Hunting?

Well, it has been several days since my last post. Sorry. I had intended the blogging to replace late night TV watching (which is not productive). Alas, the last several days have been so busy there has been no TV or blogging. Today, I was so buried in my office in the basement I didn't know it was raining outside. Tunnel vision or focus – I'll let you decide. Anyway, I have lots of stuff to pass along, which I'll break up over a couple of days.

We had our monthly Golf Ministry outing on Saturday, which was rain shortened. I was playing with Leonard Payne and OD Murrell, two of my favorite people in the whole world, and we were having a great time. On our hole six, clouds started building and looking pretty scary. When the rain started (hard) we picked up and headed for a big group of trees to get under cover. We were too far from the clubhouse to get there. OD got his cart right up next to ours so we had some protection. We ended up sitting there cutting up and laughing.

While we were there, Leonard started talking about going hunting in weather like what we were in. He told about seeing deer walking right by him, also trying to get out of the rain. We (naturally) asked if he got one. No, he didn't, because he didn't take a shot – nor did he ever take a shot. See, he wasn't really "hunting" per say (I know Mike R will find this sacrilege). Instead, he made his own arrows, turning the shafts, attaching the tips, burning the feathers, and attaching them to the shafts. I don't know if he bought or made his bow, but building the arrows was his hobby. So, after making his own arrows (and possibly bow), buying all the gear, driving out to the woods, sitting in a tree stand, tracking the deer, and everything else that comes with hunting, he never had any intention of actually shooting anything.

Now, I'm not a hunter, but this seemed to be really stupid. In golfer terms, this would be like making your own clubs, hand sowing your own golf balls (the old featheries), booking a tee time, driving to a nice course, paying the greens fee, and just driving or walking the course, but not actually hitting any shots. What sense would that make? OD and I just got a huge laugh out of this. Leonard tried to explain, but the more he tried, the funnier it all seemed.

What occurred to me later, however, is how often church is like what Leonard did with hunting. We show up, participate, maybe even come to Bible Class and learn something new, and do all the "church" things. But then, when we go out into the world, we don't "shoot" at anything. We see what is going on in the world (tracking) and we are armed (truth), but for some reason, we feel like the "arrows" we have are too precious to risk losing on a missed shot. That's not hunting.

Jesus made us "fishers of men" – which could just as easily be changed to "hunters of men." What would he think if we got all ready to go fishing, bought the gear, cleaned the nets, got into the boat, rowed out into the water, then never dropped the net or cast a line? How sad is it that I have done that very thing for too many years.

I guess I just need to realize I've got plenty of arrows – and shoot!

Freedom and Restraint

I have a very good friend who is not a believer, but is what I would call a seeker. He comes from a Catholic background, which has soured him on religion in general and left him to go searching in other areas for spirituality. We have had some fascinating discussions, which have challenged me to analyze my faith and beliefs. He asked if I could articulate why I believe what I do, but I had to start at the very beginning. Why do I believe in God? Why do I believe Christianity is the "right" religion? Why do I believe the Bible is right?

From these questions, I had to review my vision and concepts of Jesus, which in turn led me to teach a class on his life last quarter. What an enriching experience for me that turned out to be.

I came away with a new sense of awe and wonder at the God I claim to serve, and a renewed appreciation for what Jesus' life was really about. I think the biggest lesson for me, and maybe the thing that shocked me the most, is the amount of restraint God shows. He has given his creation true freedom. Even while on earth, in the form of Jesus, he didn't do nearly as much as he "could" have. Rather, the things he did do were reserved for a handful of people in order to show the essence of God, in human activities.

I think I may have led my friend down the wrong path, with my logical, step by step arguments and proofs. You can't absolutely "prove" God. Nor can you absolutely prove Jesus as his son, or the infallibility of the Bible, or the existence of Heaven or Hell, or anything else spiritual in nature. At some point, everyone, including myself, has to weigh what is seen and felt, but that last step has to go on faith. What I am convinced of now, is that God planned it that way all along. He purposefully has made his existence not definitive so that we must search. He sent his son in a time and place that was not going to garner much attention at the time so that we would have to trust. He did not have Jesus write anything in his own hand so that we would have to sort through differing accounts looking for what was true. In the case of "religion," he did not give us step by step instructions so that we would have to decide what to do and how.

In all of these areas, I have the freedom to choose what to believe or not and how to live my life. There is no coercion and no absolute rewards. If I live a good life, I'm not guaranteed to avoid suffering. If I live a bad life, I am not guaranteed to receive suffering. Both those good and those evil have both good and bad things happen to them. The great lie of Satan is when good things happen to say they are because I am doing what I want and when bad things happen it is because God does not exist or does not love me. How hard would it be to be good if only good things happened to good people and only bad things happened to bad people?

I think the big difference is that God shows his restraint in the physical world, but does not hold back in the spiritual world. Satan does just the opposite. He already knows he can't win in the spiritual world, so he is not limiting himself, as much as he is allowed, in the physical world.

So why do I believe in Jesus? Because, of all religious leaders, he shows the greatest restraint and allows for the greatest freedom. Because of this, I offer him, of my own free will, my life.

The Opera Guy

I caught this on the news (of all places) last week and had to look it up. A guy by the name of Paul Potts was on the show Britain's Got Talent. If you haven't seen the video, click here to check it out. I just loved what happened.

He walks on stage during the auditions wearing a cheap suit and looking half frightened out of his mind. The judges (including Simon Cowell) are sitting there and ask him what he was going to do. "I'm going to sing opera" Paul said simply. You could see the judges rolling their eyes and you could almost hear them thinking "oh, no!"

Then the music starts, and out of this scared, average looking guy comes this incredibly beautiful sound. Within seconds the crowd is cheering like he's a rock star. Just a reminder – this is opera! By the time he is done, audience members are wiping tears from their eyes (and one of the judges is too) and Simon just looks stunned.

Of course, he passes on to the next round and even ends up winning the whole competition. The winning performance is here.

I really don't even know what to say, except that I was moved when I saw this video. I always find it moving when something extraordinary comes from someone so ordinary. It's why I like most sports movies. There's just something about rooting for the underdog, which is what most sports movies are about, that gets to me.

The Christian life is a lot like the Opera Guy. Just like the judges rolled their eyes at the Opera Guy, I've had people roll their eyes at me when I profess what I believe. Sometimes, I've shrunk from the challenge. It is scary to stand on that stage, alone, and saying you are going to do something that, on first glance, no one thinks you can or even should do. But, just like the Opera Guy, I know that God can make something beautiful happen – if I just walk on that stage and trust him to work through me.

Of Gifts and Gaffs

Fathers' Day is here and the family bought me a DVD of the movie Three (based on the book by Ted Dekker, which I highly recommend) and two Left Behind prequels from Tim LaHaye. These were good gifts. Sometimes, the gifts are not so good.

A couple of years ago, Riley bought me a huge belt buckle from a Santa's Workshop at school. This could not be less "me." A large belt buckle would just draw attention to an area of my anatomy that needs less attention, not more. I would be better off with sparkly shoelaces.

However, this belt buckle is on my desk in a place where I can see it every day. While not something I would wear, Riley bought it with his own money and without any help from anyone else. It reminds me how much he loves me.

It also reminds me of my relationship with God. I wonder just how many times I've given him a "belt buckle" as gift, and been as proud of my sacrifice as Riley was of his. I imagine, when I do, God does just what I did – smile, say thank you, and cherish what was given.

As Riley gets older, he has and will continue to give "better" gifts. But few, if any, will be as precious as that belt buckle on my desk.

The good that I want to do, I do not do…

Laments Paul in Romans. Yesterday, I had one of those situations, where I thought I was doing good, but I'm sure I didn't do what I could have done, and I'm not even sure I did any real good period.

I was walking back from my client in Washington DC, and it was pretty late. I homeless guy stopped me and asked for money because he was hungry (he said). I was only about a block from a McDonalds, so I told him I would buy him some food, but not give him money. He expanded his story to include two daughters who were also hungry. I don't know if that was true – I kind of doubt it – but I bought him 3 Big Macs to feed him and his daughters. For me, I was out less than 10 bucks. For him, he at least got a full stomach.

Here is where I'm not sure if I did any real good. After I handed him the food and was walking away, another homeless guy said something to the effect of "you should be plenty full now." This is why I don't think there were any daughters hungry or otherwise. He was just looking for sympathy. So the question: if you know someone is lying to you (or you strongly suspect it), should you still be charitable to them? I don't know what this guy's particular story really was, but I'm pretty sure he fed me a lot of lies. If I had called him on it, and it turned out he was lying to me, would that have "relieved" me of any obligation to help?

I'm not sure God puts that kind of restriction on our charity. He certainly doesn't do it to me. I am constantly lying, or misrepresenting anyway, my true story to God. The difference is he knows the real me, so I'm not fooling him at all. Yet, even at that, he is still good to me – way beyond what I deserve. If he is that way to me, shouldn't I be the same to others?

The good chance I missed was simple. After I gave him his food, he did say thank you, then added "you are a good man." I (thinking humbly) just kind of nodded and went my way. That was wrong. What I should have said, and what I will say in the future when someone says "You are a good man": "No, I serve a good God."

See, I was charitable – which is good in and of itself – but I don't think I glorified God. Certainly the man I fed knows nothing more of God than he did before our encounter. No seed was planted, no spiritual food was passed with the physical food. Father, forgive me for forgetting what I was supposed to be doing.

Since I provided no glory or witness to God, I have no qualms about sharing this story and "receiving my reward in full" – as Jesus put it in the Sermon on the Mount. I think I have already received my reward – expanded insight into just how far I have to go to be like Jesus.

Welcome

Thanks to Stephanie DeChambeau for inspiring me to start my own blog. There no telling what this will lead to, or how often I'll update, or what will be here. I hope you find some of what I post interesting, thought provoking, funny, or informative. I will post on whatever is occupying my mind at the time (which could be a blank post some days), ranging from Religion, Sports, Politics, and Miscellaneous topics. At least, that is my plan for now. As time goes, I will adjust based on what works, how I like the page, and any comments that come in.

So, now on to the posting fun...