Maybe there are no such things as "Bad Guys"

I'm adding to my other rants about how being bad has come to be acceptable (here and here). I actually get to go on a date with my wife tomorrow night (thanks Mom!), so I began searching the movie listings. One of the current movies out right now is Twilight. It's about a romance between two high school teens - one a normal, pretty girl and the other a very good looking ninety year old vampire. It is based on a series of books that starts with a novel by the same title. I know nothing about the books or the movie beyond what I've already stated. Nothing except this - all the girls in my classes LOVE this story. Several of my students have read every book in the series (three or four?) twice already this school year.

Vampires as a whole are finding a resurgence in popular literature, even without Anne Rice. I've seen what are probably some more traditional fare about vampires in the hands of my male students. But this post is about taking something that is bad and pretending it is good.

I suppose we can begin to place the blame on Anne Rice and her novels The Vampire Chronicles, particularly how she made Lestat a sympathetic character in spite of his evil tendencies that were no fault of his own. When Rice became a Christian, she went into seclusion to figure it all out. She stopped writing the Vampire novels and instead published a fictional account on the life of Jesus as a child. Don't quote me on this, but I seem to recall having heard that Rice has returned to the Vampire stories, this time with a Christian flair and vampire in them.

Permit me to sound ludicrous here, but we also see this move of making vampires "good people" in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy of course began her career slaying these demon killers of the night. As the storyline progressed, one of the characters that assisted Buffy in her daily business of fighting off and killing whatever evil creature threatened the world was in fact a vampire. There was another tv series on last fall whose main character was a "good" vampire in a committed normal relationship.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe vampires aren't really bad people. Maybe they have been given a bad rap by all the fantastic and imaginative gore written about them over the last several hundred years. Maybe contemporary fiction (and by extension contemporary ideology) has taken a necessary corrective action is showing us who vampires really are.

For argument's sake, let's say that vampires are inherently evil creatures. Why are we cleaning them up? Why are we making them acceptable? Why are we mooning over romances and relationships that conquer all the odds when it includes one? I would hope that the reason is because these creatures of evil have been redeemed. I hope it's because in each case we see a change in character and action that turns abruptly from the evil ways of a vampire and turns toward that which is more human, perhaps even more Godly.

Just to play fair, let's say that vampires are not inherently evil any more than your average regular human is inherently evil. Vampires are affected by the fall in the garden of Eden in the same way that humans were. We are told in Scripture that all creation was affected and that creation itself groans in anticipation of its eventual completed salvation when Jesus returns. Does that justify the willful murder and consumption of human blood? Can a vampire really invoke the "I can't help it, it's not my fault" clause? At least the vampire family in Twilight strives to live a human blood free life.

As silly as all this sounds, I think this whole thing comes down to the question of what does it mean to be Godly. In some family devotional material we have been using with the boys, the first week focuses on the issue of Godliness. It defines Godliness as wanting to please God in everything you think, say, and do. That's a pretty good definition. It gets us away from legalism, though it could lead to liberalism if argued "correctly". When I begin to apply that definition to whether or not I'm going to root for the bad guy, imitate the habits of the bad guy, or try to make the bad guy out to be something else entirely, I think I'll discover that I really can't do any of those in good conscience.

Yes Virginia, there really are such things as bad guys. We're all one of them at birth. The good news is there really is such a thing as a really good guy, a perfect guy even. He died for us so we could become one too.

Finding the right path

Several months ago I posted some thoughts about Rooting for the Bad Guy. The only comments that post received focused more on the fictional elements of character development and the spiritual dimension of everyone can find salvation and redemption. There was a deeper sociological thread that I was pointing to in that post that bears revisiting here. My next statement is certainly not original and will come across as a "No Duh!" to many of you. Our world is going to hell in a hand basket.

Perhaps it is better to more specifically state another obvious truth. Our society is becoming increasingly tolerant and accepting of violence. I don't just mean the carnage we see in movies or the unedited news clips. We have moved from being tolerant of violence and all the subcultural elements associated with it to promoting it. In doing some research on gangs for one of my novels in progress, I came across some shocking search results.

We are no longer surprised by the link between street gangs and certain types of music. We are slowly becoming numb to the growing association of certain professional athletes and gang symbols. What disturbs me is how the rest of middle class America is getting in on the action. Apparently it has become the craze for every sub group of people to develop their own "gang signs". I came across webpostings of the gang signs for everything from Unix programmers to self-proclaimed nerds. Social networking sites and online games that are not "violence" oriented even use gangs as a method for organization, somehow trying to sanitize the use of the word. Maybe not the most disturbing but certainly ranking up there was this description of one college student's personal webspace - "You can find cool links, infos about gangs and theirs signs and slang, and much more here." (emphasis mine)

Going back to my post about rooting for the bad guy - Yes, multi-dimensional characters are more exciting and believable. I use them myself. Yes, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, can find salvation and redemption. BUT, we must look a little more carefully at what appears to merely be multidimensional and what is a symptom of a larger issue. Bad things are bad things, whether they are part of a larger reality or not. Acceptance of these things is not acceptable.

Just as society needs to be careful about how it views, accepts, and passively promotes social mores and behavior, someone on a faith journey and the entire Body of Christ need to be equally mindful of the behavioral and philosophical standards they espouse actively AND passively. What are the things we practice or tolerate that are acceptable to Christ? What are the things that stand in contradiction to being his disciple?

I know I am beginning to sound like some kind of fundamentalist, holy roller, out of touch with the real world religious zealot/bigot. If you know me personally, you know that I have been more often accused of being too worldly instead of the opposite. Speaking from the perspective of someone on a Christian faith journey who desires to encourage others doing the same as well as help some begin their own faith journey, this is a reality that must be addressed.

I find myself struggling as of late with what is meant by phrases like "the narrow way". I'm searching for that middle way that is still path of complete obedience, allegiance, and desire to be like him. It is the path between legalism and full-blown liberalism. I believe the way is narrow and that is does lie between these two extremes.

I don't have a good way to wrap up these thoughts. This more of a on-the-fly posting. It certainly is a bit heavier than the usual fare here. But just as the blog says, it's just a thought.

A Christmas Card

This has been an interesting year for us in terms of Christmas cards. We have received very few. Part of the reason is I am no longer a pastor, so I don't have a congregation full of people giving us one. But we still have the same number of friends. I've even noticed at work that few Christmas wishes are exchanged. Perhaps the assault on Christmas is beginning to have effect.

Of course, I'm not complaining. I'm just making an observation. To be completely honest about the situation, we did not send out ANY this year. We just ran out of time. For once, my wife listened to me when I said not to worry to about them (literally worry about them). However, we would like for all our friends and family to know we wish them a Merry Christmas. Thus this post. Unfortunately, only about three or four of said family and friends read this blog. But hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

So without further ado, to make this an official Christmas card, here is our first annual Christmas newsletter.

Wow! Can you believe Christmas is here already? It seems like it has only been a year since last Christmas. 2008 was a busy year for all of us. Here are the highlights for each one.


Matt resigned as pastor of New Life Wesleyan Church in February. It was a timely move since Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for president, asked him to head up his campaign. Matt protested that he knew nothing about running a presidential campaign. Bob insisted and Matt needed the job anyway. This probably explains our poor showing in the elections. Sensing the campaign was not going to end well, Matt resigned from that position in August to begin teaching seventh grade math at Clayton Middle School.

Tammy continued her present career path as mom, homemaker, and lead teacher at Trinity Christian Academy. Not many days went by that she didn't ask herself why. In addition to this already busy schedule, she started her own curriculum consulting company. Considering the hours she has put into researching this field, she figured it was a great way to make all that work payoff financially. It will also pay the medical bills incurred so that we can have the strained eyesight and carpal tunnel syndrome fixed from all that time on the computer. If you have a curriculum question, give her a call. Her next goal is to apply for the vacant superintendent position of Johnston County Schools.

Joshua began the year taking up a new pasttime - hunting. Using the pellet gun he received last Christmas, he rescued the neighborhood from a rabid bear that was terrorizing us all. Discovering that he had a special gift, probably due to some unknown Native American heritage in his bloodstream, Joshua opened his own hunting guide service. If you're interested in hunting moose, rhino, or any other exotic big game in our neighborhood, Joshua can ensure your success. In addition to discovering a love for hunting, Joshua continued to hone his Cub Scout skills. He is only one activity pin away from earning all twenty pins available to Webelos Scouts. He is anxiously counting down the day to when he crosses over to Boy Scouts in only three months.

Noah's year has been equally exciting. He finished his first year of Cub Scouts in the spring. This put him one step closer to his dream of living as far away from civilization as possible. We began renting out his bedroom for extra cash since he decided to move out into the yard. The large nest in the tree out back leads one to believe that either Big Bird or an African lowland gorilla has moved into our backyard. Despite his desire to live in the wilderness for the rest of his life, Noah continues to work on his education due to legal requirements. Most days demonstrate excellent progress even though he will never use anything he has learned.

I'll leave it up to you to decide what's true and what isn't, what's dead on and what's embellishment. One thing is true, our year, just like yours, was filled with joys, excitement, and struggles. God was with us every step of the way. We always knew he was there, even when we had no clue how we would get through some of those struggles. And we of course gave him praise in each moment of joy and triumph. I'm sure 2009 will bring more of the same, including his ever abiding presence. This Christmas, we wish for you to experience that same presence as we remember how he became flesh and dwelled among us.

Merry Christmas!
Matt, Tammy, and the boys

A Christmas Poem

For the last 24 hours we have been suffering from a stomach bug that for now we are blaming on my niece. In between spurts of energy and other things, I composed this Christmas poem with a special tongue in cheek message. My apologies to Clement C. Moore.

'Twas three days before Christmas and all through the house
Not an adult was stirring, not me nor my spouse
The trash cans were positioned by our places with care
In hopes that when we got sick that they would be there

We were lying about, on the couch and the bed
Because of the turmoil that filled our stomachs with dread
The children did their best to play nice and get along
While our intestines played a not so sweet song

When out of my innards there arose such a clatter
I sprang for the restroom and hoped it wouldn't splatter
Away to the porcelain I flew like a flash
Make up your own line here that ends with the word splash

The moon outside, well, I didn't care
How it shone on the world out there
When to my own wondering mind should appear
That cramps in my stomach would cause a great tear

Two holiday affairs have already been canceled or at least postponed
A third one's in danger so stay by the phone
As we lay immobilized we wished it would pass
We meant the whole sickness and not just the gas

Despite our discomfort and change of plans
It is the season we celebrate the greatest gift to man
A time of Joy, and Hope come down
To fill a manger while giving up a crown

The gifts of love we share with each other
Are symbols of love modeled on another
God became flesh to dwell with us here
And then later died so that death we might not fear

So, no matter where you are or how you might feel
Remember the Christmas story that is very real
Discover Peace and walk in its Light
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night

What does it take to make a community?

As part of our children's study of colonial America, we have been watching Colonial House, a reality tv program from PBS. A group of people try to recreate the experience of the Massachusetts Bay Colony of 1628. The gentleman serving as the governor of the colony has been faced with the difficulty of trying to enforce 17th century Puritanical law with a group of 21st century individuals. It just didn't work. People, especially women, complained about what we would now consider ridiculous regulations - required Sabbath worship attendance, no profanity, modest hair coverings, corsets, etc. Finally, the governor suspended enforcement of all Sabbath laws. What resulted was an gradual protest against all such laws.


The problem was not with the ridiculous nature of the laws. The problem was that not everyone had a shared worldview. One atheist woman wondered aloud whether she would have kept her mouth shut in 1628 or martyred herself. What she failed to see is that had she lived in 1628, her worldview would have probably been quite similar to that trying to be enforced. (Not all the laws were simply Puritanical. Some were actually commonly accepted English customs of the time.) It does cause one to wonder more deeply about the gradual evolution of societal norms that led to the more pluralistic society we have today. Who were the ones to begin the question and rebel? Had they always been there, choosing to remain quiet? What caused them to finally speak out?

More importantly to me are the questions that begin to arise about religious belief. What is that binds a group of people into a religious community? Even in the Christian community, you have many different types of communities. You might even think of them as denominations. Even within denominations you get different flavors on the local church levels. There MAY be a common agreement on what the Core is, but usually the common bond centers more around a very specific set of convictions or interpretations. In today's society those do not even hold as people move on to the next church (community) when something about their current situation is not satisfactory. Or, they will fight to make it like they want it.

After pondering these thoughts for a couple of days, I came up with the following conclusions. I think the root of it all has to be a certain degree of self-sacrifice. In order for to community to remain together and function properly, everyone has to be willing to sacrifice specific preferences. The hard part is choosing which preferences those would be. As idealistic as it sounds, if everyone sacrificed everything, would that be better or would it simply lead to anarchy because there would be no standard.

Which leads me to what is the greatest example of self-sacrifice I know - Jesus death on a cross as payment for our sins. When we accept that sacrifice, we become part of the body of Christ that assembles into local communities. It is this standard that we sacrifice our personal preferences to. We sacrifice our personal preferences to the will of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. When the Holy Spirit is able to govern our interactions with one another in our self-sacrifice, true community is formed AND maintained.

The problem comes from the fact that as human creatures, we still struggle with that notion. Local churches (communities) experience rifts all the time. There is a failure to maintain the unity in Christ. Which is sad because we don't have to create the unity - it's already there.

Just a thought.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This weekend was filled with wonderful Christmas traditions that made things warm and fuzzy all over. Today we decorated the house for Christmas. We put up the tree, hung the stockings, draped the porch rail with garland, bows, and lights, and played Christmas music throughout most of the day.

Yesterday the missus and I took part in what is a holiday tradition of sorts. We attended a performance of Handel's Messiah by the Carolina Ballet. Despite being about the prophecies, birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ (i.e. more than Christmas and the birth), Messiah has become a Christmas tradition, or more appropriately an Advent tradtion. There were moments during the performance that were especially moving for me. The depiction of Isaiah 60:2,3 of darkness covering the earth was a stark reminder of the sin that rules our lives from birth, the sin that keeps us separated from God. The darkness was shattered as Isaiah 9:2 was sung and high intensity beams of light focused from the rear of the stage and into the audience. The dancers majestically swept across the stage, celebrating the hope that was to come.

The birth of Jesus is celebrated with some of the more familiar portions of Messiah - "For unto us, a child is given . . .", "There were shepherds abiding in the fields . . ." and of the course the Alleluia chorus. This celebration of hope turns to dismay as we are reminded of the rejection of Jesus in Act 2 and his eventual crucifixion. The most poignant moment for me came as the Chorus sang Isaiah 53:4,5. The dancers showed us how humankind in its sinfulness enjoyed its pleasures, but when confronted by Jesus, his love, and his sacrifice, their guilt drove them away.

This morning in our family worship we continued our study of the Gospel of John, specifically John 3:16-21. As we talked about the notion of darkness and light, humankind's love for the darkness and Jesus coming as the true light from God, I could not help but think of yesterday's performance. I shared with the boys my experience as detailed above. We turned our attention to our Advent wreath and the light shining atop of the Preparation candle lit this morning. We talked about the already assembled and lighted but not yet decorated Christmas tree, how in my opinion the lights are the best part. All these things prepare us for the coming of the Jesus. They prepare us to be able to see what his light will expose. They prepare us to receive the healing of the rift between God and us because Jesus did not come to condemn (we already stand condemned John 3:17 -18); he only came to save.

It was a wonderful day to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. More than ever, I wish every day could be like Christmas.

Wow!

I was going to post some long thoughts I had this morning about marriage until a friend sent me this video clip. This seemed more appropriate than trying to exercise my intellectual muscle. Make special note of the mom's words at the end about leaving a legacy.

Happy Thanksgiving

A New Name

While searching for a fun activity to do with my students as a reward for their hard work during the first grading period, I came across a site that will figure out your Jedi Name. Here's mine.

Cast off your old name! Your Jedi name is GUTMA FOHAR of the planet lexapro! Find your Jedi Name!

Click the link in the above box to find your own.

New names are really important. Many women still choose the traditional custom of taking the husband's name when they are married, and they are very excited about doing so. For some people, their name may not change, but their title might. They might become "Dr. So & So", "Vice President of Marketing" or "Shift Manager". An increase in rank is not always the desired change either. I have a friend whose title changed from "Managing Director of North America" within his firm to "Director of Tools and Practices". It was not a decrease in pay or position, but it did remove all people management out of his responsibilities. This was a welcomed change for him.

When you begin your faith journey with Christ, you get a name change and a new identity. You become one of God's children and we are called by his name. We even become new people with a new internal make up. It's not always easy and it does come with responsibility. But it's worth it. That's the exciting part of the journey. You ARE different. You are continually being improved and kept different. The problems come when we forget who we are and try to live under the old name the way the old person did.

So my thoughts tonight are not anything profoundly deep, just a weak connection to something silly I found on the web. Nonetheless, I'm glad I have a new name and that I'm a new man.

What's that noise? (or "That's not supposed to work that way!")

Our house has a mouse. And no, we do not eat green eggs and ham with it. If you listen close enough, you can hear it squeaking. Unfortunately, it's not the cute little fuzzy gray kind of mice. To which my wife and many other women would say there is no such thing as a cute mouse. But I digress. Before you become too grossed out or frightened at the thought we have some tremondous sized, disease carrying, ferocious rat running loose in our abode, the mouse of which I speak is our computer mouse. Everytime you press the left button it goes "Squeak". I've been tempted to spray WD-40, whose multitude of uses is rivaled only by duck tape, in its innards, but I'm fairly confident that might cause more harm than good. I do not have an alternative solution, but I'm pretty sure it's not suppsed to sound like that.

As a person on a Christian faith journey, I'm sometimes compared to our noisy computer peripheral. People look at me and say, "You're not supposed to do that." Sometimes they are legitimate criticisms as I allow the fallen nature of my flesh to rule instead of the new creation powered by the Holy Spirit. Other times the admonition comes from other believers who give more creedance to their personal convictions or the status quo than to the core of what it means to be a Christian.

The surprise declarations of my malfunctions that bring me mixed feelings are the ones that come from people not on a faith journey. They come in two forms. Sometimes people are surprised that a Christian, a former pastor no less, actually behaves and acts in certain ways. When I am able to show them I am a normal person and that my behavior/beliefs do not contradict anything Biblically, they are pleasantly surprised. It's like a barrier between them and God has become weaker. The ones that bother me come from the non-believer that has sold out to the status quo, even though they do not subscribe to it in their own lives. They can be more condemning that the fellow believer. I worry about being a stumbling block to them and their faith despite seeing that they have decided to throw the stones in their own paths.

Regardless of who's commenting, everybody's watching. The only thing I want people to see is not a comparison of my behavior to their preconceived notions but the actual revelation of Jesus Christ and therefore God himself at work in my life. That IS the way it's supposed to work.

A Prayer for Our Country

Father in heaven, we pray we will glorify you this day, as in all days. Thank you for blessing us with the freedom from sin and its curse through the sacrifice of your son Jesus on a cross. Thank you for your ever abiding Holy Spirit that keeps us from sin and guides our decisions when we submit our wills to you.

As we celebrate the freedoms given to us by virtue of living in this great country, let us exercise that freedom wisely. As we choose those who will govern over us in earthly affairs, guide our decision making. Though the decision may seem obvious to some, we know that you do not belong to a political party. We pray we will make decisions divinely guided by the wisdom and faith that can only come from you.

We pray for tomorrow and the results of our decisions today. Gift whatever leaders we choose with wisdom beyond their own abilities. Protect us as a country from the potential rifts in our society that threatens no matter what the outcome. Give us grace tomorrow as we gather around the water coolers and talk about today's events. Though we may disagree on the outcome, move our hearts to pray for these new leaders. Help us move beyond the tension that might exist with coworkers. Help us to our part to be the country we have asked you to bless us to be.

In your name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.

What's up with this?

Today I was introduced to a new word - hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. It is literally, are you ready for the irony, the fear of long words! My only response to that is, "What's up with that?" If you follow the link for the definition, you'll discover that there is another word with the same meaning, sesquipedaliophobia, and this newer, more improved and even scarier word was created to emphasize the phobia itself.

I'm not sure where to go with this one. Do we talk about self-fulfilling prophecies or people making things difficult for the spite of it? How about something inane like who in the world would ever use this word and are there people out there who really suffer from this? That could lead us into a discussion of how irrational most of our fears really are, especially if we are on a faith journey.

If you know me personally or read this blog with any type of irregularity, you already know my mind can be twisted and warped. I could take any of the above thoughts and work them out, applying each one to our faith journeys. As much fun (and helpful) as that would be, I'm going to resist. For now I'm going to learn how to pronounce this word and use it in casual conversation at least three times tomorrow.

In a closing note, a shout out to my buddy Ben who has joined the blogosphere. He has written an excellent treatise on wind pants. I think you'll enjoy it.

A bag of juniper shavings

Thursday night the family and I enjoyed an evening at the NC State Fair where everything is deep fried, even the roller coaster. Besides the culinary delights and gastric disturbances, one of my favorite things to do is tour the exhibits that illustrate/demonstrate things from the good ol' days. That means the antique farm machinery and the Village of Yesteryear. In the "Village" we get to see modern craftsman spinning pots, carving wood, weaving baskets, and the like.

This year I discovered a new exhibit in the Village. I met Phoebe Briley, currently living in Marshallberg, NC, of Great Marsh Boatworks. She's a self proclaimed dingbatter who has fallen in love with the REAL Down East of NC and it's traditions, especially its boats. I was naturally drawn to Phoebe and her display because I am a native of Harkers Island. I grew up in the backyard of my great-grandfather Stacy Guthrie. Both he and his father, Devine Guthrie, are as famous for boatbuilding as they are for their character. In the picture of Stacy (or Poppy as he was known to me), you can see the hammer that is so special to our family.

Growing up in Poppy's backyard was special in many ways. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on his lap and hearing the whaling stories. I would often get up before my mom and join him in the yard as a preschooler while he built boats. The wonderful smell of juniper, the wood of choice for boatbuilders, and its shavings still fills my mind.

As I stopped by to introduce myself to Phoebe, I noticed a collection of juniper shavings she had on display. They were labeled with a sign that looked like it came out of Alice in Wonderland. It said, "Smell the Shavings." I pointed them out to my son. I picked up a handful and began talking about how wonderful they smelled and the memories they invoked. After he enjoyed a big whiff himself, Phoebe grabbed a small paper bag and began to fill it with shavings. She handed me the bag and said, "Here, enjoy." It was one of the most wonderful parts of the fair to me.

Meeting Phoebe was special for many reasons. Besides getting a bag of shavings, I met someone who appreciates my heritage and how it is disappearing. I had an opportunity to share some special memories. My son was shown how important his own family is in the history of his "homeland" by someone other than his father. It was a blessing all the way around. And now, I have a bag of juniper shavings to smell anytime I need to be reminded of that blessing.

Virtual Marlboro Man

The latest craze in our house is our most recent video game purchase. We purchased Cabela's Dangerous Hunts by Activision. It's part of a larger series of games where you can become a virutal hunter. It's really pretty cool. You get the chance to stalk some serious hunting trophies while at the same time face the dangers of the wild such as the elements and wild animals. Hence the name Dangerous Hunts. The first few tries I spent most of my time drowning in raging rivers, being mauled by grizzly bears, and being attacked by wolves. I eventually got the hang of how to aim my weapon and kill my attackers.

Soon the boys and I were able to achieve a pretty reasonable level of success at some fairly difficult tasks. As I guided my virtual hunter through the snowy wilderness of Colorado, my confidence in my ability to do this for real was bolstered. Yesterday, deer season opened for real here in NC. My oldest son and I joined the thousands of other hunters who went out on opening day, hoping to bring home a trophy buck. Just on the trail we selected, we passed two other hunters.

We found signs of all types of deer activity. We had scouted this area and knew they were be out there. We found a good spot and sat and waited. At the end of the day, we came home empty handed. Apparently, real deer don't have glowing red dots on them that indicate their location, even miles away. Apparently, the size of their territory is not limited in such a way that they have to run in some sort of circuit that guarantees they will come back around to you. Apparently, being a real Marlboro Man is not as easy as being a Virtual Marlboro Man.

Sometimes we try to live out our spiritual lives on virtual faith journeys instead of the real thing. We say the right things, know the right answers to all the key questions, attend all the right public events, even give money to all the right causes and funds. BUT . . . what are our lives really like? What type of heart change is evident? What is it about our character that tells people we are on a journey following Christ?

Just a thought.

We're #1! We're #1!

According to a news story I heard on my drive home this morning, NC has the boasts the highest average price for a gallon of gasoline. WooHoo! What a great achievement. I wonder what else that will put as in first place for.

Silent Ball Craze

Several years ago, a friend of mine who happened to be a middle school teacher told me about a game called silent ball. Basically, the kids throw a ball around the room. You are "out" if you make any noise or drop the ball. It's a great class (and behavior) management tool. He strongly testified to its effectiveness.

Well, now that I am a middle school teacher, I decided to use this game. When I was buying my classroom supplies, one of the things I purchased was a large foam ball for this very reason. I was shocked when school started and the kids began asking to play silent ball on day 1! Apparently, silent ball is a phenomenon known to every middle school student and teacher in the universe. It even has a wiki entry.

I can't help but liken this to Christianity. At least in part. All over the "civilized" world, people know about Jesus. At least we (and they) think they do. In reality, the only knowledge many people have of Jesus is the use of his name as an exclamation or even a swear. I'd wager the average church going Christian would be surprised how many American born and bred people do not know the basic facts of the traditional children's Christmas play with all the wise men, shepherds, angels, and a stable.

For that matter, many of us who call ourselves "Christian" know less about Jesus than we think. Much of what we know "to be true" about Jesus and following him have more to do with years of traditional interpretation and less about what the Bible actually says about him. Or what the Holy Spirit may even reveal to us. I even had a young Mormon missionary tell me one time that one of the things he liked about the South was that "everybody believed in Jesus". To which I quickly replied, "True, but I don't think we all believe the same thing."

Back to silent ball. Why is it that something as mundane as silent ball can be a universal given in the average middle school classroom but something as important as the knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ and what it means to follow him can be so widespread but shallow in depth? How is it that there can actually be people who don't know about him beyond the "that's what this group of people call the God force out there"?

I'm beginning to digress and my thoughts are becoming more dissociated with one another, putting forth a much less coherent article. So, I shall stop for the night and come back later when I am more organized. Until then, answer these questions for yourself. What do you know about Jesus? How will you make sure everybody does know about him?

A Marlboro Weekend

The last two days have been wonderful memory making moments for me. Friday evening I took my youngest son deer hunting. He has been wanting to use his bow to kill a deer for a long time. After work I rushed home and we headed off for the woods until dark. We didn't see any deer, but we came across some fresh tracks on our way out, telling us they somehow ran around behind us. Either way, it was a good time.

Yesterday (Saturday) the whole family attended the Fishing and Hunting Expo put on by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. We sampled some wonderful outdoor cooking, watched "real" mountain men start fire with a stick, did some simulated duck hunting, and tied some flies to hopefully catch some trout on someday. The whole family had a great time.

Yesterday evening, my oldest son and I went dove hunting. We had discovered a secluded field on some public game land that appears to never be used. We've hunted it before with success. The difference in this trip was I brought along a gun as well. When we first arrived, two large flocks flew out of the field. We took positions on either side of the field and walked parallel lines up the field, hoping to flush any stragglers left behind. Right before three birds flushed immediately in front of me, I remember thinking, "This is the stuff great magazine articles are made of."

Allowing the Hallmark-made-for-tv-movie side to show a bit, I really did think how great the weekend had been. Perhaps it is a bit stereotypical, but a dad and his sons out hunting are great memories. It's part of making my boys junior Marlboro men. I was doing something I enjoy. They were doing something they enjoy. We were are enjoying God's creation. And we were doing together.

I also couldn't help but think that sometimes God feels this way. Whenever we are doing some that we really enjoy and we are doing it for his glory, he has to enjoy being part of it. Weekends like this help me appreciate my relationship with my heavenly father. When I think about my relationship with him it also helps me enjoy my relationship with my children even more. It makes me want to do more things with both God and my children.

Just a thought

Caught in the Storm

Old friend and current church planter Matt LeRoy has posted a beautiful thought about being caught in the storm of God's love. I want to be a tree. More importantly I want to know that I am a tree, feeling the effects of the storm every day.

Why no one will mistake me for John Wesley

Here's a list of reasons why no one will mistake me for John Wesley, the 18th century preacher and leader of the Methodist Movement.
1) He was barely five feet tall. I'm 6'2".
2) He rode over 100K miles on horseback. I've never ridden a horse.
3) He died in 1791. I'm still alive, at least I was when I wrote this.
4) He was known in part for preaching to thousands in the open air. I'm not so good at that.

I'll elaborate on that last one. My youngest son plays flag football in a local Upward league. At every practice, there is a devotional time. Children earn stars for Scripture memorization, great game play, and demonstrating Christlikeness. On game day, there is a devotional at halftime of all the games. I was asked earlier in the week to give the devotional at yesterday's game. I'll probably never get asked to do that again.

Let me begin by saying I hate the sound of my own voice. Whenever I preach in a church, I always request that the stage monitors be turned off. There's not a problem whenever I'm speaking in an situation without a sound system because I've learned to ignore my voice. If only I could have done that yesterday. Or had a set of earplugs and earmuffs.

When halftime came, I stood in the middle of the three football fields, using a wireless mike. Because of the location of the speakers and sound board, there was about a one second delay between when I would actually say something and then hear it myself. I began pausing between every word because I kept hearing it twice. Imagine an old 45 record (for those of you born before cassette tapes) played at 33 rpm. Try as I might, I could not ignore the delay and speak in a normal speed.

As I looked around at the crowd, the 200 or so parents all had a forgiving smile on their faces. I know that I sounded quite a bit country fried, even for this part of this country. When I returned to the sideline, my "supportive" wife (please read sarcasm in that description) was doubled over in laughter. In her words, I sounded like "a stroke victim". Trying to put a positive spin on things and save what little dignity I had left, my response to her was, "Well, I'll not be asked to do it again and that will be one less thing I'll have to prepare."

I wonder how John Wesley would have done in that situation.

Growth Spurts

One of the unfortunate things about having children is they always outgrow whatever they own. They outgrow their shoes, their clothes, their beds, their bikes . . . Whenever we replace one of these items we find ourselves trying to calculate how to get the maximum usage out of that item for the lowest price. That's because we know just as soon as we spend $30 on a pair of shoes for one of our kids that two days later he will outgrow them overnight. Yesterday we went boot shopping so they would be prepared for the opening day of dove hunting season and their first offical hunt. As one of the boys was lobbying for a much more expensive pair of boots ($80 - $100), I kindly explained that when he was 18 and the overnight growth spurts were over, providing a better chance to get more than two weeks of wear out of a pair of shoes, we could revisit the issue.

Growth is usually a good thing. Corporations want to see their market shares grow which usually also means a growth in revenue and profit. Incumbent politicians prefer to see growth in the economy, especially in an election year. School officials want to see growth in end of year test scores. Leaders of any organization like to see growth in their membership.

Growth in our faith journeys is a good thing too. We want our relationships with God to grow closer, more intimate. We desire to see our faith grow, enabling us to trust more, handle bigger crises, display greater wisdom. Just like children, this growth will usually come in spurts.

We have learned to recognize the signs of an impending growth spurt in the boys. Their appetites usually double or triple for about a week. They might become a little more moody during that same time. After a week of eating everything in sight, they will usually experience a week or so of increased lethargy. Then suddenly they will be a few inches taller and a few pounds heavier. When you think about the fact that a teenager does nothing but eat and sleep for a couple of years, it's clear why they experience the massive spurts they have.

A spiritual growth spurt may have similar signs. A person may have an increased appetite for studying the Bible or becoming involved in the life of his church. Other signs may not appear so positive. A crisis of some sort may be the signal of a growth spurt. How one handles the crisis will determine his or her faith standing on the other side of the trial. A temptation, knowing that we will not be tempted beyond anything we can bear (1 Cor 10:13) may be the signal of a growth spurt.

What are your thoughts? What are the signs you can recall of your own spiritual growth spurt? Is it possible to "outgrow" your current situation as a result of spiritual growth spurt?

Olympics, Genetics, & Success

It's been a while since I've posted, mainly because I've spent almost every waking moment preparing for the new school year now that I'm teaching again. Plus the Olympics have been on for the last two weeks. They were fun to watch, but honestly, I'm glad they're over.

For those of you living under a rock the last two weeks, the American swimmer Michael Phelps was the big story of this year's Olympics. He won EIGHT gold medals this year alone. That gives him a career total of 14. If my memory serves me correctly, six of this year's eight medals involved new world records.

Michael Phelps has sparked a bevy of thoughts. The one I'd like to share tonight deals with genetics. Much was said about Phelps having the perfect body shape for swimming. Apparently he is cursed with a disproportionately long torso for his height, just like me. Plus his inseam is too short for his height. However, the similarities between Phelps and me end there. He had other genetic factors going for him, aiding in his success as a swimmer.

Dara Torres, the 41 year old woman who was also captain of the swim team (and medal winner!) referenced her own genetics in explaining her success as such an "old" age. Like Phelps, she has more fast twitch muscle fibers.

All this discussion about genetics during the Olympics helped to put a damper on my dreams. I can see where it would easily dampen other dreams as people began to examine their own genetic make up. No longer can you get there from hard work. You must have the proper genes. What if you were able to determine exactly what your particular gene would enable you to be successful at and you weren't interested in such a pusruit? Just because I have the perfect genetic combination to be the world's best one handed egg juggler does not mean that's how I want to make my mark on the world.

It's just a matter of time before spiritual matters become boiled down to genetic factors. Or at least some scientific study which claim such. Do some of us have a better chance at being "more successful" on their faith journey's than others? Is that fair? What do the people with "weak genes" do? What about those with "good genes" who do not pursue a relationship with God?

I think some people do have more of a proclivity toward spiritual matters than others. I do not know if genetics have anything to do with it. I also believe that everyone can experience "success" in their faith journeys. That success depends on one's ability to trust in the faith given by the Holy Spirit.

I hope these thoughts inspire some of your own. How about sharing them if so. In the meantime, I've got to start training for the 2012 400m IM.