Flipant Prayer?

Every wonder if our prayers can be too casual or flipant? Does God care? Does he listen to the honest casual prayer just like he listens to the carefully thought out prayer? Tony Jones has an interesting article in Christianity Today entitled "Prayer Beyond Father Weejus." It's worth a look...

"Father, weejus come to you today....."

Bunny Humor

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY
~ Don't put all of your eggs in one basket.
~ Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
~ Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
~ All work and no play can make you a basket case.
~ Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
~ Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
~ Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans.
~ The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.
~ An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare.
~ To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell.
~ The best things in life are still sweet and gooey!
today'sTHOT==================================
Good Idea: Finding Easter eggs on Easter.
Bad Idea: Finding Easter eggs on Christmas.

(Thanks to Mikey's Funnies...check them out & sign up for his daily funny at
www.mikeysFunnies.com)

Leadership Network

I'm a big fan of the Leadership Network. They have a tremendous amount of resources, particularly the books they produce. Thought I would promote them a little, and I'll add their book blog to my blog list. You can see it here.... lots of links to authors, etc. in the blog itself!

ENTER YOUR AGE:

It's been over a month since my last post. A lot has happened, not too mention a "significant" birthday. It hit me right between the eyes at the gym. I do go fairly often, but to glance at my portly countenance one would wonder if I knew what a treadmill even looks like!

Regardless, I know my way around the cardio room. Most of the machines ask you to enter some info about yourself in order, I suppose, to monitor your heart rate and adjust your workout accordingly. I suppose when I could no longer put "39" in when asked about my age - it kicked in!

So in March of 2007, I did turn 40. I'm still wondering what that really means, and how to best take advantage of the next 40. Learning from mistakes & shortcomings to be who God wants me to be - a better husband, father, and servant.

I don't want to spend too much time wondering how I would do the last 20 years differently... no sense in beating myself up too much!

Love Your Neighbor?

We're to love our neighbor, aren't we? Plenty has been written and proposed about what that really means. About who our neighbor really is, and just what does it mean to love? There are a variety of ways to go after that idea, and that's fine. But we know what its not, don't we? We can easily spot when "loving our neighbor" is kicked to the curb. Problem is, we can expect that from many in our world who don't know any better.

But Christians should know better, shouldn't they? The only thing more troubling than this story is that fact that it made the news. What's wrong with people??

People Should Matter

This is an unbelievable story from today's AP....What's even more disturbing is that although the gravity of the situation might not always be this extreme, there are people who live their lives just like this unfortunate guy - alone, void of any sort of community with others. Tragic....

Man's body found 1 year after death
Television was still on, authorities say; body partially mummified
The Associated Press
Updated: 1:06 p.m. ET Feb 17, 2007

HAMPTON BAYS, N.Y. - The partially mummified body of a man dead for more than a year has been found in a chair in front of his television, which was still on, authorities said.

Vincenzo Ricardo, 70, apparently died of natural causes, said Dr. Stuart Dawson, Suffolk County’s deputy chief medical examiner.

Police found Ricardo’s body this week when they investigated a report of burst pipes.
The home’s dry air had preserved his features, morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus said.
“You could see his face. He still had hair on his head,” Bacchus said.

Ricardo’s wife died years ago, and he lived alone, Dawson said.
“He hasn’t been heard from in over a year. That’s the part that baffles me,” he said. “Nobody sounded the alarm.”

Neighbors said they had thought Ricardo was in a hospital or nursing home.
“We never thought to check on him,” said neighbor Diane Devon.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17202448/?GT1=9033

Blizzards, Puzzles & Relaxation

Life here is beginning to get back to normal. Amazing what 14 or so inches of snow can do to a city that's not quite 'north enough' to expect lots of snowfall. For a good 48 hours, the hectic nature of our lives was brought to a screeching halt.

Pardon my contrarian way of looking at this, but isn't that a good thing? To occasionally cancel just about everything and stay home with our families and just hang out? Sleeping in is a good thing. Lounging about in comfy clothes that most of us wouldn't be seen in public wearing is quite refreshing. We worked a puzzle that took a couple of days - it was a puzzle from the TV show LOST, a family favorite. Perhaps the hardest puzzle I've ever worked (there was no picture on the box to follow!) But it was fun, we all took our turns, and it was a thrill to put that last piece in place.

So, unfortunately, life is getting back to normal. But does it have to? Can't we redefine normal? How liberating it would be if 'normal' looked a lot like the last few days, and our hectic schedules were a thing of the past. Or at least not our 'default settings.'

Gordon MacDonald says that "Rest was not meant to be a luxury, but a necessity." One of my personal goals, as well as for my family, is that we would clear the clutter and experience a weekly Sabbath rest. I believe God designed us that way (Genesis 2:2-3). And I wonder if every now and then, he might just unleash a 14-inch snow dump that shuts us down for a bit. For many of us, a "forced sabbath" is often the only sabbath we get...

(Oh, here's a gigantic snowman my kids made, right in the back window of our house! This was from a big snow a few weeks back, and this dude was staring into our house for weeks! This snowstorm brought much more of the white stuff, and they made some cool tunnels & air soft forts...)

Our "Big Game Bash" Parties

Here are a couple of pics from the two parties we hosted. We were planning one giant blowout with a 16-foot screen, but we quickly retooled our plans to fit within the suggested guidelines from the NFL, CBS, the apparent copyright laws, and Oprah (OK, I don't think Oprah was involved, though I think she owns most everything....the promo with her and Letterman during the "big game" was one of my favorite of the night!)

We hosted our parties for those in our community from 4 homeless shelters. We split the locations in two...one at our place, another at the Christian Center Rescue Ministry. And we kept the screens at regulation size. Oh, and the good guys won! A couple pics......

This first pic is from the Christian Center dining room. We got there early to set up the tech stuff, decorate, and essentially roll out the red carpet. Many of those who attended were either residents of the shelter, or folks that visit there for a hot meal. Had a good mix of both Bears and Colts fans.

This is a glimpse of the scene at our place. We decked it out very cool. We were planning the 16-foot screen for this room, but instead went with the regulation 55-inch image. Small, but we made it work. Very cool event, and something that I hope we'll do annually. And perhaps we can find a resolution with the powers that be to let us do one big event in the future!

Church Super Bowl Parties Sacked by NFL

You undoubtedly heard the uproar last week regarding the NFL "coming down on churches and their Super Bowl parties." Well, at least that's how it was reported. Truth is, it all started with one church that 1) promoted an admission fee (although is was more of a 'we're getting pizza, and you can chip in if you want'), 2) planned to promote the image larger than the mandated 55 inches (they planned to go with a 12-foot screen), and 3) created their own logo that included the words Super Bowl. OK, so all of that was a no-no. #'s 1 and 3 are easy to just not do - and the church said as much. However, the screen size issue was the final back-breaker, since it's kinda hard to have 100 to 200 people and not have a screen of some size. I suppose another issue was combining their copyrighted event with some sort of "video testimony" or some other message. So instead of watching a video about NFL players who are Christians, they want us watching Prince and the newest Bud Light commercial. I guess I do understand that at least a little, not that I like it at all. I guess their "product" can be attached to any other kind of message or propoganda other than what churches might provide (Amway, Tupperware, KKK, etc.)

This has been labeled so many ways..."The NFL cracking down on churches"..."The Evil One wins a victory against the church", etc. Really? Sounds like the NFL just pointed out to one church (it was pretty easy to see their new logo & all their details on their website, or we would never have known), that they were in violation of a federal copyright law. Somehow, that story was leaked to the Indy Star, which got it on the evening news, which caused all sorts of uproar here in central Indiana (I'm curious to know if this was an issue anywhere but here, since the national media didn't really give it much attention). Truth is, those of us who have had Super Bowl, er, Big Game Bashes for the past buncha years (how long has the S.B. been around??), well, we've been in violation of copyright law. Every time we've done it, though we had no clue, no one was hurt, and a good time was had by all.

What should our response be? First, we should obey the law. Of course, there will be those (I'll call them "boneheads" who give all Christians a bad name) who see this as a chance to "stand up for what is right" and do their event anyway. Really? Stand up for what is right? Teach the impressionable youth you're trying to reach that if a law doesn't suit your fancy, no problem. Just ignore it! Aren't our prisons overflowing with folks who live by this philosophy? Nice going.

But I don't think we should avoid some discussion. I do think there are some solutions that can be found that wouldn't harm the product the NFL has with CBS (or whomever), would fit w/in the guidelines of the law, and would allow us to build this cultural phenomenon into a ministry event. So let's talk to the NFL, to our lawmakers, to the folks at CBS, etc., and try to find some common ground. All of this talk about a victory for Satan? Let's cut that out. I didn't hear anyone taking away our religious freedom or forcing us to stop praying, meeting, worship, etc. Whatever the response from Christians, I hope we're taking the opportunity to be salt & light in this conversation.

All that said, this cartoon made me laugh from the Indy Star. Also, see the previous post for a couple of pics from our retooled, sized-down, Big Game Bash party that fit within the stipulations that were so public the last several days.

Picture Worth a Thousand Words

This pic was apparently taken after the game. Word is, the team says the Lord's Prayer together after games. Pretty cool. I'm not a big fan of the "God helped us win" lingo that you sometimes hear from some athletes. But I think Dungy uses the platform of fame & recognition very well to put the fame on God, not on himself. Just a terrific person and example.

Thomas Merton quote

"If you want to identify me ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the things I want to live for. Between those two answers you can determine the identity of any person." -Thomas Merton The Man in the Sycamore Tree

The NFL - No Fun League

HDTV Receiver for the big game - $200

Renting a big projection screen - $100

HDTV antenna - $40

Pizza for 70-80 homeless - $250

Pop, chips, cookies, etc. - $200

The NFL sacking the plans of churches nationwide and not letting them show the game on a screen big enough for more than about 15 people and not allowing more than one screen in the building and generally flexing its "Nielsen Ratings" muscle and creating a PR nightmare for itself: PRICELESS...

Made Me Laugh

Came across this picture. This whole "evangelical" thing is pretty confusing. There are some I don't mind being "lumped in" with; others, I would rather not be all that affiliated. It's a confusing nametag. Maybe if a device like this existed, it would be a less perplexing world.

got rich kids?

I came across this campaign from the folks at Geez Magazine, which admittedly was new to me but immediately interesting. I don't know if the campaing is legit or just a funny idea, but its intriguing and might just work. Basically, its a parody on child adoption. You submit the names of rich kids (which is, roughly, the average North American), and they are "adopted" by "an appropriate sponsor family from the other side of the disparity divide," either here or in other parts of the world. The sponsor family helps their "sponsored rich kid" understand what life is like on the other side, prays for them, and shares first-hand how the consumer-driven economic system affects them. Check it out and peek around a little at the Geez website. Click "child sponsorship" to check out the campaign...

One interesting entry at Geez is entitled "Jesus Was A Fatty" - it's also particularly interesting, though not related to the above "Make Affluence History" campaign (which is a clever title in and of itself...)

Live from the AFC Championship Game

The email was simple. "If New England beats San Diego, it's a Colts home game. I need people to work our concession booth." I thought about it for a day or so....working the booth meant not getting to see the entire game from the comfort of my couch. But working meant I would be 'in the building' for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The mania of the pre- and post-game crowd seemed like a fun idea. After all, affording the $ for tickets wasn't in my destiny, and all of my efforts to win tickets had fallen flat. So I replied with a hearty "yes," with visions of nacho trays, brats, hotdogs, and beverages dancing in my head.

So along with 12 or so volunteers from the Highland High School band, I donned the apron & visor and spent the better part of Sunday afternoon & evening in Booth 114 on the lower level of the RCA Dome. From the 6-block walk in to the opening of the gates at 4:30, you could feel the buzz in the city. Tailgaters, Colts jerseys everywhere, even a guy wearing no shirt who painted himself completely blue. There were a few New England fans that happened our way - all very nice people. But they were few - most everyone had on any combination of blue & white, and perhaps more Colts jerseys than have ever been assembled in one place.

As the game progressed, to say there was tension in the building would be an understatement. The home team was down, key mistakes had been made, and you could sort of feel the air slowing leaving the dome. From my vantage point, I was able to keep up with much of the action, though I didn't get to see every play. I did venture up the steps to take a peek, just in time to see, right in front of me, a Colts touchdown and a 2-point conversion. Very cool. Until the very next play, when the Patriots ran a kickoff return some 80 yards...

The most memorable minute for me was at the end. I'm sure every Colts fan has a story about that minute to 90 seconds. We were huddled around a monitor and witnessed the pass that popped up from the receivers arms...and right back into them. Whew.... I removed the aforementioned visor & apron and headed for Section 112, which opens up right at about the 10 yard line, where the Colts were marching. To say that the next few moments were euphoric would be an understatement. The TD and point after gives them a 4 point lead. Brady would need a TD to win.

The next couple of plays, as the Patriots began their short-lived march down the field, were some of the loudest moments of my life. I slid into a spot that was open, next to a bunch of total strangers. All of us on our feet, cheering & clapping, joining the 57,000 others. I thought the go-ahead touchdown was loud. I thought the noise was more intense than ever when Brady & Co. were trying to run plays to win the game. But I have never heard anything quite like the noise level when the interception happened, and the remaining few moments to run out the clock. I high-fived all of the people around me. I even hugged a total stranger. It just seemed normal, as did the people all around who were streaming tears of joy.

The next 90 minutes or so were sort of a blur. We had more to do to close down the stand completely, but the crowd stayed around for the awards ceremony. The masses were leaving about the same time we walked out. It was crazy, but civilized. Just fun, and thankfulness that you were a part of it all. Nothing happening that mirrored the ugliness that sometimes happens after these sorts of things. The six block walk back to the car was filled with honking horns, people dancing & shouting, hanging out car windows and waving those 'We're #1' foam fingers.

Unbelievable. Would I work the concession stand again during an AFC Championship Game? You better believe it. In fact, I've already volunteered for next year!

Read This Blog

Read this....
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2007/01/three_experienc.html#more

(If you get to the comments, the nuclear engineer is fairly interesting....)

Merry Christmas!

For My Politically Correct Friends:

"Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms:

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher."

For My Politically Incorrect Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

McClaren "The Politics of Joy"

Brian McLaren wrote this short article for Sojourner's. Very appropriate, and worth your consideration. Very well said...

Earlier this week, I was speaking to a group of Methodist ministers and we sang the Christmas carol "Joy to the World." Two moments in the song took my breath away.

The first came when I sang "let every heart prepare him room." If the carol is right, the way earth receives God's "prince of peace" is through individual hearts like ours. By making space, by opening our hearts to Christ, by letting our lives be the stable and manger into which good news quietly comes, by rendering the vacuum and vacancy within us vulnerable to the incoming of the Spirit ... we become, like Mary, "theotokos" - God-bearers.

That might sound kind of mystical, not political, and I guess it is. It is something that I believe we all can actually experience: the possibility of preparing room in our hearts so that Christ truly comes.

That brings me to the second transcendent moment in the carol for me this week: "No more let sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found."

The coming of a good king in the ancient world meant a lot, and although kingly language may sound archaic today, I think we can recapture its meaning when we think of a thorny land, polluted by sin and cursed by sorrow, becoming verdant and fertile and healthy again - blessedness flowing over the land like a warm breeze.

And of course, this is where the personal and political meet. Thinking about justice, talking about peace, debating public policy, and working for social change are important ... but not as a substitute for the very personal choice to "prepare him room" in our hearts, so that (as the saying goes) we can be the change we want to see in the world.

The way "earth receives her king" (and the blessings he brings) is not by bombs and guns and wiretaps and coups; not by aggressive blog postings or passionate media pronouncements by pundits. Rather, the king (and the kingdom) come first to the quiet hearts of humble people who "prepare him room," and the joy flows to the world through them.

That's the language of spiritual formation, no doubt. But how can there be political transformation in the external world of thorns, sins, and sorrow if our inner lives don't become the manger into which hope, healing, empowerment, love, and joy are born?

What happens in the political realm - in the public world where people treat one another justly or unjustly, peacefully or violently, as neighbors or as enemies - can never be separated from what happens in the personal realm. And the reverse is true, too.That's the source of the politics of joy.

Brian McLaren is chair of the board of Sojourners/Call to Renewal. A former pastor, he is now an author and speaker. Rumor has it that his latest book, The Secret Message of Jesus, would make a great Christmas gift.

What Are You Going To Do With This Jesus?

I had a small devotional wrap-up at the end of a recent Christmas service. Following is the manuscript of what I shared. Thought it would be good to post it here. Some of the references relate to the Christmas service, but I think the main thrust of the piece can stand on its own. Hope something here is valuable to you.

"What are you going to do with Jesus? This human manifestation of God himself, leaving his Father’s side to come and join us in the human experience, born only to be sacrificed on our behalf. What are you going to do with Jesus? From the beginning of time, God has been laying the foundation for you and I to deal with this question.

It’s a question that generations of people around the world have faced since that night in Bethlehem. It’s a question whose ramifications have altered the course of history. What to do with Jesus.

Many have chosen alternate paths, finding other belief systems or perhaps the trappings the world offers that are begging for our allegiance and our faith. Others have chosen to simply ignore this Jesus, instead forging ahead with their own set of values, moral compass, or popular self-help thinking of the day. Truth is, in this universe that God has created, there is an undeniable reality known as free will. Frankly, you can choose to do with Jesus as you see fit. And we’ve all done just that.

Some have embraced Him, going so far as to make Him their Lord, which is another way of saying Master, or even Boss. If that’s you today, I hope this morning has been a sort of ‘holy reminder’ to you. Of a God who has loved you since the beginning of time. A God who knows what its like to walk in your shoes. A God who has never and will never abandon you. A God who gives you peace that goes beyond your ability to understand.

Some have decided to pick & choose which parts of Jesus we’ll embrace, and leave the other, more uncomfortable parts of Jesus to be picked up by someone else. If that’s you, I hope this morning you’ll reconsider Jesus. This baby who later died on a cross for you offers abundant life, yet so many of us are wondering when that kicks in.

Many, however, want little to do with him. Usually, it has little to do with Jesus himself. In fact, many non-followers of Jesus have high regard for his teachings. Jesus isn’t the problem - it’s the incompatibility that exists between His teachings and the lifestyle & behavior of some of his followers. As Brennan Manning says, "it’s what an unbelieving world finds simply unbelievable."
If that’s where you are this morning, I hope you’ll indulge me for a moment and look beyond our hypocrisy to the story we’ve told you today. Yes, sometimes those of us who claim to be his followers come up short and don’t live our lives in a manner that exemplifies this Jesus. We’re pretty good at being the vocal mouthpiece of the body of Christ, but not so good at being the hands & feet of Christ. But that doesn’t make the story any less true. It just makes us fallen human beings, in need of grace that can only come from God.

You see, from the beginning of creation, we were a part of the plan. Somewhere in the outskirts of this enormous universe, God saw fit to design one tiny speck that has the capacity to sustain life. We call that speck Earth. That tiny speck would be the home of many billions of other tiny specks called humans. Since the creation of the first of our type, God has been at work, all throughout history. The Prophets came along as spokespersons for God with a message that some day, God himself would come and a new arrangement would be instituted - not an empty system of religion based on rules, but rather a personal relationship with God himself, a relationship based on love.

A love that would come to us as a precious baby, climax by going to a cross on behalf of humanity, and continue to dwell in the hearts of millions. A love that’s available to you. Today.
This really is a choose your own ending story. We wouldn’t go to all of this trouble if we didn’t think there was good reason. Our troop of storytellers? We’ve each been changed by this Jesus who still does wonders. How does your story end? That’s up to you. Will you leave Jesus safe & sound in the manger, or will you welcome Him into your life as a personal God who still does wonders? Will you say to him these words - "You’re my king." This light of the world named Jesus who stepped down into our world to give us life."

Changing The World, One Person At A Time

Came across this article about Shaun Alexander, running back for the Seattle Seahawks. Had him on my fantasy team this year....and frankly, for fantasy purposes, really wish I had chosen Ladanian Tomlinson (I had my pick of the two! "I coulda been a contender..."). Just after I drafted him, I was made aware of the "curse" of the Madden games. If you make the cover, you have a subpar year. Look out Tomlinson! Anyway, great article....very short, but hope you'll check it out. We need not only more star athletes who do this sort of thing (that in itself is very refreshing), but we just need more people doing this kind of thing period. Let me know what you think.