This will help you as you get older

Don't you hate to hear those words. What does "as you get older" mean? To a teenager, it means your "20's" are somewhere in the distance. To a twenty-something it means that someday you will be a thirty-something. And to the rest of us, it means that we are already there. Forget that garbage about "50" being the new "30". To be honest with you, sometimes I feel like the only "new" I have discovered at 43 is new aches and pains. As I was hitting my Monday morning routine in the gym, I took a little extra time to stretch...I have heard that stretching will help me "as I get older". I have lost so much flexibility it's no wonder I love shoes that have no laces. How about you? How much flexibility have you lost? Stretching is good for our physical bodies. It is also good for us spiritually and intellectually. This morning I was reading in Acts 10. Luke gives an account of God teaching Peter that he should love people who are different. God poured out a blessing on Gentiles. The Jews who observed this blessing were amazed. In a word, they were stretched. It may be that we have been viewing certain people in in our world through an old lens. Why not invite God to stretch us this week?
It will help you as you get older.

Mother's Day

This is a not so subtle reminder that Sunday is Mother's Day. Give it some thought. If you are supposed to buy a present - buy one. If you are supposed to call - call. I have a reflection about Lynn's first Mothers's Day to share. Mother's Day 1997. I had a great day planned for Lynn. It was her first as a new mom. Nicholas was about five months old and full of life. I was excited about the day at The Good Shepherd Church of God in Dewey, Arizona. What a day! However, we had a slight glitch in the wonderful day. Nicholas didn't cooperate. He was very sick and he was kind enough to share the fact that he was sick with us Saturday night (all night) and Sunday morning. Lynn took him in and celebrated with the little tater in a waiting room. I went to church and preached a marvelous Mother's Day sermon. And Lynn received a special gift - ear infections for Nicholas. Truthfully, this is a great picture of Mother's Day. Lynn did what my mom had done so many times. A few months later my mom flew 2000 miles to be with me during my eye surgery. Thanks Moms!

Laughter

Words to live by. A merry heart does good like medicine (Proverbs 17:22). I love to laugh. The benefits of laughter are supported by the Bible, science and experience. There is nothing quite like it. Of course, not everyone is blessed to have the material that I have. I am speaking of the blessing of "preaching on TV". That means that I have video reminders of every blooper (large and small). Just a couple of weeks ago my East Tennessee grammar overwhelmed me in the midst of my sermon. I watched myself on the video and it was even worse than I thought. Upon watching myself I faced a great choice...to laugh or not to laugh. I think you know the answer. Let me challenge you to find the humor in the midst of your day. Some of your greatest "embarrassments" can become be great opportunities to smile and laugh at yourself.

Conviction

We know too much and are convinced of too little. Our literature is a substitute for religion and so is our religion

T.S. Eliot

Lately I have been thinking about how my beliefs translate into life from day to day. I am convinced that our ability and desire to cultivate convictions is slipping away. In some strange way, it may have something to do with how much we think we know. Sometimes the more we know the more uncertainty we introduce in our lives and the less likely we are to refine our convictions. As a result, life gets a little fuzzy. I believe Eliot was bemoaning the loss of congruency between religion and conviction. It's not surprising. Nothing about conviction is easy. It's time consuming to determine what matters most. It requires contemplation. It requires us to look inside. Don't misundersand my appreciation for Eliot. I am not anti-literature. Nor am I anti-learning. My concern with the increase of "knowledge" has more to do with how we digest the knowledge. Without convictions knowledge just contributes to the noise in our lives. With the aid of convictions, knowledge can be refined into authenticity.

Spiderman 3 1/2

OK the movie's out and you have probably heard numerous reviews...so I won't give you another. As I noted earlier as a follower of Jesus we participate in a "good vs. evil" drama everyday. What if our bodies showed the visible marks of the epic battle? What if our victories and defeats were visible to all? In Spiderman 3, Peter Parker takes a walk on the wild side and his choices are visible - he chooses to wear a black suit rather than his normal red and blue spiderman suit. In the black suit it is easy to recognize that he has chosen a sinful path rather than a righteous one. At one point Jesus told us that we should consider plucking out our right eye if it causes us to sin. I wonder how many of us should be wearing a patch today? I'm not advocating a literal obedience to this teaching. I do question whether or not we consider the costs of our sinful choices.

Spiderman 3

Another epic battle between good and evil burst onto the movie scene today. I must confess, my "spidey senses" are tingling with anticipation. Although, truth be known I have a feeling I know how it will go. After all, most movies are pretty predictable. I had a pretty strong sense that the Titanic was going down before the movie was ever over. Oh yes, I was really surprised that the lingering effects of steroids were not enough to get Rocky his 12th? victory in the ring in his final bout against an opponent that was young enough to be his grandson. But, we still get all worked up for 90 minutes waiting to see it unfold. Must be the popcorn. I guess it is a parable of life. I know good is more powerful than evil. I know that the Bible offers a confident word that "greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world". If you are a follower of Jesus you are engaged in the greatest battle of all time. Will you fight the "good fight" of faith today with absolute confidence?

So, where are you going?

I left you hanging with the last question. How should I (as a pilgrim sojourner) respond when I am asked about my destination? Before I answer let me say that I love it when writers have to admit that they are wrong. There is something eloquent about a sequel that disproves the prequel. I am referring to Richard Carlson's two books: "Don't sweat the small stuff...and it's all small stuff" followed by "What about the big stuff?". Believe it or not I recommend both books. Carlson comes around in the second book to discuss some things that really matter in life. One chapter in particular stands out. The title says it all: Reflect on what you're going to say - before you need to say it. In other words some things are worth working up a little sweat over. I happen to believe that we should work up a little sweat when it comes to our ability to tell people about our destination. Peter, the fisherman turned disciple told the early followers of Jesus that it is important to be prepared to talk about the reason we believe in Him. Where am I going? My answer does not have to be complicated, but it does require some preparation. My answer for now is that I am going home. In order for that to be a good answer it must ring true. Home is a place that it familiar. But my familiarity with my ultimate home has more to do with person than place. I am going to God not just a place. And if I am not at home in His presence now why would I believe that I will be later? The authenticity of my answer will depend on my relationship with God in the moment that I give my answer.