Paradox

We are viewed us as weak. In you, Jesus, we are strong.

Our faith seems foolish. Yet you, Jesus, are our wisdom.

We are told that we need “more.”  Jesus, your word says that we are to become “less”.

We are in the world, but not of it.

In You, we can love a world that hates us.

Life is in you; remind us daily that you, Jesus, are our source.

Amen.

Keep Out

When your job revolves around driving to locations that you have never been to before and may never go to again, you quickly come to grips with the benefits of modern technology.  There is nothing that has been more helpful in these travels than the purchase of my GPS.  If you need to know how far you are from a gas station, you can find out. If it does not seem like there is a chance that you will ever see a restaurant again, you got it. If there is a detour that you should take due to construction, weather, or a T-Rex on the loose-BOOM!-dinosaur avoided.   They provide every bit of information that you need short of how many dead animal carcasses that you will pass or crush on your way.

However, there is always the possibility of user malfunction (which is a nice way of saying ‘not paying attention). There was the time that I added two hours to my trip by not watching the screen.  Then there are times that I end up in places because I have not recently updated the device.  To be clear, no matter how perfect the plan, it is highly possible that we will mess up.

Monday, my GPS kept recalculating how I would arrive at my desired destination after I had missed the initial turn recommended (and the numerous 3’ X 3’ signs with HORNS CREEK RESORT written above an arrow pointing the proper direction).  After taking multiple gravel roads, a couple of dirt roads, and two dead ends, I thought I would just wing it. I drove down yet another gravel road that was about the width of 3/4ths of my car. In a world of Escalades, Armadas, and Navigators, I have to be clear-I drive a 2001 Honda Accord.  My expectations of the size of this road are far from grandeose.

I did everything possible to make sure that I did not run off of the road completely-I sang ‘Keep it Between the Lines’ and ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’.   Eventually, I came to a sign marked ‘Private Property’ with a lot of smaller writing that I did not have the time to read (but, am quite sure in retrospect, said something about my ensuing death).

I noticed two things: An opening head of me where I could turn around and a curious Pitbull-ish canine trotting around a shaggy-headed, beady eyed, little boy.  

Based on my calculations, the world is made up of two types of kids: Cute ones and creepy ones(If no one has ever told you that your kid is cute-sorry).  This little corn-field dweller eyed me intently as I drove into an opening about three yards behind where he was standing.  When I turned my car around, his hand was extended towards me to thoroughly communicate, “stop.”  Due to the overall creepiness of the situation,  I interpreted “stop” as “hey!”  I drove by him and waved.

This is where it gets weird.  As I drove by, I heard a voice that was far too deep for his eight year old frame say in a deep, gravelly, hissing snake-style voice, “I SAID STOP!!!”  I looked in my rear-view mirror and he was waving his hand towards me, unleashing the pit-bull to pursue my Honda.

 As the dog snapped at my bumper, I looked to my left and to my right and noticed an assortment of canines joining him in the chase.  There was a collie, a chow that kept running into my car, something that resembled a wolf, and a wiener dog with its tongue flapping in the wind.  
I  floored it (which means I got over 70 mph), leaving the dogs and the boy in the background.  My heart was beating as if I ran 70 mph.  I am certain my GPS said something to the effect of ‘Huh?!?’

Were the dogs going to tear me limb from limb if they caught me?  Probably not.

Were the dogs really obeying the voice of this kid? I’m quite certain.  

Was a grown man a totally creeped out by said kid?  Absolutely.

Salon Selective

My mother was a hair stylist. Some of my earliest memories involve spinning in one of her chairs until I was so dizzy I could not stand up.  There even came a point where she added a salon onto the back of our house so that we could be home all afternoon, eat a snack, do our homework, and not have to worry about inhaling an unacceptable amount of hairspray from being in her shop after school.

When your mom cuts hair, that means that you have weird ideas as to how you can wear your hair.  Keep in mind, my head has multiple ‘cowlicks’ (salon talk for ‘nothing to work with’) and, if my hair is grown out the slightest bit too much, I bear a striking resemblance to a not-yet-fully-grown Chia Pet.  However, I grew up in the 80’s, meaning that I was under the (hair-) stylistic influence of  rappers like Kid N' Play (who wore their hair combed to stand completely straight at a bout a foot in length) and Brian Bosworth, who combined a flat-top on the top with lines shaved in the side of his head.  To personalize the Boz’s look, I asked my mom to give me a perm in the back.  Before I even knew what a mullet was, I had one.   I have since destroyed all of the pictures so that my children never have anything in their hands that they can use for black-mail.

It was strange being the kid of a hair stylist.  She would always tell me how other kids were scared to get anything done to their hair.  They were afraid of the sharp scissors or the buzzing sound on the side of their head.  But I never was.  She used to tell me all of the time that I would fall asleep when I was really little.  

I fell asleep because of my trust in the one who held the scissors.  Her control meant more to me than anything I could fear.  

Scripture teaches us to:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

(Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV)

The writer of the Proverbs is pointing towards the same idea.  We are to realize our need for God’s leadership and guidance and to consider his presence in our lives even when that does not seem possible. Even in difficulties. Even when our thoughts and instincts would tell us to do something else. We trust wholly.

The disciples had a difficult situation where they were sailing (Mark 4:35-40).  Jesus was asleep in the boat and the everything was calm.  We learn that a terrible storm came out of nowhere and that they feared for their lives.  Jesus was still asleep. They went to Jesus and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”  Jesus stood up, told the water to calm down, and it did. He then questioned their faith, asking  “You of little faith, why do you doubt?”  And the disciples looked at one another and said, “Who is this guy?”

What may happen is that we lose the full significance of the story in the miracle.  Jesus had said “We are going to the other side.”  That is what they doubted-the Word of Jesus. And if we are not careful, we miss this all-important fact: Jesus was just as much in control when the waters were raging as when the storms were still.  

To live as God calls is difficult. Yet, if we are to trust that Jesus really is LORD over all things and that in Him All things hold together (Colossians 1:15-20), we are to pray that God will help us in those seasons and storms of doubt.  As a man said to Jesus in regards to the healing of his son, “LORD, I believe, help my unbelief (Mark 9:24).”  We as followers can stand firm in what we believe-yet we pray that Jesus reminds us in those moments of doubt that He has not ceased to give us reasons to hold on to Him-that we trust Him to help our unbelief.

Forgetful

I usually do not think about my raincoat.

You see, raincoats fall into the category of 'things you forget you need until you really need them'. Other items that exist in this place are windshield wipers, pocket change, cell phone chargers, extra-strength Rolaids, and the copy of your 'Jock Jams' CD from the 90's.

The rain coat seems a little more important because it directly affects your immediate comfort. And on those days, if it were actually possible, I would give myself a swift kick. I always think to myself, "Why did I forget to grab that raincoat?" (I guess it is good that the swift kick to oneself is impossible here, because not only would I be soaked, I would be limping as well. )

Most days, I just leave my raincoat inside of the car. This is usually not a problem-as long as the rain starts while I am driving. But there are the times that the raincoat is in the car and I am soaked before I remember its location because I did not look at the Weather Channel, my weather phone app, or the sky.

Then there are the days that the raincoat is in the house and I am well on my way to a busy day, halfway across town when the skies open and the floods come.

I always think to myself, "Why did I forget to grab that raincoat?"

One morning, I hurried out of the house, ran to church, and hopped on a fifteen passenger bus on the way to downtown Chattanooga. It was an early start because my friend Kevin and I had signed up to help the Homeless Coalition with a project. Our mission: To shuttle homeless men and women from all over Chattanooga to a convention for the purposes of helping them find good places to stay, places to eat, rehabilitate (if necessary), get hair cuts and hygiene products, and hopefully find employment.

We rode downtown and Kevin and I picked up our first group at a local shelter. Everyone filed into the back of the bus. Conversation was at a minimum (I do remember vain attempts to talk about football with some of the guys). For the first half hour, we were all pretty quiet with the exception of a gentleman who was ever so thankful for what we were doing. He was a guy who most of us probably drive by every day. Nothing really stood out to me about him.

Well, I take that back. I do remember one thing-he didn't bring his raincoat.

Then there was the next stop at a downtown hotel that runs discounts for the local homeless population. The energy in our bus picked up and our we talked about life-normal, everyday life. This crew was pretty open about bad life decisions that had put a hold on everything else. Some shared about drugs, alcohol, children they had not seen. Others talked about losing jobs because of the economy. The reasons for their situation were mixed bag of poor decisions, an inability to 'bounce back', and a recession.

None of them remembered their raincoats, either.

Our third trip was probably the most eventful. Somewhere on the interstate, a conversation started about what they were having for lunch at our destination (no one knew). This evolved into a full-scale discussion between Kevin and the rest of the bus. If this were a segment on a reality television show, it would be called "The Weirdest Thing I Have Ever Eaten." It started with words like 'duck' and deer then escalated to 'bear', 'snake', and 'guinea pig' (I almost inserted 'St. Bernard' and/or 'my nephew', but deemed it inappropriate). One guy kept reiterating that he had also eaten 'raccoon' and that 'turtles have seven different types of meat'( I learned a life lesson in the midst of this-never have a competition with a homeless guy about who has eaten the weirdest food). We dropped them off for lunch and watched them all run inside.

They ran pretty quickly-because none of them had their raincoats.

Finally, a gentleman got on the bus and introduced himself to everyone riding. he then pulled out his harmonica and began to jam before telling us that he had toured with both Bob Dylan and none other than the King, Elvis Presley. He then played a couple more tunes before singing some of Elvis's hits for a crowd that was evidently more drawn towards the Beatles (or the Bee Gees, Jimmy Hendrix, or anyone other than the guy singing). When we dropped him off, he asked a few questions that I did not have answers to about the event, and walked off, leaving his seat soaking wet.

He had forgotten to bring his raincoat, too. Along with countless other men, women, and kids.

It is easy to look at a situation and disconnect yourself with cliches like 'they made their own bed' or 'better them than me.' The difficulty comes when we have conversations with people and look them in the face. Difficult decisions are made when we sacrifice for someone else-when we see those who are less fortunate as people-not a problem. While many of us find verses that are for us that we are happy to put on coffee cups or FB statuses, there are multiple references to the people of God taking care of the poor that have been ignored because we have decided those verses are for someone else. It has been said, "The problem is not that Christians don't see the poor; the problem is that we don't know the poor."

There are everyday things that all of us can do. I am, by no means, an expert. I am consistently reminded of my inconsistencey-where I fall short in all of this, when I am less than caring, overwhelming selfish, and absolutely ungracious. However, where I fall short, my Lord does not. He is gracious, selfless, and caring-and has asked the same of me and empowered me to walk with him in His infinite goodness. In Him, I can do "all things." I can, at the very least, look through my closet or act like the $2 I give to a guy on the street isn't going to cause my head to fall off or take food out of my kids' mouth.

I'm just a guy with a raincoat.

Chances are-you're just a guy with a raincoat, too.

Any questions about what you can do, feel free to www.homelesscoalition.org

Clutter

Today, I cleaned my office.

Please do not misunderstand me; I have a good bit of work to do. I have retreats coming up. I am working on two sermon-series for the Spring (1 John and Luke). I have to make another attempt at contacting a woman who wants to buy one of Hope's fantastic cheesecakes. And I still have not taken the time to flip out over the fact that we are within three months of the birth of our second (yet-to-be named) little boy. I have plenty that I need to do.

It is not that my office is even all that full of stuff. I look around and there is not too much to distract me. In the place of multiple commentaries by theologians, there is a fantasy football trophy from 2006, some paintings that I used on stage at camp in 2005, an old copy of Spider-Man from 1966, a Dirk Nowitzki bobble-head, and a stuffed Undertaker that one of our secretaries threw at me. These are what fill the multitude of bookshelves that the previous occupant left for me. (There were some commentaries on my desk-just books that have been 'borrowed' from my peers).

When I walked in today, there was an overwhelming urge to discard of the trash and reorganize the things of value. I tried to work on the 'to-do' list first. It was impossible. So I threw away countless papers that had just accumulated over my six months in this office. I found some books that I intend to read (yet had forgotten where I had placed them). Books are now, at the very least, on the shelf.

I guess I used the word 'clean' a little more liberally than some. I should probably have said, 'Today, I did things so that I could see some progress.'

Paul writes about the hard working farmer (2 Timothy 2). If we just think about the example, the farmer diligently worked while completely relying on God-plucking weeds day after day in the hope that God will send rain. He does some things in the hopes of seeing progress. His hope in God is certain because of God's faithful-and he works firmly within the knowledge of that truth.

Early on in Scripture, God lays out for us the Shema in Deuteronomy 6. God provides statutes and laws that serve to show the follower of YHWH how to avoid the trappings of a mundane, self-seeking life for the sake of them loving Him above all else. He reminds us to have constant reminders when he refers to frontlets. Frontlets literally means 'Everywhere you look, I Am there.' God's desire is for His followers to see Him and know Him in such a way that we could teach Him. Christ fulfills this message in that, in Him, these things are now possible.

What things are we doing in the hope of seeing God's progressive work in us?

Fanboy

It started innocently enough.

I was out of town. Hope told me that she had purchased Shep some superheroes.

My inner dork did a cartwheel. Ever since Hope's pregnancy, I have pointed out anything loosely connected to powers gained through gamma radiation, alien heritage, or accidental bites from a variety of insects. I would casually point to (albeit gaudy) bibs with a man in a mask jumping where milk spittle rests. When Shep was going through his stuffed animal/teething ring/exersaucer stage, I would take a step three aisles over to let him get a feel of Gotham City and the Baxter Building.

So when Hope called to tell me that Shep was now the proud owner of Spiderman, Carnage, a Hand Ninja, and Samurai Wolverine, I realized that all of my hard work was beginning to pay off. Before we knew it, all three of us would be wearing masks and capes and taking care of injured puppies when we were not fighting pedestrian crime.

Thankfully, this all coincided with potty training. What happened when there were no accidents? We could finally look for an Iron Man. If my boy had a successful week, there was good chance that a member of the Fantastic Four was in his future. If he complemented my driving, off to the toy store. He wanted heroes and it was my job as a parent to encourage his inner X-Man.

His collection was growing. The figures come in two packs and, despite the fact that he was the proud owner of 5 Spidermen, 2 Iron Men, and 2 Wolverine, I was able to sit down and begin to have discussions at an early age about how great power comes with great responsibility. We plotted out battles between the heroes and the villains who had oddly taken over the minds of all of Shep's animals (due mainly to a shortage in evil on the retail shelf). He even knew that the Hulk is the strongest there is and would have no problem smashing a T-Rex or an Elmo the size of my son.

We went to the store the other night. Shep asked if he could get some superheroes and had a few extra dollars. I confidently strolled into Toys-R-Us with the boy and we walked straight to the hero section. This is where it all gets a little iffy.

Shep grabbed a Bat Mobile. What is wrong with that? Nothing-well, almost nothing. He only owns Marvel figures. Bat Man is a DC character. My spider senses started tingling. He cannot have 17 Marvel figures and one Batman driving into the fight in his fancy sports car. DC heroes and Marvel characters never overlap except in publicity stunts by the publishers (and it does not take a mutant to realize that those books are non-canonical).

Shep then started to want Toy Story figurines. Next, he wanted the electronic dinosaur (the one with the remote). I kept steering him around the store, hoping that this was not real, just a training simulation like the one's that take place in the X Mansion.

That is when it hit me.

I was vicariously collecting action figures through my 2 year old son. Shepherd was not really collecting action figures-I was.

We walked over to the cars. He saw a three pack from the movie 'Cars' that he really wanted. So we bought them. Sally, Red, and (yet another) Lightning McQueen were now his. At least for a few days, Cars had regained there spot in my boy's vivid imagination.

Which reminds me-we still don't have a Batmobile...

Saving the Planet One Can at a Time

I was in elementary school the first time that I ever heard the word 'recycle.' At that point, I did not know (nor did I care) about the positive impact that recycling had on the environment. I had no clue that you could virtually recycle everything that had ever been 'cycled'. I never walked around the neighborhood with multiple plastic bags sorting cardboard into one, glass into the next, plastic into its own, and aluminum in the last. There was no desire in my heart to take care of my children's children and their children as well. I recycled for one reason: Greed.

My brother and I found out from our dad that the reason the old guy in the neighborhood used a stick to stab aluminum cans and asked us if we had anymore was because aluminum had a monetary value. Aluminum was big (small) business. I quickly realized that this was, for a 7 year old, the modern day equivalent of the poor-man's Midas touch. Every can I could find would be turned into cash money. With my brother at my side, the two of us scavenged the neighborhood (at least the parts within our parents line of vision), looking far and wide for cans. With each can, we realized we were one step closer to Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Contra, or Double Dribble.

In 1985, 2 million collectors earned over 200 million dollars saving cans. While this sounds like the greatest get-rich-quick scheme since door-to-door vacuum sales, it is important to do simple math. Cans were worth around $0.27 a per pound at the time. It takes roughly forty cans to get a pound of aluminum. In order to fully pay for a Nintendo game ($50), we had to collect over 200 pounds of cans! Even with my current addiction to soft drinks, that takes a really long time. As a 2nd grader, I realized with the quickness a simple truth that much of America still embraces: Recycling is a hassle.

Time passed. I grew up, graduated, got a job, recycling... is still not fun. It is more convenient. It is publicized better. It has a catchy, colorful nickname. Yet it still calls for a person to make a decision that involves an extra effort.

The recycler now come by your house and pick up your goods. You no longer have to sort them. Just throw it all in one bag and they will sort it all later. The only problem is that they do not run regularly. It takes someone competent in either quantum physics, logarithms, or philosophy to decode the pick up times for your neighborhood. The recycle truck on our street used to run the first Tuesday after the full moon (if it wasn't raining), but now runs twice a month. I still do not know when those two times will be.

Last Tuesday, I had my neighbor and best friend Kevin jump off my old truck and Hope and I hauled the remaining cardboard in our garage to the recycle center. (I had gotten lucky and placed most of the recyclables on the street. However, I did not want to push my luck for fear of having to carry it all back inside after the defeat of realizing that it was not the right day...again.) As we were driving, a box flew out of the back of the truck. I wanted to leave it. I felt like that it would decompose on its own since we were going the extra mile for the sake of the planet. Hope disagreed.

I parked about 15 feet down the road on the one flat spot I could find to park. I left the truck running because the truck won't start back up when you do weird things like put it in park. I ran quickly because the truck was on fumes. I went running uphill and grabbed the old diaper box box and took off back for the truck. As I sprinted to the truck, a little lady that we will call Edna stepped out from behind one of the bushes. She asked if I could trim the tops of her hedges.

The truck was still running. Hope was waiting. Edna was handing me the clippers (without an answer). I started to make an excuse. "I don't have time" seemed overused. "My wife is waiting" did not seem correlate with Hope's personality or the old ichthus on the back of my truck. ("Feaux hawks are in on bushes" was probably my best bet in retrospect.)

I took the clippers and trimmed the hedges. Edna told me her story. She told me that her husband had passed away from cancer and that she was taking care of her son now because he, too, has cancer. She told me that the Lord was getting her through this difficult part in her life.

In three minutes, I learned about a lady whose house I pass on the way to Target, to Chili's, to get gas, who I would never have even thought about stopping to help.

I got in the truck and Hope and I drove to the Recycle Center. She was laughing hysterically. We continued to laugh at my inability to properly trim bushes. What seemed like a hassle turned into a moment that made an impact on me and made me realize somet things for which I am grateful:

I am grateful for Kevin's forward thinking in the purchase of his jumper cables.

I am grateful for Hope being in the truck with me to watch this debacle.

I am grateful that I don't have to collect cans anymore for video games.

I am grateful that the recycle driver is so unpredictable.

I am grateful for the box that flew out of the back of my truck.

I am grateful for Edna being 5'3.

I am grateful that her bushes are 6'1.