Where I've gone, the answer is nowhere. :) Well, not exactly. Let me explain.
For the last several months, I've been mulling a transition to a more definite blogging/website identity, and I've recently taken a step in that direction. For the time being, I'm posting my ramblings at http://fixinto.posterous.com/. As I'm able to make a more permanent change, I'll work that in as well. Until then, the "posterous" account is where you can find me.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
'All the world's indeed a stage'
Over the last several days, I've wrestled with what to say in response to Jason Wert's post "Rush and God." I'm just going to write from the heart and see what happens.
I first heard of Rush when I was 14. I distinctly remember one early time I heard one of their songs – probably "Limelight" or "Tom Sawyer." It was on a bus while on a Scout trip to Washington, D.C.
Over time, my affection for and interest in the band grew. I even attempted to play the drums, modeling myself after Neil Peart. This is hysterical because I have no natural sense of rhythm.
I can't say for sure but I do wonder sometimes how much of his work as a lyricist impacted my chosen profession as a writer. I think it had some influence.
Around the time I was 19, I met Christ in a real and personal way and spent time with people roughly my own age who'd had the same experience.
Up until about eight years ago, my last Rush concert was around the time I was 20. I still liked the band and eagerly awaited every album, but I felt conflicted at times about listening to and supporting a band whose members were – at minimum – agnostics if not atheists.
Allegations from fundamentalists who believed the "Red Star" of 2112 was more than just the symbol of oppression but rather an sign of allegiance to Satan didn't help either.
In late 1998, I'd just been through the loss of my mother when I learned Neil Peart suffered two personal losses – his wife and daughter. My interest in the band renewed and I waited for the band's triumphant return on "Vapor Trails."
I took my wife along for the VT show and she likes the band now too.
Then, we went with a friend to see the opening show of the band's 30th anniversary tour in 2004. That friend, his wife and two children died in a automobile accident in Arizona four years ago this month. The day after the Rush show was the last time we saw them alive.
He was a drummer and she was a graphic artist. They'd moved to Nashville so he could pursue his passion. They later moved to Arizona to help out with a church.
I sat in my car crying the day after we learned of their deaths and listened to and sang the words to "Afterimage" over and over. "Suddenly you were gone; From all the lives you left your mark upon."
So, word of a new Rush album and tour began to spread later that year. In 2007, I began to introduce my young daughter to the band. She stayed with some friends and my wife and I went to see Rush on their tour-opening stop in Atlanta, Ga. We felt like we owed it to our friends. I sang the words to "Mission" in their memory. "A spirit with a vision is a dream with a mission."
I still continue to grapple with the conflict between who am as I believer and the enjoyment I get out of being a Rush fan.
I've prayed for God to just shut off this desire if it's not something that pleases him and I hope I haven't ignored what may have been quiet whispers in this direction.
I've met dozens of other Rush fans at other shows and my daughter went with me to one when she was a little more than 2 and a half. Why would I do this?
Fortunately for her, she has a sense of rhythm and I believe Peart, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee are the among if not the best at their instruments. My wife couldn't go to the show in New Orleans in April 2008 because she started a new job and the show was rescheduled from a Saturday to a Sunday.
So I drove to New Orleans, went to a hotel not far from the arena, met up with some fellow Rush fans at a restaurant and walked to the show. An online friend met us at the arena and when they said no backpacks – my daughter's diaper bag was a backpack – we left the bag in our friend's vehicle and I stuffed two diapers in my back pocket and went in the arena.
She loved it and still remembers several aspects of the show.
So we're planning to go see them again this tour – hopefully with everyone along for the trip.
Where am I on the aspect – and question – of the influence?
I believe that many people who are like the guys in Rush haven't truly encountered genuine believers – people who do their best to make their actions and their faith match. They've seen the ridiculous roadside church signs and at least one member has said the church just looks like an exclusive club. It's so much more than that and I long for Rush and their fans to discover what authentic Christianity looks like.
My wife recently got a tattoo with the Hebrew word for "redeem."
She says she got it because she believes God can redeem anything if we let him.
I'm trusting him in believing that all this energy, time and money spent supporting Rush will somehow be of benefit to him and his kingdom.
Over time, as I've contemplated my own mortality, I've thought about wanting two things to happen at my funeral. I would like whomever delivers the message that day to give people an opportunity to consider and accept Christ as their savior and Lord – for all time.
But I also want them to hear "Limelight." "All the world's indeed a stage and we are merely players, performers and portrayers; each another's audience; outside the gilded cage."
When the curtain closes, I want to hear my Lord say: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done."
What do you struggle with as an obsession or long-term habit and how do you think God could you use it for his glory?
Blogger's note: All lyric references in this post are the copyrighted works of Rush, not mine.
I first heard of Rush when I was 14. I distinctly remember one early time I heard one of their songs – probably "Limelight" or "Tom Sawyer." It was on a bus while on a Scout trip to Washington, D.C.
Over time, my affection for and interest in the band grew. I even attempted to play the drums, modeling myself after Neil Peart. This is hysterical because I have no natural sense of rhythm.
I can't say for sure but I do wonder sometimes how much of his work as a lyricist impacted my chosen profession as a writer. I think it had some influence.
Around the time I was 19, I met Christ in a real and personal way and spent time with people roughly my own age who'd had the same experience.
Up until about eight years ago, my last Rush concert was around the time I was 20. I still liked the band and eagerly awaited every album, but I felt conflicted at times about listening to and supporting a band whose members were – at minimum – agnostics if not atheists.
Allegations from fundamentalists who believed the "Red Star" of 2112 was more than just the symbol of oppression but rather an sign of allegiance to Satan didn't help either.
In late 1998, I'd just been through the loss of my mother when I learned Neil Peart suffered two personal losses – his wife and daughter. My interest in the band renewed and I waited for the band's triumphant return on "Vapor Trails."
I took my wife along for the VT show and she likes the band now too.
Then, we went with a friend to see the opening show of the band's 30th anniversary tour in 2004. That friend, his wife and two children died in a automobile accident in Arizona four years ago this month. The day after the Rush show was the last time we saw them alive.
He was a drummer and she was a graphic artist. They'd moved to Nashville so he could pursue his passion. They later moved to Arizona to help out with a church.
I sat in my car crying the day after we learned of their deaths and listened to and sang the words to "Afterimage" over and over. "Suddenly you were gone; From all the lives you left your mark upon."
So, word of a new Rush album and tour began to spread later that year. In 2007, I began to introduce my young daughter to the band. She stayed with some friends and my wife and I went to see Rush on their tour-opening stop in Atlanta, Ga. We felt like we owed it to our friends. I sang the words to "Mission" in their memory. "A spirit with a vision is a dream with a mission."
I still continue to grapple with the conflict between who am as I believer and the enjoyment I get out of being a Rush fan.
I've prayed for God to just shut off this desire if it's not something that pleases him and I hope I haven't ignored what may have been quiet whispers in this direction.
I've met dozens of other Rush fans at other shows and my daughter went with me to one when she was a little more than 2 and a half. Why would I do this?
Fortunately for her, she has a sense of rhythm and I believe Peart, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee are the among if not the best at their instruments. My wife couldn't go to the show in New Orleans in April 2008 because she started a new job and the show was rescheduled from a Saturday to a Sunday.
So I drove to New Orleans, went to a hotel not far from the arena, met up with some fellow Rush fans at a restaurant and walked to the show. An online friend met us at the arena and when they said no backpacks – my daughter's diaper bag was a backpack – we left the bag in our friend's vehicle and I stuffed two diapers in my back pocket and went in the arena.
She loved it and still remembers several aspects of the show.
So we're planning to go see them again this tour – hopefully with everyone along for the trip.
Where am I on the aspect – and question – of the influence?
I believe that many people who are like the guys in Rush haven't truly encountered genuine believers – people who do their best to make their actions and their faith match. They've seen the ridiculous roadside church signs and at least one member has said the church just looks like an exclusive club. It's so much more than that and I long for Rush and their fans to discover what authentic Christianity looks like.
My wife recently got a tattoo with the Hebrew word for "redeem."
She says she got it because she believes God can redeem anything if we let him.
I'm trusting him in believing that all this energy, time and money spent supporting Rush will somehow be of benefit to him and his kingdom.
Over time, as I've contemplated my own mortality, I've thought about wanting two things to happen at my funeral. I would like whomever delivers the message that day to give people an opportunity to consider and accept Christ as their savior and Lord – for all time.
But I also want them to hear "Limelight." "All the world's indeed a stage and we are merely players, performers and portrayers; each another's audience; outside the gilded cage."
When the curtain closes, I want to hear my Lord say: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done."
What do you struggle with as an obsession or long-term habit and how do you think God could you use it for his glory?
Blogger's note: All lyric references in this post are the copyrighted works of Rush, not mine.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Secular music and faith - should there be a line?
As most of you know, one of my favorite bands is Rush. For those who've never heard of them, they're a Canadian rock trio founded in the Toronto area in 1968. Their debut self-titled album hit the shelves in 1974 with Geddy Lee on bass and lead vocals, Alex Lifeson on guitar and (the late) John Rutsey on drums. Later in '74, Rutsey bowed out due to health problems (he died within the last few years), then Neil Peart joined the band as the percussionist. He later became the chief lyricist.
For many years after I became a Christian, I struggled with continuing to listen to this band because they are, well, secular - for starters, and second, they are agnostics at best. Why the struggle? I embraced the Christian counterculture of rock music in the late 1980s/early 1990s and believed some of those who said Satan directly influenced some forms of secular music. Rush got lumped into this category because of the "Red Star" emblem depicted as part of the story in album "2112."
After years of wrestling – and even skipping songs I didn't think were appropriate (which I still do sometimes) – I reconnected with the band on the album "Vapor Trails," the band's first album after they took a hiatus while Peart spent some concentrated time coming to grips with the loss of both his wife and daughter in a short period of time.
The VT album and tour was also my wife's first real introduction into the band's work, and she's hooked too.
On their 2007 release – "Snakes and Arrows" – Rush displayed the song "Faithless." Its chorus goes:
"I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless
I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me."
On a "making-of" video for the album, Lee talks about how those outside the church view it as an exclusive club. Essentially, I think they speak for people who see the church as it exists today and want no part of it. This shouldn't be seen as a threat to the church, but a challenge; a challenge to be what we were called to be and be fragrant to God and those who don't know him and are turned off by what they see from his representatives on Earth.
So, do we – as the church – distance ourselves from the likes of people like Rush, or do we appreciate their talents, hear their words and enjoy their work?
For many years after I became a Christian, I struggled with continuing to listen to this band because they are, well, secular - for starters, and second, they are agnostics at best. Why the struggle? I embraced the Christian counterculture of rock music in the late 1980s/early 1990s and believed some of those who said Satan directly influenced some forms of secular music. Rush got lumped into this category because of the "Red Star" emblem depicted as part of the story in album "2112."
After years of wrestling – and even skipping songs I didn't think were appropriate (which I still do sometimes) – I reconnected with the band on the album "Vapor Trails," the band's first album after they took a hiatus while Peart spent some concentrated time coming to grips with the loss of both his wife and daughter in a short period of time.
The VT album and tour was also my wife's first real introduction into the band's work, and she's hooked too.
On their 2007 release – "Snakes and Arrows" – Rush displayed the song "Faithless." Its chorus goes:
"I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless
I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me."
On a "making-of" video for the album, Lee talks about how those outside the church view it as an exclusive club. Essentially, I think they speak for people who see the church as it exists today and want no part of it. This shouldn't be seen as a threat to the church, but a challenge; a challenge to be what we were called to be and be fragrant to God and those who don't know him and are turned off by what they see from his representatives on Earth.
So, do we – as the church – distance ourselves from the likes of people like Rush, or do we appreciate their talents, hear their words and enjoy their work?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
So do we trust the storywriter or not?
As I've been thinking through some circumstances in my life recently, I've been mulling over some things Mandy Thompson said. And I've tried to put some of these things in practice. I've worked to approach God with some honesty about how I feel about some of these things. I've come back around to realize there are some heart issues I need to face: How's my attitude about this situation? What have I done to improve it? I have I made the circumstance better or worse for myself or others with the way I've handled it?
The answers, unfortunately, are probably not good.
As I thought on this today, I began to understand the core problem is I'm not trusting God – with friendships and other circumstances. I'm trying to make things happen because I don't like how things have turned out. So I've been trying to reverse-engineer things and cut paths in places which were never meant to be disturbed. In other words, I've been trying to play mini-Providence and it's a role which isn't suited for me.
So instead of trying to "fix" the circumstances, I need to take my hands off of them and let the Person who started writing the story in the first place finish the job. Do we really believe the verse which says: He is faithful to complete it? That's what I need to find out for myself.
In what areas of life are you learning you need to trust God's ability to finish the story?
The answers, unfortunately, are probably not good.
As I thought on this today, I began to understand the core problem is I'm not trusting God – with friendships and other circumstances. I'm trying to make things happen because I don't like how things have turned out. So I've been trying to reverse-engineer things and cut paths in places which were never meant to be disturbed. In other words, I've been trying to play mini-Providence and it's a role which isn't suited for me.
So instead of trying to "fix" the circumstances, I need to take my hands off of them and let the Person who started writing the story in the first place finish the job. Do we really believe the verse which says: He is faithful to complete it? That's what I need to find out for myself.
In what areas of life are you learning you need to trust God's ability to finish the story?
Friday, March 19, 2010
Apologies, dear followers
Hey everyone!
It's been far too long since you've all heard from me. I could rattle off the old excuses – I've been busy, tired, sick, playing Wii (some), lollygagging on Twitter, procrastinating and generally not thinking about my blog – but this information wouldn't do you any good.
You want to READ stuff!
Well, I had a few ideas last week. I remember three of them and will hopefully get a couple of them out over the next week or so.
I haven't figured out yet how to hold down a full-time job and blog. But people who do this successfully are typically multi-taskers by nature. I'm a rifle kind of guy and I usually take a long time to line up my shot, sometimes missing the opportunity.
But I've been thinking again lately about ways to revamp and upgrade my Internet presence. I don't want to make any promises, but let just say some things are on the agenda for the ol' family board meeting.
In the mean time, I'll start noodling on those ideas and hopefully some will blossom soon!
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Acceptance
I've recently discovered a personal challenge I guess I always knew was there but recently became glaringly obvious.
I want people to like me, so I sometimes try too hard to achieve this. I guess somewhere way back (or maybe over a series of times), I felt unliked, unloved and unwelcomed enough to think I had to find external validation to my existence.
So, it seems I'm on a regular search for this elusive emotional stamp, usually from people I wouldn't ordinarily think would like me. It's like a twisted relationship treasure hunt or geocaching game. I'm not sure what “winning” this game will look like but I'll know it when I see it and I haven't arrived. This is complicated by the sense I'm already at a likeability deficit before someone gets to know me.
Yes, I know how messed up this sounds, and it won't likely earn me a spot as add-on chapter to "How to Win Friends and Influence People."
I think of the famous Sally Field Oscar acceptance speech where she said: “You like me, right now, you like me.” She hit the acceptance jackpot and was overcome by it.
I know we have to look first to Christ for acceptance. It cost him a whole lot – his life in fact.
I realize as I examine this that I've got a long way to believe he's really here – right in the midst of this, even as I write. So, healing is in order and he's the only one who can heal a hurt this deep and cavernous. As a believer, I know he accepts me, it needs to start there and work its way out. I invite him to start this healing when he's ready.
Acceptance can't get any better than this (Ephesians 1:4-6): “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
I know I'm not anywhere close to being done with this issue, but acknowledging it and letting Christ do his healing work is the start. And, on the human end, I need simply to let people like me for who I am naturally (and returning the favor), not beg them for their love. If I am really honest with myself and Christ, I already have more than I need and should be willing to give liberally, not act as though I've never received any.
What challenges have you faced with acceptance and how have you overcome them?
I want people to like me, so I sometimes try too hard to achieve this. I guess somewhere way back (or maybe over a series of times), I felt unliked, unloved and unwelcomed enough to think I had to find external validation to my existence.
So, it seems I'm on a regular search for this elusive emotional stamp, usually from people I wouldn't ordinarily think would like me. It's like a twisted relationship treasure hunt or geocaching game. I'm not sure what “winning” this game will look like but I'll know it when I see it and I haven't arrived. This is complicated by the sense I'm already at a likeability deficit before someone gets to know me.
Yes, I know how messed up this sounds, and it won't likely earn me a spot as add-on chapter to "How to Win Friends and Influence People."
I think of the famous Sally Field Oscar acceptance speech where she said: “You like me, right now, you like me.” She hit the acceptance jackpot and was overcome by it.
I know we have to look first to Christ for acceptance. It cost him a whole lot – his life in fact.
I realize as I examine this that I've got a long way to believe he's really here – right in the midst of this, even as I write. So, healing is in order and he's the only one who can heal a hurt this deep and cavernous. As a believer, I know he accepts me, it needs to start there and work its way out. I invite him to start this healing when he's ready.
Acceptance can't get any better than this (Ephesians 1:4-6): “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
I know I'm not anywhere close to being done with this issue, but acknowledging it and letting Christ do his healing work is the start. And, on the human end, I need simply to let people like me for who I am naturally (and returning the favor), not beg them for their love. If I am really honest with myself and Christ, I already have more than I need and should be willing to give liberally, not act as though I've never received any.
What challenges have you faced with acceptance and how have you overcome them?
Friday, January 01, 2010
Looking back, looking ahead and trying not to crash
This past year, my family and I have gone through some radical changes, the most prominent being my wife's employment with LifeChurch.tv. We've also gotten to know a bunch of wonderful people all around the world. My perspective on the world and how we interact with it has changed radically.
I no longer see just my little chunk of the globe – and what I've experienced of it – by itself. I'm connected with people in India, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and varying parts of North America. On the whole, this past year is certainly one I don't want to back up and do over (I certainly can't say that for other years, that's for sure).
To look ahead, I know I need to get my weight under control and we've recently taken some positive steps with this by using the Wii Fit system – a step forward from little to no activity is better than standing still.
But beyond this, I hope 2010 is the year I really get some clarity about what I'm to be about and what my purpose is, or at least some level of contentment with my circumstances in various settings. Sometimes I think I'm missing the mark. At other times, I realize I'm probably right where I need to be. Sometimes, I get the wrong messages from my circumstances. So, if nothing else I hope 2010 will be a time when I get my perspective right, even if my circumstance don't change one degree.
Though in much of the last year I've gained a great amount of confidence, I still face challenges in second-guessing myself in so many areas of my life. So, I need to learn how to take risks and not worry about the consequences as much after I make a decision. I should just make the choice, stick with it and pray it works out for the best.
I feel like I've made more progress this past year in living by faith and I want to continue down this path in 2010, learning even more about who Christ is and growing in learning how to love and serve with my brothers and sisters, being more generous in how I spend my resources.
So here's hoping 2010 will end with me being thinner, physically healthy person who is willing to take greater risks with proper wisdom, discernment and confidence in how I approach people and life's circumstances. How will I measure this? I think I'll know and I'm trusting we'll see real fruit from this 364 days from now. So let's do this!
I no longer see just my little chunk of the globe – and what I've experienced of it – by itself. I'm connected with people in India, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and varying parts of North America. On the whole, this past year is certainly one I don't want to back up and do over (I certainly can't say that for other years, that's for sure).
To look ahead, I know I need to get my weight under control and we've recently taken some positive steps with this by using the Wii Fit system – a step forward from little to no activity is better than standing still.
But beyond this, I hope 2010 is the year I really get some clarity about what I'm to be about and what my purpose is, or at least some level of contentment with my circumstances in various settings. Sometimes I think I'm missing the mark. At other times, I realize I'm probably right where I need to be. Sometimes, I get the wrong messages from my circumstances. So, if nothing else I hope 2010 will be a time when I get my perspective right, even if my circumstance don't change one degree.
Though in much of the last year I've gained a great amount of confidence, I still face challenges in second-guessing myself in so many areas of my life. So, I need to learn how to take risks and not worry about the consequences as much after I make a decision. I should just make the choice, stick with it and pray it works out for the best.
I feel like I've made more progress this past year in living by faith and I want to continue down this path in 2010, learning even more about who Christ is and growing in learning how to love and serve with my brothers and sisters, being more generous in how I spend my resources.
So here's hoping 2010 will end with me being thinner, physically healthy person who is willing to take greater risks with proper wisdom, discernment and confidence in how I approach people and life's circumstances. How will I measure this? I think I'll know and I'm trusting we'll see real fruit from this 364 days from now. So let's do this!
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
I did it, sorta
Officially, I didn't complete Nablopomo 2009 for November because what's become a familiar habit prevented my success - I fell asleep on the couch before I was able to post at the appropriate times.
I wish I could insist that since I was not officially in bed with the aim of sleeping, it should count.
I did it for 28 of the 30 days properly. Does this not matter? I think I should acknowledge it, and maybe others will join me in saying I was THIS close.
I hope sometime soon I'll be able to break this trend for my own health's sake and that it doesn't become a metaphor for other aspects of life.
Have you ever almost hit the mark on something only to fall short? How have you overcome it?
I wish I could insist that since I was not officially in bed with the aim of sleeping, it should count.
I did it for 28 of the 30 days properly. Does this not matter? I think I should acknowledge it, and maybe others will join me in saying I was THIS close.
I hope sometime soon I'll be able to break this trend for my own health's sake and that it doesn't become a metaphor for other aspects of life.
Have you ever almost hit the mark on something only to fall short? How have you overcome it?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The one who wounds & heals
Today, along with hearing our in-person teaching pastor speak, I read through a few passages in Scripture, starting with Isaiah 61:1 which talks about the Anointed One binding the brokenhearted.
I followed this to Job 5:18: "For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal."
We often think of God's latter quality of healer. We forget the first one, where God pierced his own Son. It's a much less painful thought to approach God as one who never harms. Obviously, the "harm" isn't intended for our destruction but our ultimate best.
Our teaching pastor at our church shared from his heart today. Here's some of what he said:
I'm learning God will often do something which looks to us like a larger mess, but - honestly - mainly because we're not in control of it.
What is your perspective on the thought God being both wounder and healer?
I followed this to Job 5:18: "For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal."
We often think of God's latter quality of healer. We forget the first one, where God pierced his own Son. It's a much less painful thought to approach God as one who never harms. Obviously, the "harm" isn't intended for our destruction but our ultimate best.
Our teaching pastor at our church shared from his heart today. Here's some of what he said:
- In retelling the story of Jacob wrestling the angel, our pastor said: "There's always a limp and there's always a reason."
- "Difficulty is the great instructor."
- "He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are."
I'm learning God will often do something which looks to us like a larger mess, but - honestly - mainly because we're not in control of it.
What is your perspective on the thought God being both wounder and healer?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Why my blood has a strange color
As I've watched what can only be called grudge-match rivalry weekend in college football unfold across the nation, I'm reminded my loyalties are somewhat divided in some respects.
Growing up in Montgomery, Ala., less than an hour's drive to Auburn University, my heart for many years lie on the Plains and I bled orange and blue, as the saying goes.
For those of you not familiar with the intensity of in-state college football rivalries, its safe to say the Auburn-Alabama ranks among the top. Alabama residents who never set foot on either campus are expected to pick a side and cheer for one or the other.
That's intense.
So 20 years ago this month sitting in my apartment in Tuscaloosa, Ala. as a University of Alabama student, I had a decision to make. Moments before kickoff, I decided to root for the Tide, adding a large vat of crimson to the mix.
Five years ago, we moved to the (Mississippi State) Bulldog Nation. I was - and still am - proud of MSU for choosing to hire Sylvester Croom as the first black head football coach in the Southeastern Conference, a decision the University of Alabama - where the Tuscaloosa native played and coached as an assistant - couldn't quite bring itself to make.
MSU beat Alabama twice under Croom and I can't say they didn't earn it and I understand why the 'Dogs yanked Croom after last year's 0-45 embarrassment at the hands of what's been called lately The School Up North (The University of Mississippi, otherwise known as Ole Miss).
So, add some maroon to the blend and you have one confused dude when it comes to Saturdays in the fall, at least for a few games.
Usually it's easy to figure out. I hold a piece of paper from Alabama, so that weighs heavily on most days, but I'm eager to see what the 'Dogs will do as they continue to move forward under Dan Mullen (they rectified last year's debacle with a 41-27 win today). And the rebuilding continues on the Plains under Gene Chizik so that's been interesting to watch.
This is one of the few areas of life where it's OK to get pulled in three different directions, and depending on where Jadyn goes to school (Lord willing and assuming she's able to do so), we might get an even more confusing color pattern in the future.
Until then, Go Roll Eagle!
Growing up in Montgomery, Ala., less than an hour's drive to Auburn University, my heart for many years lie on the Plains and I bled orange and blue, as the saying goes.
For those of you not familiar with the intensity of in-state college football rivalries, its safe to say the Auburn-Alabama ranks among the top. Alabama residents who never set foot on either campus are expected to pick a side and cheer for one or the other.
That's intense.
So 20 years ago this month sitting in my apartment in Tuscaloosa, Ala. as a University of Alabama student, I had a decision to make. Moments before kickoff, I decided to root for the Tide, adding a large vat of crimson to the mix.
Five years ago, we moved to the (Mississippi State) Bulldog Nation. I was - and still am - proud of MSU for choosing to hire Sylvester Croom as the first black head football coach in the Southeastern Conference, a decision the University of Alabama - where the Tuscaloosa native played and coached as an assistant - couldn't quite bring itself to make.
MSU beat Alabama twice under Croom and I can't say they didn't earn it and I understand why the 'Dogs yanked Croom after last year's 0-45 embarrassment at the hands of what's been called lately The School Up North (The University of Mississippi, otherwise known as Ole Miss).
So, add some maroon to the blend and you have one confused dude when it comes to Saturdays in the fall, at least for a few games.
Usually it's easy to figure out. I hold a piece of paper from Alabama, so that weighs heavily on most days, but I'm eager to see what the 'Dogs will do as they continue to move forward under Dan Mullen (they rectified last year's debacle with a 41-27 win today). And the rebuilding continues on the Plains under Gene Chizik so that's been interesting to watch.
This is one of the few areas of life where it's OK to get pulled in three different directions, and depending on where Jadyn goes to school (Lord willing and assuming she's able to do so), we might get an even more confusing color pattern in the future.
Until then, Go Roll Eagle!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Going deep
Through the teaching this past week of Chris Beall on Church Online at LifeChurch.tv, I've been challenged about setting aside time to hear God in the quiet.
The task seems simple enough on the surface – Set aside time a few minutes a day to listen to the Lord in an undisturbed setting.
It's more difficult than it sounds.
But it's essential.
When we are trying to find purpose and direction, we expect God to land the answers in our lap so we can get on to the next thing. OK, at least I do.
When we take a step back and think about this approach, we realize this is absurd.
As Chris said: "Early mornings, private pain, discipline; that's where people become great." Sometimes, the answers we seek do appear out of the blue. But most of the time, they're forged in blood, sweat and tears.
As Oswald Chambers asserts, prayer is essentially a process toward getting to know God, so as we seek answers, we need to focus more intently on seeking Him rather than what he has for us.
How are you being challenged to grow deeper in your faith?
The task seems simple enough on the surface – Set aside time a few minutes a day to listen to the Lord in an undisturbed setting.
It's more difficult than it sounds.
But it's essential.
When we are trying to find purpose and direction, we expect God to land the answers in our lap so we can get on to the next thing. OK, at least I do.
When we take a step back and think about this approach, we realize this is absurd.
As Chris said: "Early mornings, private pain, discipline; that's where people become great." Sometimes, the answers we seek do appear out of the blue. But most of the time, they're forged in blood, sweat and tears.
As Oswald Chambers asserts, prayer is essentially a process toward getting to know God, so as we seek answers, we need to focus more intently on seeking Him rather than what he has for us.
How are you being challenged to grow deeper in your faith?
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Gratitude
For some reason, it's not always easy for me naturally to count my blessings. I tend toward the half-empty view, or at least I used to. So when I step back and force myself out of the negative mindset, I realize I have plenty to be thankful to God for, including:
- I'm alive.
- I'm reasonably good health for a big boy, with the knowledge I need to do something about the "big" part sooner rather than later.
- I have a beautiful, intelligent wife who is more understanding and patient with me than I give her credit for being.
- My gorgeous, bright daughter who I hope I'm doing right by as I raise her.
- Being employed and finding new ways to enjoy my work.
- Learning not to walk in fear - the world isn't going to fall in around me if I do something out of the ordinary, and if it does, I need to trust God to handle the aftermath.
- The dozens of amazing people we've gotten to know through Church Online and Twitter these past 11 months from all over North America and on at least three other continents. It's been amazing journey I hope is nowhere finished, but rather just beginning. These folks have enriched our lives beyond measure and I hope we've done the same for them. Many of them are literally like family to us and I believe God has given them to us as such. (Grant me this temporary relapse in fear - I'm afraid to start listing people and miss anyone.) I also have met a number of fellow Rush fans in various parts of the globe I also consider good friends and I'm grateful to know them as well.
- The people we've already known. These include my in-laws, who've gone above and beyond in making up for not having counterparts on my side of the family. Between our Twitter friends, our in-person church folks (past and present) and our online friends, we have a patchwork family which looks like very few others.
- The time I got to spend with my parents and for the good things they did for me. They did more to prepare me and love me than I give them credit for when I slip back into half-empty mode and I look forward to seeing them again someday.
- My relationship with Jesus Christ, which has grown by leaps and bounds since we've been hanging around LifeChurch.tv.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Making the point now
Earlier this week, when I dropped off Jadyn at daycare, a young man she fancies (yes at 4) was in the classroom with her waiting to eat breakfast. She was wearing a new jacket and she wanted him to notice. She called him by name and wanted him to see it. I don't think he was paying attention. As I was preparing to walk out the door to go to work, it registered with me - she wanted him to notice and he didn't, at least not that I saw.
I had plenty of time, so I went back in, hugged her from behind and told her: "You're beautiful and I love you."
I can't be there every time she asked someone to notice, but when I can, I want to remind her that her father genuinely and deeply loves her and wants her to always remember that, especially as she develops a relationship with Christ.
What significant point do you want to make to a loved one, and how do you hope to go about doing it?
I had plenty of time, so I went back in, hugged her from behind and told her: "You're beautiful and I love you."
I can't be there every time she asked someone to notice, but when I can, I want to remind her that her father genuinely and deeply loves her and wants her to always remember that, especially as she develops a relationship with Christ.
What significant point do you want to make to a loved one, and how do you hope to go about doing it?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Why TV shows and I don't do well
I may have blogged about similar themes before. If so, there's a reason.
It bears repeating.
I tend to get hooked on television shows which contain the following - decent acting, largely unpredictable plots and intelligent writing. There's a trend with most of the ones I've liked over the last decade or so - they get canceled, most of them slightly over (or significantly under) the typical five-year syndication window.
As I sat down to write this post, I got great news! "Scrubs" is coming back on the air!
This is another genre I like - insane comedy with a message. It's one of the reasons I enjoyed "My Name Is Earl." Though the essential format was the same each episode - there's going to be some issue Earl needs to rectify from his list and how they got to the end is what made it interesting.
So, here's hoping the resurrection of "Scrubs" will last.
What types of television shows do you like and do you feel "snakebitten"when your favorite shows go off the air?
It bears repeating.
I tend to get hooked on television shows which contain the following - decent acting, largely unpredictable plots and intelligent writing. There's a trend with most of the ones I've liked over the last decade or so - they get canceled, most of them slightly over (or significantly under) the typical five-year syndication window.
As I sat down to write this post, I got great news! "Scrubs" is coming back on the air!
This is another genre I like - insane comedy with a message. It's one of the reasons I enjoyed "My Name Is Earl." Though the essential format was the same each episode - there's going to be some issue Earl needs to rectify from his list and how they got to the end is what made it interesting.
So, here's hoping the resurrection of "Scrubs" will last.
What types of television shows do you like and do you feel "snakebitten"when your favorite shows go off the air?
Monday, November 23, 2009
In-person interaction
Tonight, I hung out in person with someone I normally don't see face-to-face, but rather, I see him online. He lives less than two and a half miles from here, but it's just how things have worked for both of us.
I got to hear how things have gone for him these past few weeks. I learned what he's been doing and discovered more than I'd known in the online interaction. So what I'm learning is that while online friendships are valuable and certainly worth our time to cultivate, the richness we can find in sharing face time is at least of equal importance and in some ways greater value.
So how to we connect with and communicate with people who are thousands of miles away? Short of driving or flying to where the other person is, we can compensate for this through means such as Skype and Tokbox. Because when we interact with each other, we're completing the picture in an important way. How have you taken your online interaction into the 'real' world?
I got to hear how things have gone for him these past few weeks. I learned what he's been doing and discovered more than I'd known in the online interaction. So what I'm learning is that while online friendships are valuable and certainly worth our time to cultivate, the richness we can find in sharing face time is at least of equal importance and in some ways greater value.
So how to we connect with and communicate with people who are thousands of miles away? Short of driving or flying to where the other person is, we can compensate for this through means such as Skype and Tokbox. Because when we interact with each other, we're completing the picture in an important way. How have you taken your online interaction into the 'real' world?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
What does it look like?
Today, for the first time I can remember, we really engaged in worship in our in-person church. It looks though we're in the early stages as a congregation of learning how to yield ourselves to allow the presence of Christ to fully appear in our midst. It's a great place to be. For a few seconds there I wondered if were going to extend our time significantly today. We didn't but the sense that many of us didn't want it to end was tangible.
Without airing laundry, our in-person church has been through it's challenges and struggles and now that it's turning a corner, I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store.
During a portion of this time, I thought of the words of the Twila Paris song "He is No Fool," based on the story of missionary Jim Eliot, who gave his life in efforts to minister to the Auca indians in Ecuador. I started scribbling down the chorus: "He is no fool, if he would choose; to give the things he cannot keep; to buy what he can never lose; to see the treasure in one's soul; that far outshines the brightest gold; he is no fool ... ."
I'm trying to hear from the Lord what this pursuit should look like for me. What does it look like for you?
Without airing laundry, our in-person church has been through it's challenges and struggles and now that it's turning a corner, I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store.
During a portion of this time, I thought of the words of the Twila Paris song "He is No Fool," based on the story of missionary Jim Eliot, who gave his life in efforts to minister to the Auca indians in Ecuador. I started scribbling down the chorus: "He is no fool, if he would choose; to give the things he cannot keep; to buy what he can never lose; to see the treasure in one's soul; that far outshines the brightest gold; he is no fool ... ."
I'm trying to hear from the Lord what this pursuit should look like for me. What does it look like for you?
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Weekend warrior
Before I became a parent, it seemed a weekend was loaded with so much extra time to do whatever I felt like, or didn't feel like, doing. Now, it seems like there's so much to think about and do with a little one around. I'm not complaining about the reason I'm a parent in any way, shape or form. We waited for her, sometimes impatiently, to arrive. But parenthood is the phenomenon which has compressed my free time the most in the last four years.
I'm a procrastinator already and it just forces more things to get shoved tomorrow's column. I'm learning how to schedule and juggle things on the weekend and felt pretty good - all things considered about what I got done today. But I try to balance the pressure to get things accomplished in my time off and just enjoy being home with my family.
What do you do to juggle off time with the need to get things accomplished around the house?
I'm a procrastinator already and it just forces more things to get shoved tomorrow's column. I'm learning how to schedule and juggle things on the weekend and felt pretty good - all things considered about what I got done today. But I try to balance the pressure to get things accomplished in my time off and just enjoy being home with my family.
What do you do to juggle off time with the need to get things accomplished around the house?
Friday, November 20, 2009
Peeling it back
Sometimes it's so easy to look at a circumstance or situation on the surface and think we can lick it. Then, we encounter anything which is challenging related to the details involved and then we realize how much further we have to go. The setbacks can seem impassable, because we see others who either never had the problem at all or found a way to overcome it. It's difficult to see the way forward when you feel trapped in between these two places.
In the long run, I think it is better to go ahead and plunge in and see how tough and disgusting things are and get to the other side in an improved spot.
In the long run, I think it is better to go ahead and plunge in and see how tough and disgusting things are and get to the other side in an improved spot.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Finding the balance
We never seem to be able to find that right balance between sleep and doing things we might otherwise spend our time and resources toward. Tonight, I feel asleep before 10 p.m. And that's just the way it went. Sleep; pursuing what we want. Sometimes, we can't proceed without the right amount of sleep, and at other times, doing what seems best is impossible without that sleep.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Glad we're part of this
I've talked about this before here on my blog but my wife is the online experience coordinator for Church Online at LifeChurch.tv.
She typically helps out with the 8 p.m. CDT experience on Tuesday. Yesterday, they had an amazing encounter. I serve at two experiences at other times, one earlier Tuesday and one later Saturday evening, but I've never run into anything like what's described.
Christ's followers are the biggest obstacles people face getting to know Him. While we may never know the outcome of how these people experience Jesus, we know they've been presented truth about Him. Hopefully these planted seeds in these peoples' hearts will develop in something more. But even if it doesn't add up to anything immediate, hopefully they'll think back on their visit and remember the grace of God.
She typically helps out with the 8 p.m. CDT experience on Tuesday. Yesterday, they had an amazing encounter. I serve at two experiences at other times, one earlier Tuesday and one later Saturday evening, but I've never run into anything like what's described.
Christ's followers are the biggest obstacles people face getting to know Him. While we may never know the outcome of how these people experience Jesus, we know they've been presented truth about Him. Hopefully these planted seeds in these peoples' hearts will develop in something more. But even if it doesn't add up to anything immediate, hopefully they'll think back on their visit and remember the grace of God.
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