Deacon
Speakin'
      - Tom Lane

...It can be really hard to not care what other people think
Sound familiar?  It does if you've been reading Whateva.  Eva said this in her April 3rd blog.

Funny, what made her think of this was a story I told during our Sunday school class, (I'm the teacher, Eva is one of the students, and James, her husband, is our "gold star" student, ...except when he's tired).  lol

Eva is so right, it can be really hard not to care what other people think, even - or especially - total strangers.  Like Eva, I just assume everyone is going to think the worst of me in an embarrassing or awkward situation. 

Like the rejected credit card at the restaurant Eva referred to.  When it happened I KNEW everyone thought that I was maxed out on the card, that I probably had another $20,000 in credit card debt, that my car was ready to be repossessed and that I was six months behind on my mortgage.  In fact, my credit card has a zero balance. 

As the waitress and my lunch partner were waiting anxiously to see what would come next, I was thinking, "Note to self: they NEVER refuse cash."  Yep, it can be really hard not to care what other people think.

I've spent much of this afternoon with someone I love very, very much.  This person has made some bad choices in the past (...let he among us who has not made some bad choices along the way, cast the first stone), and is now dealing with the consequences.

I know this person has a good heart and right now I'm offering some much needed fresh-from-the-oven TLC (Tender Loving Care) instead of more of that stale day-old TLC (Tough Lecturing Criticism).  This person told my wife and I that our house is always filled with love.  I'm thinking, yea, fresh-baked love just for you! 

To help you get an idea what this fresh-baked love smells like, think Cinnabon!  (Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes in an airport knows what I'm talking about).

Too often we tend to look at the outside, (of a person or a situation), and make our decisions accordingly.  1 Samuel 16:7 says, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

I guess the only way we can get past the veneer of "outward looking" is to tenderly peel the layers of the onion (oh yes, if you peel the onion back, don't be surprised if you find yourself fighting back tears) until we get to the heart of the matter and see things like God does.

Sorry, got to cut this short.  I'm not scheduled to travel today, but I have this sudden urge to go visit the airport.

...Passion
Funny how we get certain reputations along the way.  I am known in some circles as a very passionate person.  Passion can be a compliment, (it's my contention that people almost always respond favorably to passion... more

...Pop Quiz
Today, I begin with something a little different ...a pop quiz.  Now some of you are very excited because you think I am going to ask you who's going to be voted off the island, or who will be this year's American Idol.  Well, to be honest, I'm not that hip to the pop culture of the day.  About as close as I get to being in on the pop culture is my daily visit to Starbucks... more

...God is on Our Side
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to answer a question, "Why did Jesus have to die?"  How would you answer this question?...  more

...The Wonder
                 of the Resurrection
I've been given the privilege of preaching our Easter Sunrise Service this Sunday.  Inspired by my current reading of "Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places," by Eugene Peterson, I have chosen... more

...Writing from the Right Side
Those who know me as a hard to nail-down, outside-the-box ESTJ, know that I almost always think and write from the left side on my brain.  Unfortunately that side seems to have some sort of writer's block tonight, so I've yielded to the right side of my brain for a "guest column." ... more

...The Terri Schiavo Story
If you did not already do so, I would ask that you read my previous column (...Followed by a Cross) before reading this column.  It will help lay the foundation for what I want to share... more

...Followed by a Cross
At our early morning prayer meeting today, one of my friends told a story that I think is worth passing along. 

It seems my friend Bill (not his real name) has a friend named Joe (not his real name) and they are both recovering alcoholics who regularly attend AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings.

My friend says that at AA, people are known by their first name and last initial, for example... more

...I Believe, Therefore I Am
Sound familiar?  Well, actually the quote is, "I think, therefore I am." This famous quotation was from the 17th century French philosopher, René Descartes.  He is best known for his attempt to put philosophy... more

   Read my earlier entries

My View From the Pew

Having had the joy of preaching on many occasions, I always appreciate the view from the pulpit.  However, most weeks—like most of you—my view is from the pew.  Here are some of my observations.

  Three Dreaded Words...
When my kids were younger, and through their teenage years, whenever I wanted to bond with them, and some of their friends, I would suggest a “friendly” game of Risk.  If you’re not familiar with Risk, here is an overview... more

  Why I Didn't Become a Movie Critic
Some years ago I thought seriously about becoming a movie critic.  Since I enjoy writing and I love a good movie, it seemed like the perfect vocation... more 

  Name It and Claim It!
An interesting phenomenon exists in our culture, one that has permeated the church.  I call it “name it and claim it.”  That’s not a new phrase to those in evangelical circles.  In fact, I’m guessing... more

  A Call to Excellence
The sermon today was excellent!  That special song just before the offering was excellent as well.  Yes, a gifted preacher and talented musicians giving their very best for God is excellent indeed... more

  Get a Life!
I’ll admit it; I really, really enjoy my big screen TV.  Sometimes at night I like to turn off all the lights in the room, crank up the surround sound system, sit back and totally “experience” a good movie.  It’s perfect when I can... more

  An Ambassador of Freedom
In April of 2000, I traveled to Estonia for 13 days as part of a short term missionary trip.  Whenever I mention this to people, eyebrows raise.  If seems that few people are familiar with Estonia, and even fewer it's history.  Estonia is... more

The Names of God

I have been studying the names of God for over a year.  In His names we see His nature.  I hope you'll visit often as I will be regularly posting my insights as well as the insights of others who have studied His names.  Please feel free to contact me by e-mail if you have experienced something significant as you consider His names.

"The Brightness of His Glory" (Hebrews 1:3)

I have worn corrective lenses (eyeglasses and/or contacts--or a combination of the two) for 45 years, since I was 12 years-old.  Next week I will have Lasik surgery to correct my vision.  Today was my "pre-op," when everything is checked to make sure that I am a good candidate for the surgery... more

As part of the 2-1/2 hour exam, my eyes were dilated.  For those who wear glasses and have routine eye exams, you are familiar with this procedure.  Just a few droplets in each eye cause the pupils to dilate (enlarge).  Everything becomes slightly blurred while the eyes are dilated.

After all the tests were complete, (everything looks great for the surgery next week), I headed out to the car to drive back to my office.  However, the natural sunlight was literally blinding, causing me to squint.  Fortunately, I had an old pair of sunglasses in the car which I had to wear over the top of my tri-focals (yes, I looked pretty ridiculous).

We think we see God at times, and in ways we do.  But, I'm reminded that in this life we see Him "as through a glass darkly."  To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the light!"

As I struggled to focus through the glare I thought about our future in heaven.  There will be no sun.  There will be the Son.  His brilliance will light the heavens.  Yet, through miraculous twinkling of an eye transitioned bodies we will be able to take it all in.  We will behold fully "the brightness of His glory."

I can hardly wait... but for now, I'm keeping my sunglasses close by.

"The Great and Awesome God"  (Daniel 9:4)

Last night, my six year-old grandson went with his dad to see his favorite basketball player, Mike Bibby of the Sacramento Kings.  Mike Bibby is shorter than most of the players in the NBA but makes up for his height disadvantage with aggressiveness and great playmaking.  He is the floor leader of the Kings.

On the way to the signing party at Circuit City my grandson shared what he was going to say to Bibby.  He would ask him lots of questions and tell him about his own basketball skills, and tell him that one day he would be like Bibby.

There were over a thousand people who had the same idea.  When Connor could finally see his hero he wasn't sure it was him.  He looked at the picture he brought to be autographed and asked his dad to pick him up.  He looked at his picture of Bibby and then looked at the person signing autographs, then back to the picture again, not sure it was really him.  As they finally got close, (about two hours after the beginning of this adventure), he accepted that it really was Mike Bibby.

Finally there he was at the head of the line, standing right in front of his hero.  But instead of asking Bibby questions or telling him about his basketball abilities, he just stood there ...unable to even open his mouth.  His dad encouraged him to speak up, but Connor was just too amazed.  Imagine being just a foot away from his hero.

My favorite song over the past two months has been, "I Can Only Imagine," by MercyMe:

I'm always a little amazed when someone tells me what they are going to do when they get to heaven, ("I'm going to ask Moses ...", or "I'm going to tell Peter...").  I think it is much more likely that, like my grandson, we'll stand (or fall to our knees) speechless as all our questions and comments fail us as we gaze upon our "Great and Awesome God."

"Him Who Is Able To Do Immeasurably More Than All We Ask Or Imagine"

I was teaching our Adult Sunday school class today out of Romans, chapter 2.  I was reminding the class that Paul says we are all without excuse in knowing God, because the evidence of His presence is all around us.  By the same token, I was sharing that we still tend to make Him a small God.  By this, I don't mean a false god (small "g"), but a God that fits in our small thinking, in a small box as it were.

My six year-old grandson, Connor, was visiting and I decided to take him to Toys-R-Us.  It's something the two of us do often.  He always tries to act surprised, but he knows his "Papa" pretty well.

Anyway, as is our custom, I always let him choose whatever he wants.  Oh, there are some things that he knows I will not buy him ("M" or "T" rated video games for example), but for the most part he is free to roam the store and pick one or two things.

He got his eye on a really nice airplane.  I could tell that it was what he wanted as he turned it over in his hands and smiled.  Finally, he looked up at me and said, "Papa, do you have a lot of money today?"

I smiled and nodded my head, affirming his choice.  Then I started laughing, reached in my wallet and said, "I have my credit card, we can buy ANYTHING!" 
 

Connor understood that!

I thought about it later.  Our Father (abba, daddy, papa) loves us and wants to lavish us with things.  But like my grandson, we hesitate to ask, thinking that He somehow has limited resources.  I'm sure He nods and smiles, and I'll bet He even laughs out loud when we question His limitations.

Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that He "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...!"

His name reveals His resources ...limitless!  Why not take Him up on His offer and dare to ask Him for something BIG, something you've only imagined.  Go ahead, I dare you!

"The In-Between"

You won't find this name of God in your Bible, but it's a name on which we can depend.  Let me explain.

In our early morning men's prayer meeting this morning I caught a glimpse of God.  The whisper was, "present ...past ...and future."  In the quietness of my mind I considered how God does not wipe out the memories of our past, much as they remind us of previous guilt and shame.

Yet, in the present we find forgiveness and the guilt is covered by the passion of God, a passion so great that He offered up His Son to be punished for our wrong-doing.  It's an amazing love that I have a hard time fully comprehending, in part because it is so different from my normal conditional love.  But in the present, God meets us where we are, forgives us for where we've been, and prepares us for where we will be ...with Him!

Not only is He the "Alpha and Omega," the "Beginning and the End," but by inference, He is the "In-Between," right here with us.  Indeed, we do well to note that Revelations 1:8 explains that the Alpha and Omega is the Lord God who is (present), and who was (past), and who is to come (future), the Almighty.  Do you see the sequence God uses?  The present, the past and the future.

I find great comfort in knowing that God always starts by meeting us exactly where we are and that His love for us is never conditioned on where we have been.

"God," "God Almighty," "Lord God Almighty"

I've been thinking about passion a lot lately.  In my study of God's names, Psalm 80 provides an interesting lesson in passion.  This psalm is a plea for the return of God's favor. 

As I think about my relationship with God I know that He is omnipresent, which simply means He is everywhere at all times, yet sometimes He seems distant.  I can only conclude that since He is always present, it has to be me that moves away from God, never the other way around.  Yet, I don't always see it as the distance between me and God begins to widen.  Then one day, I realize that the chasm has become great, too great for me to cross.  It is in these times that I begin to plead with God to restore my relationship.

I'm a believer in passion.  I believe that passion can overcome almost any natural weakness.  For example, I have a cousin with a cleft palate (resulting in a serious speech impediment from childhood), yet he became a very successful telephone operator!  His secret was simply his passion to communicate.

As the Israelites desired for God to return, I see an increasing passion to see God again.  In verse 3 of Psalm 80 they plead, "Restore us, O God."

In verse 7 they plead (more passionately), "Restore us, O God Almighty."

Finally, in verse 19 they plead (most passionately), "Restore us, O Lord God Almighty."

I love the increasing passion of this psalm.  It's my observation that God never withholds or recoils from this kind of passion.  "The Passion of the Christ" was a very successful movie this year.  I cried at several points when I saw what God did for me.  Perhaps, the sequel ought to be "The Passion of the Saved."  I wonder if God was watching this sequel if He would ever be moved to tears by my passion for Him.

"Invisible"

Yesterday in our adult Sunday school class we were talking about the ways we can know God is real when we cannot see Him.  In particular, one of the members of the class asked about those who have never heard the gospel, like tribes of people in a remote jungle who have never heard about Jesus Christ.

One of God's names is "Invisible."  In 1 Timothy 1:17, Paul calls God by five names in one sentence: the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, and the only God.  I'm sure I am not alone in my wish that God were sometimes visible so I could show Him to my friends who don't believe in Him.

But as we talked about this, we remembered that we cannot produce the wind.  We can't bottle it, and we can't capture it in a photograph.  What we can do is see it's effects.  I can take a picture of leaves being pushed by the wind, proof positive that the wind does exist.  It's that way with God.  We can't see Him, but we can see the effects of Him.

Romans 1:20 says it this way, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Inspired by our study in the book of Romans, I went outside early this morning and took in creation.  I noted that the sun came up in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment.  I affirmed that the stars had faded following a night of each and every star being in their assigned places.  A bird nested in a tree and sang a song of tribute to the One who feeds it day by day.  Yes, I saw God, "Invisible."  Indeed, He is everywhere to be seen!