior and attitudes of men. But in the same way not all women should be considered Gold-Diggers because Anna Nicole happen to fall in love with a man that was close to 187 years old...oh, that happened to be CRAZY RICH...not all men are the simpletons control only by their hunger and lust.

Last night I had the honor of spending time with a couple of guys. Of course, I refuse to go into detail about the conversations, prayers and concerns, but I will say that last night some men of God came together and discussed, prayed and did some amazing spiritual battle on behalf of themselves, their wives and their children. I could not be more proud to be a part of that group and I look forward to many more times together.

What is a forceful man? Probably if someone asked me that I might think of a bully...someone using force to take from others that to which they are not entitled. I think "Date Rape" certainly falls into that category. I think a man who screws over his coworkers in order to "get ahead" could also fall in to that listing. But what about a forceful man that is a positive thing?

Last night God lead me to read from Matthew 11:12-14. Jesus says something really amazing about the Kingdom of God.

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come."

I firmly believe that in the same way that it is wrong for a "forceful man" to take what isn't his, it is equally wrong for someone to not be forceful when it comes to taking what is rightfully theirs. This verse really hit me yesterday because as a man of God I have to realize that my wife will not find a spiritual leader for her among her friends, with our sons or on TV. Her spiritual leader...whether I am a horrible or awesome leader...is the one that lays down beside her every night. The spiritual leader for my sons will not come from school, the Cub Scouts or their Karate class...it is my job and I think God has called and continues to call God men of God to forcefully take from the world and from our enemy what is rightfully ours.

And what happens if men of God are "willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come"? That was answered for me yesterday as well as God lead me to Malachi 4:5-6...which happens to be the final verse of the Old Testament.

"See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction."

When we forcefully lay hold to the Messiah, the new life we now live will lead to men being real men and men who have children being real Dads. If as men are not forceful when it comes to the spiritual, emotional and physical provisions and protection of our families, we have denied the power found in Jesus and according to God's words in Malachi, our land will be cursed.

What does being forceful look like for men of God? Perhaps it looks like last night...men, tired from a long Monday coming together to go before the Thrown of God on behalf of their families. Maybe it looks like a husband fasting regularly to focus in prayer for his wife and children. Being a forceful man of God may look like a number of things. Regardless of what form it may take or how it may be carried, I know it must be...and I am proud to be with a group of men who are.
May the Father and Love of Our Souls continue to show us how to father and love.

Answered Prayers...several of them

I am excited today. I don't always wake up excited on Mondays but today is different from the usual Monday.

Yesterday was Father's Day. Last week I prayed that this Father's Day would be a FATHER'S DAY...as in our Heavenly Father. My prayer was heard and answered in some great ways.

Yesterday began with me sleeping in. That may be no big deal for the average person but with my typical performance driven/acceptance seeking perspective, sleeping in to any great degree is a huge victory. From there my family went to breakfast and breakfast had everything I love in breakfast...ZERO wait, all-you-can-eat, actual hot food (no bird seed with milk that my wife calls cereal or cold pastries), serve yourself buffet and a reasonable price.

From there we went to the lake at Oak Mountain State Park to have "church". We all threw rocks in the lake...probably pissing off anyone who had plans of fishing and then we sat and I tried to explain the last of Ephesians 3 to the boys. I explained the dimensions of God's love by placing the boys in certain positions. Elijah is the oldest and tallest so he was the height, Zion is the youngest and lightest for me to lift so I picked him up and held him horizontal to be the depth of God's love and Judah, my middle son held his arms out to be the length of God's love. They were really distracted by the lake, the wind, the water, the dirt, the rocks, the signs, the cars driving past, the other family that pulled up and pretty much any other thought that popped in their head. I doubt we will "be church" again by a lake. In the midst of our closing prayer we had to momentarily pause and continue it in the car after Brook found what to her is far more terrifying than a cobra, lion or black widow...a tick.

Yesterday afternoon Greg Newton and I met at Trade Towers for the 3rd week..2nd week with the residents there. I found myself really looking forward to seeing the people we met the previous week and realizing that I had prayed for them and their concerns throughout the week. We met 3 new men and it was an interesting time to say the least. We are still in the infant stages with the church plant but it is exciting to me to see what God has done and will continue to do. I pray that God continues to open hearts and minds of the people at Trade Towers to hear and receive His Message. I further pray that God will allow Greg and me to deliver His Message in a way that His consistent with His will and mission.

After the meeting at Trade Towers I drove faster than the police would probably like for me to in order to make it to a small group. I was there for the final 15 minutes of a 2 hour session but that time was for sure used by God. Jeff, who leads the group along with his wife, Rachel, suggested the men and women pray in separate from one another. It was kind of funny to me because that brought back memories from my "old school" church of Christ days. In the time we spent together it was obvious to me that the men need more time together. We need a chance to be real with God and one another and we need it urgently. After our brief prayer time I suggested to Jeff we kick off such a group tonight and he was ready to start this new chapter of "The Holy Library". THL was a men's group that I was part of and my time in that group was used in amazing ways by God to work in me. I have already been praying for our time tonight and for God to be present, real and powerful. I can't wait.

May God reign in us at and in it all!

Late Apologies, Greenland and Skepticism

Before the birth of our first son, my wife, Brook, and I signed up for some routine parenting class. They discussed how to give an infant a bath, how to change diapers and some other good advice. The class began with some nurse...who always seemed to be very happy but very condescending...asking what one thing we wanted to instill in our children. I only remember one person's answer and that answer isn't mine and it isn't Brook's.

This one guy had so many piercings that it looked like he just climbed out of a tackle box and some weird facial hair thing that looked way more like modern art than facial hair. The thing he said he most wanted to teach his child was "to question authority". When he said that I commented under my breath, "what a jackass". To me, at the time anyway, his comments were reckless, irresponsible and rebellious. Now, over 6 years have past and I now know I owe some guy in this world an apology. Not just because I called him a jackass, but because today I find that my walk with God has lead me to think in ways I didn't then. In fact, today I think much more like that guy than I do the "old Blake".

I don't have any piercings and my wife strictly forbids facial hair...well, that's not true. My wife will not kiss me if I have facial hair so I shave due to my desire to kiss her rather than her rules about my hair. But anyway, I now very much want my boys to question authority, be skeptical of institutions, investigate unintended consequences, contemplate motives (their own and others) and to always think deeply. I don't want them to rebel for the sake of rebellion or be anarchist. However, I also don't want them to accept the operation definitions handed out by this world as definitive. I don't want them to participate in some matrix that only exists for the lone purpose of self-perpetuation. I will be disappointed if my sons ever blindly follow leadership. Submit to authority? Sure...when it is right to do so. Lend their resources to some institution of commerce, government or religion? Sure...but only after they have thought deeply about what they are apart of and only if in so doing they are following the call God has for their lives.

I am almost daily discovering some belief that I have accepted as truth is far from true. At times I find it comical that so many people, myself included, could fall for something so blatantly stupid. Other times I get pissed off and remain angry for a period of time over being a fool. One of my absolute favorite quotes is from a former European leader. He said, "how fortunate for those in leadership that the average man doesn't think". That leader was Adolf Hitler. It is one of the few things he said that I can reply to with a hearty "Amen".

I am afraid that if my boys don't learn to question things they could end up being duped...kind of like some people of Iceland over a thousand years ago. Erik the Red was apparently quite the salesman. Did you ever wonder how Greenland got its name...even though it is largely a white sheet of ice and bitter cold misery? Erik the Red was kicked off Iceland for manslaughter back in the late 900's. He was exiled to the icy island now known as Greenland and he became very lonely. So he sent word to people back in Iceland that he was in a better place than them. He reported that the lush vegetation and plentiful harvests left him with only a single choice when it came time to name his new home...Greenland! So many with great hope loaded up ships and moved to this new land. You know what I bet the people said when they arrived in the new land to find the frosty conditions instead of the bounty they expected?

What a Jackass!

Have a great weekend!

What Will You Require of Me?

God,
I am so thankful to walk with you and know you and know those who know you. As I walk the journey on which you have set my feet I sense that you have more. You have more for me, more for my family and more for others. I know you are not like a cosmic lottery, or a divine thrift store in that something of value will be given away or cheapened by the ease through which it is obtained. I believe that intimacy with you will come through the thing it always does...conflict. Intimacy with you is my desire. Conflict is an obstacle.

I think any conflict I experience will be more like dissonance. I will experience dissonance as the template of your call is so much larger than the pattern of my life. Dissonance will flow when submission and service to you will take more than I feel I have to give. As difficult as those thoughts are to me, I anticipate that dissonance will become excruciating when you ask me to sacrifice my comfort and maybe even my families well being through the call to suffer for you Kingdom.

I haven't always considered suffering for You to be part of the call of Christ. My eyes read and my mind accepts the stories and quotes of Job, Stephen, Justin Martyr and Bonhoeffer...but somehow my heart has always missed the message that suffering may well be required of all who call on the name of Jesus. So as I desire closeness with You and for my heart to beat in rhythm with Yours, I find myself asking, "what will you require of me?"

I would love to be a visionary in your Kingdom, but will you ask me to suffer the ridicule and loneliness of Noah? I would love to lead your people but will you ask me to suffer the anguish and frustration of Moses? I would love to speak prophetically for your name sake, but would that require me to suffer threats and even death? Maybe I could just love people and serve others in Your Name...but even those noble tasks lead Jesus to a cross. Would evangelism along the lines of Peter lead me to a cross too? If I had the zeal and devotion of John would I be thrown into a vat of boiling oil? God, what will you require of me?

There was only one Abraham, one Malachi and one Timothy. In the same way I know there is only one Blake, but I also know that the unique gifts given to each person in no way negates Your call of complete surrender, absolute submission and living as though I am already dead.

God, I find the very words I speak haunting and constantly lingering in the background of fun family outings, in the silence of the black morning and in hustle of the daily grind. Could I sacrifice myself on the Your alter, God?. I could. Would I be willing to risk the life of my wife in service to You? Yes, but only because I know her heart's desire is the same as mine. Will I risk money, comfort, career and friendships? Yes, Lord. But, could I place my sons on Your slab of sacrifice? I don't want to answer that question and I don't even want to ever ask that question. But I sense from You that I must.

God, I ask that you facilitate my maturation to a point that my grip will never be firm on anyone or anything other than You. I will only be able to lead my sons to Your Throne in so far as I have released them to You, their Creator...the Author of their faith, as well as mine. My paradoxical realization even as I seek your guidance is that my tight grip on them doesn't protect them, it only strangles them and their potential to seek You. Perhaps this Father's Day will stand as a landmark in their history and mine as we all celebrate our freedom to seek You and to live and suffer in Your abundance and love. God. I want this Father's Day to be your FATHER'S DAY.

Father, plant my feet firmly in a faith that does not waiver in the face of circumstances. Set me on a path that is not decided by convenience, comfort or preference. Give me sight that is blind to the things you would not have me see and allow me to only follow Your voice as I tune my ears to hear my Shepherd. Father, I trust you to lead me in ways that advance your Kingdom, display Your love and glorify You. May it be so. Amen

Acceptable Religious Taxonomy...But Say "Yes"

Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. This practice helps us label, identify and therefore classify things in our worlds. Most of us remember these..., Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species...The Hierarchy of Biological Classification's Major 8 Taxonomic Ranks. Most of us learned these is science class. I have found it increasingly difficult to label some things in life....simply put, taxonomy has become taxing.

One such area is the area of faith. As I seek God and seek to be in community with the people of God I have found it difficult to identify to any specific degree a box or category to which I belong. I have also found it difficult to label others. Now, let me say that I don't think it is wise to always label everyone on every single issue. As a matter of decency though I try to avoid certain topics with some people who may not hold similar beliefs or experiences as me. I have gotten into tight relational spots before when assuming someone else had a specific belief or adhered to a specific doctrine.

So anyway, I tend to identify with some aspects of many thoughts...but I can't find any single doctrine, denomination or theology I fully support or adopt. In some ways I am extremely liberal and in others I would be considered a radical fundamentalist. I don't know if others are this way or not. At the end of the day it only matters to the degree that my being a religious collage, or faith mutt becomes prohibitive to relationships or the Kingdom of God in general.

My wife has been after me lately about something and I hate to admit how right she is. First she right about the mind set and she is also right about my dire need to adjust my perspective. Here is her point..."look for a way to say yes". I tend to say "no" to many things. From, "can we paint the house green" to "can my less-than-responsible sister keep her untrained puppy at our house for a while"...which has been a goat roping to say the least...I often say no, only later to agree to the idea. I don't know why I do that. I typically play those situations like a chess player or like a crash test analyst...what could possibly go wrong, what would be the situation if the worst possible scenario actually occurs and thousands of other calculations and critical analyses. When I imagine my sister-in-law's puppy pissing on our new hardwood floors, taking a squishy dump on our new rug or chewing chunks of wood off the legs of our kitchen table...I say "no". More importantly, when I think of my wife being in a horrible mood when I get home because of the mess and work associated with a puppy that isn't even ours...I say "no". For what it is worth, the puppy has been an unmitigated disaster and my wife probably wishes I had stood firm on my original answer of "no".

But in the world or faith I think my wife is really on to something. Why should any difference in experience or variations in the minutia of doctrine be an impasse for a relationship? I don't think it should. In fact, I think there is something significant about the prayer of Jesus, "that they may all be one". Did Jesus know that people would differ in their theology? Sure. Did Jesus expect His words to be debated and would Jesus reasonably conclude that people would come to differing understandings regarding His teachings? Sure. As a Jew, Jesus was well aware of factions and divisions that existed between the children of God. Jesus dealt with the Herodians, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc. As God on earth...Jesus knew we would differ. Yet he prayed for us to be one. I don't think His prayer was that we wouldn't disagree or that everyone would be a clone of some specific theological school. I think Jesus was intent on love, unity and community in spite of or perhaps because of our diversity. I don't think it is unrealistic to think that Jesus was telling us to look for a way to say "yes".

How might the world look if, as followers of Jesus, we looked for ways to say "yes" to one another? How might we begin to be "yes" people in the area of diversity? How might we move toward being "yes" people in the realm of service to those around us? What is required for us to be "yes" people to benefit the Kingdom of God? I have more questions...and am lacking many answers. But I want to begin to say "yes" to beginning the search for those answers. I am also willing to say "yes" if God chooses to leave me in a state of wandering and mystery forever...as long as I am "following hard after Thee".

"Thou Shall Commit Adultery"

Have you ever heard of "The Sinner's Bible"? I mean, in theory every Bible is a Sinner's Bible in that only sinners read it and are hopefully transformed by the reading and hearing of God's word, but there was a Bible printed in 1631 that has been labeled as "The Sinner's Bible. That Bible is much like every other Bible. It tells of the same story of creation. One can read it in about a coming Messiah and then can read about that Messiah who has come...and will come again. With all of the similarities and with the overall theme being the same, you can't purchase a Sinner's Bible today...all because of one word.

It seems that those responsible for editing that version omitted a single word in Exodus 20. Apparently, one of the Ten Commandments about adultery was forever changed when the word "not" wasn't printed. Instead of the text forbidding adultery, the Sinner's Bible states, "Thou Shall Commit Adultery". Anyone who thinks a small omission or incidental change doesn't matter never omitted the word "not". The Government of England was even involved in outrage over the mistake as the two men who printed the Sinner's Bible were fined 300 pounds.

That story caused me to think about other changes in scripture that perhaps we wouldn't write or even speak but that we live out daily. I guess with time I could come up with tons but in the brief time I can spend on this here are some off the top of my head.

I Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of power .

Matthew 16:24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must never deny himself but should admire my cross from a distance and follow me in so far as it is convenient and doesn't cost too much.

Romans 12:2: Do not worry if you continue conforming to the pattern of this world because we all know that keeping up with the world is just reality and is inescapable.

Philippians 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, unless the thing over which you are anxious is happening to you. In that case you can never be sure if God is big enough to take care of you.

Luke 18:22: When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Jesus then explained to his followers that this teaching was not applicable to anyone after the 1st Century.

Luke 6:37: Forgive, and you will be forgiven. However, if the offense seems particularly dreadful to you, you should feel no obligation to forgive. One also has the option to say they have forgiven another but actually harbor resentment in their hearts.

Proverbs 11:2: When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes disappointment and failure as no one can sing your praises or assure that you get what you are due except you.

Like I said, there are plenty we could all come up with but these are certainly enough to get me started on a search for a more righteous and holy life. This morning I was fortunate enough to eat breakfast with a dear Brother who is a Pastor. We discussed the fact that so many christians and churches as a whole are so content and satisfied with "baby christians". People are not expected, encouraged or required to grow past infancy. If my 5 year old was not yet speaking, not walking and still in diapers we would all be concerned that he had some kind of disability or some degree of brain damage. Yet we have people who have been saved for years and years who are not speaking the truth in love, are not walking with their personal cross and still end up all too often with their own crap all over them. Do we label them as disabled christians or brain damaged christians? No. We call them "normal". In the state of Alabama...and probably most states, a high school senior isn't allowed to graduate without passing a graduation exam. This exam tests them to make sure minimum requirements have been met and they they are equipped to function to some degree in life. if all has gone well, in 12 short years of education they have gone from illiterate children to teens who are capable of algebra, chemistry, a second language, English Comp, etc. 12 years of school in Alabama means they have been "educated" for a grand total of 2100 days. If children went to school every single day the 2100 days could be accomplished in 5 years 9 months. Again, that is from illiterate to writing term papers in less than 6 years. That means in less than 6 years our children go from learning numbers to working complex mathematical formulas. Yet we expect essentially nothing from anyone who has been in a relationship with God for 6 years.

Here is a verse that I won't change to meet my needs...God, Please help us all grow up.

Hebrews 5: 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

My Easy God is Gone

My Easy God is Gone
I have lost my easy God - the one whose name I knew since childhood.

I knew his temper, his sullen outrage,his ritual forgiveness.

I knew the strength of his arm, the sound of his insistent voice.

His beard bristling, his lips full and red with moisture at the moustache,

His eyes clear and piercing, too blue to understand all,

His face too unwrinkled to feel my child's pain.

He was a good God - so he told me -a long suffering and manageable one.

I knelt at his feet and kissed them.

I felt the smooth countenance of his forgiveness.
I never told him how he frightened me,

How he followed me as a child,

When I played with friends or begged for candy on Halloween.

He was a predictable God, I was the unpredictable one.

He was unchanging, omnipotent, all-seeing,

I was volatile and helpless.
He taught me to thank him for the concern which gave me no chance to breathe,

For the love which demanded only love in return - and obedience.

He made pain sensible and patience possible and the future foreseeable.

He, the mysterious, took all mystery away, corroded my imagination,

Controlled the stars and would not let them speak for themselves.
Now he haunts me seldom: some fierce umbilical is broken,

I live with my own fragile hopes and sudden rising despair.

Now I do not weep for my sins; I have learned to love them.

And to know that they are the wounds that make love real.

His face alludes me; his voice, with all its pity, does not ring in my ear.

His maxims memorized in boyhood do not make fruitless and pointless my experience.

I walk alone, but not so terrified as when he held my hand.
I do not splash in the blood of his son nor hear the crunch of nails or thorns piercing protesting flesh.

I am a boy again - I whose boyhood was turned to manhood in a brutal myth.

Now wine is only wine with drops that do not taste of blood.

The bread I eat has too much pride for transubstantiation,

I, too - and together the bread and I embrace,

Each grateful to be what we are, each loving from our own reality.

Now the bread is warm in my mouth and

I am warm in its mouth as well.
Now my easy God is gone - he knew too much to be real,

He talked too much to listen, he knew my words before I spoke.

But I knew his answers as well - computerized and turned to dogma.

His stamp was on my soul, his law locked cross-like on my heart,

His imperatives tattooed on my breast, his aloofness canonized in ritual.
Now he is gone - my easy, stuffy God - God,the father - master, the mother - whiner, the dull, whoring God who offered love bought by an infant's fear.

Now the world is mine with all its pain and warmth, with its every color and sound;

The setting sun is my priest with the ocean for it's alter.

The rising sun redeems me with rolling waves warmed in its arms.

A dog barks and I weep to be alive, a cat studies me and my job is boundless.

I lie on the grass and boy-like, search the sky.

The clouds do not turn to angels, the winds do not whisper of heaven or hell.
Perhaps I have no God - what does it matter?

I have beauty and joy and transcending loneliness,

I have the beginning of love - as beautiful as it is feeble - as free as it is human.

I have the mountains that whisper secrets held before men could speak,I

have the oceans that belches life on the beach and caresses it in the sand,

I have a friend who smiles when he sees me, who weeps when he hears my pain,

I have a future of wonder.

I have no past - the steps have disappeared the wind has blown them away.
I stand in the Heavens and on earth, I feel the breeze in my hair,

I can drink to the North Star and shout on a bar stool,

I can feel the teeth of a hangover, the job of laziness,

The flush of my own rudeness, the surge of my own ineptitude.

And I can know my own gentleness as well my wonder, my nobility.

I sense the call of creation, I feel its swelling in my hands.

I can lust and love, eat and drink, sleep and rise,

But my easy God is gone - and in his stead

The mystery of loneliness and love!

A Dangerous Mixture...

Common sense tells me that nitroglycerin and jumping jacks don't mix well. It should be common knowledge that you don't mix pregnancy and pole vaulting. It is equally ill advised to mix sarcastic observations and your Senior Drill Sergeant (a story for another day). I should have known better than to mix a gorgeous girl and weight lifting yesterday but I think I got caught up in the moment and today I am paying the price for my juvenile drive to impress a hottie.

I have been out of weightlifting for the past 15 months after sustaining an injury...My 5 year old took me out of commission with a weird shoulder injury...but anyway. I decided this week to go back in the gym and see what I can do. When I was forced out of the gym last year I was in the best shape of my life and I just had to know how much I had lost. Yesterday was "legs day" and I had chosen the old faithful lift to test my current level of strength in my legs....squats. After doing a warmup set I noticed that this HOT woman was checking me out from the cardio area upstairs. I caught her looking my way and she gave me a shy, yet revealing smile so I figured if she was going to be watching me, I may as well put on a show. Against my better judgement I began to pile on more and more weight with each set. I was pushing the limits...which is always easier to do when you feel certain you are being admired by a hottie. When the workout was all said and done I felt great. I had done more weight with more ease than I had anticipated and while this Gym Goddess shouldn't have been impressed with my flabby body pushing around a lot of weight...she said she was. That's right, she came downstairs and told me how cool the "Squat Clinic" I had just put on was. I told her I had to hit the shower if I was going to make it to work on time and she kissed me and told me that she and the kids would see me when I got home.

OK, so the hottie was my wife...and while that may take the sleazy, cheating aspect out of the equation, it doesn't remove the fact that I did something stupid to impress a girl. It was stupid because since yesterday I have been walking around like I have some horrible issue with my rectum...think along the lines of a corn cob. I stumble and hobble up steps and I get up from my seat with the speed and agility of a 90 year old recovering from bilateral knee replacement surgery. Why in the world did I do such a stupid thing? I think it is because I forgot...I forgot how lactic acid collecting in muscles burns and feels like it is somewhere near the boiling point of Tungsten. I forgot that walking is essential to mobility and that doing something like I did would greatly limit my ability to walk. I forgot that my wife loves me whether I squat 10lbs or 1000lbs. It all makes me wonder what else I forget? What else do the people of God forget?

I am reminded that the Ten Commandments do not begin with "1. You shall have no other Gods before me". The Ten Commandments begin with, "I am The Lord you God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of slavery" (Exodus 20). Why in the world does that matter?
It is as though God is telling his people that his commandments are not being given by someone that doesn't enjoy a history with them. The rules aren't provided by a dictator but rather by The One who has provided for them before and is now providing for them again. God didn't do this just once in scripture. In so many ways, God did this again and again...constantly reminding His people of the relationship He shared with them.

There seems to be a New Testament Equivalent of this event in Exodus...it happens in Luke 6. Some scholars refer to this sermon as "The Sermon on the Plain". Just like Moses, Jesus has just spent time on a mountain with God. Just like Moses, Jesus comes down and stands on the plain among the people and shares with them the "new rules". This time there is no talk of the initial ten commandments...not directly anyway. This time we hear about how the rules work in the Kingdom of God.

Luke 6 (The Message)
You're blessed when you've lost it all. God's kingdom is there for the finding. You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry. Then you're ready for the Messianic meal. You're blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes with the morning.
"Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don't like it, I do . . . and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this. Give Away Your Life But it's trouble ahead if you think you have it made. What you have is all you'll ever get. And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it's trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games. There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it.
"There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.
"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

Much in the way I hate that my legs don't move exactly like my brain instructs them to today...I don't care much for the words in red written above. Probably that is because like it is natural for me to want to impress some hot girl, it is also natural for me to want to react to bad circumstances in ways that don't display the blessings God says exist. It is natural for me to beat the hell out of my enemies, not love them. But the fact that I have natural tendencies is exactly why I need the Kingdom of God in my world. The fact that I do not always accurately represent the Kingdom of God is all the more reason why I need His touch...that's just one more lesson for me to learn and one more thing I should never forget. By the way, my legs still hurt!!!

"Spray Me Daddy, Spray Me"

The arrival of summer means the arrival of warmer weather. I don't care much for the heat but my sons do. My boys love the longer hours to play outside, the numerous day trips and really cool things like "Zoo Camp". Last night we ended up doing one of their favorite summer things...running around in the yard while I spray them with the garden hose. As God almost always does, he revealed something to me about how we often deal with God...here is that epiphany.

Elijah is my oldest and he is getting dangerously close to his 6th birthday. He loves to be wet. Swimming, Slip-n-Slide, puddles...you name it, he loves it. Judah is 16 days away from his 4th birthday and he hasn't always loved water like Elijah does but now he is really loving splashing and getting wet. But then there is Zion. Zion will turn 3 in August and he is not fond of water. Washing his hair is a huge chore as he reacts to news that you may wash his hair as though he has been given a death sentence. While his older brothers are busy jumping in the kiddie pool repeatedly, Zion is content to stand out of the way with a suspicious look on his face. It is as though he suspects the water may jump out of the pool and come across the yard to splash him.

So last night as the 2 older boys were in the front yard running about in their birthday suit, screaming repeatedly, "Spray me Daddy! Spray me!" I noticed Zion standing near the grass. He appeared to be contemplating stepping out into the yard...which is the danger zone. I thought I would have better luck asking a three legged man to walk through a mine field with snow skis on than I had of Zion wandering onto the playing field of our little game. So it was amazing that with great courage and apparent new found love for water, Zion stepped out in the yard. He boldly turned toward me and joined his brothers in asking for me to spray him. So I did.

He turned immediately and headed back to the safety of the sidewalk crying. Before walking up the steps and inside to dry off he turned to me with a sad face and said, "Daddy, you did something to me that was not very nice". I told him I was sorry and he seemed to forgive me and wandered inside...leaving his dripping trail of his perceived abuse in his wake.

I thought to myself, "If you didn't want to get wet why in the world did you ask me to spray you"? And then it hit me...God must be asking us the same thing, or at least me anyway. How many warm, fuzzy devotional moments have lead to zealous appeals to God to "take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee" only to turn around and ask God with a sense of bewilderment, "why did you disrupt my comfortable life"? How many times have our prayers been focused on our service to others only to crash and burn when our busy schedules erase any chance of us even noticing others, much less serving them? How many times have promises of a changed life faded in the midst of familiar friends, good times and cultural norms? It is as though we step into God's yard and proclaim our allegiance and devotion to Him and when God turns his hose of transformation and calling on us we are astounded.

When I joined the Army in 1996 I knew that raising my right hand and taking the oath I knew that doing so meant that my life would change forever. It radically changed for the next 6 years but in so many ways the experiences I had during those six years continue to have an effect on me today. When I married Brook and pledged to honor, serve and love her until I died, it obviously changed me forever. When each of our boys was born it obviously changed me forever. As important as military service, marriage and children are, they all pale in comparison to God. Yet I find at times my devotion to my family or my previous devotion to the Army seemed easier at times than my devotion to God. Why?

I think it is because when I was in the Army the rules were clear. I was given concrete objectives and tangible rewards or punishments. There wasn't a doubt in my mind what was required of me or anyone else. When I was married it was a bit harder but I knew the big things to do or not do...don't cheat, don't hurt her, do love her, do honor her. The same was true of children...but God seems so much more dynamic and so much more of a mystery.

Sometimes God calls people to build big boats for the coming flood...when it had never rained before. Sometimes God calls people to put their only son on the alter to sacrifice. Sometimes God calls one of his Prophets to marry an unfaithful prostitute. Sometimes people die when you pray for them not to die. Sometimes the people of God break promises they have made to you. Divorce, disease and traumatic events unfold and those events just weren't in our plans...so God seems dangerous. I am reminded of the best line about "Aslan" in the first Narnia movie..."Course he isn't safe, but he's good".

Isn't that what it is all about? Isn't our timidity wrapped completely in our desire for safety? That desire for safety reveals our fragility, real or perceived, and isn't that fragility framed out entirely by our desire for control, predictability and comfort? My military service was just for a time and I knew for the most part that certain parameters were in place that lead to some control, some predictability and a small degree of comfort (after the initial training anyway). My marriage is based upon common ideals of mutual love, mutual respect and certain guidelines that protect one another from shattered realities. My children didn't come with a "Rule Book" but there are still built-in expectations and norms that if followed will insure a degree of predictability. But not God...

My devotion to God and blindly following God's will may well lead to my death rather than my comfort. Agreeing to be about God's Mission in this life may well lead to ridicule, scorn and isolation. Speaking the truth in love may cause me to lead a lonely life that is largely misunderstood by others. Following God isn't for sissies or phonies. There is a reason why Joshua has to be reminded repeatedly to, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid for I, the Lord your God, am with you". Joshua experienced what Moses, Abraham, Paul and so many others have...weakness and fear. To which God responded with the charge to be strong and courageous.

God isn't safe...in so far as safety is defined by us. But God is good...which also isn't defined by us. Last night Zion, even though his Daddy delivered what he asked for, didn't think his Daddy was very safe. According to him I did something to him that wasn't very nice. This morning, as I was leaving for work, a half-awake Zion comes wandering up to me and instinctively raises his arms. I picked him up and he placed his sleepy head on my shoulder and trusted me to place him somewhere safe and warm...my bed. I did just that. His thoughts last night faded quickly when he knew that his Daddy would place him somewhere safe and warm...some place where his tired and sleepy body could rest. I was dangerous last night while holding the garden hose...but this morning I was good.

Maybe I can learn from Zion that getting sprayed by God is made so much sweeter when I raise my hands to him and rest on him...knowing that God will one day deliver me to a place of warm rest. He is good!

The Two Best Church Services Ever?

Is it possible to be apart of the 2 best church services ever in one day? How cool is it that in many ways yesterday was a red letter day for churches in my world ? I was apart of two very different gatherings in two very different theological landscapes and both were awesome...

The "church" yesterday morning was inspiring. It was the kind of time spent in devotion to God that leaves you wanting more, leaves you looking forward to next Sunday and strengthens your resolve to stay focused on the lessons learned yesterday until we can gather in that way again. Our time in scripture focused on Acts 1 and 2. We discussed the amazing, and often overlooked, events of Pentecost. Tongues of fire, strong winds and people forever changed by the message delivered in Acts 2 by Peter...all wonderful things indeed. The closing thought was about community...based on what these new believers did in Acts 2. We discussed how our community of God isn't defined by church affiliations, doctrine or traditions. Our community is defined by one simple criterion...do you live out your lives daily in the presence or at least close proximity of one another? If so, you are a community. The goal from there is to become a Christocentric Community...one having Jesus as the focus for the ways in which they live and conduct themselves. We closed with songs about Jesus...his goodness through his sacrifice being the theme. We then prayed...we prayed for the sick, for those traveling, for family members in general and for us to have a great week. After we concluded with prayers we all spent time together, kids playing and preparing lunch. How much better can it ever be?

I guess the coolest part of our Sunday morning service is who was in attendance. There were 5 of us. My wife, 3 sons and me...that's it. I told the story from the Bible in particularly dramatic ways (anything to keep the attention of 3 young boys). The boys lead our worship with songs like, "Jesus Loves Me", "Mungu Yu Mwema" (God is so Good in Swahili) and "Mary Had a Little Lamb"...of course explaining that the Mary of the Bible did indeed have a lamb...as in the Lamb of God. We were all truly blessed. We all grew and we all follow God today with a bit more clarity as a result of the church we had in our sun room...perhaps we should call it the "Son-room Church"?

The second service yesterday was in the afternoon. Greg Newton (http://web.mac.com/disciplesfellowship/Travelers/Journal/Journal.html ) and I are working together to plant a church among the residents of Trade Towers on the southside of B'ham. This will be a really cool experience for us all as God gave Greg the idea to do what he did in Tanzania, Africa for about 7 years. By the way, I first met Greg in Tanzania when I interned under him in 1998. So now, 10 years later here we are working with a new community...or as the example from Africa labels it, "a village". These people are already living in close proximity with one another. They already eat together, have recreation together, have arguments together, etc. The thing they seem to be missing is Jesus being the author of their village. What Greg and I will attempt to do over time is to invite them to see Jesus as the reason, focus and facilitator of their community. As they accept this and begin to function as a community of Jesus (church). Greg and I will back away as they will be functioning on their own and will no longer need us.

I think this new church is special for several reasons. The people are already living in community. There is no need to find, rent or purchase a "church building". There is no need to hire a "professional minister". Through the initial expectations of growth and maturation we anticipate they will at some point be leading the church.

So yesterday the crowd wasn't exactly huge...which isn't unusual. So exactly how many showed up? Well, since we know numbers indicate success (just typing that would cause me to choke on my tongue if it wasn't in my cheek)...I will say that the total crowd, including Greg and me, was somewhere right around...2. But that's really cool. How? I'm glad I asked.

It is really cool that things didn't go as planned because it reminds us who is in charge. The building manager responsible for getting the announcement out to the residents was ill and in the hospital so the word never got out. Greg and I discussed further what we will attempt to do there and then we spent time in prayer asking God's guidance and blessing. It wasn't a huge kickoff with people spilling out of the chapel area into the hall...but it was special because it was the start of something new, something good and something of God.

The "Son-Room Church" Sunday morning was an excellent experience...one that is sure to be repeated. The gathering at the Trade Towers was also excellent and is sure to be repeated...although with more people. God is really good to allow me to be a part of both groups. I can't wait to see how each community continues to be shaped by Mary's little Lamb.