Moving On

It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

It's been very therapeutic for me. It has helped me to think through and sort out some very complicated issues and feelings in my life. It has introduced me to some great people, many whom I may never had the opportunity to talk with. But, like many things in life it has run it's course - and it is time to move on.

My goal is to be better, to do better, and to love more.
So, for now at least, I am determined to live more and write less.

I hope that you have found something thought provoking and interesting on this blog over the past two years. Your comments and encouragment have truely been a blessing to me.


Psalms 20:4-5 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed
We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.


I will leave the site up for a while and check in from time to time.

Great News

Jesi's surgery went well. It just took a lot longer than we expected. And there were a few anxious moments. But everything is fine.

Jesi is in good spirits and her school friends have already been up to see her.
Thank you so much for the prayers. We understand that the doctors are talented and technology is amazing, but in our hearts, the glory and the thanks and the praise goes to our God.

He really does see, hear, and care, and answer.

Basket Case

I worked in the Cardiac Cath Lab for almost a year. I have helped put in several ICDs (Internal Cardiac Defibrillators) Though extremely dangerous, the procedure is considered fairly routine.
At least I used to think it was. But now that it's my 17 year old daughter on the table, there is nothing routine about it.

I know the procedure. I know the risks. I would honestly give anything if I could just take her place, but I can't.

Jesi is frightened, but calm. She understands that this is necessary.

Mom and I on the other hand are basket cases. We know from past experience how hard it will be to finally let go and leave her in the hands of the surgeon. The pain you feel after you kiss them and then watch them be wheeled off down the hall on a gurney is unbearable. There is no medicine in the world strong enough to ease that pain.

Jesi's surgery is Thursday morning.
Please keep her in your prayers.

The Silent Killer

It happened on October 25th, 1989 in Memphis Tennessee at Kirby High School.

Clint, a very handsome athletic sixteen year old was in gym class. They say that he was out on the running track warming up with his buddies. Everything was just as it should have been.

It happened quickly. There was no warning. No one saw it coming. For no apparent reason young Clint Cullpepper simply falls to the ground, and despite all swift and heroic efforts by his coaches, teachers, and emergency medical personal, dies.

We didn't know Clint at the time, but we have since come to know his family very well.

For the past 12 years Clint's story has become a big part of our lives. There has always been the possibility that Jesi and Krysi (his two beautiful nieces) inherited more from him than just his athleticism and good looks.

We have been spending a lot of time lately in the Cardiology Dept at Vanderbilt. We had a two hour conference Wednesday with 5 of their very top doctors. They all agree that Clint's killer is back and is lurking around our house. He is especially fond of Jesi. They have the DNA evidence to prove it. They tell us that something has to be done about it very soon. None of the option are pleasant.

Please keep our family in your prayers.

More to come

Name Dropper

Every once in a while you just happen to be in the right place, at the right time.
What are the odds of my name being listed right next to two greats like Rick Atchley and Russ Adcox?
Check out the Pod Cast page at the Maury Hills web site! 10 -12 -08

http://www.mauryhills.com/podcasts.htm

Happy 100

I made it!
100 miles in 90 days! (I actually made it in 85 days)
I am down to 232 - 234 lbs (depending on what time of day I weigh)
That is a weight loss of 10 - 12 lbs.

I am glad that I took the challenge and set the goal. Even with my modest results it sure beats what I was doing (nothing)

So now what?
Well, I'm glad you asked.....

There is exactly 5 weeks between my 51st birthday (Thursday) and Thanksgiving.
My new goal (Good Lord Willing) is to run 60 miles in the next 35 days, and to get my weight down into the 220's.


Lessons that I have learned:

• Doing something is better than doing nothing.
• Bad habits come automatically, Good habits have to be created.
• If you do nothing long enough it will become all that you can do.

.

Lighten Up

To Lighten up. That's my goal - both literally, and figuratively.
Lately, I have this overwhelming desire to take up less space in this world.

There are only 20 days left until my 51st birthday and the count down to my 100 mile in ninety day goal. I'm actually doing OK. My weight is down to 232lb (about a 13lbs loss). I have ran 72 miles so far. I have now graduated to 2 miles per day so I should (good Lord willing) make it with plenty to spare. It will be a nice birthday present to me from me.

I'm also on another kind of diet in my quest to take up less space. It's really more of an ego diet.
It includes things like keeping my mouth shut more and expressing my opinions less. It is coming to grips with the fact that I don't really have all of the answers, and the answers that I do happen to have, no one really wants nor needs to hear.

I am on the I Thessalonians 4:11-12 Diet:
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders ans so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

What Ever Happened to Sin?

Several years ago I asked my Sunday morning adult Bible class to list all of the things that used to be viewed as unacceptable Christian behavior (SIN) that are now considered quite tame and perfectly acceptable.

The list was pretty amusing:

Dancing
Card Playing
Shooting Pool
Men with Long Hair
Social Drinking
Eating at a restaurant that served alcohol
Buying groceries from a store that sold alcohol
R rated movies
Women wearing pants to church
Shorts
Shopping or going out to eat on Sunday
Mowing your lawn on Sunday afternoon
Lottery tickets

A few items on the list elicited moans and signs of continued disapproval from some of the older folks in the class. Most of the items on the list elicited laughs and disbelief from the younger folks in the class.

My question is this: Was it innocence or ignorance?

What do you think the list will look like in the year 2025?

237/ 56

Thanks Jonathan for an Awsome Weekend

Thanks to Jonathan and Jessica we had a great time in San Fransisco. Jonathan is an awesome tour guide and an even better taxi driver. He showed no fear. I admit, I had to close my eyes a few times while flying through the narrow crowded streets of China Town. I am surprised his mirrors are still attached to his car.


It is a shame that such good friends live so far away.


If you have facebook, go check out the rest of our pictures.
http://www.new.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1385319656

Counting down the days.

I am not complaining or grumbling! I am merely stating the facts.

My preacher will get me if I complain or grumble about anything, or if I criticize or speak negatively about anybody at all.

You see Russ challenged the Maury Hills church to try to make it one whole week without mumbling groaning, complaining, criticizing, or being negative in any way. (what was he thinking?) (oops .... sorry) We are on a criticism fast.

So I will choose my words carefully.....

If my calculations are correct, this is day 50 of 90. Of these 50 days I have been to the gym a grand total of 47 times. I have racked up an impressive total (relatively speaking of course) of running 48 miles. My goal, if you remember, is 100 miles in 90 days.

I suffered a calf muscle blowout along with some pretty impressive shin splints a couple of weeks ago (fat people should not run) So, for 14 days I substituted 11 miles on a bicycle (30 minutes at a heart rate of 140 bpm) per day to count as one mile running. I am fairly well healed now and am back to running. I have stepped up the pace now to 2 miles per day. That should put me in at well over my 100 mile goal by my 51st birthday.

That is all great positive stuff! (OK Russ, you can stop reading now)


The trouble is my weight has basically remain unchanged. I started out at 244.8lbs. I am still bouncing around 336 - 237. That is pretty discouraging. I was really expecting to look like Brad Pitt by now.

I must still eat faster than I run.


236/49

Got Faith?

I don't know why I do it. It must be some type of psychological disorder. When it comes to religion, I seem to have this warped deep seated need for everyone to agree with me - as if somehow their agreement and approval is needed to validate my own beliefs and faith.

The ironic thing about my disorder is the fact that I do in fact receive affirmation and agreement from 99% of the Christian community at large. Contrary to recent reports my ideas are neither radical nor liberal. My core beliefs line up and are right in step with most all main stream conservative Bible believing Christian Churches.

It's not that I agree with 100% of the things taught and practiced by the 99%, I just happen to agree with the important stuff - the core stuff. They all have their quirks mind you, but if you check their basic beliefs they all are trusting in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. They all preach Christ and him crucified. That puts us on the same team. That makes us brothers.

Our differences, though many, do not make me crazy. I do not fret and lose sleep over the fact that the Pentecostals disagree with me about the subject of Spiritual gifts. I don't worry about the fact that some of the Baptist believe in eternal security. I don't care that the Church of Christ uses accappella music. In my little mind, those thing all fall under the heading of Romans 14 and do not in anyway dilute or change the message of the gospel.

But i must admit, It's that last 1% that really gets under my skin. They know how to push my buttons. They know that I can't resist. It is like waving a twinkie in the face of a fat guy on a diet. One mention of religious intolerance, Spiritual exclusiveness, or self imposed doctrinal supremacy, and off I go. When will I ever learn?

I was raised on a steady diet of sermons about how different we are, and frankly
"I am full of it" (my critics will appreciate that pun) I simply choose to live out the rest of my days focusing on how much we are the same. I shouldn't have to apologize for that.

Should I??

236/47

Baptism

The discussion that was generated on my last post has me thinking about the subject of baptism.
The discussion went way beyond the old arguments of whether baptism is necessary (essential) for salvation or not - the discussion actually was about who's baptism was good enough and who's was not.

This is just an attempt to keep the discussion going.

Listen to the words of this song, and tell me if it describes Biblical Baptism?
Could the Preacher in the song have been Baptist, or Methodist, or something other than Church of Christ? Would you accept the young man's baptism? Would you accept him as a brother in Christ? Could he become a member of your church without being re-baptized?

What do you think?


236/42

Dirty Laundry

I try to act like it doesn't bother me. But, I guess on some level, way down deep, it still affects me more than I would like to admit. I go through times when I don't consciously think about it too much, but little things , like funerals, always seem to bring it back to the surface again.

The other day Tyler, my grandson, asked me something about my mother. He had her confused with somebody else. I had to tell him that he didn't know my mother. In fact, my own children don't know my parents.

Some questions that keep coming back to me are these: When it's all said and done, who was really to blame for this situation? Could it have been avoided or fixed? What's the point?

I am sure that my parent's answers would be quite different than my answers.
Their answers, I am sure, would read something like this:

Who is really to blame?
Gary, of course. He left the faith. He caused division in the Lord's body. He followed false teachers and was led astray. He became a false teacher himself and led many others away from the one true church. The Bible teaches us to disfellowship, and have nothing to do with people like him. We are only being true to God's commands.

(If my parents ever moved to Columbia, I know a preacher that they would just love)
Sorry, I digress...

My defense is really unimportant for two reasons. First of all, my parents will never hear it, read it, or accept it. Secondly, because the only ones who ever read this blog are people who really know me, and love me, and already know that the accusation against me are false. But just in case, by some outside chance, there is a stray reader who is aware of the situation, and sympathetic to my parent's type of religion and thinking, let me set the record straight.

As God is my witness I have never disfellowshiped or shunned anyone.
Jesus taught me that sinners should not throw stones at sinners.

I never left the Faith. My faith in Jesus Christ is stronger now than it has ever been.
I did however leave a set of man made rules, rituals, and traditions that many have ignorantly deemed "The Faith".

I did not cause any division, I simply left the in-fighting and division that already existed.

I did not follow any teacher. My ideas are my own. I have had them since I was a teenager. I just kept them to myself because I knew what it would cost me.

If by chance I have taught any one, I pray that I taught them only to ask questions and think for themselves. The Bible belongs to each of us. Ask for help when you need it, but never let anyone tell you what it says, because more than likely the preople you ask don't know either.

I know that my critic are out there. They poke their typing fingers into some of the local blogs every once in a while.
Like I have said many times before, I would love to have the chance to actually face my accusers. I would love to sit down face to face and talk about this stuff over a cup of coffee. But in all reality, I know that will probably never happen. So, if all I can get is a negative comment or two on this blog, I will accept it. I will take what I can get.

Here is your chance. You can obviously remain anonymous. I will not fault you for that. I really do want to hear your questions, comments, and criticisms.


337/31

Mid Life Crisis

Everyone thought it was the Harley Davidson motorcycle, but it wasn't.
This is definitely it. A Fender Deluxe Lonestar Stratocaster with a Peavey Classic 30 Tube Amp.
My midlife crisis, though slightly delayed, has officially begun. Lord help us all.

The real surprise was the fact that Lynetta didn't crown me with the frying pan when I walked in with this stuff.

As far as my "Getting in Shape" numbers, This is day 22 of 90. I have ran 22 miles so far, so I am right on track. However, my weight has remained exactly the same. 239/22
I am flapping my arms as hard as I can, but for some reason I still can't fly.

Not much To Talk About

It has been kind quiet around here - comparatively speaking.
Lynetta and I are covered up with work and teenagers.

Krysi is knee deep in Band. She starts school Monday. She got a cell phone for her Birthday much to the chagrin of her older sibling who were not allowed to have one until they were 16.

Jesi is already back to school (senior year - I will cry about that later) She is covered up with Volley Ball and being water girl for the Football team. We don't see her much.

Matthew is working quite a bit. He just finished a summer class at Columbia State and is busy just being Matthew, (which involves running all over middle Tennessee and spending all of my money) He goes back to Lipscomb the end of August.

Life goes on...
We are blessed way more than we deserve.

I heard an interesting quote yesterday: I was walking past the TV and heard a father talking to a daughter about her dreams. He said; "life is a series of choices. To have one thing, you must give up something else. You can't have both roots and wings."

I'm going to have to think about that one.


239/12

I'll Fly Away

It was the first coherent words that I had heard her speak in 2 days. She was 93 years old and what the nurses call “pleasantly confused”. Her body was tired, her hearing was gone, and dementia had taken most of her mind and left her in a “happy place”.

I walked into her hospital room to find her reaching up with both crippled hands toward the ceiling. Because of her deafness, I was usually able to sneak in and out of her room without her ever noticing me. But this time as I tried to sneak past her bed to hang another IV antibiotic, she turned and looked at me.

“Please let me go” she cried. “They are all waiting for me”.

“Let you go where” I asked. (She may have suddenly become coherent, but she was still deaf)

“Please” she pleaded, “Just untie me and let me go with them”

I suddenly got the feeling that there was someone else in the room with us. I was almost afraid to look up to where she was reaching.

I know she didn’t hear me, but I patted her shoulder and said, “Its OK – They're in no hurry – They will wait for you - You will fly soon enough”.

She put her hands down and went back to her happy place.

There was an old David Crosby and Graham Nash (of Crosby Stills & Nash) song that I remembered from my Hippy days (the 70s) called “Carry Me”. The lyrics were about an old lady in a hospital bed waiting to die. The line that I remembered went something like this:

She lay in white sheets, just waiting to die.
She said “if you would just reach under this bed, and release these weights”
“I could surely fly” “I could surely fly”

Could there really be something to it?

Some glad morning,
When this life is over,
I’ll fly away.

Psalms 90:10 The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
241 / 6

Fresh Out of Excuses

OK, Like it our not, tomorrow is here. I've been dreading it. I've been putting it off as long as I possibly could - but there is no denying that the tomorrow I have been waiting for has finally arrived. I am fresh out of excuses.

This Thursday marks exactly thirteen weeks until my 51st birthday. That is 91 days to be exact.
I tipped the scales today (Sunday 7/20) at a portly 244.8 lbs. That is exactly 24.8 lbs. heavier than back when I was fat.

So here we go....

I have a strategy but I won't bore you with it. I have some modest fairly realistic goals, some of which I will tell you about, some of which I will not. (I don't want to embarrass myself unnecessarily) I will however, to keep me honest and motivated, share my progress with you along the way.


One goal is to run 100 miles in 91 days. That is only one mile per day with a few extras thrown in here and there. Lynetta has already far pasted that mark.

So along side my usual boring little stories, for the next 13 weeks, you will see this fraction which represents my current weight / and my total miles ran.

244.8 / 0

It's going to be a long 13 weeks.. Please pray for my family. I tend to get grouchy when I'm hungry.

Life is Precious

We treat them differently. We don't mean to, but its hard not to.

Most of the patients that we deal with in critical care want to live. They are struggling with every ounce of their being to to hold on to this precious life for as long as they possibly can. Everyone involved in their care works feverishly to give them every possible chance to do just that. It is a constant battle that none of us wants to lose.

But, occasionally, we are faced with the patient who does not share our respect for and our love of human life. They are the ones who have tried just as desperately to end their lives. If they do happen to make it past the ER to us, it simply means that they did not do a very good job.

How do you deal with a grief stricken family in one room who's loved one lies franticly gasping at their last few breaths of life, while in the room next door you have an otherwise healthy but angry patient cursing and screaming at the top of their lungs demanding to be left alone so they can die.

It is really hard not to get an attitude. Sometimes you just want to rip their good lungs out and give them to the guy next door who would appreciate and cherish them. But that thought quickly passes. These people are usually just as desperate - they just don't know it.

I can not imagine the intense pain that must lead to this type of behavior.

We have on occasion saved a few. We have cleaned their lungs, repaired their hearts, detoxified their livers, and cleared their minds - if only for awhile.

I remember one young man in particular who walked back in to the CCU on Christmas eve to shake our hands and hug our necks and thank us for saving his life.

He was an intentional cocaine overdose who had come to us 3 months before. He had been as good as dead for two of those three months. For weeks that he laid paralyzed in a rotating cage, swollen beyond human recognition, hooked to more tubes, drains, and IV lines, than one nurse could possibly handle. But God decided to give him another chance at life.

I remember giving him "The Speech". The Speech goes something like this:
"You are a walking miracle. By all odds shouldn't be standing here today. You have been given a second chance by God. You can not go back to your old life or you will surely die. You have a new life now - make it a good one."

He thanked me, hugged me, and walked away. I found his obituary two months later. He died of a cocaine overdose...

Lessons From The Garden Part 1

I planted cantaloupe.

I watered it. I fertilized it. I weeded around it. I kept the bugs off of it. I checked it every day. I waited patiently for it to ripen. I even thumped it with my finger just like the people who know about this kind of stuff do when they are picking out a good watermelon or cantaloupe in the grocery store. (I'm not sure why they thump them, but I have seen them do it - so I did it.)

When the day finally came, and I was sure that it had been thumped enough, I picked my prize cantaloupe and proudly brought it into the kitchen for the whole family to admire. But, to my surprise, when I cut into this perfect cantaloupe, I found that it was not a cantaloupe at all.

It seems that I planted my cantaloupe a little too close to my cucumbers. The cantaloupe had cross-pollinated with the cucumbers (My first clue should have been all of the little round cucumbers that I had been growing) Now I have a garden full of canta-cumbers, which are not very tasty and basically useless.

The Spiritual lesson to this silly little story is obvious. It is something simple that I learned as a child back in Sunday School:

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
(I Corinthians 15:33 NIV)

We don't like to admit it, or talk about it, but living too close to or becoming too comfortable with certain groups of people can influence and change us - cross-pollinate us if you will. We may still look like a child of God on the outside, but in the end, when all but the soul is stripped away, we may end up being something entirely different.

We are all influenced in one way or another by people and the culture in which we live.
The Bible tells us that we are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world (James 1:27) . Yet, simply avoiding sinful worldly people is not the answer. Paul says in I Corinthians 5 that to avoid immoral people we would have to leave this world altogether

Tomatoes and corn grow great together in the same garden. Neither are influenced in a bad way by the other. It is only certain groups that can not live and grow together. Notice the people whom Paul tells us to avoid in II Timothy 3:5 "Those who have a form of Godliness, but deny the power thereof." In other words there are some religious folks that you would do well to avoid.

Job 19:20 By The Skin Of My Teeth

It was close - really close.

But I passed.

I am now officially a CCRN (Critical Care RN)

Lynetta also passed her certification test (by a very slim margin as well) She is now a CPC - CPCI
I have no idea what all of that stands for, but it means that she is now certified as an instructor in in her field of Medical Coding and Billing.

I just know that we both need to to add the letters BBBBG behind both of our names:
Bless Beyond Belief By God

Sorting It All Out

I have a huge test on Tuesday. I really need to be studying. I have already paid over $500.00 just to take the test. Passing this test is really important to my nursing career. But... my heart and my brain are just not in tune….. I’m having trouble right now concentrating on the finer points of hemodynamics.

It happened to me last year as well - It lasted about a month. After returning from the medical mission trip to Belize I seem to always find myself in a funk - overwhelmed with guilt, despair, confusion and depression. Most of it, I’m sure, can be attributed to exhaustion. But, the thought of children living without food, shelter or even clean drinking water tends to bother me. The stories Jesus told about the “Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16), The “Rich young Ruler” (Luke 18), and the “Rich Man and his Barns” (Luke 12) are keeping me awake at night.

On the long flight home we stood in line at the airport with a famous baseball player. I noticed that just his watch, bracelet and earrings were probably worth more than my entire house. Is this the “Rich people" that Jesus was talking about?

When we visited the village where the children with no floor lived
(see Russ’ Blog)
I realized that I had more money stuffed down in my pockets at that moment than their entire family would see in a year, maybe two. Am I the "Rich Man" Jesus is talking about?

Let me ask you a question. It has been on my mind ever since I got home from Belize.

Please comment and help me sort this out…

Is it selfish, uncaring and sinful to buy my children nice things like cell phones, new cars and Nintendo game when there are children less than eight hours away from me (26 hours if you fly American Airlines) who are going to bed hungry every night?

One World?

The rain was pouring - no the rain was pounding. The rain had knocked the power out. The ceiling fan which had provided at least some comfort during the night had long since quite working. The air was hot and thick and hard to inhale. At least it was daylight.
I dreaded getting up.

I was way out of my comfort zone. My worrisome mind had already switched from adventure mode to survival mode. I worried about the river that we had to cross to make it home. It had already been flooded when we crossed the day before. This latest deluge would not help matters.

Our medical mission team had spent two grueling days working near a small Mayan village outside of Belmopan. We had seen over 900 people, most of which were children. We were exhausted. All that stood between us and the long road home that morning was getting the team safely back across the swollen river, driving through a few muddy miles of washed out jungle roads, and driving two hours through a monsoon on a broken down van with no windshield wipers.

As I lay there longing for home and the comfort and safety of my own bed God reminded me of the beautiful children that we had left behind the day before. I wondered if they were dry. I wondered if they were safe. The huts that these children call home were not adequate shelter against such a storm.

There are simply no words to describe the depth and the reality of the poverty that we witnessed last week.

I am now safely home. My house and my bed are even more comfortable than I had remembered - but for now at least - it hard for me to relax and enjoy them. God keeps reminding me that it is still raining on the children in Belmopan.

One world? I don’t think so….

The Long Road Home

We are finally home! It only took us 25 hours to make the trip. Only 8 of those hours were actually spent moving and going anywhere. The rest of the hours were spent sitting and waiting all courtasy of American Airlines.
There are lots of pictures and stories that I am anxious to share, but for now, seeing that we have only had 3 hours of sleep in the last 36 hours, I think that I 'm just going to bed!

Sarcasim and a Conflicting Message

In Honor of the up coming fourth of July Celebration, a very wise man sent me this link to "The Battle Hymn of The Republic." It is being performed by four High School Choirs along with a children's choir made up of elementary school children.


Click here: Battle Hymn Once it opens you may have to click the picture to get it going

The Battle Hymn of the Republic was written by Julia W. Howe in 1861. If you are an American it is very difficult to listen to this song without a lump in your throat or a tear in your eye. This song stirs very deep emotions. It is clearly, as the title suggest, a hymn. It speaks of the power of God, His righteous word, and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. While the emotion for most Americans may be simple patriotism, the emotion for the child of God is clearly worship.

The obvious point of this video is to put God back where he belongs in our nation. Everyone I know would be united and shout a hearty AMEN to this effort. Until of course you tried to sing this song in their church on Sunday morning, or heaven forbid show this video. This video is great for everyday life - real life - but it would be condemned and banned in most every church that I have ever attended.

How foolish and inconsistent would we be if we condemned this emotion and side tracked this effort by pointing out the sinfulness of choirs, and the blasphemy of using instrumental music in worship? The very idea of turning this into a commentary on church doctrine and instrumental music would be appalling- appalling indeed!

My point is this: Real life and church life should be the same. If it is acceptable and righteous to sing this song with true emotion at the high school football game on Friday night (with the marching band and choir) then why does it suddenly turn sinful on Sunday morning?

Am I the only one who sees hypocrisy and inconsistency here?

Count Down To Belize

Well, here we go again....
We leave on our Medical Mission Trip to Belize this Saturday.
The country has recently had torrential rains and flooding. Many of the roads and bridges were washed out so we really don't know what to expect.

This year is special because Krysi is going with us. It will be her first time on an airplane. I will keep you updated every chance I get, but for a daily update on our trip please see Russ' Blog. He usually post something about we are doing each day of the trip.

Please pray that God will lead us to the people who need us the most. We are going back to the village of Belmapan. We will try to find the little boy who was so sick last year. If you have not heard this story, or if you have forgotten, please look back at our post from last year. http://garyneat-garyanderson-garyneat.blogspot.com/2007/07/where-is-god.html

We plead for your prayers.

No Winners

Lately, when it comes to any subject that includes the idea of “us” against “them” I have been trying my best to keep my mouth (and my typing finger) shut.
It is not as if I no longer have strong opinions – I do.
It is just that through my ever so short silence I have observed and learned the following:

When it comes to religious infighting there are no winners.

No matter how well worded or good intentioned an argument, the conservatives remain conservative, the liberals remain liberal and the outsiders remain disgusted. Arguments do not change minds, hearts, or attitudes. Time and circumstances however, do.

Call it life, call it fate, call it the Holy Spirit if you are brave enough. But the truth is that only God can change someone's heart.

In my life, when I needed God the most, my legalistic attitude and my scripted answers and arguments were simply not enough. My iron clad interpretations and indisputable reasoning left me cold, alone and empty. God used Life's circumstances to do something that no argument could ever do - change me.

If God can change me, he can change anyone. So, give it time. Let God work. You will be amazed at the changes you see.

Missing Lynetta

This is day 3 of 6. Last Thursday I took Lynetta to the airport and sent her off to a Coding Conference in Florida. There is about one week per year that her job requires her to travel.
She has been doing this for several years now. I have always hated this week. I admit that I don't do well alone.

Well, apparently Lynetta is getting to where she does not do so well without me either. It seems that she managed to lock herself out of her hotel room twice in the same day. (actually within just a matter of about two hours)

The first time was understandable. She had the Card Key in an envelope stuck down in her back pocket. When she got to her room the envelope was still in her pocket, but the Card Key was gone. This was really no big deal. She just went to the front desk and explained the situation to the clerk. He told her that if she had some identification he could simply activate another Card for her. Luckily, she had her purse and wallet with her so the clerk simply gave her a new Card.

About an hour later she decided that she would go out and get some ice. She grabbed the ice bucket and the old Card Key (which was now deactivated) and headed down the hallway. When she returned with her bucket of ice she quickly discovered that the old Card Key no longer opened her door. So, back to the front desk she went - ice bucket in hand.

I am sure that the clerk remembered her. Perhaps he was just tired of seeing her. But again he insisted on seeing her identification which this time was back in the room in her purse. "No Identification - No Key" said the clerk. So there she stood with the ice melting in her bucket.

I would tell you how the story ends, but that would make it boring. Let's just leave her standing there awhile so I can enjoy the fact that just perhaps she needs me as bad as I need her.

I love you Neat :)

Stage Fright?

Chalk it it up to stage fright.
My meager little blog recently exploded with hits.
My loyal 30 - 40 family and friend readers all of the sudden ballooned into 300 - 400 hits per day. I really didn't have anything profound to say to that many people. Most of them, I suspect, were only looking for scandal anyway.
Thanks you for your support, prayers and concern for me. I am fine - perhaps a little jaded - but fine none the less.
Good Lord willing I will be back to my old boring self soon.

If It Is Possible

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18


Is it possible to be both opinionated and peace loving at the same time?
I know that the Bible teaches me to be swift to hear and slow to speak.
I know that the best response is usually to just keep my mouth shut and turn the other cheek. But I must admit, it is not easy for me to do. I struggle with keeping quiet- especially when injustice, untruths and intolerance are involved.

But, with the Good Lords help, I am willing to try harder. As far as it depends on me, I want to live at peace with everyone. My views have not changed. My opinion remains the same. I am flattered by all of the attention and press that I have recieved but must admit in the overall scheme of things I am pretty insignificant. I would love to talk to my critics and accusers the old fashioned way - face to face. Two or three witnesses would be welcomed. Please give me a call - I'm in the book.

Refreshed

I am refreshed this morning and my faith in humanity is somewhat renewed. There are indeed many good Godly men and women still left in this world who are not swayed or manipulated by the extremist. Their gentle heart and Christ- like character have always been evident, it was just with all of the noise, clutter, and dust being stirred up by the extremist it was sometimes easy to overlook.
God is good. God is in control. God's children still exist. It's a great day.

How good and pleasent it is when brothers live together in unity.
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down on the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forever more. Psalm 133

Who's side are you on?

There are usually two sides to every issue.
You are either pro or con.
You agree or disagree.
You approve or disapprove.
You accept or reject.
You are either a conservative or a liberal.
It is either black or it’s white.
In Tennessee you are either “fer-it” or “agin-it”.
There is no middle ground.

That is of course until you start talking religion or politics.

When it comes to these two subjects the waters get so muddy that we tend to rank and categorize not only which side of the issue you are on, but just how far off center you are. What is usually black and white now turns to varying shades of grey. Are you a right wing conservative or just a moderate? Are you a radical left wing communist or are you a bleeding heart tree hugging liberal? Or, on the other hand, you could be way off center on either side of the line and be considered a zealot, a fanatic, or an extremist.

I personally like to think of myself as a liberal conservative. I have a tendency to float back and forth across the dividing line depending on the subject matter. I am very comfortable in the middle. I have no trouble and I get along well with those clumped around the middle of the scale regardless of which side of the line they happen to be on. Those who congregate around the middle seem to always conduct themselves reasonably. They are open to debate, discussion, and even a healthy disagreement or two. I find them flexible, tolerant, open, and willing to learn.

It is the extremist that I am having so much trouble with. Extremist are militant and unyielding in their views. They are by nature the loudest and most vocal. They demand attention and action. They despise words like reason and tolerance. To them tolerance equals weakness. Compromise is a four letter word reserved for sissies and wimps. They shoot first and ask questions later. Political zealots are easy to spot and fairly easy to ignore and avoid. (Avoidance is the only way to handle a real fanatic)

Religious zealots on the other hand are a little craftier. They sometimes disguise themselves as preachers and Bible school teachers. They prey on people’s insecurities. They try to shame the masses with sermons about being lukewarm and uncommitted. For them it is simply not enough to agree, or be on their side, no, they demand that we militantly oppose, persecute, and denounce any and all who do not fall in line and march in step.

Religious extremist if allowed to run unchecked can kill a church, a Christian school or just about any other organization in which they are allowed a voice. The calm peace loving nature of the level headed moderate majority is often worn down by the constant bickering and fault finding of the zealots. The end results are predictable.

A sure fire way to know whether these religious extremist are being allowed a voice in your church congregation or the Christian school where your children attend is to simply look at the numbers. Declining membership or enrollment is the number one sign and symptom of unchecked extremism. Once the downward spiral has begun it is most time fatal. It is a slow and painful death. The good news - there is a cure, but it is unpleasant and requires major surgery. The zealots must be removed from the organization.(Romans 16:17-18)

Back Trouble

I am lying in bed typing this - not because I want to, but because I have to.
I spent the last few beautiful spring days mowing, weeding, planting, digging, cleaning, tugging and lifting. Now I’m paying for it. I felt a little twinge of pain yesterday before I went to work. I really thought that it was no big deal. It progressively got worse however, and before my shift last night was over, I was in the emergency dept, in excruciating pain, unable to straighten up or walk.

So, here I am all drugged up on pain killers and muscle relaxers trying to type and make some sort of sense. My best friend right now is a rice bag that you heat up in the microwave. The bathroom feels like it is a hundred miles away. Getting old is the pits!

Enoch Thweett and I are scheduled to play Saturday night at the Siberia Coffee House. It will take a ton of pain killers and muscle relaxers to just get me up on the stool. I will feel like a real musician - stoned :)

Jesi"s Banquet

I just thought you would enjoy seeing Jesi all dressed up. Friday night was the Junior Senior Banquet at CA. Jesi of course was the prettiest one there.

I'm pretty sure that it's time for Dad to start worrying again.

Peace

My watch told me that I had less than 2 hours before the next shift arrived.
My clip board told me that there was still at least three hours of work to be done. There were several IV medications that needed to be started, blood samples that needed to be collected and send to the lab, not to mention all the paperwork which at this point was woefully behind. However, I was still calm, “No need to panic yet” I thought, “I just need to pick up the pace a little bit – I can still make it.”

It was then that the overhead pager crackled and rudely blurted out those two dreaded words: “CODE BLUE” Those words make everyone stop. A nurse’s priorities automatically change at the announcement of those words. Someone is dying - everything else can wait - even the next shift.

I didn’t know his name but I could tell from the minute that I ran down the stairs and into his room that the outcome would probably not be good. He was an elderly white man who had obviously been sick for awhile. His pale limp body showed the marks of years of sincere but futile medical intervention.

I don’t want to be morbid here, but you must understand that CPR is not pretty. It is very violent. Ribs break, fluids fly.….you get the picture. The room turns into a battle zone. There are doctors yelling, nurses running, equipment banging, and monitors alarming – it is controlled chaos.

With that much energy and intensity flowing stopping is not easy. Giving up is never pleasant. But, the family had decided that it was best. It was time to let go and accept the inevitable. So we stopped. The room which only seconds ago was literally erupting, was now quiet and still.

This is something that I have experienced many times. I used to try and remember and keep track of all the souls that I watched slip off into eternity, but the number and faces just became too large. But this one I will remember.

When the doctor said stop, I stopped. I stopped compressing a now soft and broken chest. I was by default the closest one to the patient. At this point in most cases (every other case I have ever seen) the patient’s eyes are dull, fixed, and glazed - but not this time. I had been watching the monitor. As the last few blips were fading away I looked down at the patient’s face. He was looking at me. His eyes were bright and focused very much alive.

I don’t know how I knew, I just did. I could see it. His eyes were not filled with desperation or fear or pain. They were filled with softness and peace. I heard it plainly – as plainly as if the words had actually been spoken. He told me he was ok. He was ready to go. He appreciated my gallant efforts but the angels were there now and they were waiting. He told me that he would see me again someday soon.
I told him that I was looking forward to it. Then I closed his eyes.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

The Newest Family Member

Here is Tyler and Emily Klair with our newest addition. She is a 9 week old Golden Retriever.
Kinsley and Karlie were not so sure about her so they would not get in the picture.
She still doesnt have a name because Jesi and Krysi can't agree on anything. So, we are still open to suggestions. By the way, she is the calmest and quietest puppy I have ever been around. (I am sure she will grow out of it) Please help us name this puppy.. :)
Warren says we should call her Pee Diddy.

What Really Matters?

I admit, I’m a slow learner. Not only slow, but I have this terrible tendency to have to relearn the same lessons over and over again before they finally stick in my little brain..

If you are a regular reader of this blog, and ever follow any of its church links, then I am sure that you are aware of the great religious debate that’s been rearing its ugly head and grinding its crooked teeth over the last week. I was hooked.

I spent (wasted) a lot of time thinking about the arguments, and being appalled by some of the arguers. So much so, that I even spent my break time at work on the computer answering and arguing and becoming one of the worst offenders.

I was right in the middle of typing a brilliant, impassioned, indisputable counter point when it happened. The monitor behind me started to alarm. I had been expecting it.

We had, to put it in layman’s terms, “pulled the plug” on a terminally ill patient earlier in my shift. I was on “death watch”. My job was to monitor the patient and keep them as comfortable as possible until their last breath. The alarm told me that their last breath was very close.

The patient had been unresponsive most of my shift. There was no opportunity for final words or last conversations. The family was one hour away, and this poor soul only had 20 minutes. So it was just me and him.

As I stood by his bed with my hand on his shoulder, I wondered; if I could talk to this fellow one last time, and talk about the things that really matter, what would we talk about?

I know that we would talk about love, family, God, an empty tomb, the promise of eternal life, and the wonderful gift of grace that Jesus purchased for us by his sacrifice on the cross.
I am sure that we would talk about regrets, then forgiveness, and finally, peace - eternal peace.

It made the rest seem so small. It made the religious arguments over just “how to do church” seem almost sacrilegious and sinful.

So the next time I get sucked into my favorite vice (arguing over religion) I plan on applying the “death watch” test to my replies. Does this really matter? Is it important enough to include in someone’s last conversation? If not, I’m going to try my best to, in the words of Paul (McCartney) Let it Be..

An Easter Story

It took 15 staples to patch Tyler's head back together after being mauled by a large neighborhood dog Saturday. He is a very brave little man with lots of angels looking after him. The dog was huge Alaskan Husky that outweighed Tyler by about two to one. It could have easily have been a very tragic Easter, But God was merciful, and we are all very thankful.

Pa and his angels

Please..Anything But Politics!

I consider myself very apolitical. It’s not that I don’t care – in the end I do my patriotic duty and vote for the candidate I feel most closely reflects my ideals – but this whole election process bores me to tears. (And it’s only March)

I wish that someone would simply publish a check list of the candidate’s views, and a record of how he or she has voted on key issues in the past, and let people vote for the one that they agree with.

The debates are especially disturbing to me. Two smiling candidates on stage – representing the same party – supposedly on the same political side – arguing and tearing each other down – even resorting to name calling and personal attacks - trying to prove that they alone are the “real” Democrat or Republican, and their opponents are just impostors. Sounds too much like the religion of my youth….

One political story that I do find interesting this year is the one about the racist and separatist remarks made by Barack Oboma’s Pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright. I’m sure that his sermons were not intended to be political. They were not designed for public consumption. I suspect that they were just typical Sunday morning fodder that his congregation was very used to being fed.

The interesting part is going to be watching Mr. Oboma try to avoid stepping into this political pooh and distance himself from the racist views of his church. How can he publicly denounce his pastor’s views and still save face with his congregation? After the election, win or lose, will he be able to sit quietly in the pews of that church again on a Sunday morning and listen to this racist rhetoric? I don’t know. But, if he does, then I suspect that he never really disagreed with Dr. Wright in the first place. Time will tell.


Footnote: I just finished listening to Obama's speech answering to the controversy about his connection with and his allegiance to Dr Wright. I must say I was genuinely impressed. He seemed very straight forward and honest and didn't do a lot of side stepping. One interesting quote was "the most segregated time in America is the one hour on Sunday morning when we all go to church". We can't deny that he's right on that one.

What is Truth (part two)

I believe in everything - a little bit"
Marilyn Monroe

Long ago, and far away, the world was flat. People lived and died with no logical reason to ever question, challenge, or rethink this perceived truth. As far as they could see….it was truth.

Are you old enough to remember the TV game show Concentration?
It was based on a children’s matching game where contestants slowly revealed a hidden picture called a rebus. A rebus was a person, place, thing, phrase, etc., that was spelled out using phonetic sounds and pictures - hidden below a board of 25 numbers. As the rebus was slowly revealed contestants tried to be the first to see the whole picture and solve the puzzle.
(http://www.tv.com/classic-concentration/show/5391/summary.html)

So, what does an old TV show have to do with truth? Well, imagine, just for the sake of this discussion, that the rebus represents “The Truth” (the whole complete truth). It could therefore be reasoned that each small portion of the rebus represented “a truth” – which when pieced together at the end made up “The Truth”. How silly and pointless would it have been for the contestants to argue, debate, and out-right fight over “The Truth” before it was completely revealed? To guess, theorize, piece together, and ponder was good hearted, healthy, and fun. It was what made the show interesting. But to dogmatically declare “The Truth" based on your impression of “a truth” would have been absurd.

The objection to this allegory is predictable. Most will quote 2 Peter I: 3 and rightfully claim that we already have the complete picture and “The Truth” revealed to us in God’s word. Granted, this claim is “a truth”. But, how many of us have a complete understanding of God’s word? Let’s be honest, how many of us have ever even read it in its entirety?

There is indeed such a thing as truth. And, that truth is attainable - but it takes a lifetime. The truth is absolute and never changing. I, on the other hand, am growing, changing, and ever learning. The truth that I know today is not like the truth I knew when I was 20. While the truth never changes, my understanding and grasp of it changes daily. The truth, like the galaxy is so vast, that humans at their best can only catch a glimpse.

So, lighten up. Don’t be so dogmatic and opinionated. Don’t be so quick to judge. Be forever a student. Make sure your words are always seasoned with salt, for you may have to eat them one day.

I Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Job 28:20-23 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, Concealed even from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, ‘Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.’ God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells

Angels Among Us

She wasn’t my patient. I just went into the room to adjust one of the many IV pumps that were hanging by her bed. It was about 2:00am. It was quiet and dark. The only light in the room was the glow from the monitor that was currently saying that she was very sick. I thought she was asleep.

“My mother was just here” she whispered. “Maam?” I asked.
“Oh, I know she’s dead, but she was just here.” “She talked to me.”

Maybe it was the morphine. Maybe the neurons in her brain were misfiring after her stroke - but, then again, maybe not…

“What did she say”? I asked.

“She told me that I had helped her during her lifetime, so now she was here to help me.”
By this time the nurse who was assigned to her had slipped into the room and was listening to our conversation.

“That is wonderful” I said quietly. “God works in mysterious ways”

As we left the room the other nurse told me about her other patient. He was in the room next door. He had just become well enough that day to be taken off of his ventilator. He had just finished telling her about “Seeing the Master that day at the foot of his bed”.

The ICU straddles the line between life and death. Sometime the angels come and take souls home, but most of the time they are just there to help.

There is a place on our nurse notes where we can document when a patient's family is at the bedside visiting. So, that night, in a dark quiet intensive care room, with no one around but the nurses, we documented that her family was by her bedside.

What is Truth?

When Lynetta and I were teenagers, there was a man that we both greatly admired (we still do) He was one of the best Bible School teachers that we have ever had the privilege of listening to. I remember that he would always begin a new study with these words:

“I believe that there is such a thing as truth - and I belief that truth is attainable.”

I still love those words. To think that the right answers are really out there, and that they are still readily available to any sincere seeker, is reassuring and comforting.

I wish that I could still just accept those words and be content - but, you know me…..
I still believe the “truth” part. I do believe that the right answers are out there. It is that silly “attainable” part that keeps giving me so much trouble.

The classic, most quoted Bible verses concerning this subject are of course:
1. The question: Found in John 18:38 (Pilot’s question to Jesus; “What is truth?”)
2. The answer: Found in John 17:17 (where Jesus refers to God’s word as truth)

There was a time when all you had to do was start your sermon with these two scriptures and it automatically qualified the rest of what you had to say as “truth”. It implied that from that point forward everything you were about to say was directly from God’s word and therefore truth. That of course was a ridiculous and baseless assumption, but in our innocence we did not seem to notice or mind. This tactic actually seemed to work for awhile - that is until I started hearing the “Truth Scripture Trump Card” quoted and claimed by preachers with distinctly opposite points of view. Both were appealing to scripture. Both were holding up God’s word as the final authority, but they obviously did not interpret “Truth” in the same way.

The short sighted Pollyanna answer would be that one preacher was right and one was wrong. One was a true soldier of the cross, and the other was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You simply choose which one you tended to agree with, or which one your particular church was affiliated with, and claim him the winner

But who is really to say which one is which? Scholars, men who were much wiser than me, who have dedicated their entire lives to the study of The Scriptures, who know more than I can even dream of knowing, have argued, debated, and disagreed about this stuff for the past 2000 years. How do I even stand a chance?

It is a subject that has caused me much grief. To flirt with the notion that “truth” was somehow so exclusive as to be out of reach for the common man was almost faith ending.

But, as always, God came to my rescue and showed me a better way…..
(To be continued)

When does perseverance stop and futility begin?

If I pull up on my boot straps long enough, and hard enough, will I eventually rise?

Doesn't it make sense to evaluate my methods based solely on my success or my failure? Does my inability to achieve a desired result make my choice of methods futile, or does it just mean that I simply didn’t try hard enough or stick with it long enough?

I know that patience, perseverance and determination are all good Christian virtues. But, what if I am being patient and persevering in the wrong way? For example; when it comes to my lifelong battle with my ever growing waist line, I have yet to find a method that yields any favorable long term results. My wife tells me that it is because I simply lack the perseverance and determination that I need to succeed. I am convinced of course that I just have not found the correct method yet. I know that I could really be determined and demonstrate great perseverance with a plan that worked. The trouble is, no plan will work unless I am determined and persevere. I’m doomed!

Then again, perhaps the only reason that I can’t fly is because I am simply not flapping my arms fast enough. I will just have to try harder.

Losing My Religion

Solomon said it best in Ecclesiastes 1:18, “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.”

Toby Keith, (The country singer) said it this way; “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.”

I long for the days when religion was simple. I still remember the comfort of having a simple childlike trusting faith that accepted without question and believed without logic. Life was so much easier when I truly believed that my church was the only church.

But, somewhere along the way I asked too many questions. I took passages like Acts 17:11 too literally. In my searching I accidentally discovered that some of the things I had been taught over the years were not necessarily correct – others were absolutely incorrect. That is really not an earth shattering discovery for most folks. Most folks would just learn from their misconceptions, adjust their course, and move on. But consider this; I was taught to believe that my church was the one and only “true church” by virtue of the fact we were the only ones left on earth who believed, understood, taught, and practiced everything correctly according to God’s will.. Other religious denominations did not qualify for true church-hood because they were not as correct as we were. So, in my mind incorrectness, however so slight, meant a fall from grace.

At first these questions were just a small chink in the armor of my religion.
I learned quickly that some questions were deemed inappropriate and out-of-bounds. Such questions simply had no place in a serious Bible class. To question was to sow discord. To disagree was to disrespect. So I kept quiet. I kept my questions to myself.

It’s a long boring story, so I will spare you the details. But, over time the religion of my youth grew less and less magical. Its importance slowly began to fade. What had once seemed so vital and so invincible now seemed somehow shallow and orchestrated.

The good news is that while I was busy doubting and losing my religion, God was busy working in the real world of my everyday life in undeniable ways. As my religion faded my faith grew. God has never been more real to me. I am still in awe. When it comes to God, I still enjoy the comfort of having a simple childlike trusting faith that accepts without question and believes without logic. He taught me that I don’t have to understand and I don’t have to know all of the answers. He just wants me to be still and know that he is God.

Am I saying then that religion is not important? Yes, I guess I am. Especially if your religion (like mine was) is the sole focus of your faith.

The Bucket List

"We live - We Die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round.."
Jack Nicholson, The Bucket List.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but it's on the top of my to-do list for the month of January.
Some day when I get braver, and when I get some time, I will share my "Bucket List" with you.
It includes a lot of crazy things like: Playing guitar in a tight little jazz combo in some swanky night club, and running in a real marathon - all pretty far out, crazy goals - I know..
But, as I was looking back, I realized that the "List" of things that I have already done is far crazier than my "List" that continues to go undone.

I have tubed down a river in the rain forest of Central America.
I have snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef.
I went back to school after 25 years and earned a nursing degree
I have raise (helped raise) 5 children
I have been happily married to my High School sweetheart for 32+ years

However, before you accuse me of bragging, I must admit - I consider them all blessings and not acomplishments. They were not because I was so smart, they were all because I am so blessed.

Do you have a list? I would love to hear about it.

Broken God Moments

In my last article I may have left the false impression that I believe the life of a true believer is always supposed to be good, and fair, and pleasant. The sad truth is that life, even for true believers, is not always so pretty. As a matter of fact, it can get very ugly - and be very cruel.

High School graduation is just around the corner. It should be a happy occasion for parents and students alike. But this year, at the Columbia Academy ceremony, there will be an empty chair. And for some, it won’t be happy at all. One split second mistake on a busy highway two years ago and a beautiful, talented, and loving young Christian girl was taken away never to return. She was an only child.

Then there is the lovely young Christian woman who is raising two daughters all alone because her husband was tragically taken away in much the same way. And as if that pain were not enough, now her extended family is rejecting and ostracizing her just for having an opinion and a mind of her own.

I could go on, but I don’t need to. I am sure that you all know tragic stories just like these. So, what do you do with God Moments like that? Well, two things:

First, be in awe. God has promised to never allow anyone to be tempted beyond what they are able to bear. That means that if God is true to his word, (and I believe with all of my heart that he is) then the people left behind in the two stories above are true giants - heroes of faith that the rest of us are not worthy of. I don’t pretend to know their hearts their thoughts or their feelings, but as far as I know, their faith and their devotion to God have never wavered.

Second, did you ever notice what Jesus said in Luke 13:1-9 when he was asked the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” He started talking about manure of all things! (Dung in the KJV, just fertilizer in the NIV) He was basically saying that God allows random tragedies to happen to some simply to motivate and fertilize the rest of us. These tragedies remind the rest of us just how fragile and fleeting life really is. They remind us of the real purpose of our existence. They help the rest of us get our lives and our priorities straight.

Wednesday Night Bible Class

This week in our Wednesday night Bible class we talked about I Peter 3:15. You know the passage that says; “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have…”

I was always taught that this passage was telling me to always be ready to argue – always be prepared to win a debate as to why my church is right and your church is wrong. It is another sad example of something that I must now add to my ever growing list of “Things that I was taught and believed incorrectly”.

Peter is not telling us to argue or defend. This passage has nothing to do with debate. It is simply about sharing your own personal story. Peter is telling us is to always be ready and willing to tell our God stories – what God has done for us – how Jesus has changed our lives. God wants us to enthusiastically tell others about our encounters with him. It is all about that dreaded “Baptist word” that I was always taught had no place in the real church. The word is testifying.

True believers know that there is no such thing as luck, coincidence, or chance. God is in control - even when we don’t want him to be – even when we don’t recognize it – even when we don’t acknowledge it. He is the conductor and we are his orchestra. He wants others to hear the music that he makes through us.

So, be on the lookout for your God moments. When you discover one, tell someone about it. It will bless you both.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

The Conversation

I had an interesting talk with an older gentleman the other day. This gentleman was very opinionated and spoke very harshly about the “State of the church” today. He claimed that a terrible evil had infiltrated the church. This evil that he was referring to was what he called “The Contemporary Movement”. He called the leaders of this movement “religious terrorist” – “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. He boldly proclaimed that these contemporary leaders were “rolling Hell right through the front door of the church”.

Just to give you a little of the flavor of the conversation, here is a direct quote:
(He gave me a printed copy of his thoughts)

Hell is rolling in the front door of the contemporary churches, demons are climbing through the windows, and the Devil is standing on the podium laughing with glee. These so called churches have become cesspools of sin and they are leading precious souls into the very jaws of hell.

Usually I would not find such a conversation interesting at all. Usually I would have very little tolerance for this type of venom. But, I was sort of a captive audience. So I listened with all the respect and patience I could muster. Apparently what had this fellow so fired up was his fear of change – any change. There wasn’t really any Biblical backing or support for his complaints, but to him, because church did not look or feel the way it used to, it must surely be evil. The old style churches that made him feel comfortable were dying, and the contemporary ones that he despised were growing. He bemoaned the fact that some popular preachers today were wearing flip-flops and Tee-shirts; they were preaching entertaining sermons and using upbeat contemporary singing in their services. (Apparently sermons and songs have to be boring and dull to be scriptural)

I did not argue with him. I did not try to point out the obvious inconsistencies that I saw in his line of reasoning. I simply told him that I knew a lot of good people who would agree with him. And I really thought what I told him was true. I do know a lot (a whole lot) of people who would absolutely agree with him. In fact, they would agree with him wholeheartedly - that is until they heard the rest of the story….

There were two things that made this conversation so interesting. First was the fact that this old gentlemen had been a preacher for over fifty years. The second thing was the odd fact that he was not a Church of Christ preacher. He was a Southern Baptist preacher.

So, maybe I don’t know anyone who would agree with him after all.

I wonder which is worse; a conservative Southern Baptist, or a contemporary member of the Church of Christ?