Bittersweet

Interesting word, bittersweet. It really is descriptive of many events in life. Today I'm in a bittersweet mood. After a week of spring break, my three grandkids from AL headed out with their Nana to meet up with their parents some six hours up the road. I'm conflicted because, as interim pastor of a church with planned activities today, I can't go with them. Also, I'm conflicted because, although I enjoyed having them here, I clearly realized why God gives children to the young. My patience was tried daily, and my responses were more often reactions. I remember hearing Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, say one time "The second greatest sight in the world is seeing your grandkids come up the walk from the car to your house. The greatest sight is seeing them go down the walk, back to the car." As much as I wanted to make a positive impression on them, I'm afraid that I missed the mark because of constantly correcting or disciplining them. Having grown up seeing my grandparents almost daily, I've always fretted with being so far removed from the daily lives of my grandkids.

Perhaps the best thing I can do is continue to pray through their lives. I started a prayer notebook for each of the seven "grandies" years ago and have been adding to them periodically. On their 12th birthday I'm giving them the notebook and encouraging them to begin to journal their prayers in the balance of the notebook. So far I've only had one reach that milestone. I'm praying today for a safe return home for them and for my wife as she drives the final six hours home alone. I'll not really rest today until I know that they are all safe a home.

I Must be Getting Old

We just returned from a quick trip to Alabama. Left on Monday and returned on Friday, both days were occupied with 11+ hours driving. In between we were in rainy, cool to cold weather. Got to see our granddaughter star in their school production of Willy Wonka, Jr. She played the part of Charlie and was brilliant. The return trip to Sebring was with the three Alabama "grandies" who are spending spring break with us. Already I've discovered that I'm not a patient nor as energetic as I once was. This morning's trip to the church, the bank and McDonald's with the boys exposed me as an old guy. One older gentleman at McD's said quietly to me as I was getting some tea "You have your hands full." Another came to the rescue when one of the boys went scurrying after ketchup by offering us a couple of packets he had left over.

I'm also discovering that I have hearing problems I didn't know I had. On the one hand, the decibels are hurting my ears. On the other, the speed with which the Alabamans speak with very few consonants enunciated leave me having to ask them to repeat what they've just said. The only words that come through loud and clear are "I can't" and "but he did..." I'm thinking of banning those words from general usage at my house.

All of this has caused me to recognize what others probably already knew...I'm old.

Living Off-balanced

Just about the time I think I've got life by the tail, I find myself face to face with the snarling other end. Circumstances always get in the way of my carefully laid out plans for life. Weather (earthquakes, tsnamis) illness, the economy, loss of a loved one, you name it; any one or a combination of those can throw me off-balance in the blink of an eye. All of which brings me to the question, "Is it really such a bad thing to live an off-balanced life? I realize that all the self-help gurus would respond in chorus "Yes! You must learn to live a balanced life!" Let me see if I can validate my point.

• When I'm living off-balanced, my senses are more alive because I don't know what is coming next.
• When I'm living off-balanced I'm more open to a hand from an outside helper.
• When I'm living off-balanced I'm more likely to discover new abilities I didn't know that I had.
• When I'm living off-balanced I'm more tuned in to God and more likely to trust Him than my own abilities and instincts.

So there! Have I made my point? Even though it is important for us to have core values, plans, mission statements, etc. it is more important for us to recognize that God is God and we are not. He is the One who controls the "big picture"; He holds the remote. He can change the channel any time He pleases. I'm learning (at age 71) that, like it or not, life is usually not "balanced". And, I'm learning to like it that way.

Trying to learn to use PING-fm to update all my social/business networks.

Are American Christians Soft?

Recently I preached on the topic "Loving God With All Your Strength". That the message coincided with the Winter Olympics gave me ample metaphors from the world of sport. For the week prior to the message we had seen via TV athletes who "played hurt" because participating in the Olympics meant so much to them. One athlete fell into a ravine, clamored out and finished the ski race. A post race exam showed that she had four broken ribs and a punctured lung. Oh that American Christians had such "grit".
In our day, a headache, sniffles, allergies, being "worn out" from being a week end athlete on Saturday and any number of other minor maladies will often take a believer out of action on Sunday. Amazingly, healing takes place in time for work or school on Monday. We can play through pain and tiredness for the sake of a grade or a paycheck, but not in service for our King.
I recently read a quote by C. S. Lewis which said, "God whispers to us through our ease, He speaks to us through our consciences, but He shouts to us through our pain." That reminds me of the Paul Billheimer book, "Don't Waste Your Sorrows". The premise of both the quote and the book is that often our greatest blessings lay just beyond pain, suffering or sorrow. These are so distasteful to us that we will spend great efforts and large sums of money to avoid or escape pain or suffering, never realizing that these are tools which God uses in our lives.
At the end of the sermon on "Loving God With All Your Strength", I quoted from the hymn "Am I A Soldier of the Cross".
"Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?"
When the circumstances of the American Christian gets tough (and they will) are we going to be ready to heed the words of the Apostle Paul, "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Eph. 6:13 NKJV)

Loving God With All Your Strength

In the gospels of Matthew and Mark, we find quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 reminding us of the need to love God with our total being. One aspect of our being is "strength". A good definition of strength is "power", "might", or "exertion". Consequently, if we are to love God with all our strength, it will require us to work up a sweat for His sake. Mark Batterson in his book PRIMAL reminds readers that the words of Jesus at the judgment are "Well DONE good and faithful servant" not "well SAID". I thought of this as I watched cross-country skiers collapse across the finish line at the Olympics the other night. The athletes were totally spent. They were gasping for breath, they fell face first into the snow. All of this for a medal? Those of us who know and love Christ are vying for a much greater reward and yet, few of us are expending that kind of energy in expressing our love for God. I'm convinced that the heart of God is saddened by those of us who in the words of the old hymn "Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease, while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?"
Personally, I don't want to arrive at the gates of heaven all smiles and full of vim and vigor. I want to collapse across the portal of the gate with every last ounce of my physical strength expended expressing my love for God who "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believed in Him might have everlasting life."

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"Life Goes On" blog about life, relationships, religion, and more.