Old Dudes who could beat me up

Have you heard about this guy? If not, let me introduce you to Buster Martin who is training to become the world's oldest marathon runner. He's 101-years-old and he still works as a plumber in London, England. On top of his running and toilet fixing, he's managed time to have 17 children. Yes my friends, generations of people will have Viagra to thank for their existence.



The world seems to be full of old guys who could beat me up. After watching the new Rambo movie ("Rambo Fights Arthritis"), I realized that even though Stallone has had a lot of work done and help from substances that would have gotten him banned from pro baseball, he's still darn close to a hundred years old and he could rip my arms off and beat me with them. These crazy buff old dudes are just making me feel pretty lazy, so I think I'm going to the gym.

I got ripped off...but I'm not that mad.

Today was a really tough day. Ashley and I have been trying to reorganize our finances so that we can get completely out of debt which has caused some major changes. One of these changes was to sell my gas-guzzling old Ford Explorer and buy something more fuel-efficient. Last week, I did just that. I bought a 95 Toyata Corolla from a guy named Bob (his real name is Scott, but to protect his anonymity, we'll call him "Bob"). Bob and his wife seemed like nice folks and I'm a big fan of Toyotas ever since I worked two summers at the Toyota plant in Kentucky.

This seemed like a good deal until...the car exploded on me before I could even get it home. Literally, the engine was shooting out oil and smoke like a volcano. After a week of mechanics and carpooling, the prognosis finally came in and it was completely bleak. I had a lemon. I got in touch with Scott to tell him and at first he seemed very receptive to refunding my money (which we desperately need to purchase another vehicle). I found out just a few hours ago that he won't be refunding my money and I'm stuck with this car that I'm going to try to sell to a junk yard.

I've been through the whole range of emotions with this deal and I've had some extensive heart-to-heart conversations with God about this. My first response was sadness followed by rage followed by disappointment followed by confusion followed by that sick feeling in your stomach you get after you've been kicked in the testicles. After all of that, I just simply asked God what He was doing in all of this, and He gave me a good reply.

First of all, He reminded me that He is my provider and that I don't need to freak out over a couple thousand dollars (even if I don't know how in the world I'm going to ever buy another car). He also reminded me that He is in control even thought we live in a fallen, sin-stained world where all of us have a very selfish nature made pure only through Him. Finally, He reminded me how much He loves Scott and his wife and his precious little girl and how much He desires to have a relationship with them that will bring purpose to their lives and give them life for all eternity. My prayer in this is that through our collective prayers, God will draw this family to Himself. If that happens, then I would gladly pay $2000 many times over (even though I don't have it to pay) to see souls come to Christ. In the end, that's all that will matter.

Money: The Greatest of Servants. The Poorest of Masters..

Money. Why has it become a dirty word in the church. I think that we Christians are so quick to forget that Jesus talked more about money than He did about Heaven and Hell combined. He knew (as He knew all things) that there was no greater indicator of a person's priorities than how they spend their money. We can be quick to give Jesus our heart as long as He keeps His hands off our wallets. We might think we know our priorities, but all we need to do to be sure is to look at our credit card statements and our checkbook registeries. The numbers don't lie. The are a very accurate indication of the condition of our hearts ("Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".)

Marty preached a powerful sermon on stewardship a few weeks ago and the CBS Early Show was there to do a story on it. Marty did a great job (as always) and I believe God was honored by the refreshing Truth that was shared on this very complex issue. Check out the video clip and decide for yourself.

Heaven just got more exciting. Earth just got worse.

Friends, today was a tragic day. Cindy Lytle who for years has been "the smiling face of Stevens Creek Church" was killed this morning in an automobile accident on her way to the church. She has served as the church secretary for many years, lit up the stage with her musical and acting abilities, and warmed the hearts of thousands with her authentic warmth and brilliant wit. She has left a void that no one can fill and our hearts grieve, but even in our grief, we know that she is in a much better place.

I can only imagine the reception she is receiving right now as the saints gather round to hear her hilarious commentaries on everything that's been happening here on Earth. This is an unspeakable loss for us, and yet, we can't help but smile as we reminisce on how much she brightened our world with the brief time that God allowed her to be ours. An we know, of course, that this isn't really "Goodbye". We're so thankful to serve a Savior who has conquered death, so death is never the end. We miss you Cindy, but we'll see you again.

I'm not a very good blogger

I was thinking today about how long it has been since my last blog and I realized that I'm not a very good blogger. Consistency seems to be the magic ingredient that makes any blog "good" and I have failed miserably at consistently adding new posts. I found it pretty sad that I had failed so miserably at such a basic task and I felt that I needed to share this confession with someone so I decided to just blog about it. I sincerely apologize to the two of you out there (Mom, I know you're one of the two) who have consistently and faithfully looked for blog updates only to be disappointed by my lack of blogging faithfulness.

Starting now, I'm going to try and do better...but even as I say that, I'm reminded of Yoda's quote about "trying" in "The Return of the Jedi" when he told Luke Skywalker "Do or do not...there is no try!" Oh my gosh...I just quoted Yoda in a blog. I'm officially a major dork and I'm just realizing it. I had always thought I was cool. What a cruel illusion this has been, but now looking back, all the pieces fit. I watch "Jeopardy", I often wear collared shirts underneath sweaters, I quote Yoda in blogs...This changes everything. I'm going to have to wrap my mind around this new development. Maybe it will (at least) give me something new to blog about.

Life and Death

When I was a child, my Mom used to work as a Hospice nurse. Hospice is a wonderful organization that provides in-home care for terminally ill patients by giving comfort and dignity through the uncertainties and fears of impending death. This is such a worthy cause, but as you can imagine, the emotional strain can be great on the caregivers who build relationships with patients only to watch them die.

It takes a special kind of person (like my Mom) to help people navigate through the last steps of life and then lead them by the hand into eternity. As a boy, I accompanied her to many patients’ homes, and my worldview was rocked by the reality of death. Most folks live their lives in a comfortable illusion where they consider themselves invincible until the inescapable truth of our own mortality finds them by surprise. Life looks completely different when you’re staring at death, and the knowledge that our end is near brings a perspective that can radically change a person’s worldview.

The unlikely intersection of my childish naivety and the harsh reality of death birthed in me a very unique perspective. I became fascinated by the stories and thoughts of these people who were preparing to meet their Maker and I was struck by the consistent parallels I saw played out over and over. Whether these people were young or old, black or white, rich or poor, man or woman, in the end, these discriminating details of life seemed trivial, but the things that emerged as most important seemed universal.

What are the things that will matter most to you when you're staring at death? What relationiships will you wish you would have spent more time developing? Are those your priorities now? The great philosopher Tim McGraw says "Live like you're dyin" (there's some good theology in country music)! Don't wait until the end to start living the life God has called you to live today. Life is short enough as it is.

"What am I supposed to do with my life?"

Of all the questions I’ve ever heard, I believe that this one (or some variation of it) is the most important question of all. It seems to be hardwired into us from birth to start a search for some kind of significance. Despite our vast and varied experience and cultures, we as human being as unified by a universal desire to find our purpose and a desperate need to discover our destiny.

I believe that this desire for destiny is placed within us by our Creator. In their purest form, all desires are given to us by God and He also provides a holy and perfect means for fulfilling our desires, but the world is all too eager to offer us cheap imitations that have the potential to numb our spiritual senses and ultimately poison our minds, bodies and souls. Remember in the quest to find your God-given destiny, God will never call you to do anything that would compromise your integrity. You will be tempted to take ethical short-cuts to get to where you believe God wants you to be and then convincing yourself that the ends justify the means, but God will always honor the moral high road. Keep trusting Him to lead you to the right destination and be patient (that's the part I struggle with the most).

He is in control and regardless of the details of vocation, marriage, education, and other big life decisions, God's ultimate intention for your life is for you to have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. Everything else must flow out of that. Without that relationship, we're just spinning our wheels on a path that leads nowhere.