Thanksgiving Overload

Yesterday, I hit my worst.  I had a complete overload of Thanksgiving Day food (as well as all of the surrounding days).  I had gained nearly four pounds of food induced baggage on my already overloaded frame.  I couldn’t motivate myself to do much of anything.  Normally I run on Saturdays, but it was all I could muster to take a walk around the neighborhood.  I think even the dog was sluggish. 

We spend Thanksgiving with relatives and extended relatives in Cedar Lake, Indiana.  All three of our girls were there along with somewhere around twenty five other relatives.  It was just a great time and I am very thankful for the graciousness of my mother and father-in-law who pulled off such a fun gathering.  As I was enjoying the time, I felt the subtle pressure of things undone for work and my class and the subtlety of desiring a more quiet Thanksgiving.  However, on Thanksgiving Day, my wife read an e-mail from a neighborhood friend saying that a boy on the Aurora football team was tragically killed in a single car automobile accident about a mile and a half from our house.  He was on his way back from football practice on a very quiet road, apparently crossed the center line, then jerked back, lost control of the car and hit a tree.  To further compound matters, the Aurora football team was in the state semifinals and a town was thrust from celebration to mourning. 

How quickly circumstances change and things you take for granted are gone.  When I see all of our girls together, I have to remind myself to relish in the moment.  Our lives on this earth are there and gone in a whisper, in a moment of time.  God has given us today.  The Bible says today is the acceptable time of salvation.  God has given us family and friends to enjoy.  In football, there is such a penalty as an excessive celebration penalty.  But we face no such penalty (other than the food hangover) when we celebrate with family this time of year.  And in the process relish in the gifts and opportunities God gives us each day.

Thoughts on Happy Valley

Everyone has weighed in on the troubles at Penn State.  I think we as Americans seem to be somewhat aghast and fascinated at the same time by what is going on.  As my wife likes to say “it is loathsome, yet I cannot look away”.  Here we have a coach of over 60 years disgraced.  We have a program that has apparently looked the other way at what Jerry Sandusky did.  But I want to share some thoughts that you will likely not hear on the news.

1. Perversion of this sort is rampant – how long before we start to look at the evils of pornography and see that it is the cause of the continued increase in sexual perversions on the part of men.  The same people who condemn what Jerry Sandusky did are the same people that want to uphold pornography as free speech.  We even want to allow it in the public libraries!  The more rampant the pornography becomes, the more likely the types of perversions we see in our culture.  Look at the non-stop news we have been seeing lately.
2. A man with this type of perversion can only break the cycle of perversion supernaturally.  I am absolutely convinced of this.  If somehow the higher ups at Penn State thought that this situation would go unnoticed or even stop cold in its tracks, they were sadly mistaken.  Perversions get worse, not better on their own devices.  The cycle is broken by a broken man who confesses his sins and fills his heart with God’s presence.
3. it is really sad that the priority of a Penn State football program would outweigh the vulnerability and exploitation of young boys.  However, it could have happened anywhere to any program.  We are so hardened by what is around us that we miss what is truly important.  This is not unique to Penn State.
4. Any man is capable of what Mr. Sandusky did.  This is not unique.  All of us have at least the potential to harbor illicit, immoral thoughts in our brain with the potential to act on them.  It is only by the grace of God that we are able to live in total freedom to a monogamous lifetime relationship that God has designed completely for our fulfillment.

That is what you won’t read in the news, but it is the truth.  We need to address the root problems as a culture and not the symptoms.

No Small Sacrifice

Friday we celebrated Veterans Day and as such we recognize the tremendous sacrifice our military go through for our country and our freedoms.  I have mentioned in the past that every time we encounter military personnel, Deb always goes up to them and thanks them for their service.  We tend to overlook what these man and women go through to protect the liberty and freedom we have. 

Today in our morning church service, we also recognized the amazing sacrifice that Christians around the world experience who are persecuted for their faith.  Annually, 105,000 Christians are martyred for their faith.  It goes largely unnoticed falling below the radar so to speak.  The persecution translate to a martyred Christian every 5 minutes.  To make the point home, at the service, a candle was blown out every five minutes.  So in an hour long service, 12 Christians were martyred.  For more information, visit www.persecution.com.  There are still many countries where the sharing of the Christian faith is illegal.  How we know very little of this in the USA.  I was reminded of this somewhat forcefully as we ended the church service which focused on the persecuted church and I saw multiple people walking out the church service with smoothies or latte’s in hand.  I am not knocking these people – I have been there.  But oh what Jesus must think as he views his children – we truly are the Laodicean church – lukewarm.  My son-in-law’s parents serve in Pakistan, a hotbed place and have for many years.  They love the people and they love Jesus.  The show their love for HIm day in and day out.  What a testimony to us weak, lackadaisical Americans.

Sometimes I really wonder what persecution would bring to the USA.  I think the church would thrive when it throws out our comfortable existence.  Do we truly fall under conviction and live for Christ?  Are we prepared to sacrifice all for our Savior?

86,400 to Invest

I have been given an investment to make each day that totals 86,400.  The stipulation is that I have to invest all of that amount each day and what is not spent is wasted.  There is no carryover of a balance into day two and so on.  Each day I get a new 86,400 to invest. 

By now, you probably have figured out that the 86,400 is seconds a day.  We all have been given the exact same investment and it is up to us to invest wisely.  I don’t know about you, but I feel like I waste so much time so often.  There are days where I question exactly what I did accomplish that day.  Sometimes I shortchange the 28,800 seconds I really need of sleep (like right now).  Is that a good investment?  I think it is but it is the one that many of us shortchange.  Is 2,700 enough for a concentrated bible study and prayer time in the morning.  I think so.  Could be more.  How about the 3,600 seconds on a good workout? 

Mindless time looking at junk e-mail may not be a good investment of time.  I probably spend 3,000 seconds on that.  Social technologies could be good or bad.  I am really glad I invest some time in Facebook and LinkedIn.  I have hooked up with old school chums and it keeps tabs on my kids activities and whereabouts.  But mind numbing time obsessing with that stuff to me is not a good investment.  For you Twitter dudes, I would imaging that you overdo time in this area.  I really don’t know why I would want to send text bits out all day.

The bottom line is you get to make the investment.  No one else can spend it for you unless you are incarcerated somewhere I suppose.  God gives each of us the same time – no more and no less.  I find that I must discipline myself to relax – seems strange, but I am wired to overdo it.  Same thing with relationships.  By my natural self, I will shortchange them.  I am not a pleasure seeker, but I love to work on “projects”.  I have to force myself into time with friends, family, and especially my wife.  I never regret it however.  God has wired us for relationship with both Him and His creation.  How more and more precious it becomes as I get older.  

Is Compassion Alive?

Terri Weissinger probably never signed up for eight days in the San Francisco airport.  Hoping to start a new life in Idaho, she had booked a one-way ticket and showed up at the airport with 30 dollars to her name.  No one ever told her about baggage fees and USAir wanted to charge her $60 for her bags.  Offering to leave a bag behind as collateral was her offer, but that violates security provisions.  Having missed her flight, she now faced not only the baggage fees, but a $150 change fee.  And, USAir would have to rebook the flight at the current prices which would put it over $1,000.  See the story below.

Terri could not find any friends or relatives who could or would put up the $210 to cover her trip.  So she waited, and waited, and waited.  Eight full days holed up an airport.  A real-life version of Tom Hanks character in “The Terminal”.  Finally, parishioners at the Airport Church of Christ gave her the money and she was on her way. 

I remember a similar situation that Deb and I saw when leaving the Cleveland airport.  A mentally challenged man was trying to get a bus from the airport and was obviously distressed.  He said he was out of money.  We walked him near where the bus was about to leave and gave him the money he needed.  The shear joy on his face told us there was no way this was a faked situation.  But you now what – it doesn’t matter.  Are we so cynical that we would not be willing to take a risk to help someone?  I find myself in that state.  I doubt people, I question their motives.  I am so callous.  God help me find baby skin that reflects who I am as a believer in Christ. 

Back around September 11, it was said that we were a more compassionate culture.  People started going around helping each other.  It has taken 10 years for us to come back to a compassionate-less culture.  And when compassion occurs, it is so striking.  Our church has an annual custom where we hand out “You’ve Been Gifted” cards.  These cards are used by our church people to shell out random acts of kindness to perfect strangers.  The stories we here are amazing.  God uses compassionate people to make a difference.  The man with leprosy came to Jesus and said “If you are willing, you can make me clean”.  Jesus response “I am willing – be cleansed” (Luke 5:13)  Are we willing to say “I am willing”?