A Life That Matters

Vacation!

What a joy to be able to get away for a season to refresh the old batteries!  We are about to take our trek back to Oklahoma and Texas to see family and friends.  I love the drive except between Barstow and Needles, but even that has a beauty of it’s own.  I especially enjoy northern Arizona and New Mexico.  Road trips are fun even at $4.00+ a gallon gas.

Mostly a vacation offers the opportunity to change your pace for a period of time.  We run at such high RPMs that our souls begin to crave a slower pace.  It is nice just to get away from the normal pressures even though vacation pressures may arise.  Jesus set a standard for the value of getting away even if just for short periods of time.

I hope you have the opportunity to unwind sometime this summer.  Take a mini-vacation if you can’t take an extended one!  Let God refresh your spirit, body and soul.  If you happen to be traveling on the old Route 66 be sure to wave if you see my green Ford.

Underdog

As a kid I loved the cartoon hero, Underdog.  Although quite silly, and I haven’t ventured to see the recent movie, one thing was always true, Underdog was always underestimated.  It seems that when you are placed in the “underdog” category words like can’t or won’t or impossible always seem to come to play.  This past week two events have happened that should cause us to rethink our view of “underdogs”.

I’m not a golfer nor do I especially enjoy watching golf on TV.  I do however enjoy watching Tiger Woods [who no one would ever use the word “underdog” in reference to] because he hits some of the most amazing shots.  I turned on the U.S. Open on Sunday to watch the final few minutes expecting to see that Tiger had run away with another major title.  To my surprise though a golfer I had never heard of, Rocco Mediate, was in the lead.  Rocco has only won six tournaments in his long career and never a major title and it took some spectacular play on Tiger’s part to even send the tournament in to a playoff.

The next day after 10 holes Rocco was three strokes behind but over the next seven holes again took the lead.  Tiger once again surged at the end to tie the match which was sent into “Sudden Death” play.  On the final hole as most of you know Tiger did what Tiger has done over and over again and won the tournament by one stroke.  As amazing as all that was nothing to me was as amazing as watching Rocco play.  As the underdog he played relaxed, for the fun of the game, able to congratulate great shots by other players perhaps because there were no expectations, only the game.  No doubt Rocco wanted to win and perhaps should have won if life was fair.  However, even though he didn’t win the trophy perhaps as the “underdog” he won something even more precious, RESPECT.

The other “underdog” who is still in the hunt for a championship is the Fresno State baseball team.  From the very out set of the season they were considered to be mediocre at best, they had no standout players, they were supposed to finish in the middle of the WAC pack.  This team of “underdogs” have surprised their city, their conference, the NCAA and the nation with their never give up and never die attitude.  On any given day a new hero emerges on this team and steps up to do the unexpected.  They may not win the College World Series but they have certainly won something even more precious, RESPECT.

Most of us probably think of ourselves in the “underdog” role in life, I know I certainly do.  I’ll probably not discover a cure for cancer, or rescue someone from certain death, or set any world records in anything.  My fifteen minutes of fame perhaps will only be fifteen seconds.  You know what though?  That is o.k.!  You know why?  Because I’m doing what I enjoy, I’m having fun, I’m blessed with a wonderful wife and family, I have a church family that has enriched my life and above all I absolutely know that God loves me even when I’m not lovely.

Yes, I’m an UNDERDOG but I hope to gain the RESPECT of those whom God puts into my path.

Into All The World

Our oldest daughter, Elizabeth, is spending almost 6 weeks in Africa in a country not very open to the gospel.  She is working with a friend who has committed two years of her life in serving in this country.  I’m being a bit mysterious because there are dangerous places in the world where faith can thrive.  In fact this country is listed on a map from “The Voice of the Martys” as hostile to Christianity.

What they are not hostile toward though is people who come to serve and help their people.  Which is exactly what Liz and her friend are trying to do.  It is amazing how love revealed through service makes a difference in the world.  And the truth is you do not have to go halfway around the world for that to be true!  God wants to use you right where you are, right now and without delay.

We are grateful to have a daughter who has on her heart what God has on His, people!  Red and Yellow, Black and White they are precious in his sight.  Perhaps that has come by the example that Sue and I have tried to set, but I know a lot of that heart came as a result of what Liz experienced in the High School ministry at Clovis Hills.  During her years in High School she got to serve locally, nationally and internationally!  Those experiences had a profound effect on her life. 

We have had some anxious thoughts about Liz’s well-being on this trip.  Long travel alone, perils of the unknown, possible disease or injury in a country not known for outstanding medical facilities have worried us.  I don’t suppose we would be parents if they didn’t, but Liz set an example of faith and trust in stepping out to go.  It is an example I hope to follow.

INTO ALL THE WORLD!  Is God calling?  Perhaps that just means across the street or across the office.  Distance really isn’t the issue.

I Love The Movies

I have been going to movies for as long as I can remember.  In fact, one of my earliest childhood memories was going to the drive-in in Eldorado, Texas and seeing “Bambi”, it must have been around 1957.  As a young boy I often rode my bicycle to the movie theater in downtown Seminole, Texas.  In fact I’m still influenced by one movie I saw as a boy called, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars”.  In the movie the character had to take little tablets to breath the atmosphere on Mars, the tablets looked like the candy Sweet Tarts or Smarties.  So to get home I had to buy some Smarties so I could breath as I rode my bike home.  I still call Smarties my “oxygen pills”.

Movies have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, scared me and entertained me.  My kids laugh at the fact that I can cry so easily during a movie.  This week we watched, “A Walk To Remember” and I was just weeping through it.  I don’t have a favorite genre, I like Action & Adventure, Dramas, Classics, Comedies, Sci-fi, Fantasy and Thrillers.  The only genre I don’t care for is Slasher/Horror/Occult.

I have loved having Netflix because I have been able to find some of the old movies that I remember enjoying.  It is funny though how seeing them now doesn’t necessarily bring back the same emotions that it did the first time.  One recent example of this is the movie, “King of the Zombies”.  While in seminary my friends and I watched this old, 1941, movie on TV and just laughed all the way through it.  It was a memory I had often shared with Sue, but in seeing it again I wondered why I had laughed so much.  I guess it was a moment in time that you just had to have been there.

So what movies have influenced me through the years?  Here are some of them [not in order of impact]:

1.  The Bridge Over The River Kwai   2.  The Alamo  3. The Longest Day  4. Schindler’s List  5. Chariot’s of Fire  6. Old Yeller  7. The Way The West Was Won  8. The Sound of Music  9. Brian’s Song  10. To Kill A Mockingbird  11. Rear Window

What movies have I most recently seen?

1. Dan in Real Life  2. Prince Caspian  3. Raiders…Crystal Skull

I love movies!  They are a way to be transported to other times, other worlds, and other experiences.  I have certainly seen some movies that were real dogs, I have seen those that I would be embarrased to admit seeing, I have seen movies that were idiotic and historically inaccurate, but I have not yet been deterred from going to, renting or watching on TV movies of all kind.

So pass the popcorn and let the movie begin!

No Cannonballs Please

 The next Clovis Hills Baptisms will be on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1 following each of the services.  If you have never taken this step of faith I want to invite you to take it.  A required Baptism Class is going to be held on Saturday, May 31 from 9:00-10:30 a.m. at our church office.

When I see this video I have to laugh.  When my son was being baptized at Clovis Hills he attempted a cannonball upon his entry into the pool.  If I had not caught him before he hit the water fully we would have had a Funniest Home Videos moment.

SeptemberNineteenthNineteenSeventyOne

Some dates you remember well.  Some like birthdays and anniversaries are lodged in your mind because of repetition, but others are lodged there because of significance.  For me September 19, 1971 is a significant date!  This is the day that I crossed the line of faith and said yes to Jesus.  It is a date upon which everything changed!  Dark to Light, Death to Life, Turmoil to Peace.

I didn’t get to that line on my own though.  This past week I was reminded of the person who most influenced me to cross the line, Susan Wallace.  A few months ago I filled out a profile for Classmates.com an internet site that helps you find those long lost high school chums.  I got a notice that some new profiles had been added from my High School class of 1972 and there was Susan’s name.  It has been well over 30 years since I last had any knowledge of Susan and what was going on in her life, but the moment I saw her name and picture the gratitude I have for her came flooding back in.

Susan and I had gone to school together since the first grade.  We were friends but not close through the years.  I would say that we shared in common the reputation of being good kids who didn’t get in trouble and did well in school.  We were well liked but not in the “popular” group, you could probably say we were a little on the “nerdy” side in the eyes of our peers.  Both of us went to church with our families although different ones.  I went to work as a sophomore at a local pharmacy and Susan came to work there when we were both juniors.  It was then that I really got to know Susan.It was during this time that I also really began to question my faith. 

I was a good kid, went to church, had been baptized but something was missing.  During the summer between my junior and senior year a college kid came to work at the pharmacy.  He regaled us with his stories of the wild life in college that seemed so enticing to me, yet when I would question Susan about it she would always say it didn’t appeal to her because “Jesus has made a difference in my life!”  What did she mean?  I went to church, I was a good kid, but I couldn’t say, “Jesus made a difference in my life.”All summer long I wrestled with faith as I approached that line.  One moment I wanted to experience the wild life and the next I was drawn to the life that I saw Susan living out before me. 

I questioned everything that I believed up till then.  Then on Sunday, September 19, 1971 I went to church and the message seemed directed right at me, “If you are not sure about your relationship to God then clarify it today.”  I responded and spoke with the pastor about all my doubts about being a Christian.  He led me in a simple prayer to bring the wrestling match to a conclusion and to step across the line of faith.  My life would never be the same again!

When we think about “Influential” people we often turn our attention to those movers and shakers of commerce or entertainment or even religion, but the truth is the most influential person in my life was a friend and classmate who never failed to direct my attention not to herself or to religion but to Jesus.  Each of us can do the same for someone else!  If you can say, “Jesus has changed my life!” then every person that God brings into your sphere of influence will be affected.

Thank you, Susan!

What Holds It All Together!

I received an e-mail today with this video attachment.  When I was involved in Student Ministry at Cal Poly, Lou Giglio, was one of the outstanding teachers that blessed student ministry across the United States.  What he shares in this portion of a message he preached is just outstanding.  I hope you will take 10 minutes to be encouraged!

Leadership Summit Volunteers

People serve for a lot of different reasons.  To placate guilt, to win brownie points, to meet people, to kill time.  Of course many serve with the pure motives of making a difference, helping those who can’t return the favor, showing Christ’ love through practical applications and out of love.  As mentioned in an earlier post, Clovis Hills has the privilege of being one of the host sites for the 2008 Willow Creek Leadership Summit [absolutely the best leadership/Christian life seminar you will ever participate in!] 

In order to make this happen we will need dozens of servant volunteers.  Men and women willing to serve not for what they can get but for what they can give.  Are you one?  It will require 2-3 days [at least portions of] of your time, it will require your being flexible, it will require a humble heart that says I’m here to serve and not be served.  Are you one?

The Summit happens on Thursday & Friday, August 7-8.  We can use volunteers during the days prior to the Summit and then of course during the Summit.  We need Facility people [set-up, takedown, custodial], Hospitality people [break time refreshments and lunch], Registration people [Check-in Guest, Registration Solutions, etc.], Prayer people [Praying during Summit, Praying with guest in need], Resources people [Cashiers, Assistants, etc.], Usher people [Distribute Summit hand-outs, Assist with seating, Respond in emergencies] and Care for the Volunteers people [serving those who are serving].  Are you one of these people?

If you are interested in serving, giving some time to make a difference in the lives of others, in giving without thought of return this is your opportunity.  To sign up, to volunteer, to say yes, “I’m one!” Then click Willow Summit Volunteer .

You can make a difference and we will have fun doing it!

Which Way From Here?

Well I’m another year older!  In fact I’m one year away from “Senior Discounts”!  For my birthday I received from my daughter and wife a wonderful gift for a man, a Garmin GPS unit for the car.  I’m one of those guys who would actually stop and ask for directions but that is not necessary anymore.  My GPS [I’m calling her, Gypsy] tells me where I’m at and where I need to go, all with a British accent too!

I love arguing with Gypsy because she thinks she knows the best route to where I need to go, so I’m having a conversation with this GPS unit while I drive along.  I have even tried to confuse Gypsy but to no avail because of one little word she often says when I’m driving, “Recalculating”.  Every time I go a different route than what Gypsy had mapped out she will say, “Recalculating” and in a moment she has a new route mapped out to the destination I was headed.

I cannot imagine how many times God must have said, “RECALCULATING” when it has come to my following His route to spiritual life and maturity.  I don’t know about you but I tend to often think I know best, so off I go sometimes even in the opposite direction than I should.  I have even been known to attempt to go four wheel driving in life.  Each recalculation though has been to get me to the destination that He has planned.

I love the verse from II Timothy 3:16-17,  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  This verse reminds me that God’s Word is profitable, useful for four things:

1.  Teaching: It will teach me which path God wants me to journey.   2.  Rebuking: It will tell me when I’m off that path.      3.  Correcting: It will tell me how to get back on the path.  4.  Training: It will teach me how to walk on the path.     

So God’s Word acts as our spiritual GPS [God’s Plan Succeeds] unit.  If you and I will let it guide us, instruct us, encourage us and correct us then we will discover the life that God promises.  One that is full, complete and lacking nothing.  We will find ourselves arriving at the destination that God intended all along.           �

Shepherd vs Herder

Do you remember this commercial from the Super Bowl?  Any of us who work with people on a regular basis have probably said that it felt like, “herding cats”.  The reason is that people don’t like to feel as if they are being herded, manipulated or strung along.  Herding may work with certain animals but certainly not people and only in the commercials with cats.

There is a reason God chose to call those who minister to others “shepherds”.  Shepherds don’t herd but lead.  And shepherding is hard work.  You can’t just go out and crack a whip or yell “get along little doggie” as a shepherd.  If you do you will only end up scattering your flock.  Shepherding requires that your flock get to know you, to trust you, to recognize your voice, to know you have their best interest at heart.  Someone who herds can demand compliance usually using some form of force, but a shepherd earns a follower’s respect and love, and once earned that follower will go with the shepherd wherever he leads.

In my devotional this morning the writer used Psalm 23 as the basis for his thoughts.  The commentator on the passage brought out an interesting point concerning Psalms 22, 23 & 24 which make up a trilogy of sorts.  Psalm 22 speaks of the Shepherd who lays his life down, Psalm 23 speaks of the Shepherd who cares for his sheep and Psalm 24 speaks of the Shepherd who is the King of Glory.  Our Shepherd has laid His life down for us, He cares for us even in the darkest valley and He assures us that He will be triumphant.  That is the kind of shepherd I want to be and to be like!

Do you lead people at work or church?  Are you the head of a home?  How are you trying to move them forward–by herding or leading?  Try being a shepherd!