More Change

A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn. We got the announcement last Sunday that Pastor Darren and Michele are accepting new and exciting positions with the Oklahoma District office. Of course that also means that they will be leaving the pastorate at Highpointe Church. A true good news/bad news development. I am expecting a really smooth pastor search and transition because the spirit of the church is so good, so unified, so God-focused. Those who will lead the search are all good, solid, Godly men who know what they are looking for and will know when they find it. It is an interesting situation for me. Since I now hold ministry credentials I cannot participate in the search or vote on the candidate. And I'm completely fine with it. I'm glad for this opportunity for the Pilchers and I'm glad that their talents will be utilized for greater impact on a larger stage. Actually, I can't think of anything to be sad about. I'm not worried about anything. A couple of old songs say it well: "Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. 'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home." and "Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand, but I know who holds the future, and I know who holds my hand." We're gonna be fine.

Handling Adversity

Yesterday I had a brief adventure of sorts. It only lasted a couple of hours but I learned a new lesson in handling adversity. The lesson began the day before. On Christmas Eve an epic snowstorm hit Oklahoma City. Carole and I had finished our annual Christmas Eve breakfast with some good friends and were at home relaxing and watching the storm roll in. We had two tasks to perform that day and were in no hurry. We were anticipating our Whitlow Christmas Eve get-together at my brother's home, and we had to go to our daughter and son-in-law's home to pick up their dog. They were at Mark's parents place out of state and the young man who was house-sitting for them was leaving to meet his family for their Christmas celebration. That left their dog, Ozzie with no way to get outside to answer nature's call, so the plan was for us to bring him to our house. No problem. We've done it several times before. Due to travel difficulties I had experienced earlier in the day, we decided that we would go to Ozzie's house, spend the night and return home Christmas morning. After all, we didn't have any other plans. The trip to their house was surreal due to the number of cars scattered along the roadway, but we made it without serious incident.

We got up Christmas morning, loaded Ozzie in the truck and headed for home. Things were going well until we enountered a jack-knifed semi blocking the road. We decided to cut through a parking lot to go around and ended up high centered in a snowbank. I sprang into action and began yelling, kicking snow and blaming others. I made my feeble attempts at trying things, but I knew that unless spring came early, we wouldn't be driving away from this without help. I had identified the situation clearly and loudly and stomped around, mad that I was in this mess.

Carole, meanwhile, was on the phone calling people. Very quickly she reached one of her cousins whose husband has a large 4 wheel drive truck and a strong chain. He said he would come, and about an hour later I was driving home.

While I focused on the problem, Carole focused on the solution. I think there is a lesson to be learned there. I give myself a D- and Carole an A+.

Christmas with the Whitlows

Christmas Eve night is when the Whitlows get together. For years we met at the house I grew up in; the house where my dad still lives. When all three of us boys got married and had families, we grew too large for Dad's house, so now we rotate between the brother's houses. This year Ryan is hosting. I remember so many Christmases with my brothers. As kids, we would get up after dad let us know it was okay and run headlong into the hot, bright lights of the light bar on the 8mm movie camera.

With Greg being 6 years older than I, he was married with kids before I left my parent's house. He replaced the 8mm camera with a huge camcorder that took a lot longer to set up, but it amazed us by allowing us to see replays instantly instead of having to send the film to the drug store for processing.

All three of us are fully middle-aged, now and each of us bear the scars of 50+ years of life. We all have married children and two of us have grandchildren. All three of us have had years when Christmas brought an end to a year at least one of us was glad to see end. We've all had our ups and downs; years of prosperity and years of lack, years of great successes and years of great struggles, but we have always been able to laugh and act stupid at the Christmas Eve get-together.

This year, the only significant change will be that not all of our married kids will be present. Our children won't be begging to start opening presents while we act like we need to go get another plate of food before we start. Our kids have their own families, now and obligations to in-laws, not to mention the beginning of their own Christmas traditions. Man, we three have really gotten old. Thankfully, there will be some children there and it will be lots of fun making them agonize over the opening of their presents.

I have been blessed. Both of my brothers and I have always lived in OKC near my folks so there have been no missed Christmases by any of us. I nearly missed one year because of being on a job in north Louisiana, but I drove 8 hours and got home just a little late. Mom passed a few years away, but her presence is still with us. She loved Christmas and us so much there are always good stories to keep her with us.

So this year, as I take inventory, we brothers are doing okay. We all have jobs, and are all healthy. Dad is still with us. It will be fun. The food will be good. I am blessed.

Prayer

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

Life on Shuffle

A few weeks ago I loaded my iPod with Christmas songs. They run the gamut from traditional Christmas carols to country to rock to Alvin and the chimpmunks. I have had it playing on shuffle at my desk the last couple of days. The songs shift seamlessly from one to another. I never know which song is coming next. A little while ago the song selection went from "Blue Christmas" to "Away in a Manger" to "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". I like the variety. I like the uncertainty. I don't want to listen to an entire album of one kind of music. I like shuffle.

I think that my life is lived on "shuffle". I can get jerked from peaceful to annoyed to shocked to hilarious in a matter of minutes. You never know what is coming next. But that is just how I like it. I know where I'm going; I just don't know when I'll get there. Life on Shuffle. Live it!

Good news/Bad news

Good news and bad news are a matter of perspective. Things that affect someone negatively will typically affect someone else positively. For example, a tornado rips through a town and damages a number of houses. That is bad news for the homeowner. It is good news, however, for the carpenter or house builder. It means a lot of really good jobs and work that will support his family.

I've heard many prayers offered for good weather for an outdoor event. At the same time people are praying for rain to keep their yards or crops from dying. Rain or the lack of it is good news for one and bad news for the other. One weather pattern produces two results.

Such results are not the result of God liking someone better or giving more attention to their prayer. Isaiah 55 tells us that the way God does business is not the way we would do it. His ways are far beyond our ability to understand, so we just have to trust his heart. I'd like to have everything that happens be fully explainable, but I don't find that promise in the Bible. But, I do find that nothing can separate me from the love of God. That's just gonna have to do.

Playing Games

Both of my grandsons made an unexpected visit to the office this afternoon. Tyler, the oldest, wanted to play and we did. We went into one of the early childhood classrooms and played "cars" which consisted of picking all of the cars out of one of the tubs which contains cars. We looked at them and put them back in the tub. Then he wanted to play "dinos" which consisted of taking all of the toy dinosaurs out of the tub, looking at them and putting them back. We were playing "golf balls" which consisted of taking the four golf balls out of my desk drawer, and, well, you know the rest. It was while we were playing "golf balls" that his mother came and said it was time to go home.

Those games are fun for him. He gets what he wants out of those games. I enjoy being with him, but I can think of games that would be a lot more involved and enjoyable. I want to stack things, organize things, make them go, and maybe even crash them. But we play at his pace because he doesn't enjoy the games when he doesn't understand the purpose or context. Maybe when he gets older, he'll understand and enjoy more involved games.

I imagine that God feels the same way about me. I want to play my games according to my rules and quit playing when I decide I want to play something else. God enjoys me being with him, but I imagine he is always thinking, If you would just let me, we could play some really awesome and interesting games. The games you are playing now don't come close to maximizing what I have put you in contact with.

Maybe when I get older I'll understand.

Primal review

I just finished reading Mark Batterson's latest book, Primal- A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity. In it Batterson challenges the reader to examine his/her own existence with the intent of shedding layers of complexity and getting down to the purest essence of faith. He lays out his case by examining the heart, soul, mind and strength of Christianity; also known as the Great Commandment. He uses many illustrative examples to make his points. These points helped me to view the Great Commandment in new, fresh ways.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is feeling frustrated with the ever busier/less fulfilling lifestyle so many in church are experiencing today. Reading it to start 2010 would be a great way to establish focus on a simpler, more "primal" faith for the coming new year.

Glory

John 1:14- The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We have seen his glory. We were given a glimpse during his time on earth. But what did his glory look like? It looked a lot like an unimpressive example of a small-town Jewish man. He was born in a barn. He healed some folks, fed thousands of people with a few fishwiches and told stories, most of which were not understood by those who heard them. He spent time with a dozen guys who liked hanging with him but weren't really sure if they could believe everything he said. As a result, he reached his peak of popularity about a week before the crowd turned on him and he was put to death. That's what we got to see. We got to see him post-resurrection, but he didn't make any victory parades for the world to see. He quietly talked to his friends and gave instructions on what to do with his message.

Many ministers today have organizations that are much larger and more impressive than the group Jesus put together. So if glory is defined by glitz, money and numbers, many today show more glory than Jesus did. But I think we have made our own definition of glory; one that we think is more befitting a child of God. But what sort of glory did we see from Jesus during his time here on earth?

Jesus' glory was defined by what he layed aside rather than by what he gathered to himself. He dropped all of the trappings of royalty so that he could relate to us. In the messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53 we learn that He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected my men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not. He gave himself up completely to bring us salvation. He allowed himself to be abused for our good. That is the glory we saw from Jesus.

Let's make sure we know what we are asking for when we say we want to live glorious lives. It is available to us but it may look different than we imagine.

Look for a sign

It has been fun having vinyl banners serving as church signs for Highpointe, but those days are rapidly coming to a close. After many dangers, toils and snares, the installation of the awesome new state-of-the-art sign will begin on Monday, assuming that the temperature stays above freezing. They'll have to pour a concrete footing and let it cure a few days, then they will be able to install the sign and hook it up to electricity. Pray that the temps are above freezing next week. It looks like we'll have the new sign to begin the new year. A new beginning. A new Highpointe sign for a new future. Martin and I look forward to taking down the vinyl banners. They have done what we needed them to do, but no more of this "good enough" stuff. There's nothing too good for the saints.

I must look really old.

I must look really old. Today I went to Kohl's and when I checked out the guy at the register gave me a senior citizen discount without even asking. (Yes, I accepted it. Do you think I'm prideful or something?) Then I went to the Panda Express for lunch. They were promoting a new dish, Sweet Fire Chicken. I said to the nice young lady who was serving me, "I'll try the Sweet Fire Chicken." With a concerned look on her face she said, "It's kind of spicy. Are you okay with spicy food?" Okay, that one kind of got to me. I east spicier stuff than Sweet Fire Chicken for dessert. Come on. Do I look that fragile?

While I ate I decided that I could use my "old" look to my advantage. Maybe I can get out of doing some things I don't really enjoy doing if young people see me as a nice old guy who needs some help. Maybe I can get away with saying whatever I want to say and get away with it under the excuse of being old. There's no pressure to dress sharply or to look handsome. This just might work. You young whippersnappers better watch out. This old guy is gonna have some fun with this.

The Best Time of Life

When I was a boy the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas were the slowest weeks of the year. Sure there were Sunday School Christmas parties ($1 limit on presents) and grade school parties (don't draw names; just number the gifts and let us draw. No kid that liked me ever drew my name so I would always get modeling clay or a Lassie book). Gradually, glacially, the Christmas season would progress from the opening of the box of Christmas comic books on Thanksgiving afternoon to buying a tree and decorating it. Each day we would check under the tree after school to see if any additional presents had appeared. Those which were available would be shaken. The paper would be pressed down on the package to see if anything could be read between the Santa faces. It seemed that the Christmas season lasted for months. It was wonderful and it was awful with the anticipation of Christmas morning. On Christmas Eve we were sure that we would never fall asleep, only to be awakened by a HO HO HO from my dad on Christmas morning. I thought it was the best time of my life, and it was.

When I had children, the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas went by much faster. There was so much for Carole to do. Decorating the house, going to parties, getting gifts for our kids to give at Sunday School and grade school parties, wrapping presents so our kids would find new ones under the tree when they got home from school, and trying, unsuccessfully at times, to keep them from finding out what they were getting. Christmas morning came and went very quickly, leaving a lot of work for Carole, but I thought it was the best time of my life, and it was.

Now I have grandchildren. This will be the first year that the oldest, Tyler, has any understanding of what is happening. I look forward to seeing him and his newborn brother, Simon in their church Christmas play. (Simon will be playing the lead role of baby Jesus this year.) I enjoy being around my children and their families and this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is passing at breakneck speed. But I think it is the best time of my life.

Quote from G.K. Chesterton

I'm currently reading a book by Eugene Peterson entitled "Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places". As with other books he has written, he captivates my mind through his incredible ability to use words to create mental imagery. It is difficult to use snippets from one of his books because his thoughts are developed page after page. There are no slogans to be derived from his writings. In the chapter "Christ Plays in Creation", Peterson quotes G.K. Chesterton. "What has really happened during the last seven days and nights? Seven times we have been dissolved into darkness as we shall be dissolved into dust; our very selves, so far as we know, have been wiped out of the world of living things; and seven times we have been raised alive like Lazarus, and found all our limbs and senses unaltered, with the coming of the day."

I'm sad about the Tiger thing

This whole Tiger Woods wreck/fight/affair thing just makes me sad. I am a huge fan of golf and I recognize that having a player with the stature of Tiger Woods is good for the golf industry. But being Tiger Woods has to be difficult. The Tiger Woods empire is contingent on his surpassing will to win, his actual winning, a finely crafted public personna, and a public who can't get enough of Tiger. When he's winning, when he marries a beautiful wife, when he's limping to victory, when he flashes his trademark smile, when he freezes out his opponent with icy stares, and when he is able to show carefully scripted and tightly rationed views into his personal life, it works incredibly well.

But the problem is that Tiger the trademark isn't the same as Tiger the man. It can't be. It is impossible. But when the PGA, Nike, Gatorade and other sponsors are paying someone the huge bucks, and when the sports journalists keep their spotlights trained on one individual a majority of the time there is a great price to pay in return. You give up the ability to have a marital dust-up in the privacy of your own neighborhood. No one can live in the spotlight during the good times and turn it off in the bad times. Too many people have their livelihoods tied to the Tiger brand. Protecting the brand becomes first priority. But no veneer is strong enough to withstand the onslaught of speculation. Eventually information begins to seep through the inevitable cracks which appear under the unrelenting pressure.

This is not unique to Tiger. It is common to anyone who is in a position of significant influence. We see the same tale with political and religious leaders. It is hard to be transparent and vulnerable when so many want the leader to be Superman. Those who find their identity in being close to the leader will typically make these matters worse by trying to contain the truth. Then when the truth ultimately comes out, the fallout is devastating.

I don't know how this will ultimately impact the Tiger legacy. He may resume his place as the world's best golfer. But his family and his reputation as a husband and father has taken a huge hit. And that makes me sad.